Jericho, Vermont

Ira Allen and Remember Baker began surveying the town of Jericho in 1773 for the Onion River Land Company.Wilbur, James Benjamin. Ira Allen: Founder of Vermont, 1751-1814. United States: Houghton Mifflin, 1928. p. 20-1. The Browns were the first European family to settle in Jericho, in 1774, building a cabin near the Browns River.The History of Jericho, Vermont. United States: Free Press printing Company, printers, 1916. p. 90-4.

In 1776, a detachment of the Continental Army was sent to garrison a blockhouse in Jericho along the Onion (Winooski) River. The garrison soon retreated back to Fort Ticonderoga within weeks of their arrival due to fears of British advance south from Canada. The officers involved, including Matthew Lyon, were tried and convicted by court-martial for cowardice and disobeying orders to maintain the post.{{Cite book |last=Hayden |first=Chauncey |title=The History of Jericho, Vermont |publisher=The Free Press Printing Company |year=1916 |location=Burlington, VT |pages=46}} The location of the Jericho blockhouse is believed to have been along River Road near the intersection with Skunk Hollow.{{Cite journal |last=Hathaway |first=Allen |title=Mutiny, Matthew Lyon, and a Missing Fort: Archaeological Identification Studies of Fort Jericho |url=https://www.vtarchaeology.org/wp-content/uploads/v3_ch4_reduced.pdf |journal=The Journal of Vermont Archaeology |pages=52–60}}

In 1780 the Brown family was taken captive by a war party of British-allied Mohawks returning to Canada following the Royalton Raid.

File:Lee River, Jericho, Vermont, February 2008.jpg

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|92.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|91.7|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.4|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 0.45%, is water.

The town of Jericho has a connection with the neighboring town of Underhill. The area has four distinct village areas. The historic Old Red Mill, home of the Jericho Historical Society,{{Cite web|url=http://www.jerichohistoricalsociety.org/|title=Jericho Historical Society|website=Jericho Historical Society|language=en}} stands in Jericho village (also known as Jericho Corners) on Route 15 in the northwest part of the town, an area that extends from the Browns River crossing eastward to the post office and the Jericho Elementary School. Jericho Corners is the location of the Galusha House, home of Truman Galusha, a brick Federal-style house built in 1790 and like Jericho's Old Red Mill, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/vt/chittenden/state.html|title=National Register of Historic Places - VERMONT (VT), Chittenden County|work=National Register of Historic Places|access-date=October 27, 2014}}

Jericho's second village, Jericho Center, on Browns Trace, is home to several historic buildings, churches, and Jericho Center Country Store, Vermont's oldest continuously running general store. The Jericho Center Village has a village green, or "Common", a typical park-like center of a Vermont village, surrounded by historic buildings.

Half of the Underhill Flats area on Route 15 is within Jericho. This area features the multi-use Mills Riverside Park and two general stores (Jolley & Jacob's).

Underhill Center in the town of Underhill has one general store, as well as St. Thomas Catholic Church, a small postal office, and access to Underhill State Park.

Jericho is home to the Chittenden East Wolverines of the Northern Vermont Youth Football League, Cub Scout Pack 620, and one of Vermont's oldest and largest Boy Scout troops, Troop 627.

The two towns share the Underhill-Jericho Fire Department.{{Cite web|url=http://ujfd.org/|title=Home {{!}} Underhill Jericho Fire Department|website=Home {{!}} Underhill Jericho Fire Department|language=en}}

{{US Census population

|1790= 381

|1800= 728

|1810= 1185

|1820= 1219

|1830= 1654

|1840= 1684

|1850= 1837

|1860= 1669

|1870= 1757

|1880= 1687

|1890= 1461

|1900= 1373

|1910= 1307

|1920= 1138

|1930= 1091

|1940= 1077

|1950= 1135

|1960= 1425

|1970= 2343

|1980= 3575

|1990= 4302

|2000= 5015

|2010= 5009

|2020= 5104

|align-fn=center

|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=U.S. Decennial Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 16, 2015 }}

}}

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,015 people, 1,751 households, and 1,402 families residing in the town. The population density was 141.7 people per square mile (54.7/km²). There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of 50.1 per square mile (19.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.45% White, 0.68% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.12% of the population.

There were 1,751 households, out of which 45.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.9% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.9% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,375, and the median income for a family was $72,500. Males had a median income of $49,375 versus $30,488 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,941. About 3.6% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Schools fall under the umbrella of the Mount Mansfield Modified Union School District. Local school includes Jericho Elementary School serving from kindergarten through fourth grade. Browns River Middle School teaches grades five through eight. There is one high school in Jericho—Mount Mansfield Union High School—which serves students from Jericho, Underhill, Richmond, Huntington, Bolton, Jonesville, and Westford.

