USA > Vermont > Addison County > Gazetteer and business directory of Addison County, Vt., for 1881- 82 > Part 23
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In 1880, Panton had a population of 419, was divided into four school districts and had four common schools, employing one male and seven female teachers, at an aggregate salary of $458.00. There were 155 pupils attending common schools, and the entire cost of the schools for the year ending October 31, was $506.69.
PANTON (p. o.), a pleasant little hamlet in the northwestern part of the town, contains two churches (M. E. and Cong.), a school-house, and about a dozen dwellings.
The town poor-house, located on road 6, has four acres of land connected with it. There are at present only two families being kept here at the expense of the town.
The first settlement was commenced in 1764, in the part now belong-
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TOWN OF PANTON.
ing to Addison, a little above Chimney Point, by James Nichols, Messrs. Griswold, Barnes and Harris, David Vallence, Timothy Harris, Joseph Wood, Samuel Elmore, William Patterson, Eliphalet Smith, Zadock Everest, Amos Chipman, Samuel Chipman, and one or two others. The first settlers in the portion now included within the town, were John Pangborn and Odle Squire, from Cornwall, Conn., who were soon after joined by Timothy Spaulding and others, from the same place, and by Peter Ferris, from Nine Partners, N. Y. A mill was erected at Vergennes, a settlement commenced, etc., but their troubles with Col. Reid of New York, and subsequent breaking up after war was declared, will be spoken of in connection with the sketch of Vergennes. The difficulty between Addison and Panton, relative to the charter bounds, commenced in 1770, and continued till May 17, 1774, when it was decided that Addison should hold according to her charter, but gave 8,000 acres to the proprietors of Panton for their improvements. The manner in which the controversy was adjusted left 115 acres of land belonging to Panton detached from the town, lying on Otter Creek next to Weybridge. This for a long time was known as "Little Panton," and in 1806, as previously mentioned, was annexed to Weybridge. After the troubles between the settlers and New York claimants had seemed to be adjusted and the settlers had begun to feel secure from their encroachments, and all seemed to be moving along smoothly, they began to be molested by lawless bands of Indians and Tories, who plundered their dwellings ; and after Burgoyne came up the lake, in June, 1777, these incursions became more frequent, till the fall of 1778, when a large British force came up in several vessels, and every house in Panton was burnt except one. This, belonging to Timothy Spaulding, was for some reason left standing. Many of the inhabitants had been taken prisoners to Quebec, when, after months of suffering, they were released. The women and children, and such of the men as had not been taken prisoner or joined the Continental Army, left the town and sought safety in more remote locali- ties. The town remained deserted till after cessation of hostilities, when most of the settlers gradually returned, rebuilt their houses, and again begun the cultivation of their farms. On March 30, 1784, the first town meeting was held, there being at that time only eleven freemen in the township, at which Elijah Grandey was chosen town clerk, Asa Strong, constable, and Noah Ferris, Benjamin Holcomb, and Henry Spaulding, selectmen. The first representative, Zadock Everest, was elected in 1785. The first birth was that of Darius, third son of Peter Ferris, and his mother was the first adult white person buried in the town, she having died previous to the Revolution. The first bridge over Dead Creek was erected in 1804; the first school-house, built of logs and roofed with bark, was built in 1786, and Thomas Judd is supposed to have been the first teacher. The first frame school-house was erected in 1791.
Timothy Spaulding, from Connecticut, located on road 14, where Loyal Kent now resides. Here he made a clearing and built a log house, the
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TOWN OF PANTON.
only one left standing by the British. Spaulding was warned of their coming by Ruby Bishop, a cousin by marriage, and grandmother of Loyal Kent, just in time to bury some of his effects on the flat east of the present house, and make his escape. He returned again after the war, and resided here many years. It is related that three Indians and a Tory came to Spaulding's house one dark, rainy night, in search of him; but he, having heard them coming over the ledge, slipped out of the house and hid amongst some tall burdocks near by, until they left, much chagrined at not finding him. Hearing a squealing among his pigs on another night, and fearing bears were after the porkers, he took his gun and started to their rescue. The bear, or at least what he supposed was a bear, started off towards the swamp with one of his pigs, and Timothy gave hot chase, soon coming within range, fired, killing-not a bear, but his own sow. Her yoke had became fastened in that of one of the smaller pigs, causing the squealing, and becoming frightened, had started for the swamp dragging the pig after her. When Mr. Spaulding was joked upon this escapade, in after years, his only reply is said to have been, in his inimitable stuttering manner : " Well, I shot d-d well, didn't I?"
