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An Agricultural Narrative of Brownington, Vermont

 

 

By Adriana J. Campany

Researching Historic Sites and Structures

University of Vermont Historic Preservation Program

October 27, 2009

 

 

 

            The agricultural history of a rural area can expose the story of a place in time and give meaning to still standing structures from the past. Examining available elements of historic data, such as old census records, maps, and aligning these materials with current research can often prove to yield accurate depictions of these bygone times. These elements can help families, historians and preservationists explore and understand elements that are still with us today. For the town of Brownington, Vermont this type of work will help to flesh out part of Vermont’s rural, agricultural history.

            Brownington is, today, a quiet town in the midst of Orleans County, Vermont (see figures 1 & 2). It is located in an area known as the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, by locals, which invokes a sense of the rural remoteness regarding life there.

 

WallsMapSmall GazetteerMapBrowningtonSmall

Figure 1 (Left): Beers Atlas of Orleans County: Brownington, 1878. The Orleans County Historical 
Society Website. (Retrieved 10/21/09)

Figure 2 (Right): Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer, 2003, 12th Edition

 

            The town’s official start took place on October 2nd, 1780 when Timothy and Daniel Brown charted the township and gave it the name Brownington. However, these men never actually settled, and possibly never even set foot, in what would be Brownington. It would not be until later that Elijah and Elisha Strong, and Amos Porter became the original settlers who took over claim to Brownington and made the settlement official. The Strong family’s decedents remained participants within the community for generations thereafter (see figure 3).[1]

 

IMG_0317

Figure 3: Willian Barstow Strong –

Ralph S. Swett. History of Brownington, VT 1799-1970: 175th Anniversary of Brownington.

Courtesy of the University of Vermont Special Collections: Burlington, VT

 

            Brownington was composed of three post villages, that of Brownington, Brownington Center, and Evansville all located in the southern portion of the town limits.[2] Within Brownington there was also two saw mills located near the waterways, as well as a scythe-stone and steam factory. Elisha Foster’s saw-mill burnt in 1851 but was reconstructed in Evansville before 1871 which afterwards “manufactured 2,250,000 feet of lumber per annum [year]”. [3] Evansville also contained a saw mill, whetstone factory and later a creamery (see figure 4 & 5).

IMG_0316

Figure 4: Old Creamery (bottom left) and three photographs of Evansville in 1905 (column right) –

Ralph S. Swett. History of Brownington, VT 1799-1970: 175th Anniversary of Brownington.

Courtesy of the University of Vermont Special Collections: Burlington, VT

 

StoneShopEvans

Figure 5: Stone Shop, Year Unknown, Evansville, VT

Courtesy of the University of Vermont Special Collections: Burlington, VT

 

 

            Census records show that by 1800 the population of Brownington was 65 persons (see figure 6). [4] By 1810, the population had risen to 236 and it apparently hung on through the next decade, growing only to 265 persons, according to the census in 1820.

http://www.uvm.edu/~hp206/2009/Brownington/Narrative_files/image002.gif

 

 

Figure 6 (Above): Population Census for Orlean’s County, Hamilton Child’s Gazetteer, p.16

 

            The population between 1810 and 1820 seemed rather ill effected, noting a rather stagnant growth. First, the war of 1812 had a direct pull on individuals by setting in fear and panic. Many people within Brownington took their belongings and fled under the fear of war. No one, however, was injured or killed in Brownington by warring parties during this time span, but fear was enough for people to leave.[5]

            This decade also harbored a tragic harvest season between 1815 and 1816. Howard Russell describes, in his book A Long Deep Furrow, the Year without a Summer “[f]rom Vermont, where in some townships actual want and suffering were a consequence of 1816’s frigid weather, many families headed for western New York and Ohio. It was long before the influences of disastrous years 1815 and 1816 were erased.” [6]

            The actual settlement of Brownington took a direct hit due to this weather anomaly in the early 1800’s. During the summer of 1816, a killing frost and snow cover killed nearly all the crops, save possibly any hearty planted Indian Corn which they were known to grow in that region.[7]

