Townshend, VT

Townshend is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States. The 2020 census counted 1,291 residents. The town was named for the Townshend family, powerful figures in British politics. The land grant for Townshend was chartered by New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth, on June 20, 1753. Townshend's Middle and High School was founded as a private seminary in October 1834, making it one of the oldest Vermont secondary schools. The first building was raised on the east side of the village common, and was named Leland Seminary after Aaron Leland, a Baptist preacher from Chester, Vermont.

The through line in Townshend is the way its history and present-day settings remain visible on the same map. Townshend makes the most sense through those concrete details, with its history still visible in the settings people use today. The town was named after Charles Townshend, the Secretary of War under King George III. The West River flows through the town. The village of Townshend is in the south-central part of the town, and the community of Harmonyville is directly to the south.