History of Sheffield
Sheffield, a hill town located in Northern Caledonia County, is one of three counties often referred to as Vermont's "Northeast Kingdom". The Town was chartered in 1793. With the arrival of the first settlers at that time, farming and logging provided the economic basis for the town's population during the first 150 years of its existence.
Jessie Gilbert, Vermont Surveyor, first laid out the town in the 1780s and it contained 24,000 acres, more or less. In 1792, the Vermont Legislature altered the boundaries of the Town by transferring 960 acres (+ or -) of land to the Town of Wheelock. In 1853, the Town's boundaries were altered again when 3000 acres (+ or -) of land were transferred to Barton. Then, in the 1960s, additional acreage was taken in order to construct a portion of the national interstate highway system, Interstate Highway 91. As a result of these transfers, Sheffield is now smaller in area than originally laid out--- approximately 20,900 (+ or -) of land.
The U.S. Census of 1800 shows a population of 171 people in Sheffield divided among 29 households. Following that modest figure, the population grew throughout most of the nineteenth century. The U.S. Census of 1880 shows a population of 884 people among 205 households--- the largest population to date. Thereafter, the population dropped steadily until 1967 when there were only 293 residents. Since that time, there has been a slow but consistent increase in population. The U.S. Census of 2000 shows a population of 726 people. The U.S. Census of 2010 reports a total population of 703 people in 283 households.
Town ofSheffield NOTICE OF INTENT TO CONVEY REAL ESTATE To the residents and landowners of the Town of Sheffield, the Selectboard for the Town of Sheffield hereby gives notice pursuant to 24 V.S.A. § 1061 of its intent to sell real estate. 1. Property Description The property consists of approximately 10 acres of undeveloped woodland in Sheffield, VT, being parcel number 13-124-01 and having a SPAN# of 579-182-10475, as the same was conveyed to the Town of Sheffield by Quitclaim Deed dated August 25, 1989 and recorded in Book 35 at Page 4 and 5 of the Sheffield land records. 2. Proposed Sale The Selectboard for the Town of Sheffield proposes to convey this land to Red Dam Conservatory, LLC in exchange for $10,000.00. NOTICE OF RIGHT TO OBJECT Notice is hereby given that if a Petition signed by 5% of the legal voters of the Town of Sheffield objecting to the proposed intent to sell is presented to the Town Clerk on or before Apr i 1 8, 2026 the Selectboard for the Town of Sheffield shall cause the question of whether the Municipality shall convey the real estate to be considered at a special or annual meeting called for that purpose. If no Petition is filed pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §1061 (a) (2) the Selectboard for the Town of Sheffield will convey the land described herein. Dated at Sheffield this 4 th day of March 2026 SHEFFIELD SELECTBOARD Erik Lavallee Kate Berry-Buonanno Benjamin Robinson
