The greatest curiosity in the geological department is a course of rocks which cross the town in an east and westerly direction, different from any other rock found in its vicinity. It is in detached blocks, resembling rock ore in shape and appearance, only it is not as heavy or dark colored. The earth in which it is embedded is reddish, and has the appearance of burnt earth. In many places it crosses ledges of other rock, overlying them and detached from them; in others it seems to have cut its way in a straight path, six or eight feet wide, and not uniting with any other rock. It appears to have been broken up into different shapes and sizes, and some blocks are full of holes, while others show white spots where they are broken. It is easy to break, and breaks in very straight lines. The color on the inside is bluish. The numerous ponds abounding with fish must have made Hubbardton one of the favorite haunts of the red man. A short distance from the north-west corner of the town, there are found relics of an old Indian camp-arrow heads, &c. Near Marsh Pond there is a large circular mound, some six rods in diameter, composed of gravel, and apparently of artificial formation.  This possibly may have been constructed by tribes who had wandered east from the "Mound Builders" of the west.  There is also found near here a swamp in which are embedded large sound pine logs and stumps, directly under others of a larger growth, many feet deep in the earth. 

      The soil, once covered with a rich vegetable mould, produced the finest wheat; but owing to the decrease of vegetable deposits annually, as the forests become thinner, it has become more sterile, and is now better adapted to pasturage than tillage, and, as before remarked, the inhabitants devote their principal attention to sheep husbandry, forming the principal source of their wealth. The timber is beech, birch and maple, interspersed with pine, hemlock and cedar. The sturdy woodman however, has gradually shorn the forests of their grandeur, so there now remains but a comparative remnant of the original wilderness. 

      Hubbardton steadily increased in population from the time of the first settlements to the year 1820, when it numbered 810; since which time it has steadily declined, while it has increased in wealth. In 1880, it had a population of 533, was divided into nine school districts and had eight common schools, employing four male and eight female teachers, at an aggregate salary of $793.00. There were 142 scholars attending common schools, and the entire cost of the schools for the year was $883.74. Zebulon JONES was superintendent. 

      Hubbardton (p. o.) is a small hamlet, located near the center of the town, at the head of Lake Bomoseen. It contains one saw mill, one blacksmith shop, one basket factory and about twelve dwellings. 

      East Hubbardton (p. o.) is a small hamlet, located in a beautiful ravine in the south-eastern part of the township, near Mount Zion. It contains one church and eight dwellings. The Hubbardton Battle Monument is also located here, upon a rise of ground just above the place. It was erected by the inhabitants in commemoration of the battle of Hubbardton. 

      Hortonville (p. o.) is another small hamlet, located in the north-west corner of the town. It contains one store, one grist mill, one saw mill, one butter-tub factory, cider mill, blacksmith shop, about fifteen dwellings and seventy inhabitants. It has several very beautiful residences, one of which is Cyrus JENNINGS, a very influential citizen of the town. 

      The Vermont Soapstone Pencil Company have opened a quarry- on the farm of M. M. DICKINSON, where they expect to manufacture 30,000 slate pencils per day. The slate is said to be of most excellent quality for this purpose. 

      Hubbard Saw Mill, located on road 15, upon the site of S. B. WALKER's grist mill and clothing factory, was built in the year 1827. It has the capacity for sawing about 2,000 feet of lumber per day. It has also connected with it a cider mill. 

      The first settlement of Hubbardton was commenced in the spring of 1774, by Uriah HICKOK and William TROWBRIDGE, with their families from Norfolk, Conn.  In 1775, Samuel CHURCHILL, William SPAULDING, Abdial WEBSTER, Benjamin HICKOK, Jesse CHURCHILL, Benajah BOARDMAN and John SELECK moved their families here. The dwellings, as was common with all the early settlers of the country, were built of logs; some of the houses were hewed inside and some were not; the floors were mostly made of split logs, hewed on one side. Their chimneys were made large; high in the chimney was a pole laid crosswise to hang the trammel on. Each chimney had one or two long iron trammels to hang the porridge-pot and dish-kettle on. The windows were of grained sheep-skin, or greased paper. After awhile their log-houses began to decay. Saw mills coming into use, they began to build frame houses, generally of one story, with a chimney in the middle ten or twelve feet square, with three fire-places and an oven. The kitchen fire-place was a large one, with a heavy iron crane, with hooks to hang the pots and kettles upon; this crane was quite a convenience, for it swung out into the room. The first frame building was built by Samuel CHURCHILL in the year 1785. The lumber was drawn 12 1/2 miles on an ox-sled. The nails being picked up at Ticonderoga Fort after it was burned. 

