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Capturing The Essence Of A Vermont City In Words

photo provided A center of life for early settlers and tourists alike, the Otter Creek Basin holds an important historical and societal importance in the telling of the story of Vergennes.

photo provided Horses drawn carriages, stage coaches and automobiles have stopped for the past 120 years at the front porch of this Vergennes Landmark. Still a vital part of business life in the Little City, the Stevens House invites the curious to take a closer look.

Tuesday March 23, 2010

By Cookie Steponaitis

    Capturing the essence of a city can be achieved in many ways. Some people may walk the streets and spend time in shops, restaurants and historic sites. Others can grab their cameras, look for angles and capture views of daily life or glimpses from a bike, sail the Otter Creek or walk or run the streets during the sunlit days of spring, summer and fall. A few diehard outdoors enthusiasts even trek the streets on snowshoes and cross country skis. Some rely on the locals for advice on the best fishing spot, restaurant and local breakfast or fish fry. Each outing results in a new conception of what it is that makes the town unique, special and attractive as a community in which to live.

     Currently in the mechanized and technological world of modern society, websites and fliers entice visitors to come and experience the culture of a community. A city needs a web address and be located near the top of the list when Googled. Many even hire professionals to artistically display the assets of the community in hopes of gaining tourism, recognition or awards for promoting the region they call home.

     While visiting the local library and researching the City of Vergennes in the archives, it dawned on this reporter that several generations worth of comments, suggestions and opinions have inadvertently been left out. Vergennes, as Vermont’s first incorporated city in 1788, has actually been inhabited since the early 1730’s and for over two hundred years people have lived, worked, played and resided in this smallest city. It is through their eyes and words that a picture of this city is presented as never before. Instead of looking to the internet to explain life in Vergennes, the trick is to look back and see what has been unique and special for over ten generations of Vermonters.

     John Devotion Smith who lived in Vergennes during the early 1880’s researched and wrote about the earliest images of the city. His writing provides insight into that imagery of primitive forest tamed by the brawn and muscle of the settlers and an entry in a journal addressing the use of Otter Creek as a highway. Devotion speaks of survey crews who established 50 acre lots in the area and the young men who made a go of it by grit and sheer determination. He speaks about the Mill on the falls in 1764 and it being in full operation in the spring of 1766. Special note was made about the arrival of the John Strong family in 1765 of which John Devotion was a descendent. Devotion concludes his observations of the new Main Street in town stating that it started at, “…a Walnut tree” and that the, “Clapboard homes and other streets including Water, North, South and East street” all show the determination of the town to grow and prosper. By 1788 Devotion stated, “…several sawmills, one gristmill, a small forge, small potast establishments, a brewery, and blacksmith shops were all in operation and new gabrel roofed homes and some dences covered with upright planks,” showed the permanent presence of approximately 150-175 residents.

     Archived along with the works of John Devotion Smith are statistics, town reports and a stunning series of newspaper articles spanning key events in the history of the town. After reading a few it is not only apparent that the Vergennes residents were delightfully proud of their city, but that their reasons for this intense civic pride remain unchanged by time and distance. Octavia Doherty’s 1905 article proclaims Vergennes a place, “Where Tranquility Reigns,” and points out that the law abiding city is not even policed until after 6 p.m. due to the presence of one officer on the force. She even explains that when the crowds gather for summer Strawberry Festivals and concerts on the Green, the efficient patrolman, Timothy Dalton cab be seen in his smart uniform, quietly mingling with the lively young people and walking past the homes of the Main Street, which “…attract the eye like no other.”

     Later during the same decade in 1906 & 1907, articles bearing the headlines “Venerable but Vigorous Vergennes, and Quaint Vergennes: A Place of Much Scenic Beauty” go on to herald everything from the incredible accommodations for eating, dining, industry and the historic significance of the Otter Creek Falls, Building of the Fleet and the Monkton Iron works. Laid out in sections titled Scenic Beauties, Charming River Voyages, Beautiful and Historic Cemeteries, and remarking on Lake Champlain sunsets that rival the “…glow of the sun’s last light reflecting off of a nightingale’s wings,” the papers encourage people to hike Snake Mountain, make a picnic basket and stay awhile in this blissful place called Vergennes.

     Later documents speak to the growing need for more municipal horse sheds, hitching posts and the growing presence of steamships and traffic on the streets and around the region. “Vergennes has a great opportunity to grow and develop,” remarked town druggist W.R. Warner in a 1922 article. The connection between L.F. Benton who owned a business on the falls and close friend Thomas A. Edison link the two men and sites in business practices that bring hope and enthusiasm to the town. Still more articles pay tribute to the Scotch Settlers, Ethan Allen and the War Work of 1813 that cemented Vergennes’s place in history.

    The archives of the Bixby Library offer whit, wisdom and suggestions from those who walked these streets long before for those looking to publicize or celebrate the “Little City”. The following sources are just a few for consideration:

“Vergennes: A City with Vision: For too many walk thru life with eyes closed.”
“Vergennes: Gateway to the Champlain Valley”
“Immeasurable Commodities: Community, Beauty, & History”
“Vergennes Route 7 Promotional Brings in Tri-State Delegation”
“Vergennes & The Otter Creek: Linked in Past, Present & Future”
“Vergennes: A City of Firsts”
“Vergennes: On the Road to Success”
“Vergennes: A Solid, Substantial and Prosperous Community”

   Therefore, for all those budding advertisers out there, or those who simply want to put into words what makes one city in Vergennes a unique, historic and special place to visit or call home, look back to those who came before for their advice and counsel. Their words, articles and writings are the essence that still defines the smallest and oldest city in Vermont.

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