Arlington Photo Gallery

 Arlington: A Brief History

The town of Arlington was chartered in 1761 and settled mainly by families from New Milford, Newtown, Roxbury, and Litchfield, Connecticut. Hawleys, Hurds, Canfields, Crofuts, and Searles were Church of England members seeking to avoid the heavy hand of the Connecticut theocracy. In addition to the freedom to practice their religion, they were attracted by new opportunities, land speculation, and seemingly vast natural resources.

Before the American Revolution, much attention focused on the right to own land. New Hampshire Gov. Bening Wentworth issued charters for the area between the Connecticut River and the colony of New York on the west. Individuals could purchase rights to property and own it outright. Arlington’s charter was issued on July 28, 1761.

New York also claimed control of the same area as far east as the Connecticut River. However, New York granted large ‘patents’ to wealthy patrons who rented the land to tenant farmers. This led to a great deal of conflict between those who purchased their land and felt they owned it and the “Yorkers” who discouraged private ownership. The Green Mountain Boys were organized to prevent the New York officials from confiscating land they purchased in good faith and felt they owned. This reached a climax in Arlington when a New York sheriff and posse arrested Arlington resident Remember Baker on March 22, 1772, and tried to deliver him to Albany for trial. Neighbors and Green Mountain Boys rescued Baker before he was delivered to the New York authorities.

Ethan and Ira Allen lived in this area (Sunderland), and, during the Revolution, Thomas Chittenden, governor of Vermont, moved to Arlington. This was therefore the de facto seat of Vermont government during the war. Not every family was a fan of Ethan Allen and his rowdy Green Mountain Boys, but the sizable Tory population either kept their counsel or left for Canada, at which point their lands were confiscated.

After the Revolution, sheep farming grew in size. Later, dairy farming would become the main farm resource, while small industry utilized local resources. In the latter half of the 20th Century, service industries would provide employment.

Arlington’s population of 1,500 in 1800 gradually declined as families moved West and left farming for growing cities. The coming of the railroad in the 1850’s enabled the small industries of Arlington to grow and encouraged the settlement of immigrants, primarily Irish, who had worked on the building of the railroads. Arlington didn’t exceed its 1800 population until 1870. This and additional local industry brought the population slowly to 2,000 by 1980. The current population is about 2,600.