Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887, Part 2

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders
Number of Pages: 886

USA > Vermont > Essex County > Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887 > Part 2
USA > Vermont > Caledonia County > Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887 > Part 2

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

STATE ORGANIZATION.

tion ordered, and a Council of Safety appointed to manage the affairs of the state until the government should go into operation under the constitution.

This independence Vermont pursued, asking no favors, enjoying no ben- efits of the Union and sharing none of its burdens, until March 4, 1791, when she was admitted as one of the Federal States, with the full rights and immunities belonging thereto. Thus Vermont exists to-day-so may she always exist.

The constitution has remained without very material alterations, the chief being the substitution of a Senate of thirty members, appointed to the sev- eral counties according to population, and chosen by a plurality of the free- men of the several counties, in lieu of a council of twelve members chosen by a plurality of the voters of the state at large ; and in 1870 a change from annual to biennial state elections and meetings of the legislature. The frame of government now provides for, Ist. The executive, the chief offi- cers of which are governor, lieutenant-governor, and treasurer, all of whom are elected biennially, by the freemen of the state. 2d. A Senate of thirty members, elected as before mentioned. 3d. A House of Representatives, consisting of one member from each organized town, elected by the freemen thereof. 5th. A judiciary, the officers of which are elective, the judges of the supreme court (who are also chancellors), by the Senate and the House of Representatives, in joint assembly ; the assistant judges of county courts (a judge of the supreme court presides in each county court), judges of the probate courts, sheriffs, state's attorneys and high bailiffs, by the freemen of the respective counties; and justices of the peace by the freemen of the several towns. The State election is held in September, biennially, and a majority of all the votes cast is required to elect every officer, except sena- tors and other county officers, including in the latter justices of the peace elected by the several towns ; but in March the freemen of each town meet for the transaction of public business of the town, and the election of town officers. Every term of town office is limited to one year, or until others are elected, and all town elections are therefore annual. The governor's power of appointment is very limited, embracing, ordinarily, his secretary and military staff only ; but he has power to fill any office created by law, where the appointment is not fixed by the constitution or statute, a case which has rarely occurred ; and also to fill any vacancy occurring by death or other- wise, until the office can be filled in the manner required by constitution or laws. By recent statutes, the governor may nominate, subject to approval by the senate, various offices. The heads of the various state bureaus (except treasurer) and generals of divisions and brigades are elected by the Senate and House in joint assembly,-the former officers biennially and generals when vacancies occur. `The general assembly meets in the even years, on the first Wednesday in October. The first officers elected, in 1778, were as fol- fows : Thomas Chittenden, governor ; Joseph Marsh, lieutenant-governor

CALEDONIA AND ESSEX COUNTIES.

Ira Allen, treasurer ; T. Chandler, secretary of state; Nathan Clarke, speaker; and Benjamin Baldwin, clerk.

Cumberland county was the first county established in the grants, being erected by the legislature of the province of New York, July 3, 1766, com- prising about the district of territory now included within the limits of Wind- ham and Windsor counties, and received its name probably from Prince William, Duke of Cumberland, who, in 1746, met with distinguished success in opposing the rebels of Scotland. The lands now included in the area of Essex and Caledonia counties, previous to 1764 were supposed to be in the New Hampshire Grants, and some of the land was granted by the governor of that state to different parties. It was, however, included in New York in the year above named; and March 7, 1770, the government of that colony erected the county of Gloucester. It was organized by the assembly of New York, March 16, of the same year, with Newbury for its shire, and con- tained all the territory in the north part of the state which has since been divided into Orange, Washington, Caledonia, Orleans and Essex counties.

After Vermont became a state the first general assembly, in 1778, on the 17th of March, divided the state into Bennington and Cumberland counties, Bennington county on the west and Cumberland county on the east, making the dividing line the height of land on the Green Mountain range, which was then supposed to be a regular range passing through the state from north to south, dividing it nearly in the center. But this was so indefinite that, February 11, 1779, they definitely fixed the division line as follows :-

"Commencing at a point in the south line of the Province of Quebec, fifty miles east of the center of the deepest channel of Lake Champlain, ex- tending south to the northeast corner of the town of Worcester [in Wash- ington county], and along the east lines of Worcester, Middlesex and Berlin, to the southeast corner of the latter town; thence on a straight line to the northwest corner of Tunbridge [in Orange county], and on the west line of Tunbridge to the southwest corner of that town; thence in a stright line to the northwest corner of Barnard [in Windsor county]; thence on the west line of Barnard and Bridgewater, and the east line of Shrewsbury [in Rutland county]. to the southeast corner thereof ; thence west to the north- east corner of Wallingford; thence south on the east lines of Wallingford, Mt. Tabor, Peru, Winhall and Stratton, to the southeast corner of the latter town, and west on the south line of Stratton to the northwest corner of Som- erset ; thence south on the west line of Somerset to the southwest corner thereof ; thence east to the northwest corner of Wilmington; thence south on the west line of Wilmington and Whitingham to the north line of Massa- chusetts."

