4 places in town are on the National Register, among them the Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark. Below: 4 old photos and papers, maps from 1894 on, and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1798.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Orwell’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Orwell is more historic than 95% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Orwell’s overall grade.
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 Orwell’s 92.7 sits near the middle of its state (57% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 12 historic buildings outnumber those of 77% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1763.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±6.6 points).
Founding year: Wikidata (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 Orwell’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
After the construction of Fort Independence on Mount Independence in 1775, rebel soldiers bravely manned the lesser fortifications of the Vermont-side defenses. While those soldiers billeted at Fort Ticonderoga enjoyed comparatively splendid conditions in the French-style fort, Mount Independence proved a trying and difficult environment for its small cadre of revolutionary defenders, who frequently returned to their farms in the surrounding countryside to tend to their homesteads. The fortress was passed between the British and Colonials, until it was eventually abandoned at the cessation of hostilities on the northern front of the war.
Passages that mention Orwell, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Addison county Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 567Read the page →
Read the text
The town of Sudbury, adjoining Orwell on the east, was chartered a short time prior to the town of Orwell, and it appears that through some mistake the charters of both cover a strip of land one mile in width across the entire east end of the town. After considerable trouble the tract was held by Orwell.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Addison county Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 572Read the page →
Read the text
First National Bank of Orwell, located at Orwell, Addison county, was organized in 1863, with a capital of $50,000, which was increased in 1865 to $100,000. It succeeded to the Farmers' Bank of Orwell, which was organized in 1832, and went into liquidation in 1863. The first board of directors of First National Bank were as follows : John L. Hammond, G. A. Austin, E. S.
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
Orwell, 1763 to 1972
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
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.
In 1763, according to Wikidata. Orwell’s post office opened in 1798, and the first U.S. census counted 778 people here in 1790.
How does Orwell rank for history?
Orwell is more historic than 95% 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.
What is on the National Register in Orwell?
4 listings: 3 buildings and 1 site. 12 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Orwell?
31% of Orwell’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±6.6 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1982.
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 (12), the National Register of Historic Places (4), 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.
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★ Landmark
