History of Orleans County,
Vermont
Transcribed and Contributed by Nancy
Piper
Taken From "Gazetteer and Business Directory of Lamoille and Orleans Counties,
VT. For 1883-84"; Compiles and Published by Hamilton Child, Syracuse, N.Y.;
Printed at the Journal Office, July 1883
GAZETTEER OF ORLEANS COUNTY, VT,
Page 163-167
AFTER the division of the State into two counties, in March, 1778, as mentioned
on page 29, no changes were made in the area of Cumberland county until 1781.
The legislature of that year, however, divided it into three counties, viz.:
Windham and Windsor counties, occupying about the same positions they do
now, north of which the remainder of old Cumberland county was called Orange
county. This latter tract nearly corresponded with the old New York county
of Gloucester, organized by that province March 16, 1770, with Newbury as
the shire town. On November 5, 1792, the legislature passed an act to divide
Chittenden and Orange counties into six separate counties, as follows:
Chittenden, Orange, Franklin, Caledonia, Essex, and Orleans. On the formation
of Jefferson county, December 1, 1810, the name of which was changed to
Washington county, November 8, 1814, Orleans was shorn of a portion of its
territory, the limits of which had been definitely fixed by the legislature
of 1797; and again, in October, 1835, by the erection of Lamoille county,
Orleans lost the towns of Eden, Hyde Park, Morristown, and Wolcott.
As now constituted, Orleans county is the central one of the northern tier
of counties of the State, lying about midway between the Connecticut river
and Lake Champlain, between lat. 44° 28' and 45° north, and between
long. 4° 19' and 5° 4' east, bounded north by the Province of Quebec,
of Canada, east by Essex county, southeast by Caledonia county, southwest
by. Lamoille county, and west by Franklin county. It is about thirty-three
miles in length, and thirty miles in width from east to west on the Canada
line, containing an area of 700 square miles, or 448,000 acres, divided into
eighteen towns, as follows : Albany, Barton, Brownington, Charleston, Coventry,
Craftsbury, Derby, Glover, Greensboro, Holland, Irasburgh, Jay, Lowell, Morgan,
Newport, Troy, Westfield, and Westmore.
The physical geography of the county is diverse from that of any other portion
of the State. N early the whole of its territory has a northern slope, situated
within the "Y" of the Green Mountains, the western range of which divides
it from Franklin county, and with the eastern range lying upon its eastern
borders. Between these ranges there is considerable high land, though precipitous
cliffs, and ledges are uncommon, except in the western part. Still, the scenic
beauty of Orleans is unsurpassed. Points of beauty meet the eyes, turn which
way you will, while the high altitude of most of the country and the pure
mountain breezes that are wafted over it, render its climate proverbially
healthful and exhilarating.
It is a singular fact that in. the northern part of Green Mountain range,
where the highest peaks are found, three rivers, the Winooski, Lamoille,
and Missisquoi, flow through mountain passes not more than five hundred feet
above the sea, affording good opportunities for roads, and other passes of
a similar character are found, while in the southern part of the range no
such passes exist, and in order to go from the eastern to the western part
of the State, one is obliged to go over the mountains, it being not unfrequent
for roads to pass over the range at an altitude of two thousand feet above
the ocean. This facility of access that nature has provided is another point
of value the county possesses, for there its imports and exports are not
confined to shipment in one direction, but can be sent to any point with
equal convenience. From Hazen's Notch, in Westfield, to Jay Peak, the range
is continuous, varying from 2,500 to 4,000 feet above tide water, the highest
point in the territory being reached at the summit of Jay Peak, 4,018 feet
above the ocean. The highest point in the eastern part of the county is Westmore
mountain, in the northern part of Westmore, which has an altitude of 3,000
feet. Lowell mountain, in Lowell, is also a prominent elevation.
