History of Vermont, natural, civil, and statistical

Preface

. Ever since the publication of his Gazetteer of Vermont in 1824, the author has contemplated a larger work, which should embrace, not only the Gazetteer, but a general History of the state, both Natural and Civil. He accordingly commenced collecting and laying aside materials for that purpose, and during the four years last past, he has devoted the greater part of his time to the preparation and publication of the work. His means and facilities for the researches and investigations in which he has been engaged, have not been such as he could have wished ; but he lias endeavored to improve these, such as they were, to the best advantage ; and now, through the blessing of a kind Providence, he is enabled to lay before his fellow citizens the result of his labors. That his work, embracing, as it does, sub jects so multifarious and dissimilar, has many imperfections, he is fully sensible; but he ventures to indulge the hope that it may be found to answer the reasonable expectations of all, and especially of those who can duly appreciate the labor and difficulties of a work of this kind.

For convenience in printing, the three several parts into which the work is divi ded, have been separately paged, and, to the two first parts, separate indices have been prepared. On account of the alphabetical arrangement of the third part, an index to that was thought to be unnecessary. Part First is devoted to the Natural History of the state, and is almost wholly the result of original investigations. The only general account of our Natural History, which has hitherto been published, is that contained in Dr. Williams' History. Though highly interesting and useful, that account was prepared at a period and under circumstances which necessarily rendered it imperfect, and in many respects erroneous. Misled by the vulgar names, and depending upon the representations ofthe hunters, he has in, perhaps, a majority of cases, applied the scientific names of European animals to ours, which, though bearing considerable resemblance to them, are specifically distinct.

The first chapter of this part contains the result of several years' meteorological observations made by the author at .Burlington, and also of observations made at several other places within the state. Some new views will also be found here respecting the formation of ice, earthquakes, the cause of the coldness of our climate compared with that of Europe, ifcc. The descriptions in the four following chapters have been nearly all made by the author, directly from Vermont animals. In some cases, where Vermont specimens could not be procured, and the animal was known to exist in the state, a borrowed description has been introduced, but in all such cases the source from which it was derived has been indicated, by placing the name of the author at the close of the description. In making out his account of the Birds, he was much assisted by a list of Vermont Birds, kindl3> furnished by Dr. Thomas M. Brewer, of Boston ; and in determining several species of Reptiles and Fishes, he has been kindly aided by Dr. D. H. Storer, also of Boston.

For the full descriptions of our Molluscous Animals, in the sixth chapter, ho is indebted to the kindness of Prof. C. B. Adams, of Middle bury College, and the full and excellent Catalogue of Vermont Plants has been

PREFACE.

. IV generously prepared for this work by William Oakes, Esq., of Ipswich, Mass., who ranks among the first botanists in the country. The eighth chapter remains to be written after a Geological Survey ofthe state shall have been effected. Part Second contains a connected Civil History of the state from the first discovery of its territory down to the year 1842. That portion of the history, which pre cedes the admission of Vermont into the Union, being of a very peculiar and inter esting character, has been treated more fully than in any previous history of the state. The materials for this portion have been principally derived from Dr. Wil liams' History, the Hon. William Slade's Vermont State Papers, and a valuable series of papers recently published at Bennington, in the State Banner, under the title of Historical Readings, and understood to be from the pen ofthe Hon.HiLAND Hall, one of our Representatives in Congress.

Of these works he has made free use, which he would here publicly acknowledge, as he has often copied their language as well as their facts, and has not been particular to disfigure his pages with quotation marks. From the admission of Vermont into the Union, only a rapid sketch of the political history of the state has been given ; but to oompensate for deficiencies here, he has added, in separate chapters, the history of the political, the literary, and the religious institutions, with a closing chapter upon the state of society. The assistance, which he has received, in the preparation of these, will be found duly acknowledged in the progress of the work. Part Third is, to a considerable extent, a reprint of the author's Gazetteer, published in 1824. Many additions and corrections have, however, been introduced, together with the most important statistics collected at the last census, and the his tory ofthe towns has, in most cases, been brought down to the year 1841.

