USA > Vermont > Addison County > Gazetteer and business directory of Addison County, Vt., for 1881- 82 > Part 3
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JOSEPH T. STICKNEY, of the "Mineral Spring Stock Farm," Shoreham, prints an illustration of his noted ram No. 146. Mr. Stickney has had the experi- ence of a lifetime at the business of breeding Merino sheep, his father begin- ning in 1834, and J. T. commenced on his own account in 1857. As noted in his advertisement on page 340, he received the award of $100 at the Cen- tennial Exhibition, for the best ram and four ewes bred and exhibited by one breeder.
T. STICKNEY & SON, of East Shoreham, illustrate a group of their Merinos on page 422. f'yler Stickney, the senior member of this firm, founded the flock in 1834, previous to which he had been in co-partnership in breeding sheep with Charles Rich, and at the division of the flock, one ewe that after- ward became celebrated as the dam of Hero (4), and Fortune (5), fell to
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PUBLISHER'S NOTES.
the share of Mr. Stickney ; this, with twelve ewe tegs afterwards purchased of Charles Rich, formed the foundation of this flock, which has been kept together and the breeding directed by one person. His son, Edgar E .. takes a lively interest in the perpetuity and improvement of the flock, and will undoubtedly maintain its reputation unimpaired when he comes in sole possession.
A. J. STow, of the " Model Stock Farm," Weybridge, descended from one of the early settlers in that town. He has for a long time been engaged in growing improved sheep, horses and cattle, believing that it costs little if any more to grow a valuable animal than one that is not above the general average of common stock. For a more particular account of his Atwood Merino sheep, shorthorn cattle, and valuable horses, the reader is referred to his illustrated card on page 254, where may be seen his superb Atwood Merino ewes, one year old, " Beauty " and twins.
F. M. STRONG, of Vergennes, manufacturer of the "Little Giant Road Machine," has accomplished great good in lessening the labor of road making. By means of this machine communities can accomplish more and better ser- vice while working out their road tax. See the machine at work on page 392.
W. W. SWINEY, agent, on Main st., Middlebury, exhibits the finest display of furniture in town. From his stock anybody ought to be suited. As an undertaker, too, he has had large experience, and he is provided with all goods necessary for the business, at reasonable prices. See his card on page 356. .
B. B. TOTTINGHAM & SON, of Shoreham, whose flock of Merinos was founded in 1860, by purchase from Rollin Birchard, ewes bred by J. T. & V. Rich, and by ewes purchased direct from the Messrs. Rich, during the same year. On page 434, Tottingham Ram, famous in his day, is represented.
JOHN TOWLE, of Cornwall, owner of the celebrated R. P. Hall flock of Atwood Merinos, founded in 1844 by purchase of Stephen Atwood, is a breeder of excellent judgment, and will continue to maintain the reputation the flock has always borne. Card on page 384. He is also a breeder of fine horses.
TRACY & DEWEY, of Middlebury, manufacture all kinds of carriages, heavy wagons and sleighs from the best materials and in a workmanlike man- ner. They are also agents for Sird's patent Sled Brake, a useful invention in this chilly country. Card on page 372.
U. D. TWITCHELL. & SON, of Middlebury, are well known breeders of fine Merino sheep, and dealers in wool. The son, Eugene D., is also a breeder, on his own account, of sheep and of Game and Plymouth Rock fowls, which he will sell at reasonable rates. Card on page 384.
THE VERGENNES VERMONTER, dating back through various changes of title and proprietorship to the year 1838, still continues, as it has in the past, to wield a great influence in the civil and political affairs of Addison County. Among the several noted editors and scholars who have had it in charge, last but not least should be mentioned the present editor and proprietor, Mr. James Crane, who, though but lately assumed the responsibility, has proven himself fully equal to the position. We wish him continued success and popularity, and most cheerfully recommend his valuable sheet to our friends and patrons. The reader's attention is respectfully referred to his card on page 482.
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PUBLISHER'S NOTES.
VERMONT FARM MACHINE Co., of Bellows Falls, have acquired a wide- ' spread reputation for the excellent qualities of "The Cooley Creamer," manu- factured by them in several sizes. Among their other specialties are the Davis swing churn and Sugar Evaporators, than which there are no better made anywhere. See card inside back cover.
