Windham County, Vermont

Windham County, Vermont
Windham County courthouse in Newfane
Location in the U.S. state of Vermont
Vermont's location in the U.S.
Founded	1781
Shire Town	Newfane
Largest town	Brattleboro
Area
• Total	798 sq mi (2,067 km2)
• Land	785 sq mi (2,033 km2)
• Water	13 sq mi (34 km2), 1.6%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	43,386
• Density	55.6/sq mi (21/km²)
Congressional district	At-large
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Windham County is a county located in the state of Vermont, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 44,513. The county's shire town (seat) is Newfane, and the largest municipality is Brattleboro. The county is known for its counterculture.

Fort Bridgman, Vernon, was burned in 1755, a casualty of the French and Indian War. The Court of Common Pleas (established 1768) of the County of Cumberland (established July 3, 1766) of the Province of New York was moved to the town of Westminster in 1772. On July 4, 1776 the Province of New York became an independent state.

On January 15, 1777 Vermont declared its independence from New York, and functioned as an independent republic until statehood in 1791. Cumberland County (N.Y.) and Gloucester County (N.Y.) were extinguished when Vermont declared its independence from New York; Albany County (N.Y.) and Charlotte County (now Washington County, N.Y.) were eliminated from Vermont.

Unity County was formed March 17, 1778, the eastern of the two original Vermont Republic counties. Unity County was renamed Cumberland County on March 21, 1778. Cumberland County and Bennington County (the eastern original county) exchanged land, adjusting their early border. On February 16, 1781 Rutland County was created from Bennington County, and Orange, Windham and Windsor Counties were created from Cumberland County. Some authors assume Cumberland County was renamed Windham County in 1781. Yet there are several original sources that indicate Cumberland County was dissolved rather than renamed. This was probably to make a clean legal break from any connection with Cumberland County, New York, as some authors indicate the Cumberland County, Vermont Republic, records remained in Windham County. Newfane became the Shire Town of Windham County before 1812.