Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



61 



CRAFTSBCRY. 



CRAFTSBURY, 



town was first represented in the general 

 assembly by Ebenezer Crafts, in 1702. 

 In 17'J7, a Connrrerrational church was 

 organized, and the Rev. Samuel Collins 

 was installed, and continued to preach in 

 this town until ld04, when he died. From 

 1804 to 1822 the town was without a set- 

 tled minister, in which last mentioned 

 year the Rev. William A. Chapin was 

 ordained pastor of the Congregational 

 society ; which office he held for about 

 twelve years, and then took a dismission. 

 The Rev. Samuel R. Hall is at present 

 pastor of the Congregational church and 

 society, he was installed into that office 

 in 1841. There has for many years past 

 been a very considerable society of Metho- 

 dists in Craftsbury, the Rev. Joseph C. 

 Aspenwall has at present the charge of 

 the society. There is also a society of 

 Reformed Presbyterians, or Covenanters, 

 over which the Rev. Samuel Wilson has 

 been ordained. There are some Baptists, 

 and several Universalists, which are only 

 occasionally supplied with preaching. — 

 The professional men, besides the above 

 named, are James A. Paddock and Nathan 

 S.Hill,attornies, Daniel Dustin, Ephraim 

 Brewster and Daniel Bates, physicians. 

 This township is well watered by Black 

 river which is formed here, and by its 

 several branches, which afford numerous 

 mill privileges. Black river was known 

 to tlie natives, who occasionally resided 

 in this part of Vermont, by the name of 

 Elligo-sigo. Its current is in general 

 slow, the whole descent from Eliigo pond 

 to Memphremagog lake, including the 

 falls at Irasburgh and Coventry, being by 

 actual survey only 100 feet. Wild branch 

 a tributary of Lamoille, rises in Eden and 

 passes throuofh the western part of this 

 township. There arc five natural ponds, 

 viz : Eliigo, (see EUigo,) Iving partlv in 

 Greensborough, Great Hosmer, lying 

 partly in Albany, Little Hosmer, and two 

 smaller ponds. The geology of this town 

 is in many respects interesting, and, in 

 some, peculiar. Few areas of the same 

 space, in a region of primary rocks, fur- 

 nish so many varieties in sihi. In the 

 eastern borders, granite appears, then 

 gneiss, then mica slaie ; and these in the 

 central portions are displaced by argilla- 

 ceous slate of a very dark or plumbago 

 color, alternating with silicious litne stone. 

 The rocks on the west side of Black river 

 are hardly more uniform ; strata of mica 

 slate, agillaceous and chlorite slates, and 

 limestone, give place to each other in 

 rapid succession. Near the south village 

 is an extensive body of gray granite, very 

 much broken on the surface. This rock 

 is filled with nodules of black mica and 



quartz, in concentric lamina. These are 

 about the size of butternuts, and, in many 

 of the specimens, are so numerous that a 

 hundred may be counted within a circle 

 of two feet in diameter. In some parts of 

 the ledge these nodules are very much 

 flattened, as if subjected to an immense 

 vertical pressure when the mass was in a 

 semi-fluid state. A rook similar to this, 

 it is believed, has not been found in any 

 other place in this country or Europe. 

 Near the centre of the township, on an 

 elevated plain, affording an extensive 

 prospect, is situated the centre village, 

 containing over thirty dwelling houses, 

 two meeting houses, a town house, an 

 academy, school house, two taverns, two 

 dry goods and one hardware store, two 

 cabinet makers', two saddlers', two black- 

 smith's, one tin maker's, and one hatter's 

 shop, and one tannery. This village is 

 principally situated round an open square, 

 forty rods north and soutli, by twenty- 

 four rods east and west. Craftsbury 

 academy is located here; was incorporated 

 in October, lc2'J, and has the avails of 

 one half of the grammar school lands in 

 Orleans county, being about two thousand 

 six hundred acres, about half of which is 

 leased. The building is of brick, two 

 stories high, and is pleasantly situated on 

 the west side of the common. It is the 

 object of the trustees and instructers to 

 render it a place of thorough education to 

 those who resort to it. The institution 

 embraces three departments. The c assi- 

 cal, is designed for tliose who are fitting 

 for college : the teachers, for those who 

 are qualifying to become instructers ; and 

 the general, for those who wish to qualify 

 themselves for business in the various 

 pursuits of life. The apparatus is exten- 

 sive, including a galvanic battery, elec- 

 tro magnetic apparatus, air pump, elec- 

 trical machine, telescope, double and 

 single microscopes, globes, chemical ap- 

 paratus, &c., together with a very ex- 

 tensive cabinet of minerals, shells and 

 marine productions; and a museum of 

 curiosities in other departments of natural 

 history and the arts. The collection of 

 ancient coins contains specimens from 

 the Catacombs of Egypt and Herculane- 

 um, besides numerous other interestin"- 

 varieties. The institution is under the 

 superintendence of the Rev. S. R. Hall. 

 There is another village situated on Trout 

 brook, a large branch of Black river, a 

 mile and a half from the centre villao-e, 

 containing about twenty dwelling houses, 

 two saw mills, an oil mill, a fulling mill, 

 a carding machine, a carriage ma.ker, a 

 blacksmith and a chairmaker's shop, one 

 store and a tavern. There are three 