The Map has been prepared with much care, and will, it is believed, be found more correct than any map of the state hitherto published. It is engraved upon Bteel, and that, and all the other engravings have been executed expressly for this work, by Mr. J. H. Hills, of Burlington, and in a manner, which we think highly creditable to him as an artist. From the beginning of his undertaking, the author has endeavored to keep two objects constantly in view ;— first, to embrace in his work every thing of special importance relative to the Natural and Civil History of the state ; and, secondly, to publish it in so condensed and cheap a form as to place it within the reach of all the families in the state. In his endeavor to effect these objects he has spared neither labor nor expense ; nor has he had any special regard to a pecuniary recompense from the sale of his book, as will appear from the fact that he has added more than 150 pages to the amount required in order to fulfil the conditions of his prospectus, the whole number of pages being 656, and the number promised only 500.

His work, such as it is, he now submits to his fellow citizens. If it shall answer the purposes for which he has designed it, the author will expect his highest re ward in the reflection that he has not added to the number of useless books. Burlington, Oct. 3, 1842. THOMPSON'S VERMONT. $a*t ffixut. NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT.

Chapter I. Descriptive And Physical Geography Of Vermont

Vermont is in the township of Canaan, and the most western in the township of Addison. This state lies nearly in the middle ofthe north temperate zone. The longest day at the south line of the state, is 15h. 9m. 9s., and at the north line, 15h. 25m. 50s. Section I. Situation, Boundaries, Extent and Divis^ ions. Situation. — Vermont is situated in the northwestern corner of New England, and lies between the parallels of 42° 44' and 45° of north latitude, and between 3° 35' and 5° 29' of east longitude from the Capitol ofthe United States at Washing ton, or between 71° 33' and 73° 25' of west longitude from Greenwich Observa tory.* The most eastern extremity of Boundaries. — Vermont is bounded on the north by the province of Canada, on the east by New Hampshire, on tlie south by Massachusetts, and on the west by New York.

The north line of the state runs upon the parallel of latitude 45Q north. This line was first surveyed by commissioners appointed by the provinces of New York and Canada, in the year 1767. It was afterwards run, but very erroneously, by I. Collins and I. Garden. in 1772. In 1306, Dr. Samuel Williams made some observations with the view of ascertaining the true north lineof the state, and still further observations were made in 1818, by Messrs. Hassler and Tiarks, sur veyors under the treaty of Ghent. Ac- * Where it. is not otherwise specified, tlie longitudes given in this work are in nil cases reckoned from the Capitol of tho United States, The longitude of the Capitol from Greenwich, according to the most recent observations, is 71 u 1' 43". It is very much to be lamented that the longitude of places in Vermont is so imperfectly known.

We are not aware that a single point within the state iias boon determined with anv prehensions to accuracy. True, a few solar eclipses have been observed and some calculations have been made, for the purpose of deducing from them the longitude of the places; but the only observations within our kiM-i-i 1'ilge, which have hitherto been regarded us entitled to any degree of confidence, were those of the solar eclipse of 1311, made at Burlington by Prof. James Dean and John Johnson, E*i|.* nnd at Rutland by Dr. Williams. The longitude of the University of Vermont, deduced from these observations by Dr. Bowditch, was 73° 14' 34", and of Rutland court house 7a9 57' 27' ' west from Greenwich observatory, and in accordance with these has the longitude of tho different parts ofthe state been laid down upon our maps.

In 1838, the author prepared, with much care, lor observing the large solar eclipse of that year, for the purpose of determining the longitude ofthe University. But the opportu nity proved unfavorable, the sun being hid by clouds daring tlie greater part of the eclipse. Of the be ginning he had a tolerable observation, and from this alone he carefully calculated tlie longitude by Dr. Bowditrh's precepts, and the result was 73° IO' 36'' fonthe longitude ofthe University, or about 4m. less than waa obtained from the preceding observations ; aud, as he is inclined, from other circumstances, to think it as noar an approximation to the true Ion gitude as aoy yet obtained, he has adopted it io this work. Pt. i. J Part I. 2 NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. BOUNDARIES. EXTENT. AREA. DIVISIONS. former being about 175 miles, and the lat ter, following the course ofthe Connecti cut, 215 miles.* The state is divided into two equal parts by the parallel of 44d. 9m. north latitude, and also by the meridian in4d. 10m. of east longitude.

