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Springfield, Vermont
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Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,078 at the 2000 census.
ngfield was chartered in 1761. It is located in the center of the Precision Valley region, which was the home of the Vermont machine tool industry.
In 1888, moved to Springfield from Windsor, Vermont under the successful leadership of James Hartness.
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Encyclopedia
Springfield is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 9,078 at the 2000 census.
Economy and history
Springfield was chartered in 1761. It is located in the center of the Precision Valley region, which was the home of the Vermont machine tool industry.
In 1888, moved to Springfield from Windsor, Vermont under the successful leadership of James Hartness. Gaining international renown for precision and innovation, J&L ushered in a new era of precision manufacturing in the area. As knowledge and infrastructure grew to support precision machining, other companies such as the Bryant Chucking Grinder Company and formed, grew, and provided much of the economic engine. The Fellows Gear Shaper company was also located here, taking advantage of water power on the Black River. During World War II, 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 at Windsor) as the seventh most important bombing target in the country.
, the oldest amateur telescope makers' club in the United States, has been headquartered in Springfield since its inception in 1920. The club's clubhouse, Stellafane, has hosted a convention for the geographically scattered club since 1927.
Springfield is also home to the Eureka Schoolhouse, the oldest one-room school in the state of Vermont. Built 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. Among them are the Hartness House (original home of the entrepreneur and governor) and the Gould's Mill Bridge, a steel truss bridge.
On July 10, 2007, Springfield was selected to host the premiere of The Simpsons Movie. The Vermont town beat out thirteen other towns and cities called Springfield around the United States in a short film competition to host the premiere of the film, which, like the Simpsons TV show, is set in a city called Springfield. The premiere was held on July 21. One year later, to the day, the theater was destroyed by a fire purposely set by a tenant living upstairs.
Schools
Springfield's public school system currently consists of three elementary schools, one middle school grades 6-8, and one high school grades 9-12. These schools are overseen by a five member school board 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 three public elementary schools (grades k-5) are: Elm Hill School, Park Street School and Union Street School
Riverside Middle School is the town's only public middle school (grades 6-8).
Springfield High School
Springfield High School is Springfield's only high school.
- Team Name: Cosmopolitans (Cosmos).
- School Colors: Green and White.
River Valley Technical Center
The is housed in the and is adjacent to Springfield High School. The RVTC teaches technical courses to the students of Springfield and surrounding towns of Chester, Bellows Falls, Westminster, Ludlow and Charlestown.
Colleges and universities
Springfield is home to branches of the Community College of Vermont and the University of Vermont, which are housed in the Howard Dean Education Center.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.5 square miles (128.1 kmē), of which, 49.3 square miles (127.7 kmē) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 kmē) of it (0.30%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,078 people, 3,886 households, and 2,498 families residing in the town. The population density was 184.1 people per square mile (71.1/kmē). There were 4,232 housing units at an average density of 85.8/sq mi (33.1/kmē). The racial makeup of the town was 97.60% White, 0.24% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic 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 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 for the town was $18,452. About 8.3% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.3% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.
Notable residents
- Karen Arthur, Emmy award winning film and television director.
- Daric Barton, major league baseball player for the Oakland Athletics.
- Helen Hartness Flanders, collector of traditional ballads, sung in New England.
- Ralph Flanders, US Senator (R-VT), moved to censure Joe McCarthy
- James Hartness, inventor, aviator and governor.
- Joseph B. Johnson, politician.
- James Kochalka, local cartoonist and rock musician.
- Russell W. Porter, telescope innovator.
- Kenny Johnson, film and television actor.
- Albert Lovejoy Gutterson, Olympic gold medalist, Long Jump, 1912, Stockholm
External links
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- Springfield news from the Black River Tribune
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