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C+History
History · Coventry

Coventry’s post office opened in 1822, and 11% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 45% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 13 old photos and papers, maps from 1920 on, and the census since 1800.

1822first post office
0on the National Register
11%homes built before 1940
13old photos & papers
3famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Coventry’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Coventry began

When was Coventry founded?

1822

The Coventry post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name. Wikidata gives 1920.

First census: 7 in 18002020 census: 1,100204 years

How historic is Coventry?

C+

More historic than 45% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Coventry post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Wikidata: 1920.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Coventry’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Coventry is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

C+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Coventry’s overall grade.
Founding era1822, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194011.2% of homes (±5.6) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%B−National RegisterNo listings counted · typical VT town 147 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 45%
NewerOlder

Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Coventry’s 0.0 sits below most of its state (5% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.

How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C− to B+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.6 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date; Wikidata gives 1920.

Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Coventry’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1860 and 1960, then more than doubled.A town in old photos13 old photos, postcards and papers.On the map since 19203 editions of the USGS map, 1920 to 1986. Watch Coventry change.Deep rootsA post office since 1822: 204 years of Coventry.
★ What stands out · People over time

Coventry, census by census

02004006008001,0001,20018001850190019502000914 in 1860Low: 458

Lost half of its people between 1860 and 1960, then more than doubled.

23 censuses, 1800–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Coventry’s Wikipedia page.

By decade

Coventry, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1980s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1980s10 items
View east, southwest elevation - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 361989View east, southwest elevation - Black River Bridge, …View north, corner detail of north corner of bridge, from bridge surface - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Tow…1989View north, corner detail of north corner of bridge, …View northwest, from road across bridge - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 361989View northwest, from road across bridge - Black River…View northwest, top chord truss connection detail - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 361989View northwest, top chord truss connection detail - B…View southeast, north abutment bridge seat connection details - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 3…1989View southeast, north abutment bridge seat connection…View southeast, southeast abutment and underside of bridge - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 36, …1989View southeast, southeast abutment and underside of b…View southwest, closeup of handrail - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 361989View southwest, closeup of handrail - Black River Bri…View southwest, detail of underside of bridge - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 361989View southwest, detail of underside of bridge - Black…View west, detail of truss connection, south truss from bridge - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway …1989View west, detail of truss connection, south truss fr…View west, northeast elevation - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 361989View west, northeast elevation - Black River Bridge, …
1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Date unknown3 to date
A History of Coventry, Orleans County, VermontDate?A History of Coventry, Orleans County, VermontBookA History of Coventry, Orleans County, VermontDate?A History of Coventry, Orleans County, VermontBookBlack River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 36Date?Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway…
Today2 recent
Coventry VT 11-01-252025Coventry VT 11-01-25Coventry vt highlight2004Coventry vt highlight
On the map

Coventry on the map, 1920 to 1986

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Coventry. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Coventry on the 1920 USGS mapCoventry on the 1953 USGS mapCoventry on the 1986 USGS map1920Irasburg sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Coventry.

The story

How Coventry came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Coventry.

Read it all →

Coventry was named for the birthplace of one of the founders, Major Elias Buel, who was born in Coventry, Connecticut.

A record exists from 1860, showing that the "Artillery Company" of the 3rd Regiment mustered for annual drill on June 5. An inventory shows they possessed one six pound brass cannon.

In 1861, the 3rd Vermont Infantry, Company B, was recruited in part from Coventry.

In the September 9, 1977, episode of Hee Haw, Coventry was saluted for its population of 300.

ChaptersEtymologyPost bellumCoventry festival

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Coventry in 1882

Passages that mention Coventry, cut from the printed page as they were published.

by the Rev. Samuel Smith of Windsor, and Dea. Daniel True of Derby. As some of the members lived in Irasburgh, it took the name of "the Baptist Church in Coventry and Irasburgh." Nathaniel Kellam of Irasburgh was chosen deacon, and John Ide, clerk. The subsequent growth of the church being mainly i…
The history of Orleans county, Vermont. Civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military1882 · page 154Read the page →
Read the text

by the Rev. Samuel Smith of Windsor, and Dea. Daniel True of Derby. As some of the members lived in Irasburgh, it took the name of "the Baptist Church in Coventry and Irasburgh." Nathaniel Kellam of Irasburgh was chosen deacon, and John Ide, clerk. The subsequent growth of the church being mainly in Coventry, the title was altered, in 1815,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Erastus Fairbanks, in 1852. He represented the town of Coventry m the House of Representatives in 1862 and '63. At the session of 1862, Mr. White took little part in the debates, only upon a bill relating to marriage, which was subsequently considered by a special committee on domestic relations, c…
The history of Orleans county, Vermont. Civil, ecclesiastical, biographical and military1882 · page 162Read the page →
Read the text

Erastus Fairbanks, in 1852. He represented the town of Coventry m the House of Representatives in 1862 and '63. At the session of 1862, Mr. White took little part in the debates, only upon a bill relating to marriage, which was subsequently considered by a special committee on domestic relations, consisting of A. B. Gardner, Dugald Stewart,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.

Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Timeline

Coventry, 1812 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1812Born hereTimothy P. Redfield is born here
  3. 1822Post officeThe Coventry post office opens
  4. 1832Born hereLambert Packard is born here
  5. 1879Born hereHarry A. Black is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1909Post officeThe Orleans post office opens
  8. 1920On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  9. 1989In the archiveView east, southwest elevation - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 36
  10. 21st century
  11. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 1,100
Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

View east, southwest elevation - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 36
Retake this viewView east, southwest elevation - Black River Bridge, Spans Black River on Town Highway 36, 1989

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Coventry’s page.

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

3 famous people were born in Coventry

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Harry A. BlackAmerican politician and lawyer · b. 1879
Lambert PackardAmerican architect · b. 1832
Timothy P. RedfieldAmerican judge · b. 1812
Places that used to be

Places now gone and burying grounds

Coventry’s post office has been open since 1822.

Coventry
1822–today
Orleans
1909–today
18201920today
Gone or out of use
Newport Number 1 Damdam
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Coventry
CenterDayVillage

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Coventry’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Date a photo3 archive items have no date. Guess the decade.+2Retake an old viewView east, southwest elevation - Black …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

NewportIts storyC−Brownington1 historic placeA−Newport7 historic placesAIrasburg2 historic placesB+Derby4 historic placesB+

Questions about Coventry’s history

What year was Coventry founded?

The Coventry post office opened in 1822, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records). Wikidata gives 1920.

How does Coventry rank for history?

Coventry is more historic than 45% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

How old are the homes in Coventry?

11% of Coventry’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.6 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1993.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (14), the Library of Congress (1), Wikidata (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.