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I-IRMONT. 



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,!res rif^'liis article has been from i6,00t) 

 to ^'■\-'"r'>'^ i'iie water in tiiis townsiiip, is 

 generally hard, unsuitable for washing, 

 and many kinds of cookery. A mile and 

 a half cast from the meeting-house is a 

 spring, the waters of which are slightly 

 clialybeate. Middlcburij village is situ- 

 ated on both sides of Otter creek at Mid- 

 dlcbury falls. The latitude of the court- 

 house here, according to Prof. Hall, is 43° 

 49' 51" and its longitude 73" 10' 1.5" west 

 from Greenwich. In 1793, all the build- 

 ings in this village amounted to 62, the 

 most of which were built of logs. In 

 1813, they amounted to 346, 146 of which 

 were dwelling-houses. In 1822, the total 

 number of buildings was 604, 196 being 

 dwelling-houses, 6 of brick, the rest of 

 wood. The number has since been great- 

 ly increased. The public buildings are 5 

 churches, 3 college edifices, an academy, 

 court-house and jail. There are 14 mer- 

 cantile stores, 2 woollen and 1 cotton fac- 

 tory, a great variety of other machinery 

 and a large number of mechanics' shops, 

 embracing all such as are usually found 

 in country villages. There is another 

 thriving little village called East-Middle- 

 hurij, situated on Middlebury river. It 

 contains a store, several mills and shops, 

 and many enterprising mechanics. Mid- 

 dlebury has been somewhat distinguished 

 for its literary institutions. An account 

 of Middlebury College has already been 

 given in part second, page 152. The 

 other institutions, besides elementary 

 schools, are an academy and female sem- 

 inarv. Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 470; 

 cattle, 3,820 ; sheep, 20,400 ; swine, 1,828; 

 wheat, bush. 2,310; oats, 10,625; rye, 

 920 ; buck-wheat, 794 ; Indian-corn, 7,500; 

 potatoes, 23,023 ; hav, tons, 8,900 ; sugar, 

 lbs. 1,200; wool, 52,300. Population, 

 3,161. 



Middlebury River, rises in Hancock, 

 passes through Ripton, and directing its 

 course westerly, mingles its waters, in 

 the south part of Middlebur}', with those 

 of Otter creek. The turnpike from Ver- 

 gennes to Bethel is, for a considerable 

 distance, built on, or near, one of the 

 banks of this stream, which presents to 

 the eye of the traveller a number of high- 

 ly romantic prospects. A large propor- 

 tion of the land contiguous to this stream, 

 after it leaves the mountain, is alluvial, 

 and there are some small patches of allu- 

 vial land among the mountains. Tlie 

 length of this stream is about 14 miles, 

 and it affords several mill privileges. 



Middle Hero.— Name altered to Grand 

 Isle, Nov. 5, 1810. See Grand-Isle. 



Middlesex, a post town in the central 

 part of Washington county, is in lat. 44" 



I 80' and lonir. 4'^ .Sii', and is bounded norths 

 arJy oy Worcester, easterly fa}' Montpe- 

 lier, southerly by Moretown, from which 

 it is separated by Winooski river, and 

 westerly by Waterbury. It lies 30 nailea 

 east from Burlington, and was chartered 

 June 8, 1763, containing 23,200 aereSr 

 Mr. Thomas Mead was the first s^ttlei' cf 

 this township, and also the first settler cf 

 Washington county. He began improvs- 

 ments in Middlesex in 1781 or '32, and 

 the ne.\t year moved liis family here frca 

 Chelmsford, Mass. Mr. Harrington mov- 

 ed his family into town the year following, 

 and two Messrs. Putnams the year after. 

 The town wss organized about the yzds 

 1788. Mr. Wilson was first towa clcvl:, 

 and the Hon. Seth Putnam was first rep- 

 resentative. There is a small Method- 

 ist and Freewill Baptist society here, aud 

 someCongrcgationalists and Universalists, 

 There have been no very remarkable in- 

 stances of longevity. Mrs. M'EIrojj died 

 here in 1822, but little short of 100 years 

 of age. The south part of this township 

 is watered by Winooski river, which fur- 

 nishes here one of the best stands formiils 

 in the county. The north branch of this 

 river runs across the northeast corner of 

 the township. There are also severctl 

 brooks on which saw-mills are ersoted. 

 The township is uneven, but the only 

 mountain of consequence lies along tha 

 line between Middlesex and Watsrbury^ 

 and is called the Hogback. The timber 

 is such as is common to the mcuntam 

 towns, and the soil generally good. Thera 

 are some fine intervales along ths riysr, 

 but the flats are not extensive The chan- 

 nel worn througii the rocks by Winooski 

 river, between this township r.nd Mcr?- 

 town, is a considerable curiosity. It 

 is about 30 feet in depth, GO in width, cud 

 80 rods in length, the rocks appearing 

 like a wall upon each side. Over this 

 chasm a bridge is thrown, which is per- 

 fectly secure from floods. But little is 

 yet known of the mineralogy. Some fi39 

 specimens of rock crystal have been 

 picked up. On the bank of the Winooski 

 river at the falls, near the middle of tha 

 south line of the township is a flouriahing 

 little village, containing a handsome meet- 

 ing house, a post-office, 1 store, 1 faverr?, 

 1 grist, 1 oil and 1 saw-mill. S('Ztt.?ticr 

 of 1840. — Horses, 225; cattle, 1,013; 

 sheep, 3,829; swine, 344; wheat; bush. 

 2,182 ; barley, 510 ; oats, 11,227; rye, 

 483; buck-wheat, 893; Indian-corn. 3,708; 

 potatoes, 32,395 ; hay, tons, 3,206 : sugar, 

 lbs. 18,117; wool, 5,045. Fopulatior. 

 1,279. 



MiDDLETOWN, a post town in the sowi - 

 western part of Rutland county, is in !?■. 



