Orwell is a town in Addison County, of the Middlebury-Vergennes region and is home to Mount Independence, the largest fortification constructed by the American colonial forces. The town was named for Francis Vernon (1715-83) the first Baron Orwell.

Some notable people from the area include: Louis Winslow Austin, a physicist; Oliver Bascom (1815-1869), a politician; John Catlin, acting governor of the Wisconsin Territory (1848–1849); Marsena E. Cutts, a politician; and William P. Kellogg, a politician.