Jay Peak is worthy of more than a passing glance. Its summit cleaves the
clouds at an altitude of nearly a mile above the ocean, affording a grand
and extended view o'er the valleys of the St. Lawrence, Ottawa, and Lake
Memphremagog. To the northwest the spectator beholds the level and fertile
country surrounding Montreal, contrasting beautifully with the wild and rugged
scenery at the north and northeast of him, where are seen thickly-studded
mountain peaks, prominent among which are Sutton and Orford mountains, Sugar
Loaf and Owl's Head. Between Sutton mountain, in Canada, and the beholder,
is the deep valley of the Missisquoi river, which, like the Winooski and
Lamoille, winds 'its way through a valley about 3,500 feet below the summits
of the mountains on either side. Seemingly near its base peep out the beautiful
villages of Montgomery, Richford, Berkshire, Westfield, Lowell, Troy, and
others.' Hazen's Notch, which lies within a short distance to the south,
is an object of interest, and gradually becoming more and more resorted to
by lovers of grand and picturesque scenery. The fertile valley of the Missisquoi,
which is confessedly one of the most productive as well as picturesque in
the State, is within full view from the peak. The magnificent views thus
afforded can, in a measure, be obtained from several other elevations in
the county.
What is known as the upper valley of the Missisquoi, comprising the towns
of Troy, Westfield, Jay, and Lowell, and a small portion of the Province
of Quebec, lies between this western range of mountains, and the range of
highlands dividing the waters of the Missisquoi from those of Black river
and Lake Memphremagog. The western lines of Jay, Westfield, and Lowell, commonly
extend a short distance over the summits of the mountains; but the east lines
of Troy and Lowell do not generally extend to the height of land towards
Black river and Lake Memphremagog. The length of the valley in a direct line
from the Canada line to the south line of Lowell and the source of the
Missisquoi, is about eighteen miles, The width of the valley from the summits
of the mountains west, to the height of land on the east, is from six to
ten miles.
Orleans also contains more picturesque streams and more beautiful ponds and
lakes, some of which are possessed of peculiar charms and interest, than
any other county in the State. The eastern and central parts are watered
by Black, Barton, and Clyde rivers, with their numerous tributaries, the
southern part by the Lamoille, and the western part by the Missisq uoi. These
several streams have courses as follows:
Black river is formed in Craftsbury, by the united waters of Trout branch
and Elligo and Hosmer's ponds, and taking a northeasterly course through
Albany, Irasburgh, and Coventry, falls into South bay of Lake Memphremagog,
in Newport. It is thirty miles in length and waters IS0 square miles of
territory.
Barton river rises in Barton. One of its branches originates in Glover, from
the fountains of Runaway pond, and extends northerly into Barton, while the
other rises in two small ponds on the line between Sutton and Sheffield,
and unites with the stream from Glover. Their united waters take a northerly
course, and, just before reaching the north line of Barton, receive Willoughby
river, a stream rising from Willoughby lake, in Westmore, and run westerly
eight or nine miles through the southern part of Brownington and northern
part of Barton. From Barton, Barton river continues a northerly direction,
passing through the northeastern corner of Irasburgh, and eastern part of
Coventry, into Lake Memphremagog, watering about 160 square miles of territory.
Clyde river has its source in Brighton, Essex county, and flows a north-westerly
course through Charleston, Salem, and Derby, to Lake Memphremagog. Excepting
a few short rapids it is a dead, still stream, until it arrives within a
few miles of the lake. It passes through Pensioners pond in Charleston and
Salem pond in Derby. It waters about 160 square miles of country.
Lamoille river formerly originated in Runaway pond. It is now formed by the
union of several streams in Greensboro, and, after running south-westerly
into Hardwick, pursues a northwesterly course till it falls into Lake Champlain,
in the northwestern part of Cochester. In Johnson it is joined by Little
North branch, and in Cambridge by Great North branch. The current of the
stream above Cam bridge is in general slow and gentle, but between there
and the lake are a number of good-sized falls. It is said to have been discovered
by Champlain, in 1609, and called by him La Mouette, the French for mew,
or gull, a species of water fowl that were numerous about its mouth. This
name became corrupted into Lamoille.
