Vermont AHGP
Part of the American History and
Genealogy Project
Manufactories Roxbury, Vermont
Samuel Richardson built the first saw and grist-mill in town, 1½ miles from the village, on the Warren road. He afterwards built another on the west branch of Dog River, about half a mile from the village.
Elijah Ellis built a saw and clover-mill in 1818, where S. N. Miller's carriage shop now is. The clover-mill was swept away by freshet in 1830; the saw-mill had the same fate in 1832; latter was rebuilt.
John McNeal erected a frame for a sawmill in the "four mile woods," on a branch of Dog River, in 1825, Samuel Orcutt finished it, and it done good business until 1830; it was swept away by a freshet, which seemed the common fate of mills of those days.
David Wellington built a saw-mill in 1825, near where E. N. Spaulding's steam-mill now stands.
Charles Colton put a grist-mill into the same building shortly afterwards. Amos Wellington built a saw-mill on the West hill in 1839, now owned by Asahel Flint. Josiah Shaw built a clover-mill on east branch of Dog River, in the East part of the town.
John M. Spaulding, in 1822, built a sawmill near the Richardson grist-mill, and another, several years afterwards, in the village, now owned by J. G. Hall.
John Prince built a saw-mill, in 1849, near where Spaulding's mill now stands, and also manufactured butter-tubs, now owned by E. P. Burnham for a clap-board mill.
Samuel Robertson and Leicester Davis erected a building in 1820, on the farm where W. I. Simonds now lives, for the purpose of manufacturing wooden bowls and plates. But it did not prove a success and was given up in a few years. Jotham Ellis built a mill in 18__ for manufacturing wooden boxes, clothes-pins, turning bedposts, &c. Later it was used by Siloam Spaulding for a carriage shop, and by Philander Wiley for turning, &c.
Stillman Ruggles built a carriage shop in the east part of the town in 1830, and carried on the carriage business until 1850.
Samuel Ruggles and S. N. Miller carried on the same business there afterwards. S. N. Miller commenced carriage-making near the Elijah Ellis saw-mill in 1860, and still continues at the business there.
Howard Warriner had a cabinet-shop in the south-east part of the town, and Mr. Wright built a saw-mill on the same stream west of Warriner's shop.
Luther and David Ellis built a saw-mill on the middle branch of Dog River in 1850;
Laban Webster & F. A. Wiley on middle branch of Dog River in 1869;
Ebenezer Brackett in the south part of the town in 1848; sold to Thomas Gushing, of Dover, New Hampshire. A vast amount of bridge timber, plank and ties were sawed here for the Vermont Central when being built. E. N. Spaulding and Samuel R. Batchelder built a steam-mill in the south-west part of the town in 1849.
Henry Smith built a sawmill on "Tracy Hill" in
1823; burned in 1835;
Joseph Wardner a saw and gristmill in the east part of the town,
now owned by Jacob Wardner, and Bezaleel Spaulding a saw-mill on
his farm in 1848.
Benjamin H. Warriner built a shop near the "old Hutchinson place" in 1829, for the manufacture of sleighs, chairs and furniture of all kinds, and in 1835 put in machinery for manufacturing window-sash, blinds, etc.
James Cram built a saw-mill on the brook above the Hutchinson place m 1830. Daniel Kingsley commenced wool carding in 1800, in the east part of the town.
Harrison and Charles Fields built a steam saw-mill about a mile below E. N. Spaulding's in _____, and after carrying on an extensive business for two years, moved it to Richmond.
E. N. Spaulding's steam saw-mill, built in 1866, has turned off yearly an average of 1,500,000 feet of lumber. He has also manufactured croquet to a considerable extent.
William Bruce & Sons built a steam-mill in the south part of the town in 1877. It was burned in 1880, and rebuilt. This mill, as well as E. N. Spaulding's, has furnished employment for a great many hands. Ira Williams & Victor Spear are now erecting a steam saw-mill in the south-east part of the town.
Dan Tarbell erected a steam saw-mill near the railroad crossing in the village in 1881, not yet thoroughly completed. Charles Samson owned a distillery and manufactured potato whisky on the west hill, near what is now called "Wetmore place."
Billa Woodard manufactured saddletrees several years, and Eleazer Woodard later carried on the same business. Ephraim Morris & Nathan Kendall owned a tannery at the foot of East Hill, on land now owned by Wm. B. Orcutt. They carried on the business only a few years.
Verd Antique Marble
In 1853, immense veins of Verd Antique Marble were discovered. A large building was erected, with steam power for working the marble. It was found to be very beautiful, and capable of receiving a high polish. Monuments, tables, mantels, etc., manufactured were extremely beautiful, but the company became involved in debt, and the property was sold in 1856, to pay 'liabilities. It was purchased by an association under the name of "Verd Antique Marble Company," for the amount previously expended. It was then managed by a joint stock company, but finally suspended business in 1857.
The Watch Factory
was built in 1867. It is located in a lovely and picturesque place, a short distance west from the depot. 12 hands are now employed there. August 1, 1879, a partnership was formed, under the title, "J. G. Hall Mfg. Co.," between J. G. Hall and his son, F. W. Hall, for the manufacture of watchmakers' tools, principally a " Staking Tool," the invention of J. G. Hall, which meets with a ready sale, owing to the very fine workmanship and correctness exercised in their manufacture, they being worthless unless exact. These tools are in use in nearly every State in the Union, and also in Canada, France and England.
They also manufacture a variety of small tools for watch-repairers' use. The Co. had a sample of their tools on exhibition at the State Fair in 1880, receiving the only gold medal awarded in Mechanics' Hall.
Source: History of Washington County Vermont, Collated and Published by Abby Maria Hemenway, 1882.
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