Vermont: Consolidated Chronology of State and County Boundaries

26 May 1652

Massachusetts declared an interpretation of its 1628/1629 charter that would make its northern boundary an east-west line through a point three miles north of the most northerly part of the Merrimack River, which it decided later (1 August 1652) was the parallel of 43 degrees, 43 minutes, 12 seconds of north latitude. Massachusetts used this interpretation to claim part of Maine and, until 1740, to create a few towns in present southern Vermont and southwestern New Hampshire. (Van Zandt, 64; Williamson, W. D., 1:337)

12 March 1664

[12 March 1663/1664] King Charles II granted to the Duke of York all territory between the Connecticut and Delaware Rivers, including all of present Vermont. (Swindler, 4:278-280)

29 August 1664

The Duke of York's forces captured New Amsterdam from the Dutch, swiftly took control of the rest of New Netherland, and renamed the province New York; territory included present Vermont. (Flick, 2:80)

21 July 1667

The Peace of Breda, between England and France and the Netherlands, confirmed the English conquest of New York, including present Vermont, from the Dutch. (Farnham, 7:311, 314; Parry, 10:231)

30 July 1673

Dutch forces recaptured the territory of former New Netherland, implicitly including present Vermont. (Flick, 2:93)

9 February 1674

[9 February 1673/1674] The Treaty of Westminster ended the Anglo-Dutch War and restored conquered colonies to their pre-war jurisdictions. New York, and implicitly, present Vermont, returned to the jurisdiction of England. (Parry, 13:136)

29 June 1674

Following the Treaty of Westminster (9 February 1673/1674) King Charles II regranted to the Duke of York the territory he had first granted on 12 March 1663/1664, including present Vermont. (Parry, 13:136; Swindler, 4:282)

1 November 1683

ALBANY (N.Y.) created by New York from non-county area. The northern limits were not specified but were understood to cover present Vermont [not mapped]. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 4/1:121-122)

11 August 1688

New York, including present Vermont, was formally incorporated into the Dominion of New England in accordance with the royal governor's second commission (7 April 1688) and instructions (16 April 1688) from King James II. No change was made in county boundaries. (Docs. of N.Y., 3:537, 543, 554)

18 April 1689

Upon learning of the Glorious Revolution (replacement of King James II by King William III and Queen Mary II) in England, Bostonians imprisoned the royal governor and others, thereby ending the Dominion of New England. Over the next months, New York and other colonies that had been united to form the Dominion had to resume self-government. (Craven, 224; Morris and Kelly, pl. 11)

June 1689

Royal officials lost control of New York, including present Vermont, when local militia captured the fort in New York City (Leisler's Rebellion). Regular government was reinstituted with the arrival of a new royal governor on 19 March 1690/1691. (Andrews, 3:125, 133)

5 August 1740

In settling the boundaries between Massachusetts (which then including Maine) and New Hampshire, King George II defined New Hampshire's western limit as New York. Under this decree New Hampshire challenged New York's 1674 claim to the area of present Vermont by first claiming a western limit equal to Connecticut and Massachusetts (20 miles east of the Hudson River) and later (chiefly in 1761 and 1763) creating in present Vermont more than 100 towns that became known collectively as the New Hampshire Grants. (Farnham, 8:47; Van Zandt, 61)

20 July 1764

ALBANY (N.Y.) implicitly gained all of present Vermont when King George III established the boundary between New Hampshire and New York along the west bank of the Connecticut River, north of Massachusetts and south of the parallel of 45 degrees of north latitude. Although disputes occasionally broke out later, this line became the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont and has not changed to the present. When New York refused to recognize land titles through the New Hampshire Grants (towns created earlier by New Hampshire in present Vermont), dissatisfied colonists organized in opposition, which eventually led to the creation of independent Vermont in 1777. (Slade, 13-19; Van Zandt, 63)

3 July 1766

CUMBERLAND (N.Y., extinct) created by New York from ALBANY (N.Y.); CUMBERLAND was located entirely within present Vermont. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1297/4:903-904)