These two lines intersect each other near the western line of Northfield, and about 10 miles south westerly from Montpelier, and the point of intersection is the geographi cal centre ofthe state. Divisions. — The Green Mountains ex tend quite through the state from south to north, and, following the western range, divide it into. two very nearly equal parts. These form the only natural division, with the exception of the waters of lake Champlain, which divide the county of Grand Isle from the counties of Franklin and Chittenden, and the several islands which compose that county, from each other, and from the main land. For civil purposes the state is divided into 14 counties, which are sub-divided into 245 town ships, and several small gores of land, which are not yet annexed to, or formed into, townships.

The names ofthe counties, the date of their incorporation, the shire towns, and the number of towns in each county at the present time (1842,) are exhibited in the following table : cording to the latter, the 45th parallel lies a little to the southward of the line pre viously established, but it is not yet finally settled. The eastern boundary was es tablished by a decree of George III, July 20th, 1764, which declared the western bank of the Connecticut river to be the western boundary of New Hampshire. The southern boundary is derived from a royal decree of March 4th, 1740, and was surveyed by Richard Hazen, in Feb ruary and March, 1741. This line, which was the divisional line between Massachu setts and New Hampshire, was to run due west from a point three miles to the north ward of Patucket falls, till it reached the province of New York.

It was run by the compass, and ten degrees allowed for westerly variation ofthe magnetic needle. This being too great an allowance, the line crossed the Connecticut river 2' 57" to the northward of a due west line. In consequence of this error, New Hamp shire lost 59,873 acres, and Vermont 133, 897 acres, and the south line of the state is not parallel with the north line. The western boundary was settled by the governments of Vermont and New York at the close of their controversy, in 1790. This line passes along the western boun daries of the townships of Pownal. Ben nington, Shaftsbury, Arlington, Sandgate, Rupert, Pawlet, Wells and Poultney, to Poultney river ; thence along the middle ofthe deepest channel of said river, East bay and lake Champlain to the 45th de gree of north latitude, passing to the east ward ofthe islands called the Four Broth ers, and to the westward of Grand Isle and Isle la Motte.

The portion of this line between the southwest corner ofthe state and Poultney river, was surveyed in 1813 and 1814, and the report and plan of the survey are in the office of the Secretary of State at Montpelier. Extent and Area. — The length of Ver mont from north to south is 157£ miles, and the average width from east to west 57J miles, which gives an area of 9,056^ square miles, or 5,795,900 acres. The length of the north line of the state is 90 miles, and ofthe south line 41 miles, but, on account of the great bend pf the Con necticut to the westward, the mean width of the state is considerable less than the mean between these two lines, as above stated. The width of the state from Barnet to Charlotte through Mont pelier, which is 50 miles nearer to the northern than to the southern boundary, is only about 60 miles.

On account of the irregularities in the western and eastern boundaries, both these lines are longer than the moan length ofthe state, the Cnunties. Incor porrtted. Shire Town... No- Addison, Feb.27, 1767 MfdiTlebury, 22 Bennington PeK.il, 1779 5rennlngt°n 17 b ' Manchester, Caledonia, Nov. 5, 1792 Danville, 18 Chittenden, Oct.22, 1782 Burlington, 15 Essex, Nov. 5, 1792 Guildhall, 17 Franklin, Nov. 5, 1792 St. Albans, 14 Grand Isle, Nov. 9, 1802 North Hero, 5 Lamoille Oct.26, 1835 Hydepark, 12 Orange, Feb. 1781 Chelsea, 17 Orleans, Nov. 5, 1792 Irasburgh, 19 Rutland, Feb. 1781 Rutland, 26 Washington Nov. 1,1810 Montpelier, 17 Windham, Feb. 11, 1779 Newfane, 23 Windsor, Feb. 1781 Woodstock, 23 * Dr. Williams (vol. I, p. 24) seems to have, in advertently, taken the mean of the two ends of tho stale for its mean width and thus computed tho area at 10,237 1-4 square miles, or 1181m. too much ; hut this is the area which has usually been given in our geographies and other works respecting Ver mont.