J. A. WATTS, of Whiting founded his flock of Merinos in 1860, by purchase from the flocks of L. Robinson and J. Q. Stickney. He is a careful breeder. He is also agent for farm wind mills, and manufacturer of wooden aqueducts. See card on page 324.
A. L. & F. L. WEBSTER, of East Shoreham, are young artists of merit, and we are glad to know they are receiving from many of the sheep breeders of Addison County, orders for plates of their most valuable animals several of their engravings illustrate this work. The increased business sure to crowd upon them will afford them the experience that will enable them to make cuts equal to any produced. They advertise on page 290.
GIDEON W. WHITFORD, of Addison, is well known as a breeder of gentle- men's fine driving horses, and as owner of the stallion "Young Lambert," and since 1859, as a breeder of Atwood and Robinson Merino sheep. Card on page 258.
C. K. WILLIAMS, of Whiting formed his flock of Merino sheep in 1839, from the Cutting and Rich flocks. He has purchased ewes from L. C. Remele, E. D. Searl, F. Hooker, E. Cook, H. W. Walker, D. Cutting, and others. He is a careful breeder. His card appears on page 312.
J. S. WILLMARTH & SON, of Addison, call the reader's attention to their card on page 258. Besides the breeding of Spanish Merino sheep, short- horn cattle and Yorkshire swine, they deal quite largely in Agricultural im- plements and all kinds of seed grain. "
EDSON WISELL, of Shoreham, a good blacksmith, lately commenced business at Shoreham. will undoubtedly merit and command a liberal patronage. His card is on page 332.
J. J. WRIGHT, of Vergennes, has a store full of general hardware, paints, oils, farming implements and seeds. He has also a department devoted to books, stationery, toys, etc., all of which he will sell at low prices. See card on page 444.
LOVAL L. WRIGHT, of Cornwall, horticulturist and breeder of registered short- horns or Durham cattle, is one of the enterprising farmers of this locality. While developing the desirable points of his Durhams, he does not neglect his fruit or other farming interests. In 1881, his crops from six acres yielded an average of over $400.00 per acre. Card on page 290.
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GAZETTEER
OF
ADDISON COUNTY, VT.3 -
S AYS Macaulay, in the first chapter of his History of England : " The history of our country during the last hundred and sixty years is emi- nently the history of physical, of moral, and of intellectual improvement." So, indeed, may it now be said of Addison County, the territory of which it is our purpose to speak, far more briefly, we will admit, than the subject deserves, and more briefly than we could wish did not the limited scope of the present work render it impracticable. Still, as a fragment of a mosaic would give one no adequate idea of the beauties of the whole, so will it be necessary, in speaking of the county, to mention more or less the mosaic of which it is a part-the State.
The French and the English began the colonization of North America at nearly the same period. The jealousies and rivalries which had long made them enemies in the Old World were transplanted to the New Continent. The French, by settling on the St. Lawrence, whose waters head in the great lakes of the Northwest, within a few miles of the tributaries of the Missis- sippi, which flows across half the continent to the Gulf of Mexico, had the advantage of the most direct means of access to the heart of the country, and to the rich and magnificent valleys and prairies of the Great West. In a few years they ascended the St. Lawrence to the Upper Lakes ; had crossed over to the Mississippi and descended it to the Gulf of Mexico; they had ex- plored the fertile regions between the Alleghanies and Texas, and visited every tribe from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Mobile Bay. Then they avowed the deliberate purpose of keeping the English out of all this territory, and of confining them to the narrow strip of country along the Atlantic coast. In this scheme of empire they sought the friendship and alliance of the Indian tribes, establishing among them missions and trading posts, first in the forests of Canada, then in the West, and finally in New York and the territory in- cluded within the present State of Vermont.
3
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ADDISON COUNTY.
