Chester is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Windsor County,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, United States. The population was 3,005 at the 2020 census.

History

The town was originally chartered by

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

Governor

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

as Flamstead in 1754. The terms of the charter were not met and the town was re-chartered as New Flamstead in 1761. In 1766, a patent was issued by

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

that changed the name of the town to Chester, after George Augustus Frederick, the

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...

and the eldest son of

King George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...

. Later, the governing authority of Chester reverted to the 1761 charter by an act of the

Vermont legislature The Vermont General Assembly is the legislative body of the state of Vermont, in the United States. The Legislature is formally known as the "General Assembly", but the style of "Legislature" is commonly used, including by the body itself. The G ...

, although it left the name "Chester" in place. 2011 was thus the 250th anniversary of the town.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.46%, is water. A prominent geological feature of the town is the Williams River, a tributary of 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 into Long Isl ...

, whose three branches come together as a central river and run through Chester. Residents use it extensively for recreation; especially fishing and swimming. The banks, covered bridges, waters and nearby homes suffered major damage during

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth tropical cyclone naming, named storm, first hurricane, and first major ...

in 2011. The flooding was caused by Irene's rains coupled with the basin having poor drainage in the rugged, hilly land with steep slopes.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, 3,154 people resided in Chester, with 1,793 housing units. In 2010, Chester had 510 residents 14 years old and younger; 205 15 to 19; 277 20 to 29; 298 ages 30 to 39; and 418 ages 40 to 49. Our 0-49 age group makes up 53.2% of the Chester population. Of the entire population, 17.6% is 50 to 59 years old, 13.1% is 60 to 69; 7.6% is between 70 and 79 and 5.2% is 80 and older. As in 2000, the majority of town residents in 2010 are female (1,638 to 1,516 male today compared to 1,574 to 1,470 10 years ago). In 2010, 1,262 of the women and 1,117 of the men are older than 19. Chester is 97.5% white (down slightly from 98.8%) while Vermont as a whole is 95.3% white. Chester's non-Caucasian population, however, has more than doubled, from 38 residents in 2000 to 78 in 2010. The Native America/Alaskan population has risen from 3 in 2000 to 16 in 2010, while Chester's Asian population has risen from 7 to 15 and its Hispanic populace grew from 21 in 2000 to 35 in 2010. In the meantime, the number of African-American residents dropped from 10 in 2000 to 7 in 2010. And the number of residents claiming more than one race more than doubled, from 17 in 2000 to 37 in 2010. As of the 2000 census, the median income for a household in the town was $39,417, and the median income for a family was $47,083. Males had a median income of $32,744 versus $26,114 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $19,661. About 3.8% of families and 7.0% 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 9.3% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Chester is served by Vermont routes 10, 11, 35 and

103 103 may refer to: *103 (number), the number *AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD *103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC * 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment * 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers * 103 ...

. Although

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...

does not pass through the town, Chester is served by exit 6 in nearby Rockingham.

Arts and culture

Annual cultural events

Chester hosts The Chester Fall Festival on the Green in September, and the Winter Carnival in February.

Tourism

Chester is famous for its Stone Village Historic District and Chester Village Historic District. Both districts are listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. The Stone Village section is located along

Vermont Route 103 Vermont Route 103 (VT 103) is a north–south state highway in southern Vermont, United States. It runs from U.S. Route 5 (US 5) in Rockingham in the east to US 7 in Clarendon near Rutland in the west. The Vermont Country Store's second bra ...

in North Chester, across the Williams River from Chester Center. It is known for the many houses made of local

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

. The Chester Factory Village has homes that were built between 1750 and 1924, and includes Victorian, Colonial Revival and

Federal style architecture Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to: Politics General *Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies *Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...

. Both areas are popular tourist destinations. Registered historic sites: * Chester Village Historic District – Roughly bounded by Lovers Lane Brook, Maple St., Williams River, Middle Branch & Lovers Lane (added September 8, 1985) * Greenwood House – VT 103 (added December 1, 1985) *

Jeffrey House The Jeffrey House is a historic house on North Street in Chester, Vermont United States. Built in 1797, it is one of Vermont's small number of surviving Georgian style houses. It was built by the son of one of the area's early settlers, and ori ...

– North St. (added July 13, 1974) * Stone Village Historic District – Both sides of VT 103 (added June 17, 1974)

Media

The '' Chester Telegraph'', an online newspaper, is based in Chester, and was founded in 2011. It grew out of the website www.chestervermont.org, which was funded by

USDA Rural Development USDA Rural Development (RD) is a mission area within the United States Department of Agriculture which runs programs intended to improve the economy and quality of life in rural parts of the United States. Rural Development has a loan portfolio o ...

. The Telegraph focuses on local news in Chester and the surrounding towns of

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

, Grafton, Londonderry, and

Weston Weston may refer to: Places Australia * Weston, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb of Canberra * Weston, New South Wales * Weston Creek, a residential district of Canberra * Weston Park, Canberra, a park Canada * Weston, Nova Scotia * W ...

Notable people

* Clarence Adams, politician and serial burglar *

Robert Alden Edwin Hyde "Robert" Alden (January 14, 1836 – May 6, 1911) was an American Congregational minister. He was one of the many real people upon whom Laura Ingalls Wilder based a character in the ''Little House on the Prairie'' series of books a ...

