Randolph, Vermont

Randolph, Vermont
Town
Downtown Randolph
Randolph town boundaries
Coordinates: 43°57′07″N72°39′54″W / 43.9520°N 72.6650°W / 43.9520; -72.6650
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Orange
Chartered	1781 (Vermont)
Communities	Randolph Randolph Center East Randolph North Randolph South Randolph
Area
• Total	47.9 sq mi (124.1 km2)
• Land	47.9 sq mi (124.0 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	694 ft (420 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	4,774
• Density	100/sq mi (38/km2)
• Households	1,783
• Families	1,066
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	05041 (East Randolph), 05061 (Randolph Center), 05060 (Randolph)
Area code	802
FIPS code	50-58075 [1]
GNIS feature ID	1462182 [2]
Website	randolphvt.org

Randolph is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census, ^[3] making Randolph the largest town in Orange County. The town is a commercial center for many of the smaller, rural farming communities that surround it.

When the area was originally settled there were three villages—Randolph Center, East Randolph and West Randolph—the current locations of the three fire departments. ^[4] What is now Randolph, the primary village of the town, had previously been the village of West Randolph.

History

Print of West Randolph from 1886 by L.R. Burleigh with listing of landmarks

Vermont granted the town on November 2, 1780, when the New Hampshire settlers could not locate the original grantees, whose patents were issued by New York. It was chartered on June 29, 1781, to Aaron Storrs and 70 others, and was originally named "Middlesex". ^[5]

The town was first settled c. 1778, when Vermont was an unrecognized state whose government existed in defiance of the government of New York, which claimed Vermont was a part of New York. To encourage recognition of the state by the United States, the town was renamed in honor of Edmund Randolph, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. ^[5]

With productive soil for cultivation, farming became an intensive industry. By 1830, when the population reached 2,743, between twelve and thirteen thousand sheep grazed its pastures. Randolph was noted for its good butter, cheese and mutton. ^[6]

Two branches of the White River provided water power for watermills. By 1859, the town had three gristmills, one oil mill, and one carding mill. ^[7] In 1848, the Vermont Central Railroad opened service through the town. Randolph's prosperity during the Victorian era endowed it with some fine architecture, including the Second Empire Randolph Railroad Depot and Renaissance Revival Kimball Public Library. ^[8]

In 1921, Randolph was the setting for, and provided some of the cast of, a silent movie called The Offenders. In 1922, the same was true for the film Insinuation.

Today, Randolph is a thriving meeting-spot and shopping center for the surrounding area. The town is home to attractions such as the Porter Music Box Museum and the Chandler Music Hall. Also located in Randolph are the Gifford Medical Center, a hospital; Dubois & King, a civil and structural engineering firm; and Randolph Union High School, which also serves students from the neighboring towns of Braintree and Brookfield. Downtown Randolph hosts the Amtrak station, shops, restaurants, Playhouse Movie Theatre, and several gas stations.

• 
  Union Block in 1912
• 
  Kimball Library c. 1915
• 
  North Main Street in 1913

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.9 square miles (124.1 km²), of which 47.9 square miles (124.0 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.08%) is water. Randolph is drained by the second and third branches of the White River.

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1790	893		—
1800	1,841		106.2%
1810	2,255		22.5%
1820	2,487		10.3%
1830	2,743		10.3%
1840	2,678		−2.4%
1850	2,666		−0.4%
1860	2,502		−6.2%
1870	2,829		13.1%
1880	2,910		2.9%
1890	3,232		11.1%
1900	3,141		−2.8%
1910	3,191		1.6%
1920	3,010		−5.7%
1930	3,166		5.2%
1940	3,278		3.5%
1950	3,499		6.7%
1960	3,414		−2.4%
1970	3,882		13.7%
1980	4,689		20.8%
1990	4,764		1.6%
2000	4,853		1.9%
2010	4,778		−1.5%
2020	4,774		−0.1%
[9]

As of the census ^[1] of 2000, there were 4,853 people, 1,769 households, and 1,144 families residing in the town. The population density was 101.4 people per square mile (39.2/km²). There were 1,905 housing units at an average density of 39.8 per square mile (15.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.77% White, 0.21% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.02% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 1,769 households, out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.3% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,283, and the median income for a family was $50,756. Males had a median income of $31,353 versus $25,160 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,591. About 5.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The main campus of Vermont Technical College is located in Randolph Center.

Two public schools operated by the Orange Southwest Supervisory Union serve Randolph.

• Randolph Elementary School K–6
• Randolph Union Jr. High School, grades 7–12 ^[10]

Transportation

Roads and highways

Randolph is served by five state-maintained routes. Interstate 89 passes through Randolph and has one exit near the center of town. Paralleling the Interstate are Vermont Route 12, which passes through downtown Randolph and the western half of town, and Vermont Route 14, which passes through the eastern half of town. East-west Vermont Route 66, which is located entirely within Randolph, connects all three of those north-south routes. Vermont Route 12A splits from Vermont Route 12 just north of downtown Randolph and heads to the northwest to enter Braintree.