This session changed the name of Cumberland county to Unity county ; but as the change was made by a small majority it was re-called four days later and the name Cumberland reinstated. In October, 1780, the county of Cumberland was divided into half shires, of Cumberland and Gloucester, and in 1781, by act of legislature for the division of counties, Cumberland county, as a whole, was divided into Windham, Windsor and Orange coun-

BOUNDARIES.

ties. Orange county embraced all the northeast part of the state as formerly embraced in Gloucester county, and more recently as the shire of Gloucester. Newbury was the shire of Orange county. November 5, 1792, Caledonia county was incorporated from Orange county, containing all the territory north of the present bounds of Orange county ; but this county was not fully organized until November 8, 1796, when Danville was made its shire. It received its name from "Caledonia," the ancient Roman name of Scotland, out of courtesy to the numerous emigrants from that country who located here. In 1798 Orleans and Essex counties were incorporated from Caledonia, but were not fully organized until 1799, at which time Lunenburgh and Bruns- wick were established as half shires of Essex county. At the October ses- sion of the legislature in 1800, county officers were commissioned for the latter county, and in 1801 the shire was changed to Guildhall, where it has remained. In 1811, when the state was divided into eleven counties, four towns were taken from Caledonia towards forming Washington county, to which Woodbury was annexed in 1836 and Cabot in 1855. In 1856 the county seat was removed from Danville to St. Johnsbury, where new county buildings were erected-large, elegant structures.

Caledonia county is thus to-day bounded on the north by Orleans county, east by Essex county, southeast by Connecticut river, which separates it from Grafton county, N. H., south by Orange county, and west by Wash- ington and Lamoille counties. It lies between 44° 10', and 44° 45' north latitude, its length from north to south being about forty miles, and its breadth from east to west about thirty miles, thus having an area of about 700 square miles, which is divided into seventeen townships, as follows : Bar- net, Burke, Danville, Groton, Hardwick, Kirby, Lyndon, Newark, Peacham, Ryegate, Sheffield, Stannard, St. Johnsbury, Sutton, Walden, Waterford and Wheelock. It has a population of 23,607 souls.

The western part of the county is mountainous ; but though the towns in that part are on high lands, they admit of successful cultivation. The eastern part is an excellent farming country. The intervals on the Connecticut and Passumpsic rivers are easily cultivated. From the tops of the moun- tains in different parts of the county extensive prospects may be obtained, and in some sites grand views of the White mountains of New Hampshire, and the Green mountains of Vermont may be enjoyed. A mountain in Burke, rising to a height of 3,500 feet, is probably the highest land.

The county is well watered by many streams. The Connecticut river runs on the southeast side. The northern towns are watered by the head branches of the Passumpsic river, which is the largest in the county, and runs south and empties into the Connecticut river in Barnet. Wells, Stevens and Joe's rivers water it on the south, and the head branches of Onion (or Winooski) and La- moille rivers on the west. There are about twenty lakes and ponds in the county, the chief of which are Harvey's lake, in Barnet ; Wells river and Lund's ponds, in Groton; Cole's pond, in Walden ; Clark's and Center

CALEDONIA AND ESSEX COUNTIES.

ponds, in Newark; and Stile's pond, in Waterford. Fish of various kinds abound in most of the ponds and rivers. There are falls at different places on the Connecticut, Passumpsic, Wells and Joe's rivers. Stevens river, near its mouth, falls eighty feet in the distance of twenty rods. The water-power is improved by mills and factories built at the falls and other places on the streams.

There are numerous mineral springs in the county, and some are valu- able. Perhaps more noted than any others are the sulphur springs in Whee- lock. One is situated in the village, on the property of the late W. J. Fletcher, and the other but a short distance from the village, being brought by aqueduct to the former Spring hotel in the village, now converted into a tenement house. There are others of considerable note at Haynesville, in Hardwick, and near the old bone-meal factory in St. Johnsbury, where one comes out of the rock near Moose river, so near it is covered in high water by the water of the river.

