USA > Vermont > The Lake Champlain and Lake George valleys, Vol II > Part 8
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Next in alphabetical order is the town of Highgate, in the extreme northwestern corner of Franklin County, bounded by Canada on the north, Missisquoi Bay on the northwest, Swanton on the west and southwest, Sheldon on the southeast, and Franklin on the east. Its his- tory is somewhat complicated. Originally it was chartered by Went- worth in 1763, but the proprietors did not live up to the provisions of the grant. In 1781, the Vermont Legislature granted approximately the same territory to another group of individuals led by Theodore Woodbridge, of Rhode Island, and for a short period the town was named for its leading proprietor. In time this charter also became outlawed, and was handed to Ira Allen as security for Vermont's indebtedness to him. Town government was ultimately organized in 1791 or 1792, but the present boundaries were not settled until 1836. In general the early development of Highgate was similar to that of the surrounding towns. Its population increased to 103 in 1791, 437 in 1800, and to 1,374 in 1810. During the period of the War of 1812, there was not so much excitement here as in Georgia, probably
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because Highgate's location as a border town made it easy for its inhabitants to smuggle goods across the line without being detected and caught by the patriot faction or by customs officials. Some of the first settlers were Germans, who had served as soldiers in England's armies. They originally settled here, believing themselves to be on Canadian soil, and built homes. When the boundary line was finally established and it was discovered that they were on American soil they decided to remain. As a whole, the township is pleasant and attrac- tive, and in 1930 it had a population of 1,574. Highgate Springs seems to have a future because of its growing popularity as a summer resort. Although lime is manufactured here its main interests center around the mineral springs and the attractions of nearby Missisquoi Bay.
Montgomery is located in the extreme eastern section of the county, bounded by Richford, on the north, Enosburg on the west, Avery's Gore on the south, and Orleans County on the east. Its charter was dated 1789, and the first town meeting was held in 1802. Captain Joshua Clapp, of Worcester County, Massachusetts, was the first settler, in 1793. Because of the mountainous character of the township and the large supply of spruce timber, lumbering became the leading occupation. The manufacture of butter tubs and rough bobbins was also remunerative. The political development of the town was similar to that of communities already discussed. Although at one time the town's chief agricultural specialty was the growth of timothy grass seed. today it is dairying. The two villages are Montgomery and Montgomery Center. The population of the entire township in 1930 was 1,386. It is claimed that the first man to can meat success- fully in the United States was William Clapp, who was born here.
Next we come to the scenic township of Richford, located in the extreme northeastern corner of Franklin County. It is bounded on the north by Canada, on the west by Berkshire, on the south by Mont- gomery, and on the east by Orleans County. It was originally char- tered by the Vermont Legislature, settled in 1795, and organized in 1799. Among the early enterprises were a trip-hammer shop, a distillery, and cloth works, but by far the most important industry was lumbering. A thriving settlement sprang up around the falls of the Missisquoi, known as the village of Richford. It was incorporated in 1878, and in spite of fires and floods, is today an active commu-
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nity. The chief industry of the present day is woodworking, and con. sists of furniture, veneer and plywood mills. Richford is one of the few towns that has increased in population since 1890. On that date it had 2,200 inhabitants, half of whom were to be found in the village. In 1930, forty years later, the town's population was 2,544, and of this number 1,783 were in Richford village. In Franklin County, Richford Township is exceeded only by the town of Swanton and the city of St. Albans, while Richford village is the largest of the county's three incorporated villages.