Previous to the year 1690, no civilized person had occupied any portion of the present State, and it remains for Addison County to boast the honor of having been the site of the first settlement, and to have contained the dwelling place of the first white man, in the person of Capt. Jacobus D'Narm, who, with a party from Albany, New York, established an outpost in the present town of Addison, at Chimney Point, where they erected a small stone fort in 1690. This settlement, however, after a time was abandoned, and the first permanent occupation of any of the territory of Vermont by civilized men was commenced on the Connecticut river, at Brattleboro, in 1724, when a small block-house was erected by the colony of Massachusetts, and named Fort Dummer. For six or seven years the garrison of this fort were the only white inhabitants. In 1730 or 1731, the French built a fort at Chimney Point, and a considerable population settled in the vicinity, between whom and Fort Dummer there was a brisk trade kept up, the traders of the latter place being able to sell goods at Fort Dummer cheaper than the French could sell them in Canada. This trade, however, was swept away by the breaking out of the French war in 1755, which extended its operations to the adjoining colonies of New England, New York and Pennsylvania, causing tracts of land to be traversed that had heretofore been a dense, un- explored wilderness. The war being finally terminated by the great battle fought on the plains of Abraham, near Quebec, September 13th, 1759, in which the British arms were victorious, and the whole Province of Canada surrendered to Great Britain. This event at once awakened attention to the territory of Vermont, to which the adjoining province had been transformed from a hostile to a friendly neighbor. Immigration became rapid and settle- ments began to spring up in all parts of the territory.
At the organization of the State, in 1778, it was divided into two counties, the Green Mountains being the dividing line. The portion on the west was called Bennington, and that on the east, Cumberland County. By an act of the General Assembly, February 13, 1781, Bennington County was cir- cuinscribed to its present limits, while the portion to the northward was formed into Rutland County ; this again was circumscribed by the formation of Addison County, established by an act of the Legislature, October 18, 1785, by which the county embraced the territory to the north line of the State, so far east as to include a large part of the present counties of Wash- ington and Orleans. The town of Kingston, now Granville, not included in the original boundaries, was set off from Orange County to Addison, by an act of the 19th of October, 1787. The act establishing the county of Chitten- den was passed on the 22d of October, 1787, making the south line of that county the same as at present, except that it embraced the town of Starksboro, which afterwards, by an act of 1797, was included in Addison County. The town of Warren, which was included in this county, by an act of the Legislature in 1820, was annexed to the county of Washington ; and the town of Orwell, then in Rutland County, was, on the 13th of November,
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ADDISON COUNTY.
1847, annexed to Addison. These constitute all the changes made in the territory of the county since its first establishment. It is situated on the west line of the State, between 43° 50' and 44° 10' north latitude, and between 3º 38' and 4° 18' east longitude. It is bounded on the west by Lake Champlain, on the north by the towns of Charlotte and Hinesburgh and a part of Huntington, in Chittenden County ; on the northeast by a part of Huntington, and by Fayston, Warren and Roxbury, in Washington County ; on the southeast by Braintree, in Orange County, and Rochester, in Windsor County ; on the south by Benson, Sudbury, Brandon and Chittenden, in Rutland County. It is nearly thirty miles long from north to south, and thirty-three wide from east to west, and contains an area of about 700 square miles, divided into the following townships: Addison, Bridport, Bristol, Cornwall, Ferrisburgh, Goshen, Granville, Hancock, Lincoln, Leicester, Middlebury, Monkton, New Haven, Orwell, Panton, Ripton, Salisbury, Shoreham, Starksboro, Vergennes, Weybridge, Whiting and Waltham.
At the organization of the county in 1785, Addison and Colchester were established as half shires, the same act appointing the times for court to be held as follows: "At Addison, the first Tuesday of March, and at Colchester the second Tuesday of November, and that of the Supreme Court to be held on the second Tuesday of August, alternately at Addison and Colchester." The first term of court was held at Addison, on the first Tuesday in March, 1786, with John Strong, of Addison, chief Judge, and Gamaliel Painter, of Middlebury, and Ira Allen, of Colchester, side or assistant Judges. Court continued to be held there, with the exception of the November term of 1786, which was held at Colchester, until the first of April, 1792, when it was trans- ferred to Middlebury, and since that time all the sessions have been held there, where the Supreme Court meets on the first Monday after the third Tuesday in January, and the County Court on the first Tuesday in June and second Tuesday in December. The Probate Districts are, the New Haven District, composed of the following ten towns : Addison, Panton, Vergennes, Wal- tham, New Haven, Bristol, Lincoln, Starksboro, Monkton and Ferrisburgh ; and the Addison District, including the residue of the county. The county sends two Senators and each town a Representative biennially to the General Assembly.