Essex county lies between 44° 20', and 45° north latitude, and 4° 51' and 5° 28' east longitude, from Washington, bounded north by the Canada line ; east and south by the Connecticut river, which borders it for more than sixty-five miles ; southwest by Caledonia county ; and west by Orleans county. It is about forty-five miles in length, from north to south, and about twenty-three miles in width, comprising about 607 square miles of territory, or 388,40I acres, divided into sixteen towns and three gores, as follows : Averill (un- organized), Avery's Gore (unorganized), Bloomfield, Brighton, Brunswick, Canaan, Concord, East Haven, Ferdinand (unorganized), Granby, Guildhall, Lemington, Lewis (unorganized), Lunenburgh, Maidstone, Norton, Victory, Warner's Grant (unorganized), and Warren's Gore (unorganized). It has a population of 7,931 souls.

The surface of the county is hilly, and in some parts mountainous. Among the greatest elevations are Mile's mountain, in Concord, 2,700 feet ; Mt. Terg, in Lunenburgh, 2,210 feet ; Umpire mountain, in Victory, 2,500 feet ; Notch mountain, in Brunswick, 2,420 feet; Monadnock mountain, in Lem- ington, 3,025 feet. The following are also the heights of some points of interest where they have been definitely determined : Head of Fifteen-miles falls, on the Connecticut, at Lunenburgh, 806 feet ; Lunenburgh village, 1,285 feet ; Concord Corners, 1,095 feet ; Island pond, 1, 250 feet ; Guild- hall falls, water in from above, 810 feet ; mouth of Nulhegan, 962 feet ; East Concord, 794 feet ; West Concord, 816 feet ; Canaan Bridge, 1,051 feet ; Baldwin hill, Lunenburgh, 2, 180 feet ; Morse hill, Concord, 2,050 feet.

PONDS.

Maidstone lake, in Maidstone, and Island pond, in Brighton, are the largest bodies of water, having an area of about 1,200 acres each. The other towns nearly all contain natural ponds, though some are so far in the wilderness

1 f

PONDS, STREAMS, ETC.

that they are not often sought, yet are literally swarming with fine trout, ready for the angler who can brave the mosquitos and black flies in the trout season. The ponds are distributed about as follows :

Averill .. .

Lemington

Avery's Gore.

Lewis. .

Brighton

Lunenburgh 5

. 2

Brunswick .

Maidstone.

. 4

Canaan I'

Norton.

Concord

Ferdinand

Warren's Gore

. 2

Granby

STREAMS.

The streams are abundant in numbers, though not great in size. The Con- necticut skirts the edge of the county for nearly seventy miles, if measured as it flows, and this is really the Qunni-tuk-ut, or " long river country," from which word Connecticut is doubtless derived. .

The Nulhegan, or " Fish river " of the Indians, still retains the Indian name and many of the fish, and is the largest that is entirely within the county.

Moose river, so called from the abundance of moose formerly found in its vicinity, has at least a length of thirty-five miles in the county, and was formerly a very regular stream in its flow; but the cutting off of the forest from which its regular supply was kept up it is quite irregular at the present time, being nearly dry in midsummer and proportionally augmented in its flow during freshets.

Paul's stream can hardly be dignified by the name of river, and Island pond affords but a small stream for the Clyde.

There are numerous brooks, all furnishing more or less trout to the fisher- men, and the uneven country furnishes many mill-sites ; but the mills which in earlier times supplied the wants of the people are fast going to decay or being supplied with power by steam; as the failing water-supply incident upon the cutting away of the forests render the water-power, so regular of old, nearly worthless.

SPRINGS.

This county is well supplied with pure soft water from springs, so fully that almost every farm house can be accommodated with a stream of running water. There are also several mineral springs of note, among which are the Brunswick springs, situated in that town upon the bank of the Connecticut river, but some forty feet above high water and some twenty feet below the top of the bank. The water boils up in a semi-circle in six or seven places, and what is remarkable, seems to be of different mineral strength. One spring is pure as any spring water, while all the others are impregnated

Victory

. 2

CALEDONIA AND ESSEX COUNTIES.

in a greater or less degree. On the top of the bank, a few feet higher and perhaps a dozen rods distant from these springs, is a pond covering twenty- five or thirty acres. The water in this pond is clear and cold, and usually contains an abundance of fish, but once, perhaps, in ten or twelve years, the fish suddenly sicken, and in a few hours die. In their spasmodic effort they roil the water, otherwise clear, and it has a milky appearance for several days. This gradually subsides, and in two or three years fish are again found. The frogs also leave the pond in great numbers when the fish die, and for several weeks no animal life is seen around it. The cause of this great mor- tality is not known, yet it seems not improbable that the gas engendered from the same cause that impregnates the springs, may occasionally escape through the pond, impregnating the water, and thus destroying the animal life. The geological formation is here in some doubt; but the springs appear to issue from the mica slate formation, yet near its conflux with the protogine and granite of northern Essex.

