Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



85 



HALIFAX . 



HALIFAX. 



some having all the appearance of lava 

 On the east side of the town is a range of 

 argillaceous slate, wiiich is manufactured 

 into roof and writing slate. Rolled rocks of 

 granite, from huge masses to small peb- 

 bles, appear on almost every lot. On some 

 few lots is limestone, and on others, bog 

 iron ore, but neither sufficiently pure and 

 plenty for manufacture. A slight volcanic 

 eruption is said to have taken place here 

 a few years ago upon the farm of Mr. Max- 

 well. Gneiss and hornblende slate, witli 

 those above mentioned, compose the prin- 

 cipal rocks in town. Rocks of all kinds 

 are not sufficiently plenty for the use of 

 the farmer, without much expense. In the 

 banks is found good sand, and in the low 

 lands as pure clay, perhaps, as any in 

 Verniont. On the farm of Maj. E. Hough- 

 ton, is a mineral spring, whicli is the re- 

 sort of invalids, troubled with scrofulous 

 and other cutaneous eruptions. It is sit- 

 uated in a piece of low marshy ground, 

 and the water is impregnated with mag- 

 nesia, lime, sulphur and iron. The bub- 

 bles that arise in the spring, on meetino- 

 a torch held upon the surface, will ex- 

 plode with a flame. Green River is a 

 rapid stream, running south through the 

 west part of the township, and Broad brook 

 a smaller stream running east through 

 the north part. There are two small 

 streams, branches of Broad brook, which 

 run north, one through the centre, and 

 the other at the foot of the east mountain 

 on the west side, and empty into Broad 

 brook. On both the former are fine mill 

 privileges, and water sufficient at all sea- 

 sons of the year. The banks and bottom 

 of these streams are clean, the waters lim- 

 pid, and they contain trout. Eels and 

 suckers are found in most of the ponds, 

 but not in plenty. There are now in 

 town 1 paper mill, 1 extensive tannery, 2 

 comb factories, 2 oil mills, 2 grist mills, (i 

 saw mills, 1 clothier's works and carding 

 machine, 4 stores, and 4 taverns. A large 

 cotton factory, situated in the east village, 

 was burnt in 1820. Statistics of 1840. — 

 Horses, 255 ; cattle, 2,312; sheep, 2,949; 

 swine, 790; wheat, bu. 920 ; barley, 1,940; 

 oats, 4,630 ;' rye, 690 ; b. wheat, 30 ; Ind. 

 corn, 9,028; potatoes, 31,795 ; hay, tons, 

 3,438; sugar, lbs. 21,555; wool, 6,472 

 Population, 1525. c. s. & j. b. p. 



Halifax, a post town in the south part 

 of Windham county, is in lat. 42"^ 47' and 

 long. 4"^ 20', and is bounded north by 

 Marlborough, east by Guilford, south by 

 Colerain, Mass., and west by Whiting- 

 ham. It lies 25 miles east from Benning- 

 ton, and 9 soutluvest from Brattieborough, 

 and was chartered May 11, 1750. The 

 settlement was commenced in 1761, by 



Abner Rice from Worcester county, Mass- 

 He was joined by others from Colerain 

 and Pelham, Mass. in 1763. The time the 

 town was organized is not preciselyknown, 

 but was about the year 1770. The first 

 town clerk, of whom any information has 

 been obtained, was Samuel Woodard, and 

 the first representatives, Hubbell Wells, 

 and Edward Harris. The religious de- 

 nominations are Congregationalists and 

 Baptists. The former church was organ- 

 ized in 1778. The Congregational meeting 

 house was built in 1782, and the Baptist 

 meeting house in 1804. The first settled 

 minister was the Rev. David Goodall of 

 the Congregational order. He was set- 

 tled in 1781, and dismissed in 1796. The 

 Rev. Jesse Edson was ordained over the 

 same church November 23, 1796, and died 

 December 14, J 805. He was succeeded 

 by the Rev. Thomas H. Wood, the pres- 

 ent minister, who was ordained Septem- 

 ber 17, 1806. The minister of the Bap- 

 tist church is Elder Samuel Fish. The 

 years 1799, 1800, 1817, and 1831, were 

 seasons of special religious revivals. 

 About the year 1812, a Mr. Rice died here 

 aged 112 years. The years 1805, 1812, 

 and '13, were the periods of the most re- 

 markable mortality. This township is 

 watered by North and Green river. The 

 former runs through the western and 

 southern part, and the latter through the 

 northeastern. They are both large and 

 commodious mill streams, and the mill 

 privileges are numerous. In the branch 

 of North river, on the farm of Henry 

 Niles, is a succession of cascades extend- 

 ing about 100 rods. The falls are from 

 15 to 20 feet each, and are overlooked by 

 the projecting rocks on the right in ascen- 

 ding the stream. The place is visited by 

 the curious, and the scene, which presents 

 itself, is rugged, wild and romantic. The 

 surface of the township is uneven, but 

 there are no mountains worthy of notice. 

 On the margin of North river is a cavern, 

 called Woodard's Cave or Dun's Den. It 

 is 25 feet in length, 5 in width and the 

 same in height. The sides and top are of 

 solid rock. This is also a place of resort 

 for the curious. The soil is generally of 

 a good quality, well adapted to the pro- 

 duction of grass, and much attention is 

 devoted to the raising of cattle and the 

 keeping of dairies. The people are most- 

 ly industrious and wealthy. The timber 

 is principally beech, maple, birch, ash, 

 hemlock, and spruce. The town is divi- 

 ded into 14 school districts with as many 

 school houses. At the centre is an elegant 

 brick school house, 42 by 24 feet on the 

 ground, in which the languages and high- 

 er branches of literature have usually been 



