Hartford Village, VT

Hartford Village is one of five unincorporated villages in the Town of Hartford, Windsor County, Vermont, on the White River. It began as White River Village, and a dam built in 1797 powered a sawmill and gristmill that drew workers and homes to the riverbank. Tanning, lumber, plaster, chair making, and other mills followed, making the village the town's business center for much of the 19th century. The White River still runs beside the village park, country store, and small library.

Much of the center lies within the 50-acre Hartford Village Historic District, listed on the National Register in 1998. Main Street, Park Street, Pleasant Street, School Street, Summer Street, and nearby lanes preserve the pattern of the old village, while the 1927 flood remains part of its memory; almost half the village was damaged. Hartford Village is also the birthplace of Horace Wells, whose work with nitrous oxide helped establish modern anesthesia. White River Junction later took over as Hartford's commercial hub, leaving the village with a smaller riverfront scale and a strong historic presence.