A qualitative analysis of the strongest spring gives the following results :- One gallon of water contains 87₺ grains mineral and organic matter, which is composed of carbonate of potash, carbonate of soda, carbonate of lime, carbonate of magnesia, protoxide of iron, sulphuric acid, silicic acid, car- bonic acid, chlorine, and a residum of organic matter not yet determined. This spring, although chalybeate, is also strongly saline, being highly charged with alkaline salts.

Very near this spring another boils up impregnated with sulphuretted hy- drogen. It has 55} grains of mineral to the gallon. It is strongly impreg- nated with sulphur, but does not contain as much saline matter as the others; yet it is a strong chalybeate alkaline water, and both must be very useful in cutaneous diseases, also as an alterative. Water collected from a third spring, within a few inches, contained forty-nine grains of mineral to the gallon, and is similar to the first mentioned, only not so strong. These springs perhaps more nearly resemble the chalybeate springs of Germany than any others in New England, and are deserving of further investigation.

Next in importance seems to be a spring in Lunenburgh. This spring is situated near where the mica slate of the north unites with the talcose slate of the south part of the town, but really issues in the protogine formation of the river valley. It is within about ten rods of the Connecticut river, and on our warmest days the thermometer stands at 462º F. in its water. It is strongly chalybeate, a gallon of water contains forty-six grains of mineral, a very large proportion of which is iron. It contains protoxide of iron, carbon- ate of potash, carbonate of soda and carbonate of lime, and a slight trace of magnesium and a residum of organic matter. Only a faint trace of sulphur compounds is found, and it evolves no gas. This water, doubtless, will be found very valuable as an alterative and tonic, as it is so strongly impregnated with iron as to impart to it a yellowish tinge. It is a large spring, and, like those in Brunswick, is not affected by drouth, and only slightly in temperature

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MINERAL SPRINGS.

by the season. The extension of the White Mountain railroad passes on the opposite bank of the river, so this spring is easy of access.

Following the Connecticut river down a few rods from the Lunenburgh chalybeate springs, we find some half dozen small springs issuing from the bank within the space of a dozen rods, all of which are more or less chalybe- ate. One of them, however, is sufficiently pure to be used for all house- hold purposes by the family of James Phelps, Esq., on whose land they are situated. This spring contains about four and one half grains of mineral matter to the gallon, and from this the increase in different springs up to twenty grains per gallon. In all, the iron is the principal ingredients, and is held in solution by carbonic acid. The water is clear and pure when first drawn, but soon an ochreous sediment will be deposited on the bottom of the pail, or by boiling, which is hydrated peroxide of iron, liberated by the escape of the carbonic acid.

About half a mile from West Concord, near the road leading to Concord Corner, is a sulphated chalybeate spring on the land now owned by Harvey Judevine, Esq. This spring has been dug out, but apparently not at its head, and nowruns in an aqueduct to a dwelling where they make some use of it for household purposes, as there is no other water easily accessible. This spring issues from the talcose schist formation, and doubtless derives its sulphurous qualities from the oxidation of iron pyrites in the strata from which it issues. It is strongly impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen, which makes the water seem more fully impregnated with mineral matter that the analysis shows. It contains twenty-three grains of mineral matter to the gallon, which con- sists of peroxide of iron, from protosulphate, sulphuric acid, silicic acid, car- bonate of lime, carbonate of soda, a trace of sulphur, and organic matter.

There is also in West Concord a mineral spring on the bank of Moose river a few rods above the bridge that crosses the river on the farm of William Gould, Esq., about midway between West Concord village and St. Johnsbury East village. This is a saline spring, differing materially from any other known in this section. It is situated near the junction of the talcose schist of Concord, and the mica schists of Waterford, really upon a connecting line, . as near as can be determined, and probably issus from between the strata. It is not a strong mineral water, containing only nine and one-fourth grains of mineral matter to the gallon, and evolves no gas. It consists of corbonate of magnesia, carbonate of lime, chloride of sodium, silicon and organic matter. It seems to vary from time to time in its proportions, and it is consequently of apparently different strengths. Another mineral spring on the road from Bloomfield to Island Pond is found and doubtless others exist of which we have no knowledge.

CALEDONIA AND ESSEX COUNTIES.

