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Tuesday July 15, 2008 Edition
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Vergennes - 1814 to 1900

Tuesday July 15, 2008

By M. Stuart Parks

    The battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 essentially ended the War of 1812 and Commodore Thomas McDonough took his place in the history books for his brilliant naval strategy.  General Samuel Strong is also not to be forgotten.  He was sent by Governor Chittenden to help the New York forces on land.  General  Strong was honored by New York for his “valor and public spirit and for the services rendered during the invasion of Plattsburgh by the British troops”.  He was presented with a sword of exquisite workmanship with a scabbard and hilt of gold.  

    Soon after the war, however, business began to languish in Vergennes.  The Monkton Iron Works ceased operation in 1816.  Between 1816 and 1823 there was no increase in business, wealth or population.  The summer of 1816 was very cold and unfavorable for farming.   A continuing stream of cold waves out of Canada killed most of the corn crop in New England and what wasn't killed was barely fit to eat.  Many other crops were also affected.

    In Vergennes the sawmills were at work and Captain Sherman's shipbuilding yard was building steamboats which gave employment to a good number of men.  However, this seemed to have no influence on bringing men of capital and enterprise to the area. Some citizens thought that they could get rich by trading land and commodities with each other.  Lumber and potash was sent to Canada and wheat was carried to Troy.  The Champlain Canal did not open until 1823 so everything was carried overland by teams and goods for the merchants was brought back.  It was expected that every store carried dry goods, hardware, crockery, drugs, medicines, groceries and all kinds of liquors.  In turn, the merchant was expected to take grain and many other kinds of produce for his goods and then find a market for this barter.  He was obliged to give long lines of credit and be able to collect without annoying his customers.

    During this difficult time the population of Vergennes declined a little and did not begin to rise again until again 1823.   Commerce began to increase that same year.  Zebulon  Shepherd started a mill on the east side of the falls to saw marble which lasted several years.  Horace Wheeler built a large brick block on the corner of Main and Green Streets which was rented for stores and shops.  In 1824 Amos Barnum leased a site on the east side of the Creek to A.T Rathbone for a blast furnace.  Barnum also a Tow Path Company to tow the expected canal boats from Fort Cassin to Vergennes which would bring merchandise to the area.  In 1827 bank was established with a capital of one hundred thousand dollars.  John Ward bought the defunct Monkton Iron Company and built a foundry and a canal where he employed a large number of men.  By 1836 several other stores had opened and two new churches had been built.  Vergennes now turned its attention to beautification and began the building of sidewalks so that people didn't have to walk in the muddy streets and to planting trees which were not abundant in the city.

    In 1840 the railroad came to The Little City.  The Iron Works had been revived and it was hoped that the railroad would keep it from floundering.  This didn't work and the Iron Works closed for good in 1857.  In 1866 the National Bank of Vergennes and Herrick Stevens, Francis Miles and Edward Seymour created the Vergennes Water Power Company.  They purchased the Iron Company property for ten thousand dollars.  The plan was to lease buildings to manufacturers.  These buildings were erected 1868 and 1869 and leased to business such as Keeler's Tannery, Hawley's Sawmill, Norton's Grist Mill, The National Horse Nail Company and the Vergennes Machine Company.  Of course, these businesses purchased their power from the Vergennes Power Company.  

    By 1870, along with its strong retail district, Vergennes boasted three hotels;
the Stevens House, the Franklin House (now the Ryan Block) and the American House.
A new bank, the Farmer's National, was established in 1880 with a capital of fifty thousand dollars.  The Vermont Shade Roller Manufacturing Company opened in 1877 at the west end of the bridge along with other companies including a furniture factory.

    Vergennes sailed toward the 20th century in great shape economically with its population growing and a bright future ahead of it.  But the winds of fortune were not through with the Little City as we will see in the next installment.

 


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