[3] Bordered by the Connecticut River next to New Hampshire, Essex County is south of the Canadian province of Quebec.

[citation needed] Prior to the arrival of colonists of European descent, the area was populated by the Abenakis.

This latter tract nearly corresponded with the old New York county of Gloucester, organized by that province March 16, 1770, with Newbury as the shire town.

[5] On September 3, 1783, as a result of the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the Revolutionary War ended with Great Britain recognizing the independence of the United States.

[8] In 1999, a group of investors bought 86,212 acres (34,889 ha) from Champion International Paper for $7.5 million, covering parts of fourteen towns in the county.

The state of Vermont and the Freeman Foundation purchased easements for $8.5 million to guarantee traditional uses of the land for logging and recreation.

[20] In the north central portion of the county the Nulhegan Basin is a circular area roughly 10 miles (16 km) in diameter.

Within the basin is a bog and the Silvio O. Conte Fish and Wildlife Refuge Error in Webarchive template: Empty url.

The Northern Forest Canoe Trail passes through this area along the Clyde, Nulhegan, and Connecticut rivers.

Warmer winter weather in recent years has prevented the normal die-off of ticks from freezing.

In 1828, Essex County voted for National Republican Party candidate John Quincy Adams.

Democrats would win the county in 1832 and 1836, then Whigs from 1840 to 1852, and Republicans from John C. Frémont in 1856 to Alf Landon in 1936.

[26] In Vermont, gores and grants are unincorporated portions of a county which are not part on any town and have limited self-government (if any, as many are uninhabited).