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In 1777, the Republic of Vermont was established. Ignoring previous grants, it created a charter for a tract of vacant land located near the confluence of the West River and Ball Mountain Brook.
The November 7, 1780 Town Charter incorporates into a Township named of Jamaica -- its name from the Natick word for beaver. The charter encompassed forty-nine square miles, at an altitude ranging from 688 feet above sea level along the West River to 2,542 feet on The Pinnacle.
On the charter were listed sixty-seven grantees, many of whose surnames can be found among our residents today.
Like all Vermont towns, Jamaica has an annual Town Meeting on the first Tuesday of March each year. At Town Meeting, residents of the town deliberate, adjust, and vote on an annual budget, elect municipal officials, and vote on public questions. Jamaica is one of the few towns where all business is still conducted "from the floor" through parliamentary procedure. Even candidates for elected office are nominated from the floor.
The five-person Board of Selectmen is responsible for the general supervision of the town, with executive and legislative responsibilities. The Town Clerk is the custodian of town records.
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