Missisquoi river rises In Lowell, and, pursuing a northerly course through
a part of Westfield and Troy, crosses into Canada, when it receives a large
stream from the northeast. After running several miles in Canada it returns
into Vermont, and taking a westerly course falls in Missisquoi bay, near
the Canada line. Its name is derived from the Indians, and is spelled by
various authorities in no less than twenty different ways. The river is
seventy-five miles in length, and receives the waters from about 582 square
miles of Vermont's territory. The falls on this stream in the northern part
of Troy are exceedingly beautiful. The water precipitates itself over a ledge
of rocks seventy feet in height, and above them projects a perpendicular
rock over one hundred feet in height.
The principal lakes are Lake Caspian, in Greensboro, Crystal lake, in Barton,
Willoughby lake, in Westmore, Seymour lake, in Morgan, and, last but not
least, Lake Memphremagog, in Derby and Newport, extending north into Canada.
Old Memphremagog has had its beauty sung by too many gifted pens for us to
attempt an adequate description, and. its hold on the affections of the public
is too well attested, by the hundreds of tourists who visit it each year,
to need such a description even were we equal to the task. The lake is about
thirty-three miles in length and from two to four miles in width, covering
an area of about seventy-five square miles, one-fifth of which lies in Vermont.
Its scenery is unsurpassed in beauty, and though it has not the scientific
and historic interest of the famous Champlain, it still has clustered about
it legends of the hair-breadth escapes of smugglers: and the marvelous feats
of Indians, hunters and trappers, enough to charm the reader of romance.
The Indian words from which its name was derived were Mem-plow-bouque, signifying
a large expanse of water. From Prospect hill, about a mile southwest of the
beautiful village of Newport, a grand and extensive. view of the lake and
its environs may be obtained. To the north lie its waters, reflecting like
a mirror its beautiful surroundings of rocks and trees, with verdant headlands
jutting into it, and islands dotted upon its placid surface. To the left
of it Owl's Head is seen towering to the height of 2,749 . feet above the
surface of its waters, crowding close upon its western margin as if inviting
one to ascend its rugged sides and from its summit view the picturesque
surroundings. To the southeast, across and beyond the bay into which Barton,
Clyde, and Black rivers empty their waters, is a lovely landscape, with -the
strongly marked outlines of Pisgah and Hor rising abruptly, marking the spot
where Willoughby lake is located. To the south no mountains intervene to
cut off the view, but the eye ranges over gentle eminences that in the dim
distance rise above each other, and there is outspread a broad area of country
teeming with the fruits of the husbandman's honest toil.
Willoughby lake, in Westmore, is another beautiful sheet of water. It is
about six miles in length by one and one half in width, lying between two
mountains, the one on the east called Mt. Pisgah, and upon the west Mt. Hor.
The summit of Mt. Pisgah is 2,638 feet above the surface of the lake, and
3,800 feet above tide water, affording a view that is wild, picturesque,
and beautiful. The waters of the lake, which in some places are several hundred
feet deep, are unusually clear and transparent, and in consequence of the
bold and romantic scenery and interesting surroundings, the lake is becoming
a place of great resort. On the margin of its shallow portions are walls
composed principally of granite bowlders and pebbles, which in some places
are so uniform and well proportioned as to appear like artificial structures.
Other lakes and ponds throughout the county are exceedingly interesting,
and will be described in connection with the towns wherein they are located.
Page 171-172
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY
The first agricultural society organized in the county depended upon a membership
fee for a revenue with which to meet expenses. Several annual fairs, of one
day each, were held on level fields adjoining the several villages of the
county, the society selecting each year the village that afforded the most
encouragement in the way of yards, pens, sheds, etc. Finally a company was
organized which fenced in a fair ground and made a half-mile track about
a mile southeasterly from Barton Landing. Horse-racing was introduced as
an attraction, and an admittance fee charged. The attendance, however, did
not prove sufficiently large to warrant a permanent financial success, so
the enterprise was abandoned. For about a dozen years previous to 1867, no
active society existed and no fairs were held. During this year, however,
after considerable discussion of the subject through the papers, a meeting
was called to "consider the advisability of organizing a county agricultural
society." This meeting resulted in the formation of a society, with Hon.
