Glastenbury is a ghost town in Bennington County, Vermont, in the United States. The state assembly proclaimed it a ghost town in 1937. The town was founded as a settlement place for a large number of settlers. Because of the dense forest that surrounded the town, the main economic activity in the area was lumbering.

Rise of a town

Benning Wentworth, the governor of New Hampshire, was the first to lease land in Bennington County. He developed a settlement area for the area's population. Due to the rugged and steep terrain of the area, settlement in this area was first difficult. Later on, by 1791, settlement had begun with six families. Due to challenging circumstances, several of the families were forced to relocate later. Eight more families relocated to the region, taking the place of the previously displaced families. After a decade, there was only one family left in the neighborhood. This scenario did not deter further settlement, as more than 70 residents arrived by 1810, but by 1840, less than 55 families remained in the settlement area. Following the civil war, rapid expansion began, resulting in new business prospects. Sawmills were built on the townsite to take advantage of the area's large forest.

Glastenbury’s thriving days

Lumbering actions began right away. In 1872, work on a train that would travel up to the mountain began at the townsite. A trolley was used to move logs into the sawmill along the train rails. More settlers arrived in this area to conduct logging as a result of the development of the sawmills. More than 240 people had settled in this area by 1880. The area's functioning logging mills were two sawmills, Danville and South Glastenbury. Kilns were built to the south of the Glastenbury sawmill. The lumber was turned to charcoal in these kilns. As a result, Glastenbury became one of Vermont's first third-party producers of charcoal. Charcoal from this location was utilized in the manufacturing of iron at Shaftsbury and Troy, New York.

Disowned Glastenbury

As a result of the reduction of mature trees in the highlands, lumbering activities in the area began to dwindle. The main economic activity of Glastenbury was logging. The fall in these activities had a negative economic impact. After the railroad operations in the area declined in 1889, electric trolley service was built that ran through the town.

During the winter, the railroad tracks were submerged in water. South Glastenbury was to be converted into a tourist attraction functioning as a resort during the summer seasons in 1889, however, this was difficult due to the train tracks being covered by water. The town's population had dropped to only seven persons by 1937 when it was de-incorporated as a town by the state government. All that is left are the ancient trolley tracks seen on the townsite. For ghost and historical sites enthusiasts, Glastenbury is open for both camping and tours.