Brownington, Vermont, New England USA
About Brownington, Vermont
Orleans County
Chartered: October 2, 1790 (Vermont Charter)
Area: 18,149 Acres = 28.36 Square Miles [ Size Rank: 206* ]
Coordinates (Geographic Center): N 44° 50′ W 72°10′
Altitude: 1,025 feet ASL
Population (US Census, 2010): 988 [ Population Rank: 172* ]
Population Density (persons per square mile): 34.8 [ Density Rank: 132* ]
Full Census Info: Town County State
*Area, Population and Density rankings refer to Brownington’s relative position among Vermont’s 255 civic entities (9 cities, 242 towns, 4 gores and grants). Complete rankings are here.
Brownington originally was granted in 1782. As with many of the other towns in northern Vermont, the grantees of Brownington got caught in a dispute between the Legislature and the Governor and Council over which branch of government had the right to grant land within the state.
The two chief grantees of Brownington were Daniel and Timothy Brown, six other male Browns and one woman, Sarah Brown. Most of the grantees lived in the older, established towns in the southwestern part of Vermont, and it is very doubtful that any of them ever intended to relocate to the new town. There is some indication in the legislative records that the Browns at one time tried to sell all or part of the town to a group of Connecticut men, among whom were a son of the Reverend Jonathan Edwards, and the Honorable William Samuel Johnson, after whom the town of Johnson was named.
Eventually the wrangling in the legislature was resolved by establishing a commission to hear the individual cases, and on one day alone in 1788 no fewer than seventeen towns were certified as being eligible for charters. In the case of Brownington the charter was further delayed until the granting fees of £392,1d were paid by Timothy Brown. In 1792 Joseph Fay, then Secretary of the Governor and Council, noted the payment of the fees on the back of the charter and also certified that several grantees’ names had been inserted because they had been omitted from the original document.
Activities & Points of Interest
Goings-on in and near Brownington
Calendar of Events provided by the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing.
Orleans County Historical Society
Contact Info
Emergency Services (Statewide): 911
Hospital: North Country Hospital & Health Care (Newport) 802-334-7331
Town Clerk: Cheryl Perry PO Box 66 Orleans, VT 05860
802-754-8401
M W Th 9-4; and by appt.
Churches, Ministries, Charitables
United Church of Christ : United Church of Christ
Schools
Orleans Central Supervisory Union 802-754-6945
Brownington Central School 802-754-8467
Neighboring Towns
This is a basic geographic reference, intended to show relative location of adjacent towns. Directional accuracy is limited to 16 compass points. There isn’t even the slightest suggestion that one can necessarily travel directly from one town to the next (as in “You can’t get there from here”).
Brownington
Utilities
Notes about utilities:
- One electric or phone company indicates that company serves the entire town. More than one of either indicates each serves different areas of town.
- A listed cable company MIGHT mean the entire town is covered, but not necessarily. More than one listed indicates each serves different areas of town.
- Unless your area is one served by Vermont’s only gas utility, your only option is bottled gas (any dealer).
Electric Barton Electric Department 802-525-4747
Electric Orleans Utility Department 802-754-8584
Electric Vermont Electric Co-op 800-832-2667
Telephone Fairpoint 866-984-2001