Phineas Spaulding located on Lake street, where I. S. Spaulding now lives, at an early date. Here he made a clearing and built a log house, which was burned by the British, all his property destroyed and he taken prisoner. On another occasion he was taken prisoner, and escaped from the vessel in a canoe. When almost ashore he was discovered and fired upon, first by a cannon ball and then by a grape-shot, none of which took effect. Some of the grape-shot were picked up from the lake shore years after. After the war, Mr. Spaulding returned to Panton and again located on his old farm, where he died in 1825, aged seventy-six years. He had a family of six children, one of whom, Isaac, retained the old homestead till his death, when it reverted to his son, Isaac S., the present proprietor, having never been owned out of the Spaulding family
On the farm of Truman Kent we found a hotel sign which was used for the old hotel, kept here by Nathan Spaulding, which reads as follows :-
1810.
NATHAN SPAULDING, TAVERN.
Josiah Stagg, from New Jersey, located on Lake street at an early day. He was an active member of the Baptist church, and we find the names of mem- bers of his family recorded on the church records as early as 1794. He first purchased a place of Dr. Post, but the house being afterwards destroyed by fire, he built the stone house now occupied by Warren Hatch, in 1783. Mr. Stagg died here at an advanced age, leaving a family of eight children, one having been drowned October 20, 1826.
Aaron Bristol located near the falls in Vergennes, at an early date, and after a few years residence removed to Panton, locating upon the farm now owned by Norman W. Bristol. He built the first house on this farm, of logs,
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TOWN OF PANTON.
which was afterwards used as a hotel. The present brick house was built by him in 18r2, and stands to-day just as it did then, not even the roof having been changed. The brick of which it is constructed were manufactured on the farm, especially for this house, and are of a very handsome, durable quality. Mr. Bristol had a family of four children that reached maturity, one having been killed by the falling of a tree, near the creek. They were named Moses, Noah, Chauncey, and Rhoda. Moses was at the battle of Plattsburgh, and died here in 1826, aged thirty-nine years, leaving five children. Noah located in Panton, where he died in 1838. The old home- stead has never been out of the possession of the Bristol family since its first settlement.
Jonathan Spencer, a son of Gideon Spencer, one of the early settlers of Vergennes, located in Panton at an early date, where he died at an advanced age, leaving a family of five children.
Johnson Walker, born September 15, 1768, settled in Panton at an early date, locating upon the farm now owned by Cassius Warner, on road 12. On one occasion, he attempted, in company with an older brother, Philip, a fur hunter, and Capt. James Powers, to cross the lake on the ice, and losing their way, were lost in the forest eight days with scarcely anything to eat, when, in a starving condition, they were found by a party of Indians, and directed to their homes. Johnson was also sent with a load of provisions to the army at Plattsburgh. He died April 17, 1826. His daughter, Matilda Spencer, now resides on road 7, at the age of seventy years.
Hezekiah Jackson, from Berlin, N. Y., emigrated to Addison at an early date, and subsequently removed to Panton, locating on road 10, upon the farm known as the "old White farm."
John Smith located in Shoreham in 1776. He served as a Lieutenant dur- ing the Revolution and was sent as a spy to Canada. Cyrus Smith, a grand- son, son of John, Jr., began to sail on the lake in 1815, following the occu- pation twelve or fifteen years, then married in Panton where he had made his home for some years previous, and located in Vergennes. He is now a resi- dent of Panton, on road 6, in his eighty-fifth year, hale and hearty.
Jonathan Gaines, an old Revolutionary soldier from New Jersey, located in Panton, March 14, 1800, on road 13, where B. F. Gaines now resides. The present house was built by him in 1812. He had five children who lived to maturity, one only of whom was a son.
Jesse Squire located at an early date near Arnold's Bay, where the British landed at the sacking of the town. He was taken prisoner to Quebec and never returned. Mrs. Squire took her children and one feather bed, made her way to Connecticut by a foot-path through the forest with the aid of a donkey.
Silas Tappan, from New Jersey, was one of the early settlers on Lake street, locating about half a mile south of Adams Ferry. He was a promi- nent inan of the township, held various offices of trust, and died much lamented. Of his family of six children, three daughters are now living.
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TOWN OF PANTON.
