| The Rutland Daily Herald,
January 14, 1909, published an article describing a book entitled
"A Descriptive Sketch of the Present State of Vermont" which included
a series of letters written by J.A. Graham, LL.D. Mr. Graham was
a lieutenant colonel in the service of the state and in later life
lived in London. The letters were addressed to His Grace, The Duke
of Montrose. This particular letter describes Rutland in 1797.
Rutland is a shire town and capital of the county of the same name.
It lies on Otter Creek between Killington and Ira mountains. It
is distant from Bennington about sixty miles and is divided into
two parishes called East and West Rutland. On the East side is the
main street, three miles in length, the center of which for near
a mile is straight and level.
In the center is a square containing about five English acres known
by the name of Federal Square. In front of this on the East side
stands a new Court House built of wood. [The writer is very critical
of the bad taste and want of judgement in the architecture of this
particular building]. In this are held the sessions of the General
Assembly [established here and at Windsor alternately] the District
Court under the Federal Government, the Supreme Court of the State,
the Court of Common Pleas, and the Court of Probate for the District
of Rutland. The Gaol [jail] stands about one hundred rods [1/3 of
a mile] South of the Federal Square on the west side of the main
street. [Almost across from the Chaffee Gallery]. About half a mile
North of the Court House is a neat church [East Parish Church].
On each side of the Square and Main Street are built some handsome
houses, particularly on the east side are several that draw the
attention of all travelers. [The largest of these building was the
old Lindholm Block].
The upland is filled with limestone while the lowlands abound with
clay. The intervale lands on the Creek are of a deep rich soil and
produce excessive crops of hay and Indian corn. The uplands produce
wheat, rye, oats, barley, beans, peas, hemp and flax. About half
a mile from the Court House on the main street, a silver mine has
lately been discovered that is said to be of great value. There
is a copper mine in the vicinity and there are great quantities
of iron ore near Rutland. There are two great falls of water there
known by the names of Mead's and Sutherland's Falls on each of which
there are corn and saw mills. Mr. Osgood in the year 1794 erected
on Otter Creek the best corn mills in the country. Here also is
a printing office, an oil mill, a hat manufactory, a large brewery
and a manufactory of nails. The water is conveyed from the mountains
to the town in wooden pipes laid about two feet underground. Every
material for building except glass and paint are made here. The
principal timber is pine, maple, hemlock and birch.
Pot and pearl ash are made in great quantities. The wolf and bear
often descend from the eastern mountains and do much damage, destroying
the sheep and corn. The value of land is from twenty shillings to
five pounds per acre. The number of inhabitants, about sixteen hundred,
emigrated from England, Ireland, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode
Island, Connecticut and the State of New York.
On the east side of town the farmers are better husbandmen than
those on the east, and raise the best wheat butter and cheese, great
quantities of which they send off to foreign markets.
Almost sounds like Mr. Graham was trying to sell "OUR TOWN" to His
Grace, the Duke!
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