      The town was organized and the first town meeting held the first Tuesday in March, 1785. The first Tuesday of the following month, the first meeting to organize a militia company was held, at which I. Gregory was chosen Capt. David HICKOK, Lieut., and Silas  CHURCHILL, Ensign. 

      Elizabeth, daughter of Uriah and ___ HICKOK, was born August 1, 1774, and died in September, 1776. This was the first birth and first death in the town. 

      James WHELPLEY settled in Hubbardton in 1787. He was a Revolutionary soldier, having served all through the war. Mr. WHELPLEY represented the town in the Legislature a number of years, was supervisor of the county a long time, and served the town as justice of the peace until obliged to give up the office on account of age and infirmity.  In his day Mr. WHELPLEY was a great hunter, and killed many deer, wolves, bears, foxes and wildcats. He outlived all of his children, and died at the advanced age of ninety, years. 

      David BARBER, and his wife, Sarah LAWRENCE, started from West Linesburg, Conn. to settle in Castleton. in the year 1783. On the journey, David was taken very suddenly ill and died. Mrs. BARBER and the children continued the journey to Castleton, where she subsequently married Wm. DYER, of that place. Her son, David H. BARBER, born in 1770, went to reside with his uncle, Bigelow LAWRENCE, of Hubbardton, in 1784, and afterwards married Clarissa WHELPLEY, by whom he had several children. Mr. BARBER died at an advanced age, loved and respected by all. A number of his descendants still reside in the town. 

      Rufus ROOT, grandfather of Seneca ROOT now a resident of East Hubbardton was a soldier in 1777, serving under Gen. STARK when only 14 years of age. Three days after the battle of Hubbardton, he came through the town as one of a scouting party to pick up the stragglers and wounded. On the 24th of June, 1828, he visited the battle fields in company with his grandson, Seneca. Nine years after this visit, in 1837, Seneca moved to the town, settling in East Hubbardton, on the farm now owned by CALVIN brothers, and married the daughter of Thomas KETCHUM, of Sudbury. Mr. ROOT is one of the most enterprising men of the town. He was mainly instrumental in securing a post-office at East Hubbardton, and was the first post-master, which office he held for fifteen years. 

      Christopher BRESEE settled on the farm now owned by A. Walsh, at an early date, where he resided 24 years, and then removed to the farm now owned by his son, Albert BRESEE. Albert was the originator of the famous "Early Rose potato." He has a very fine residence, with beautiful grounds. 

      Joseph CHURCHILL came to Hubbardton in 1783. He was the father of twelve children, seven sons and five daughters, all of whom lived to be men and women, and there was not a death in the family, until most of them were settled in the world. The youngest that died was twenty-four years old. His fourth son was killed by the Indians on the last day of the year 1813, at Black Rock. Mr. CHURCHILL was much employed as an agent by the settlers in their land troubles. He served as justice of the peace and selectman many years. He died of a cancer, March 21, 1821, aged 71. 

      Timothy ST. JOHN came to Hubbardton in the year 1785, settling on the farm now owned by his son Reuben. He built the first frame barn, which now stands in a state of good preservation. His sons, Reuben and Ezekiel, still occupy the old homestead. 

      Frederic DIKEMAN, a native of Reading, Conn., was born August 26, 1760, served through the war of the Revolution, and removed to Hubbardton in 1796, locating upon the farm now owned and occupied by his grandson, Myron M. DIKEMAN. 

      Samuel PARSONS was born in Reading, Conn., December 15, 1765, and moved to Hubbardton in the year 1787, and soon after married Esther SELLOCK and settled on the farm now known as the PARSONS Hamlet. He died May 27, 1846, aged 79. His wife, Esther, died February 21, 1848. 