Next we come to the township and city of St. Albans. The history of the two is inseparable, and will be considered together. The town- ship is bounded on the west by Lake Champlain, on the south by Georgia, on the southeast by Fairfield, and on the northeast by Swan- ton. It was granted by Governor Wentworth of New Hampshire in 1763. Ira Allen and his associates knew more of the fine qualities of this area than did the original grantees, and bought up a large major- ity of their claims at ridiculously low prices. Furthermore they made certain, when the land was surveyed, that they obtained the choicest strips for themselves. Allen also built roads through St. Albans as well as elsewhere, but it was the actual settlers that paid the large bill presented. At times land was sold for taxes, and Aldrich ("History of Franklin and Grand Isle Counties") has preserved for us the details of a vendue sale, brought about by certain parties for the purpose of getting possession of coveted lands. "It appears that at the appointed time and place a good number of persons were present to protect their own and the town's interests, but this did not please certain men who wanted the land at a low figure. As a consequence [the presiding officer ] adjourned the sale till twelve o'clock, meaning, presumably, the next day at twelve, for it was then afternoon; but he added in an undertone to those near him, 'twelve o'clock tonight.' At midnight those who were parties to this nefarious scheme were at the place and 'bid in' the lands at a merely nominal price."
The first settlement was made about 1774 by Jesse Welden. He was a citizen of Connecticut by birth, but came to St. Albans from the town of Sunderland, Vermont. During the Revolution he van- ished, and it is said that he was captured by the British. In any case he reappeared in 1785 and established residence. Other settlers soon followed in his footsteps and town government was organized in 1788.
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In 1790 there was a population of 256, while three years later, having won out over Enosburg, Sheldon and Fairfield, St. Albans became the shire town of Franklin County. From that time until 1860, the township had a fairly consistent growth and at that date had 3,637 inhabitants. The greatest development of St. Albans, however, was based on the Central Vermont Railroad. The first train entered the village in 1850, hauled by the "Abagail Adams," a small wood- burning locomotive. Ten years later, in 1860, the general offices of the Central Vermont were moved here from Northfield, and machine and car shops soon followed. As a result, the population of the township of St. Albans rose from 3,637 in 1860, to 7,014 in 1870, while the village, incorporated in 1859, became a thriving metropolis, assuming city status in 1897. In 1930, St. Albans Township had a population of 1,691, while the city reported a total of 8,020. The latter's greatest increase since incorporation was 18.9 per cent. between 1910 and 1920. Today the most important economic interest at St. Albans centers around the railroad as in the past. There are, how- ever, other industries of a thriving nature. By virtue of its position in a county known for dairy products, St. Albans is naturally a center of their distribution. Here also we find the production of lime, live- stock feeds, maple sugar, sugar making equipment and other goods. One who is not well acquainted with St. Albans might be pardoned for deciding that since it is primarily a railroad town it is covered with cinders and enveloped with smoke; but such is not the case. The city has a beautiful natural setting and the railroad magnates had the fore- sight to locate their works in such a way as not to mar the scenery.
Although St. Albans was never the scene of memorable battles, it witnessed several interesting events. By virtue of its leadership of Franklin County, it was destined to play an important part in many episodes. That famous smuggling craft called the "Black Snake," con- cerning which we have written elsewhere, was owned by a St. Albans merchant. In 1814 while the battle of Plattsburgh Bay was being waged near the opposite shore of Lake Champlain, most of the resi- dents of St. Albans gathered on the hillsides to await the verdict of the gods. The fight was far away and could not be seen clearly, and when the battle ended so quickly the Vermonters for some reason or other decided that the enemy must have won. It was not until several hours had passed, at sunset, that they learned the truth about Mac-
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donough's astounding victory. As has been pointed out previously, St. Albans became a base for Canadian rebels in the revolution of 1837, and a source of British vexation. During the Fenian attempts to conquer Canada in 1866, 300 Irishmen who called themselves "the right wing of the army of Ireland," pitched their camp in the public square, uninvited and unwelcomed. They were unarmed and paid cash for what supplies they desired, so were treated with tolerance by the inhabitants. When they advanced into Canada, many residents of St. Albans went along with them just to see the fun. The Ver- monters, however, saw little fun, but a lot of mud, while some were nearly captured by the English. When the Fenians finally retreated to St. Albans into the arms of General Meade, both they and the Vermont sight-seers had had enough. The most spectacular event ever associated with St. Albans, however, was the Confederate bank raid of 1864. This has been described in sufficient detail elsewhere, and is primarily notable as being the most northerly maneuver of the Civil War. Certainly Lincoln never felt that he had any reason to fear a Confederate attack at that point. One of the most interesting stories associated with this raid concerns a zealous citizen of St. Albans who seized a gun, not his own, and joined the pursuit of the Confederates northward. In the turmoil he lost the gun. When he returned home the rightful owner demanded compensation for the loss of his favorite weapon. The man, who had taken it, insisted that he had been merely acting in the public interest, and that it was up to the town to make retribution. After extended debate, the town fathers finally voted to pay the owner the price of the gun on the theory that its loss was the fortune of war and should be borne by the public, rather than by an individual.
