The Crystal Lake Falls Historic District is historically significant under National Register Criteria A because of its role in the industrial history of Barton, of northeastern Vermont, and of the State of Vermont.
Beginning in 1796, and continuing through the 1940s, the natural waterfalls
of the Crystal Lake Outlet (also historically known as the Barton River
or branch of the Barton River) were the sites of Barton's numerous manufacturing
and milling establishments. These enterprises were constructed here to take
advantage of the power that could be generated from the falls. The mills,
workshops, and factories, as well as the other associated buildings in the
district, document the evolution of Barton's industrial economy. Starting
with small, owner-operated mills which served the needs of the surrounding
agricultural economy, industrial production grew dramatically in the mid
19th century after the railroad connected Barton with major urban areas.
Large, out-of-state firms took advantage of Barton's water power to develop
industries that processed local and imported raw materials into finished
products which were exported throughout the country. At its peak in the
first quarter of the twentieth century, Barton was one of only a few communities
in the northeastern part of Vermont whose economy was dominated by industry
rather than agriculture or forestry.
In general, early European American settlement of towns in northern New
England was focused near rivers suitable for hydro-powered mills. These
mills were essential to the initial development of the town, processing
raw materials such as grain and logs into food and shelter supplies. Soon
after towns established stable populations, some old grist and saw millswere
converted and several new mills built to process various raw materials and
agricultural products for market. For example, grist and saw mills would
be accompanied by nineteenth-century fulling mills, carding mills, machine
shops, carriage shops, blacksmith shops, and specialty woodworking shops.
These mills evolved and manufactured new products as the demands of the
regional and global economic markets changed through the years. For example,
saw mills tended to evolve into specialty woodworking shops and blacksmith
shops were converted into foundries.
While this general pattern for settlement and evolution of towns throughout
Vermont and northern New England can be found in most town histories, social
and economic trends during the twentieth century have altered or totally
replaced these former mill districts in many towns. Of those towns which
still contain remnant historic mill districts, few have mill districts as
extensive and intact as that of Barton. The historic district includes a
mix of abandoned ruins and buildings currently used commercially or as residences.
Today, these properties provide the community with historic continuity,
in terms of their physical presence and in terms of their ongoing use in
the community.
The Crystal Lake Falls Historic District is also significant under National
Register Criterion C as a distinguishable nineteenth and early twentieth
century industrial community with significant architectural examples of
industrial buildings, worker's housing, and associated stores,public buildings,
service buildings, and dam sites. The primary historic context reflected
by the district is Small Water Powered Mill Production as identified in
the Vermont State Historic Preservation Plan. Property types represented
include mills, dams, water races, archaeological sites, and workers' houses.
Other historic contexts identified in the State Preservation Plan which
pertain to the significance of the Crystal Lake Falls Historic District
include: Commercial Development in Rural Areas, Railroads, Manufacturing
of Agricultural Implements, and Building Materials Manufacturing. The property
types found in this district that reflect the first of these contexts include
stores, mill buildings and mill sites, while the freight depot reflects
the second. Archaeological resources may also support the historic contexts
of Manufacturing of Agricultural Implements and Building Materials Manufacturing.
The industrial significance of the district is demonstrated by the Small
Water Powered Mill Production historic context. Water-powered manufacturing
dominated the economic and social life of Barton from the 1790s through
the 1930s. The numerous industries that tapped into the 2,000 available
horsepower provided employment and the basis of the local economy. The surviving
grist mill (#43) and woodworking establishments (#44, #46 and #51) most
strongly reflect this context.
The falls of Crystal Lake (known by the French as Belle Lac and early settlers
as Bellewater Pond) were developed as a power source soon after the town
of Barton was settled in 1796. The first grist mill was built the following
year by Asa Kimball. This had one run of stones. In 1798, Kimball built
a sawmill at the upper falls (#29). He then built a larger grist mill in
1809 with two runs of stones and a mechanical elevator to lift the grain.
This mill was located at the falls just below the West Street Bridge (#41).
Seven or eight years later, Kimball sold the mill to Col. Ellis Cobb. Cobb
had established a fulling mill at the falls in 1803. Ten years later he
started a wool carding mill, housed in a 15 by 15 foot building. By 1830,
the outlet to Crystal Lake supported a potash works, where fertilizer was
extracted from wood ashes, a tannery, and a clover mill, where local clover
crops were processed for their seed. Ten years later, the town had two saw
mills, a grist mill, a fulling mill and a woolen factory.
