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BHistory
History · Hinesburg

Hinesburg’s post office opened in 1803, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 60% of U.S. towns · #64 of 71 in Vermont. What drives it

2 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district. Below: 15 old photos and papers, maps from 1906 on, and the census since 1790.

1803first post office
2on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
15old photos & papers
10famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Hinesburg’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Hinesburg began

When was Hinesburg founded?

1803

The Hinesburg post office opened in 1803, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, South Hinesburgh (1866), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 454 in 17902020 census: 4,698223 years

How historic is Hinesburg?

B

More historic than 60% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: the first Hinesburg post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).
History grade

What drives Hinesburg’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Hinesburg is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #64 of 71 in Vermont. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Hinesburg’s overall grade.
Founding era1803, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194013.0% of homes (±4.7) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register2 listings, 4.2 per 10,000 residents · typical VT town 147 · U.S. 2.4C+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 60%
NewerOlder
Vermont towns of 2,500+ (71)Ahead of 10%

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 Hinesburg’s 4.2 sits below most of its state (12% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 2 listings outnumber those of 60% 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 (±4.7 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.

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 Hinesburg’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 1850 and 1920, then grew 4-fold.A town in old photos15 old photos, postcards and papers.On the map since 19064 editions of the USGS map, 1906 to 1987. Watch Hinesburg change.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Hinesburg, and 3 old place names are still on the map.
★ What stands out · People over time

Hinesburg, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,000180018501900195020001,834 in 1850Low: 964

Lost half of its people between 1850 and 1920, then grew 4-fold.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

By decade

Hinesburg, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1940s15 items
General store in Hinesburg, Vermont, by Jack Delano, United States Office of War Information, August 1941, from the Lib…1941General store in Hinesburg, Vermont, by Jack Delano, …The town of Hinesburg, Vermont1941The town of Hinesburg, VermontGeneral store1941General storeHarvesting corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Harvesting corn on a farm near Hinesburg, VermontLoading corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Loading corn on a farm near Hinesburg, VermontHarvesting corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Harvesting corn on a farm near Hinesburg, VermontGeneral store and gas station1941General store and gas stationGeneral store and gas station1941General store and gas stationField of corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Field of corn on a farm near Hinesburg, VermontUntitled photo, possibly related to: General store1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: General storeUntitled photo, possibly related to: Harvesting corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Harvesting corn …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Harvesting corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Harvesting corn …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Loading corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Loading corn on …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Loading corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Loading corn on …Untitled photo, possibly related to: Field of corn on a farm near Hinesburg, Vermont1941Untitled photo, possibly related to: Field of corn on…
1950s–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
Today13 recent
March Visits Throughout Vermont 182017March Visits Throughout Vermont 18March Visits Throughout Vermont 172017March Visits Throughout Vermont 17March Visits Throughout Vermont 162017March Visits Throughout Vermont 16March Visits Throughout Vermont 152017March Visits Throughout Vermont 15March Visits Throughout Vermont 142017March Visits Throughout Vermont 14Cicero Goddard Peck House2014Cicero Goddard Peck HouseTown Hall2006Town HallHBRG VT116 SB TreeBranches2006HBRG VT116 SB TreeBranchesHBRG VT116 NB Trees2006HBRG VT116 NB TreesHBRG VT116 NB TreeBranches2006HBRG VT116 NB TreeBranchesCVU sign2006CVU signCVU2006CVUHinesburg vt highlight2004Hinesburg vt highlight
On the map

Hinesburg on the map, 1906 to 1987

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

Hinesburg on the 1906 USGS mapHinesburg on the 1919 USGS mapHinesburg on the 1948 USGS mapHinesburg on the 1987 USGS map1906Burlington 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 Hinesburg.

The story so far

Hinesburg, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Hinesburg yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Hinesburg is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The town was named for Abel Hine, town clerk. The population was 4,698 at the 2020 census. The main settlement of Hinesburg in the center of town is a census-designated place (CDP), with a population of 872 at the 2020 census.

Its first post office opened in 1803. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population grew from 4,396 to 4,698 (+7%).

