60 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT 



Part III. 



LAKE CHAMPLAIX. 



CHARLESTON. 



of this bay the steamboat Phoenix was 

 consumed by fire on tlic morning of the 

 5lh of September ISl'J, and much pro- 

 perty and several lives lost, t Between 

 Juniper island and Pottier's point, a large 

 rock rises above the water, called rock 

 Dander, and to tlie southwest of Juniper 

 lie four small islands called the Fovr 

 Brothers. They were named on Charle- 

 voix map the isles of the Four Winds. 

 The bay opposite Burlington, called 

 Douglas' bay, was called by the French 

 Corlar, and the island lying a little to the 

 north, called Schuyler's island, they call- 

 ed hl-e aux C/iapon. The greatest ex- 

 panse of water is between the Four 

 Brothers and Grand Isle, but tJie greatest 

 width from east to west shore is furtlier 

 nortli across tiie islands, where tlie dis- 

 tance is about 14 miles. Cumberland 

 bay, on the head of which stands Platts- 

 burgh, JN. Y., is about 2:2 miles from Bur- 

 lington. This bay is celebrated for the 

 signal victory of the American squadron, 

 under Commodore McDonough, over the 

 British fleet, on the IJth of September, 

 1814. t Tlie peninsula lying north of 

 Cumberland bay called Cumberland Head, 

 was called by the French Cape Scou- 

 mouton. On this point is a lisfht house. 

 From South Hero to the 4.^th degree of 

 lat. the breadth of the lake including the 

 islands is from nine to twelve miles. 

 Where the lake leaves the state on the 

 west side of Alburgh, its width is less 

 than two miles. Tiie lake extends into 

 Canada 24 miles to St. Johns, where the 

 river Richelieu commences and conveys 

 the waters to the St. Lawrence. The 

 Richelieu is about 60 miles long, and joins 

 the St. Lawrence near the upper end of 

 lake St. Peters, and about 4-5 miles below 

 Montreal. The navigation of the Riche- 

 lieu is interrupted by the Chambly rapids, 

 but the lake is connected with the St. 

 Lawrence at Montreal, by a railroad 18 

 miles in length, leading from St. John's 

 to Laprairie. The canal which connects 

 lake Champlain with the Hudson, at Al- 

 bany, is 64 miles in length, and traverses 

 a most interesting country. " It passes 

 in sight of the very spot where the tree 

 stood, to which Putnam was bound, in 

 1757. Fort Edward and Fort Miller also 

 recall to mind many circumstances of 

 American history. The former was built 

 by Col. Williams, in 175.5, and its walls 

 are now in some places 20 feet high. The 

 unfortunate Miss MCrea was murdered 

 near this fort, and the trunk of the tree, 

 to which she was bound, still remains 

 with her name and the date, 1777, rudely 

 inscribed upon it. It passes near the 



* See part second page 21G. flbid. Page 96. 



spot where the haughty Burgoyne sur- 

 rendered his sword, October 17, 1777, 

 where Schuyler's house was burnt, and 

 where the brave Fraser fell. The house, 

 where that officer died, is still standing, 

 and the rooms, occupied bj^ the Countesa 

 Riedsell, remain unaltered." 



Chaki.kstos, a post town in the east 

 part of Orleans county, is in lat. 44° 51' 

 and long. 4" 57, and is bounded northeast 

 by Morgan, southeast bj' Brighton, south- 

 west by a part of Westmore and Brown- 

 ington, and nortliwest by Salem. It lies 

 50 miles northeast from Montpelier ; was 

 granted the 6tli, and chartered the 10th of 

 November, 1780, to the " Hon. Abraham 

 Whipple, his shipmates," and others, con- 

 taining 23,040 acres Commodore Whip- 

 {)le was a distinguished naval oflicer in 

 the revolutionary war, and he called the 

 town Navy, in honor of the American 

 navy, the prowess of which he had so 

 bravely maintained ; but the name wag 

 altered to Charleston, by act of the legis- 

 lature, Nov. 6, 1825. The settlement of 

 this township was commenced in 1803, 

 by Andrew McGaffey, who, this year, 

 moved his family here from Lyndon. 

 Mrs. McGaffey died October 30,"of this 

 year, which was the first death in town. 

 In July, Abner Allyn also moved his fam- 

 ily here, and his was the second family 

 in town. In 1804, Joseph Seavey moved 

 his family here ; Orin Percival, his in 

 1805 ; and from this time the settlement 

 proceeded more rapidly. Tiie whole num- 

 ber of deaths in this town, up to 1824, was 

 13, and only three of these adults. The 

 town was organized, March 3], 1806, and 

 Abner Allyn was first town clerk. He 

 was also the first representative, chosen 

 in 1807. The Freewill Baptists are the 

 most numerous denomination of Chris- 

 tians. Elder John Swazey, a Protestant 

 Methodist, is the only resident minister, 

 but the town is generally supplied by itin- 

 erant preachers. Ezra Ciishing is the 

 only physician The principal stream is 

 Clyde river, which enters the townsliip 

 from Brigliton, and runs northwesterly, 

 nearly through its centre into Salem. 

 There are some falls of consequence, on 

 this stream, particularly the Great falls, 

 where the descent is more than 100 feet 

 in 40 rods, but its current is, generally, 

 slow. The alluvial flats, along this stream, 

 are extensive, but generally too low and 

 wet for cultivation. In the southeast part 

 of the township are 1000 acres of bog 

 meadow in a body upon this river. There 

 are several considerable ponds. Echo 

 pond, the most important, is in the north- 

 ern part, and was named by Gen. J. 

 Whitelaw, on account of the Buccession of 



