72 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



FERRISBURGH. 



FLETCHER. 



FRANKLIN. 



considered healthy, and several have lived 

 here to be near 100 years old. The epi- 

 demic of 1812 and '13 was very mortal 

 here, and carried off between (30 and 70 

 persons, mostly adults. This township 

 is watered principally by Otter, Little 

 Otter and Lewis creeks. Otter creek en- 

 ters the township from Vergennes, and 

 after runnincr northwesterly about eight 

 miles, across the southwest part, falls into 

 lake Champlain about three miles south 

 of the mouth of Little Otter creek. Lit- 

 tle Otter and Lewis creeks run through 

 the township in a westerly direction, the 

 former through the middle, and the latter 

 through the north part. The mouths by 

 which they are discharged into the lake 

 are within 80 rods of each other. Otter 

 creek is navigable eight miles to Ver- 

 gennes, and Little Otter creek three 

 miles, by the largest vessels on the lake. 

 In Little Otter creek are four, and in 

 Lewis creek three commodious falls, on 

 which mills and other machinery are 

 erected. Large quantities of pike, bass, 

 &c., are annually taken in the spring of 

 the year about the mouths of these 

 streams. About three miles north of the 

 southwest corner of the township is one 

 of the best harbors on the lake, called Ba- 

 sin luirhor. Five miles northwest from 

 Vergennes, and a short distance south of 

 the mouth of Little Otter creek, is a ferry 

 across the lake, which is here something 

 more than two miles wide. This place is 

 known by the name of Grog harbor, tak- 

 ing its name from the landing place in 

 Essex, on the New York side. The sur- 

 face of the northeastern part of this town- 

 ship is somewhat hilly. The remaining 

 parts, especially the western, are remark- 

 ably level and smooth. The uplands are 

 timbered mostly with maple, beech, bass- 

 wood and butternut ; the level and low 

 lands are timbered with pine interspersed 

 with oak, walnut, &c. No township in 

 the state has afforded more or better tim- 

 ber for market than this. The soil is very 

 various, some parts of it being clayey, 

 while others consist of rich mould, which 

 is easily tilled and very productive. In 

 favorable seasons crops of most kinds are 

 abundant. In 1823, one acre here pro- 

 duced 120 bushels of corn, which cost ten 

 days labor, and two bushels of plaster of 

 Paris, (gypsuvi). The same kind of soil 

 has produced 50 bushels of wheat, 70 of 

 oats, &c., per acre. It Is a good grazing 

 township, and large ntimbers of fat cattle 

 are yearly driven from it to market. 

 There are here 1 grist and 3 saw mills, 

 and 1 store. Statistics of 1840. Horses, 

 495 ; cattle, 5,183 ; sheep, 25,676; swine, 

 871 ; wheat, bus. 2,700 ; barley, 18 ; oats, 



10,900; rye, 550; buckwheat, 658; In- 

 dian corn, 8,910; potatoes, 21,680; hay, 

 tons, 12,000 ; sugar, lbs. 1,400 ; wool, 

 65,690. Population, 1,755. 



Fifteen-Mile Falls, the name given 

 to the rapids in Connecticut river, be- 

 tween Lunenburgh and Barnet. 



Flamstead, see- Chester. 



Fletcher, a post town in the south 

 part of Franklin county, is in lat. 44° 42' 

 and long. 4° 7', and is bounded north by 

 Bakersfield and Fairfield, east by Water- 

 ville, southeast by Cambridge, and south- 

 west by Fairfax. It lies 22 miles north- 

 east from Burlington, and 35 northwest 

 from Montpellcr. It was granted Novem- 

 ber 7, 1780, and chartered to Moses Rob- 

 inson, John Fay and others, August 20, 

 1781. The settlement was commenced 

 in 1784. The river Lamoille just touches 

 upon the southern extremity of this town- 

 ship. Metcalf pond is about one mile 

 long from north to south, and one third 

 of a mile wide from east to west. It dis- 

 charges its waters at the south end, form- 

 ing one of the head branches of Black 

 creek. This stream runs a southeasterly 

 course about two miles into Cambridge, 

 and, after crossing the corner of that 

 township, returns again into Fletcher, and 

 passes off to the north. Fairfield river 

 also rises in Fletcher, and is joined In 

 Fairfield by Black creek. Stone's brook 

 waters the western part. The surface of 

 this township is considerably broken. 

 There are here one grist and three saw 

 mills, and two stores. Statistics of 1840. 

 Horses, 175 ; cattle, 1,235 ; sheep, 3,335 ; 

 swine, 278; wheat, bus. 1,717; barley, 

 64; oats, 3,750; rye, 1,000; buckwheat, 

 400; Indian corn, 2,000; potatoes, 36,200 ; 

 hay, tons, 2,680 ; sugar, lbs. 38,650 ; wool, 

 6,.5.58. Population, 1,014. 



Four Brothers are four small islands 

 situated 6 or 7 miles to the southwest of 

 Burlington, and lying within the limits of 

 New York. They are uncultivated, and 

 lying out of the usual line of navigation, 

 the water fowls find among them a quiet 

 retreat, where gulls and others rear their 

 young. These islands are named on 

 Charlevoix's map, published in 1744, Isles 

 des 4 Vents, or Isles of Four Winds. 



Franki-in, a post town in the north 

 part of Franklin county, is in lat. 44'^ 58' 

 and long. 4° 6', and is bounded north by 

 St. Armand, in Canada, east' by Berk- 

 shire, south by Sheldon, and west by 

 Highgate. It lies 36 miles northeast from 

 Burlington, and 51 northwest from Mont- 

 pelier. It was granted October 24, 1787, 

 and chartered to Jonathan Hunt and his 

 associates, March 19, 1789, by the name 

 of Huntsburg. The settlement was com- 



