Indigenous people

This place was called "Wantastiquet" by Indigenous people.^[10]

Frontier fort

Brattleboro Retreat treats mental health disorders and drug addiction; established as Vermont Asylum for the Insane in 1834

Lithograph of Brattleboro from 1886 by L.R. Burleigh with a list of landmarks

To defend the Massachusetts Bay Colony against Chief Gray Lock and others during Dummer's War, the Massachusetts General Court voted on December 27, 1723, to build a blockhouse and stockade on the Connecticut River near the site of what would later become known as Brattleboro. Lieutenant-governor William Dummer signed the measure, and construction of Fort Dummer began on February 3, 1724. It was completed before summer. On October 11 of that year, the French attacked the fort and killed some soldiers.^[11] In 1725, Dummer's War ended.

By 1728, and in subsequent peaceful periods, the fort served as a trading post for commerce among the colonial settlers and the Indians. But violence flared up from time to time throughout the first half of the 18th century. In 1744, what became known as King George's War broke out, lasting until 1748. During this period a small body of British colonial troops were posted at the fort, but after 1750 this was considered unnecessary.

Although the area was originally part of the Equivalent Lands, the township became one of the New Hampshire grants, and was chartered (founded) as such on December 26, 1753, by Governor Benning Wentworth. It was named Brattleborough, after Brigadier-General William Brattle, Jr. of Boston, a military officer, cleric, slaveholder as well as a principal proprietor. Ironically, there is no record that Brattle ever visited the locality, and settlement activities remained tentative until after the 1763 Treaty of Paris, when France abandoned their claims to Vermont, part of the region which they had called New France.^[11]

Hostilities having ceased, Brattleboro developed quickly in peacetime, and soon was second to no other settlement in the state for business and wealth. In 1771, Stephen Greenleaf opened Vermont's first store in the east village, and in 1784, a post office was established. A bridge was built across the Connecticut River to Hinsdale, New Hampshire, in 1804.^[12]

In 1834, the Brattleboro Retreat, then called the Vermont Asylum for the Insane,^[13] was established through a generous bequest by Anna Marsh of Hinsdale, New Hampshire. In 1844, the Brattleboro Hydropathic Establishment was opened by Robert Wesselhoeft; this was the third "water cure" establishment in the country, utilizing waters from a spring near the current downtown fire station. Until the water cure closed in 1871, the town was widely known as a curative health resort.^[14][15][16]

Other industries began to appear in the town under the initiation of the businessman John Holbrook, who initiated firms like the Brattleboro Typographic Company.^[17] These businesses initiated a decade of very successful printing industry in the town.^[17]

Mill town

Whetstone Falls near the intersection of Whetstone Brook and Connecticut River, 1907

Whetstone Falls, very close to where Brattleboro's Whetstone Brook flows into the Connecticut River, was a handy source of water power for watermills, initially a sawmill and a gristmill. By 1859, when the population had reached 3,816, Brattleboro had a woolen textile mill, a paper mill, a manufacturer of papermaking machinery, a factory making melodeons, two machine shops, a flour mill, a carriage factory, and four printing establishments.^[11] Connected by the Vermont & Massachusetts Railroad and the Vermont Valley Railroad, the town prospered as a regional center for trade in commodities including grain, lumber, turpentine, tallow and pork.^[18] In 1888, the spelling of the town's name was shortened to Brattleboro.^[14][19]

The Estey Organ company, the largest organ manufacturer in the United States, operated in Brattleboro for about a century beginning in 1852. The company's main factory was located southwest of downtown Brattleboro, on the south side of Whetstone Brook between Birge and Organ Streets. At its height, the complex had more than 20 buildings, many of which were interconnected by raised walkways and covered bridges. One of the buildings now houses the Estey Organ Museum. The entire surviving complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, both for its architecture, and for having been a major economic force in Brattleboro for many years.

In 1871, Thomas P. James, "The Spirit Pen of Dickens", a printer by trade, moved to Brattleboro, where he took a job at The Vermont Farmer and Record. James claimed that the departed spirit of Charles Dickens had given him a communication during at a seance on Oak Street. According to James, Dickens' spirit conveyed that he had chosen James to write down the end of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood", which Dickens had not completed before he died. Dickens' spirit also supposedly told James that it was fine if James made a profit from the book. The book was printed by the same company that owned the Springfield Union, which was the paper that published the first news about James' claims, as well as excerpts from the new chapters of the novel. Newspaper editors from papers around New England who had employed James denounced the entire affair as a well-planned advertising hoax. The book became a sensation, being reviewed in the New York Times and widely promoted in spiritualist magazines of the day. James published the novel on October 31, 1873, and reported that he sold 30,000 copies of it. James left Brattleboro in 1879, abandoning his third wife, and moving to Watertown, Massachusetts, with his fourth wife Lizzie Plummer,^[20] a member of the wealthy Salisbury family with ties to Brattleboro's printing and paper making industries.^[21][22]

