Springfield is a town in Windsor County,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,062.

History

The land currently recognized as Springfield is the traditional land of the

Pennacook The Pennacook, also known by the names Penacook and Pennacock, were an Algonquian-speaking Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands who lived in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and southern Maine. They were not a united tribe but a n ...

and

Abenaki The Abenaki ( Abenaki: ''Wαpánahki'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands of Canada and the United States. They are an Algonquian-speaking people and part of the Wabanaki Confederacy. The Eastern Abenaki language was pre ...

people.

Stellafane Observatory Pink Clubhouse 2021

One of the New Hampshire grants, the township was chartered on August 20, 1761 by Governor

Benning Wentworth Benning Wentworth (July 24, 1696 – October 14, 1770) was an American merchant and colonial administrator who served as the List of colonial governors of New Hampshire, governor of New Hampshire from 1741 to 1766. While serving as governor, W ...

and awarded to Gideon Lyman and 61 others. Although Springfield's

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. ...

flats made it among the best

agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peopl ...

towns in the state, the Black River falls, which drop 110 feet (33.5 m) in 1/8 of a mile (201 m), helped it develop into a

mill town A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more mills or factories, usually cotton mills or factories producing textiles. Europe Italy * '' Crespi d'Adda'', UNESCO World ...

. Springfield was located in the center of the Precision Valley region, home of the Vermont

machine tool A machine tool is a machine for handling or machining metal or other rigid materials, usually by cutting, boring, grinding, shearing, or other forms of deformations. Machine tools employ some sort of tool that does the cutting or shaping. Al ...

industry. In 1888, the Jones and Lamson Machine Tool Company (J&L) moved to Springfield from Windsor,

under the successful leadership of

James Hartness James Hartness (September 3, 1861 – February 2, 1934) was an American inventor, mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, amateur astronomer, and politician who served as the 58th governor of Vermont from 1921 to 1923. Early life and education Hartn ...

. Gaining international renown for precision and innovation, J&L ushered in a new era of precision manufacturing in the area.

Edwin R. Fellows Edwin R. Fellows (May 29, 1865 – May 21, 1945) was an American inventor and entrepreneur from Torrington, Connecticut who designed and built a new type of gear shaper in 1896 and, with the mentoring of James Hartness, left the Jones & Lamson Mach ...

co-founded the Fellows Gear Shaper Company here in 1896. As knowledge and infrastructure grew to support precision machining, other companies such as the Bryant Chucking Grinder Company and Lovejoy Tool formed, grew, and provided much of the economic engine. Springfield Telescope Makers, the oldest amateur telescope making club in the United States, has been based in Springfield since its inception in 1920 by

Russell W. Porter Russell Williams Porter (December 13, 1871 – February 22, 1949) was an American artist, engineer, amateur astronomer and Arctic explorer. He was a pioneer in the field of “cutaway illustration" and is sometimes referred to as the "founder" or ...

. The club's pink clubhouse at the Stellafane Observatory was built in 1923 on Breezy Hill, just south of Springfield village, and has hosted an annual convention for astronomers and telescope makers nearly every summer since 1926. Many notable figures in the fields of astronomy and space exploration have attended the convention over the years. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, Springfield's production of machine tools was of such importance to the American war effort that the US government ranked Springfield (together with the Cone Automatic Machine Company of nearby Windsor) as the seventh most important bombing target in the country. Springfield is also home to the Eureka Schoolhouse, the oldest

one-room school One-room schools, or schoolhouses, were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries, including Prussia, Norway, Sweden, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Spain. In most rural and s ...

in the state of

. Completed in 1790, the building was in continuous use until 1900 and was restored in 1968 by the Vermont Board of Historic Sites. The school house was named by its first teacher, David Searle, who, after a long journey through the new frontier was heard to cry "Eureka!" upon reaching the new settlement of Springfield. The name stuck, and "Eureka" can still be found in street and business names throughout Springfield. Several sites in Springfield, including the historic downtown area, have been designated as having historical significance according to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Among them are the Hartness House (original home of the entrepreneur and governor) and the Gould's Mill Bridge, a

steel Steel is an alloy made up of iron with added carbon to improve its strength and fracture resistance compared to other forms of iron. Many other elements may be present or added. Stainless steels that are corrosion- and oxidation-resistan ...