            This relatively stagnant population suggests that the events in these years of 1812, 1815 and 1816 may have had a significant settlement impact in Brownington and its recovery in both population and viable agriculture production. However, by 1830 the population jumped, going from 265 in 1820 to 412 in 1830. It continued steady growth with only a minor reduction between 1870 to 1880, as did its agricultural production.[8]

            Vermont’s Agricultural Census records allow a detailed view into this past, just like the population census provides. [9] The 1850, 1860 and 1880 census records, which were examined in this writing (see figures 7 & 8), allow a window into some of the earliest agricultural undertakings within Brownington. A total of 96 farmers are identified in the 1850 and 1860 census, while by 1880 there are 153 farmers total. Much of the agricultural production was allocated to wool, maple sugar and dairy production with some production of crops like wheat, barley, swine, and Irish potatoes.

 

 

 

Brownington

1850

Census

Totals

2

Improved Land

1675

1523

1800

4998

3

Unimproved Land

2175

1502

2659

6336

4

Cash Value Farm

36500

28650

33050

98200

5

Horses

74

56

44

174

6

Asses & Mules

0

0

0

0

7

Value Mach. Impl.

1775

1415

1426

4616

8

Milk Cows

27

65

107

199

9

Working Oxen

20

24

62

106

10

Other Cattle

133

180

126

439

11

Sheep

502

409

430

1341

12

Swine

33

17

40

90

13

Value Live Stock

8772

7314

8212

24298

14

Wheat Bushels

1226

1053

840

3119

15

Rye, Bushels

0

0

0

0

16

Indian Corn, Bush.

810

412

792

2014

17

Oats, Bushels

2223

3527

3025

8775

18

Rice, Lbs.

0

0

0

0

19

Tobacco, Lbs

0

0

0

0

20

Ginned Cotton bales

0

0

0

0

21

Wool, lbs

2729

1512

1393

5634

22

Peas & Beans

84

70

112

266

23

Irish Potatoes

7335

4690

6010

18035

24

Sweet Potatoes

0

0

0

0

25

Barley, Bushels

144

125

345

614

26

Buckwheat bushels

154

0

241

395

27

Value Orchard

407

175

20

602

28

Wine, gallons

0

0

0

0

29

Value, Produce

0

0

0

0

30

Butter, lbs

10600

4800

7380

22780

31

Cheese, lbs

0

1050

100

1150

32

Hay, tons of

826

444

901

2171

33

Clover Seed

0

0

0

0

34

Other Grass Seed

18

148

158

324

35

Hops, lbs

0

0

0

0

36

Dew Rotted, tons

0

0

0

0

37

Water Rotted, tons

0

0

0

0

38

flax, lbs

0

0

0

0

39

Flaxseed, lbs

0

0

0

0

40

Silk Cocoons, lbs

0

0

0

0

41

MAPLE SUGAR

11650

8101

14265

34016

42

Cane Sugar

0

0

0

0

43

Molasses

0

0

0

0

44

Beeswax & Honey

0

0

0

0

45

Value Homemade

0

0

593

593

46

Value Anim. Slaugh.

1046

868

1188

3102

Figure 7: Totals of Agricultural Census materials for Brownington’s 1850’s Agricultural Census, Calculated by author.

 

 

            Most farms in the 1850’s maintained larger flocks of sheep than herds of cattle. The major industry in wool started with the introduction of 45 Merino sheep from Cadiz, Spain in 1810 by William Jarvis of Weathersfield, VT. [10] This specific breed produced an extremely sought after “fine wool” and this type of sheep was also indicative of a breed primarily suited for wool production. [11] While it could be utilized for mutton, it was of poorer meat quality than that of other breeds. Instead, the animals tended to maintain attractive qualities such as good herding characteristics, longevity, and general hardiness, making them ideal to care for and raise for wool.[12] Soon Vermont towns, Brownington included, had begun answering the economic demand for the breed and its wool.

