Saxtons River was first settled in 1783, but growth was extremely slow. A meeting house was built and the village cemetery established in 1810, and the first textile mill was opened at the Middle Falls in 1815. The village bounds were determined by the town in 1820, and it was formally incorporated as a village in 1905, which is overseen by a Board of Trustees elected by registered voters of the Village. From 1900-1924, Rockingham's two incorporated villages were linked by the Bellows Falls & Saxtons River Railroad, an electric train system. The company created Barbers Park, east of the Saxtons River about halfway between the villages, to which summertime crowds took the trolleys to baseball games and amusement rides. Although Saxtons River village had a long history of industry, much of it had failed by the 1920s. Located mostly inside the Village boundaries, and a strong influence on the character and economy of Saxtons River, is Vermont Academy, a private, co-educational high school founded in 1876. Vermont Academy established an annual Winter Carnival early in the 20th century, contributing to the creation of New England's winter recreation culture. Student enrollment is around 230. After a period of decline in the mid-20th century, many of the older buildings, such as the Saxtons River Inn, were restored and rehabilitated. Historic buildings include:
Congregational Church, now the Saxtons River Historical Society; 1836, 1871
Saxtons River Village Building ; c. 1860, c. 1970
"Maple Grove," Smith-Bancroft-Neill House ; c. 1830 and later
Warner Block-Odd Fellows Building, now the home of Main Street Arts; c. 1850
Saxtons River Woolen Mill foundation ; c. 1847 and later.
Wool Pulling Shop ; c. 1870
Old South Meetinghouse site
Saxtons River Cemetery
Tenney's Lumber Mill ; 1870
Thompson Gristmill ; c. 1850
Demographics
As of the 2010 Census, there were 565 people in 210 households in the village. The population density was 1,130 people per square mile. The racial makeup of the village was 94.65% White, 1.6% Asian, 0.4% African American, 0.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.85% of the population. In the village, the population was spread out with 29.3% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 13.1% from 25 to 34, 40.5% from 35 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. Median age was 37.6 years.