26 June 1767

ALBANY (N.Y.) gained all of CUMBERLAND (N.Y.); CUMBERLAND (N.Y.) eliminated when the act that created it was annulled. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1297/4:9035:402-403)

19 March 1768

CUMBERLAND (N.Y., extinct) re-created by New York from ALBANY (N.Y.) with slightly different boundaries from those CUMBERLAND had originally in 1766. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1559/5:400-402)

16 March 1770

GLOUCESTER (N.Y., extinct) created by New York from ALBANY (N.Y.); GLOUCESTER (N.Y.) was located entirely within present Vermont. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1559/5:400-402)

12 March 1772

CHARLOTTE (now WASHINGTON, N.Y.) created by New York from ALBANY (N.Y.); CHARLOTTE (N.Y.) included parts of New York and present Vermont. ALBANY (N.Y.) also lost to creation of TRYON (now MONTGOMERY, N.Y.). (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1534/5:319-321)

24 March 1772

CHARLOTTE (now WASHINGTON, N.Y.) exchanged with GLOUCESTER (N.Y., extinct). CUMBERLAND (N.Y., extinct) gained from ALBANY (N.Y.) and CHARLOTTE (N.Y.). GLOUCESTER (N.Y., extinct) gained from CUMBERLAND (N.Y., extinct). (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1559/5:402-403)

9 March 1774

ALBANY (N.Y.) lost to ULSTER (N.Y.); area within present Vermont was unchanged. (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1665/5:662)

1 April 1775

ALBANY (N.Y.) exchanged with CUMBERLAND (N.Y., extinct), lost to CHARLOTTE (now WASHINGTON, N.Y.). CHARLOTTE (N.Y.) exchanged with CUMBERLAND (N.Y., extinct). (N.Y. Col. Laws, ch. 1719/5:779-780)

4 July 1776

New York became an independent state. (Declaration of Independence)

15 January 1777

Vermont declared its independence from New York. Although not recognized as a separate state by the Continental Congress, Vermont was included in American territory by the 1783 Treaty of Paris and functioned as an independent republic until statehood in 1791. CUMBERLAND (N.Y.) and GLOUCESTER (N.Y.) eliminated when Vermont declared its independence from New York; ALBANY (N.Y.) and CHARLOTTE (now WASHINGTON, N.Y.) eliminated from Vermont. (Slade, 70-73; Van Zandt, 64; Williamson, C., 82-84, map facing 95, 100-102, 112-113)

12 March 1778

Representatives from New Hampshire appeared before the Vermont Assembly and asked that 17 western New Hampshire towns be annexed to Vermont (the so-called East Union). The governor and council of New Hampshire opposed the move and took the matter to the Continental Congress. (Vt. State Papers, 3: viii-x; Vt. Recs. Gov., 1:275-276, 405-441)

17 March 1778

BENNINGTON and UNITY ( later CUMBERLAND, extinct) created as the first two original counties in Vermont. (Vt. State Papers, 12:43-44)

21 March 1778

UNITY renamed CUMBERLAND (extinct). (Vt. State Papers, 3:13)

21 October 1778

The Vermont Assembly, aware that the Continental Congress opposed the annexation by Vermont of the East Union in New Hampshire, voted against including the East Union towns of New Hampshire in CUMBERLAND (extinct). The assembly also voted against organizing the East Union as a new, distinct county, effectively ending the first attempt to annex part of New Hampshire. (Vt. State Papers, 3:viii-ix, 41-45)

11 February 1779

BENNINGTON exchanged with CUMBERLAND (extinct). (Vt. State Papers, 12:43-44)

16 February 1781

RUTLAND created from BENNINGTON. ORANGE, WINDHAM, and WINDSOR created from CUMBERLAND (extinct); CUMBERLAND eliminated. (Vt. State Papers, 13:5-6)

11 April 1781

Vermont made a second attempt to annex part of New Hampshire (the so-called East Union); New Hampshire did not lose control of the area. ORANGE overlapped GRAFTON (N.H.); WINDSOR overlapped CHESHIRE (N.H.) and GRAFTON (N.H.). Vermont created WASHINGTON (original, extinct), which was located entirely in New Hampshire and overlapped part of CHESHIRE (N.H.). (Vt. State Papers, 13:17-18, 55-56; Vt. Recs. Gov., 2:294-296)