British author Rudyard Kipling settled in Brattleboro after marrying a young Brattleboro woman, Carrie Balestier, in 1892. The couple built a home called Naulakha, just over the town line to the north in neighboring Dummerston. Kipling wrote The Jungle Book and other works there. He also wrote about local life in the early 1890s: heavy snowfalls, ox-teams drawing sledges, and people in the small towns beset with what he called a "terrifying intimacy" about each other's lives. He recorded the death of men who had left, going to seek their fortunes in the cities or out west, and the consequent loneliness and depression in the lives of local women; the long length of the workday for farmers, even in winter, often for lack of help; and the abandonment of farms.^[23]

The first person ever to receive a U.S. Social Security benefit check, issued on January 31, 1940, was Ida May Fuller from Brattleboro.^[24]

On May 12, 1950, auctioneer Emma Bailey held her first auction in Brattleboro, selling a rocking chair for $2.50. She was the first American woman auctioneer, and later became the first woman admitted to the National Auctioneers Association.^[25]

Climate

Brattleboro experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) with cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers. The town can experience snowfall as early as November and as late as April, and in the adjacent mountains and high country as late as May. Nor'easters often come with the potential of dumping a foot or more of snow on Brattleboro when they move through; such storms are not uncommon during the winter months. Summers are warm to hot and generally humid, with abundant sunshine and heavy showers and thunderstorms associated with passing cold fronts. Tornadoes are rare.

The record high is 100 °F (38 °C), set in 1955, and the record low is −33 °F (−36 °C), set in 1958. In terms of average annual precipitation, May is typically the wettest month, and February is the driest. Brattleboro averages 92.58 inches (235 cm) of snow annually.^[26]

Brattleboro lies in USDA plant hardiness zone 5a.^[27]

Development

The town's densely populated center is located near Vermont's lowest elevation point in the Connecticut river valley. Because of the surrounding steep hills there is very little flat land, and many of its buildings and houses are situated on steep hillsides, necessarily closely bunched together. This concentrated topography and population density have helped to create a semi-urban, cosmopolitan atmosphere in the downtown.

Since the 1950s, additional construction and development have expanded outside the concentrated downtown area; in the west, south, and north of the township. The southeast quarter of the town, near to and abutting the riverbank, is where its population has historically been the densest, and is composed largely of one- or two-family houses, with apartment buildings such as "triple deckers" interspersed among them. Commercial and industrial operations are concentrated along the north-south Canal Street (Route 5) artery. The town's high school and the Regional Career Center are also located in this section, as is Fort Dummer State Park, which is named after the first European settlers' 1724 stockade. The original Fort's site, however, was flooded in the early 20th century by a flood-control and hydro-electric dam built just downstream in Vernon, Vermont. An historical marker is located near the Fort's now-underwater site, on the west bank of the Connecticut River on Vernon Road (VT Route 142), at the corner of Cotton Mill Hill.

The western section of town, built up around Vermont's east-west Route 9, was formally designated a village in 2005. It is mostly lower-density residential in character, and features the state's largest mobile home park and several planned housing developments and subdivisions. Away from the Route 9 conduit, other parts of western Brattleboro and some areas north of the West River have a decidedly rural character, with dirt roads, sparse housing, wooded Green Mountains foothills, and the last few farms left in the town following the 1970s' decline of the dairy industry. At its peak, the immediate Brattleboro area had over 170 farms; there are now less than a dozen remaining.

The section of Brattleboro north of the West River, formerly farmland, was mostly subdivided and developed during the 1960s and 1970s following the construction of Interstate 91, which runs north-south through the town. The area has little residential development and is dominated by larger commercial and industrial establishments and suburban-style shopping areas along Putney Road, including seven chain hotels and motels located within a short distance of each other.

Brattleboro is also the headquarters of the Holstein/Friesian Cattle Association, which houses and maintains the worldwide registries for those two breeds.