Public transportation

Randolph Railroad Depot

See also: Randolph station (Vermont)

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Randolph, operating its Vermonter between Washington, D.C. and St. Albans, Vermont. Tri-Valley Transit provides local bus transportation across town, Orange County and to and from the White River Junction and Lebanon, New Hampshire areas. ^[11]

Media

Weekly newspaper

The Herald of Randolph ^[12]

Radio

• WWFY – 100.9 FM (Froggy 100.9 FM – Today's BIG Country)
• WRFK – 107.1 FM (107.1 Frank FM – Classic Rock)
• WCVR – 1320 AM (Real Country 1320 – country)
• WVXR – 102.1 FM (VPR Classical)
• WVTC – 90.7 FM (Vermont Tech Radio – various music)

Sites of interest

• 
  Randolph Historical Society Museum

Notable people

• George W. Barker, U.S. Marshal for Vermont, Judge of Maniwitoc County, Wisconsin ^{[13] [14]}
• Jedediah Berry, author
• Dudley Blodget, Wisconsin politician
• Calvin H. Blodgett, mayor of Burlington, Vermont ^[15]
• Albert Brown Chandler, president of the Postal Telegraph Company
• Dudley Chase, United States Senator
• Harry H. Cooley, Secretary of State of Vermont ^[16]
• William H. Dubois, Vermont State Treasurer
• Joseph Edson, U.S. Marshal for Vermont
• Lebbeus Egerton, Lieutenant Governor of Vermont
• Martin Flint, Anti-Masonic Party leader who served as Adjutant General of the Vermont Militia
• Henrik Galeen, actor, director
• William Hebard, US congressman
• Carroll Ketchum, Vermont state legislator
• Zosia Mamet, singer, actress
• Jean Merrill, writer and editor ^[17]
• Colonel Jonathan Miller, Freedom fighter, abolitionist and women's rights ^[18]
• Justin Morgan, horse breeder and composer
• Sherman R. Moulton, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court ^[19]
• Buster Olney, columnist for ESPN The Magazine
• John K. Parish. Wisconsin state legislator and jurist
• John W. Rowell, Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court ^[20]
• John C. Sherburne, Vermont's first Rhodes Scholar and Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court ^[21]
• Milan H. Sessions, politician
• Ronni Solbert, children’s book illustrator
• Larry Townsend, Vermont legislator
• Levi Baker Vilas, Vermont and Wisconsin politician
• Stephen W. Webster, Vermont state legislator who served as President pro tempore of the Vermont Senate ^[22]
• Jessamyn West, librarian

International relations

Randolph is twinned with:

• Myrhorod

See also

• List of towns in Vermont

References

1. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. "Census - Geography Profile: Randolph town, Orange County, Vermont" . Retrieved January 4, 2022.
4. "Randolph Fire Departments". Randolph VT town website. Retrieved January 28, 2018.
5. Randolph, Vermont, New England, USA. Virtualvermont.com (May 25, 2013). Retrieved on 2014-04-12.
6. "RANDOLPH, VERMONT • Historic New England". newenglandtowns.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
7. Coolidge, Austin Jacobs; Mansfield, John Brainard (1859). A History and Description of New England, General and Local. A.J. Coolidge. p.  881. coolidge mansfield history description new england 1859.
8. "History of Kimball Public Library".
9. "Randolph Town, Vermont". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
10. "Randolph Union High School". orangesouthwest.org. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
11. Main Page, Stagecoach Transportation Services. Retrieved December 17, 2015.
12. The Herald of Randolph official site
13. "Vermont Vital Records, 1720-1908, Birth Entry for Geo. W. Barker" . Ancestry.com. Lehi, UT: Ancestry.com, LLC. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
14. "Death of George W. Barker". Argus and Patriot. Montpelier, VT. April 24, 1873. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Bakersfield: Funeral of the Hon. Calvin H. Blodgett to be Held To-Day". Burlington Free Press . Burlington, VT. August 5, 1919. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Biography, Harry H. Cooley" (PDF). Secretary of State Harry H. Cooley Papers. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Secretary of State. Vermont State Archives. p. 1.
17. Maughan, Shannon (August 16, 2012). "Obituary: Jean Merrill". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
18. Jonathan P.Miller, Appletons Encyclopedia, Retrieved August 4, 2015
19. Dodge, Prentiss Cutler (1912). Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography. Burlington, VT: Ullery Publishing Company. p.  272.
20. Dodge, Prentiss Cutler (1912). Encyclopedia of Vermont Biography. Burlington, VT: Ullery Publishing Company. p.  87.
21. Stone, Arthur F. (1929). The Vermont of Today. Vol. III. New York, NY: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 29.
22. Vermont Secretary of State, Vermont Legislative Directory, 1989, page 514

External links

• Kimball Public Library
• Virtual Vermont – Randolph, Vermont
• Randolph Herald – local newspaper
• Randolph Historical Society – local history museum