13 April 1781

BENNINGTON gained the gore east of the town of Bromley (now Peru) from WINDHAM and WINDSOR. (Vt. State Papers, 13:19)

26 June 1781

Vermont attempted to annex part of New York east of the Hudson River (the so-called West Union); inhabitants in the area favored Vermont's township form of government, while Vermont hoped to gain bargaining power through expansion. New York did not lose control of the area. BENNINGTON overlapped part of ALBANY (N.Y.); RUTLAND overlapped part of CHARLOTTE (now WASHINGTON, N.Y.). (Vt. State Papers, 13:45-46; Newton, 83-87; Williamson, C., 101-102)

23 February 1782

Vermont gave up its attempt to annex the East Union in New Hampshire. WASHINGTON (original, extinct) eliminated; ORANGE overlap of GRAFTON (N.H.), and WINDSOR overlap of CHESHIRE (N.H.) and GRAFTON (N.H.) ended. (Vt. State Papers, 3, pt. 2: 67-68)

Vermont gave up its attempt to annex the West Union in New York. BENNINGTON overlap of ALBANY (N.Y.) and RUTLAND overlap of CHARLOTTE (now WASHINGTON, N.Y.) ended. (Vt. State Papers, 3, pt. 2: 67-68)

by 13 February 1783

WINDSOR gained town of Bethel from RUTLAND. (Vt. State Papers, 3, pt. 2:155)

21 February 1783

ORANGE gained town of Brookfield from RUTLAND. (Vt. State Papers, 13:174)

25 February 1783

WINDSOR gained town of Rochester from RUTLAND. (Vt. State Papers, 13:183)

27 February 1783

ORANGE gained town of Randolph from RUTLAND. (Vt. Laws 1783 in Vt. State Papers, 13: 191)

3 September 1783

Commissioners from Great Britain and the United States signed the definitive treaty of peace ending the War of the American Revolution, recognizing American independence, and generally defining U.S. boundaries--including the parallel of 45 degrees north latitude--as the northern limit of Vermont. (Parry, 48:481, 487, 491-492; Van Zandt, 12)

9 March 1784

RUTLAND boundaries were redefined [no change]. (Vt. State Papers, 13:257-258)

18 October 1785

ADDISON created from RUTLAND. (Vt. State Papers, 14:33-34)

30 October 1786

ADDISON exchanged with ORANGE. (Vt. State Papers, 14:99-100)

27 February 1787

WINDHAM gained town of Stratton from BENNINGTON. WINDSOR gained town of Stockbridge from RUTLAND. (Vt. State Papers, 14:173-175)

19 October 1787

ADDISON gained town of Kingston (now Granville) from ORANGE. (Vt. State Papers, 14:354)

22 October 1787

CHITTENDEN created from ADDISON. (Vt. State Papers, 14:354-355)

18 January 1791

ADDISON boundaries were clarified to include town of Hancock [no change]. (Vt. State Papers, 14:544)

4 March 1791

The state of Vermont was admitted to the Union. The boundary with New York was settled by a joint commission before statehood; boundaries with Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Canada continued unchanged. With one small exception (1880) these lines have remained unchanged to the present. (Slade, 193; U.S. Stat., vol. 1, ch. 7 [1791]/p. 191)

31 October 1792

RUTLAND gained from WINDSOR when town of Mount Holly was created from Jackson's Gore and towns of Ludlow and Wallingford. (Vt. State Papers, 15:88-90)

5 November 1792

CALEDONIA created from ORANGE; CALEDONIA not fully organized, attached to ORANGE for administrative and judicial purposes. The eastern part of ORLEANS was attached to CALEDONIA. (Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399)

ESSEX created from ORANGE; ESSEX not fully organized, attached to ORANGE for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102)

FRANKLIN created from CHITTENDEN; FRANKLIN not fully organized, attached to CHITTENDEN for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399)

