History of Whiting, Vermont, USA

Whiting, Vermont
Addison county. Whiting lies 40 miles S.W. from Montpelier and 10 S. from Middlebury. It is washed on the eastern border by Otter Creek, but is without any valuable mill stream.

This is a fine farming town: the soil is composed partly of marl, and affords excellent crops of grain and hay: about 7,000 sheep are kept here. Some years since fish were introduced from the lake, to Otter Creek, at this place, and have been found to multiply exceedingly.

Whiting was first settled in 1772. It was named in honor of John Whiting of Wrentham, Mass. Population, 1830, 653.

Addison Co. Otter Creek waters the eastern border of the town, but affords no mill privileges.

Otter Creek, till lately, afforded no valuable fish. In the spring of 1819, Mr. Levi Walker, of Whiting, proposed to the inhabitants of this and the neighboring towns along the creek to transfer fish from the lake into the creek, above Middlebury Falls. The plan was carried into execution, and the fish have since multiplied exceedingly. In 1823, not less than 500 pounds of excellent pickerel were taken from the creek, in the distance of two miles.

Along the eastern part of the town, near Otter Creek, is a swamp, which covers 2 or 3,000 acres. It affords an abundance of excellent cedar, pine, ash, &c.

The soil is generally of the marly kind, and produces good grass and grain. In 1810, Mr. Samuel H. Remmele had a field of five acres of wheat, which averaged fifty bushels to the acre ; and Mr. Benajah Justin for several years raised an annual crop of corn, which averaged 100 bushels to ...