Barre, Vermont, USA (Graniteville) (South, East)
1824 - Barre

BARRE, a post town in the southeast part of Washington county, lies in lat. 44° 11′ and long 4° 27′, and contains 31 square miles, or 19,900 acres. It is bounded north by Montpelier and Plainfield, east by Orange, south by Williamstown and west by Berlin, and lies about 50 miles northwesterly from Windsor. This township was granted Nov. 6, 1780, to William Williams and his associates, and chartered by the name of Wildersburgh. It retained this name till the year 1793, when it was altered, by act of the Legislature, to that of Barre. In 1788, Samuel Rogers and John Goldsborough, one from Bradford, the other from Hartland, Vt. with their families, moved into this town and began converting the wilderness into farms. The next year a number of other families came in, and from this time the town settled rapidly by emigrants from Worcester county, Mass. and from New Hampshire and Connecticut. The town was organized, March 11, 1793, and Josehp Dwight was first town clerk. It was first represented in the General Assembly, in 1796 by Asaph Sherman. The religious societies are Congregationalist, Methodist, Universalist and Baptist. The three former have each a large and commodious meetinghouse. The Congregational meetinghouse is 60 by 50 feet and was built in 1808. It stand on a elevation one fourth of a mile east of the north, or lower village, on the turnpike leading to Chelsea. The finishing of the interior of this building does honour to the society to which it belongs. The Rev. Aaron Palmer was ordained to the pstoral care of the Congregational church, Feb. 23, 1807. He was a pious and faithful minister of Christ; but possessing a delicated constitution, he fell a victim to a quick consumption, which terminated his earthly career on the 7th of February, 1821. He lived beloved and died lamented. The next year the Rev. Justus W. French received a call by said church and society, to settle as their minister, and was ordained May 23, 1822. The Methodist meetinghouse stands in the lower village. In 1820, it was removed from the west to the north side of the common, and finished anew with the addition of a handsome cupola. This was done partly by the town, voting to give the Methodist society $500 dollars towards the finishing, for which the town is to have the use of said building for a town house. The society is usually supplied by circuit preachers, whose term of service is commonly two years. A Universalist society was organized here soon after the commencement of the settlement. In 1808, the Rev. Paul Dean, (now of Boston,) was ordained over said society, but soon left the town. From that time, they had not regular preaching, till the year 1821, when they settled the Rev. John E. Palmer. In 1822, they erected a brick meetinghouse in the south or upper village. The number of Baptists is small, and they have till lately mostly blended with the other denominations. They now have a regular church, and occasionally have preaching. The inhabitants of this town were remarkably healthy till the year 1795, when the scarlet fever, or caker rash made its appearance, as an epidemic, and prevailed for about a year, during which time almost every child, some young people, and several, who were 30 or 40 years old, had the disease; but it proved fatal to none but children. From this time it was generally healthy, till February, 1811, when the spotted fever made its appearance and soon became alarming. Those, who did not recover, seldom lived over 36 hours, and some died within three or four hours from the time they were attacked by the disease. The approach of warm weather put a stop to its ravages. In the winter of 1812, the inhabitants were visited by much the most fatal epidemic disease that has ever prevailed in the town. It was an inflammation of the lungs, with a fever of the typhoid kind, commonly called pneumoniac thypoides. The subjects of this disease were mostly people of middle age, and many who were heads of families were swept off by it. It was much more fatal to males than to females. Warm weather put a stop to its progress, and the people have since, with few exceptions, been remarkably healthy. Doct. Robert Paddoc, from Connecticut, moved into this town in August 1794, and has till lately been the principal physician. There are at present two others, viz. Lyman Paddock and James Van Sicklen. The soil is, in general, a dry warm laom, free from stone, and as well adapted to agricultural pursuits, in which most of the inhabitants are engaged, as any township in the county. The surface is uneven, but there are no elevations of much consequence, except Cobble and Millstone hills, in the southeast part, which afford inexhaustible quarries of excellent granite, which is used as building stone, and wrought into millstones, which are transported to different parts of this state, and to New-York and Canada. By means of drills the granite is split into any shape required. Spanish brown and allum are found here, which might be wrought to advantage. Near jail branch is a mineral spring which has been a place of some resort for valetudinarians, but has never hand the fame of effecting any wonderful cures. The principal streams are Stevens' and Jail branches. Stevens' branch rises in Williamstown, runs tnorth into Barre, and then takes a northwesterly course through the corner of Berlin, and unites with Onion river between Berlin and Montpelier. Previous to the settlement of this town, a hunter by the name of Stevens was found dead in his camp, near the mouth of this stream, lying on a bed of beaver skins, with a tin kettle, containing herbs, probably for medicein, hanging over the place where he had built a fire. He was buried near the spot, and from him the branch derived its name. Jail branch, rises in Washington, runs northerly into Orange, then westerly into Barre, and unites with Stevens' branch between the two villages, near the center of town. These streams, in their passage through the town, afford many excellent mill and other water privileges. There are two considerable villages, one a little north, the other a little south of the centre of the town, each containing about 250 inhabitants. The town is divided into 14 school districts. There are four stores, two taverns, three grist mills, two of which may be reckoned among the best in the state, one having three, the other four run of stones, five saw mills, three clover mills, two woollen factories, two clothiers' works, two cabinet shops, two tanneries, seven blacksmith shops and one pottery., Population 1955.

June, 1824. J.R.

A Gazetteer of the State of Vermont Containing A Brief General View of The State, A Historical and Topographical Description of All the Counties, Towns, Rivers, &c. Together with a Map and Several Other Engraving by Zadock Thompson, 1824 Montpelier, Published by E. P. Walton and the Author E. P. Walton, Printer, 1824

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