Students from Mount Mansfield Union High School are allowed to apply to a vocational school for their junior and senior years. They can apply to either The Center for Technology, Essex (CTE), or the Burlington Technical Center (BTC). CTE is located in Essex Junction and is part of the larger Essex High School (EHS).

MMU has 814 students enrolled as of 2018, making it the eighth most enrolled school in Vermont.{{cite web|url=https://www.niche.com/k12/search/largest-public-high-schools/s/vermont/|title=2018 Largest Public High Schools in Vermont|website=Niche|access-date=March 30, 2018}}

On November 4, 2014, the communities of Bolton, Jericho, Richmond, Underhill ID and Underhill Town voted to form the Mount Mansfield Modified Union School District also known as the MMMUSD.{{Cite news|url=https://vtdigger.org/2014/11/05/chittenden-east-approves-voluntary-school-merger/|title=Chittenden East approves voluntary school merger|last=Niles|first=Hilary|date=November 5, 2014|work=VTDigger|access-date=March 30, 2018|language=en-US}} On June 6, 2019, MMUUSD voted to also include the town of Huntington. This school district serves and governs the current town school districts of Bolton (Smilie Memorial School), Huntington (Brewster Pierce Memorial Elementary), Jericho (Jericho Elementary), Richmond (Richmond Elementary), and Underhill (Underhill Central School), Mt Mansfield Union School District (Browns River Middle, Camels Hump Middle and Mt. Mansfield Union High Schools) in grades Pre-K through 12.

• Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley (1865–1931), farmer who photographed over five thousand snow crystals{{Cite web|url=https://vermonthistory.org/explorer/people-places/whos-who/famous-vermonters/wilson-snowflake-bentley|title=Wilson "Snowflake" Bentley - Vermont Historical Society|last=Hughes|first=Victoria|website=vermonthistory.org|language=en-gb|access-date=March 30, 2018}}
• Lea Davison, Olympic athlete{{cite news |first=White |last=Adam |url=https://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/08/03/jericho-mountain-biker-has-eyes-medal-rio/87953820/|title=Jericho mountain biker has eyes on medal in Rio|work=The Burlington Free Press |location=Burlington, VT|accessdate=April 5, 2019}}
• Mary Fletcher, philanthropist who founded the future University of Vermont Medical Center{{Cite journal |last=Carlisle |first=Lilian Baker |date=Summer 1982 |title=Humanities' Needs Deserve Our Fortune: Mary Martha Fletcher and the Fletcher Family Benevolences |url=https://vermonthistory.org/journal/misc/MaryMarthaFletcher.pdf |journal=Vermont History |volume=50 |issue=3 |pages=129–142}}
• William B. Gray, United States attorney for Vermont{{cite news |date=March 30, 1994 |title=Obituary, William B. Gray |url=http://jop.stparchive.com/page_image.php?paper=JOP&year=1994&month=3&day=30&page=6&mode=F&base=JOP03301994P06&title=Journal%20Opinion |work=Bradford Journal-Opinion |location=Bradford, VT |page=6 |via=Small Town Papers, Inc. |ref={{sfnRef|"Obituary, William B. Gray"}}}}
• Heman Lowry, U.S. marshal for Vermont{{cite book |last=Carleton |first=Hiram |date=1903 |title=Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont |volume=II |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_3wjt3eoLPF4C/page/n29 |location=New York, NY |publisher=The Lewis Publishing Company |via=Internet Archive |pages=15–16 |ref={{sfnRef|Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont}}}}
• Anson Rood (1827–1898), Wisconsin State assemblyman and businessman{{Cite web |url=http://marathoncountyhistory.com/PeopleDetails.php?PeopleId=877&View=R&ItemName= |title=Marathon County, Wisconsin Historical Society |access-date=October 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151226191418/http://www.marathoncountyhistory.com/PeopleDetails.php?PeopleId=877&View=R&ItemName= |archive-date=December 26, 2015 |url-status=dead }}

A fictitious version of Jericho is the setting of the 2022 TV series Wednesday based on the character from The Addams Family.{{cite news |last=Vitale |first=Micaela Pérez |date=December 15, 2022 |title=Wednesday: Is Jericho a Real Town? |url=https://movieweb.com/wednesday-jericho-town-real/ |work=MovieWeb |publisher=Watchr Media |location=Las Vegas, NV |access-date=December 25, 2022}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Wikivoyage inline|Jericho (Vermont)}}
• [http://www.jerichovt.org/ Town of Jericho official website]

{{Chittenden County, Vermont}}

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Category:Towns in Vermont

Category:Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area

Category:Towns in Chittenden County, Vermont

Category:1763 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies

Category:Populated places established in 1763