Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



151 



ROCKINGHAM. 



eral pitches, one above another, for the 

 distance of half a mile, the larjrest of 

 which is that where the rock divides the 

 stream. Notwithstanding the velocity of 

 the current, the salmon formerly passed 

 up this fall, and were taken many miles 

 above; but the shad were never taken 

 above here. In 1785, Col. Enoch Hale 

 erected a bridge over the Connecticut at 

 these falls. Its length was 365 feet, and 

 it was supported in the middle by the 

 great rock mentioned above. Till 1796 

 this was the only bridge across the Con- 

 necticut. The bridge here is about 50 

 feet from the water, and from it the trav- 

 eller has an interesting and sublime view 

 of the falls. The whole descent of the 

 river at these falls is 42 feet. They are 

 passed by a canal, on the Rockingham 

 side, consisting of nine locks and are half 

 a mile in length, .\round these falls is an 

 interesting locality of minerals. The 

 rocks are principally gneiss. There are 

 also the following rare minerals, viz : tre- 

 molite ; prchnite, radiated in small nodules 

 of a greeniisli white color ; fibralite, abund- 

 ant in granite ; fluate of lime a few rods 

 below the bridge, in gneiss, and, also, one 

 mile northwest from the falls in quartz, 

 crystalized, massive and of a green color; 

 cyanite, or sappare ; green carbonate of 

 copper in small quantifies ; made and in- 

 dicolite. Besides the above, there are in 

 the township aluminous and argillaceous 

 slate, the latter of which is used for build- 

 ing and gravestones; chlorite; hornblende; 

 limpid and radiated quartz ; bitter spar ; 

 jasper; schorl; garnets; zoisite ; augite, 

 and sulphuret of iron. There are in this 

 township several pleasant villages. Bel- 

 lows Falls village, situated on the bank of 

 tlie Connecticut at Bellows falls, in the 

 southeastern part of the township, is the 

 most important. It contains two church- 

 es, a bank, a post office, a number of ele- 

 gant private dwelling houses, several 

 stores, an extensive paper manufactory, 

 and a variety of mills, machinery, and 

 mechanic's shops. Rockingham village is 

 situated near the centre of the township, 

 and contains a meeting house and several 

 handsome dwelling houses. Saxton's riv- 

 er village is situated on the stream of that 

 name in the south part of Rockinghain, 

 and is very pleasant and flourishing. It 

 contains 2 meeting houses, a post office, 

 mills of various kinds, several stores, 

 mechanic's shops, &c. The village of 

 Cambridge Port, in the southwest corner 

 of the township, contains a meeting house, 

 woollen factory, a tavern, 2 stores, an 

 attorney, and a physician. There are 

 in town 17 primary schools, 4 meeting 

 houses, 12 stores, 7 fulling mills,, 4 wool- 



len factories, 5 grist and 7 saw mills, and 

 2 tanneries. Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 

 380; cattle, 1,950 ; sheep, 15,225 ; swine, 

 1,421; wheat, bus. 1,618; barley, 145; 

 oats, 21,424; rye, 4,647; buckwheat, 

 2,525 ; Indian corn, 15,992 ; potatoes, 41,- 

 581 ; hay, tons, 4,259 ; sugar, lbs. 14,725 ; 

 wool, 32,371. Population, 2,330. 



RoxBURY, a post town in tlie south part 

 of Washington county, is in lat. 44'' 4' 

 and long. 4"' 18', and is bounded north by 

 Northfield, east by Erooklield, south by 

 Braintree and Granville, and west by 

 Warren. It lies 15 miles southwesterly 

 from Montpelier and 45 northwest from 

 Windsor. It was granted November 6, 

 1780, and chartered to Hon. Benjamin 

 Emmonds and others, August 6, 1781, 

 containing 23,040 acres. The settlement 

 of this township was commenced in 1789 

 by Christopher Huntington. He was 

 originally from Mansfield, Conn., but re- 

 sided a while in Norwich in this state, 

 previous to his moving into this township. 

 He, like mnaiy other settlers of new town- 

 ships, had to draw his effijcts several 

 miles upon a hand-sled, and had many 

 hardships to encounter. The town was 

 organized in 1796. Thomas Huntington 

 was first town clerk and Zebadiaii Butler 

 first representative. The religious denom- 

 inntions are Freewill Baptists, Congrega- 

 tionalists, Methodists, Baptists and Uni- 

 versalists. They have each a regular 

 church, but are all dependent upon mis- 

 sionaries or other itinerant preachers. A 

 union house for public worship was fin- 

 ished in 1839. The dysentery was very 

 mortal here in the autumn of 1823, partic- 

 ularly in the northeastern part. This 

 township is situated on the height of land 

 between Winooski and White rivers, and 

 has consequently no large streams. The 

 waters in the north part flow through 

 Dog river into Winooski river, and those 

 in the south part through Ayres' brook, 

 and the third branch into White river. 

 Tlie surface of the township is uneven, 

 but the soil is well adapted to the produc- 

 tion of grass, and in general yields good 

 crops of grain. The timber is mostly hard 

 wood, with some hemlock, spruce and fir. 

 The rocks in the eastern part are argilla- 

 ceous slate, and abound with cubical crys- 

 tals of the sulphuret of iron. Iron ore is 

 found in the southeastern part. There is 

 a very small village in the northeast cor- 

 ner, on a principal branch of Dog river, 

 containing a grist, saw, fulling and clover 

 mill, tavern, &,c. There are in town 11 

 school districts, 1 store, 3 taverns, 1 car- 

 riage shop, 1 grist, 1 clover and 3 saw 

 mills. Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 172 ;. 

 cattle, 794; sheep, 3,646; swine, 498 j 



