Pownal (pop. 3,560) is located in
Bennington County, on Route 346 in the extreme southwest corner of Vermont.
Thomas Pownall was an Englishman and the Royal Governor of Massachusetts. Pownal was named for him, but Pownal's Charter of January 8, 1760 dropped the last letter from his name. Two U.S. Presidents, Chester A. Arthur and James A. Garfield, were teachers at Oak Grove Seminary in Pownal during the 1850s.
Pownal was the site of Vermont's only racetrack. Today, visitors can go horseback riding in Pownal at the Valley View Horses and Tack Shop. Another point of interest is a geological feature, the Dome.