Josiah B. Wheelock, of Coventry, president; Zenas E. Jarneson, of Irasburgh,
secretary; and Hon. I. N. Cushman, treasurer, with a board of trustees,
consisting of one member from each town.
The dominant feeling called for a fair that autumn, so with only about a
month for preparation, a successful fair was held on the old fair-grounds
near Barton Landing, the receipts of which amounted to a sum sufficient to
meet the general expenses, pay -all premiums awarded, and leave about $130
in the treasury. The object of the society professedly was to promote
agricultural interests, household manufactures and mechanic arts in the county.
Accordingly, by advice of the directors, the secretary issued blanks to every
school district clerk, asking questions the replies to which would give a
very correct knowledge of the extent of all the products of the county, but
only about seven hundred farms were reported. One item resultant, however,
is worthy of mention: the average area of corn planted was less than one-half
acre to each farm.
At the second election, Mark Nutter, of Barton, was chosen president, and
the subject of a permanent location for the grounds was earnestly discussed.
There were in the county, aside from the old fair-ground, a track and sheds
enclosed as a trotting park on Indian Point, in Derby, and a track upon the
grounds of Amasa Randall, in Craftsbury. While the directors were considering
the respective merits of these localities, several citizens of Barton village,
with commendable public spirit, organized a Fair Ground Company which offered
to enclose a suitable plot with' a high board fence, make a track and erect
all necessary buildings, and give their use and control to the society for
holding a two days' fair each year for five years. The proposal was accepted
by the society, and the site chosen for the ground was upon the west side
of the river valley, about three-quarters of a mile from the village, a spot
easily accessible, always dry and pleasant, and so under the lee of the hill
as to be sheltered from the westerly winds, yet elevated sufficiently to
afford a charming view of one of the most picturesque and fertile valleys
in Vermont, a part of whose fertility was obtained, and a great degree of
notoriety, when Runaway pond took its mad course over it.
The fairs and races at Roaring, Brook Park, for such it was named, gained
an excellent reputation and were well attended; but after seven annual fairs
were held, the society failed to make satisfactory terms for another. The
Fair Ground Company, however, has continued the annual exhibitions until
this time, constantly increasing their efforts to enlist the support and
approval of the farmers of this county, and of the towns of Sheffield and
Sutton, in Caledonia county. The expenses are paid from one treasury, though
there are two full boards of officers. The president of the Fair Ground Company
at the present time is Duncan McDougal. J. C. Oliver, of Charleston, is-
president of the Agricultural Society, C. P. Owen, of Glover, secretary,
and J. W. Hall, of Barton, treasurer. Among the attractions at different
times have been two balloon ascensions and an oration by Horace Greeley.
Page 173
COURTS AND COUNTY BUILDINGS
It was not until 1799, that the legislature established courts in Orleans
county, making Brownington and Craftsbury half shires, courts being held
alternately in these towns, meeting in March and August. John Elsworth, of
Greensboro, was appointed chief judge, and Timothy Hinman and Elijah Strong
assistant judges. On the 20th of November, 1799, they met at the house of
Dr. Samuel Huntington, in Greensboro, and properly organized the county by
electing Timothy Stanley clerk, and Royal Corbin, treasurer. From this day
dates the independent existence of Orleans county.
The first session of the county court was held at Craftsbury, March 24, I800,
with Timothy Hinman, chief judge, and Samuel C. Crafts and Jesse Olds,
assistants. Neither of these men, though they were educated, had been bred
to the law; but on the second day of the session, Moses Chase was admitted
to the bar, the first lawyer in the county. Timothy Stanley, of Greensboro,
was the first county clerk; Joseph Scott of Craftsbury, the first sheriff;
Joseph Bradley, first State's attorney; and Ebenezer Crafts, of Craftsbury,
first judge of probate. Courts continued to be held at Brownington and Craftsbury
until August, 1816, when they were held at Brownington for the last time,
in the old town-house, the cellar of the house now occupied by Mr. Burroughs
being then used for a jail. In 1812, the legislature passed an act constituting
Irasburgh the shire town, providing the inhabitants of that town would erect
a court-house and jail at their own expense. Nothing appears to have been
done towards erecting the buildings, however, until 1815, when they were
completed so that court was held there for the first time in 1816, where
the supreme court still meets on the fourth Tuesday in May, and the county
court on the first Wednesday after the first Tuesday in September; and first
Tuesday in February.
