Sharon, Vermont

Sharon, Vermont
Town
Baxter Memorial Library
Location in Windsor County and the state of Vermont.
Location of Vermont in the U.S.A.
Coordinates: 43°46′25″N 72°26′38″W / 43.77361°N 72.44389°W / 43.77361; -72.44389Coordinates: 43°46′25″N 72°26′38″W / 43.77361°N 72.44389°W / 43.77361; -72.44389
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Windsor
Chartered	1761
Area
• Total	40.1 sq mi (103.8 km2)
• Land	39.6 sq mi (102.6 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	500 ft (449 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,502
• Density	37/sq mi (14/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	05065
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-63775
GNIS feature ID	1462204
Website	www.sharonvt.net

Sharon is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It had a population of 1,502 at the 2010 census.

Sharon was the birthplace of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and as such is an important historical site for Latter Day Saints. The town is also home to The Sharon Academy, an independent middle and high school.

One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was created on August 17, 1761, by a royal charter which King George III of the United Kingdom issued to Governor Benning Wentworth. It was granted to John Taylor and 61 others, many from Sharon, Connecticut. The town was first settled about 1765 by Robert Havens and family. In 1780 during the Revolution, the village was attacked in the Royalton Raid, when a combined force of British soldiers and Indians burned houses and killed .

Although the surface of the town is very broken, the intervales contain fertile soil, and farming became an important industry. On June 26, 1848, the Vermont Central Railroad opened from White River Junction to Bethel, traversing Sharon and accelerating its development. The White River and its tributaries provided water power for mills. By 1859, when the population reached 1,240, Sharon had 12 sawmills, a gristmill, and a bobbin factory.