      Rufus Wilmot GRISWOLD, the well known compiler of American literature, spent the greater part of his boyhood in Hubbardton. Mr. GRISWOLD possessed an active mind, but somewhat erratic in its operations. About 1837 he published a paper in Vergennes for a short time; but soon went to New York, where he associated himself with Horace GREELEY IN editing the New Yorker. He afterward became connected with several eminent journals; and in 1842 and '43 with Graham's Magazine. He shortly afterward established his reputation as a man of letters, by publishing his "Poets and Poetry of America." and afterwards his "Prose Writers of America." His writings were widely diffused, through the periodicals of the day. At one time he was connected with the poet Edgar A. Poe in the publication of a magazine. After Mr. Poe's death he wrote a memoir of his life and criticism on his works. In this he handled Mr. Poe so roughly that he was censured, and perhaps justly, by many. The latter days of Mr. GRISWOLD were not happy. Worn with study and toil, unfortunate in his domestic relations, he passed from youth to a premature old age. In the summer of 1857 he perceived that his life was drawing to an end, and sought the humble and perhaps almost forgotten home of his youth to die, but which he never reached; having proceeded as far as Cambridge, it was deemed advisable to return to New York city, where he died soon after, in the 43d year of his age. 

      The Battle of Hubbardton has already been spoken of in connection with the County chapter, but it may be well to give it a passing glance. Col. Warner, the brave commander of the little band of eight hundred, was born in Roxbury, Conn., May 17, 1743, and died at the same place, Dec. 26, 1784, at the age of 41.  Ticonderoga was abandoned by the Americans on the morning of July 6, 1777. Their baggage and stores were packed on board 200 bateaux, and dispatched to Skeenesborough (Whitehall), N.  Y., while the main body of the army proceeded by land on the route through Hubbardton and Castleton. At Hubbardton they were attacked on the morning of the 7th by the British light troops under Gen. Fraser, who were in eager pursuit. We will not give another description of the battle here, as the events and result of the brief yet fierce and bloody conflict have already been described. After the battle, Warner, with his usual perseverance and intrepidity, collected his scattered troops, some of which had gone to Fort Edward, to which place St. Clair had retired with the army. 

      At the Battle of Bennington, in August following, where the "Green Mountain Boys” so nobly retrieved their lost fortunes, Col. Warner was one of the chief officers of Gen. Stark, and was one of the General's principal advisers in arranging the plans of that battle, which resulted so advantageously to the cause of the Americans. At the time of the battle of Hubbardton there were but nine families in the town, all of whom fled to escape the danger. Upon their return to their homes after the battle, they found the bones of those who fell, still lying upon the field of battle, bleaching in the sun; gathering them up, they were all buried in one grave, where for 82 years it remained unmarked and nearly forgotten, until on Thursday, July 7, 1859, a monument of marble, 21 feet in height was reared by the citizens, to mark the spot. On the east side of the base of the monument is the following inscription: 

"Hubbardton BATTLE
fought on this ground,
July 7, 1777.

[North Side]
Col. Warner Commanded.
Col. Francis Killed. 
Col. Hale Captured.
The Green Mountain Boys fought
 bravely.

[South Side]
This Monument Erected by the
 Citizens of Hubbardton and
Vicinity.

[West Side]
The only Battle Fought in 
Vermont
During tile Revolution."

      In the spring of 1786 a school-house was built, and here the Word of God was preached until December 1787, when the people turned out and built a log meeting-house, at what is now East Hubbardton. It was large, well supplied with benches, and seats on the sides for the singers. At one end was a platform and a sort of desk for the preacher, while at the other end was a wide stone back for a fire-place, with a large chimney above, built of split sticks well plastered. This was the first church in the town. On the site of this church there was erected, in the year 1800, another building, known as The Hubbardton Baptist Church, with Elder Nathan DANA as pastor. Mr. DANA was the first settled minister in the town, and received the ministerial land. At its organization the Church had but twelve members, which has since increased to twenty-six, and is under the present pastorate of Rev. Zebulon JONES. The building is a comfortable structure, capable of seating about 200 persons and is valued at $1,200. 

      Hubbardton First Congregational Church, located near the centre of the township, on the turnpike leading, from Brandon to Castleton, was organized by the Rev. Eleazer HARWOOD in November 1784. The first house of worship was erected in 1818, followed by the present one in 1838, which is a comfortable structure, capable of seating 200 persons.  At the organization of the Church there were but eleven members, with Rev. Ithamer HIBBARD as pastor. The membership has since increased to forty-two. The late lamented pastor, John C. EDGAR who died April 29th, 1881, was of Scotch descent, and enlisted in the English army as a drummer boy when he was but twelve years of age, and was one of the famous Light Brigade who, -- 

“Came from the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell, 
All that was left of them,
Left of six-hundred."

Gazetteer and Business Directory of  Rutland  County, VT.;
1881-82, Compiled and Published by Hamilton Child;
Syracuse, N.Y.; Printed at the Journal Office
August 1881, Part Two, Pages 138 - 144.

Transcribed by Karima Allison 2004