Town of Williston

OUR TOWN: WILLISTON VERMONT  By Richard H. Allen

Table of Contents Williston's Old Brick Church


Forward
This book was written (in 1986)for the intermediate students at Willis ton Central School, The study of Williston and St.George is one unit from a much larger Vermont Studies program. An accompanying teacher's guide contains suggested activities, maps, as a detailed bibliography. I wish to thank the following people and organizations for their help and support in putting this book together: Marion Stroud, coprincipal, Williston Central School; Theresa McCloud and Patricia Torpie of LaserImage Desktop Publishing; Helen Oustinoff and Mary Ellen Bushey for permission to use the photographs from the Williston Historical Society Collec tion; Leota Pillsbury and Esther Urie aided with the research on Williston schools; Dr. Oscar Peterson, Jr. and J. Kevin Graffagnino helped withthe editing of the manuscript; Nancy Stone did the front cover art work; The Williston School Board, the Williston P.T.O., the Chittenden South School District Chapter 11 program, and the Williston Historical Society (Ruth Painter, president) provided funds for this project; Tuttle Press of Rutland, Vermont is the source of the 1869 Beer's Atlas of Chittenden County used for figures 1 and 6.
- R.H.A.

CHAPTER 1 The Geography of Williston

Map of Williston

Williston is located in the center of Chittenden County. The town is bounded on the north by the Winooski River which separates it from Essex and Jericho. To the west Muddy Brook acts as the boundary with South Burlington. Our neighbors to the south are Shelburne, St. George, and Hinesburg. To the east lies Richmond. Allen Brook drains the center of the town. It flows from Mud Pond north to the village of Williston, and then in a northwesterly direction where it meets the Winooski River. Sucker Brook drains the southwestern corner of the town and is a tributary of Muddy Brook. Lake Iroquois lies partially in the southern corner of Williston. The highest hills in the town are in the southern section. Brownell Mountain, at 840 feet, is Williston's most distinct peak. Here is how Abby Hemenway described the town in The Vermont Historical Gazetteer of 1867: Williston is one of the best agricultural towns in the state, containing no mountains within its borders, it is beautifully diversified with "hill, plain, and valley," with large tracts of level, and comparatively no waste land.

Many things have changed since 1867 but the land of Williston remains true to this description. Since many farms have gone out of operation some of the open land has gone back to forest. Also some of the open land is disappearing due to increased building in the town. The village of Williston lies along Route 2, which is also known as Williston Road. Williston Central School, the town hall, two churches, several businesses, some historical buildings, and many homes are located in the village. North Williston is located in the Winooski River Valley. It was once a very busy place. Today it is a cluster of farms and houses around a railroad crossing.

CHAPTER 2 The History of Williston

On June 7,1763 Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire granted a tract of land approximately six miles square on the south bank of the "Onion or French" (Winooski) River. The charter was given to Samuel Willis, for whom the town was named, and sixty-four others.

Thomas Chittenden arrived in 1774 and built a log cabin on the banks of the Winooski River on what is now known as Governor Chittenden Road. He brought his wife and a large family. Later this area came under threat of invasion by the British during the Revolutionary War. So Chittenden sought protection in the southern part of the state. He did return to Williston in 1787 and erected a brick house near the site of his log cabin. Thomas Chittenden is Williston's most famous citizen. He was very active in the early affairs of Vermont. He helped draw up Vermont's Declaration of Independence and eventually served as the first governor of the state.

In 1788 there arose a problem over the location of "a house for Publick Worship". This would be a combination church and town meeting hall. It seemed logical to build it in the center of town. But at that time Williston had two areas that could be called "town centers". One is where the village of Williston now stands, and the other where the village of Richmond exists today.

The citizens decided to ask the Vermont Assembly to divide the town into two ecclesiastical societies. The East Society was located in the present village of Richmond and this eventually led to the formation of Richmond as a town by taking land from Williston and other surrounding communities. In return Williston was granted some additional land to the west with its boundary was extended to Muddy Brook.

Williston was fortunately located between Burlington and Montpelier. The Winooski Valley provided a natural corridor fortravel between these two towns. The Winooski Turnpike (now Route 2) was built in 1805. Many taverns were built to serve the travelers on this route. The most famous was Eagle Hall which was located where the Federated Church now stands.

The Winooski Turnpike had toll gates and there was one at the western boundary near Muddy Brook. The shunpike in that area still carries that name and we can imagine travelers using this route to avoid paying the toll. The completion of the railroad in 1849 had a large impact on Williston. The tracks followed the river from near Montpelier to Parade celebrating the Essex Junction. North Williston increased in size and importance. New industries were built here. Several sawmills, a town; Federated Church butter tub factory, a cheese factory, a store and more homes increased the size of the community.

In 1860 a covered bridge was built over the Winooski River at North Williston. By 1865 North Williston could boast of its own post office. In 1876 Smith Wright built a cold storage plant there that was quite an establishment in its day. Poultry and meats were kept frozen here with ice cut from the river. The stored goods were shipped out on the railroad to the big cities of the east. Mr. Wright made one sale worth $45,000 in 1883 which at that time was a record for the largest single sale of poultry ever made in the United States.

