Dorset, Vermont

Dorset, Vermont
Dorset, Vermont
Dorset, Vermont
Dorset, Vermont is located in the United States
Dorset, Vermont
Dorset, Vermont
Location in the United States
Coordinates: 43°16′N 73°4′W / 43.267°N 73.067°W / 43.267; -73.067
CountryUnited States
StateVermont
CountyBennington
CommunitiesDorset
East Dorset
Freedleyville
North Dorset
South Dorset
Area
 • Total47.9 sq mi (124.0 km2)
 • Land47.8 sq mi (123.7 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation
1,302 ft (397 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total2,133
 • Density45/sq mi (17.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
05251 and 05253
Area code802
FIPS code50-17725[1]
GNIS feature ID1462082[2]
Websitedorsetvt.org

Dorset is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,133 at the 2020 census.[3] Dorset is famous for being the location of Cephas Kent's Inn, where four meetings of the Convention that signed the Dorset Accords led to the independent Vermont Republic and future statehood. Dorset is the site of America's oldest marble quarry and is the birthplace of Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. East Dorset is the site of the Wilson House and the Griffith Library. The town is named after the English county of Dorset.

Dorset Playhouse
Dorset Playhouse, located near the Dorset Green in October 2021.

The East Dorset marble quarry had been established by Bill W.'s great grandfather and stayed in the family for three generations. Marble from these quarries provided stone for the New York Public Library Main Branch building in New York City.[4] The quarry closed and during the summer months serves as a popular swimming hole.[5]

The Dorset town center is defined as the Dorset census-designated place and had a population of 249 at the 2010 census.[6]

  1. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Dorset town, Bennington County, Vermont". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  4. ^ Pass It On, ISBN 0-916856-12-7, pp 362-363
  5. ^ Vermont's Marble Mecca: A Worthy Swimming Hole For Cliff-Jumping Pilgrims
  6. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Dorset CDP, Vermont". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2014.