Samuel Shepard came to Panton from Connecticut, making his way through the forest on foot with his axe upon his shoulder, locating on Lake street, where he remained a few years and then exchanged for a farm on road 14, now in the possession of the Tappan family. He was a recruiting officer during the war of 1812, and his son, Lyman, was a drummer at the age of seventeen. He died in 1868, aged nearly ninety-one years.
Enoch Kent came to Panton from Connecticut in 1799, locating on road 14. He had a family of thirteen children, ten of whom lived to reach ma- turity.
Ensign Tull, from Saratoga County, N. Y., came to Panton in 1834, locat- ing on road 14, where Charles E. Tull now lives. He died in 1845, aged forty-five years. Charles E. is the only descendent residing in the county.
Henry S. Harris came to Panton in 1795. Two of his sons, A. S. and C. S., are still residents here. A. S., at the age of seventy-three, is the oldest native of the town. Mrs. Harris was a daughter of Jonathan Stevens, one of the early settlers of the town.
James Ten Broeke, born in England in 1800, came to America at the age of thirteen, and subsequently became a very successful teacher, and removed to Panton, locating on road 15, upon the farm now owned by his son, William H., the only one of five children now residing in the county. Mr. TenBroeke kept a select boarding school here, which attained the reputation of an excellent school. He died in 1855, possessing the respect and confi- dence of all.
H. N. White came to Panton from Burlington in 1830, locating at Adams Ferry, where he married Syrena Adams, and is still residing here at the age of seventy-nine. He has numerous relics picked up in this vicinity, consisting of knives, an old pistol barrel, some of the spikes and bolts of the galley " Congress," and balls of all sizes, from those run in the old-fashioned bullet molds to grape and cannister ; and also a cane of white oak, made from a portion of the old "Congress," as well as quite a collection of Indian relics. Mr. White was acquainted with many of the old settlers who have long since passed away.
Nelson Richards, from Berkshire, Mass., came to Panton in 1831, locating on road 7, where he purchased a large tract of land. He was engaged in mercantile pursuits in Vergennes for a long time.
Stephen Holland, with his father, William, cane to Panton from Massa- chusetts in 1835, locating on road 7, where Emerson Holland now resides. William died here at the age of ninety-three years, and subsequently, Stephen, at about the same age.
The Panton Baptist Church, located at Panton village, was organized in 1794, one of its ten members, Elder Henry Chamberlin, acting as their first pastor. Services were held in private dwellings and school-houses till 1810, when their first church building was erected. This was used till 1854, when the present building, with seating capacity for two hundred persons, took its
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TOWN OF RIPTON.
place, the property being now valued at $2,000.00. The society has at pres- ent twenty-nine members, with no regular pastor.
The First Methodist Church, at Panton village, was organized March 29, 1839, by Rev. Merritt Bates, with twenty-one members, and Rev. Richard Brown their first pastor. The church now has fifty-seven members, under the pastoral charge of Rev. L. O. Hathaway. They have a neat little church, capable of accommodating three hundred persons, erected in 1857-'58, at a cost of $2,200.00, though the property is now valued at $5,000.00.
IPTON, lying in the southwestern part of the county, in lat. 44° I' and long. 3°, bounded north by Lincoln, east by Granville and Hancock, south by Hancock and Goshen, and west by Middlebury and Salisbury, was chartered by Vermont, April 13, 1781, by the name of Riptown, to Abel Thompson and fifty-nine associates. Gradually, for the sake of euphony most likely, the "w " was left out in spelling and pronouncing the name, till the present " Ripton " came into universal use. According to the charter, the grant contained an area of 24,000 acres. This amount has since, however, been greatly increased by annexations ; first, in 1820, 6,200 acres were taken from Goshen and added to Ripton, and four years later, November 1, 1824, 1,940 acres were annexed from Middlebury, to which, October 29, 1829, another small piece was added; and again, November 1, 1832, 900 acres from the territory of Salisbury were annexed, making Ripton a very respecta- ble township now, of over 33,000 acres. It is situated on an elevated table- land, the eastern part extending away up upon the high peaks of the Green Mountains, the western, upon a range of high hills, a spur of the above range, rendering a rough, rocky soil, in most parts unfit for purposes of cultivation. Though in the western part of town, just east of the range of hills which sep- arates the territory . from the verdant valley of Otter Creek, there is a tract extending nearly to the centre of the township, containing about nine square miles of moderately level surface, affording good, well irrigated farming land, the soil being principally a sandy loam, with occasional intervales of alluvium along the streams, producing a fair percentage of wheat, oats, rye, buckwheat, Indian corn, potatoes and hay. Still, though there are a number of very excellent farms, their owners suffer considerable annoyance in cultivating them, from a cause produced several years before settlement was commenced here, at a time called by geologists "The Drift Period," when, they claim, icebergs and ice floes were floating promiscuously over the present territory of Vermont, and later by mighty glaciers grinding their ser- pentine course over the hills, crushing the rocks, and all depositing the annoy- ance mentioned-stones and boulders, from the size of a pea, to those weigh- ing hundreds of tons. It is these, we say, that occasion the honest husband-
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TOWN OF RIPTON.
