The town was chartered on November 23, 1769, by
Cadwallader Colden, Royal Lieutenant Governor of
New York. The first permanent settlers were Robert Havens and his family, who arrived in 1771. Royalton was re-chartered by the
Independent Republic of Vermont on December 20, 1781. The 1780
Royalton Raid was the last major British raid of the
American War of Independence in
New England. In 1848, the
Vermont Central Railroad opened to South Royalton, which developed as a
freight depot. During the Revolutionary War Royalton was visited by
Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette Although
Joseph Smith, founder of
Mormonism, was born in the adjacent town of
Sharon near the Royalton boundary, the
Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial lies in the town. In June 1974, the now-defunct Royalton College hosted the
Institute for Humane Studies' Conference on Austrian Economics. The conference is considered the "single most important catalyst in this revival of
Austrian economics", an economic theory also known as "The Austrian School", the "Vienna School" or the "Psychological School". Edwin G. Dolan hosted the conference. Notable presenters included
Israel M. Kirzner,
Ludwig M. Lachmann, and
Murray N. Rothbard. The edited version of the conference proceedings appears in Professor Dolan's
The Foundations of Modern Austrian Economics. A landscape photo of Royalton stands in as the fictional town of
Stars Hollow in the opening credits of
Gilmore Girls. In the mid-20th-century, Royalton had an economy largely built around lumbering, dairy production, poultry raising, the raising of fresh produce vegetables and maple sugar production. ==Geography==