USA > Vermont > Chittenden County > Gazetteer and business directory of Chittenden County, Vermont, for 1882-83 > Part 30
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St. Anne's Catholic Church, located at Milton Falls, was organized by Bishop DeGoesbriand, who acted as its first pastor, in 1859. Their church was built during the same year, a pleasant, commodious brick structure, capable of seating 300 persons. The society now has 300 communicants, with Rev. Charles Prevost, pastor.
The Trinity Episcopal Church, located at Milton village, was organized by Rev. George T. Chapman, D. D., in the winter of 1831, with about twenty communicants. It never has had an edifice of its own, but has worshiped in the town-hall, school-house, and hotel parlors. For nearly twenty years, owing to adverse circumstances, services were suspended, to be resumed
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again, in 1867, by the Rev. John A. Hicks, D. D., of Burlington, since which time they have been sustained by different missionaries. The society now has about seventeen members, under the charge of Rev. Gemont Graves, of Burlington.
ICHMOND, located in the central part of the county, in lat. 44° 24', and long. 4° 4', bounded north by Jericho, east by Bolton, south by Huntington and Hinesburgh, and west by Williston, is the only town in the county, except South Burlington, whose charter was not granted by New Hampshire. It has an area of about 20,000 acres, chartered by the legisla- ture of Vermont, October 27, 1794, formed by taking a portion of the adjoin- ing towns of Jericho, Bolton, Huntington, and Williston, an addition from Bolton having also been made, October 25, 1804.
The township is generally uneven and broken in surface, especially in the northern, northwestern, and western parts, though it contains many broad, verdant meadows, level as a house floor, which serve to enhance the beauty of the scenery, as well as the value of the territory.
The soil, too, like the scenery, is various, though generally rich and pro- ductive. Along the Winooski it is a fine alluvial deposit, while in the hilly and other portions it is composed of clay, gravelly loam, and marl. The hilly land is fertile and well adapted to grazing, atfording pasturage to many herds. The timber is principally beech, birch, hemlock, pine, spruce, maple and elm, immense forests of which were originally standing, and much is still left, though it is gradually decreasing in quantity before the onslought of the woodman. The rocks are principally of the sandrock and slate formation. Many boulders, relics of the drift period, are also resting on the surface. Iron ore has been discovered and worked to some extent, making a very good quality of iron, though it has not been wrought for years. Some fossils, also, have been found, the most notable of which is the tusk of an elephant, now resting in the museum of the University of Vermont, dug up by Col. Rolla Gleason, from the muck in a swamp on the top of Bryant's Hill. The Winooski forms the water course of the township, flowing in a northwesterly course through its center, into which flows numerous tributaries, some of which afford good mill-sites. Two small ponds are also found, Jackson and Gillett. Jackson Pond lies in the northeastern part of the town, covering an area of about twenty-five acres. Gillett Pond, lying in the southeast- ern part, is a handsome little sheet of water, about a mile in length by a quarter of a mile in width. Taken all in all, Richmond, though a farming town, will compare favorably with any of the towns in the county in point of wealth and natural facilities. Its products find a ready means of transporta- tion in the Vermont Central Railroad, which passes through the town, fol-
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lowing the northern bank of the Winooski, with two stations, one at Rich- mond and the other at Jonesville.
In 1880, Richmond had a population of 1,264, was divided into seven school districts and contained ten common schools, employing five male and nine female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $1,319.00. There were 263 pupils attending common schools, while the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $1,470.00, with Mr. C. B. Towers, superintendent.
RICHMOND, a post village located in the central part of the town, on the Winooski River, and also a station on the Central Vermont Railroad, con- tains three churches (Union, Universalist, and Catholic), one hotel, ten stores, a wagon shop, paint shop, harness shop, etc.
JONESVILLE (p. o.), a hamlet located in the extreme eastern part of the town, contains one store, a blacksmith shop, spool-turning works, and about a half dozen dwellings.
S. & R. J. Robinson's turning, grist, and cider-mill, located on road 23, was established in 1868, and is now doing a very good busines, using twenty cords of wood per month in their turning-shop, and manufacturing twenty-five bbls. of cider per day during the season, while the grist-mill does custom grinding.
Stephen Freshette's carriage manufactory, located at the village, was estab- lished in 1857. Mr. Freshette came into possession of the property in 1881. He employs two men, and manufactures all kinds of carriages, wagons, and sleighs.
