Excerpted from the History and Description of New England – Vermont, by A.J. Coolidge and J.B. Mansfield; published in Boston by Austin J. Coolidge, in 1860.
“Roxbury, at the southern extremity of Washington County, fifteen miles from Montpelier, was granted November 6, 1780, and chartered to Benjamin Emmons and sixty-four others, August 6, 1781.
The settlement was begun in 1789, by Christopher Huntington, who came originally from Mansfield, Conn., but had resided a short time in Norwich, before his removal to this town.
The town was organized March 24, 1796, and contains an area of 23,040 acres, and is noted chiefly for its marble. There is an inexhaustible supply of the true verd antique, the composition and appearance of which are so identical with that obtained from ancient ruins, that the best judges have mistaken one for the other. Although these quarries have been opened but a short time, this beautiful stone has already found its way into the new capitol extension at Washington, and into the parlors of the wealthy in New York and Paris.”
The first town meeting was in 1797. At that time, the town was primarily a farming community with sawmills and gristmills being the main industries. After the Civil War, there was a watch manufacturing company that made parts for the Waltham Company.
Roxbury resident, Jonas Hall, invented a staking tool for watch repair and manufactured it here in Roxbury.
In 1848, the railroad was built and Roxbury became a major shipping center. The town expanded in both population and industry, and included stockyards in village areas.
The opening of the quarries in 1857 after the discovery of Verde Antique marble, was a great influence in the changing character of the town.
Ninety-four Roxbury men were called to serve in the Civil War, and twenty-nine were killed. Zed Stanton, a life-long Roxbury resident, became Lieutenant Governor in 1902, then Chief Justice of the Vermont Superior Court in 1908. His house, built in
1900, still stands between the school and the post office.
Roxbury historian, Susan Nevins, is a researcher and lecturer and avid gardener.
Roxbury Town Charter
Roxbury VT Family Papers
Roxbury VT – Online Books page
Town of Roxbury VT 