Sheldon is located in the north central part of Franklin County, surrounded by Enosburg, Fairfield, Swanton, Highgate and Franklin townships. When it was originally granted by Governor Wentworth in 1763 it was known as Hungerford in honor of one of the propri- etors. Among the first settlers, who arrived in 1790, was George Sheldon, a son of an intimate friend of George Washington, and it was in his honor that the name of the town was changed two years later. Town government was organized in 1791. According to an early historian (P. B. B. Northrup) the settlers were literally overrun with wild animals. "Of the larger there were moose and bears, together
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with packs of wolves and herds of deer. Wolves in particular were a great annoyance for a long time. Whole flocks of sheep were some- times destroyed by them in a single night. Fires would have to be kindled about the barns and lights hung in the barns to frighten them away. Retiring to the hills they would howl dismally through the night, while the hoarse sound of 'wolves! wolves !' would be shouted from house to house. So bold were they in some instances that prints of their paws had been found on snow-covered window-sills in the morning. Bears were so common that travelers were confronted by them and obliged to fly to the nearest tree."
Sheldon has had a variety of economic interests. An ore bed was discovered here, and a forge and a furnace were erected in 1799. Four years later, a carding mill began operations. There were also at one time extensive mineral spring interests, the water being bottled in considerable quantities and shipped to all parts of the country. A large hotel was constructed here at that time, but today the spring area is nearly deserted. The principal industry in Sheldon Township was dairying, and in one period the town was one of the leading cen- ters of cheese production in the entire State of Vermont. Of more recent origin is the business of the Missisquoi Pulp and Paper Com- pany, which today is the real economic foundation of the village of Sheldon Springs. The present day story of most small rural town- ships of this area is generally one of decline, but this is not true of Sheldon. From 1910 to 1930 it increased in population from 1,246 to 1,563, a rise of over twenty five per cent. Sheldon has never been associated with military events on a wide scale, the main incidents of this nature being the retreat across its borders of the Confederates after their raid on St. Albans in 1864, and the activities of the Fenians in 1866.
Last, but far from least, among the townships of Franklin County is Swanton. In fact, from the historical point of view, it is by far the most important community in the county. It is located on the shore of Lake Champlain between St. Albans and Highgate. It is not only blessed by its fine scenery, but was also endowed by the Creator with rich soil, fine mill-sites, mineral wealth, and other physical attri- butes. Great huckleberry and cranberry marshes were located in the northwestern section along the sides of the Missisquoi. Not only did they provide fruit for the inhabitants, but they also constituted a rare
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shelter for game birds, and were consequently a sportsman's paradise.
Swanton constituted one of the most important Indian settlements of the entire Champlain Valley. The seemingly inexhaustible supply of fur-bearing animals, birds and fish attracted the red men like syrup calls flies. As has been noted elsewhere the dreaded St. Francis Indi- ans were chief among the tribes that loved to frequent this area. Here we find valued relics of their occupation and many burial grounds. The date of their first arrival is unknown. It is apparently estab- lished, however, that a plague hit them hard and caused them to abandon their first settlements at one time. They later returned about 1741, and some of them remained until long after the coming of the English. As late as 1793 there were seventy or eighty of them here, and their rear-guard did not leave until 1799. And even then, for years afterward, they returned to hunt and fish.
