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History · Westmore

Westmore dates to 1781, and 27% of its homes were built before 1940

Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1919 on, and the census since 1810.

1781founded
0on the National Register
27%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Westmore’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Westmore began

When was Westmore founded?

1781

Westmore dates its founding to 1781 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1810.

First census: 126 in 18102020 census: 357245 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1869.The full story ↓

What stands out about Westmore’s past

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

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Boom and bustPeaked at 480 in 1880; 357 people lived here in 2020.On the map since 19194 editions of the USGS map, 1919 to 1986. Watch Westmore change.Deep rootsEstablished in 1781: 245 years of Westmore.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Westmore’s collection

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

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewWilloughby Lake, VT., west shore: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Westmore, census by census

01002003004005001850190019502000Peak: 480

Peaked at 480 in 1880; 357 people lived here in 2020.

21 censuses, 1810–2020.

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

On the map

Westmore on the map, 1919 to 1986

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

Westmore on the 1919 USGS mapWestmore on the 1920 USGS mapWestmore on the 1953 USGS mapWestmore on the 1986 USGS map1919Lake Memphremagog 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 Westmore.

The story

How Westmore came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Westmore.

Read it all →

Originally named Westford, the town was chartered on August 17, 1781. Since Chittenden County had a town named Westford, in 1787 the name was changed to Westmore.

The first vacation house was built on the lake in 1860. It is known as the Cheney House, named after an owner in the late 19th century.

Westmore never attracted many settlers. The town's peak population was in the census year of 1880 with 485 people.

Before he became famous, Robert Frost camped here in the summer of 1909 with his family.

Songadeewin Camp for girls was located here from 1921 to 1975.

Electricity became available at the south end of the lake, from West Burke, c. 1934.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Westmore, 1781 to 1919

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

  1. 18th century
  2. 1781
    FoundingWestmore is established
  3. 19th century
  4. 1869Post officeThe Westmore post office opens
  5. 1870In the archiveWilloughby Lake, VT., west shore
  6. 1880CensusPopulation peaks at 480
  7. 1898In the archiveWestmore Library ca1897 Vermont
  8. 20th century
  9. 1919Post officeThe Westmore post office closes
  10. 1919On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Westmore, decade by decade

2 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1890s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s–1890s2 items
Willoughby Lake, VT., west shore1870Willoughby Lake, VT., west shoreWestmore Library ca1897 Vermont1898Westmore Library ca1897 Vermont
1900s–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
Today3 recent
Willoughby Lake, Westmore, Vt2008Willoughby Lake, Westmore, VtSilver Capped Willoughby Lake, Westmore, Vt2008Silver Capped Willoughby Lake, Westmore, VtWestmore vt highlight2004Westmore 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.

Willoughby Lake, VT., west shore
Retake this viewWilloughby Lake, VT., west shore, 1870

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

Retake this view · +15
Famous people

Famous people close to Westmore

Nobody well known was born in Westmore itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Rudy ValléeAmerican singer, actor, and entertainer · b. 1901
Theodore RobinsonAmerican artist · b. 1852
Horace TaborAmerican politician · b. 1830
Charles Kendall AdamsAmerican educator and historian · b. 1835
Porter H. DaleAmerican politician · b. 1867
Charles W. WillardAmerican politician · b. 1827
Places that used to be

Lost post offices and burying grounds

Westmore had its own post office from 1869 to 1919.

Westmore
1869–1919
18601940today
2cemeteries and burying grounds inside Westmore
LakeviewLakeview

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

Stories next door

History across the town line

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

NewarkIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townCharleston2 historic placesnot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townSuttonIts storynot graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its townBarton3 historic placesA

Questions about Westmore’s history

What year was Westmore founded?

In 1781, according to Wikidata. Westmore’s post office opened in 1869, and the census of 1810 counted 126 people here.

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 (4), the Library of Congress (1), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.