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Tuesday August 19, 2008 Edition
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Around and About Addison County - Waltham

Tuesday August 19, 2008

By M. Stuart Parks

    It may surprise many Waltham residents to learn that their town almost didn't come into existence.  Waltham never had its own Charter but came about through an unusual set of circumstances.  The city of Vergennes was made up of acreage that was taken from three towns; Panton, Ferrisburgh and New Haven.  It was given 1200 acres.  Some Vergennes folks didn't think that was enough land so New Haven gave about three square miles more to Vergennes.   But since you can't please all of the people and others protested this move, the acreage was taken away from Vergennes and formed the basis of the town of Waltham.  The town was incorporated in 1791.  In 1804 another piece of land was taken from Addison and added to Waltham which makes its area 5,910 acres or 9.23 square miles.  Only Vergennes is smaller than Waltham and most Addison County towns tend to be much larger.  It is believed that the town's first moderator, Phineas Brown, was the person who suggested the name of Waltham, after Waltham, Mass., where Mr. Brown came from.  The name originated in England where it means 'forest home'.  This was a great name for a town that harbored beautiful stands of maple, oak, walnut, beech, birch, ash and butternut.  

    There are essentially two main roads in Waltham which run north and south.  They are East Street and West Street.  In between the two roads are a range of hills and Buck Mountain, which is the highest mountain in Addison County west of the Green Mountains.  There are beautiful vistas to be seen from the top of Buck Mountain and another attraction is Otter Creek which forms the town's western border.  The soil of Waltham varies and is very good for grazing and for cultivation and its farms rank among the finest in Addison County.

    The majority of the population of Waltham lives on the town's two main roads.  There are no stores or business center in Waltham, nor any school or post office.  The children attend Vergennes schools and the mail is delivered by the Vergennes Post Office.  Town government is the Select board.  The population in 2000, according to the U.S. Census, was 479.  

    Even though the town did not become Waltham until 1791 there were settlers much earlier.  They came primarily from Massachusetts and Connecticut and some of their names are still familiar such as:  Barton, Langworthy, Everts, Brown and Griswold.

    These early pioneers made remarkable progress in clearing the land, building dwellings, opening roads and clearing the wilderness.  But, like most towns within striking distance of Lake Champlain, they were set upon by the New Yorkers who believed that could lay claim to all of Vermont.  The French and Indian War saw whole families carried away by bands of Tories or Indians, never to return.  Some escaped after months or years of imprisonment, retuning to reclaim their land.  The four eldest sons of John Griswold were taken to Canada as prisoners where they stayed until the end of the war.
 

   Waltham is truly a lovely, unique town.  To the casual observer it seems quiet and unassuming, not making a lot of noise about itself.  In reality it is a town of hardworking people who have, over many, many decades, made it a town where anyone would want to live.

 


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