160 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Part III. 



SHEFFIELD. 



SHELBURNE. 



part is probably not exceeded in fertility 

 by any in the state. The timber on the 

 high lands is mostly chestnut and oak. 

 There is a small tract here which was for- 

 merly covered with a beautiful growth of 

 white pine, of which nothing now remains 

 but the stumps. The minerals are iron 

 ore, of an excellent quality, of which 

 large quantities were conveyed to Ben- 

 nington furnace, and a beautiful white 

 marble, which has been extensively quar- 

 ried. There are 3 meeting houses in town, 

 2 belonging to the Baptists, and built 

 more than .50 years ago, and 1 to the Uni- 

 versalists, built in 1836. The town is di- 

 vided into 16 school districts, in two of 

 which are elegant two-story brick school- 

 houses, having bells, and 2 well furnish- 

 ed school rooms in each. There are in 

 town 2 stores, 2 taverns, 2 grist, 12 saw, 

 and 2 paper mills, and 1 woollen factory. 

 Statistics of 1640. — Horses, 538; cattle, 

 2,246; sheep, 24,436; swine, 1,. 538; wheat, 

 bus. 1 ,999 ; barley, 20 ; oats, 28,857 ; rye, 

 3,628; buckwheat, 3,861 ; Ind.corn, 12,- 

 684 ; potatoes, 50,000 ; hay, tons, 4,380 ; 

 sugar, lbs. 9,527 ; wool, 43,682. Popula- 

 tion, 1,835. 



Sharon, a post town in the north part 

 of Windsor county, is in lat. 43'^ 47' and 

 long. 4° 35', and is bounded north by 

 Straiford,east by Norwich, south by Pom- 

 fret, and west by Royalton. It lies 22 

 miles north from Windsor and 34 south- 

 cast from Montpelier. It was chartered 

 August 17, 1761, containing 23,795 acres. 

 The settlement of this township was com- 

 menced about the year 1765, by emigrants 

 from Connecticut. As near as can be 

 ascertained, Robert Havens and family 

 were the first who wintered in the town- 

 ship. The town was organized March 8, 

 1768, and Benjamin S])alding was first 

 town clerk. The religious denomina- 

 tions are Congregationalists, Baptists and 

 Methodists. The Congregational was the 

 first church formed, and was organized 

 September 11, 1782. The Rev. Lathrop 

 Thompson was the first settled minister, 

 and was ordained over this church Dec. 

 3, 1788, and dismissed March 26, 1793. 

 The Rev. Samuel Bascom was settled 

 March 12, 1806. Mr. Joel Marsh was the 

 first settler on White river in Sharon, and 

 was, for 40 years, a justice of the peace. 

 White river runs through this township 

 in an easterly direction, and affords a 

 number of valuable mill privileges. On 

 one of these near the centre are erected 

 an excellent saw and grist mill, and on 

 another towards the eastern part is a pa- 

 per mill and some other machinery. 

 There are several smaller streams on 

 which mills are erected. The surface of 



the township is very uneven and broken, 

 but the soil is good, producing fine crops 

 of corn, grain and grass. The Congre- 

 gational meeting house is situated near 

 the centre of the town. Around the 

 meeting house is a pleasant and flourish- 

 ing little village, lying on the bank of 

 White river, and containing a variety of 

 mills, mechanic's shops, &c There are 

 in town 13 school districts and school 

 houses, 3 grist, 1 paper, 1 fullincr and 7 

 saw mills, 1 carding machine, 2 slores, 4 

 taverns and 1 tannery. Stati^^tics o/ 1840. 

 Horses, 328 ; cattle, 1,590 ; sheep, 10,524 ; 

 swine, 1,204 ; wheat, bus. 2,774 ; oats, 

 16,410; rye, 1,771; buckwheat, 2,930; 

 Indian corn, 9,142; potatoes, 41,735 ; hiiy, 

 tons, 3,813 ; sugar, lbs. 8,580 ; wool, 20,- 

 602. Population, 1,371. 



SH.4.RPSHIN Point, a high, rocky point 

 situated in the north side of Burlington 

 bay, 1 mile and 217 rods from the south 

 wharf in Burlington. 



Sheffield, a township in the north 

 part of Caledonia county, is in lat. 44" 57' 

 and long. 4"^ 51 ', and is bounded northeast 

 by Glover and a part of Barton, easterly 

 by Sutton, and south and southwest by 

 Wheelock. It lies 35 miles northeast 

 from Montpelier, and 40 miles north from 

 Newbury. This township was granted 

 Nov. 7, 1780, containing 22,607 acres. 

 The settlement of this township was com- 

 menced about the year 1792. The town- 

 ship lies on the height of lands which 

 separates the waters which flow, into Con- 

 necticut river from those which flow into 

 the lakes. It is watered by some of the 

 head branches of the Passumpsic and also 

 of Barton river. In the north part are 

 several small ponds. The streams here 

 afford several good mill privileges, some 

 of which are occupied. Statistics of lii40. 

 Horses, 148; cattle, 949; sheep, 2,490; 

 swine, 465; wheat, bus. 1,396; barley, 

 876; oats, 5,902; rye, 70; buckwheat, 

 924 ; Indian corn, 725 ; potatoes, 39,200 ; 

 hay, tons, 2,292 ; sugar, lbs. 25,615; wool, 

 4,273. Population, 821. 



Shelburne, a post town in the west- 

 ern part of Chittenden county, is in lat. 

 44° 23' and long. 3" 49', and is bounded 

 north by Burlington, east by St. George, 

 south by Charlotte, and west by lake 

 Champlain. It lies 33 miles west from 

 Montpelier and 26 miles northwesterly 

 from Middlebury. It was chartered Au- 

 gust 18, 1763, containing, exclusive of 

 bays and ponds, 14,272 acres. A small 

 settlement was made in this township 

 previous to the revolutionary war. The 

 earliest settlers were two Germans by the 

 name of Logan and Pettier, who com- 

 menced upon two points of land extend- 