Annual events

• January's annual Northern Roots Festival at the Brattleboro Music Center ^[53]
• February's annual Winter Carnival^[54]
• Alpine Ski Jumping's Fred Harris Memorial Tournament, each February at the Harris Hill Ski Jump^[55]
• Brattleboro Women's Film Festival, each March^[56]
• Maple Open House Weekend, each March^[57]
• Annual Benefit Auction for River Gallery School each March^[58]
• Winston Prouty Center's Taste of the Town fund raiser each May^[59]
• Annual Slow Living Summit in May or June^[60]
• Vermont Theatre Company's Shakespeare-in-the-Park in June and July^[61]
• Brattleboro Free Folk Festival, founded in 2003^[62]
• Brattleboro Literary Festival in October^[63]
• Brattleboro Film Festival first two weeks of November^[64]

State and federal representation

Brattleboro is represented at the national level by U.S. senators Bernie Sanders and Peter Welch, and by Congresswoman Becca Balint, who also represents Vermont's entire at-large federal congressional district.

At the state level in Montpelier:

• Sen. Wendy Harrison (D)^[72]
• Sen. Nader Hashim (D)^[72]
• Rep. Mollie Burke (P/D)
• Rep. Emilie Kornheiser (D)
• Rep. Tristan Toleno (D)

Ballot initiatives

• Brattleboro voted in support of a measure calling on the town's police force to arrest and indict President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in March 2008. The vote was 2012–1795.^[73]
• In March 2017, Brattleboro voted in support of a ban on grocery store plastic bags by a 3 to 1 margin.^[74]

Print

The town is home to the Brattleboro Reformer (est. 1876 as the 'Windham County Democrat'), a daily newspaper with a weekday circulation of just over 10,000,^[82] and The Commons, a non-profit community weekly newspaper.^[83] The Parent Express, a community newspaper, circulates in Brattleboro; Keene, New Hampshire; and throughout Windham County, Vermont, and Cheshire County, New Hampshire.^[84] Local news is also carried in the Keene Sentinel and Rutland Herald.

Radio

There are several radio stations which broadcast from Brattleboro.

Television

Brattleboro is not reached by terrestrial broadcast television due to the surrounding mountains, in addition to being just far enough away from major cities like Boston, Springfield, and Albany. However, as of October 2022, like the rest of Vermont except Bennington County, it is considered part of the Burlington / Plattsburgh television market.^[88] Comcast and Consolidated Communications are the major suppliers of cable television programming for Brattleboro. Local stations offered on Comcast include most major Burlington-area stations, as well as WMUR-TV (ABC) and WEKW-TV (NHPTV) from New Hampshire; and WGBY-TV from Springfield, Massachusetts.

Transportation

Roads and highways

United States Navy Seabees Bridge over the Connecticut River

Brattleboro is crossed by six highways, including one Interstate highway. They are:

• Interstate 91
• U.S. Route 5 ("Connecticut River Byway")
• Vermont Route 9 ("Molly Stark Trail")
• Vermont Route 30
• Vermont Route 119
• Vermont Route 142

Vermont Route 9 runs from the New York border with Vermont, west of Bennington, traverses the southern backbone of the Green Mountains well west of Brattleboro, and eventually arrives in the heart of Brattleboro's downtown as High Street. Its other local names are The Molly Stark Trail, Marlboro Road, Western Avenue, Main Street, and Putney Road. It meets I-91 at a partial cloverleaf interchange (from where it is Exit 2 from the Interstate), then as it advances eastward into downtown, it overlaps U.S. Route 5 at the intersection of Main and High Streets. The road then runs north with Main Street into Putney Road then to the traffic circle at Interstate 91's Exit 3 (connected to that highway via a trumpet interchange westward from this roundabout), where it diverges from Route 5 and runs eastward into New Hampshire, becoming New Hampshire Route 9.

U.S. Route 5 enters Brattleboro at its border with the town of Guilford and runs north-south, through downtown, eventually exiting Brattleboro at its northern border with the town of Dummerston. Route 5's local names are Canal Street, Main Street, and Putney Road. Southbound, Route 5 detours along Park Place and part of Linden Street, as part of a one-way 'traffic triangle' at the north end of Main Street. Route 5, designated throughout Vermont as the Connecticut River Byway, is the only scenic byway in Vermont to receive national byway status.^[89][90]

Scenic Vermont Route 30 has its southern terminus in Brattleboro at the intersection of Park Place and Linden Street. From this point, it runs for about 12 miles on a very gently graded roadbed along the West River's southern bank, affording a stunning vista and connecting Brattleboro with picturesque New England towns and recreational areas elsewhere in Windham County and Vermont. Its wide riverside paved shoulder makes it a favorite cycling route. Route 30 exits Brattleboro at its border with Dummerston and continues northwest along the West River. Its local names within Brattleboro are Linden Street and West River Road.

