West Wardsboro (pop. 289) is located in Windham County in southwestern Vermont, on Highway 100 near Somerset Reservoir. It is one hamlet of nearby Wardsboro; the others are North, South and Wardsboro Center.
Chartered in 1786, the town was home to Samuel Hammond, who took part in the Boston Tea Party. Public whippings for minor offenses were carried out here until the early 1800s. "Old Mother White" was flogged at a post here in 1807. Public outcry about this event led to Vermont's proscription of punishments of this type. The death penalty was prescribed for blasphemy and other non-lethal crimes.
A section of the Appalachian Trail lies near the village. In addition, a 12.7 mile trail to the top of one of Southern Vermont's most popular summer hiking destinations starts four miles west of West Wardsboro, at the Long Trail parking area. Two miles from the parking area, in a small clearing, is a historic site marker where Daniel Webster gave a famous campaign speech in 1840.