Newbury

Stretching along the Connecticut River in Orange County, Newbury was chartered in 1763 and became one of the first towns settled on Vermont's eastern frontier. Jacob Bayley, a Revolutionary War general, led the initial settlement and laid out plans for a Bayley-Hazen Military Road that would connect the Connecticut River to Canada — though it was never completed, the road opened the interior of Vermont to settlement.

Newbury's long river frontage includes several distinct villages: Newbury Village, Wells River, South Newbury, and Boltonville. Wells River, at the confluence of the Wells River and the Connecticut, developed into a railroad junction in the 1800s and retains more commercial activity than the other villages. The town's population of about 2,150 is spread across these settlements.

The Newbury Village Historic District preserves a remarkable collection of 18th- and 19th-century architecture, including the Oxbow High School campus. Town meeting, held each March, continues the tradition of self-governance that General Bayley and the original settlers established over 250 years ago.