Duxbury, Vermont, New England USA
About Duxbury, Vermont
Washington County
Chartered: June 7, 1763 (New Hampshire Grant)
Area: 27,511 Acres = 42.99 Square Miles [ Size Rank: 89* ]
Coordinates (Geographic Center): N 44° 19′ W 72°45′
Altitude: 550 feet ASL
Population (US Census, 2010): 1,337 [ Population Rank: 120* ]
Population Density (persons per square mile): 31.1 [ Density Rank: 142* ]
Full Census Info: Town County State
*Area, Population and Density rankings refer to Duxbury’s relative position among Vermont’s 255 civic entities (9 cities, 242 towns, 4 gores and grants). Complete rankings are here.
One of ten towns Benning Wentworth granted in the course of one busy day. Many of those towns fell in what has become Chittenden County, and were bargains for the buyers. The other towns, outside of Chittenden County, were strong on rocks (see also Roxbury) and short on farmland, which was then the only marketable real estate. The early Yankee had little use for scenery, unlike his modern counterpart, who will never understand as did his predecessor that a view was a mighty cold thing to own.
Duxbury had lots of rocks and impressive scenery, but it was (and still is) a darned cold place in winter. The Winooski River forms the town’s northern boundary, and in that area there was some good farm land, most of which has since been usurped by the railroad, US Route 2 and Interstate 89. A valley to the east gave the proprietors some tillable land, but most of the town was hills, peaks and mountains, including part of the most beautiful mountain of all, Camels Hump.
Duxbury is not a common place-name, there being only two other towns in the US with the same name. Duxbury, Massachusetts, unquestionably provided the source for the Vermont name, but historians have told several different stories to explain the older use of the name. The Massachusetts town was settled by Elder William Brewster, Miles Standish, John Alden and others, incorporated in 1637 as Ducksburrow. The most plausible explanation is that this was the way the settlers rendered Duxborough, which was the name of the Standish family seat in England. Writing in the 19th Century, one amateur historian offered a fanciful explanation: in old Saxon dux was “chieftain” or “leader” and bury meant “fortified place”, hence Duxbury, “the leader’s fort.” This bit of folklore has been repeated so often that many people actually believe it is the origin of Duxbury’s name.
A third explanation has been offered. The name of neighboring Roxbury, Massachusetts, was spelled Rockesbury in its charter, and may just possibly have been named for the rocky nature of the terrain. Taking Roxbury as a clue, one can guess that the Duxbury name (as “Ducks-bury”) might have signified that large flocks of ducks were seen in the area. Of the three choices, we prefer the explanation that includes the Standish family connection.
Activities
Goings-on in and near Duxbury
Calendar of Events provided by the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing
Contact Info
Emergency Services (Statewide): 911
Hospital: Central Vermont Medical Center (Berlin) 802-229-9121
Town Clerk: J Kenneth Scott 5421 VT Route 100 Duxbury, VT 05676
802-244-6660
M 8-4; T Th F 7:30-3:30; W 10-6
Churches, Ministries, Charitables
United Church of Christ : United Church of Christ (South Duxbury)
Schools
Washington West Supervisory Union 802-496-2272
Crossett Brook School 802-244-6100
Harwood Union High School 802-244-5186
Harwood Union Middle UHSD #19 802-244-5186
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”).
Duxbury
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
Cable Waitsfield Cable 802-496-5800
Electric Green Mountain Power 888-835-4672
Electric Washington Electric Co-op 800-932-5245
Telephone Fairpoint 866-984-2001
