TOWNS
The Lamoille County Courthouse is located at 154 Main Street, Hyde Park, VT 05655; phone: 802-888-2207.
Beginnings [1]
Lamoille is the youngest county in Vermont. It was chartered by the state in 1835. Before that, the area that now contains the 10 towns of Lamoille County was distributed, at various times, among Chittenden, Franklin, Rutland, Washington, and Orleans Counties. At the time of its incorporation, the county contained 12 towns. The towns of Mansfield and Sterling, both located in the most mountainous part of the county adjacent to Smugglers' Notch, were eventually disbanded and their acreage distributed to other towns. The county attained its current boundaries by 1855. It is not definitively known where the name Lamoille originated. They most commonly accepted explanation is that it is a corruption of the French for Seagull—La Mouette.
Many of the towns were chartered in 1781, although settlement did not commence until after. The first white settlers harnessed the power of the rivers in the county by building grist mills and saw mills along their course. Potash and whiskey were early exports. Most settlers practiced subsistence farming, raising sheep and pigs for meat and cows for dairy. Dairy farming soon became predominant and butter and cheese were early exported out of the county. With the advent of the railroads and better methods of refrigeration, liquid milk became a staple crop.
Lamoille County is currently, and has historically been, a major producer of maple products—originally sugar and subsequently syrup. Many farmers today can remain viable because of their extensive sugar bushes.
Within the towns, denser settlements became villages, many of which are still in existence. Hyde Park, Johnson, Morristown and Stowe all currently contain an incorporated village while Cambridge has two—Cambridge Village and Jeffersonville. These villages are the historic heart of the county.