Swanton was also a center of early French settlement, which began at least by 1700 and perhaps earlier. A Jesuit mission was established near the falls at some unknown date for the purpose of converting the Indians to Christianity. Here the priest erected a stone church to serve their needs. In the chapel was hung a bell which called the faithful to worship each morning and each evening. For years before the coming of the English, this outpost of French civili- zation existed undisturbed while the red men took time off from their hunts and festivities, and, leaving their wigwams each day, went in answer to the bell to hear what the brave Jesuits had to say. Swanton Falls was also the site of the first sawmill constructed in the entire State of Vermont. It was built by the French long before the French and Indian War. These settlements, however, ceased to exist with Amherst's victorious assault on Ticonderoga and Crown Point.
After England gained control of the valley, the settlers of Swan- ton were of two varieties, Dutch and Yankee. The first permanent inhabitant was John Hillicker, a Dutchman from White Plains, New York, in 1779, although an Englishman named Robinson or Robert- son established a lumber mill here as early as 1765. The town's charter was one of Wentworth's grants, made in 1763; it was named in honor of Captain William Swanton of the British army. None of the original grantees ever settled in the township, Ira Allen buying up fifty-nine of the sixty-four original shares in accordance with his usual methods and custom. The first town meeting was held in 1790, and in
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spite of the presence of Indians during that decade, there were 858 inhabitants by 1800. In addition to the usual industries of farming, lumbering and allied occupations, Swanton also became important in other economic fields. Iron was manufactured here beginning in 1800, and continuing until fuel became too costly, and bog ore too scarce. Marble was quarried here, and in 1812 the first mill to saw it was erected at Swanton Falls. This industry developed to a considerable extent, and we find that marble was also brought here from Isle La- Motte for sawing. Ship-building was another important industry.
During the War of 1812, Swanton was a small military post, and barracks and storehouses were constructed here. On one occasion, in 1813, when only a small American garrison was on guard, a detach- ment of 600 Britishers appeared. After destroying the barracks and burning all other government property they could find, they pillaged the inhabitants. The following year, Swanton was rather excited over the battle of Plattsburgh, while in 1837 it was interested in the Canadian revolt. Both before and after the War of 1812, this town was foremost in the smuggling activities carried on in these border communities. Smuggling was so rife and general that Federal soldiers, sent here for that purpose, were not able to seriously impede this illegal traffic. During the prohibition era of the 1920's many residents of Swanton reverted to the lucrative trade of their ancestors. The town's population was 3,231 in 1890, 3,628 in 1910, and 3,433 in 1930. The town's metropolis is the incorporated village of Swan- ton, whose population increased from 1,236 in 1910 to 1,558 in 1930. Next to St. Albans and Richford it is the largest community of Frank- lin County.
In addition to the towns discussed, there is a small unorganized bit of land, east of Bakersfield, which is known as Avery's Gore. Its story is as simple as that of other similar remnants of territory left over from the creations of counties and townships, and its history is of no consequence whatever. I am sure the reader prefers to leave the story of Franklin County, not with a mind cluttered with dates and facts pertaining to Avery's Gore, but with thoughts centered on Swanton, the shining historical gem of this interesting area.
