GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



BENTON S CORK. 



liKRKSHlUE. 



perties, one of which is becoming a place 

 of resort for invalids. The timber is 

 beech, maple, pine, and hemlock, inter- 

 spersed with oak, ash, and walnut. The 

 soil is mostly clay. A range of slate from 

 1 to 2^ milc^s wide, passes through the town 

 from north to south, furnishing a good 

 share of upland for tillage. About a quar- 

 ter of a mile N. E. from the meeting-house 

 is a bog of marl, which might be mistaken 

 for fuller's earth. In the S. W. part of 

 the town is a swamp, from which a stream 

 issues, and, after running a short distance, 

 passes under a considerable hill. It runs 

 completely through the base of the hill, a 

 distance of more than half a mile. 7'lie 

 mean width of the lake, on the west line 

 of the town, is about half a mile. The 

 widest place is one mile and a half, and is 

 just north of Stoney Point landing, which 

 is situated about the middle of the west 

 side of the town. There are two landing 

 places, Kinyan's bay and Gibbs' landing, 

 where the steamboats touch for passen- 

 gers, and where store houses are erected* 

 The village is pleasantly situated in a val- 

 ley near the centre of the town. There 

 are in town 12 common and one select 

 school, 2 grist mills, 9 saw mills, 1 fulling 

 mill, 3 stores, 4 taverns, and 1 tannery. 

 Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 261 ; cattle, 

 1,807; sheep, 20,."')27 ; swine, 663 ; wheat, 

 iw. 2,.578 ; oats, 3,324 ; rye, ],38.j; buck- 

 wheat,'649 ; Indian corn, 5,353 ; potatoes, 

 i5,700; hay, toiis^ 5,592 ; sunrar, llis. 6,- 

 ■285; wool, 49,048. Population, 1403. 



Benton's Gork is a tract of 5000 acres, 

 lying in the soutiiwestern part of Wind- 

 tor county, now forming the westerly part 

 of Weston, granted to Samuel Benton 

 and 23 associates, October 26, 1781. 



Berkshirk, a post town in the north- 

 east part of Franklin county, in lat. 44° 

 68' and long. 4° 16', containing 36 square 

 aniles. It is 50 miles northwesterly from 

 Montpelier, and 39 northeasterly from 

 Burlino-ton, and is bounded north by St. 

 Armand in Canada, east by Richford, 

 south byEnosburgh,and west by Franklin. 

 This township was granted to Wm. Good- 

 rich, Barzilla Hudson, Charles Dibble, 

 and their associates, March 13, 1780, and 

 was chartered b}'^ the name of Berkshire, 

 June 22, 17bl. The settlement of this 

 town was commenced in 1792 by Job Bar- 

 ber. Stephen Royce, who was also one 

 of the first settlers of Franklin, Daniel 

 Adams, Jonathan Carpenter, and Piiine- 

 has Heath, moved their families here in 

 1793, and from tliis time the settlement 

 advanced with considerable rapidity. El- 

 ihu M., son of Stephen Royce, was born 

 in 1793, and was the first child born in 

 town. The town was organized in 1794, 



and David Nutting was first town clerk. 

 The town was first represented, in 1796, 

 by Stephen Royce. The religious denom- 

 inations are Congregationalists, Metho- 

 dists, Baptists, and Episcopalians. There 

 are two Congregational churches, one in 

 East and the other in West Berkshire. 

 The former was organized, Oct. 8, 1820, 

 and has a house of worship ; the other ma- 

 ny years earlier, and has a share in a house 

 of worship. The Episcopal church, call- 

 ed Calvarij Church, is in East Berksiiire, 

 and was organized about 1820. Their 

 liouse of worship was consecrated Oct. 1, 

 l^'2o. The ministers who have labored in 

 this parish are the Rev. J. Clap, Rev. J. 

 Gray, Rev. R. Peck, Rev. L. McDo- 

 nald, and Rev. J. Obear. Present min- 

 ister, tlie Rev. Moore Bingham. Commu- 

 nicants, 56. Missisco river runs through 

 tlie southeast corner of the town, and re- 

 ceives Trout river near the line of Knos- 

 burgh. On these streams is some fine in- 

 tervale. Pike river enters the township 

 from Canada, and, after taking a circuit 

 of several miles, and affording here some 

 of the finest mill seats in the country, re- 

 turns again into Canada. On Pike river, 

 in this town, are several mills. The soil 

 is various, but generally good. Its sur- 

 face is diversified with gentle swells and 

 vales, but does not rise into mountains. 

 It is well watered with brooks. The tim- 

 ber is mostly beech, maple, bass, clin, and 

 hemlock. The rocks abound with epidote. 

 There are 1 grist mill, 4 saw mill.-, and 1 

 fulling mill. Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 

 298; cattle, 1,902; sheep, 3,788; swine, 

 532; wheat, bu. 3.884; barley, 53; oats, 

 5,746; rye, 52; buckwheat, 735; Indian 

 corn, 2,876 ; potatoes ; 67,995; ha.y,tuus, 

 3,818; sugar, lbs.31,78o; wool, 9,457. — 

 Population, 1818. 



Berlin, a post town in Washington 

 county, lying nearly in the centre of the 

 state, in lat. 44^^ 13' and long. 4° 25'. It 

 is bounded north by Afontpelier, east by 

 Barre, south by Northfield and a small part 

 of WiHianistown,and west by Moretowii. 

 It was cliartered June 8, 1763, to C. Gra- 

 ham and others, and contains 36 square 

 miles. The settlement was commenced 

 in 1785, near the mouth of Dog river, by 

 Ebenezcr Sanborn, from Corinth, and Jo- 

 seph Thurbcr from New Hampshire ; both 

 of them removed the next year to Platts- 

 burgh, New York. In January, 1786, 

 Moses Smith from Granby, Massachu- 

 setts, commenced in the southeast corner 

 of the town, supposing that he was in the 

 north west corner of Wiliiamstown. In 

 May, Daniel Morse and family, from 

 Washington, and in July, Jacob Fowler, 

 from Corinth, removed to the settlements 



