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B−History
History · Middlesex

Middlesex’s post office opened in 1821, and 14% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 48% of U.S. towns. What drives it

Below: 6 old photos and papers, maps from 1919 on, and the census since 1800.

1821first post office
0on the National Register
14%homes built before 1940
6old photos & papers
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Middlesex’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Middlesex began

When was Middlesex founded?

1821

The Middlesex post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Putnamville (1882), opened inside today’s town and later closed.

First census: 262 in 18002020 census: 1,779205 years

How historic is Middlesex?

B−

More historic than 48% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

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

What drives Middlesex’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Middlesex is more historic than 48% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its National Register listings pull it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Middlesex’s overall grade.
Founding era1821, from the first post office: founded 1776–1849, an older era than 75% of U.S. townsA−Homes built before 194013.5% of homes (±3.3) · typical VT town 22.4% · U.S. 8.4%BNational RegisterNo listings counted · typical VT town 147 per 10,000 · U.S. 2.4D
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 48%
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 Middlesex’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 (±3.3 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 Middlesex’s past

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

Shrank, then grewLost a third of its people between 1850 and 1930, then more than doubled.Lost villages1 post office opened and closed inside today’s Middlesex, and 3 old place names are still on the map.On the map since 19194 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1968. Watch Middlesex change.Deep rootsA post office since 1821: 205 years of Middlesex.
★ What stands out · People over time

Middlesex, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,4001,6001,800180018501900195020001,365 in 1850Low: 751

Lost a third of its people between 1850 and 1930, then more than doubled.

23 censuses, 1800–2020.

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

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Middlesex had its own post office from 1821 to 1966. Another post office, Putnamville, opened and closed inside today’s town.

Middlesex
1821–1966
Putnamville
1882–1935
18201920today
Hamlets and corners on the map
PutnamvilleShady RillWrightsville
4cemeteries and burying grounds inside Middlesex
CarrMiddlesex CenterNorth BranchVillage

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

On the map

Middlesex on the map, 1919 to 1968

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

Middlesex on the 1919 USGS mapMiddlesex on the 1921 USGS mapMiddlesex on the 1944 USGS mapMiddlesex on the 1968 USGS map1919Montpelier 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 Middlesex.

The story

How Middlesex came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Middlesex.

Read it all →

The town of Middlesex was granted by royal charter on June 8, 1763, by New Hampshire colonial governor Benning Wentworth. The town takes its boundaries from Waterbury, incorporated the previous day, and Worcester, which received its grant the same day as Middlesex. The source of the town's name is uncertain but it is supposed Wentworth, or a staff member, chose the name for its location between Waterbury and Worcester. Another possibility would be that Wentworth chose Middlesex to seek favor from English nobleman Charles Sackville who held the title Lord Middlesex until 1765, when he became Duke of Dorset.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

From the old history books

What they wrote about Middlesex in 1882

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

fice in Middlesex : To Seth Piitna7ii, Esq.: — Sir — We, the Inhabitants of the town of Middlesex, petition your honor to grant a Warrant for the purpose of calling a town-meeting in said town of Middlesex on Monday, the 29 of March instant, at ten of the clock in the morning, for the
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston ... with Marshfield or Middlesex papers in fifty copies ..1882 · page 222Read the page →
Read the text

fice in Middlesex : To Seth Piitna7ii, Esq.: — Sir — We, the Inhabitants of the town of Middlesex, petition your honor to grant a Warrant for the purpose of calling a town-meeting in said town of Middlesex on Monday, the 29 of March instant, at ten of the clock in the morning, for the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
fice in Middlesex : To SetJi Putnajii, Esq.: — Sir — We, the Inhabitants of the town of Middlesex, petition your honor to grant a Warrant for the purpose of calling a town-meeting in .said town of Middlesex on Monday, the 29 of March instant, at ten of the clock in the morning, for the
The history of Washington county, in the Vermont historical gazetteer1882 · page 222Read the page →
Read the text

fice in Middlesex : To SetJi Putnajii, Esq.: — Sir — We, the Inhabitants of the town of Middlesex, petition your honor to grant a Warrant for the purpose of calling a town-meeting in .said town of Middlesex on Monday, the 29 of March instant, at ten of the clock in the morning, for the

