New Residents
Welcome to Weathersfield, Vermont!
Nestled in south-central Vermont, the beautiful Town of Weathersfield is a great place to visit, and an even greater place to live.
Located in Windsor County, our Town is comprised of several small villages and hamlets, including Perkinsville on the west side of Town and Ascutney on the east. We are bordered on the east by the Connecticut River, on the north by Mount Ascutney, on the west by the Town of Cavendish, and on the south by the Town of Springfield.
A short drive from Boston, New York and Montreal, Weathersfield's natural beauty and historic nature make it a great place to visit on a day trip or weekend. Weathersfield is a haven for recreational activities. You can enjoy hiking, canoeing, swimming, camping, mountain biking, hunting, fishing, horseback riding, cross-county skiing, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities. Immerse yourself in history or explore the beauty of nature at some of Weathersfield's Sites and Attractions. Have a picnic at a covered bridge, tour local artists' studios, pick your own apples at a hilltop orchard, or enjoy a meal at a five star country inn - it's all right here in Weathersfield!
History of Weathersfield
The town of Weathersfield was chartered as part of the Province of New Hampshire by Benning Wentworth, Governor and Commander-in-Chief August 20th, 1761. Settlement began in the town of Weathersfield before 1765 and organization took place in 1768.
Many of the grantees lived around New Haven, Connecticut, so the town's name probably derives from Wethersfield, one of the smaller communities in that area. Originally the name of the Vermont town was spelled the same way as is in England and Connecticut, but the "a" slipped into the Vermont spelling very early.
The Connecticut town was named in 1637 for Wethersfield, Essex, England, where the name originally referred to a field associated with a wether (from the Old English wither), or castrated ram. Wethers often were trained to lead a fiock of ewes to and from pasture. When the Vermonters put the "a" into their town's name, they lost its old pastoral meaning, which would have been appropriate in view of the sheep boom that later made Weathersfield one of the most prosperous towns in the state.
One Jonathan Allen, an early settler in town, was a veteran of Bunker Hill and had the scar to prove it. One of his ears was lopped off by his own commander because he had fired on the British before the order was given.
In 1830 a post office was opened at the village which is now known as Ascutney. The office was named just Corners (not Weathersfield Corners, as was intended). When the application forms were made out for the post office, Weathersfield’s name was put in the proper place for the town's name and Corners was put in for the village name, the assumption apparently that any fool could see the village name was Weathersfield Corners. But the postal authorities weren't just any fools: they took the name exactly as they read it, and for twenty years the office was just Corners.
At some point it occurred to someone that Corners lay in the shadow of Mount Ascutney, so in 1851 the name of the post office was changed to Ascutneyville. In 1924, during one of Washington's periods of trying to tidy up postal names, the -ville was dropped, and the village has been Ascutney ever since. Ascutney is a very old Abnaki name for the mountain, possibly meaning a place "at the end of the river fork." Although Weathersfield has the village of Ascutney and Little Ascutney Mountain, the main peak of Mount Ascutney is over the line in the towns of Windsor and West Windsor.
Ascutney Mountain, a detached peak 3,144 feet high, is partly in the town and has a ski resort area [located in the adjoining town of West Windsor). According to other sources, the word Ascutney is said to come from the Indian word cascadnac, meaning a peak with steep sides.
At the southeast, the Connecticut River makes a queer bend, long called Weathersfield Bow.
Broadcloth, cassimere and satinet were formerly made in great quantities here. In 1811 William Jarvis, then Consul to Portugal, brought to Weathersfield from Spain, a world-famous herd of 3,500 Merino sheep. They were some of the first of this breed to be introduced into the United States, and in 1840 over 10,000 were owned in Weathersfield alone.
Weathersfield is also noted for its fine Holstein cattle and English-bred horses. Paint, soapstone products and printing ink were formerly made here. (The Vermont Soapstone Company was re-organized in the 1970s and today, again, produces soapstone products in Perkinsville.)
There were 136 Weathersfield men who served in the Civil War, and it is believed to be the highest proportion of any town in the Union States.
Below you will find some vital information about our Town, from information about Town Meetings to census data to whom to call for burn permits.
The Town is governed by a five-member Selectboard. Meetings first and third Monday of each month at 7 pm at Martin Hall.
Town Commissions are Planning Commission and Conservation Commission. There is also a Zoning Board of Adjustment. Residents must apply to the Planning Commission for all permits for subdivision of land and to the Zoning Board for all permits for building or altering dwellings or businesses. Copies of the Town Plan, zoning regulations, and subdivisions regulations are available at the Town Office.
New residents should come to the Town Office to register to vote, to receive a town report, and to secure permits for the trash and recycling center. Necessary tokens for the trash may be purchased at the Town Office, at Downer's Corner Store and Ascutney Sunoco Gas Station.
Permits are needed for septic systems and are available from the State offices located in Springfield, VT. Other applications may be found at the town website.
Weathersfield Municipal Office
Our Community (Schools, Hospitals, Utilities, Post Office, etc.)
Dog Licensing/DMV Renewals/Green Mountain Passports