As the area of countries forms the basis of statistical tables, it is a matter of some consequence that it should be correctly stated. Suppose for ex ample, we wish to know how Vermont compares with the other states in density of population, wo divide the population of each state by its area and the quotient is the average number of persons to each squnre mile in the states re..poctively. Now if we take the last census and the area at 10,237, the population is only about 28 to a square mile, but if we take the true area, 0,056, it is 32 to tho square mile, which would effect very materially its relation to the other states. According to the census of 1820, Vormont was sot down as the 10th state in density DESCRIPTIVE GEOGRAPHY. 3 Chap. 1. PRINCIPAL SUMMITS. FACE or THE COUNTRY. = DIAGRAM I!

Of the relative altitudes of some of the principal Heights in Vermont above the sea. 1270 The Linn, or North fuaK ot .uanstioia jiouniai.i_.-i . ll&l Camel'.. Hump, --7 "■ Hl-iG Shrewsbury Mountain, ; I h i Nose, or South Peak of Mansfield Mountains, - 3E.21 Killington Peak, 3706 Equinox Mountain. Manchester .1320 Aeeutoey Moautaln, --—-— — —•— — -- — — — 2063 Middlebury turnpike, «*-- 1910 Peru turnpike, 1682 Keyes turnpUo, — ** 951 summit level ot Roxbury, ■ . . .- 90^ summit level at Williamstown, 791.Manche_.ter villiage, - 465 Mont pel. er villiago, _ 430'Nnrwich University, - 370- University of Vermont, . . . . - 90 j Surface of Lake Champlain, • -= Section II. Face of the country. of the roads, more particularly in their more judicious location near the streams, the difficulty of crossing the mountain has nearly vanished.

In the southern partof Washington county, theGreen .Mountains separate into two ranges. The highest of these ranges, bearing a little east of north, continues along the eastern boundaries of the counties cf Chittenden and Franklin, and through the county oi Lamoille to Canada line ; while the other range strikes off much mere to the east throuo-h the southern and eastern parts of Washing ton county, the western part of Caledonia county and the north western part of Es sex county to Canada. This last is called the height of lands, and it divides the waters, which fall into Connecticut river, in the north part of the state, from those which fall into lake Champlain and lake Memphremagog. This brancii oftheGreen Mountains, though it no where rises so high as many points ofthe western branch, is much more uniformly elevated ; yet the acclivity is so gentle as to admit of easy roads over it in various places.

The western range, having been broken through by the rivers Winooski, Lamoille and Missisco, is divided into several sections, these rivers having opened passages for good roads along their banks, while Mountains — The surface ot Vermont is crenerally uneven. A few townships along the margin of lake Champlain may be called level ; but with these exceptions, the whole state consists of hills and val leys, alluvial flats and gentle acclivities, elevated plains and lofty mountains. The celebrated range of Green Mountains, which give name to the state, extends quite through it from south to nortji, keep ing nearly a middle course between Con necticut river on the east and lake Cham plain on the west. From the line of Mas sachusetts to the southern part of Wash ington county, this range continues lofty, and unbroken through by any considera ble streams; dividing the counties of Windham, Windsor and Orange from the counties of Bennington, Rutland and Ad dison.

In this part ofthe state, the com munication between the eastern and west ern sides of the mountain was formerly difficult, and the phrase, going ore,- the mountain, denoted an arduous business. But on account of the great improvement of population, whereas, if the truo area bad been used in thw compulation, she would hare rank ed as tlie eighth. NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. Chap, t MOUNTAINS. RIVERS AND STREAMS. the intervening portions are so high and Bteep as not to admit of roads being made over them, with the exception of that por tion lying between the Lamoille and Mis sisco. This part ofthe Green Mountains presents some of the most lofty summits in the state ; particularly the Nose and Chin in Mansfield, and Camel's Hump in Huntington. These, together with other important mountains and summits in the etate, are exhibited in the foregoing table and cut, and will also be described in the Gazetteer, under their respective names.