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Hinesburg in 1886

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

Henry Olin were appointed to lay out this road. At the next session of the Legislature they were allowed three >-ears for its completion. The General Assembly passed an act on the 23d of October, 18 16, appointing Gideon Wing, of Monkton, Nathan Leavenworth, of Hinesburg, and Zadoch Wheeler, of Cha…
History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886Read the page →
Read the text

Henry Olin were appointed to lay out this road. At the next session of the Legislature they were allowed three >-ears for its completion. The General Assembly passed an act on the 23d of October, 18 16, appointing Gideon Wing, of Monkton, Nathan Leavenworth, of Hinesburg, and Zadoch Wheeler, of Charlotte, a committee to lay out a stageroad from the court-house in Middlebury through New Haven to the Methodist meeting-house in Monkton, thence to the Baptist meeting-house in Charlotte, and through Shelburne to the lower falls on Onion River, in the town of Burlington. On the 5th of November,

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
right to Benjamin Ferriss for eight shillings; and in December, 1762, David Hall sold one full right to Henry Franklin and Benjamin Underbill, merchants of New York city. Most of the proprietors lived in Litchfield county. Conn., and manifested no eagerness about their lands in Hinesburg, except to…
History of Chittenden County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 593Read the page →
Read the text

right to Benjamin Ferriss for eight shillings; and in December, 1762, David Hall sold one full right to Henry Franklin and Benjamin Underbill, merchants of New York city. Most of the proprietors lived in Litchfield county. Conn., and manifested no eagerness about their lands in Hinesburg, except to make them habitable for the sake of speculation. It is worthy of note, too, that while meetings were frequently held up to May 16, 1776, and at that date an adjournment was voted to "the first Monday of September, 1776," there is no record of that adjourned meeting, nor of any other until the 8th day of May, 1783.

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

Hinesburg, 1798 to 2020

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1798Born hereJohn Byington is born here
  3. 19th century
  4. 1803Post officeThe Hinesburg post office opens
  5. 1834Born hereAlphonso Barto is born here
  6. 1835Born hereOssian Ray is born here
  7. 1860Born hereJohn Clayton Allen is born here
  8. 1866Post officeThe South Hinesburgh post office opens
  9. 1874Post officeThe South Hinesburgh post office closes
  10. 20th century
  11. 1906On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 1941In the archiveGeneral store in Hinesburg, Vermont, by Jack Delano, United States Office of War Informat…
  13. 21st century
  14. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 4,698
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.

General store in Hinesburg, Vermont, by Jack Delano, United States Office of War Information, August 1941, from the Lib…
Retake this viewGeneral store in Hinesburg, Vermont, by Jack Delano, United States Office of War Information, August 1941, from the Lib…, 1941

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

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 historic places in Hinesburg

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
2
each building in a district counts
first listed
2010
Cicero Goddard Peck House
Cicero Goddard Peck HouseHinesburg Town Forest
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Queen Anne1
Cicero Goddard Peck HouseQueen Anne
Hinesburg Town ForestDistrict

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Famous people

10 famous people were born in Hinesburg

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

See all →
Ossian RayAmerican politician · b. 1835
Alphonso BartoAmerican politician · b. 1834
John ByingtonAmerican Seventh-day Adventist minister · b. 1798
John Clayton AllenAmerican politician · b. 1860
Lucinda Hinsdale StoneAmerican feminist, educator, traveler, writer, … · b. 1814
William Alanson HowardAmerican politician, Michigan · b. 1813
Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Hinesburg’s post office has been open since 1803. Another post office, South Hinesburgh, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Hinesburg
1803–today
South Hinesburgh
1866–1874
18001910today
Hamlets and corners on the map
MechanicsvilleRhode Island CornerSouth Hinesburg
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Hinesburg
BarkerBurrittHinesburgMcDonoughO'Neil RoadTracy

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

Help out

Finish Hinesburg’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.
Retake an old viewGeneral store in Hinesburg, Vermont, by…: 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.

Charlotte10 historic placesA−Monkton3 historic placesB+St. GeorgeIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townShelburne5 historic placesA−Starksboro3 historic placesB+

Questions about Hinesburg’s history

What year was Hinesburg founded?

The Hinesburg post office opened in 1803, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Hinesburg rank for history?

Hinesburg is more historic than 60% of U.S. towns, #64 of 71 in Vermont. 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.

What is on the National Register in Hinesburg?

Two places: the Cicero Goddard Peck House (listed 2010) and the Hinesburg Town Forest (2016).

How old are the homes in Hinesburg?

13% of Hinesburg’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1983.

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 (14), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), 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.