In 1847, the old court-house was removed and a new one erected on its site,
at a cost of $4,000.00, at the expense of the town. The first jail was built
of logs or hewn timber, ceiled with three-inch hardwood planks. This structure
did service until 1838, when it was taken down and a stone building erected
on its site. This jail was eighteen feet square on the ground, two stories
high. This building was after a time considered inconvenient and unsafe,
so the legislature of 1861, authorized the county judges to borrow $3,000.00
for the purpose of erecting a new jail. Harry Hinman, Jonathan Elkins, and
E. P. Colton were appointed a committee to erect the building. In 1862, the
work was completed, giving the county a well-arranged granite jail 26 by
36 feet, two stories in height.
The county seems never to have been very prolific of crime, no serious outrages
ever having disturbed the even tenor of its way.. On the 14th of June, 1846,
a male child a year old was murdered by its mother, Hannah Parker, alias
Stickney, by throwing the infant into the Black river, near the bridge that
crosses the stream in the North neighborhood of Coventry. The women had been
married once or twice, but there was considerable uncertainty as to the paternal
parentage of the child, and as she had no home nor means of support, the
child was an hindrance in the way of her procuring assistance or employment.
These circumstances, it is supposed, overcame the maternal instinct and persuaded
her to the murder of her offspring. She was arrested and committed to jail,
and in due season was indicted, and, on the second trial was found guilty;
but exceptions being taken to some of the rulings of the court, the judgment
was reversed. After remaining in jail about eight years, she was allowed
to go at large, the long confinement being regarded as as severe a punishment
as public justice required to be inflicted on an offender, who, in great
weakness of mind and extreme" desperation of circumstances, had committed
crime.
Samuel Lathe was convicted of murder at Irasburgh, February 7, 1852, and
sentenced to be executed after one year. His sentence was commuted by the
legislature, in November, 1852, to fifteen years imprisonment, and he was
finally pardoned by the Governor, November 24, 1856.
The following is a list of the assistant judges, State's attorneys, admissions
to the bar, etc., since the organization of the county:
ASSISTANT JUDGES OF THE COUNTY COURT.
Samuel C. Crafts 1800-09 |
Jesse Olds, 1800-01 |
Timothy Stanley 1802-03 |
George Nye 1810-14 |
Nathaniel P. Sawyer 1814 |
Timothy Stanley 1815-23 |
Samuel Cook 18 I 5-20 |
Nathaniel P. Sawyer 1821-24 |
John Ide 1824 |
Samuel C. Crafts 1825-27 |
William Baxter 1825-26 |
Ira Ho Allen 1826-32 |
William Howe 1827 |
Jasper Robinson 1828-29 |
David M. Camp 1830-32 |
David P. Noyes 1833-35 |
Isaac Parker 1833 |
David M. Camp 1834-35 |
Portus Baxter 1836 |
Alvah R. French 1836-38 |
John Kimball 1837-38 |
Isaac Parker 1839-42 |
Charles Hardy 1839 |
John Boardman 1840-41 |
Jairus Stebbins 1842 |
A. R. French 1843 |
David M. Camp 1843 |
Elijah Cleveland 1844-46 |
Harry Baxter 1844-46 |
James A. Paddock 1847-48 |
John Harding 1847-48 |
Solomon Dwinell 1849-51 |
Loren W. Clark 1849-51 |
Nehemiah Colby 1852 |
William Moon, Jr 1852 |
John M. Robinson 1853 |
John D. Harding 1854 |
Sabin Kellam 1854 |
John W. Robinson 1855 |
Fordyce F. French 1855 |
Sabin Kellam 1856 |
Durkee Cole 1856 |
Emory Stewart 1857 |
John Walbridge 1857-58 |
Samuel Cheney 1858-59 |
Henry Richardson 1859 |
John D. Harding 1860-61 |
E. G. Babbitt 1860-61 |
Amasa Paine 1862-64 |
Simeon Albee 1862-63 |
William J. Hastings 1864-65 |
Josiah B. Wheelock 1865 -66 |
Benjamin Comings 1866-67 |
E. O. Bennett. 1867-69 |
James Simonds 1868-70 |
Lyman P. Tenney 1869-72 |
A. C. Joslyn 1870-72 |
Orrin Taylor 1872-76 |
Horace S. Jones 1872-76 |
Emery Cook 1876-78 |
David Hopkinson 1876-78 |
Levi Rowell 1878-80 |
George E. Bradley 1878-80 |
S. R. Fletcher 1880-82 |
N. C. Hoyt 1880-84 |
Amasa P. Dutton 1882-84 |
STATE'S ATTORNEYS.
