30 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



BRIDGEWATER. 



BRIDGEWATKR. 



merchandisp, which is brought into town 

 by boats. There are few minerals worthy 

 of notice. Actynolite is found here in 

 steatite. It is in very perfect capillary 

 crystals which are grouped together in 

 different forms and sometimes radicated. 

 Argillaceous slate is very abundant, and 

 is quarried to considerable extent. Mica 

 is found of rose red color with schorl 

 in quartz, and abundance of schorl in 

 beautiful crystals, and also the red oxyde 

 of titanium. There are two considerable 

 villages, one standing at the mouth of 

 Whetstone brook, called the East Village, 

 and the other near the centre of the town, 

 called the JVcsf. Village. The east village 

 is one of the most active business places 

 in the state. Besides the pviblic buildings, 

 the numerous manufacturing establish- 

 ments, stores and mechanic shops, it con- 

 tains a post office, bank, two printing offi- 

 ces, 7 water power printing presses,* and 

 the asylum for the insane. t Five daily 

 mails arrive in this village and twaothers 

 less frequently. There is also a post of- 

 fice in the west village, but it is compara- 

 tively a place of little business. Statistics 

 of 1840.— Horses,:375; cattle,2,120; sheep, 

 2,350: swine, 1,123; wheat, bu. 1,23-5; 

 barley, 738 : oats, 9,920 ; rye, 2,687 ; b'k 

 wheat, 412; corn, 6,490; potatoes, 27,480; 

 hay, tons, 3,358 ; sugar, lbs. 12,250 ; 

 wool, 4,053. Population, 2623. s. g. 



Bridgewater, aposttown in the west- 

 ern part of Windsor county, situated in 

 lat. 43° 37' and long. 4'' 22', and bounded 

 north by Barnard, east by Woodstock, 

 south by Plymouth and west by Sher- 

 'burne. The length of the western Jaounda- 

 ry is, by the charter, eight miles, that of 

 the eastern seven miles and a hall', and of 

 the northern and southern six miles each, 

 giving an area of 46^ miles. Barnard, 

 however, claims and is now in possession 

 of a strip of land about half a mile in 

 •breadth, extending across the north end 

 of the town, and this too under a charter 

 derived from the same source, and dated 

 seven days later than thai of Bridgewa- 

 ter. Bridgewater is 45 miles south from 

 Montpelier, 17 northwest from Windsor, 

 and 60 northeast from Bennington. Its 

 charter is dated July 10, 1761. Dea. Asa 

 Jones surveyed a lot of land in Bridge- 

 water, in September, 1779, and the next 

 winter, removed his family into this town 

 from Woodstock, a distance of three miles, 

 on handsleds. This was the first familv 



*[n]S3G, the business done at Uolhrook & 

 Feisendens paper mill, printing office and binde- 

 ry, Rmoiinled to about $.500.0(10. Since that period 

 the establishment has been transfened to the Typo- 

 graphical Company, and the amount of business not 

 fcnown. 



t For nn account of the Asylum, soe part second, 

 page 219. 



in town. Mr. Amos Mendall came in, 

 the spring following. May, 1780, and was 

 married to a daughter of Dea. Jones. This 

 was the first couple married, and was the 

 second family in town. Their dauo-hter, 

 Lucy, was the first child born. In 1783, 

 Messrs. Isaiah Shaw and Cephas Sheldon 

 moved their families into the north part 

 of the town, they having commenced im- 

 provements the year betbre. Capt. James 

 Fletcher came in with his family about 

 the same time In 1784, settlements were 

 commenced along the river in the south 

 part of the town, by the Messrs. South- 

 gates, Hawkins and Toplift", and from this 

 time the settlement proceeded rapidly for 

 a number of years. The first saw mill 

 was erected in the north part of the town, 

 in 1784, by Mr. George Boyce. The 

 Messrs. Hawkins built one which went 

 into operation in 1785, and the Messrs. 

 Southgates another which went into ope- 

 ration soon after. The latter gentlemen 

 also built in 1786, the first gristmill. Mr. 

 Joseph Boyce had the first framed house. 

 The first town meeting was held 'and the 

 town organized, March 30, 1785, at which 

 time Joliri Hawkins was chosen town 

 clerk, Richard Southgate, Isaiah Shaw 

 and James Fletcher, selectmen, and Jo- 

 seph Hawkins constable. The town 

 was first represented, in the General As- 

 sembly, by John Hawkins, in 1784. — 

 The religious denominations, in Bridge- 

 water, are Congregationalists, Baptists, 

 Methodists, Christians and Universal- 

 ists. The Congregational church was 

 the first collected in town. It was organ- 

 ized January 1, J 793, and then consisted 

 of 20 members. Mr. John Ransom was 

 ordained over it, March 4, 1795, and con- 

 tinued to preach here the greatest part of 

 the time till 1802. Since that period they 

 have not had regular preaching. They 

 have a meeting house in the south part of 

 the town, erected May 1, 1828. There 

 is another meeting house situated in the 

 village in the south part of the tpwn, 

 which was raised July 4, 1820, and belongs 

 principally to the Univcrsalists. The other 

 denominations have no houses for worship. 

 The Baptist church was organized June 6, 

 1806, and then consisted of 11 members. 

 It was for more than 30 years under the 

 pastoral care of Elder JNehemiah Wood- 

 ward. This town has, generally, been 

 very healthy. The dysentery has, some- 

 times, prevailed and carried off a number 

 of children. In 1813, the lung fever pre- 

 vailed to an alarming degree. It swept 

 ofii" great numbers of the most respectable 

 and useful citizens. JNineteen persons 

 died in Bridgewater of this disease in the 

 month of March, a great portion of whom 