ORLEANS created from CHITTENDEN and ORANGE. ORLEANS not fully organized, western part was attached to CHITTENDEN and the eastern part was attached to CALEDONIA and indirectly through CALEDONIA to ORANGE. (Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399)

29 October 1794

ADDISON gained town of Starksboro from CHITTENDEN. (Vt. State Papers, 15:324)

24 October 1796

Part of ORLEANS (town of Craftsbury) detached from CHITTENDEN, attached to CALEDONIA for administrative and judicial purposes, thereby increasing the territory attached to ORANGE. (Vt. State Papers, 16:9-10)

1 December 1796

FRANKLIN fully organized, detached from CHITTENDEN. ORLEANS detached from CHITTENDEN, attached to FRANKLIN for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399 and 16:82-84)

CALEDONIA fully organized, detached from ORANGE. ESSEX detached from ORANGE, attached to CALEDONIA for administrative and judicial purposes. Eastern part of ORLEANS remained attached to CALEDONIA. (Vt. State Papers, 15:100-102, 399 and 16:82-84)

2 March 1797

WINDSOR gained Benton's Gore from RUTLAND. (McCarty, "Evolution," 122-123; Vt. Laws, Revised and Passed 1797, ch. 6/pp. 129-133)

30 October 1798

Part of ORLEANS (town of Duncansboro, now Newport) detached from FRANKLIN, attached to CALEDONIA for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. State Papers, 16:252)

30 November 1799

ORLEANS fully organized, detached from CALEDONIA and FRANKLIN. (Vt. State Papers, 16:379-380)

30 November 1800

ESSEX fully organized, detached from CALEDONIA. (Vt. Laws 1800, pp. 21-22)

19 October 1801

ESSEX gained from ORLEANS when town of Wenlock gained from town of Caldersburgh (now Morgan). (Vt. Laws 1801, pp. 82-83)

9 November 1802

GRAND ISLE created from CHITTENDEN and FRANKLIN; GRAND ISLE not fully organized, parts attached to CHITTENDEN and FRANKLIN for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. Laws 1802, ch. 84/pp. 141-142)

31 January 1804

ORLEANS gained from ESSEX when town of Morgan gained small area from town of Wenlock [change too small to map]. (Vt. Laws 1804, ch. 8/pp. 12-13)

25 October 1805

RUTLAND gained from BENNINGTON when town of Mount Tabor gained from town of Peru. (McCarty, "Evolution," 134; Vt. Laws 1805, ch. 15/pp. 19-20)

1 December 1805

GRAND ISLE fully organized, detached from CHITTENDEN and FRANKLIN. (Vt. Laws 1805, ch. 66/pp. 112-113)

29 October 1806

WINDSOR gained from RUTLAND when town of Rochester gained small area from town of Pittsfield. (Vt. Laws 1806, ch. 28/pp. 36-37)

1 November 1810

JEFFERSON (now WASHINGTON) created from CALEDONIA, CHITTENDEN, and ORANGE; JEFFERSON not fully organized, parts attached to CALEDONIA, CHITTENDEN, and ORANGE for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. Laws 1810, ch. 74/pp. 101-103)

1 December 1811

JEFFERSON (now WASHINGTON) fully organized, detached from CALEDONIA, CHITTENDEN, and ORANGE. (Vt. Laws 1811, ch. 1/pp. 3-6)

15 November 1813

RUTLAND gained from WINDSOR when town of Pittsfield gained small area from town of Stockbridge [change too small to map]. (Vt. Laws 1813, ch. 102/p. 144)

8 November 1814

JEFFERSON renamed WASHINGTON. (Vt. Laws 1814, ch. 79/p. 83)

9 November 1814

ADDISON gained from RUTLAND when town of Goshen gained from town of Philadelphia. (Vt. Laws 1814, ch. 96/pp. 111-112)

1 January 1821

WASHINGTON gained town of Roxbury from ORANGE. (Vt. Laws 1820, ch. 35/p. 42)

16 November 1821

ORLEANS gained town of Westmore from ESSEX. (Vt. Laws 1821, ch. 30/p. 99)

