[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 121 (Friday, August 5, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1505]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     COMMEMORATING THE 250TH ANNIVERSARY OF SIXTY-SIX VERMONT TOWNS

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                            HON. PETER WELCH

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, August 5, 2011

  Mr. WELCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize 66 Vermont towns 
that are two hundred and fifty years young this year.
  Two and a half centuries ago, Vermont as we know it did not exist. 
Ownership of the territory that now makes up the state was disputed 
between the colonies of New Hampshire and New York. Authorities in both 
colonies granted charters for towns in the territory to speculators. 
Benning Wentworth, colonial Governor of New Hampshire, granted nearly 
130 of these charters in the early 1760s. It is for this reason that so 
many of Vermont's towns are currently celebrating their 
Semiquincentennial anniversaries, with several more to follow in the 
coming years.
  It is from this unusual history that Vermont towns and those who 
inhabited them developed their spirit of independence, self reliance 
and community. That spirit was passed along to future generations and 
remains just as vibrant today as it was in the early 1760s. It is a 
heritage that has defined our state and one we are proud to celebrate.
  As Vermont's representative to this House, I rise today to recognize 
the following towns, whose contributions to Vermont began before our 
nation's founding and continue today as they celebrate their two 
hundred fiftieth anniversaries:
  Addison, Andover, Arlington, Barnard, Bennington, Brandon, 
Bridgewater, Bridport, Brunswick, Castleton, Cavendish, Chester, 
Clarendon, Cornwall, Danby, Dorset, Fairlee, Ferdinand, Glastenbury, 
Granby, Guildhall, Guilford, Hartford, Hartland, Killington, Leicester, 
Ludlow, Maidstone, Manchester, Marlboro, Middlebury, Mount Tabor, New 
Haven, Norwich, Panton, Pawlet, Peru, Pittsford, Plymouth, Pomfret, 
Poultney, Reading, Rupert, Rutland, Salisbury, Sandgate, Shaftsbury, 
Sharon, Shoreham, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Springfield, Stockbridge, 
Strafford, Stratton, Sunderland, Thetford, Tinmouth, Tunbridge, 
Wallingford, Weathersfield, Wells, Weybridge, Windsor, Winhall, and 
Woodstock.

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