The sides, and, in most cases, the sum mits of the mountains in Vermont, are covered with evergreens, such as spruce, hemlock and fir. On this account the French, being the first civilized people who visited this part of the world, early gave to them the name of Verd Mont, or Green Mountain ; and when the inhabi tants of the New Hampshire Grants as- Bumed the powers of government, in 1777, they adopted this name, contracted by the omission of the letter d, for the name of the new state.* Rivers and Streams. — The rivers and streams lying within the state of Vermont are very numerous, but small. They, in most cases, originate among the Green Mountains, and their courses are short and generally rapid. Connecticut river washes the whole eastern border of the state, but belongs to New Hampshire, the western margin of that stream forming the boundary line between New Hamp shire and Vermont.

The Connecticut receives the waters from 3,700 square miles of our territory. It receives from Ver mont, besides numerous smaller streams, the waters ofthe eleven following rivers, viz : Wantasticook, or West, Saxton's, Williams', Black, Ottaquechy, White, Ompompanoosuc, Wait's, Wells', Pas sumpsic, and Nulhegan. Clyde, Barton and Black river run northerly into Mem phremagog lake. Missisco, Lamoille, Winooski and Poultney river and Otter creek flow westerly into lake Champlain, and the Battenkill and Hoosic westerly into Hudson river. Deerfield river runs southerly from Vermont and falls into the Connecticut in Massachusetts ; and the Coatacook and Pike river head in the north part of the state and run northerly into Canada, the former uniting with Massuippi river at Lenoxville and the lat ter falling into the head of Missisco bay.

All these streams and many smaller ones will be described in the Gazetteer under their respective names. * This name is said to have been adopted upon the recommendation of Dr. Thomas Young — (see part 2d, pago 106.) The following account of the christening ofthe Green Mountains, is given hy the Rev. Samuel Peters in his life of the Kov. Hugh Peters, published at New York in 1807. " Verd-Mont was a name given to lhe Green Mountains in October, 1763, by the Rev. Dr. Peters, the first clergyman who paid a visit to the 30,000 settlers in that country, in the presence of Col. Taplin, Col. Willes, Col. Peters, Judge Pe ters and many others, who were proprietors of a large number of townships in that colony. The ceremony was performed on the top of a rock standing on a high mountain, then named Mount Pisgah because it provided to the compuny a clear sight of lake Champlain at the west, and of Con necticut river at the cast, and overlooked all the trees and hills in the vast wilderness at the north and south.

The baptism was performed in the following manner: Priest Peters stood on the pinnacle ofthe rock, when he received a bottle of spirits from Col. Taplin ; then haranguing the company with a. short history of lhe infant settle ment, and lhe prospect of its becoming an impreg nable barrier between the British colonies on the south and the late colonies of the French on the north, which might be returned to their late own ers for the sake of governing America by Ihe different powers of Europe, he continued, ' We have here met upon the rock Etain, standing on Mount Pisgah, which makes a part oUhe everlasting hill.lhe spineof Asia, Africa and Anienca,holding togj'iher the terrestrial ball, and dividing the Atlantic from the Pacific ocean — lo dedicate and consecrate this extensive wilderness to God manifested in lhe flesh, and to give it a new name worthy of the Athenians and ancient Spartans, — which new name is Verd Mont, in token that her mountains and hills shall be ever green and shall never die.' No country in the world is better supplied with pure and wholesome water than Vermont.

There are scarcely any farms in the state which are not well wa tered by springs, or brooks ; and none, with the exception of those upon the isl ands in lake Champlain, which are not in the vicinity of one, or more, considerable mill stream. But while Vermont is so abundantly supplied with water, there is, probably, no part of our country in which so little stagnant water is found. The waters ofthe lakes and ponds are usually clear and transparent, and nearly all the springs and streams are brisk and lively. It is a common remark that the streams in this state have diminished very much in size, since the country began to be cleared and settled, and it is doubtless true to some extent. Many mills, which He then poured out the spirits and cast the bottle upon the rock Etam." There is no doubt that the namo Verd Mont had been applied to this range of mountains long pre vious to the above transaction, (if, indeed, it ever took place;) but we do not find that the name Verd .Mont, or Vermont, was ever applied to the territory generally known as the New Hampshire Grants, previous to the declaration of the independence of the territory in January, 1777.

