130 



CIVIL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part. II. 



VERMONT STATF. HOLSK- 



LOCATED AT MONTPKI.IER. 



desio-ned to be permanent. The pn.st at 

 the mouth of Otter creek was attacked on 

 the 10th of May, l^AA, by the British 

 flotilla, consisting of five sail and eight 

 row gallics, but they were repulsed with- 

 out loss to the Americans. The American 

 force consisted of only 190 men, com- 

 manded by Capt. Thornton of the artillery 

 and Lieut. Cassin oflhe navy. 



Vermont State Jlousr* 



WhenMontpelier was made the Capita! 

 of the state, the inhabitants of the town 

 and vicinity erected a State House, and 

 gave it to tiie state. At the date of its 

 erection, it was well adapted to the pur- 

 pose of legislation, but as the state rapidly 

 increased in pnpuhition it was found after 

 some vears to be inaderjuate to the increas- 

 ing wants of the legislature. Various 

 propositions were made at successive ses- 

 sions of tlie legislature to enlarge the 

 building, but without effect. At tlie ses- 

 sion of 18H1 , the attention of the members 

 of the legislature was drawn to tlie sub- 

 ject of a new state house, by a design for 

 one, mad(^ by Ammi B. Young, architect, 

 and e.xhiblted at Monfpolier at that time. 

 The design was much admired, and the 

 legislature passed a resolution authorizing 

 the appointment of a committee to receive 

 proposals from the several towns in the 

 state, to build a new state liouse, suf- 

 ficiently commodious for all the purpos- 

 es of state legislation, and to report to 

 the next legislature. The Hon. Ezra 

 Meech, Robert Temple, Allen VVardner, 

 and Tmiothy Hubbard, Esqrs., were ap- 

 pointed said committee. This committee 

 reported to the legislature at the session 

 of 1^32, that the citizens of Burlington 

 liad proposed to erect a state house nt that 



* For mofit of the farts anil tiescriptions emljodied 

 inthiss ection, 1 .im iiulebteil to the kimliiPss of 

 Ammi B. Young, E-jii.. the dislinguislieil architect, 

 under whose superintendence tlie slate liouse was 

 erected. 



place, at a cost of ^30,000, provided that 

 town, should be made the capital of the 

 state ; that the inhabitants of Mont- 

 pelier and vicinity had proposed to give 

 iJdOjOOO towards a new state house, to be 

 erected on,.or near the site of the old one, 

 at a cost of at least <»;30,000 ; the above 

 were tlie only proposals made. When the 

 subject came before the legislature, it re- 

 ceived a full and careful examination, and, 

 in consequence, an act was passed, dated 

 Nov. 8, 1832, 'authorizing the erection of 

 a state house at Montpelier,' and ma- 

 king an appropriation of $15,000 therefor, 

 provided the inhabitants of Montpelier 

 should guaranty to the state, the pay- 

 ment of an additional sum of .'$15,000 

 towards the object. The act authorized 

 ' the governor to appoint three suitable 

 l^ersons as a committee to fix on a place 

 in Montpelier for erecting said state house, 

 and to prepare plan for the same,' and to 

 'appoint some suitable person, or persons, 

 ns a committee to superintend the erec- 

 tion of said state house, agreeably to the 

 plnn adopted by the committee aforesaid.' 

 The Hon. Samuel C. Crafts, Hon. Allen 

 Wardner, and George T. Hodges, Esq., 

 were appointed the first committee, and 

 the Hon. Lebbeus Egerton was appointed 

 to superintend the building. 



The committee met at Montpelier and 

 organized, but, before making much pro- 

 orress in their duties, they decided to visit 

 Concord, N. H., Boston, Mass., Hartford 

 and New Haven, Conn., in company with 

 Ammi B. Young, the architect, whom they 

 had employed to make their plans, for the 

 j)urpose of examining the state houses in 

 those places, and ascertaining what im- 

 provements had been made in such build- 

 ings up to that time. They were also ac- 

 companied by Gov. Egerton, the superln- 

 tendi'nt. After a full examination, and 

 deliberation upon the subject, they adopt- 

 ed a plan designed and drawn by Mr. 

 Young, which accorded with their views, 

 and wlilch appeared to be admiraldy and 

 conveniently arranged for the purposes of 

 legislation ; they decided that the build- 

 ing should be located about 250 feet to the 

 north west of the old state house, in order 

 to allow a spacious yard and grounds in 

 front, and th.at, so far as possible, the ex- 

 terior should be of Barre dark granite. 

 Tlie roof and dome were to be covered 

 with copper, and every part constructed 

 in the most perfect and substantial man- 

 ner : but, as they did not feel warranted 

 in directing a greater expense for the 

 building than ,"^60,000, without some fur- 

 ther legislative action on the subject, they 

 decided on a finish that v.-ould not exceed 

 that sum, and made out a report to the 



