WOODSTOCK. WORCESTER. mercantile transactions, this village ranks as one of the first in the state. Among the manufactories, that of Messrs. R. Daniels & Co., for the manufacture of carding machines, jacks, shears, and all other articles used in woollen factories, is deserving of particular notice, both on account of the amount of business and the excellency of the work. There are in this village 5 resident clergymen, 12 attorneys, 6 physicians, 2 printing offices, at which newspapers are printed, and 20 dry goods, grocery, and other stores. South Woodstock is situated 5 miles south of the court house, on the road to Springfield, and contains a handsome meeting house, 2 stores, 2 physicians, and a number of mechanics. There are in town 18 school districts, 3 grist, 5 saw and 3 fulling mills, 2 woollen factories, 3 tanneries and 2 printing offices. Statistics of 1840. Horses, 621; cattle, 5,719; sheep, 15,974; swine, 1,655; wheat, bush. 4,671; oats, 28,879; rye, 1,426; buckwheat, 3,900; Indian corn, 15,141; potatoes, 82,584; hay, tons, 8,374; sugar, lbs. 32,072; wool, 39,072. Population, 3,315. WORCESTER, a township in the northwestern part of Washington county, is in lat. 44° 24' and long. 4° 25', and is bounded north by Elmore, east by Calais, south by Middlesex, and west by Stow. It lies 10 miles north from Montpelier, and 31 east from Burlington. It was chartered to Joshua Mason and associates June 8, 1763, and contains 23,040 acres. The liturgy of the Episcopal church was first used here by the Rev. Joel Clap, Nov. 20, 1825. Jan. 27, 1826, a parish was organized by the name of St. James' Church, and a neat church edifice was erected in 1827, which was consecrated June 28, 1828. The Rev. Joel Clap officiated here from Nov. 20, 1825 to July 15, 1832; the Rev. B. C. C. Parker from October, 1832 to May, 1839; the Rev. John Grigg from May, 1839 to Easter, 1840, and June 1st, 1840, the Rev. Joel Clap again took charge of the parish, and is the present rector. Communicants 65. The Universalist and Methodist societies are large, but we are unable to give particulars. The epidemic of 1811 and '12 was very distressing here, and fatal to many of the inhabitants. Woodstock is one of the best farming townships in the state. The surface is pleasantly diversified with hills and vallies, and the soil is generally of a good quality, and easily cultivated. This township is watered by Ottà Quechee river, which runs through it in a northeasterly direction, and by two of its branches, one on the north side and the other on the south. That on the north is called Beaver brook, and originates in the north part of Bridgewater, and in the south part of Barnard and Pomfret, and affords two or three good mill seats in this township. The south branch affords good mill privileges at both the villages, and there are mills erected upon it in two or three other places. But the best situations for water power are on Ottà Que-settlement was commenced in 1797, by chee river. There are two dams constructed across this stream, but a short distance above the village, on which mills and other machinery are erected, and another near the spot where the river leaves the township, at which is one of the most extensive and successful manufactories of scythes, clothiers' shears, axes, and other edged tools, in the state, carried on by Mr. Daniel Taft and sons. There are two pleasant villages, known by their post office designations, Woodstock, and South Woodstock. The village of Woodstock is the largest in the county. It is built on both sides of Otta Quechee river, and contains about 350 buildings, mostly situated around a beautiful park, and about 1,400 inhabitants. The public buildings are a handsome court house, (see part second, p. 122,) and a strong jail, 5 houses for public worship, Congregational, Christian, Episcopalian, Universalist and Methodist, and the Vermont Medical College, (see part second, p. 165.) The business of a large tract of country centres at this village; and for the variety and extent of its manufactures and its George Martin and John Ridlan, emigrants from Kennebec, Maine. The town was organized March 3, 1803, and John Young was the first town clerk. It was first represented in the general assembly in 1808. When the cold seasons commenced, the inhabitants abandoned the township, and in 1816 there were but three families here. In 1820, there were 44 inhabitants, and in March, 1821, the town was reorganized, it having, some time before, lost its organization, and Mr. Amasa Brown was chosen town clerk. A Congregational church was gathered here in February, 1824. and then consisted of 12 members. There are also Freewill Baptist and Methodist societies here. The township is watered by the north branch of Winooski river, which rises in Elmore about four miles from the Lamoille, and unites with Winooski river at the village of Montpelier. On this stream are here several good mill privileges, on several of which are saw mills. This stream opens a convenient passage for a road through the height of lands between Winooski river and the Lamoille. The NAMES OF TOWNS ALTERED. surface of the township is uneven, and swine, 168; wheat, bush. 883; barley, along the western part is a considerable 151; oats, 4,002; rye, 267; buckwheat, mountain. The town is divided into 7 775; Indian corn, 1,386; potatoes, 3,305; school districts. Statistics of 1840.