With the arrival of the Passumpsic and Connecticut Railroad in 1858, Barton
was connected to the urban centers of Boston, Montreal, New York, and Quebec
City. The railroad gave the town access to markets and raw materials well
beyond its borders. By taking advantage of the abundant power available
from the Crystal Lake Falls and relatively inexpensive local labor, out-of-state
companies soon established factories here. Although lumber was one local
raw material transformed into manufactured goods, other raw materials were
imported by rail. Textiles from cotton grown in the South were sewn into
ladies underwear at the Peerless Manufacturing Company (#29). Iron from
various sources was forged into plows, stoves, and machinery at the J. W.
Murkland Company (#50.)
The first of these new factories was Walter Heyward Company of Fitchburg,
Massachusetts. In 1859, only a year after the establishment of a rail connection
to Barton, the company built a sawmill at the first falls. Soon the company
expanded its operations to produce wooden chair parts. These parts were
then shipped to Massachusetts for finishing. In the 1870s, the company supplemented
the power of the falls with the installation of a steam engine, insuring
that power could be generated even in times of light water flow. By the
1880s, the company employed 35 to 40 men at its factory, but in 1890, the
Heyward Company experienced financial difficulties and left Barton.
The establishment of the Heyward Company in Barton represented the beginning
of a general trend in Barton. Initially, Barton's industries served local
needs. Sawmills produced lumber for local use and the grist mills, tanneries,
and carding mills transformed raw agricultural materials into products for
local consumption. With the industrialization of the post-Civil War era
and the development of a national railroad system, however, Barton's abundant
power and inexpensive labor were soon tapped by industries that pulled rural
Barton into the web of the national and international economies. Mirroring
the industrial growth of the community was a growth in population. In 1850,
the entire Town of Barton had 987 residents. By 1870 the number of residents
had grown to 1,911.
The first industries of this new generation were the woodworking establishments.
By 1868, Barton had two sawmills, two shingle mills and three shops that
produced window sashes, doors and blinds, in addition to the Heyward chair
factory. Many of these woodworking firms were clustered around the fourth
dam (site #48) of the outlet to Crystal Lake. These firms made a variety
of products including carriages, wheels, furniture, toilet seats, piano
actions, and bowling pins. The largest of these operations was the Wessell,
Nickel, and Gross piano action factory. From 1922-23 to 1940, this factory
produced the wooden actions for pianos used by many of the country's leading
manufacturers. Its brick and concrete buildings were the most modern industrial
buildings in Barton and were the last to be constructed along the outlet
to Crystal Lake. Destroyed by fire in the 1952, the ruins of the main factory
buildings remain (site #51).
In addition to these woodworking industries, John W. Murkland's machine
shop on Water Street, which opened in 1876, transformed iron, steel and
coal into iron plows, sugar arches, and stoves sold throughout New England.
Other products included cider presses, drills, planers, spool machines and
candy making machines that were distributed throughout the continent. By
the 1920s, the Murkland Company had passed its peak. The demand for its
products fell as the competition from large-scale machinery firms and foundries
proved too great. This firm ceased to operate by 1940. Murkland's machine
shop was demolished in 1970. The Chronicle newspaper office building
(#5) now stands on the site of its foundation.
Barton's third major industry was the manufacture of cotton undergarments.
In 1892, the Peerless Company of Newport, New Hampshire, constructed a large,
two-story, wooden factory straddling the outlet stream near the first dam
(#27) at the former Heyward Company site. At the peak of production, the
Peerless Company employed 200 women (mostly sewingmachine operators paid
by the piece) and about fifty men who generally cut cloth, shipped goods,
and maintained the machinery. This marked the first major industry in the
area to employ large numbers of local women. To provide for this work force,
new houses, tenements, and group boarding houses for young women were constructed
in the vicinity of the factory. (See sites #18, #19, #22, #36, & #39.)
The Peerless Company was Barton's largest employer until the 1920s. By employing
a significant number of localwomen in industrial production, it had a profound
influence on the social history the community.
During the 1920s, however, changing women's fashions and the development
of silk undergarments reduced the market for cotton underwear. The Peerless
Companyclosed its Barton factory in 1924. This closing marked the beginning
of the decline of manufacturing in Barton. When the Heyward Company left
Barton, the Peerless Company arrived to more than fill the gap, but when
the Peerless Company closed its Barton factory after thirty years, its replacement
was the Bray Wooden Heel Company, a smaller operation that remained only
seven years.
By the 1930s, industry at Crystal Lake Falls had substantially declined
as the national economic depression worsened. By then, Barton had also lost
the relative advantages of its resources, as industrial production modernized
nationally from mechanical to electrical power and small factories were
superseded by large industrial complexes located in urban areas.