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

. On July 10, 2007, Springfield was selected to host the

premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its fi ...

of ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...

'', which, like the ''Simpsons'' TV show, is set in a town called Springfield. In a Fox competition, Vermont was chosen to host the opening for over 13 other places around the nation called Springfield.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of 49.5 square miles (128.1 km²), of which 49.3 square miles (127.7 km²) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.4 km²) (0.30%) is water. Bounded on the east by the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Islan ...

, Springfield is drained by the Black River, which flows directly through downtown. The town includes the village of North Springfield.

Cultural and historic sites

* Eureka Schoolhouse (1790) * Hartness Mansion (1903–1904) * Springfield Art & Historical Society * The Stellafane National Historic Landmark

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 9,078 people, 3,886 households, and 2,498 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 184.1 people per square mile (71.1/km²). There were 4,232 housing units at an average density of 85.8 per square mile (33.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 0.24%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.18% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population. There were 3,886 households, out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.84. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $34,169, and the median income for a family was $42,620. Males had a median income of $31,931 versus $23,019 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $18,452. About 8.3% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Springfield's public school system currently has two

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ed ...

s, one

middle school A middle school (also known as intermediate school, junior high school, junior secondary school, or lower secondary school) is an educational stage which exists in some countries, providing education between primary school and secondary school. ...

grades 6–8, and one

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

grades 9-12. These schools are overseen by a five-member

school board A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...

elected individually by staggered elections to three year terms. In 2006 the public technical school, the River Valley Technical Center, left the Springfield School District to form its own district. The Springfield School District is currently undertaking action to renovate its elementary schools. The School Board plans to expand Union Street School and Elm Hill School, while the voters decided in 2008 to cease using Park Street School as a school "As soon as possible" due to prohibitive refurbishment costs and safety issues.

Elementary and middle schools

The city's two public elementary schools are Elm Hill and Union Street Schools. Riverside Middle School is the town's only public

(grades 6–8).

Springfield High School

Springfield High School is Springfield's only high school. * Team Name: Cosmos * School Colors: Green and White

River Valley Technical Center

The River Valley Technical Center is housed in the

Howard Dean Education Center Howard is an English-language given name originating from Old French Huard (or Houard) from a Germanic source similar to Old High German ''*Hugihard'' "heart-brave", or ''*Hoh-ward'', literally "high defender; chief guardian". It is also probab ...

and is adjacent to Springfield High School. The RVTC teaches technical courses to the students of Springfield and surrounding towns of

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

Bellows Falls Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,747 at the 2020 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad; the ...

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

and Charlestown.

Colleges and universities

Springfield is home to branches of the

Community College of Vermont The Community College of Vermont (CCV) is a community college in Vermont. It is Vermont's second largest college, serving 7,000 students each semester and is part of the Vermont State Colleges System. The college has 12 locations throughout Vermo ...

and the

University of Vermont The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, is a public land-grant research university in Burlington, Vermont. It was founded in 1791 and is among the oldest universities in the Unite ...

, which are housed in the Howard Dean Education Center.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Springfield is crossed by

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connec ...

(Exit 7 serves the town),

U.S. Route 5 U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south United States highway running through the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Significant cities along the route include New Haven, Connecticut; Hartford, Connecticut; and Springf ...

and Vermont routes 10, 11, 106 and

143 143 may refer to: *143 (number), a natural number *AD 143, a year of the 2nd century AD *143 BC, a year of the 2nd century BC * ''143'' (EP), a 2013 EP by Tiffany Evans * ''143'' (album), a 2015 album by Bars and Melody * ''143'' (2004 film), a 200 ...

Connecticut River Transit Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its ca ...

's the Current (CRT) provides Springfield with public transportation by bus around town and to Bellows Falls, Ludlow and the White River Junction and

Lebanon, New Hampshire Lebanon is a city in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 14,282 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 13,151 at the 2010 census. Lebanon is in western New Hampshire, south of Hanover, New Hampshire, H ...

areas. The closest

Greyhound The English Greyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgenc ...

bus and

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

train station is located in

, approximately to the south.

