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History · Readsboro

Readsboro dates to 1786, and 30% of its homes were built before 1940

Its Register listing is the E. J. Bullock Block. Below: maps from 1889 on and the census since 1790.

1786founded
1on the National Register
30%homes built before 1940
2famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States · CC BY-SA 2.0
Quick answers

How Readsboro began

When was Readsboro founded?

1786

Readsboro dates its founding to 1786 (Wikidata). It appears in the first U.S. census, 1790.

First census: 64 in 17902020 census: 702240 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1830.

What stands out about Readsboro’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Readsboro are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 18895 editions of the USGS map, 1889 to 1997. Watch Readsboro change.Lost villages3 post offices opened and closed inside today’s Readsboro, and 2 old place names are still on the map.Boom and bustPeaked at 1,252 in 1910; 702 people lived here in 2020.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Readsboro’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Readsboro’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the map

Readsboro on the map, 1889 to 1997

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

Readsboro on the 1889 USGS mapReadsboro on the 1891 USGS mapReadsboro on the 1954 USGS mapReadsboro on the 1987 USGS mapReadsboro on the 1997 USGS map1889Wilmington 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 Readsboro.

Places that used to be

Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds

Readsboro had its own post office from 1830 to 1833. Three other post offices opened and closed inside today’s town.

Readsboro
1830–1833
Readsboro City
1832–1847
Readsboro
1847–today
Heartwellville
1850–1913
Readsboro Falls
1873–1909
18301930today
Hamlets and corners on the map
HeartwellvilleReadsboro Falls
5cemeteries and burying grounds inside Readsboro
HeartwellvilleNorth Hill - AmidonNorth HillReadsboro VillageSouth Hill

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

The story so far

Readsboro, in brief

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

Readsboro is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The town was named after John Reade, a landholder. The population was 702 at the 2020 census. The hamlet of Heartwellville is in the northern part of Readsboro, approximately 5 miles (8 km) north on Route 100 from the hamlet of Readsboro. The Readsboro census-designated place consists of the town center and had a population of 297 at the 2020 census.

Readsboro was established in 1786. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 763 to 702 (-8%).

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

Timeline

Readsboro, 1786 to 1910

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1786
    FoundingReadsboro is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1805Born hereWelcome Chapman is born here
  5. 1830Post officeThe Readsboro post office opens
  6. 1832Post officeThe Readsboro City post office opens
  7. 1833Post officeThe Readsboro post office closes
  8. 1847Post officeThe Readsboro City post office closes
  9. 1847Post officeThe Readsboro post office opens
  10. 1867Born hereArthur P. Carpenter is born here
  11. 1889On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  12. 20th century
  13. 1910CensusPopulation peaks at 1,252
By decade

Readsboro, decade by decade

Today12 recent
Readsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboro, Vermont2013Readsboro, VermontReadsboroVermont2007ReadsboroVermontReadsboro vt highlight2004Readsboro vt highlight
Every building

Readsboro, building by building, 1909–1927

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Readsboro fire insurance map, 1909, sheet 11909Sheet 1 of 1
Edition
Sheets
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

On the National Register

1 historic place in Readsboro

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

place listed
1
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
1
each building in a district counts
first listed
2021
E. J. Bullock Block
E. J. Bullock Block
Buildings
All 1 listings
E. J. Bullock BlockBuilding · listed 2021

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

People over time

Readsboro, census by census

02004006008001,0001,2001,40018001850190019502000Peak: 1,252

Peaked at 1,252 in 1910; 702 people lived here in 2020.

24 censuses, 1790–2020.

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

Famous people

2 famous people were born in Readsboro

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

See all →
Welcome ChapmanAmerican Mormon leader · b. 1805
Arthur P. CarpenterU.S. Marshal for Vermont · b. 1867
Stories next door

History across the town line

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

Whitingham1 historic placeAStamford1 historic placenot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townWilmington3 historic placesASearsburgIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town

Questions about Readsboro’s history

What year was Readsboro founded?

In 1786, according to Wikidata. Readsboro’s post office opened in 1830, and the first U.S. census counted 64 people here in 1790.

What is on the National Register in Readsboro?

One place: the E. J. Bullock Block (listed 2021).

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). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (1), 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 Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.