Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



127 



NEWFANE. 



NEW HAVES. 



dition informs us that, in the war of 1756, 

 and some years before any settlements 

 were commenced, a battle was fought in 

 this town. See part second, pfige 68. 

 This town is watered by West river, 

 ' South branch,' Smith's brook, Baker's 

 brook, besides numerous rivulets. West 

 river has its origin in Weston, and, after 

 passing through the towns of Londonder- 

 ry, Jamaica, Townshend, and the easterly 

 part of Nevvfaneand Dummerston, unites 

 Avith the Connecticut at Brattleboro'. The 

 South branch originates in Dover, and, 

 after receiving a number of tributary 

 streams, passes through the southerly 

 part of Newfane, from west to east, and 

 falls into West river, on the east line of 

 said town. This stream affords many val- 

 uable mill seats and water privileges. 

 Smith's brook affords some eligible mill 

 seats. This town is diversified with high 

 hills and deep vallics ; but there are no 

 elevations that deserve the name of moun- 

 tains. There are no ponds, and very lit- 

 tle broken or waste land that is unfit for 

 cultivation. The old growtli of timber is 

 principally rock maple, beech, birch, 

 spruce and hemlock ; but the recent 

 growth, in some places, affords walnut 

 and oak in abundance. The intervales 

 afford excellent tillage, and the uplands 

 are, perhaps, inferior to none for grazing. 

 The principal products for market are 

 beef, pork, butter and cheese. The geo- 

 logical character of this town is primitive, 

 and the rocks, in situ, are principally mi- 

 ca slate and hornblende. Some small 

 beds and veins of granite, sienitic (rranitc, 

 and gneiss are found, but none that can 

 be advantageously wrought into building 

 stone. In the southwest part of the town 

 is an extensive bed of serpentine and stea- 

 tite, which, probably, at some future peri- 

 od, may be profitably wrought. No very 

 valuable minerals have yet been discov- 

 ered. Some rich specimens of iron ore 

 have been found, Ijut not of sufficient 

 quantity to defray the expense of refinino-. 

 Green carbonate and pyritous copper, in 

 small quantities, and the red oxide of ti- 

 tanium have also been found. Ferruo-in- 

 ous sand is abundant. The following list 

 comprises the principal part of the miner- 

 als, which have hitherto been discovered. 

 Silicious carbonate of lime, crystalized 

 calc. spar, sulphate of alumine, and pot- 

 ash (alum), efflorescing on mica slate, 

 sulphate of iron, garnet, common, mil- 

 ky, greasy, smoky, limpid, granular, red 

 ferruginous, yellow ferruginous, radiated, 

 and tabular quartz, red jasper, yellow and 

 red feldspar, crystalized epidote, zoisite, 

 tremolite, scapolite, compact abestus, sah- 

 lite,augite, schorl, fasciculite, actynolite, 



diallage, bitter spar, precious serpentine, 

 white and green talc, indurated talc, chlo- 

 rite, chlorite slate and sappare." There are 

 three small villages, the centre, the south 

 village and Fa3'etteville. Tlie centre is 

 on elevated ground, and formerly was the 

 site of the county buildings, which are 

 now at Fayetleville. From the meeting- 

 house here may be seen some part of at 

 least fifty towns, lying in Vermont, New 

 Hampshire and Massaciiusetts. On the 

 east is a view of the highlands in New 

 Hampshire and Massachusetts, to the dis- 

 tance of 60 or 70 miles, whilst on the mar- 

 gin of the horizon, the ' cloud-capt' VVor- 

 chusett and Monadnock appear to ' min- 

 gle with the heavens.' On the north, 

 south and west, little is to be discovered, 

 but an extensive 'sea of mountains,' 

 which displays, in wild disorder, ridge 

 above ridge, and peak above peak, till the 

 distant view is lost among the clouds. — 

 The South village is situated on the soutli 

 branch, and has the advantage of good 

 water ])ower. FaijetteviUe is pleasantly lo- 

 cated in the easterly part of the town, not 

 far from West river. It contains the 

 county buildings, two or three taverns, 

 stores, &c. In 1801, a county grammar 

 school was incorporated at Newfane. — 

 There are in town 3 grist, and 12 saw 

 mills, 1 oil, and 1 clothing mill, 2 tanner- 

 ies and 6 stores. Statistics of 1S40. — Hors- 

 es, 2.59 ; cattle, 2,686 ; sheep, 4,486 ; 

 swine, 761 ; wheat, bush. 973 ; barley, 

 168; oats, 6,686; rye, 2,1 J3; buckwheat, 

 323; Ind. corn, 6,472; potatoes, 37,564; 

 hay, tons, 3,584; sugar, lbs. 14,405; wool, 

 9,663. Population, 1,043. 



New Flamstead. See Chester. 



New Haven, a post town in the cen- 

 tral part of Addison county, is in lat. 44° 

 6' and long. 3° 53', and is bounded north 

 by Bristol and Ferrisburgh, east by Bris- 

 tol, south by JMiddlebury and Weybridge, 

 and west by Addison and Waltharn. It 

 lies 26 miles south from Burlington and 

 31 nearly west from Montpelier ; was char- 

 tered Nov. 2, 1761, and contains 23,390 

 acres. The settlement of this township 

 was commenced in 1769, by a few emi- 

 grants from Salisbury, Conn., on that 

 l)art which is now set off to Waltharn. 

 The settlement was, however, broken up 

 and abandoned in '76, in consequence of 

 the revolutionary war. Near this settle- 

 ment, and on that part of the township, 

 now constituting a part of the city ofVer- 

 gennes, a fort was erected and garrisoned 

 by troops, commanded by Capt. Ebene- 



* Fn ]fc26 a lump of native gold was jiicked up in 

 this town, weigliing 8 1-2 ounces. It was pure gold 

 witli the exception of some small fpiartz crystals at- 

 tached to it, weighing perhaps half an ounce, 'ts 

 specific gravity was le.."!. M. Fikld. 



