Poultney dates to 1761 when it was charted by Benning Wentworth, Royal Governor of New Hampshire. The first settlers came from Connecticut and Massachusetts. So flatlanders have been here for a long time!

Initial growth centered in East Poultney. It was the original home of Heber Allen, brother, and Ebenezer Allen, cousin, of Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen. A grist mill was built in 1777 and the village grew up around this mill.

There are many buildings of historic interest in East Poultney. Among these are The Eagle Tavern dating to 1780, the Federal style Baptist Church built in 1805 by master builder Elisha Scott, and the 1823 Horace Greeley House.

The Poultney Historical Society offers guided tours of the 1791 Union Academy aka The East Poultney District School House, the Melodeon Factory built in 1840 and the 1896 Victorian School House.

Horace Greeley, founder of The New York Tribune and George Jones, co-founder of The New York Times, both lived in East Poultney in the late 1820’s. Greeley served an apprenticeship at the Northern Spectator newspaper owned by Amos Bliss from 1826 to 1830. The paper was published in the building which now houses Picket Fence Antiques. Jones worked in the Amos Bliss store which is now the East Poultney General Store. The green and nearby streets look very similar to the way they were in the 1800s.