170 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



Paut III 



SWANTON. 



THETFORD' 



85,430; wool, lbs. 7,755. Population, 

 1,06S. 



SwANTON, a post town in Franklin 

 county, is in lat. 44° 53' and long. 3'^ 54', 

 and is bounded north by Highgate, east 

 by Sheldon and Fairfield, south by St. 

 Albans and west by lake Champlain, 

 which separates it from Alburgh and 

 North Hero. It lies 30 miles north from 

 Burlington, and 50 northwest from Mont- 

 pelier, and was chartered October 17, 

 1763, containing 23,040 acres. Novem- 

 ber 3, 1836, all that part of Highgate, ly- 

 ing west of Missisco river, was annexed 

 to this township. Before the conquest of 

 Canada by the English, the French 

 and Indians had a settlement at S wanton 

 Falls, consisting of about 50 huts, and 

 had cleared some land on which they 

 raised corn and vegetables. They had 

 also built a church and a saw mill, and 

 the channel cut throuirh the rocks to sup- 

 ply water for the latter, still remains. 

 This place was occupied by the Indians 

 till the commencement of the revolution. 

 The first permanent settlers here were 

 John Hilliker and family, about the year 

 1787. They were soon joined by other 

 settlers, and, in 1790, the town was or- 

 ganized and Tliomas Butterfield was chos- 

 en town clerk. There are five religious 

 denominations in tliis townsliip, viz. Con- 

 gregationalists, Baptists, Methodists, Epis- 

 copalians, and Friends. The Congrega- 

 tional churcii was organized January 4, 

 1800. This church depended upon mis- 

 sionary labors and stated supplies up to 

 January 13, 182.5, when the Rev. Eben 

 H. Dorman, the present minister, was 

 settled. The church now consists of 

 about 100 members. The present minis- 

 ter of the Baptistchurch is the Rev. Dan- 

 iel Sabin. Tliere are two houses for 

 public worship; one erected in 1816 and 

 17, belonging to the Congregationalists, 

 and Baptists, and the other in 1822 and 

 23 belonging to the Congregationalists, 

 Episcopalians, Methodists and Friends. 

 The most remarkable instance of longev- 

 ity, is that of Walter Scott, who died here 

 in 1815, aged 110 years. Missisco river 

 runs through llie township, fertilizing a 

 considerable tract of intervale along its 

 course. At the distance of six miles from 

 its mouth is a fall of about 20 feet, afford- 

 ing a number of very valuable mill privi- 

 leges. The river is navigable from this 

 fall to the lake for vessels of 50 tons bur- 

 then. McQuam creek, which flows from 

 Missisco river into the lake, several miles 

 south of the principal mouth of the river, 

 forms a delta called Hog Island, which be- 

 longs to tiiis town. Besides these there 

 are several small streams which flow in 



different directions. Along the river the 

 land is low and moist. Further back it 

 becomes more elevated, dry and sandy, 

 and is limbered principally with pine. In 

 the southern part the soil is gravelly and 

 timbered with hard wood. The north- 

 western part is marsliy, and during the 

 summer season is the favorite resort of 

 wild ducks, geese, cranes and other wa- 

 terfowl. Bog iron ore of an e.\cellent 

 quality is found in the north part of the 

 township. As yet but little of it has been 

 wrought liere, but large quantities have 

 been transported and wrought at the fur- 

 naces in Sheldon, Highgate and Ver- 

 gennes. Marble, also, of a fine quality is 

 found here in abundance. It covers an 

 area of more than 300 acres, and extends 

 to an unknown depth. It is generally 

 found at the distance of from two to eight 

 feet below the surface. It is detached 

 from its original bed in large blocks by 

 blasting, and these are convey' ed about 

 half a mile to the mills at Swanton falls. 

 Here they are sawn into slabs or pieces of 

 any required dimensions. The marble ia 

 of a beautiful black, or light blue cloudy 

 color, according to the quarries from 

 which it is taken. It is manufactured in- 

 to various forms and articles, which are 

 transported by water to Albany, New 

 York and other markets. There are 3 

 post offices, designated as Swaton Falls, 

 Swanton Centre and East Swanton. At 

 Swanton Falls is a flourishing village sit- 

 uated on both sides of Missisco river, 6 

 miles from its mouth, but only 1 mile from 

 the lake in a direct line. It contains a 

 meeting house, 2 school houses, 3 taverns, 

 5 stores, t grist mill and 4 saw mills, 1 

 woollen factory, mills for the manufac- 

 ture of marble, and about 75 dwelling 

 liouses. The ground on which the vil- 

 lage is situated, is elevated, pleasant and 

 healthy. There are in town 16 schools, 

 8 stores, 2 tanneries, besides the mills 

 and other machinery. Statistics of 1840. 

 Horses, 443; cattle, 2,000 ; sheep, 11,000; 

 swine, 1,206; wheat, bush. 4,2'JO; oats, 

 11,275; rye, 1,388; buck-wheat, 807; 

 Ind. corn, 7,184 ; potatoes, 46,264 ; hay^ 

 tons, 4,!J20 ; sugar, lbs. 10,474; wool, 

 22,759. Population, 2,313. 



Thetford, a post town in the south- 

 east corner of Orange county, is in lat. 

 43" 50' and long. 4'"-' 43', and is bounded 

 north by Fairlee and West Fairlee, east 

 by Connecticut river, which separates it 

 from Lyme, N.H., south by Norwich, and 

 west by Strafford. It lies 34 miles south- 

 east from Montpelier, 28 northeasterly 

 from Windsor, and was chartered Aug. 

 12, 1761, containing 26,260 acres. The 

 settlement was commenced here in 1764 