- hay, tons, 415, wool, 267. Popula Horses, 79; cattle, 244; sheep, 589; tion, 587. List of Towns the names of which have been altered. Flamstead to New Flamstead, Nov. 3,1761 | Medway to Parkerstown, Nov. 7, 1804 Oct. 28, 1807 Kent to Londonderry, April 20, 1780 June 15, 1782 Middle Hero to Grand Isle, Nov. 5, 1810 Oct. 19, 1812 Oct. 20, 1784 Lutterloh to Albany, Oct. 30, 1815 Turnersborough to Chelsea, Oct. 19, 1801 Woodbury to Monroe, Duncansborough to Newport, Oct.30,1816 Oct. 25, 1817 Navy to Charleston, Nov. 16, 1825 Parkerstown to Mendon, Nov, 6, 1827 Oct.27,1795 Random to Brighton, Nov. 3, 1832 Kingston to Granville, Nov. 6, 1834 Nov. 5, 1838 Nov., 1841 APPENDIX TO THOMPSON'S VERMONT. NATURAL HISTORY Topography. state, and many objects of interest and value have been brought to light. Remeasurements have been made of several of our principal mountain summits, and their altitudes ascertained with greater accuracy, probably, than before, and a number of important peaks have, within that period, been measured for the first time. When the History of Vermont, to which this is an Appendix, was published, in 1842, the boundary line between the United States and the British provinces was unsettled, and in dispute between the two governments; but in the latter part of the summer of that year, the matter was ami- In addition to these measurements of cably arranged by a treaty, formed by Mr. isolated mountain summits, there have Webster and Lord Ashburton, and ratified been reconnoisances and surveys made, in by the two governments. The northern almost every direction, through the state, boundary of the state was intended to be for the location of the various railroads along the 45th parallel of latitude, and was which have been built, or are now building. supposed to be on that parallel till the sur- The profiles of these roads, together with vey of 1818 proved the 45th parallel to be the profiles of the canal routes, which had some distance to the southward of what had been surveyed previously, have furnished been previously regarded as the northern the means for giving a very tolerable exhiboundary of the state, cutting off a strip bition of the elevation above the sea, of the through the whole width, varying from principal places and most interesting obone-fourth of a mile to a few rods. By the jects in the state. treaty, the northern boundary of the state In the following list of altitudes, those of was established upon the old well known mountain summits are all derived from line, without reference to the 45th parallel. Barometrical measurements. The others This line was marked in 1845, by cutting are in part Barometrical; but they are deaway the timber, where it passed through rived principally from the various surveys forests, and by putting up cast iron posts for canals and railroads. Minute accuracy at short distances through its whole length. in these altitudes above the sea, cannot be The geological explorations and the rail- expected. They are, however, believed to road surveys, which have been made during the last ten years, have added much to our knowledge of the general topography of the be a near approximation to the truth, and to show with sufficient exactness the relative elevation of the different places and objects. Bethel, 556 Royalton, White River Junction, Windsor, Bellows Falls, Woodstock, Brattleborough, Bennington, Manchester, Rutland, 835 *The level of Lake Champlain is taken for a basis 476 in many of the surveys, which have been made, for canals and railroads, and their profiles indicate the 335 height of places above the lake. In estimating, from 288 these, the heights above the ocean, for the accompa 225 nying tables, 90 feet are added. The mean height of the lake above the ocean is frequently stated at 94 or 400 95 feet, but from the data, to which I have had se160 cess, I am disposed to think that 90 feet is nearly 432 the true height. The change of level of the lake, that is, the difference between the extreme high wa650 ter and the extreme low water marks, amounts to 500 eight feet. (foot,) 436 20 Miles Rapids, Lunenburg, (head,) 822 Barnet, (foot,) 486 Guildhall Fall, Guildhall, (head,) 7 CLIMATE AND METEOROLOGY. 7 EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE. CLIMATE AND METEOROLOGY. A general account of the Climate and Meteorology of Vermont is given in Part I. page 9 to 23, to which the following tables and observations are now added: Monthly and Annual Mean Temperatures at Burlington,-continued from the table on page 9, Part I. The above results were deduced from three daily observations, made at sunrise, 1 p. M. and 9 in the evening, by the Author. The location is in latitude 44° 29′ N. and longitude 73° 11' W., and is one mile eastward from the shore of Lake Champlain, and elevated 256 feet above the lake, or 346 above the ocean. EXTREMES OF TEMPERATURE. Greatest and Least Heat in the Shade, and the Hottest and Coldest Day in each year Year. Greatest Heat. 1838 June 10 and July 20, 93 January 31. 1839 July 20, 91 January 24, 1840 July 16, 94 January 18, 1841 August 18, 96 January 4, 1842 July 19, Aug. 26, 93 January 13, 1843 June 22, 90 Feb 'ry 17, 1844 June 19, 1845 July 12, 88 January 28, 1846 August 5, 96 Feb. 10 & 19, 1847 July 19, 98 Feb 'ry 16, 1848 July 12,21,22: Au. 12, 92 January 11, 1849 July 12, 13, 100 Feb 'ry 17, -17 July 13, 1850 June 19, 93 February 6, -18 June 19, 1851 September 10, 92 Feb 8,Dec.26 1852 June 16, 97 January 15, -17 September 10, By the above statement it will be seen, that, during the last fifteen years, the range of the Thermometer has been from 100° above to 25° below zero, equal to 125°; and that the warmest day was the 13th of July, 1849, and the coldest day, the 29th of January, 1844, and that the difference between the mean temperature of those two days was 100%. |