Dorset, Vermont

Dorset is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,036 at the 2000 census. The Dorset quarry is famous for being the oldest marble quarry in America. The marble rocks create cliffs for swimmers and are a popular recreation spot for locals. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (465x744, 34 KB)Description: Map of Vermont towns with Dorset highlighted Source: Map created by Jared C. Benedict on 26 March 2004. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (465x744, 34 KB)Description: Map of Vermont towns with Dorset highlighted Source: Map created by Jared C. Benedict on 26 March 2004. ... The system of local government in use in New England is very different from that found throughout the rest of the United States. ... Bennington County is a county in the state of Vermont. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ...

When Benning Wentworth, Governor of New Hampshire, granted charters for the nine towns from Sunderland north to Danby in 1761, he could not have guessed that they would develop so individually. Dorset is most favorably situated, its 46 square miles anchored by mountains - on the southwest by Mother Myrick, on the northwest by the Scallop, and on the eastern border by the Green Mountain front. It gives rise to three rivers, Otter Creek and the Mettowee running north, the Batten Kill flowing south - still prime sources of trout in the Northeast.

Of the original grantees of 1761 only one, William Lemmon, is known to have actually settled in Dorset. The others sold their rights to men from Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. As Dorset's very first settler (1768), Felix Powel received fifty free acres of land. Joining Powel were Isaac Lacey, Benjamin Baldwin, Abraham Underhill, John Manley, Jr. and George Page. The next year saw four more Baldwins, another Manley (Deacon John, Sr.,) and four Farwell brothers. Other early families included Armstrong, Bloomer, Curtis, Gray, Kent, Paddock and Sykes. These family names are still traceable here today, many of their forebears at rest in Maple Hill Cemetery.

Two elements combined to make Dorset quite different from the other grants along what are now Route 7A and Route 30. Strangely both are geographical and one is geological. A rise of mountains between these two routes turned Dorset into a split town with the villages of Dorset and South Dorset along Route 30 and North and East Dorset on Route 7A. Morse Hill Road from South Dorset to East Dorset is the only direct ink between them in the town - a distance of 3.6 miles. Lying buried in this range of peaks, Mt. Aeolus, Owls Head, Netop and Dorset Mountain, was the geological phenomenon that became Dorset's claim to fame throughout the country - marble.

The country's first commercial marble quarry was opened in South Dorset by Isaac Underhill in 1785 on the land of Reuben Bloomer. Over Dorset's marble industry lifetime of some 130 years, two dozen or more quarries located on the slopes of Dorset Mountain and Mt. Aeolus provided marble for headstones, lintels, hearths and the like in the early years, followed by monumental uses and later building stone used in many notable buildings, such as the New York Public Library, the library of Brown University, and Memorial Continental Hall of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Washington, D.C. Several mansions on New York City's 5th Avenue were built of Dorset marble, and many bank buildings across the land were graced by interiors lined with polished Dorset marble, some of which was attractively streaked or tinted with green or bluish colors. After the clapboard church in Dorset Village burned in 1907 a new church was built in the same style using locally quarried marble.

One quarry is known as the Gettysburg because from its tunnel-like cut were taken marble blocks fashioned into 5000 or more gravestones for the cemetery on the Civil War battleground of that name. At the formidable Freedley tunnel quarry, located 1000 feet above the East Dorset valley, an inclined railway was built to transport the large marble blocks (typically 4x4x8 feet in size) to the mill located in the valley below, replacing the slow and laborious trip down the mountain in ox-drawn wagons and sleds.

Although marble was the jewel in the crown of Dorset's history this did not mean that other industries did not flourish. There were sheep farms, dairies, cheese factories, saw and grist mills, apple orchards, iron foundries, maple sugaring and especially the Fenton Pottery kilns which produced stoneware from 1800 to 1833.

It was in 1775 and 1776 that this town hosted the vitally important Dorset Conventions which set the stage for the creation of the Republic and later the state of Vermont. These meetings were held at the tavern of Cephas Kent on the West Road and today a marble monument marks that general location.

In 1852 a hotel was built in East Dorset to accommodate the growing number of travelers. It was here in 1895 a boy named Bill Wilson was born in a room behind the bar. He grew up to become the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. His birthplace, re-named the Wilson House, still operates as a hotel and retreat for recovering alcoholics who come by the thousands every year to visit Bill W's grave.

A new element entered the life of Dorset in the 1870s when the marble industry was approaching its peak. The quiet town with marble sidewalks was discovered by summer visitors who boarded at private homes and farms for a couple weeks or a month at a time. First came clergymen and their families, then the nature lovers attracted by the earthly beauty of the area, then the artists and writers who drew fresh inspiration from the vistas on every side. The Dorset Inn, in Dorset village, has been in continuous operation since 1796. Some of the family homes that took in boarders became more established hostelries such as the Barrows House (1898) and the Inn at West View Farm (1917). More accommodation was needed and over the years other boarding places gave way to today's popular Bed and Breakfasts.

One of the oldest operating stores in the country is here. Founded in 1816,the Dorset Union Store is still operating in Dorset.

Golf was played in Dorset as early as 1881. An early course map dated Sept. 13, 1886, shows a nine-hole course spreading over the pastures of several neighboring farms. The 1886 date is cited to prove the Dorset Field Club's reputation as the nation's oldest golf club still playing the sport on the same site. The clubhouse was built in 1896. It remained a nine-hole course until the late 1990s when adjacent land became available. The added back nine opened for play in July 1999.