CUAP. 1. DESCRIPTIVE GEOGRAPHY. 5 LAKES AND POKDS. LAKE CnAMPLAIN. formerly had an abundance, have ceased to receive the necessary supply of water during a considerable portion or the year ; and many mill sites, which were once thought valuable, have, from the same cause, become entirely useless. One of the principal causes of this diminution of our streams is supposed to be the cutting down of the forests, which formerly threw off immense quantities of vapor into the atmosphere, which was again precipitated upon the earth in rain and snow. But it is believed that the quantity of water which annually passes off in our streams is not so much less than formerly as is generally imagined. Before the country was cleared, the whole surface of the ground was deeply covered with leaves, limbs, and logs, and the channels of all the smaller streams were much obstruct ed by the same.

The consequence was, that, when the snows dissolved in the spring, or the rains fell in the summer, the waters were retained among the leaves, or retarded by the other obstruc tions, so as to pass off slowly, and the streams were kept up, nearly uniform as to size, during the whole year. But since the country has become settled, and the obstructions, which retarded the water, removed by freshets, when the snows melt or the rains fall, the waters run off from the surface of the ground quickly, the streams are raised suddenly, run rap idly, and soon subside. In consequence of the water being thus carried off more rapidly, the streams would be smaller than formerly during a considerable part of the year, even though the quantity of water be the same. It is a well known fact that the freshets in Vermont are more sudden and violent than when the state of New York, and more than half of it within the limits of Vermont.

It ex tends in a straight line from south to north, 102 miles along the western boundary, from Whitehall to the 45th degree. of latitude, and thence about 24 miles to St. Johns in Canada, affording an easy communication with that province and with New York. This lake is connected with Hudson river, at Albany, by a canal 61 miles in length ; so that the towns lying on the shores of Lake Champlain have direct communication by water with the cities of Troy, Albany, Hudson, and New York, and, by means of the great western canal, with the great western lakes. The length of this lake from south to north, measured in a straight line from one extremity to the other, and sup posing it to terminate northerly at St. Johns, is 126 miles.' Its width varies from one fourth of a mile to 13 miles, and the mean width is about 4_\ miles.

This would give an area of 567 square miles, two thirds of which lie within the limits of Vermont. The waters, which this lake receives from Vermont, are drained, by rivers and other streams, from 4088 miles of its territory. Its depth is generally sufficient for the navigation ofthe largest vessels.' It received its present name from Samuel Champlain, a French noble man, who discovered it in the sprinoof 1609, and who died at Quebec in 1635, and was not drowned in its waters, as has been often said.* One of the names giv en to this lake by the aborigines is said to have been Caniaderi-Guaruntc, signifying the mouth or door ofthe country. t If so, it was very appropriate, as it forms the gate-way between the country on the St. Lawrence and that on the Hudson. The name of this lake in the Abenaqui tongue was Petawd-bouque, signifying alternate land and water, in allusion to the numerous islands and projecting points of land along the lake.

Previous to the settlement of the country by Europeans, this lake had long been the thorough-fare be tween hostile and powerful Indian tribes, and its shores the scene of many a mortal conflict. And after the settlement, it continued the same in reference to the French and English colonies, and subse quertly in reference to the Eno-lish in Canada and the United States. In eon sequence of this peculiarity of its loca tion, the name of Lake Champlain stands connected with some ofthe most interesting events in the annals of our country ; and lhe transactions associated with the names of Ticonderoga, and Crown Point, country was new. The waters of the lakes, pontjs and streams are universally soft, miscible with soap, and in general free from foreign substances. And the same may be said of most of the springs, particularly on the Green Mountains, and in that portion of the state lying east of these mountains.