H. H. Frary's spool-turning shop, located at Jonesville, was established in 1866. He now uses 400 cords of wood per annum in the manufacture of his goods.
Mason's Cheese Factory, located on road 16, manufactures cheese from the milk of 140 cows, making 42,000 lbs. per annum. The factory has gained some little notoriety from the fact of several of the largest hotels in the United States ordering goods directly from it.
The first effort towards the settlement of the town was made by Amos Brownson and John Chamberlin, who came here with their families in 1775, and located upon what has since been called Richmond Flats, on the south side of the Winooski, in the part then included within the town of Williston. Their stay was short, however, as they abandoned the town during the follow- ing fall, and did not return until after the close of the Revolution. In 1784, they again resumed settlement upon their farm, being accompanied by Asa and Joel Brownson, Samuel and Joshua Chamberlin, James Holly, Joseph Wilson, and Jesse McFairlain.
In 1786, the first settlement in the southern part of the town, then included within the limits of Huntington, was commenced by Ozem Brewster and Daniel Robbins. In the tracts along the southern side of the Winooski, between Jonesville and Richmond village, settlements were first commenced
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by Amos Brownson, Jr., Matthew Cox, Jesse Green, William Douglas, Bar- ley and Comfort Starr, Clement Hoyt, James and Peter Crane, James Hall, and Nathaniel and Asa Alger. The first in the western part of the town was made by Asa Brownson and Nathan and Henry Fay. On the northern side of the river, one of the first settlements was made by Joseph Hall.
Thus, from time to time, families came in and made improvements on their possessions, until, in 1795, it was considered by the inhabitants that the popu- lation was large enough to sustain a proper town government. Accordingly, a meeting was warned and held in pursuance of said warning, in March of that year, at which the following officers were elected: town clerk, Joshua Chamberlin ; constable, Constant C. Hallock ; selectmen, Felen Augar, Ben- jamin Farnsworth, and Peter Crane; justices, Joel Brownson, Asa Brown- son, Jr., and Benjamin Farnsworth. Jonathan Chamberlin was the first rep- resentative, chosen the year following the first town meeting, in 1796.
The first deed recorded in the town records is a quit-claim of one third of one hundred acres of land, by Amos Brownson to Joshua Chamberlin, in con- sideration of twelve pounds, lawful money, and dated March 7, 1795. The second entry that appears is of 120 acres, deeded to Gov. Thomas Chitten- den by Abram Smith, in consideration of thirty pounds, lawful money, dated April 28, 1795.
The first physician permanently located in Richmond was Dr. Matthew Cole, who died here in 1809. He was succeeded by Drs. Seth Cole, Sylvanus Church, Reuben Nims, William Foss, Carlos Allen, James M. Knox, G. P. Conn, and others.
The first lawyer was Harry Brownson, succeeded by William P. Briggs, William S. Hawkins, Edward A. Stansbury, Aaron B. Maynard, B. E. B. Kennedy, F. A. Colton, Joseph W. Allen, P. K Glud, and others.
Those who have figured as business men in Richmond-as merchants, manufacturers, and mechanics, may be mentioned Nathan Fay, who carried on the business of carding wool and cloth-dressing, at Fay's Corners, said to have been the first works of the kind in the county. Silas Rockwell carried on tanning, currying and shoemaking at the same locality. William Rhodes was a blacksmith and manufactured plows about the beginning of this century. Isaac Gleason was the first merchant, and carried on business for many years near the "old round church." On the north side of the river, near the depot at Richmond village, Winslow & Gay were early engaged in trade, and D. P. Lapham & Co. were their successors. One Dumfries had a hatter's shop here as long ago as 1817, which was destroyed by fire. The first grist-mill was built by John Preston, about the beginning of the present century, located on Huntington River. A carding machine and clothier's works were built at the same locality by James H. Judson, in 1815, which was destroyed by fire in 1819, afterwards rebuilt by Daniel Fisk. Joseph Whipple built a saw-mill lower down the river, early in the century. After- wards another cloth manufactory was built by Marcus Robbins & Co.