man a deal of trouble, often inciting the plow-handles into causing him a pang in a tender part of the anatomy whence our Mother Eve is popularly be- lieved to have had her origin. But, be this as it may, if Dame Nature has failed to "extend her full and unwithdrawing hand" in one respect, she has compensated for it by being very munificent in another, as the extensive and valuable forests of hemlock, beech, maple birch, spruce, balsam, basswood and ash, with some pine, elm and cherry, will testify, a source of inestimable value and profit to the township, affording an extensive industry in its manu- facture into lumber of all kinds, shingles, cord-wood and coal, while the maple yields large amounts of sugar. The principal stream is Middlebury River with its several branches, affording many excellent mill-sites. A branch of the New Haven River rises in the northeastern part of the town, flowing north into Lincoln. The geological formation in the west part, and extend- ing in a belt about two miles wide from the north and south line, is composed of quartz rock. East of this, having a width of nearly two miles at the north, and gradually tapering toward the south line where it ends, taking in Ripton village in its course, is a range of talcose conglomerate, having a thick- ness of from 2,000 to 3,000 feet. In the portion east of this, the rocks are of the common Green Mountain gneiss formation.
In 1880, Ripton had a population of six hundred and seventy-two, was divided into seven school districts, and had seven common schools, employed one male and seventeen female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $634.72. There were 180 pupils attending com- mon schools, and the entire cost of the schools for the year ending October 31, was $1,089.81, under the superintendency of N. A. McQuivey.
RIPTON, a post village, located in the western part of the town on Middle- bury River, contains two churches (M. E. and Cong.), one store, three saw- mills, a butter-tub factory, and nearly one hundred inhabitants.
BREAD LOAF INN, where is situated the Bread Loaf postoffice, a fine hotel quite popular as a summer resort, was established by Joseph Battell in 1866. The house is situated eleven miles from Middlebury, with which it is con- nected by a daily stage, nine miles from Hancock, thirteen from Leicester, sixteen from Braintree Depot, and nine miles from Lake Dunmore, having thus, within easy access, some of the finest mountain scenery and trout fish- ing-grounds in the county. The house can easily accommodate one hundred guests with attractive rooms and all the appurtenances of a first-class summer resort, having, among other attractions, a hall for theatrical entertainments, furnised with a good stage and fine scenery. The institution is conducted under the efficient management of Mr. John Houstin, a gentleman who has had large experience in this line of business, whose gentlemanly and courteous manner cannot fail to increase largely the already large list of friends and patrons.
C. S. Albee's lumber and shingle-mill, located at Ripton village, is oper- ated by water-power, and cuts 500,000 feet of lumber and 1,200,000 shingles per year, employing five men.
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TOWN OF RIPTON.
Baker & Huntley's tub factory, located at Ripton village, was established by George Baker, in 1878. They manufacture 30,000 tubs per year, giving employment to four hands.
Perlin Padie's saw and shingle-mill, located on the north branch of Mid- dlebury River, was built by him in 1864. It is operated by water-power, with facilities for manufacturing 5,000 feet of lumber and 10,000 shingles per day.
Hiram I. Spoor's saw-mill was built by Mr. Spoor in 1876, is operated by steam, and cuts several thousand feet of lumber per day. He also manu- factures 5,000 butter tubs per annum.
Willie Sherman's shingle-mill, located on the North Branch, was built by Stillman Hendricks about forty years ago. Mr. Sherman manufactures here 8,000 shingles per day.
Newell Culver's saw-mill, on North Branch, was built by him in 1878, with facilities for cutting 4,000 feet of lumber per day.
George A. Baker's saw-mill, located on Middlebury River, was erected by E. D. Sheldon in 1868, with capacity for cutting 4,000 feet of lumber, 5,000 feet of clapboards and 10,000 shingles per diem.