Notable people

Daric Barton Daric William Barton (born August 16, 1985) is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics. Minor league career Barton was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the ...

, first baseman with the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (often referred to as the A's) are an American professional baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. The t ...

* George B. Burrows, Wisconsin state legislator *

Henry W. Closson Henry W. Closson (June 6, 1832 – July 15, 1917) was a career officer in the United States Army. A veteran of the American Indian Wars and the American Civil War, he served from 1854 to 1896 and attained the rank of colonel. During the Civil Wa ...

, U.S. Army brigadier general * George M. Darrow, foremost American authority on strawberries *

, machine-tool inventor, industrialist *

Walbridge A. Field Walbridge Abner Field (April 26, 1833 – July 15, 1899) was an American lawyer, jurist and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts, and as the chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme J ...

, U.S. Representative * Helen Hartness Flanders, collector of American folk music *

Ralph Flanders Ralph Edward Flanders (September 28, 1880 – February 19, 1970) was an American mechanical engineer, industrialist and politician who served as a Republican U.S. Senator from the state of Vermont. He grew up on subsistence farms in Vermont and R ...

, machine-tool entrepreneur, banker, senator *

Albert Lovejoy Gutterson Albert Lovejoy Gutterson (August 23, 1887 – April 7, 1965) was an American Athletics (sport), athlete who won a gold medal in the long jump at the 1912 Summer Olympics. Gutterson also set a new Olympic record of 7.60 meters at this event. Gut ...

, Olympic gold medalist (long jump) * Dudley C. Haskell, politician and merchant *

, inventor, aviator and 58th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

* Dudley C. Haskell, U.S. Representative * Charles B. Hoard, U.S. Representative * Bill Jackowski, professional baseball umpire * Joseph B. Johnson, 70th

Kenny Johnson Kenneth Allen Johnson (born July 13, 1963) is an American actor, producer, and model. He is known for his roles as Detective Curtis Lemansky in ''The Shield'', Butch "Burner" Barnes in '' Pensacola: Wings of Gold'', Detective Ham Dewey in '' Sa ...

, film and television actor * Pattrice Jones, ecofeminist writer, educator, and activist * James Kochalka, local cartoonist and rock musician *

Lewis R. Morris Lewis Richard Morris (November 2, 1760 – December 29, 1825) was an American lawyer and politician. He served as a United States representative from Vermont. Early life Morris was born in Scarsdale in the Province of New York to Sarah Ludlo ...

, U.S. Representative *

Levi P. Morton Levi Parsons Morton (May 16, 1824 – May 16, 1920) was the 22nd vice president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He also served as United States ambassador to France, as a U.S. representative from New York, and as the 31st Governor of New ...

, 22nd Vice President of the United States * Alban J. Parker,

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

* Samuel B. Pettengill, U.S. Representative *

, explorer, artist and telescope innovator *

Asahel Lynde Powers Asahel Lynde Powers (February 28, 1813 – 1843) was an American painter active in New England. Powers was born in Springfield, Vermont, and began his career as an itinerant artist at an early age. At 18 years old, Powers was already well-known. ...

, painter *

Paul W. Ruse Jr. Paul W. Ruse Jr. (born September 13, 1943) was a Vermont banker and public official. He is notable for having served three terms as Vermont State Treasurer from 1989 to 1995. Biography Paul William Ruse Jr. was born in Springfield, Vermont on S ...

Vermont State Treasurer The State Treasurer's Office is responsible for several administrative and service duties, in accordance with Vermont Statutes. These include: investing state funds; issuing state bonds; serving as the central bank for state agencies; managing the ...

* Edwin W. Stoughton, lawyer and diplomat * James Bates Thomson, mathematician, educator, and author * Wheelock G. Veazey, attorney, judge, and government official *

Louis G. Whitcomb Louis G. Whitcomb (July 30, 1903 - October 12, 1984) was an American attorney and political figure from Vermont. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, he was most notable for his service as United States Attorney for the United States ...

, United States Attorney for Vermont

References

External links

Town of Springfield official website

Springfield Vermont Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Windsor County, Vermont