Date Visited: July 2, 2019
Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockingham,_Vermont
Website: https://www.rockbf.org/
So one thing that often puzzles us in our quest is the appearance of signs directing us or welcoming us to “towns” that do not appear on the list of 251 towns in Vermont. I mean clearly there is a Felchville, Perkinsville, Downers, etc. Are they not towns? Why aren’t they on the list.
We were especially intrigued yesterday when we went in search of Rockingham which is on the list. Having lived in Vermont for so many years we were amazed that Bellows Falls is not considered one of Vermont’s 251 towns. So today I decided to unravel this mystery and I needed to go no farther than the Wikipedia page for Rockingham. I usually don’t quote heavily from those pages but in this case I think it’s warrented.
Wikipedia says: “Rockingham is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, along the Connecticut River. The population was 5,282 at the 2010 census. Rockingham includes the incorporated villages of Bellows Falls and Saxtons River, as well as a large rural area west of Interstate 91. Rockingham has no formal town center, instead town offices and the Rockingham Public Library are located in the village of Bellows Falls. The approximate center is the Rockingham Meeting House on Route 103, a popular east-west route across the state. The Meeting House was built in Rockingham Village, once the main settlement in the town, but with the increased use of water power, population shifted to other villages located on the two rivers in town. Most of what was left of Rockingham Village (over a dozen buildings, also called the Old Town) burned in a fire on April 14, 1908; the fire came close to the Meeting House but it was saved.[3] The houses, hotel and store that burned were not rebuilt.[4] “
No wonder we couldn’t “find” Rockingham. It was hiding in plain site.
I am also now more knowledgeable about the subject of Incorporated Villages in Vermont. An absolutely exhaustive history of incorporated villages can be found here: https://bit.ly/2JzeJyX and a list of those village can be found here: https://bit.ly/2Xp5wmu.
So that settles that! Or at least I thought so. The first three towns on the above referenced list: Albany, Alburgh and Barton are….well….on the list of Vermont’s 251 towns. So stay tuned. We’ll get this sorted out.
Glad to see you are back at it. I enjoy your posts. Since I lived in VT for a total of 30 years plus (both in the northern and southern parts) I feel as if i know the state better than the one I grew up in, Maryland. But there are still many little towns i never went through in my travels, and I keep my eyes on this site in case I catch you somewhere I have never been. So, I am now an armchair traveler with you and your wife!
Vermont is a wonderful State!