Two facets of Barton's industry continued, however. These were grist milling
and woodworking. Based on the region's traditional economic base of farming
and lumbering, the earliest industries at Crystal Lake Falls lasted the
longest. Tower Brothers - E. M. Brown Mill, 1896 (#43), continued to grind
grain up to World War II. The Wessell, Nickel and Gross piano action factory
(#51) converted Vermont lumber into parts for fine pianos until 1940.
Today, the Crystal Lake Falls Historic District is given cohesiveness by
the relationships of its buildings, structures, and sites to the historic
industrial sites along the falls of the Crystal Lake Outlet. The Crystal
Lake Falls Historic District is significant under National Register Criteria
C for the architectural significance of its buildings. These buildings represent
a range of architectural styles and property types that reflect the major
periods of economic development in the district. Several early houses with
vernacular Federal and Greek Revival style clues probably date from before
the 1840s. These include: #7 (Owen-Pierce House, circa 1820); #9 (Spaulding-Judkins
House, circa 1840); and #31 (Badger House, circa 1830). The earliest dams
and industrial and commercial buildings built before the mid-19th century
are no longer standing however, having been lost to floods, fire or demolition.
The period of dramatic growth that started with the arrival of the railroad
in 1858 is the most significant period of the history of the Crystal Lake
Falls Historic District. It is represented by many significant buildings.
These include the Percival Cabinet Shop (#44) and the Baldwin & Drew
Clapboard Mill (#46), built before 1878. These vernacular, wooden, gable-fronted
mill buildings are typical representative examples of mid-19th century mills
in the region. Their characteristic lack of stylistic references reflects
their utilitarian function and a conservative design approach.Another historically
significant building complex is the Passumpsic & Connecticut River Railroad
Depot & Freight House and Robinson Brothers Wholesale Store complex
(#17) built before 1878. Also lacking stylistic embellishment, this structure
is typical of utilitarian wooden storage buildings built in rural Vermont
during this period. The gable-fronted J. Buswell Tenement (#25), built around
1850, is a good representative example of a vernacular Greek Revival style
tenement of the period built in wood. Unfortunately only portions of the
circa 1860 Greek Revival style Crystal Lake House (#24) survive. Much of
this important hotel was lost to fire. The best example of the Italianate
style of architecture in the district is the First Congregational Church
of Barton (#1). Built in 1874, its level of design sophistication is typical
of Protestant churches built in the more prosperous towns in Vermont during
the period.
Typical of the vernacular house designs from this period found in Vermont's
small towns are the Kimball House (#2), the I. Wyman House (#3), the G.
A. Drew House (#4), and the J. F. Taylor House (#40). All were built aroundthe
1870s. The O. V. Percival House (#10) displays hints of the Gothic Revival
style with gable front ornamented with simple barge boards.
The only example of a full rural farmstead in the district with its attached
sheds and barns is the circa 1870 G. W. Bridgeman Farmstead (#34) located
on West Street. Several other small 19th century barns are included in the
district, however. These provided shelter and feed storage for a horse and
perhaps a cow, a few pigs, or poultry raised for domestic food consumption.
The barns may also have housed horse-drawn carriages. Representative examples
include the barn attached to the Kimball House (#2), circa 1870; the Spaulding
- Judkins Barn (#9a), circa 1875; the Percival Shed (#10a), circa 1880;
and the circa 1900 barn (#33a) on West Street.
Martin's Livery (#26), circa 1895, is a significant statewide example of
a livery stable. Another important horse-drawn transportation related building
is the Congregational Church Horse Shed (#1a), which was built around 1875.
Significant examples of utilitarian storage buildings of the period are
the Lumber Shed (#4a), which was built for the J. W. Murkland Manufacturing
Company around 1890, and the Barron Barn (#38) which dates from around 1900.
The only surviving example of the Queen Anne style of architecture in the
district is the Tower Brothers-E. M. Brown Mill (#43) built in 1896. Most
of the other turn-of-the century vernacular buildings generally reflect
the Colonial Revival style in their ornamentation. These include the following
group of dwellings on West Street: the circa 1908 Dr. Arthur T. Buswell
House (#32), and two dwellings #33 and #37 and the duplex #36, all built
around 1900. Other Colonial Revival vernacular buildings from around 1900
include two duplexes (#18 and #19) located on Main Street at the south end
of the district.
The district also has several contributing twentieth century buildings.
These include the circa 1925 filling station (#28) and the Barton General
Store (#42), which was rebuilt after the Peerless fire of 1938. The final
phase of the industrialization of the Crystal Lake Falls district that occurred
from the 1920s through the 1940s is reflected in the Wessell, Nickel and
Gross Piano Action Factory ruins (#51). Today, these fire-damaged hulks
serve as poignant reminders of the industrial heritage of Barton's Crystal
Lake Falls. This site may also hold a potential to yield information on
the local industrial history through its archaeological resources. Other
potentially significant archaeological sites include each of the dam sites
along the outlet stream (#29, #41, #45, #48a, #49) and the J. W. Murkland
Company site (#50).