Interstate 91, originating in Connecticut and terminating at the Canada–U.S. border, runs north-south through town, arcing westward around the town center. Its first three Vermont exits are in Brattleboro: Exit 1 serves the southern part of town, Exit 2 serves the western section of town connecting to local ski areas via Route 9, and Exit 3 serves the northern section of town and neighboring southwest New Hampshire. I-91's majestic twin-structure West River Bridge is, as of 2015, being rebuilt with a completely new design.^[91]

Vermont Route 119 begins at a 5-way intersection, four road directions and one parking lot entrance, with U.S. Route 5 and VT Route 142. Route 119's local name within Brattleboro is Bridge Street. It continues east with an at-grade crossing of the New England Central Railroad just before crossing into New Hampshire over the Connecticut River, whose border lies just 0.08 miles (0.13 km) from the road's western end.

Vermont Route 142 begins at the same junction with Route 5 and Route 119 mentioned above, continuing southward, closely paralleling the New England Central Railroad for much of its length within town. Its local names are Vernon Street and Vernon Road, as it continues southward into the town of Vernon and eventually into Massachusetts.

Rail

Amtrak train in Brattleboro

See also: Union Station (Brattleboro, Vermont)

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, operates its Vermonter service daily through Brattleboro, connecting the town by rail with Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, Vermont, and many stations in between. Brattleboro was recently part of a $70 million re-alignment of the Vermonter's route to the old Montrealer route, restoring passenger rail service between Brattleboro and the western Massachusetts cities of Northampton and Greenfield.^[92] Recent upgrades to railroad tracks in Massachusetts and Connecticut, to the south, have significantly reduced rail travel time to New York and points south.

Air

The closest small-craft airports to Brattleboro are the Deerfield Valley Regional Airport in West Dover to the west, and Dillant-Hopkins Airport in Keene, New Hampshire, to the east. The closest airports (both within 70 miles (110 km) north of the town) offering regularly-scheduled domestic commercial flights include Lebanon Municipal Airport in West Lebanon, New Hampshire, and the Rutland – Southern Vermont Regional Airport, close to Rutland. Both airports feature daily Cape Air flights to and from Boston and White Plains, New York. The closest airports with regularly-scheduled domestic and international flights are Bradley International Airport to the south, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport to the east, and Albany International Airport to the west, all of them less than two hours' driving distance from the town.

Downtown Brattleboro, as seen from a walking trail just across the Connecticut River, in New Hampshire. There are many miles of scenic trails in and around the town.

Fire department

The town of Brattleboro is protected by the Brattleboro Fire Department,^[95] founded in 1831 and located on Elliot Street in the downtown business district. There is also a sub-station in West Brattleboro. The Department's current Chief is Michael Bucossi.^[96]

Police

Brattleboro and West Brattleboro are serviced by the Brattleboro Police Department.^[97]

The Windham County Sheriff's Department provides prisoner transport and serves civil documents across Brattleboro and the rest of Windham County.^[98]

The Vermont State Police have a substation in Westminster and also serve the town.^[99]

Health care

• Brattleboro is home to the Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, a 61-bed community hospital serving southeastern Vermont since 1904. As of 2014, the hospital has 137 primary care and specialist physicians on its staff.^[100]
• Golden Cross Ambulance provides EMT and ambulance service for Brattleboro, as well as Cheshire County, New Hampshire.^[101]
• Brattleboro is also home to the Brattleboro Retreat, a large private, non-profit psychiatric hospital founded in 1834. The Retreat, as it is known locally, was one of the first acute mental health care facilities founded in the United States.^[102] It is the third largest employer in the town, and 45th largest in Vermont, with a workforce of about 400 as of 2013.^[103]
• Health Care and Rehabilitation Services of Vermont (HCRS)^[104] provides Brattleboro, and the rest of Windham and Windsor counties in Vermont, with outpatient services for mental health, substance abuse and developmental disabilities. The agency is headquartered in Springfield and also has other satellite offices elsewhere in Vermont in Bellows Falls, Windsor and White River Junction.

Utilities

Brattleboro's electricity is supplied by Green Mountain Power.^[105] Brattleboro's surface water supply is the Pleasant Valley Reservoir, which the Pleasant Valley Water Plant siphons through Brattleboro at a daily average of 1.0 to 1.5 million gallons per day. Also, backup water pumps are adjacent to West River Road just north of the Brattleboro Retreat.^[106]

Cable television in Brattleboro is provided by Comcast. Comcast and Consolidated Communications also provide the town with landline phone and high speed Internet service.^[107]