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Jonathan Clossin, from Connecticut, came to Richmond at an early day, and located upon the farm now occupied by W. S. Freeman, where he re- mained but a short time, owing to the unsettled condition of affairs attend- ing the Revolution. He remained away about two years, then returned, but found the land he had taken up occupied by another ; so he located on road 5, upon the farm now occupied by J. Humphrey, his grandson by marriage. Mr. Humphrey came into the town from Brookfield, Vt., in 1800, and located off road 5, with a family of nine children. William Humphrey located upon the farm now owned by his son Jesse. He served three years in the Amer- ican army during the war of 1812, enlisting as a private and subsequently being promoted to a corporalship. He lived to be over seventy-five years of age.
Asa Brownson, with his family, came to Huntington in 1786. His daugh- ter, Polly, married Samuel Kenyon, and lived and died upon the farm now owned by B. S. Kenyon.
Henry Fay, whose father, John Fay, was killed at the battle of Bennington, was born at Bennington in 1774, and died in Richmond in 1818, leaving a family of ten children, of whom one, Jonathan, now resides on road 11, aged seventy-eight years. Henry and Nathan Fay, as previously mentioned, were a number of years engaged in the clothier's business, at Fay's Corners.
Jesse Green, from Gordon, N. H., came to Richmond about the year 1800, and followed farming here during the remainder of his life. He had a family of seven children, only two of whom remained in Richmond. Jesse, Jr., the fourth child, was a resident of the town seventy-four years. He also had a family of seven children, three of whom, Oliver, Iddo, and Olive (Mrs. Samuel Randall), now reside here.
Dudley Higley located in the southern part of this town about the year 1800. He reared a family of eleven children, only one of whom, Jerry, set- tled in the town. Jerry had a family of eight children, of whom Nathan, residing on road 33, was the fourth.
Ebenezer Flagg, from Orwell, Vt., came to Richmond in 1800, locating in the southern part of the town, where he resided until his death, aged seventy- four years. Of his eleven children, one only, Artemas, remained here. He died in 1874, aged eighty-four years. He had a family of five children, three of whom remained in Richmond. Azariah, the second of these, born in 1830, is still a resident.
Jesse Thompson, an early settler and heavy land-owner in Jericho, came there from Alstead, N H., in 1790. Corey, the sixth of his nine children, has resided for the past twenty-six years in this town, upon the farm he now occupies, on road 29.
Isaac B. Andrews emigrated from Connecticut about the year 1785, and located in the southern part of this town, where he remained until his death, in 1849. He had a family of nineteen children, two of whom, Ezra B. and Elisha, now reside here, the latter born in 1808, and the former in 1824.
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Samuel Kenyon came to this town about the year 1820, and located where his son, Brazilla S., now resides. Mrs. F. Thompson and Brazilla are the only ones of his four children now residing here.
Solomon Bates, from New Hampshire, came to this town previous to the year 1800, locating in the central part, upon the farm now owned by his grandson, Martin M.
Asa Rhodes, from North Adams, Mass., came to this town in 1817, with his father, Asa, locating on road II, upon the farm still in possession of the Rhodes family. C. P. Rhodes, son of Asa, was born in 1827, and now resides on road II.
John Williams, from Swanzey, N. H., immigrated to this town in 1814, locat- ing on road 32, upon the farm now occupied by his son, B. A. Williams. William Williams now resides on road 6, in the northeastern part of the town.
E. B. Green, born in Cheshire, Mass., in November, 1805, came to Rich- mond in 1829, and was engaged in mercantile pursuits in company with Wil- liam Rhodes, remaining in the business a number of years. Mr. Green still is a resident of the town, on road 17. He has buried four children, one of whom, Everett D., was drowned while serving his country in the late war, at Georgetown, D. C.
E. D. Mason, from Cheshire, Mass., came to this town in 1830, and located on road 24, where he resided until his death, February 1, 1882. He was one of the prime movers in establishing the Vermont Dairymen's Association, and held the office of president of the same. He did much towards raising the standard of the town in dairy products, with what success may be inferred from the fact that when he came here, the annual amount of cheese manu- factured did not exceed one ton, while it now reaches about three hundred tons. Mr. Mason also served the town in many of its public offices, with honor and ability.