Cornelius Billings' saw-mill, located on North Branch, was built by him in 1877. He manufactures 4,000 feet of lumber and 10,000 shingles per day.
T. M. Chapman, of Middlebury, has in operation a number of coal kilns in the north part of the town, where he manufactures 9,000 bushels of char- coal per month.
George E. Hale, engaged in fish culture in Ripton, has a pond he has com- menced stocking and intends to do a large business in this line.
For a period of twenty years after the granting of its charter, Ripton remained an unbroken wilderness. No woodman's axe with its merry ring, woke the echoes sleeping 'mongst the scarred and seamed "monarchs of the forest," whose branches had, perhaps, often sheltered the lordly sachem of the redman, or caught the soft tale whispered in the ear of more than one dusky, dark-eyed maiden, as sweet to her as the tales it still hears from the lips of the Ripton youths, whose fathers first disturbed its quietude and brought many of its kindred low. No white man was ever known to have tarried for any length of time within the limits of the town, till November, 1801, when, so the story goes, it became rumored that the first child born in the township should be entitled to a right of land. With this false rumor in view, Ebene- zer Collar and his wife made their way through the dense forest, where, with scarcely any shelter from the inclemency of the weather, on the cold night of November 11th, his daughter, Fanny, was born. Miss Collar, though given a cold reception on her entrance into this cold world, became a very warm- hearted young lady, married Amasa Piper, made a good wife, and lived to a ripe old age. During the following year, 1802, Asa Collar, son of Ebenezer, located near his father and commenced a clearing. In 1803, Thomas Fuller moved into the Goshen part of the town. Immigration was very slow indeed, there being, at the taking of the census, in 1820, only forty-two inhabitants.
200
TOWN OF SALISBURY.
In 1825, there were but seventeen families, which, five years later, in 1830, had increased to a population of 278.
The town was organized and the first town-meeting held, March 3, 1828, at which Calvin Piper was chosen town clerk, William Arnold, constable, and Lucius Abbey, Ethan Owen and Nathaniel McQuivey, selectmen. The first justices, Calvin Piper and Jonathan Gleason, were chosen in 1821. The first representative, Samuel H. Hendrick, was not elected till 1843. The first deaths were, that of Polly, an infant daughter of Ebenezer Collar, in 1805, and a few years later, a son by the name of Harvey, aged about seven- teen years. In 1803-'4, the first road, the centre turnpike, was made. The first frame house was built as a tavern, and the second by Hon. Daniel Chip- man, as a dwelling; he also erecting the first saw-mill.
David C. Sherman, born in Warren, Vt., in 1816, is a son of Reuel Sher- man, who was a soldier in the war of the Revolution and a pensioner after- ward, a pioneer of Warren. David came to this town in 1845, and com. menced laboring at his trade, cabinet making, and finally established the Sherman shingle-mill, which has been in successful operation ever since.
Samuel Hendrick, son of Jabez, who was one of the early settlers of New Haven and Middlebury, came to Ripton in 1838, and was the first represent- ative of the town, in 1843, and afterwards in 1846 an 1'47. He has also held most of the other town trusts.
Sylvester Fisher, born in Bethel, June 25, 1811, at the age of twenty-one, came to Ripton and purchased a tract of land, and subsequently lived here at intervals until 1851, when he became a permanent resident, and located upon the old Daniel Chipman homestead, where he has since resided.
Henry C. Powers, born in Rochester, Vt., December 17, 1834, located here in 1870. He was formerly a clergyman, but has lately devoted his en- tire attention to medicine. He represented the town in 1878.
The Congregational Society, at Ripton village, was organized at an early day, where they have a good meeting-house and are, to a certain degree, prospering in their good work.
The Methodist Episcopal Church, located at the same place, was organ- ized with seven members by their first pastor, Rev. Nathan W. Stearns, in 1829, and reorganized in 1849. The society now has forty-nine members with no regular pastor. In 1862, their church edifice was built, having seat- ing room for 250 persons, and cost $2,200.00, though it is now valued at $2,000.00, including grounds.
ALISBURY, located in the southern part of the county, in lat. 43 55 . and long. 3º 57, bounded north by Middlebury, east by Ripton and Goshen, south by Leicester, and west by Whiting and Cornwall, was granted by New Hampshire, November 3, 1761, to John Everts and sixty-
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