Panton, Vermont Facts for Kids

A big part of Panton's western side reaches into Lake Champlain. A wide waterway called Dead Creek flows through the town from south to north. Otter Creek forms most of the town's eastern edge.

Panton is surrounded by other towns. To the north is Ferrisburgh, and to the northeast is Vergennes. Waltham is to the east, and Addison is to the south. Across Lake Champlain, which is about 2 miles (3.2 km) wide here, is the town of Westport, New York.

The total area of Panton is about 22 square miles (57.1 square kilometers). About 15.5 square miles (40.2 square kilometers) is land, and 6.6 square miles (17.0 square kilometers) is water. That means almost 30% of Panton is water!

Like much of the Champlain Valley, Panton has flat land. This makes it great for farming. For hundreds of years, people in Panton have used a special local stone called Panton Stone for building. This stone comes from the Ordovician Crown Point Formation. If you look closely at Panton Stone, you might even find fossils of ancient sea creatures!

Panton's Population Over Time

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	220	—
1800	363	65.0%
1810	520	43.3%
1820	546	5.0%
1830	605	10.8%
1840	670	10.7%
1850	559	−16.6%
1860	511	−8.6%
1870	390	−23.7%
1880	419	7.4%
1890	382	−8.8%
1900	409	7.1%
1910	345	−15.6%
1920	321	−7.0%
1930	306	−4.7%
1940	312	2.0%
1950	332	6.4%
1960	352	6.0%
1970	416	18.2%
1980	537	29.1%
1990	606	12.8%
2000	682	12.5%
2010	677	−0.7%
2020	646	−4.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

In the year 2000, there were 682 people living in Panton. These people lived in 248 households, and 192 of those were families. The town had about 44 people per square mile.

About 33% of the households had children under 18 living there. Most households (68%) were married couples. About 16% of households were people living alone. The average household had about 2.75 people.

The population's age spread showed that about 25% were under 18 years old. About 13.6% were 65 or older. The average age in Panton was 41 years old.

History of Panton

Panton played a small but important role in the American Revolutionary War. After the Battle of Valcour Island, which was one of the first naval battles of the war, American General Benedict Arnold had to retreat.

He ordered his five ships to go into Ferris Bay in Panton. This bay is now called Arnold's Bay. The water there was too shallow for the bigger British ships to follow. Arnold's men took everything useful off their boats. Then, they set the ships on fire, leaving their flags still flying.

General Arnold was the last person to leave. He personally set fire to his own main ship, the Congress. This event helped the Americans escape from the British forces.

Panton, Vermont facts for kids

Contents

Geography of Panton

Panton's Population Over Time

History of Panton

See also