Saxtons River, Vermont

For the river, see Saxtons River.

Saxtons River, Vermont
Village
Saxtons River, Vermont Location within the state of Vermont
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Windham
Area
• Total	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
• Land	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	466 ft (142 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	565
• Density	1,130/sq mi (436.6/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	05154
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-62950
GNIS feature ID	1459397

File:SR parade 7-4-2013 10-47-02 AM.JPG

Start of a game of water polo on Main St, Saxtons River, after the 4th of July parade in 2013. The game is played by volunteer firefighters with fire hoses, trying to spray the ball down the street to a goal. Looking west at the Saxtons River Historical Society (a former Congregational church).

Saxtons River is an incorporated village in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 565 at the 2010 census. For over a hundred years, Saxtons River has been the home of Vermont Academy, an independent secondary school. Most of the village is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as Saxtons River Village Historic District.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.5 square mile (1.3 km²), all land.

History

Saxtons River was first settled in 1783, but growth was extremely slow. A meeting house was built and the village cemetery established in 1810, and the first textile mill was opened at the Middle Falls in 1815. The village bounds were determined by the town in 1820, and it was formally incorporated as a village in 1905. Although the village had a long history of industry (in particular successful textile operations), much it had failed by the 1920s. After a period of decline in the mid-20th century, older buildings, such as the Saxtons River Inn, were restored and rehabilitated.

Historic buildings include:

• Congregational Church (Main Street), now the Saxtons River Historical Society; 1836, 1871
• Saxtons River Village Building (Upper Main Street); c. 1860, c. 1970
• "Maple Grove," Smith-Bancroft-Neill House (Upper Main Street); c. 1830 and later
• Warner Block-Odd Fellows Building (Main Street), now the home of Main Street Arts; c. 1850
• Sabin-Bryant Block (Main and School Street); c. 1865
• Saxtons River Public School (School Street); 1915
• Saxtons River Inn (Main Street and Academy Avenue); 1903
• "The Beehive" (Academy Avenue); c. 1860
• Simonds Store - Saxtons River Village Market (Main Street and Academy Avenue); c. 1870
• Tin Shop or Saxwin Building (Main and Maple Streets); c. 1850
• Baptist Church (Main Street), now Christ's Church, UCC; 1840
• Fuller Hardware Store (Main Street); c. 1830
• Saxtons River Woolen Mill foundation (Maple Street); c. 1847 and later.
• Wool Pulling Shop (River Street); c. 1870
• Old South Meetinghouse site (Westminster Street)
• Saxtons River Cemetery (off Westminster Street)
• Tenney's Lumber Mill (off Westminster Street); 1870
• Thompson Gristmill (Westminster Street); c. 1850

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	670		—
1940	740		10.4%
1950	715		−3.4%
1960	725		1.4%
1970	581		−19.9%
1980	593		2.1%
1990	541		−8.8%
2000	519		−4.1%
2010	565		8.9%
Est. 2014	555		−1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 565 people in 210 households in the village. The population density was 1,130 people per square mile (434.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.65% White, 1.6% Asian, 0.4% African American, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.85% of the population.

In the village the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 34, 40.5% from 35 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. Median age was 37.6 years.

Notable people

• Horace Henry Baxter, prominent businessman and Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia during the American Civil War
• John Butler Smith, 44th Governor of New Hampshire