Townshend, VT Historical Timeline
| Date | Historical Event |
|---|---|
| 1500’s | An estimated 10,000 (or more) native people lived in what is now Vermont. The general Townshend area has place names that reflect the languages of the Wabenaki and Abenaki peoples. |
| 1753 | First Charter is issued for Townshend by Benning Wentworth. |
| 1762 | The first charter having lapsed without sufficient settlement, a second charter is issued by Wentworth and settlement by Col. John Hazeltine, Tyler and others followed. |
| 1775-1781 | Col. Samuel Fletcher, and others participate in the American Revolution. |
| 1810 | Clarina Howard Nichols, a gentle suffragette and abolitionist was born. |
| 1834 | Leland Seminary is established; eventually became Leland and Gray Union High School. |
| 1840 | The town of Acton becomes part of Townshend. |
| 1852 | Clarina Howard Nichols becomes the first woman to speak at the Vermont Legislature. |
| 1861-1865 | Townshend sends 100 soldiers to the Civil War in which 23 Townshend men die. |
| 1869 | Much of Harmonyville is wiped out in a major flood. |
| 1880-1936 | West River Railroad serves the valley townsdespite floods and other catastrophes. |
| 1894 | Fire destroys much of the east side of Townshend Village on The Common. |
| 1912 | President William Howard Taft visits the homeland of his parents and grandparents. |
| 1917-1918 | Two Townshend soldiers die in World War I. |
| 1918 | A fire burns much of the east side of Townshend village a second time. |
| 1927 | Many parts of Townshend are ravaged by a flood. |
| 1938 | West Townshend is devastated by a flood. |
| 1941-1945 | Two Townshend soldiers die in World War II. |
| 1949 | Grace Cottage Hospital is established. |
| 1959-1961 | Townshend Dam is built by the US Army Corps of Engineers for flood-control in the West River and Connecticut River Valleys |
| 1968 | A modern Leland and Gray Union High School is built replacing several historic homes and stores on the site. |
| 1978 | High waters: the only time that water goes over the Townshend Dam spillway. |
| 2003 | Townshend celebrates its 250th Anniversary and Stitch in Time is written by the Townshend Historical Society with Castle Freeman. |
| 2011 | Townshend suffers damage from Tropical Storm, Irene. |
Hac/THS/Timeline for Townshend Historical Events by CEM Rev093015