(a.k.a. Edwin Hyde Alden), clergyman commemorated in the books of

Laura Ingalls Wilder Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (February 7, 1867 – February 10, 1957) was an American writer, teacher, and journalist. She is best known as the author of the children's book series ''Little House on the Prairie'', published between 1932 and 1 ...

* Melvin Baldwin, U.S. Representative from

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

. * Fernando C. Beaman, US congressman from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

Paul Bremer Lewis Paul Bremer III (born September 30, 1941) is a retired American diplomat. He was the second ''de facto'' head of state of Iraq as leader of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) following the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United State ...

, Director of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq * Thomas Chandler Jr., a founder of Chester who served as

Speaker Speaker most commonly refers to: * Speaker, a person who produces speech * Loudspeaker, a device that produces sound ** Computer speakers Speaker, Speakers, or The Speaker may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * "Speaker" (song), by David ...

of the

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives a ...

and was Vermont's first Secretary of State *

John Royston Coleman John Royston "Jack" Coleman (June 24, 1921 – September 6, 2016) was a labor economist, college and foundation president, television host, and author of ''Blue-Collar Journal''. Biography Jack Coleman was born in the town of Copper Cliff, Ontario, ...

, president of

Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Fr ...

Donald J. Cram Donald James Cram (April 22, 1919 – June 17, 2001) was an American chemist who shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Jean-Marie Lehn and Charles J. Pedersen "for their development and use of molecules with structure-specific interacti ...

, Nobel Prize for Chemistry, 1987 * Anna Dewdney, children's book author; lived in Chester until her death in September 2016 *

Franklin Edson Franklin Edson (April 5, 1832 – September 24, 1904) was an American merchant who served as the 85th Mayor of New York from 1883 to 1884. Early life Edson was born in Chester, Vermont on April 5, 1832, where his father had a farm. A descendant ...

, mayor of New York City *

Merritt A. Edson Merritt Austin Edson, Sr. (April 25, 1897 – August 14, 1955), known as "Red Mike", was a major general in the United States Marine Corps, First President of the Marine Corps War Memorial Foundation and First Commissioner of the Vermont Depar ...

, Marine Corps general *

James Robinson Graves James Robinson Graves (April 10, 1820 – June 26, 1893) was an American Baptist preacher, publisher, evangelist, debater, author, and editor. He is most noted as the original founder of what is now the Southwestern family of companies. Graves wa ...

, Baptist preacher, publisher, and author *

Albert David Hager Albert David Hager (November 1, 1817 – July 29, 1888) was an American geologist, librarian and historian. Biography Born and raised in Chester, Vermont, Hager received a common school education. In 1856, he was appointed assistant naturalist ...

, geologist, historian, and librarian *

Albert W. Harvey Albert W. Harvey (March 10, 1879 – January 3, 1956) was a Vermont businessman and government official. He served as United States District Court for the District of Vermont, Vermont's U.S. Marshal from 1922 to 1935. Early life Albert Walter Ha ...

United States Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The Marshals Service serves as the enforcement and security arm of the United States federal judi ...

for the District of Vermont * Hugh H. Henry, United States Marshal for Vermont *

Aaron Leland Aaron Leland (May 28, 1761 – August 25, 1832) was a Minister (Christianity), minister and politician who served as the List of lieutenant governors of Vermont, seventh lieutenant governor of Vermont. Biography Aaron Leland was born in Holliston ...

Lieutenant Governor of Vermont The lieutenant governor of Vermont is elected for a two-year term and chosen separately from the Governor of Vermont, governor. The Vermont lieutenant governor's main responsibilities include acting as governor when the governor is out of state o ...

Thomas B. Marsh Thomas Baldwin Marsh (November 1, 1800 – January 1866) was an early leader in the Latter-day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, who served as the quorum's first President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apos ...

, Latter Day Saint leader, original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles * Hannah Maynard Thompson Pickard (1812–1844), school teacher, preceptress, author * Waitstill R. Ranney,

* Charles B. Stoughton, Union Army officer who attained the rank of brigadier general by brevet

Dollar General proposal

In 2011 and 2012, Chester residents gained notoriety for their fight against a proposed

Dollar General Dollar General Corporation is an American chain of discount stores headquartered in Goodlettsville, Tennessee. As of January 8, 2024, Dollar General operated 19,643 stores in the contiguous United States and Mexico. The company began in 1939 in ...

store. The '' Chester Telegraph'' covered the issue, which was also picked up statewide by

Vermont Public Radio Vermont Public Co. is the public broadcaster serving the U.S. state of Vermont. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio studios are located in Colchester, with television studios in Winooski. It operates two statewide radio services aligned wit ...

and outside Vermont by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. In February 2014, the Vermont Environmental Court ruled that a Dollar General could be built in Chester.

Gallery

Image:Stone Village, Chester, Vermont.jpg, Stone Village Image:Yosemite Engine Company, Chester, Vermont.jpg, Yosemite Engine Company

In popular culture

* A season 4 episode of the

Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It init ...

series ''

A Haunting ''A Haunting'' is an American paranormal drama anthology television series that depicts eyewitness accounts of alleged possession, exorcism, and ghostly encounters. The program features narrations, interviews, and dramatic re-enactments based ...

'', called ''Echos of the Past'', takes place in Chester in 2005–2006.

References

External links

Town of Chester official website

Chester community website

''The Chester Telegraph''
online newspaper
2010–2011 photos of town, houses and buildings (61)

Chester House Inn
{{Authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Windsor County, Vermont