Answering the tourist demand for entertainment is the unique Dorset Playhouse, a beautiful little theater built in 1929 from the wood of two early barns for the use of local thespians. Still in operation under the Dorset Players aegis, it has been shared during the summers since the end of World War II by excellent professional acting companies. The local players still mount five productions each winter.

The population of Dorset had been about 2200 in the 1870s, but dropped to slightly more than 1100 by the 1930s with the closing of the marble quarries, mills and iron foundries. It was the ski craze that hit southern Vermont in the early 1950s that truly opened Dorset up to its present four season resort status. The addition of state-of-the-art ski lifts at Bromley Mountain, Stratton and Magic Mountain brought increased threat of rapid growth and change to the secluded villages surrounding them. The population of Dorset has grown to just over 2000 as we start the new millennium.

Yet town planners and Selectmen along with ever vigilant residents have resisted modernization and over-building so that current photographs of Dorset streets, country roads and homes appear almost exactly as they were a hundred years ago, but certainly warmer, more comfortable and better maintained.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²). 123.9 km² (47.8 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.08%) is water. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title ) is a part of the United States Department of Commerce. ... A square metre (US spelling: square meter) is by definition the area enclosed by a square with sides each 1 metre long. ... A square mile is an English unit of area equal to that of a square with sides each 1 statute mile (≈1,609 m) in length. ...

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 2,036 people, 856 households, and 600 families residing in the town. The population density was 16.4/km² (42.6/mi²). There were 1,246 housing units at an average density of 10.1/km² (26.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.97% White, 0.44% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.29% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population. Image:1870 census Lindauer Weber 01. ... The following is a list of sources used in the creation of encyclopedia articles on various geographic topics and locations, such as cities, counties, states, and countries. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... It has been suggested that Ethnicity (United States Census) be merged into this article or section. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ... The United States Census Bureau uses the federal governments definitions of race when performing a census. ...

There were 856 households out of which 27.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.82. Marriage is an interpersonal relationship with governmental, social, or religious recognition, usually intimate and sexual, and often created as a contract, or through civil process. ...

In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 30.6% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $54,219, and the median income for a family was $62,969. Males had a median income of $40,027 versus $28,167 for females. The per capita income for the town was $32,956. About 3.0% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 2.5% of those age 65 or over. The per capita income for a group of people may be defined as their total personal income, divided by the total population. ... Map of countries showing percentage of population who have an income below the national poverty line The poverty line is the level of income below which one cannot afford to purchase all the resources one requires to live. ...

Notable residents

• Rosemary Altea, controversial, self proclaimed psychic and author

• Frederick Buechner, Pulitzer Prize nominated author.

• Kenneth C. Davis, author of the "Don't Know Much" book series.

• Rob Eaton, of the Dark Star Orchestra

• Sean Kelly, of The Samples

• Bill Wilson, co-founder of the mutual-help group Alcoholics Anonymous.

• John Irving, national best selling author The Cider House Rules, A Widow for One Year, The World According to Garp, Until I Find You, A Son of the Circus, and others

• Clear Path International, a landmine and bomb victim assistance organization makes its unlikey home office here.

Rosemary Altea is a self proclaimed psychic and author. ... Frederick Buechner as photographed in 1950 by Carl Van Vechten Frederick Buechner (born July 11, 1926) is a Presbyterian minister and an American author. ... The Pulitzer Prize is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in print journalism, literary achievements, and musical composition. ... Kenneth C. Davis is the author of books such as Dont Know Much About History and Dont Know Much About Geography. ... Dark Star Orchestra (or simply DSO) is a U.S. tribute band to the Grateful Dead, formed in 1997 and based in Chicago. ... Autopilot, 1994 album The Samples are a band formed in Boulder, Colorado in early 1987. ... Dr Bob Smith (left) and Bill Wilson (right), the co-founders of AA William Griffith Wilson (26 November 1895–24 January 1971) (also known as Bill Wilson or Bill W.), was the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), a fellowship of self-help groups dedicated to helping alcoholics recover from... Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is an informal society for recovering alcoholics. ... John Winslow Irving (born March 2, 1942 as John Wallace Blunt, Jr. ... This article is about the novel. ... A Widow for One Year book cover A Widow for One Year is a John Irving novel, released in 1998, The novel is about the lives of Ruth Cole and Eddie OHare, both novelists. ... The World According to Garp book cover The World According to Garp is a novel by John Irving. ... Until I Find You is a 2005 novel by John Irving about a Canadian actor named Jack Burns. ... A Son of the Circus is a novel by John Irving written and/or published in 1994. ... Clear Path International (CPI) is a non-profit organization based in the United States. ... U.S. Army soldier removes fuse from a Russian-made mine to clear a minefield outside of Fallujah, Iraq. ...

External links

• Dorset Vermont Chamber of Commerce
• Maps and aerial photos for 43°16′09″N 73°03′11″W / 43.26917, -73.05306Coordinates: 43°16′09″N 73°03′11″W / 43.26917, -73.05306
  • Maps from WikiMapia, Google Maps, Live Search Maps, Yahoo! Maps, or MapQuest
  • Topographic maps from TopoZone or TerraServer-USA

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