Bellows Falls is an incorporated village located in the town of Rockingham in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,165 at the 2000 census. Bellows Falls is home to the Green Mountain Railroad, a heritage railroad, and to the annual Roots on the River Festival.
History
The falls were once a fishing place for nomadic Abenaki tribes, who caught plentiful salmon and shad. First called Great Falls, it was settled in 1753 by the English and named for Colonel Benjamin Bellows, a landowner. [3] In 1785, Colonel Enoch Hale built at the falls the first bridge over the Connecticut River. It remained the only bridge across until 1796, when another was built at Springfield, Massachusetts.[4] The Bellows Falls Canal, built in 1791-1802, lifted boats 52 feet (16 m) in 8 locks around the gorge, and also provided water power for industry. [5]
In 1802, the first paper mill was established. Two railroads converged in 1849 at Bellows Falls, helping it develop into a major mill town. By 1859, there was a woolen textile mill, in addition to factories which produced furniture, marble, sashes and blinds, iron castings, carriages, cabinet ware, rifles, harness, shoe pegs and organs.[6] The principal products, however, were paper and farm machinery. Incorporated as a village in 1909, Bellows Falls is today a tourist destination noted for its Victorian architecture.
Geography
The village is located within the town of Rockingham, Vermont. According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.4 square miles (3.6 km2), all of it land. Bellows Falls is bounded on the east by the Connecticut River.
The village is crossed by 
Interstate 91, 
U.S. Route 5 and Vermont Route 121.
Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,165 people, 1,329 households, and 782 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,286.1 people per square mile (885.5/km2). There were 1,443 housing units at an average density of 1,042.3/sq mi (403.7/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 97.28% White, 0.35% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.14% of the population.
There were 1,329 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.0% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 14.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.1% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the village the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $29,608, and the median income for a family was $45,688. Males had a median income of $29,137 versus $22,340 for females. The per capita income for the village was $15,276. About 5.6% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 15.9% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service through Bellows Falls, operating its Vermonter between Washington, D.C. and St. Albans, Vermont. The Bellows Falls Station, on Depot St, also serves as the headquarters for the Green Mountain Railroad.
Connecticut River Transit, a private, non-profit personal mobility specialist, provides scheduled bus service linking Bellows Falls, Brattleboro, Springfield and other local communities as needed by private arrangement.
Green Mountain Railroad, a part of the Vermont Rail System, operates seasonal and holiday scenic train excursions between Bellows Falls and Chester.
Antique postcards
|
|
|
Bellows Falls Fair in 1912
|
|
- Adams Gristmill Warehouse — Bridge St. (added February 22, 1990)
- Bellows Falls Co-operative Creamery Complex — Island St. (added February 22, 1990)
- Bellows Falls Neighborhood Historic District — Atkinson, Westminster, School, Hapgood Sts, Hapgood Pl., Burt St., Henry St., South St., Hadley St., Temple Pl. (added February 17, 2002)
- Bellows Falls Times Building — Bridge and Island Sts. (added February 22, 1990)
- Bellows Falls Downtown Historic District — Depot, Canal, Rockingham, Bridge, Mill and Westminster Sts. (added September 16, 1982)
- Bellows Falls Petroglyph Site (VT-WD-8) (added February 22, 1990)
- Hall Covered Bridge — W of Bellows Falls Across Saxtons River, off VT 121 (added September 28, 1973)
- Howard Hardware Storehouse — Bridge St. (added February 22, 1990)
- Miss Bellows Falls Diner — 90 Rockingham St. (added March 15, 1983)
- Moore and Thompson Paper Mill Complex — Bridge St. (added April 16, 1984)
- Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel — Off Pleasant St. (added December 14, 1991)
- Robertson Paper Company Complex — Island St. (added February 22, 1990)
- William A. Hall House — 1 Hapgood St. (added June 5, 1999)
Sites of interest
Notable residents
The Miss Bellows Falls Diner and Rockingham Street
- Colleen Barrett , president of Southwest Airlines
- Arthur Chase, co-founder of Theta Chi Fraternity
- Carlton Fisk, baseball player
- Jay H. Gordon, auditor of accounts
- Hetty Green, businesswoman
- James F. Howard, Jr., professor of neurology and medicine
- Thomas P. Salmon, governor of Vermont
- Gary Smith, record producer
- Ernest Thompson, playwright and actor
See also
References
External links
