Barre, Washington County, Vermont
By Honorable Carlos Carpenter
Barre is situated in the south east
part of Washington County, latitude 44° 1 1', long. 4° 31',
bounded north by East Montpelier and Plainfield, east by Orange,
south by Williamstown and Washington, west by Berlin, contains
19,900 acres, and was chartered November 6, 1780, to William
Williams and 66 others by the name of Wildersburgh and organized
under that name March 11, 1793: Joseph Dwight, first town clerk;
Joseph Sherman, Joseph Dwight, Nathan Harrington, selectmen:
Jonas Nichols, treasurer; Job Adams, constable; Isaac S.
Thompson, Apollos Hale, Elias Cheney listers. The name of the
town was soon after changed.
At a town meeting held on September 3,
1793.
Voted, that the man that will give
the most towards building a meeting-house in said town, shall
name the town, and the town will petition the Legislature for
that name. The name of the town venued and bid off by Ezekiel
Dodge Wheeler, for 62 £ lawful money, he being the highest
bidder, and said Wheeler named the town Barre.
At the same meeting.
Voted, to recommend Lt. Benj. Walker
to serve as justice of peace. At the March meeting in 1794, the
town Voted, to vendue the collectorship to the person who will
collect the taxes for the least premium, and the collectorship
was venued to Joel Shurtliff, and he is to give the town three
pence, three farthings on the pound for the privilege of
collecting all the town taxes.
At a town meeting held on June 23,
1794, the town
Voted, to choose a committee of three
to procure a preacher of the Gospel, by vote, chose Benj.
Walker, Esq., Apollos Hale and Samuel D. Cooke, committee.
The town at an early day evinced a
desire to look after the moral, social and religious interests
of the people that should come among them to settle on the
lands, and clear them up to make a thriving community.
The settlement was commenced about
1788, by Samuel Rogers and John Goldsbury, who came into town
with their families. Soon after, a number of families came in
and from 1790, the town became rapidly settled by emigrants from
Massachusetts and New Hampshire. It was first represented in the
General Assembly in 1793, by Nathan Harrington. The town lies 6
miles easterly from Montpelier.
The Vermont Central Rail Road
extended its line to Barre in 1875. The first passenger train
carried students and those attending Goddard Seminary
Commencement exercises, July I, 1875, since which passenger and
freight trains have run regularly. L. F. Aldrich, first station
agent, appointed in August, 1875, served till June 1, 1878; E.
K. Williams, from June 1 to July 8, 1878; and M. C. Kinson,
appointed July 20, 1878, is present station agent.
Thos. W. Bailey has been passenger
conductor since the road was opened, and Dexter Moody
baggage-master; engineers, James Bowers, Robert Gregg, David
Daniels, and present engineer, Albert Caswell.
The cars have never but once been off
the irons, it is said, on this line, and no serious accident has
yet occurred. The freight business at Barre depot is ranked
about the fourth on the Vermot Central lines. Barre is the
present terminus of this line (1881) but it is expected it will
soon be extended to Royalton, Windsor County.
Barre has two flourishing schools,
the Academy and Seminary.
Vermont AHGP
Source: The History of Washington
County, Vermont Historical Gazetteer, Collated and published by,
Abby Maria Hemenway, Montpelier, Vermont, 1882.
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