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
the authority of the state of Vermont, you are hereby directed to warn all the free- Holders and other inhabitants of the town of Middlesex to meet at the dwelling-house of Seth Putnam. Esq., in said Middlesex, on Mondav. the 29th day of March Instant, at ten of the dock in the morning. Firstly to …
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston, Vermont1882 · page 222Read the page →
Read the text

the authority of the state of Vermont, you are hereby directed to warn all the free- Holders and other inhabitants of the town of Middlesex to meet at the dwelling-house of Seth Putnam. Esq., in said Middlesex, on Mondav. the 29th day of March Instant, at ten of the dock in the morning. Firstly to choose a moderator to govern said

Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Samuel Mann, one of the first settlers of the town, bought two lots of land 3 miles N. E. of Middlesex village. I bought the same lots Oct. 19, 1820, at which time I commenced an acquaintance with the inhabitants of Middlesex. I came into the town with my family Mar. 16, 1821. The venerable Thomas …
The history of the towns of Plainfield, Roxbury and Fayston ... with Marshfield or Middlesex papers in fifty copies ..1882 · page 223Read the page →
Read the text

Samuel Mann, one of the first settlers of the town, bought two lots of land 3 miles N. E. of Middlesex village. I bought the same lots Oct. 19, 1820, at which time I commenced an acquaintance with the inhabitants of Middlesex. I came into the town with my family Mar. 16, 1821. The venerable Thomas Mead was then very

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

Middlesex, 1821 to 2020

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

  1. 19th century
  2. 1821Post officeThe Middlesex post office opens
  3. 1865In the archiveDown along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Winooski River, Washington County
  4. 1882Post officeThe Putnamville post office opens
  5. 1895Born hereHarold Denny Campbell is born here
  6. 20th century
  7. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  8. 1927In the archiveFlood wrecked Central Vermont R.R. at Slip Hill, 2 miles below Middlesex, Vt., Nov. 4, 19…
  9. 1933In the archiveCCCcampGreen
  10. 1935Post officeThe Putnamville post office closes
  11. 1966Post officeThe Middlesex post office closes
  12. 21st century
  13. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 1,779
By decade

Middlesex, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1860s to the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s4 items
Down along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Winooski River, Washington Countyc. 1865Down along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: …Down along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Winooski River, Washington Countyc. 1865Down along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: …Up the Winooski, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain sceneryc. 1865Up the Winooski, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Green…Up the Winooski, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Green Mountain sceneryc. 1865Up the Winooski, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Green…
1920s–1930s2 items
Flood wrecked Central Vermont R.R. at Slip Hill, 2 miles below Middlesex, Vt., Nov. 4, 19271927Flood wrecked Central Vermont R.R. at Slip Hill, 2 mi…CCCcampGreen1933CCCcampGreen
1940s–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
Today6 recent
I89 VT SouthBound2023I89 VT SouthBoundMiddlesexVT UnitedMethodistChurch2015MiddlesexVT UnitedMethodistChurchMiddlesexVT TownHall2015MiddlesexVT TownHallMiddlesexVT NewRoute2Bridge2015MiddlesexVT NewRoute2BridgeDumpling Bandstand2007Dumpling BandstandMiddlesex vt highlight2004Middlesex vt highlight
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.

Down along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Winooski River, Washington County
Retake this viewDown along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alternate Title: Winooski River, Washington County, c. 1865

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

Retake this view · +15
Help out

Finish Middlesex’s story

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
2 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDown along the rocks, Middlesex, Vt.Alt…: 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.

Moretown1 historic placeB+Berlin3 historic placesAWaterbury6 historic placesAMontpelier5 historic placesA+Worcester2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townEast Montpelier4 historic placesB+

Questions about Middlesex’s history

What year was Middlesex founded?

The Middlesex post office opened in 1821, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).

How does Middlesex rank for history?

Middlesex is more historic than 48% 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 Middlesex?

14% of Middlesex’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1986.

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 (11), the Library of Congress (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.