            The wool production in 1850 was recorded as with 5,634 pounds produced in the census records for Brownington. The largest producer was S.J. Gillert’s herd of 25 sheep producing 350 pounds of wool, and his closest competitor, who produced 300 pounds with 15 sheep, was Mainey Humphrey.[13] It is to note that “in 1840 Vermont [had] ranked fourth among the states of the Union in the number of sheep and second in pounds of wool produced.”[14]

            Dairy production was also a substantial industry at the time, with a total count of butter produced being 22,780 pounds of butter and 1,150 tons of cheese. This year Joseph Anderson was noted as producing the largest amount of butter at 1,000 pounds with 11 milking cows in his herd.[15]

            While Vermont is today known for its maple syrup, its maple sugar industry was booming long before the sweet syrup was the sought after element of a sugar maple. The 1850 agricultural yield for maple sugar was 34,016 pounds in total, with the largest producers being S.J. Gillert with 2,000 pounds and James Wheeler with 1,900 pounds produced.[16]

            A decade later the 1860’s census follows up and further develops a similar scenario for agricultural production and continued diversity. There is a general chain of growth in almost all production areas for Brownington, noting a successful agricultural timeline with the focus still heavily on sheep. 

            This focus on sheep in 1860 can be seen as a total of 8,125 pounds of wool was produced in Brownington that year. Notable farmers in this production year were Mark Norris, who produced 600 pounds of wool with a large flock of sheep numbering 130, along with M. Trombly with 592 pounds of wool produced from his flock of 117 sheep, and finally Trimo Joslyn, whose flock of 114 sheep produced 447 pounds of wool.

            Dairy production was a continually increasing agricultural activity as well, with 29,800 pounds of butter and 3,700 pounds being produced in total for cheese. This growth of the dairy production is evident in the census material; Ezra Grandall totaled 1,300 pounds of dairy products with 1,200 pounds of butter and 100 in cheese with eight milking cows in his herd.

            This year for maple sugar was also a gain in overall sugar production with 37,968 pounds being produced. The highest productions were from Robert Alexander with 1,915 pounds of maple sugar produced, and L. English, a close second, who produced 1,900 pounds.

            However, the most surprising element was the production of hops which had begun, with 5,450 pounds of hops produced in Brownington in 1860, noting a trend towards production of crop goods alongside hay, wheat, barley, and their major processed good, maple sugar. [17] The major producers of hops in 1860 were Francis Wills with 1,500 pounds of hops, L. Tinkham with 1,300 pounds, and finally 1,000 pounds from Philman Foster. However, this trend of large production would not last.

 

 

Brownington

1860

Census

Totals

2

Improved Land

3522

2919

1059

7500

3

Unimproved Land

2820

1952

1046

5818

4

Cash Value Farm

65500

96650

33800

195950

5

Value Machinery.

3225

3670

1660

8555

6

Horses

56

81

31

168

7

Asses & Mules

0

0

0

0

8

Milk Cows

104

89

64

257

9

Working Oxen

74

68

26

168

10

Other Cattle

136

155

43

334

11

Sheep

452

1187

421

2060

12

Swine

36

34

14

84

13

Value Live Stock

13865

20684

8309

42858

14

Wheat Bushels

578

812

353

1743

15

Rye, Bushels

263

80

33

376

16

Indian Corn, Bush.

118

602

190

910

17

Oats, Bushels

4700

7521

2210

14431

18

Rice, Lbs.

0

0

0

0

19

Tobacco, Lbs

0

0

0

0

20

Ginned Cotton bales

0

0

0

0

21

Wool, lbs

1520

4894

1711

8125

22

Peas & Beans

5

0

4

9

23

Irish Potatoes

1250

8860

3250

13360

24

Sweet Potatoes

0

0

0

0

25

Barley, Bushels

531

272

299

1102

26

Buckwheat bushels

503

336

182

1021

27

Value Orchard

0

0

0

0

28

Wine, gallons

0

0

0

0

29

Value, Produce

0

0

0

0

30

Butter, lbs

8200

14500

7100

29800

31

Cheese, lbs

200

2000

1500

3700

32

Hay, tons of

850

1073

370

2293

33

Clover Seed

320

20

0

340

34

Other Grass Seed

274

175

0

449

35

Hops, lbs

2650

1500

1300

5450

36

Dew Rotted, tons

0

0

0

0

37

Water Rotted, tons

0

0

0

0

38

Flax, lbs

0

0

0

0

39

Flaxseed, lbs

0

0

0

0

40

Silk Cocoons, lbs

0

0

0

0

41

MAPLE SUGAR

12562

19006

6400

37968

42

Cane Sugar

0

0

0

0

43

Molasses

0

0

0

0

44

Beeswax & Honey

0

260 Honey

40 Honey

300 Honey

45

Value Homemade

235

290

95

620

46

Value Anim. Slaugh.