Of the eleven non-contributing buildings included in the district, four
are modern garages. Two historically important buildings no longer contribute
to the significance due to the extent of alterations following damage by
fires. These are the circa 1860 Crystal Lake House (#24) and the tenement
(#39) on West Street that burned in the 1938 Peerless Manufacturing Company
fire. The extensive alterations to the front facades of the circa 1940 Barton
Hardware Store (#16), and the 1909 Crystal Lake Garage (#23), preclude their
inclusion as contributing structures.
Other non-contributing buildings include #5 (Chronicle Office;circa
1870), which was moved from across the street onto the foundations of the
Murkland Machine Shop around 1970, and #12 (Hillcrest Apartments) built
in 1980. Though large, Hillcrest Apartments reflects the approximate massing
of the buildings that previously occupied the site. Also non-contributing
is the bulk feed station of the E. M. Brown Company (#13 and #13a) built
on the site of the 1893 Boston and Maine Railroad passenger station that
was unfortunately demolished in 1967. These few non-contributing buildings
do not diminish the district's ability to convey a sense of significance
or disrupt the historic scale of the district.
Through the evidence shown by the contributing historic buildings and sites
in the district, one can trace the history ofthe village's industrial development.
One can also see how the community grew in response to the increasing employment
generated by manufacturing firms that located along the falls of Crystal
Lake. This historic district, through its sites and structures,also mirrors
the historic industrial development typical statewide. As was the common
pattern of development in most towns in Vermont, the main village was established
at a site where the geography allowed the construction of water-powered
mills. Initially serving the needs of the local, agriculturally based economy,
these sites soon also became centers of commercial, civic, social, and religious
activities. As the populations of many small mill villages reached a plateau
and then declined as Vermonters moved West during the mid 19th century,
Barton Village flourished instead. This was primarily due to the abundant
and easily tapped water power potential of Crystal Lake Falls and easy access
to the railroad.
While Vermont has a number of other cities and towns that prospered during
the industrialization of the United States which followed the Civil War
(for example, Winooski, Brattleboro, Springfield, Rutland, Barre, and Bennington),
such industrial communities are relatively rare in the northeastern part
of the state. Other cities and towns in this area that developed a diverse
industrial base during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
include Derby, Newport, and St. Johnsbury. The majority of communities in
the Northeast Kingdom retained an economy based on agriculture and lumbering
with only a few small mills to serve local needs for lumber, flour, and
wool processing. Because the industries at Crystal Lake Falls had an impact
which extended well beyond the locality, the historical significance of
Barton's Crystal Lake Falls extends to the statewide level.
The buildings and sites are given historical cohesiveness by their relationships
to the factory sites along the outlet to Crystal Lake. The contributing
buildings and sites represent mills,factories, worker housing, larger houses
of business proprietors, stores, a church, and a fire house. All of these
buildings together comprise the community that relied upon the industries
of Crystal Lake Falls for its existence.
The Crystal Lake Falls Historic District is also significant under National
Register Criteria D for its potential to yield important information in
history and prehistory. Archaeological resources could provide a potentially
significant and continuous record of the evolution of Barton's economic
and social development. This record, once considered typical, has now disappeared
in many of Vermont's towns. The archaeological remains within the historic
district provide an opportunity for detailed research of the economic and
social evolution focused on the individual mills, on the entire mill district
and on the Village of Barton. Based on historical research and preliminary
site inspections, the entire district could be considered one contributing
archaeological site until research in certain areas indicates that they
have lost their integrity. The archaeological sensitivity also extends beyond
association with European American settlement. There is a high potential
for the presence of Native American archaeological remains.
Today, the on-going preservation and restoration activities of the Crystal
Lake Falls Historical Association are helping to educate the public about
the significance of the falls in the industrial history of Vermont. Recent
efforts of the Association include saving and restoring the circa 1820 Owen-Pierce
House (#7) as a local museum. Long-term plans include stabilizing and interpreting
for the public the site of the Wessell, Nickel and Gross Piano Action Factory
site (#51).
The Crystal Lake Falls Historic District is potentially significant on the
local, regional and state levels. Locally, this research would augment and
clarify the town history. Regionally and statewide, this research would
develop anthropological models for the evolution of northern New England
towns from frontier settlements to present- day villages. These models could
be instrumental for research in archaeology and history, and could be applied
to present issues of town and regional planning for future development.