A part of the eastern portion of the territory lies upon the Green Moun- tains, making about one quarter of the county mountainous, and the re- maining portion, except along the shore of the lake and in the river valleys where are found extensive intervals or flats, the land is hilly or rolling, some of the hills approaching the dignity of mountains. The prevailing soil in the eastern part is loam, in the western, clay. Many of the hills are so stony and steep as to be better suited for pasturage than tilling, affording sustenance to large herds of sheep and cattle, making Addison the " banner county " of the United States for the quantity and quality of the sheep and wool product in proportion to her size and population ; still, the fine alluvial lands of the val-
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ADDISON COUNTY.
leys and along the several streanis, render agricultural pursuits of all kinds both pleasing and profitable. Otter Creek, with its tributaries, forms the prin- cipal stream, entering the county near the centre of the southern boundary, flows a north-westerly course and is discharged into Lake Champlain, in the town of Ferrisburgh near the north line of the county. There are several small ponds or lakes distributed over the surface of the territory, of which Lake Dunmore, situated partly in Leicester and partly in Salisbury, is the largest ; a handsome, deep sheet of water, about five miles in length and one mile in width, its waters being discharged into Otter Creek by a small stream called Leicester River. The scenery on and about the lake is very pictur- esque and beautiful, and at some points even approaching the sublime.
Originally the territory was covered with a dense forest, of which only a comparative remnant is now standing, and even this is destined to be soon swallowed up by the never-satiated woodman. The natural growth of timber on the flat lands, is pine, cedar, tamarack, soft maple, black ash and elm, interspersed occasionally with other trees of a deciduous nature. In other localities, and west of the mountains, were large tracts of pine and oak, with some maple, beach, ash, basswood, butternut, walnut and hemlock.
GEOLOGICAL.
The rocks of the county are distributed in veins or ranges extending prin- cipally in a north and south direction, varying in width and thickness, yet each formation remaining distinctly separate from its neighbor. The first of these veins, beginning on the west, is a range of Utica slate, narrow in lim- its, extending along the lake shore of the towns of Panton and Addison, and also croping out in a very narrow ledge in the central part of Orwell, gradu- ally widening as it extends north, till in Shoreham it attains a width of nearly a mile and a half. From this point, gradually growing narrower, it extends through the eastern part of Bridport, Addison and Panton, into Ferrisburgh, where it enters Chittenden County. This slate rock has an average thickness of about one hundred feet and contains fine specimens of several species of fossils.
Next to this range there is found a ledge of Trenton limestone, varying from a few rods to a mile in width, which enters from Rutland County in the western part of Orwell, extending through that town into Shoreham, where it branches off into two ranges, one following the lake shore through Bridport and the western part of Addison and Panton, where it crosses under the lake into New York. The other branch extends through the eastern part of Brid- port, Addison, Panton and Ferrisburgh, into Charlotte, in Chittenden County. Some varieties of this stone are used for building purposes and in the manu- facture of lime, while the whole range, which has an average thickness of about 400 feet, contains finer specimens of fossils and in greater quantities than any other ledge in the State.
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ADDISON COUNTY.
Next to the Trenton limestone, along the shore of the lake, in the western part of Orwell, is found a ledge of calciferous sandrock, a continuation of the extensive range lying in Rutland county. There is also a narrow belt of the same rock west of Snake Mountain, extending from the middle and south part of Addison, to the north part of Panton near Vergennes. This rock is the second overlying the Laurentian series, and forms the transition from pure sandstone to pure limestone, and therefore partakes of the character of each. It has an average thickness of about 300 feet, and contains occasional speci- mens of different colored calcites, in different crystals of transparent quartz and fragments of bituminous coal.
A great portion of the rock in the towns of Bridport, Addison, Panton and Ferrisburgh, is Chazy limestone, the name being derived from the town of Chazy, Clinton County, New York, where the formation is clearly developed. Limestone is a general term applied to a great variety of rocks which contain a certain quantity of lime. In nature, carbonate of lime is found more or less pure, both perfectly crystalized, as in calc-spar and arragonite, imperfectly, as in granular limestone ; and in compact masses, as in common limestone, chalk, etc. It is, as is well known, very valuable for a variety of purposes - in chemistry, as a fertilizer, and as a principal ingredient in making mortar, by means of which stones and bricks are bound together in a compact and solid mass. All limestone seems to have been the result of deposition effected by chemical changes, and the vast space of time required to accumulate the great limestone ranges of this country cannot be estimated ; but of a surety, their formation was begun at a period so remote that it engulfs the spectator in a sea of amazement and awe at the wonders of the Universe.
