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    Essex and Essex Junction
    Essex and Essex Junction
    Essex and Essex Junction
    Ebook206 pages1 hour

    Essex and Essex Junction

    By Richard Allen and Lucille Allen

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    In Essex and Essex Junction, readers will learn that early settlers tapped the waterpower at Hubbel's Falls and tilled the fertile land of Essex town in western Vermont. The advent of the railroad brought prosperity in the mid-1800s and a name change for the village of Essex Junction. Fort Ethan Allen further boosted the area's prominence and increased activity in the town. When IBM came to Essex, the area experienced the rapid growth and resulting challenges similar to that felt throughout much of Vermont. Today the town of Essex and the village of Essex Junction are vibrant communities with fascinating histories.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateAug 11, 2004
    ISBN9781439615775
    Essex and Essex Junction
    Author

    Richard Allen

        Richard Allen is Chair Professor of Film and Media Art and Dean of the School of Creative Media at City University Hong Kong

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      Book preview

      Essex and Essex Junction - Richard Allen

      collections.

      INTRODUCTION

      So what ever happened to such Essex geographic features as Cranberry Swamp, Primrose Hill, and Indian River? Like many things over time, they were altered, forgotten, or renamed. Old maps of Essex are one key to learning about the changes this town has undergone in its 240-year history.

      Essex Town is in the center of Chittenden County, Vermont’s most populous area. The Winooski River forms the town’s southern boundary with Williston. Essex is bordered by Jericho to the east, Westford to the north, and Colchester to the west. With a population today of 18,261 (2000 census), it is one of Vermont’s largest towns and is advantageously close to the recreational opportunities in the Green Mountains to the east and Lake Champlain to the west. Transportation is enhanced by rail and interstate highway connections, as well as the proximity to the Burlington International Airport.

      The town was chartered on June 7, 1763, by Gov. Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire. Sixty-four settlers received land grants to make Essex Town their home, but none of them ever did. Rather, beginning in 1783, farmers from Massachusetts made permanent settlements in the area. Huge pine and hemlock trees covered much of the land; clearing them to make space for crops and for the town common was a formidable task. In 1786, residents held the first town meeting, at which they chose town officers and raised money for road repairs. The 1791 census shows just 354 residents.

      The water power of the Winooski River attracted early settlers who built dams and mills around Hubbel’s Falls. Hubbel’s Falls remained an industrial section of town well into the 1900s. Today, Green Mountain Power uses the falls to generate electricity.

      It took a while before the center of town was established. Page’s Corners had taverns and a post office and was the location of early town meetings. On a direct route to Canada, the Corners was also noted for its smuggling activity during the War of 1812. Butler’s Corners, on the road to Cambridge, competed with Page’s Corners to be the town center. A post office was established there in 1825. But the common was laid out in Essex Center. The center was also home to several churches and businesses, as well as the Essex Classical Institute, a school that drew students from surrounding towns.

      When railroads came to the area in 1849, the settlement near the Winooski River was called Painesville after Charles Paine, president of the Central Vermont Railroad. Six rail lines approached the vicinity and made connections there. Because of the junction of the railroads at this spot, Painesville soon changed its name to Essex Junction. So Essex now had two areas of growth—Essex Junction and Essex Center. The Burlington & Lamoille Railroad was completed in 1877, providing passenger service as well as a way to export lumber and agricultural products. The route ran from Burlington to Essex Junction, through Essex Center, Jericho, Underhill, and up to Cambridge.

      Essex Junction became an incorporated village on November 15, 1892. It was the home to businesses and industries that took advantage of the rail service, and served the farmers in Essex and surrounding towns. Over the years, the village had a corn-canning plant, a maple syrup co-op, several creameries, and a feed mill. The Drury Brick and Tile Company thrived as a result of the railroad and was a major employer in the village for more than 100 years.

      Established on the western edge of town in 1893, Fort Ethan Allen increased prosperity in the area. Many local materials were used to construct its buildings. Some residents still recall troops and the cavalry marching through town on their way to the firing range in Underhill.

      The Chittenden County Fair started in Essex Center in 1914. After several years, it reorganized as the Champlain Valley Fair and moved to Essex Junction. The fairgrounds are busy throughout the year with a variety of shows, meetings, and festivals.

      When International Business Machines (IBM) moved into a manufacturing plant near the Winooski River in 1957, the town and village entered into a new era. The population of the town outside of the village increased 154 percent in the 1960s and 66 percent in the 1970s. Over the years, the company employed as many as 8,500 people. The work force was noted for its high level of education and above-average earnings. Traffic increased, houses were built, and school populations became an issue at numerous meetings. New pressure was put on farm and forest land in town. Housing developments and shopping areas kept the planning commissions busy. The town lost its agrarian base and gained a reputation as a suburb of Burlington, home to IBM, and a business and service center in its own right.

      Recent growth outside the village, especially near Route 289, has highlighted the difficulty of maintaining a vibrant downtown in Essex Junction. New initiatives are under way to keep Essex Junction an attractive growth center.

      In spite of the rapid growth since the late 1950s, Essex still has some natural areas where the public can get away from it all. Indian Brook Park, owned by the town, provides a system of trails and a small lake for swimming and boating. Saxon Hill Forest has several miles of trails and dirt roads for walking, skiing, and biking. The northeast corner of the town remains fairly undeveloped.

      The possibility of separation or consolidation of the town and village has been debated since at least 1958. Currently, the two share a high school and a police department. Residents of the village are also residents of the town. Proponents of consolidation argue that joining would help bring the community together, reduce duplicate services, and save on taxes. Opponents feel the merging of the town and village would deprive the village of its identity.

      The town and village share an interesting past and a common future. We hope the images in this book make you more aware of some of the fascinating history of our community. As for Cranberry Swamp, a dam turned it into Indian Brook Reservoir. Primrose Hill still creates an elevation gain

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