90 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



HINESBURGH. 



HINESBURGH. 



this time until 1818 the church was desti- 

 tute of a stated pastor. On the 30th of 

 September of this year, the Rev. Otto S. 

 Hoyt was ordained, and remained their 

 pastor until the !)th of February, 1832, 

 when he was dismissed. From 1832 to 

 October, 1837, the church was supplied 

 by the labors of the Rev. Mason Knapen, 

 succeeded by the Rev. Brainerd Kent. 

 On the 8th of February, 1838, the Rev. 

 Otto S. Hoyt was installed over this 

 church, and is their present pastor. The 

 church was first formed of 12 members ; 

 the present number is 132. The Baptist 

 church was formed in the year 1810 with 

 17 members ; tlie present number is 133. 

 Among the Elders who have at different 

 periods labored in this church, may be 

 mentioned the names of Peter Chase, the 

 late Alanson L. Covel, Wm. Arthur and 

 John Ide. At present they are enjoying 

 the labors of Elder VVakeman G.Johnson. 

 The Episcopal Methodists were formed 

 into a class in the year 1799, consisting 

 of 6 or 7 members. Tliey have been sup- 

 plied by different circuit preachers, and 

 have now a flourishing church which con- 

 sists of 118 members ; the Rev. Mr. Hurl- 

 burd is their present minister. There 

 are also in the town a class of Protestant 

 Methodists and a society of Free- Will 

 Baptists. A literary society was formed 

 here in 1810, which was incorporated in 

 1822, and has a respectable library. An 

 academy was also incorporated in 1822, 

 which affords good advantages for receiv- 

 ing a thorough academical education, be- 

 ing sustained by a competent supverin- 

 tendent. The first Sabbath school was 

 established about 1820, and the present 

 average attendance of Sabbath school 

 scholars at the different churches is about 

 200. There is in the north pnrt of the 

 town a high ridge of rough land called 

 Prichard mountain. The west part has 

 generally a level surface, interspersed 

 with small hillocks. In the eastern part 

 the land is hilly and broken, containing, 

 however, a good share of feasible, fertile 

 and valuable land. The forest consisted 

 of hard timber generally. There were 

 some beaver meadows, one of which con- 

 tained between one and two hundred 

 acres, from which the first settlers deriv- 

 ed much benefit. The principal streams 

 are Lewis creek, Laplot river and Pond 

 brook. Lewis creek enters the town 

 from Monkton, and takes a westerly 

 course through the southwest part of the 

 town. On this stream, in the year 1790, 

 Mr. Nathan Leavenworth, one of the ear- 

 ly settlers, built a saw mill and a grist 

 mill. This mill is in the bounds of Char- 

 lotte. Before it was built the inhabitants 



were obliged to go to Winooski falls at 

 Burlington, or to Vergennes, for their 

 grinding. The river Laplot rises in the 

 southeastern part of the town, and takes 

 a northwesterly course, running through 

 a rich tract of intervale, which is from 

 one half to a mile and a half in width and 

 about four and a half in length. This 

 land is not exceeded for fertility and beau- 

 ty by any in the county. Pond brook is 

 the outlet of a natural pond which lies in 

 the north part of the town, and in Willis- 

 ton and joins into the river Laplot a little 

 northwest of the village. On this stream 

 are several sites for water power, which 

 are now occupied by a furnace, carding 

 machine, fulling mill, machine shop, saw 

 mil] and two woollen factories. There 

 are two other streams which take their 

 rise in the eastern part of the town, one 

 falling into the river Laplot and the other, 

 called Calkins', or Trout brook, empty- 

 ing into Lewis creek in the north part of 

 Monkton. On this stream is a saw mill ; 

 on the former, called Baldwin brook, are 

 a number of good sites for water power ■, 

 where are now a saw mill, a shingle ma- 

 chine, a grist mill with 3 runs of stones, 

 a bark mill and a machine for rolling 

 leather. The village is in the central 

 part of the town. It has three pleasant 

 houses for public worship, belonging to 

 the three principal denominations. The 

 Congregational and Methodist being of 

 brick and the Baptist of wood. An acad- 

 emy, on an elevated site in the centre of 

 the village, a vestry built by the Congre- 

 gational church, a village school house, 

 38 dwelling houses, 6 dry goods stores, 1 

 leather and shoe store, one tavern, &c. 

 This town lias been somewhat remarkable 

 for the health of its inhabitants, especially 

 in the first settlement. It however suffered 

 severely from the epidemic of 18] 3, which 

 carried off about 40 heads of families. 

 The oldest persons who have died in this 

 town were Mr. Andrew Burrill and his 

 wife. He lived to the age of 96 years and 

 3 months, she lived to the age of 9-5 years 

 and 8 months, having lived together over 

 70 years. Mr. Andrew Burrill was the 

 only original proprietor who settled on 

 his own right of land. The oldest person 

 now living is the widow of Mr. Benjamin 

 Berto, who is about 100 years old. There 

 are 14 school districts, with a school 

 house in each. The number of scholars, 

 in the year 1840, between the ages of 4 

 18 years, was 598. The public money 

 accruing from rents on public lands, 

 school taxes, and other funds, amounted 

 to $645,84, which gave a dividend on 

 each scholar of .f 1,08. Statistics of 1840. 

 Horses, 209 ; cattle, 2,162 ; sheep, 8,998 ; 



