Our Roxbury

Roxbury, VT, with a population of 678 (2020 Census), has a small but busy downtown area. It serves the town’s inhabitants, as well as visitors passing through by vehicle, bicycle, horseback or on foot. Roxbury is located in the geographical center of Vermont, nestled in the foothills of the Northfield Mountains range, part of the Green Mountains. Roxbury was once known for its Verde Antique marble and talc quarries. The oldest Fish Hatchery in Vermont is here. There remain many lovely old buildings, both in town and on the back roads of Roxbury and East Roxbury. Unfortunately, the stately elm trees that lined the main street (VT Route 12A) are gone, killed by Dutch Elm Disease. The village itself received Village status in late 2022, allowing the village proper to be preserved and maintained.

Roxbury was granted by the Vermont General Assembly in 1781; its name is likely derived from Roxbury, Massachusetts, which later became part of Boston. The town was chartered on August 6, 1781 to Benjamin Edwards and 64 other people, although just 20 of these ever lived in the town. Actual European settlement began in 1789, and the first town meeting was held in 1797.

The town grew steadily in the first six decades of the 19th century, growing from 113 residents in 1800 to a peak of 1,060 residents in 1860, on the eve of the American Civil War. In the war, 94 Roxbury men served; 29 perished. The town’s population dropped in the 20th century after World War II, especially after the town’s marble quarries (which opened in 1857) were closed in 1957; the city’s population reached a low point in 1970, with just 354 residents.

Historically, Roxbury’s economy was highly dependent upon resource extraction; major economic activities included agriculture, logging, fishing, and quarrying. Verde Antique marble quarrying and talc mining were historically significant in Roxbury; today, one commercial sand and gravel extraction operation is located in the town. Roxbury’s marble quarries opened in 1857 and closed in 1957. Test holes can still be found on private lands in town.

Today, Roxbury is becoming a ‘bedroom community’ for those working in nearby Montpelier, Barre, Northfield, Randolph and points along I-89.

Satellite map of Roxbury, VT.

Article on Verde Antique Marble
Roxbury was noted for it’s Verde Antique marble and there were test holes and quarries outside of town.
Article in The Vermonter, Vol. 36, #9, 1926.

Notable People from Roxbury VT
Gideon Hixon, businessman and member of the Wisconsin State Legislature, was born in Roxbury.
Ed Pincus, documentary filmmaker, had a home in Roxbury and died here.
Francis V. Randall, Union Army officer in the American Civil War. Practiced law in Roxbury 1857-60.
Zed S. Stanton, Vermont lieutenant governor and judge, was a lifelong Roxbury resident.

G. A. Tilden & Sons Store, Aug. 11, 1908. Now the Roxbury Country Store.
Roxbury Union Congregational Church, ca 1908-1921.
Old Marble Quarry, Roxbury VT
Thanks to Dennis Bathory-Kitsz for his permission to use these images from his collection. All images are by Preston “Babe” Flint.