Part III. 



GAZETTEER OF VERMONT. 



185 



WEATHERSFIELD. 



interspersed with lime quarries. Lime- 

 stone abounds in the northwestern part, 

 from wliich large quantities of lime of a 

 superior quality, are manufactured annu- 

 ally. There are also in the western part 

 localities of serpentine, ligniform asbestos, 

 treniolite, and crystalized sulphuret of 

 iron, which are often visited by the min- 

 eralogist, who is richly rewarded for his 

 labor. The asbestos is of a very superior 

 quality. On the north, between this town 

 and Windsor, lies Ascutney Mountain. 

 Perkinsvilie, situated in the southwest- 

 ern part of the town, derives its name 

 from a Mr. Pcrhins, a capitalist from Cos- 

 Ion, who in 1830 purchased a small wool- 

 len factory, which he greatly enlarged, 

 thus giving an impulse to the business of 

 the village, and attracting the attention 

 of other capitalists to improve tlie favor- 

 able advantages afforded by the rapids in 

 Black river, to engage in the same enter- 

 prise. In 1S3.5 a brick edifice, 110 ft. in 

 length, 46 ft. in width, and 4 stories high, 

 was erected for the purpose of manufac- 

 turing cassimere and sattinet. In this 

 there were 8 full sets cf machinery, mov- 

 ed by a wheel 26 feet long and lij feet in 

 diameter. When in full operation, this 

 establishment gave employment to 150 

 hands, and manufactured 750 yards of 

 cloth per day. In November, 1839, this 

 expensive building, with all its valuable 

 contents, was destroyed by fire. Insu- 

 rance, ,^81,000. It has not been rebuilt. 

 The broad-cloth mill, purchased by Mr. 

 Perkins, is still in operation. There is 

 a paint and printing-ink establishment, 

 where is manufactured a very superior 

 quality of engraving ink, also a Bobbin 

 factory, with the usual mechanical work 

 carried on in manufacturing villages. In 

 the spring of 1841 an academy was open- 

 ed under the superintendence of Messrs. 

 .■?. P. Chase and S. .j. HuUarJ. It is now 

 in a flourishing condition, the number of 

 students the first 3'e;ir being 175. The 

 school is furnished with a choice set of 

 chemical and philosophical apparatus. 

 There are three other small villages in 

 town, one in the s(nith east part, called 

 ••'the Bow," one in the northeast, called 

 " the Corners," and one at tlie northwest, 

 called " Greenbush." At each of these 

 villages, and also at Perkinsvilie, there is 

 a post-office, bearing the name of the vil- 

 lage, except the one at the ZJorn, which 

 bears the name of the town. There are 

 in town J '2 school districts, each furnish- 

 ed with a neat and commodious school- 

 house. There are 4 grist and 9 saw mills, 

 4 woollen factories, G stores, 5 taverns, 

 and 2 tanneries. Statistics of 1840. — 

 Horses, 393; cattle, 2,345; sheep, 10,- 

 Pt. in. 24 



756 ; swine, 1,259 ; wheat, bus. 532 ; bar- 

 ley, 128; oats, 6,418; rye, 4,352; buck- 

 wheat, 927 ; Ind. corn, 14,204; potatoes, 

 58,498 ; hay, tons, 5,921 ; sugar, lbs. 9,- 

 185; wool, 30,120. Population, 2,082. 



s. p. 

 Wki.ls, a small post town in tlie west- 

 ern part of Rutland county, is in lat. 43" 

 27' and long. 3° 54", and is bounded north 

 by Poultney and a part of Middletown, 

 east by a part of Middletown and Tin- 

 mouth, south by Pawlct, and west by 

 Hampton, N. Y. It lies 40 miles north 

 from Bennington, 65 southwest from 

 Montpelier, and 13 southwest from Rut- 

 land. It was chartered Sept. 15, 1761, 

 to Eliakim Hall and others. This town- 

 ship was originally 6 miles square, but a. 

 part of it has since been annexed to Poult- 

 ney and a part to Middletown. The set- 

 tlement was commenced by Ogden Mal- 

 lary, about the year 1768. Daniel and 

 Sanniel Culver came into town in 1771. 

 The tovvMi was organized March 9, 1773, 

 and John Ward was first town clerk. It 

 was first represented in 1778, by Daniel 

 Culver. The religious denominations are 

 Methodists, Reformed Methodists, Epis- 

 copalians, and Universalists. There are 

 three houses for ])ublic worship, one be- 

 longing to the Methodists, one to the 

 Episcopalians, and a union house. The 

 Episcopal church, called St-PauVs church, 

 consists of 24 communicants. Their 

 house of worship was erected in 1840. 

 There is no settled minister. The first 

 settlers of this township were afflicted 

 with fever and ague, but the town has, 

 for many years past, been remarkably 

 healtiiy. Wells pond, called also lake 

 Austin, is about 5 miles long, and in some 

 places one mile and a half wide, and cov- 

 ers upwards of 2,000 acres. About one 

 third part of this pond lies in Poultney. 

 The outlet of this pond is the principal 

 stream, and on this are a saw mill, a grist 

 mill, one clothier's works, and machine- 

 ry. There is one other stream, on which 

 are mills. The western part of this town- 

 ship is generally level, and tlie easterfi 

 part is iTiountaiuaus and broken. The 

 soil is generally good, where it is not so 

 uneven as to preclude the possibility of 

 cultivation. There is a small village, sit- 

 uated near the south end of the pond, call- 

 ed the corner., which contains a meeting- 

 house, a store, a tavern, and several me- 

 chanics' shops. There are in town 10 

 school districts, 1 grist and 2 saw mills, 

 1 woollen factory, J fulling mill, 2 card- 

 ing machines, 1 store, 1 tavern, and 1 tan- 

 nery. Statistics of 1840. — Horses, 148 ; 

 cattle, 1,019; sheep, 4,283; swine, 446 ; 

 wheat, bus. 742 : oats, 4,713 ; rye, 1,415; 