1672

1927

815

4414

 

Figure 8: Totals of Agricultural Census materials for Brownington’s 1860’s Agricultural Census, calculated by author.

 

            According to further research the trend in hop growth is noted in the following book Vermont: It’s Resources and Opportunities by Walter Hill Crockett:


            At one time hop growing was an industry of considerable importance in Vermont. The census report of 1850 shows a crop of 288,023 pounds, which had increased in 1860 to 638,677 pounds. In 1870 there had been a decline of about 100,000 pounds, and, thereafter the decline was rapid. In 1900 a crop of 4,400 pounds was reported, and in 1910 no returns for hops were made in Vermont. In 1850, and again in 1860, Vermont ranked as the second hop-growing state in the Union.[18]

 

 

            As stated, by the 1880’s the trend in growing hops had begun to decline with only 3,311 pounds of hops, in total, being produced by six farmers. The only farmer with a large crop yield was George W. Jillson with 1,300 pounds of hops derived from two acres. Most other farmers who raised hops produced in the low two hundred pound range. However, this was not the only crop in 1880 to move downward in growth.

            Wool was also set on a downward trend, after long being the main element of agriculture in Brownington. The top producer was Silas Bartlett, he produced 400 pounds of wool out of a flock of 90 sheep, although he was an anomaly. The census records make note that many producers were within merely a 200 pound range with only an average flock size of 30. Here the slow trend downward for the Merino sheep makes itself apparent through the census.  And so, the slow move away from these goods leaded to the further emphasis on other elements of farming.

            While maple sugar production did not decrease, its producers in 1880 seemed to produce less as individuals in this year. Simply, its production by producer was not as large as it had been nearly 10-40 years prior. However, many producers came out with at least 1,000 pounds of maple sugar, while several others kept their production over 1,500 pounds. The largest producer was John G. Taiff, who produced 1,800 pounds of maple sugar. This also supports the conclusion that in 1880 the growth of farms meant more farmers, but less land and less individual production.

            The silver lining in what was a gloomy census year is through the production of dairy, which shows a large production growth, with herd and dairy production more than doubling. Dairy production showcased large growth in 1880 probably due to new technologies being applied to farming, such as refrigeration. The largest producers were Herbert H. Troley, whose farm produced 2,600 pounds of butter and 200 pounds of cheese out of fifteen milking cows while S. Tinkham, with a herd size of 17 milking cows, on what is today the Hinman Settler Road, produced 2,750 pounds of butter but no cheese. Many more producers in 1880 produced within the 2,000 pound range for dairy products, further bolstering the conclusion that Brownington’s agricultural theme was shifting towards dairy (see figure 9).

 

 PrideofSwett

Figure 9: Lakeside Rose - The Pride of the Swett Farm,

Brownington, Vt. The Memphremagog Press, Centrel St., Newport, Vt. 05355

Courtesy of the Univesity of Vermont Landscape Change Project, Submitted by Renee Gliddon

 

            The striking difference in 1880 is the fact that, with the growth of farmers, individual production itself was not at an increase. This supports a conclusion to the fact that, while farms and farmers in number were growing, their farm size and individual production was noticeably shrinking while overall production continues to meet the Vermont State Agricultural trends as expected.                    

            It is notable that the census format at this period for 1880 had also changed; suggesting that farming, as a business, was undergoing various changes on a larger level and the census was adapting to identify more relevant information regarding farming. An example of these include the following: assessment of ownership; further breakdown of acreage usage and usability; fencing information and costs; fertilizer costs; labor costs; further estimations of all products from the farms; a more in depth look at animals; and a larger emphasis on forest production.[19], [20]          

            Today, current elements of Brownington are being used to portray the local history. The Old Stone House Museum, located in Brownington, houses the Lawrence barn, an old English style barn (see figure 10). The barn was moved to Brownington in order be utilized for display at the museum, and is a significant structure to the regions display of its agricultural history.[21]