Rev. Thomas Browning, the eldest of the thirteen children of Joseph and Lucy (Sherman) Browning, was born at Rutland, Mass., March 21, 1787, and died in Richmond, Vt., March 12, 1875, thus lacking but nine days of being eighty-eight years of age. When Thomas was but eight years of age, his father removed to Barre, Vt. His earliest religious faith was that of the. Methodist church, but his inquisitive spirit and eager thirst for knowledge of divine things, were not satisfied until he embraced the doctrine of Universal Redemption. This faith, indeed, he held previous to his formal connection with the Methodist church, and he joined it with the distinct understanding that he should continue to hold to his new doctrine, and was often urged to abstain from advocating it from the pulpit. He began to preach in October, 1823, in Barre, Vt., in his thirty-seventh year. He was ordained October 4, 1827, moved to Waterbury, Vt., in May, 1832, and in May, 1834, came to Richmond. He held many civil offices during his long life here, and once represented the town in the legislature. He was married January 12, 1812, to Miss Persis Ross, who bore him ten children, one of whom, Miss Persis W. Browning, now resides on road 17.
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The Union Church, located on the south side of the Winooski, at Rich- mond village, was built in 1813, by the united efforts of four societies. From its polygonal form, having sixteen sides, it has long been known as the "Old Round Church." It has not been occupied as a church for years, and is now used for town purposes. Its original cost was $3,000.00.
Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic Church, located at the village. . was organized by Bishop DeGoes- brianJ, in 1854. Rev. James Queen was the first pastor. The church building, a wood structure capable of seating 400 persons, was erected in 1856, at a cost of $4,000.00, and is now valued at $7,000.00. The society has at present 900 members, with Rev. Francis Clavier, pastor.
The Church of the Restoration, Universalist, located at Rich- mond village, was organized by its pastor, Rev. S. C. Hayford, in 1879, with seventeen members. In 1880, their house of worship was erected, a neat wood struct- ure capable of seating 250 persons, and valued, including grounds, at $7,500.00. Its original cost was $7,000.00. The society now has fourteen members.
(CHURCH OF THE RESTORATION.)
HELBURNE, a small lake town in the southwestern part of the county, lying in lat. 44" 23', and long. 3º 49', bounded north by South Burling- ton and a portion of Williston, east by St. George, south by Charlotte and a portion of Hinesburgh, and west by Lake Champlain, was chartered by New Hampshire, August 18, 1763, to Jesse Hallock and sixty-four asso- ciates, receiving its name in honor of a noted nobleman of the English Par- liament, the Earl of Shelburne, who favored the claim of New Hampshire to the disputed territory of Vermont, and opposed the claim of New York. According to the charter, the territory was to have an area of 23,500 acres, or a tract a little over six miles square; but owing to a blunder on the part of the surveyors, it was shorn of a large portion of its possessions. Two parties were employed to survey the lake towns, one party commencing at
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the south, working north, and the other commencing on the north, working south, and met at Burlington and Shelburne. The party on the north sur- veyed Burlington, and that on the south surveyed Shelburne, neither know- ing precisely where the other had fixed their boundaries. In consequence, they lapped over each other's survey, and Burlington having been chartered a month previous to Shelburne, held her claim by priority of charter. A portion of Pottier's Point formerly belonged to Burlington, but in 1794, con- siderable alteration was made in town lines by the Legislature, and the whole of the Point was declared to belong to Shelburne. Again, November 9, 1848, a portion of this town was set off to St. George, so that instead of the original 23,500 acres granted in the charter deed, it has only the very moder- ate possession of 14,272 acres, a little over half of what it should have. Various controversies, many disputes and much litigation in the town sprung out of the surveyors' lines, caused by there having been two surveys of the town made, and some holding their title according to one survey, and others by the other. The first was made in 1775, by Silas Hathaway, under in- structions from Ira Allen, who assumed the ownership of a large part of the town. This survey was made and the boundaries fixed by chain, with no particular regard paid to the points of the compass, measuring so many rods and fixing a corner. In 1798, the township was surveyed by Ebenezer Cobb, by order of the town, under direction of the selectmen. In this survey the boundaries were fixed by compass, and the consequence was a variation from the last, caused mostly by variations in the surface of the earth, as by mea- suring over an elevation with a chain would necessarily make a shorter line than on a level. But these conflicting claims and controversies have long since been adjusted, and the inhabitants, so far as land titles are concerned, are dwelling in peace and harmony.
In surface, Shelburne presents a scene of quiet rural beauty, picturesque in the extreme at some points, though it possesses no rugged mountains to lend their grandeur to its loveliness. The land, generally level, is, however, gently rolling, enough to pleasantly break the surface into long, sweeping curves.