CHAPTER IX
Essex County
Essex is a county of many distinctions. In area it is exceeded in New York State only by St. Lawrence County. Its elevation is the highest. It is by all odds the most mountainous and contains a num- ber of picturesque peaks. For rough mountain scenery, Essex County easily surpasses any comparable territory where it has been my for- tune to visit. No other county in this area has such awe-inspiring and precipitous peaks. After gazing at these summits, the other mountains of this section, although very beautiful in their turn, seem like gentle hills. Their majesty and grandeur constitute the outstanding char- acteristic of Essex County. Mount Marcy is the highest summit in the entire Adirondack area as well as Essex County, but Whiteface is the most graceful and the best known. Here also we find a land abounding in lakes and rivers. Essex County not only borders on Lake Champlain and Lake George, but includes beautiful Lake Placid (which although small has a world-wide reputation), Paradox, Pharaoh, part of Schroon, and a large number of other lakes and ponds, all of which are decidedly pleasing to the human eye. Here in the mountains of Essex we find the headwaters of the mighty Hudson and its ally, the Schroon River. Along the northern border, facing Clinton County, we meet once more the mighty gorge of the Ausable. Other streams are the Boquet and the Saranac.
From 1683 to 1772 it was a part of ancient Albany County; from 1772 until 1788 it belonged to Washington County (originally called Charlotte) ; while from 1788 to 1799 it was included in Clinton. On the latter date it became a separate political unit with Essex as the first seat of government. Today it is bounded on the north by Frank- lin and Clinton counties, on the west by Franklin and Hamilton, on the south by Hamilton, Warren and Washington, and on the east by Lake Champlain.
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Although no permanent Indian occupation existed here, the east- ern section in particular was well known to the red men. Along its eastern border was the gateway to Canada. Here fleets of canoes filled with hideously painted savages glided northward and southward in search of scalps and plunder. Along the shore the red men often halted to hunt, to spend the night, or to torture their captives. On countless occasions the peace and quiet of the countryside was shat- tered by the dread warwhoop or the shrieks of prisoners. A great variety of relics indicate their constant use of this old war trail. The most famous of all Indian episodes connected with the history of Essex County was the one in which Champlain implicated himself at Ticon- deroga in 1609. As will be recalled, this great Frenchman on this occasion helped a party of friendly Algonquins to defeat a band of Iroquois. Although, as has been pointed out elsewhere, there has been a tendency to overestimate the importance of this battle in deter- mining the future of France in the New World, there is no doubt but that the bitter enmity of the Iroquois for things French, so unneces- sarily aroused here by Champlain, tended to cement the friendship between those Indians and the English which was based primarily on the fur trade.
During both the French and Indian Wars and the American Rev- olution, the possession of the narrow part of Lake Champlain was of paramount importance. Forts erected here could control the main road of conquest and the chief artery of commerce. As early as 1731 the French fortified Crown Point and soon built Fort St. Frederic here. For many years it was the chief rallying-point for countless marauding expeditions against the English settlements. Later, when Fort Carillon was erected at Ticonderoga in 1755, it assumed a posi- tion of secondary importance. During the last French and Indian War, Ticonderoga was the Gibraltar of French power in the Cham- plain Valley. During the American Revolution, its strategic impor- tance was tremendous. To write a complete sketch of the history of the two forts would be to repeat much of the military story of the entire valley. Without question, Ticonderoga was the most impor- tant military position in this entire area. Previous to its construction, Crown Point was supreme, and during the great French and Indian War it was challenged by Fort William Henry at the southern end of Lake George; but considering its entire history it towers head and shoulders
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above all its competitors. Because of geographical reasons already indicated, and by virtue of the many important military movements centering around the two forts mentioned, Essex County ranks high among the subdivisions of New York State in historical significance.
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time settlement was to be permanent. The attractions of the section bordering on Lake Champlain needed little advertising because the thousands of soldiers who had passed this way were aware of the beauty and the fertility of the valley. Among the early pioneers, there was one who dwarfed all the others by comparison. He was a New York Irishman named William Gilliland, who procured land grants on the Boquet River and brought settlers here in 1765. More will be heard of this unusual individual in the history of the various towns. During the Revolution, he lost the confidence of the patriots. To what extent this loss of faith was justifiable it is difficult to determine. It has been said that a man is known by the company he keeps, and
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