Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



131 



NULHECrAN RIVER. 



OMPOMPANOOSUC RIVER. 



ers, principally white pine, and further 

 back maple, beech, birch, hemlock, &c. 

 The surface of the township is uneven, 

 but nearly all admits of cultivation. It 

 produces all kinds of grain and grass, and 

 some of the finest orchards in the state. 

 E.xtcnsive beds of iron ore are found in 

 the northwest corner of the township, 

 connected with the copperas ore in Straf- 

 ford. Cyanite, or sappare, is also found in 

 this township in laminated masses, connec- 

 ted with quartz and mica. Beautitul speci- 

 mens of actynolite are found, and anthra- 

 cite in small quantities. On the bank of 

 Connecticut river, about 70 rods above 

 the mouth of the Ompompanoosuc, is an 

 Indian burying ground, where human 

 bones, stone pots, arrows, &c., are fre- 

 quently found. Between the Connecticut 

 and the Ompompanoosuc is a high bluff, 

 where explosions were formerly heard, 

 like the report of cannon, to the great 

 terror of the inhabitants. The township 

 has, generally, been very healthy. The 

 dysentery, however, prevailed here in 

 179.5, and carried off 60 persons, and the 

 epidemic of 1813 was very mortal- The 

 Bcarlet fever prevailed in this town and 

 neighborliood in 1831, and produced con- 

 siderable mortality. Windsor co. gram- 

 mar school was incorporated and estab- 

 lished here in 1785. JVorwich village is 

 pleasantly situated on Norwich plain, and 

 contains a handsome meeting house, the 

 Norwich university, (seepnrt second, pacre 

 168,) several stores, a tavern, a consider- 

 able number of mechanics' shops, and 

 about 40 dwelling houses. The town 

 contains 5 meeting houses, 1 grist and 9 

 saw mills, and 5 stores. Statistics of 1840. 

 Horses, 481 ; cattle, 2,348; sheep, 13,395; 

 swine, 1,559 ; wheat, bus. 3,801 ; barley, 

 349; oats, 20,727; rye, 2,854; buckwheat, 

 1,182; Ind. corn, 11,119; potatoes, 53,- 

 480; hay, tons, 5,2(35; sugar, lbs. 15,730; 

 wool, 27,639. Population, 2,218. 



NuLHEGAN River, rises partly in Aver- 

 ill and partly in Wenlock. The North 

 branch runs a southerly course through 

 AveriU, Lewis, and a part of Blooinfield, 

 the West branch runs an easterly course 

 through Wenlock and a part of Bruns- 

 wick. They unite in Blooinfield, and, ta- 

 king a southeasterly course, fall into Con- 

 necticut river a little above the northeast 

 corner of Brunswick. This river is gen- 

 erally rapid, except that part of the West 

 branch that runs through Wenlock and 

 Brunswick, which is very still and deep, 

 and bordered by alder meadows. Through 

 this and Clyde river, which runs a north- 

 west course into lake Memphremagog, 

 the Indians formerly had their naviga- 

 tion from said lake to Connecticut river. 



They had a carrying place of about two 

 miles from the head of one river to th:tof 

 the other, and several other carrying places 

 by the falls and rapids in these strea-ns. 

 This river waters about 120 square miles, 

 and is about 3 rods wide at its mouth. 



Ompompanoosuc River, rises in the 

 northwestern part of Vershire, and runs 

 easterly into West Fairlee. It then takes 

 a southeasterly course into Thetford, 

 where it receives a considerable stream 

 from Fairlee lake, which is a large body 

 of water lying partly in Fairlee and part- 

 ly in Thetford. Continuing a southeast- 

 erly course through the township, the 

 Ompompanoosuc mingles its waters with 

 Connecticut river in the northeastern part 

 of Norwich. In the south part of Thet- 

 ford, it receives a considerable mill stream 

 from the west, which originates in the 

 eastern part of Tunbridge and in Straf- 

 ford. The whole length of this river is 

 about 20 miles, and it affords a number 

 of valuable mill privileges. The name, 

 which is Indian, is said to s'gnify a stream 

 where man}' onions are found. 



Oniok River. See Winooski river. 



Orange, a post town in the northwest 

 corner of Orange count}', is in lat. 44" 9' 

 and long. 4° 33', and is bounded north by 

 a part of Plainfield. Go?hen, Harris' Gore, 

 and Groton, east by Topsliam, south by a 

 part of Corinth and Washington, and 

 west by Barre. It lies 13 miles north of 

 Chelsea, 13 miles east from Montpelier 

 and 55 miles nortii from Windsor. It 

 was granted Nov. 6, 1780, and chartered 

 to Capt.Ebenezer Greer, Amos Robinson, 

 Esq. and others, August 11, 1781, con- 

 taining 93,040 acres. The first settle- 

 ment was commenced by Ensign Joseph 

 Williams, in Sept. 1793, on the south line 

 of the town. The town was organized 

 March 12, 1796 ; John Sloan was first 

 town clerk, and Ezra Paine first consta- 

 ble. It was first represented in the year 

 1800, by Thomas Storrs Paine. The re- 

 ligious denominations are Congregation- 

 alists, Methodists, Freewill Baptists, and 

 Universalists, in about equal numbers. 

 The Rev. Enos Bliss was settled over the 

 Congregational church in 1799, and after 

 preaching several years was dismissed. 

 There was a small but decent meeting 

 house erected at the centre of the town 

 in 1823, and one of about the same di- 

 mensions erected in the southeast corner 

 of th"^ town, in 1825; both houses are oc- 

 cupied by all of the several denomina- 

 tions. The epidemic of 1S12 carried eft' 

 about 40 persons in a few weeks. Doct. 

 Preston Chamberlin is the only profess- 

 ional man in town. The surface of this 

 town is uneven, and in some parts rath* 