1 December 1821

WASHINGTON gained town of Elmore from ORLEANS. (Vt. Laws 1821, ch. 27/p. 98)

22 October 1822

RUTLAND gained from WINDSOR when town of Pittsfield gained small area from town of Stockbridge. (Vt. Laws 1822, ch. 37/p. 36)

23 October 1822

GRAND ISLE gained from FRANKLIN when town of North Hero gained Hyde's Island (now Wood's Island) in Lake Champlain. (Vt. Laws 1822, ch. 33/p. 35)

3 November 1823

RUTLAND gained from WINDSOR when town of Shrewsbury gained small area from town of Plymouth. (Vt. Laws 1823, ch. 2/pp. 3-4)

10 November 1824

WINDSOR gained from ORANGE when town of Rochester gained small area from town of Braintree. (Vt. Laws 1824, ch. 13/p. 15)

15 November 1824

WINDSOR gained from RUTLAND when town of Rochester gained small area from town of Pittsfield. (Vt. Laws 1824, ch. 14/p. 16)

18 November 1824

CALEDONIA gained town of Newark from ESSEX. (Vt. Laws 1824, ch. 12/p. 15)

17 November 1825

BENNINGTON gained from RUTLAND when town of Dorset gained small area from town of Mount Tabor. (McCarty, "Evolution," 140; Vt. Laws 1825, no 18/p. 25; Vt. Laws 1832, no. 25/p. 25)

15 November 1826

Legislature authorized CALEDONIA to gain town of Concord from ESSEX, effective 1 November 1827. Change did not take effect; see 1 November 1827. (Vt. Laws 1826, no. 40/p. 21)

1 November 1827

Act of 15 November 1826, authorizing CALEDONIA to gain town of Concord from ESSEX, was repealed [no change]. (Vt. Laws 1827, no. 37/p. 37)

30 October 1828

ORLEANS gained from FRANKLIN when town of Eden gained from town of Belvidere. (Vt. Laws 1828, no. 25/pp. 15-16)

1 December 1829

WASHINGTON gained town of Warren from ADDISON. (Vt. Laws 1829, no. 20/p. 18)

3 November 1831

ORLEANS gained from FRANKLIN when the boundary between the towns of Eden and Belvidere was redefined [location unknown, not mapped]. (McCarty, "Evolution," 149-150; Vt. Laws 1831, no. 13/p. 12)

28 October 1834

WINDSOR gained from ADDISON when town of Rochester gained small area from town of Hancock. (Vt. Laws 1834, no. 38/p. 27)

26 October 1835

LAMOILLE created from CHITTENDEN, FRANKLIN, ORLEANS, and WASHINGTON; LAMOILLE not fully organized, parts attached to CHITTENDEN, FRANKLIN, ORLEANS, and WASHINGTON for administrative and judicial purposes. (Vt. Laws 1835, no. 41/pp. 30-31)

3 November 1835

WASHINGTON gained town of Woodbury from CALEDONIA. (Vt. Laws 1835, no. 43/p. 32)

1 December 1836

LAMOILLE fully organized, detached from CHITTENDEN, FRANKLIN, ORLEANS, and WASHINGTON. (Vt. Laws 1836, no. 16/p. 14)

7 November 1839

Legislature authorized ADDISON to gain small area from RUTLAND when town of Whiting was to gain from town of Orwell. No evidence that change took effect. (Vt. Laws 1839, no. 37/pp. 87-88)

13 November 1839

CHITTENDEN gained from LAMOILLE when town of Underhill gained from town of Mansfield. (Vt. Laws 1839, no. 35/pp. 86-87)

Legislature authorized ORANGE to gain small area along the Ompompanoosuc River from WINDSOR when town of Thetford was to gain from town of Norwich. No evidence that change took effect. (Vt. Laws 1839, no. 36/p. 87)

29 October 1840

Legislature authorized CALEDONIA to gain small area from WASHINGTON when town of Walden was to gain from town of Monroe (now Woodbury). No evidence that change took effect. (Vt. Laws 1840, no. 57/pp. 54-55)