A range of Hudson River slate enters at Orwell and traverses the whole length of the county in a ledge varying from one mile to five miles in width, being frequently cut by ledges of Hudson River limestone. This rock is esti- mated at about 860 feet in thickness.
Adjacent to and parallel with thisrange, is a ledge of red sandrock, extend- ing through the whole length of the county from the southern part of Shore- ham, and varying from a few rods to eight miles in width. This formation embraces a great variety of rocks, and there is some difficulty experienced in associating them together, because of the general absence of fossils. The first and most extensive variety is a reddish-brown or chocolate-colored sand- stone. The grains of sand composing the rock are often transparent, some- times mixed with minute fragments of feldspar, while a slight metamorphic action has sometimes rendered the grains nearly invisible, and made the whole rock compact. The thickness of this series, according to Prof. Adams, is more than 500 feet.
The most abundant rock is the famous Eolian limestone or marble, which underlies the greater portions of the towns of Leicester, Orwell, Shoreham, Salisbury, Cornwall, Middlebury, Weybridge, New Haven and Bristol. There is more variety in the limestone of this group than in almost any other forma-
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ADDISON COUNTY.
tion of the State; though the variations are slight in themselves chemically, but considerable as far as external appearance is concerned, producing the well known white, colored, variegated and brecciated marbles. The coloring matters which produce these different varieties are usually derived from minute particles of slaty matter disseminated through them, and hence they never fade or disappear, nor change their position in the slabs after they have been quarried. The occasional stains which appear upon marble is produced by a small portion of pyrites, affording a dirty brownish hue, while most of the iron rust stain upon the blocks of marble at the mills is temporarily produced by particles of iron worn from the saws. Although the marble interests have never been as extensive in Addison as in the neighboring county of Rutland, it is yearly advancing in value and extent and cannot fail to one day become of inestimable importance to the county. Of the mills, quaries, etc., more will be spoken in connection with the histories of the several towns.
Parallel with this ledge is a belt of pliocene tertiary deposit of narrow lim- its, in which is found ores of manganese, brown coal, ocher and hematite. Next to this, extending the whole length of the county, is a bed of quartz rock, having a mean width of about three miles and a thickness of several hundred feet. Very few minerals are found in this rock, the most important being hematite. Iron pyrites is considerably common in small, bright crys- tals, and in Middlebury, some strata have been discovered containing an un- usually large proportion of crystals of magnetite-sufficiently numerous to be of considerable value in the vicinity of iron furnaces.
Commencing in Ripton, near Ripton village, and extending north through Lincoln and Starksboro, and thence into Chittenden County, is a bed of tal- cose conglomerate, gradually widening from the point of beginning until it at- · tains a width of about three miles, and is estimated to be from 2,000 to 3,000 feet thick. The different varieties of rocks associated together in forming this conglomerate, are sandstone, breccias, quartz rock, calcareous rocks, novaculite schist, talcose schist and coarse conglomerates. It contains very few minerals and no fossils.
Next to this conglomerate, nearly in the form of a wedge, having its point in the southern part of Lincoln, and also underlying nearly the whole of Hancock and Granville, is a range of talcose schist. This rock contains several valuable minerals, among which is asbestus, a fibrous mineral sometimes known as Mountain Leather. The name is derived from the Greek, signifying unex- tinguished, since it was used as wicking by the ancients for their lamps, which were kept continually burning in the temples. The fibers are as fine as flax, nearly white in color, and perfectly non-combustable. One use of this min- eral is to pack the air-chambers of salamander safes. It is also woven into a coarse cloth, which is fire proof. This is done by mixing the fibers with flax, carding, spinning, and weaving the compound, and then burning out the veg- etable constituent by exposing the goods to fire.
Next to the talcose schist is a range of gneiss, varying in width from two to
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ADDISON COUNTY.
four miles, and extending through Goshen, Ripton and Lincoln, thence into Washington and Chittenden Counties. The essential ingredients of gneiss are quartz, feldspar and mica, forming a rock closely resembling granite, dif- fering from it only in having a distinctly stratified, slaty or laminated structure. For this reason it makes a very convenient and handsome building stone, as the sheets or strata can be easily obtained at the quarries, and it can then be split or divided into any required thickness.
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