Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro (/ˈbrætəlˌbəroʊ/), originally Brattleborough, is a town in Windham County, Vermont, in the United States. The town is located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population is 11,765, according to the US Census Bureau's 2014 estimates. It is the most populous municipality along Vermont's eastern border, the fourth largest town in the state (trailing the unified town of Essex, Colchester, and Bennington in population), and the seventh largest municipality in Vermont overall when the cities of Burlington, South Burlington, and Rutland are included. Brattleboro is situated on the west bank of the Connecticut River at the point where Vermont's West River flows into it.

Noted for its diverse and vibrant arts community, the town is home to the Brattleboro Retreat. There are also two graduate schools: Marlboro College Center for Graduate and Professional Studies and the SIT Graduate Institute. There are satellite campuses of three colleges as well: Community College of Vermont,Union Institute and University, and Vermont Technical College. The town is also home to the "New England Center for Circus Arts" and the "Vermont Jazz Center."

Brattleboro station

Brattleboro is an Amtrak train station in Brattleboro, Vermont. It is the southernmost station along the Vermonter line within the state of Vermont.

History

The first depot in Brattleboro, a long one-story building with a gabled roof, was built on the banks of the Connecticut River not far from the present site of Union Station.

In 1880, a larger and more substantial two story brick station was built to the south of the first depot. This depot later became a “union station” when the Boston and Maine Railroad built a trestle across the Connecticut River to connect with the Central Vermont Railway.

The current Union Station building was completed in 1915. From north to south, the station consisted of the main passenger building, a recessed baggage wing, and a freight building. The center of the passenger building, which is five bays across, is marked by a projecting pavilion topped by a gable that contains a stone plaque inscribed with “1915.”

Union Station closed in September 1966 and was sold to the town. A proposal to raze the building and create a parking lot prompted concerned residents to work with city officials to consider reuse options for the structure. In 1972, it reopened as the home of the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center. A year later, Amtrak took over the ground floor for use as a waiting room to serve passengers on the Montrealer, replaced in 1995 by the Vermonter. The station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.