But from the start Williston had always been a farming community. In fact, the original charter said that the land had to be farmed or the settlers would lose title to it. Before the railroad came in 1849, farming in Williston was diversified. This meant that the farmers raised a wide variety of animals and crops, such as cows, sheep, pigs, horses, wheat, rye, corn, etc.

After the decline in sheep farming and the arrival of the trains to Williston, the type of farming changed. Dairying became the main source of income for the farmers. Cheese and butter factories were built as a result of the increased production of milk. One of the largest ones was located on Oak Hill. It was built by Hiram Wallston in 1870 and managed by Lewis Talcott for many years.

Oak Hill was another area of Williston that took on an identity of its own. It had its own store and post office (1897-1903) and for a time was called Talcott, Vermont. On July 31, 1913 Williston celebrated the 150th anniversary of the granting of the town charter. It was a grand day with races, a parade, speeches (one by the governor), a school reunion, and a pageant of Williston's history.

CHAPTER 3 Schools in Williston

The establishment of schools was one of the first tasks of the early settlers of Williston. In the first half of the 1800's there was an on-going debate about the boundary lines of the school districts. Certain families would want to be included in one district or another. Each district had its own prudential committee and method for raising tax money to support the school. In 1826 the idea of placing a tax of one dollar on each dog was voted on!

In 1828 Reverend Peter Chase established the Williston Academy. This was a popular and famous school for 55 years. Students from other towns went to school here. They stayed with families in Williston.

In 1866 the tuition fee for a term was $4.50. The Academy's catalog emphasized the strictness imposed by the principal with a passage such as this: "That the hours of evening be properly spent by the pupil is deemed to be of special importance. Hence all are required to spend the evening at their homes, or boarding houses, and a proper amount of it in preparation of lessons for the ensuing day. In no case are students allowed to attend parties, or gatherings for amusement, during the term time: nor are they excused from their rooms at all during the evening, except it be by parental authority for the transaction of necessary business, or by special permission of the Principal. "

In 1883 the Academy became part of the town's school system. The Academy, which burned in 1949, was located where the National Guard Armory now stands. In 1855 there is the first reference to a Superintendent of Common Schools in the town meeting report. By the 1880's the Superintendent's report was regularly included in the town reports. From these reports a clear picture of the problems facing the schools becomes evident. Poor attendance, few textbooks, buildings in sad shape, and high turnover among the teachers seemed to be the major problems. By the 1920's the state of Vermont had become more interested in improving the schools in the state. TMs led to significant improvement to the schools in Williston.

One Room Schoolhouses: Up until the 1940's Williston had about a dozen schoolhouses scattered around the town. Figure 1 is a map printed in a 1869 atlas of Chittenden County. It locates the school districts and school houses in Williston at that time.

Some of the old schools are still standing. Before 1855 the Old Rice School in North Williston burned down. The North Williston School (no. 2) was used until 1951. It is now a residence. The Talcott School (no. 3) was used in the 1860's and 1870's. It is now a residence behind the Federated Church. The Lake Iroquois School (no. 5) was used until 1951. It is now a residence on the corner of South Road and Oak Hill Road. The Sucker Hollow, or South Williston School (no. 1 0) , was closed in 1929. It is now a residence. The Stove Pipe Comers School (no. 12) was closed in 1929. It is on the corner of North Williston Road and Mt. View Rd. The story is that this was called Stove Pipe Corners because the houses that couldn't afford a chimney had just stove pipes. This building is now used for storage.

What was it like to teach in a one room schoolhouse in Williston 50 years ago? Mrs. Leota Pillsbury taught in the Lamson School on Mt. View Road from 1937 to 1939. Here are her memories as recounted to Mrs. Elaine Radcliffe: The teacher lived in the home of some accomodating parents who lived close to her school. From her $900 a year salary she paid $10 a week for room and board. There were approximately fourteen or fifteen children in grades one through eight, with one or two in each grade. A class of twenty was a large e'ass. All of the children walked to school until later when some "car bussing" was done. The children were generally respectful of authority and serious discipline problems were practically non-existent. The school day began at 9:00 a.m. and the first one in the building built the fire in the wood stove. Cleaning was done by one of the more conscientious children who was hired for the job. The teacher kept the school clock synchronized with that of the nearest neighbor, and water was brought from the same neighbor by the eighth grade boys. Inside chemical toilets were available. Many of the children brought potatoes from home and these were cooked ahead of time on the "jacket stove" to provide a "hot lunch". Later, nearby mothers brought hot dishes for lunch. The school day ended at 2:00 for the younger children, who waited on the playground until the older ones were finished at 3:00. The curriculum consisted of the "three r's", geography, history, and nature study. Music and art were offered if the teacher desired it and was sufficiently skillful. There was no formal physical education other than the organized games at recess time. The school was considered the center of entertainment for the neighborhood. As always, Christmas was the big program, and for many families the school tree took the place of a family tree, and children often received their family gifts at the school party. And, of course, Santa Claus came! Memorial Day was observed to a much greater extent than it is today, with songs and poems for invited guests. In fact, it was required of the teacher to record in her attendance book exactly how Memorial Day was observed in her classroom!

