Windsor

Windsor, county, eastern Vermont, U.S., bounded to the east by New Hampshire (the Connecticut River constituting the border). It consists mostly of a piedmont region that rises to the Green Mountains in the west and slopes to the Connecticut River valley in the east. The county is drained by the White, Black, Williams, and Ottauquechee rivers. Recreational areas include Calvin Coolidge, Ascutney, Quechee Gorge, and Camp Plymouth state parks as well as Green Mountain National Forest; the Appalachian National Scenic Trail crosses the northern part of the county east-west. Largely white pine, county woodlands include Calvin Coolidge, Proctor Piper, Okemo, and Charles Downer state forests.

Abenaki Indians shared the region with English and French settlers in the 1750s. On July 8, 1777, the constitution of Vermont was adopted at Old Constitution House (c. 1772) in Windsor. The county was created in 1781 and named for Windsor, England. Woodstock succeeded Windsor as the county seat in 1794. Merino sheep, which revolutionized Vermont’s woolen industry, were introduced at Weathersfield Bow in 1811. Springfield became an important manufacturing centre in the 1880s. Mormon prophet Joseph Smith was born in Sharon (1805), and President Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth Notch (1872). Windsor, Woodstock, Chester, and South Royalton contain numerous buildings from the 19th century. One of Vermont’s oldest public buildings is the Eureka Schoolhouse (built 1785) near Springfield. Other communities are White River Junction, Wilder, and Ludlow.

Windsor has the largest area of any county in Vermont. Important economic activities include the production of dairy products, machine tools, and plastic products. Area 971 square miles (2,516 square km). Pop. (2000) 57,418; (2010) 56,670.