GEOLOGICAL.

CALEDONIA COUNTY.

The larger part of this county is situated in the calciferous mica schist dis- trict, though there is argillaceous slate running through Waterford and Kirby, becoming quite narrow in Burke. Waterford, however is largely, especially all the east side of it, in the talcose formation, which is more extensive in Essex county, and belongs to the gold bearing formations. Some specimens of gold have been found in this town, and iron and copper pyrites in veins, as in Concord and other towns in Essex county ; but no extensive openings have been made as in Concord. In Waterford there is an outcrop of slate that has been quarried for roofing slates with some success, as it is near St. Johnsbury, where there would be considerable demand for slate. It would doubtless be wrought at the present time with some profit. In Kirby, Kirby mountain, so-called, is largely granite of very good quality. It is now quar- ried more or less.

Blue mountain, in Ryegate, is also granite, and there is upon it some of the best quarries in the state. The largest is owned by the " Ryegate Granite Works." This is a medium colored granite of excellent grain and texture, and during the past year over $150,000.00 worth has been sold. A word further on this subject :-

The granite producing part of Ryegate consists of an area of three hun- dred acres on the south and west sides of Blue mountain. Observation shows that the granite was undoubtedly thrown up by volcanic action, and lies in sheets varying in thickness from a few inches to ten or fifteen feet. Ever since the town was first settled, one hundred or more years ago, by the Scotch, this granite has been utilized to some extent. As many as seventy years ago Joseph Carruth worked the stone from these quarries for door-steps, chimney jams, fire-places, etc., together with head-stones and rude monuments. Specimens of his work can be seen to-day in old buildings and grave-yards around Ryegate and Peacham. Later on a Mr. Sartwell, from an adjoining town, took up the business and carried on quite a local trade in the same line. Perhaps the most widely known monument of his time is the soldiers' monu- ment at Peacham, Vt. Next, Peter B. Laird and Joseph George commenced to work the stone at South Ryegate, and when the M. & W. R. R. R., was built through from Montpelier to Wells River, in 1874, Sumner Kimball, from Montpelier, bought all that part of the quarry land extending along the west side of the mountain, comprising about two hundred and twenty-five acres, and where the finest and best stock for monumental purposes is found. In 1875 R. F. Carter, from Baltimore, Md., came to Vermont, and purchased an interest in the business, and commenced the work in earnest, shipping stone both rough and in its manufactured state, to all parts of the country. Before this time the granite from the Ryegate quarries had been only known

ber

B te te en

GEOLOGICAL.

and used in a local way in our own state. In 1878 Mr. Carter bought from Sum- ner Kimball all his interest in the quarries, and moved to South Ryegate, where he built up the works known throughout the country as the Ryegate Granite Works. In every state, from Massachusetts to Colorado, and from Dakota to Mississippi, the stone from this quarry, and the work from the Ryegate Granite Works, is known, and some of the largest public monuments in the country have been executed here. This quarry, undoubtedly, is the most ex- tensive, and, all things considered, the best for monumental purposes in the United States.

While the geological structure of the county in its rocks possesses no more than ordinary interest, the terraces in many sections are of great interest in connection with the drift that not only gave the northeastern part of the state its soil, but its surface stones and bowlders. The terrace system gives numerous beds of sand and clay suitable for bricks, which are extensively manufactured in the county. Hitchcock states that notwithstanding the size and number of terraces on the Passumpsic, we will not, at present, venture to specify more than two or three basins, so connected with one another are all the lateral terraces. The first of them extends from the mouth of the river in Barnet, to the northwest corner of the town of Waterford, near the Passumpsic station, on the Connecticut and Passumpsic Rivers railroad, and is about four miles in length. The river passes through a narrow valley in Barnet, a kind of gorge, with no terraces. Then there may be seen narrow terraces, which, at Passumpsic, expand and form a beautful basin. The fourth terrace on the west side of the river passes into the next basin, which is embraced in the towns of St. Johnsbury and Lyndon. Upon this high ter- race is the beautiful village of St. Johnsbury, designated as St. Johnsbury Plain. A. D. Hagar states that the base of the terraces at St. Johnsbury is composed of clay. The same terrace occurs on both sides of the valley beyond Lyndon, and the lower terraces may be seen at intervals.

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Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, Vt. 1764-1887, Part 2

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn Publication date: 1887 Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders Number of Pages: 886

Author: Child, Hamilton, 1836- comp. cn
Publication date: 1887
Publisher: Syracuse, N. Y., Syracuse Journal Co., Printers and Binders
Number of Pages: 886