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History of Pownal, Vermont, USA
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Pownal, Bennington, Vermont, USA
Located in the southwest corner of Vermont the township of Pownal is bordered on the west by the Taconic Mountains and on the east by the Green Mountain range. The Hoosac River enters the town from the south and has a course of about three miles before crossing the border into New York state.
Even though first settled by the Dutch farmers in the 1730’s the town carries the name of an English colonial administrator Governor Thomas Pownall of Massachusetts colony. The governor had the distinction of being respected as one of the ablest British government officials and was a friend of Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire. The town’s official charter still exists and is dated Jan 8, 1760. Seth Hudson, former soldier and surgeon at Fort Massachusetts, is credited with being the “founder” of Pownal...
The first settlers after the Dutch came from neighboring towns, Rhode Island, and Litchfield, Connecticut area.
thisisvermont.com
There is MUCH more to discover about Pownal, Vermont, USA. Read on!
Old Photos, Pictures, Advertisements and Postcards from Pownal, Vermont, USA
History, News and Stories of Pownal, Vermont, USA

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1760 - January 28 - Pownal, Vermont created by Benning Wentworth as one of the New Hampshire Grants.
historyorb.com
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1791 - Population of Pownal, Vermont - 1,746
A gazetteer of Vermont... by John Hayward Boston - Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason 1849
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1800 - Population of Pownal, Vermont - 1,692
A gazetteer of Vermont... by John Hayward Boston - Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason 1849
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1810 - Population of Pownal, Vermont - 1,655
A gazetteer of Vermont... by John Hayward Boston - Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason 1849
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1820 - Population of Pownal, Vermont - 1,812
A gazetteer of Vermont... by John Hayward Boston - Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason 1849
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1830 - Population of Pownal, Vermont - 1,835
A gazetteer of Vermont... by John Hayward Boston - Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason 1849
1835 - FRIGHTFUL DISASTER.
A shocking catastrophe occurred lately on the banks of the Hoosic River, in the town of Pownal, Vermont. A party of six persons, consisting of a gentleman and his wife and two children, a young lady about 18, sister of the married lady, and a young gentleman, a lawyer, from Enfield, Conn., while... Read MORE...
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1839 - Pownal
Pownal, Vermont
Bennington county. First settled, 1761. Population, in 1830, 1,835. Pownal lies 30 miles W. by S. from Brattleborough and 8 S. from Bennington. The surface is broken and hilly, but the soil is strong and remarkably well adapted for grass, producing all the varieties of the dairy in ... Read MORE...
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1840 - Population of Pownal, Vermont - 1,613
A gazetteer of Vermont... by John Hayward Boston - Tappan, Whittemore, and Mason 1849
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1849 Pownal
Bennington Co. The surface of this township is considerably uneven, but the soil is generally good, and produces plentiful crops. It is well adapted to the production of grain and grass, and here are kept some of the finest dairies in the State. The principal stream is Hoosic River, which is... Read MORE...
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1854 - Pownal
Powjjal, a post-township in Bennington CO., Vermont, 130 miles S. W. from Montpelier. Population, 1742.
A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.
1864 - Train Accident
James Claney, 36 years of age, for three years a soldier, but recently a resident of Pownal, and track-master on the Troy and Boston railroad, was run over and instantly killed by an evening train, week before last, near North Pownal.
The Vermont Phoenix
Brattleboro, Vermont
December 2, 1864
1883 - WRECK AND FIRE. Two Freight Trains Collide in Vermont.
At Least Four Employes Killed-The Wreck on Fire.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass., Aug. 1 - At 9:20 this morning a freight train of the Troy and Boston Road collided, about half way between Petersburgh Junction and Pownal, with a train of the same road, also freight, and at least four men were killed and... Read MORE...
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1895 - Pownal
Pownal, a post-village in Pownal township, Bennington co., Vt., on the Hoosac River, and on the Troy & Boston Railroad, 9 miles N.W. of North Adams, Mass., and 10 miles S. of Bennington. It contains 2 churches, the Rural Home School for boys, and a manufactory of cotton and woollen goods. The... Read MORE...
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1906
Pownal, a post-village in Pownal township (town), Bennington co., Vt., on the Hoosac River and on the Boston and Maine R., 10 miles S. of Bennington. Pop. of the town in 1900, 1976; of the village, about 450.
Lippincott's New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns ... in Every Portion of the Globe Publisher J.B. Lippincott Company, 1906
1910 - FIRE IN VERMONT
NORTH POWNAL, Vt., April 6. - Fire today destroyed three buildings here, causing a loss of about $75,000. Among the buildings destroyed was the Congregational church, in which former President James A. Garfield taught school while a student at Williams college.
Salt Lake Telegram
Salt Lake City, Utah
April 6, 1910
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Pownal, Vermont, USA Genealogy
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