The broken indenture of the lake shore forms two points of land, desig- nated by the names of the first two settlers of the town-Pottier's Point, and Logan's Point. The former projects into the lake, forming between it and the main land, Shelburne Bay, a narrow arm of the lake some four miles in length, and only cut off from the main channel of the lake by this point, which at its conjunction with the main land is quite wide, but after a short distance is suddenly narrowed, until it becomes a narrow neck of land of uni- form width, abruptly terminating in a bold promontory several feet in height. At several points in the interior a beautiful view of the Adiron- dacks on the west, and the Green Mountains on the east, may be obtained, their bold summits, white with almost perpetual snow, forming a fitting frame for the lovely scene of pastoral beauty that lies between them. Not only in beauty does Shelburne excel, however, but also in richness and fertility of
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soil, which varies from stiff clay to a fine sandy loam, producing in abund- ance the grains and grasses grown in this latitude, while in the western part of the town fruit-growing is largely carried on, and found to be a very profit- able business. La Plotte River and Cogman's Brook, with their tributaries, are the principal streams. The former enters the town from Charlotte, on the south, and flows north into Shelburne Bay, affording power for two mills at Shelburne Falls. The name of the stream, tradition has it, was originated in the following interesting manner : A band of Indians, on one occasion, to the number of some 200 or 300, assembled at the mouth of the stream, on the farm now owned by A. J. Burritt, where they concealed their canoes in the willows lining the shore, and then passed east through the country, plundering and taking prisoners as they went. During their absence their canoes were discovered by the whites, riddled with holes, and replaced in the same position as when found. On the approach of the Indians, the whites, from their con- cealment close by, opened fire upon them, and the Indians, in their surprise, rushed for their canoes and pushed off into the water. Their frail vessels, of course, soon filled and sank, leaving the red fiends floundering in the river, where they were rapidly dispatched by the white men. From this time the stream has been called La Plotte, or The Plot, in commemoration of this event .. Several arrow heads have been dug up in this vicinity, also bullets supposed to have been shot during the Revolution. Shelburne Pond, located in the eastern part of the town, is a handsome sheet of water, covering a lit- tle over 600 acres, and contains some fine specimens of the finny tribe. It is much resorted to by pleasure seekers during the summer season. The Rut- land Branch of the Central Vermont passes through the western part of the town from north to south, with a station at Shelburne village. The geological or rock structure of the town is composed of beds or veins disposed in par- allel ranges extending in a north and south direction. Beginning on the west, along the lake shore, the rocks are of the Utica slate formation, next to which is a large bed of the Hudson River goup, followed by a bed of red sand rock, the residue of the township being composed of Eolian limestone or marble. Several quarries of the latter have been opened, affording a very good variety of marble, though none are worked at present.
In 1880, Shelburne had a population of 1,096, was divided into eight school districts and contained eight common schools, employing one male and ten female teachers, to whom was paid an aggregate salary of $1,373.50. There were 242 pupils attending common school, while 'the entire cost of the schools for the year, ending October 31st, was $1,614.64, under the charge of Mr. Leslie Gregg, as superintendent.
SHELBURNE, a post village and station on the Vermont Central Railroad, is very pleasantly located near the center of the town. and contains one church, several shops of varions kinds, one store, and about twenty-five or thirty dwellings.
SHELBURNE FALLS, located on the LaPlotte River, about one mile south
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from the railroad station, has a good, durable water-power, contains about thirty dwellings, one flour-mill, one saw-mill, one shingle-mill, and a black- smith shop.
J. E. White's cheese factory, located on road 30, was established by a stock company in 1871, and purchased by Mr. White in 1877. He doesa very suc- cessful business, manufacturing cheese from the milk of from 300 to 400 Cows.
The Shelburne Flouring Mills, located at Shelburne Falls, and owned by D. L. Spear, do the custom work of Shelburne, and adjacent towns. Mr. Spear is also an extensive dealer in flour and feed.
Harrison's cider-mill, located on road 3, manufactures twenty-five barrels of cider per day during the season.
The Shelburne carriage shop, located on road 18, is under the management of George Miller, and does both sale and custom work of all kinds.
J. B. Dubuc's blacksmith and carriage shops are located on road 27.
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