Joseph Bradley 1800-01 |
William Baxter 1802-14 |
David M. Camp 1815 |
Joshua Sawyer 1816-23 |
Augustus Young 1824-27 |
E. H. Starkweather 1828-29 |
George C. West 1830-31 |
Isaac F. Redfield 1832-34 |
E. H. Starkweather 1835 |
Charles Story 1836-37 |
Samuel Sumner 1838 |
Jesse Cooper 1839 |
Samuel Sumner 1840-41 |
Jesse Cooper 1842 |
John H. Kimball 1843-44 |
Nathan S. Hill 1845-46 |
Henry F. Prentiss 1847-48 |
John L. Edwards 1849 |
Norman Boardman 1850 |
William M. Dickerman 1851-52 |
Samuel A. Willard 1853 |
H. C. Wilson 1854 |
John P. Startle 1855-56 |
J. E. Dickerman 1857-58 |
H. C. Wilson 1859 |
A. D. Bates 1860-61 |
N. T. Sheafe 1862-63 |
William W. Grout 1864-65 |
Lewis H. Bisbee 1866 |
J. B. Robinson 1867-69 |
B. F. D. Carpenter 1869-72 |
Walter D. Crane 1872-74 |
Lafforest H. Thompson 1874-76 |
William R. Rowell 1876-78 |
Theophilus Grout 1878-80 |
F. W. Baldwin 1880-82 |
C. A. Prouty 1882-84 |
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COUNTY CLERKS
Timothy Stanley 1800-03 |
John Ellsworth 1803-16 |
Ira H. Allen 1816-35 |
Samuel C. Crafts 1835-39 |
Henry M. Bates 1839-50 |
Hubbard Hastings 1850-53 |
Sylvester D. Kimball 1853-54 |
George W. Hartshorn 1854-55 |
Norman W. Bingham 1855-61 |
Isaac N. Cushman 1861-81 |
Henry B. Cushman 1881 |
|
ADMISSIONS TO THE BAR
Moses Chase 1800 |
William Baxter 1801 |
Ezra Carter 1803 |
Jesse Olds 1805 |
Henry Works 1805 |
Hezekiah Frost 1806 |
Charles Reynolds 1806 |
Joseph H. Ellis 1807 |
Horace Bassett 1809 |
Rober G. Bulkley 1809 |
Joshua Sawyer 1810 |
John Wallace 1811 |
Peter Burbank 1812 |
Chester W. Blass 1813 |
William Richardson 1815 |
Nathaniel Reed, Jr. 1816 |
Salmon Nye 1817 |
David Gould 1818 |
John L. Fuller 1822 |
Samuel Upham 1822 |
John H. Kimball 1824 |
George M. Mason 1824 |
James A. Paddock 1825 |
Harvey Burton 1825 |
Isaac F. Redfield 1827 |
Daniel F. Kimball 1831 |
Carlos Baxter 1832 |
Franklin Johnson 1833 |
Elbridge G. Johnson 1834 |
Elijah Farr 1834 |
Charles W. Prentiss 1835 |
Timothy P. Redfield 1837 |
David Chadwick 1842 |
Edward A. Cahoon 1842 |
John L. Edwards 1843 |
William M. Dickerman 1844 |
E. Winchester 1844 |
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To be continued
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