Dorset, Vermont, New England USA
About Dorset, Vermont
Bennington County
Chartered: August 20, 1761 (New Hampshire Grant)
Area: 30,400 Acres = 47.5 Square Miles [ Size Rank: 46* ]
Coordinates (Geographic Center): N 43° 15′ W 73°06′
Altitude: 802 feet ASL
Population (US Census, 2010): 2,031 [ Population Rank: 82* ]
Population Density (persons per square mile): 42.8 [ Density Rank: 102* ]
Full Census Info: Town County State
*Area, Population and Density rankings refer to Dorset’s relative position among Vermont’s 255 civic entities (9 cities, 242 towns, 4 gores and grants). Complete rankings are here.
Named for either the town of Dorsett, England, or Lionel Cranfield Sackwille, first Duke of Dorset, a man of great political influence who served the first three Kings George loyally.
Ironically, the first general convention of the freemen of the New Hampshire Grants met at Dorset in 1776 to consider the organization of a free and independent district, and for many years the town played an vital part in the establishment of Vermont as a separate entity. Many times during the early years of the Vermont republic, the Legislature met at Cephas Kent’s Tavern in Dorset.
The first marble quarry in the US was opened in South Dorset in 1785. At one time there was a thriving little community on the eastern side of town known as Freedleyville. The John K. and William G. Freedley Company of Philadelphia bought a marble quarry there and then opened other quarries in the area. A unique gravity railroad ran down the side of Mount Aeolus, delivering marble to the finishing sheds next to the Bennington and Rutland tracks. The only remaining evidence of Freedleyville are a group of large, thick walls (pictured above), ruins of the marble sheds, which can still be seen along the west side of Route 7, just below Emerald Lake.
Activities & Points of Interest
Goings-on in and near Dorset
Calendar of Events provided by the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing.
Wilson House
Birthplace of Bill Wilson, founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Contact Info
Emergency Services (Statewide): 911
Hospital: Rutland Regional Medical Center (Rutland) 802-775-7111
Town Clerk: Sandra Pinsonault PO Box 24 East Dorset, VT 05253
802-362-1178
M-Th 8:30-3:30; F 8:30-11:30; and by appt.
Churches, Ministries, Charitables
Roman Catholic : St. Jerome
United Church of Christ : United Church of Christ
Schools
Bennington Rutland Supervisory Union 802-362-2452
Dorset School 802-362-2606
The Long Trail School 802-867-5717
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”).
Dorset
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).
Cable Comcast 800-266-2278
Electric Green Mountain Power 888-835-4672
Telephone Fairpoint 866-984-2001