9 August 1842

Webster-Ashburton Treaty between Great Britain and the United States completed the establishment in detail of the northern boundary of the United States in accordance with the 1783 Treaty of Paris [no change]. (Van Zandt, 17-18)

22 April 1844

LAMOILLE gained from FRANKLIN when town of Cambridge gained small areas from the towns of Fairfax and Fletcher. (Cambridge Town Records, 1844, Book B, 440-441; Vt. Laws 1841, no. 79/pp. 58-59)

27 October 1845

FRANKLIN gained from GRAND ISLE when town of St. Albans gained Wood's Island in Lake Champlain. (Vt. Laws 1845, no. 6/p. 6)

30 October 1847

Legislature authorized WINDSOR to gain from ADDISON when town of Rochester was to gain from town of Hancock, effective 1 December 1848. Change did not take effect; see 27 October 1848. (Vt. Laws 1847, no. 12/pp. 9-10)

10 November 1847

WINDSOR gained from ADDISON when town of Rochester gained from town of Goshen. (Vt. Laws 1847, no. 9/p. 7)

1 December 1847

ADDISON gained town of Orwell from RUTLAND. (Vt. Laws 1847, no. 8/p. 7)

27 October 1848

Act of 30 October 1847, authorizing WINDSOR to gain from ADDISON on 1 December 1848, was repealed [no change]. (Vt. Laws 1848, no. 8/p. 9)

30 October 1851

WASHINGTON gained from CHITTENDEN when town of Waterbury gained from town of Bolton. (Vt. Laws 1851, no. 71/p. 64)

6 March 1855

ADDISON gained small area from RUTLAND when town of Goshen gained "Clemens Land" from town of Brandon. (Vt. Laws 1854, no. 61, sec. 3/p. 59)

14 November 1855

Legislature authorized WASHINGTON to gain from CALEDONIA when town of Plainfield was to gain Goshen Gore and Harris Gore. Voters rejected the annexation, and the change did not take effect. (Vt. Laws 1855, no. 57/pp. 74-75; Sanford, 87)

1 January 1856

WASHINGTON gained town of Cabot from CALEDONIA. (Vt. Laws 1855, no. 53/pp. 68-70)

6 November 1856

ESSEX gained from CALEDONIA when towns of Concord and Victory gained from town of Bradleyvale. (Vt. Laws 1856, no. 84/pp. 91-92)

23 November 1858

ORLEANS gained from CALEDONIA when town of Barton gained from town of Sheffield. (Vt. Laws 1858, no. 48/p. 51)

15 March 1859

FRANKLIN gained from ORLEANS when town of Montgomery gained from town of Lowell. (Vt. Laws 1858, no. 45/pp. 48-49)

10 November 1870

Legislature authorized RUTLAND to gain small area from WINDSOR when town of Mount Holly was to gain from town of Weston. No evidence that change took effect. (Vt. Laws 1870, no. 292/pp. 572-573)

16 March 1875

WASHINGTON gained from CALEDONIA when town of Plainfield gained Goshen Gore. (Vt. Laws 1874, no. 183/pp. 380-381)

7 April 1880

RUTLAND lost to WASHINGTON (N.Y.) when New York gained a small area west of the village of Fair Haven from Vermont due to a change in the course of the Poultney River [change too small to map]. (Vt. Laws 1876, no. 201/p. 380; U.S. Stat., vol. 21, ch. 49 [1880]/p. 72; Van Zandt, 65)

21 November 1884

WINDSOR gained small area from RUTLAND when town of Stockbridge gained Parker's Gore. (Vt. Laws 1884, no. 262/p. 270)

1 January 1891

WASHINGTON gained from CALEDONIA when town of Marshfield gained part of Harris Gore. (Vt. Laws 1890, no. 185/pp. 276-277)

8 October 1895

WINDSOR gained from RUTLAND when town of Weston gained from town of Mount Tabor. ("Weston v. Mount Tabor")

1 March 1897

LAMOILLE gained from FRANKLIN when town of Belvidere gained small strip from Avery's Gore [change too small to map]. (Vt. Laws 1896, no. 125/p. 92)