 

LawerenceBarn

Figure 10: Old Stone House Museum, Lawrence Barn, Photo by Adriana J. Campany

 

            Overall, Brownington followed, with a slight lag, the trends of Vermont’s collective agricultural history. Today it still is a welcoming rural setting, defined by the vistas and old buildings that linger, as reminders, of days gone by. Throughout the technological developments and changes, it has taken pride in its history, showcasing its past with an active historical society, and continued to add its share to Vermont’s agricultural heritage. Even today, farms dot the country side and the woodland plays home to the sugar houses, which open when the sap runs. However, almost all of this is at a slower pace and smaller scale than when these activities were the absolute lifeline of the community.

            Ongoing research will ultimately yield an even clearer picture into the rural life, agricultural events, and undertakings of those that have lived in Brownington, especially with the help and guidance of its residence and volunteers. The gaps that need filling include a more detailed look into still standing properties, a clearer expansion of the events that lead Brownington’s agricultural production to both conclusion and continued progress. The combined help of locals alongside scholarly vetted research holds the capacity for even further questions and answers about Brownington’s agricultural past.



[1] Hamilton Child, Brownington, Gazetteer and Business directory of Lamoille and Orleans Counties, VT, for 1883-84. (Syracuse: Hamilton Childs, 1883) 213-219.

[2] Ralph S. Swett. History of Brownington, VT 1799-1970: 175th Anniversary of Brownington. Self Published. Courtesy of the University of Vermont Special Collections: Burlington, VT.

[3] Child, 213-215

[4] Ibid, 16.

[5] Ibid, 213-215.

[6] Howard S. Russell, A Long Deep Furrow: Three Centuries of Farming in New England, Hanover, NH: University Press of New England, 1982.

[7] Mays, Roy’s Calais flint corn. 2008. http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/roys_calais_flint_corn/ (Accessed 10/24/2009).

[8] Child, 16

[9] NOTE: The Agricultural Census materials and numbers are excellent primary source documents; however the records can also possess or generate error, either due to simple human error, invalid or omitted information and/or issues of illegibility. For this reason, all numbers presented from the census records are approximations.

[10] Paul T. Cherington, The Wool Industry: Common problems with the American woolen and worst manufacture. (Chicago, IL: A.W. Shaw Company, 1916) 37-57.

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

[13] NOTE: Names are hard to completely recognize in the written script within the census, all names are merely inferences derived from what can read.

[14] Walter Hill Crockett, Vermont: its resources and opportunities, (Rutland, VT: The Tuttle Company ,1916) 33.

 Google Books: http://books.google.com/books/download/Vermont.pdf?id=w3QAAAAAYAAJ&output=pdf&sig=ACfU3U2h1bvfn9Y3NGWVQaVAv_Po6Prjzg&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0 (Accessed 11/10/2009)

[15] Seventh census of the United States original returns of the assistant marshals: fourth series : agricultural production by counties: 1850. Microfilm 626, Reel 2. Bailey/Howe Microforms, University of Vermont: Burlington, VT. (Accessed: 10/02/2009)

[16] Seventh census of the United States original returns of the assistant marshals: fourth series : agricultural production by counties: 1850. Microfilm 626, Reel 2. Bailey/Howe Microforms, University of Vermont: Burlington, VT. (Accessed: 10/02/2009)

[17] Eighth census, agriculture, Vermont 1860. Microfilm 627, Reel 2. Bailey/Howe Microforms, University of Vermont: Burlington, VT. (Accessed: 10/02/2009)

[18] Crockett, 37.

[19]Tenth census, agriculture, Vermont 1880. Microfilm 629, Reel 2. Bailey/Howe Microforms, University of Vermont: Burlington, VT. (Accessed: 10/02/2009)

[20] NOTE: The trouble with getting numbers from the 1880 census microfilm is the format is difficult to read and translate. From the assessment of the census there seems to be an increase in the farming population, but the increase is more in number and less in magnitude of size.

[21] Old Stone House Museum, Brownington, VT. Lawrence Barn. 2009. http://www.oldstonehousemuseum.org/lawrencebarn.html (Accessed 10/25/2009).

 

 

 

 

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