In 1935 Albert D. Lawton became Superintendent of Schools he eventually lead the town to the building of one central school. Centralized schooling became the modern thought and it made sense in Williston because of the cost of maintenance on so many old buildings and the expense of transportation. On January 18,1949 the old Academy building, which was being used as the Village School, burned to the ground. This gave renewed urgency to the construction of one large school. The eight room school, the first part of Williston Central School (now rooms 1 through 8), was ready for the 1950-1951 school year. There were three more additions before the school stood as it does today. 1) 1955 Two classrooms (rooms 9 and 11) and the auditorium, used as a gym and cafeteria. 2) 1958-1960 Six classrooms (rooms 10, 12,13, 14,15,17). 3) 1968 Twenty classrooms (the intermediate area and the upstairs), gym, library, offices, new cafeteria. Also during the 1950's there was much study over the question of where to establish a union high school. Finally Chittenden South School District was established in June of 1962. Williston joined in 1963. Champlain Valley Union High School was opened in September of 1964.

The Pine Ridge School was established on French Hill in 1968 by Howard Delano and Gardner Hopwood. The main building was formerly the Twist O'Hill Lodge. The school is for teenagers with specific learning disabilities. It serves about 88 students with one to one tutoring mainly in the language skills.

CHAPTER 4 Williston Today

Since 1950 Williston has changed a great deal. The character of the town has changed from rural and farming to mainly suburban and industrial. In 1 954 Williston joined the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation which. has been responsible for attracting industry to Chittenden County. Perhaps their greatest success has been the location of IBM in Essex Junction in 1957. The plant has steadily grown over the years and now over 8,000 people work there. This has meant significant growth for the town of Williston.

Between 1960 and 1970 the population more than doubled. Many new houses were built, particularly off Route 2A in the western part of the town. IBM eventually expanded across the river and some of its buildings are now in Williston. The establishment of new industries in Williston also has changed the character of the town. Industrial Avenue is the center of this growth.

The 1986 listing for manufacturers in Williston included the following:

  1. Engineered Monofilaments Corporation (synthetic fibers for the textile industry)
  2. S.T. Griswold & Co. (concrete products)
  3. Johnson Filaments, Inc. (plastic monofilaments used in the manufacturing of hook and loop products, like Velcro; also in the paper industry and to cover electric cables.)
  4. Northeastern H-V-AC Corporation (custom metal and plastic fabrication)
  5. Pike Industries, Inc. (asphaltic concrete)
  6. Rossignol Ski Co. Inc. (alpine skis and tennis racquets)
  7. Velan Valve Corporation (custom engineered forged and cast valves for Navy ships, the oil industry, and nuclear power plants)
  8. Frank Whitcomb Construction Corp. (Bituminous asphalt, Sakrete concrete mixes, crushed stone)

The opening of the Interstate Highway in 1962 removed a considerable amount of traffic from Route 2 that passed through the village. It also split up some of the farm land in the town. Some of the local businesses were hurt by this new highway because fewer people stopped in Williston for gas or groceries.

Today the area around the Interstate interchange is being developed. Eventually there will be a new highway built that will skirt around Essex Junction and connect with the interstate south of Tafts Corners. Blair Park at Tafts Corners is becoming the site of several businesses. The Tafts Comers Shopping Mall has expanded, and the Howard Bank service building is also located here.

There are several recreational areas in the town of Williston. A golf course lies above North Williston Road. Catamount Family Center provides cross-country skiing. Lake Iroquois is popular for swimming, fishing, and boating. There are still several farms in Williston. Some of the larger ones are in North Williston where they make good use of the fertile soil of Winooski Valley.

Today Williston is a mixture of woods, open farm land and developed areas, some residential and some industrial. There are several factors that will mean increased growth and development for the town. One is its location: close to Burlington, the airport and the Interstate highway. Williston is next door to Essex Junction and already IBM has constructed some buildings in town. We are also in the center of Chittenden County. Town sewage and water systems are contributing to development.

Though a relatively quiet town, Williston hit the headlines on July 7, 1984. Early that morning torrential downpours hit Williston and surrounding areas. This led to tremendous runoff of water that washed out a section of railroad track in Williston. An Amtrak passenger train, the Montrealer, with two engines and thirteen cars was headed for its next stop in Essex Junction. Around 7 a.m. it reached the washed out area. The engines and several cars, traveling at 59 miles per hour, made it across before the tracks gave way and three cars plunged into the gully.

The train was carrying 278 passengers. About 150 people were injured and five were killed. The surrounding communities immediately went into a disaster plan that had been rehearsed before. Rescue squads, fire departments, doctors, nurses, police, and the local hospitals responded with organized efficiency that was praised by many. This turned out to be the second worst train accident in Vermont history. The worst accident took place on February 5, 1887 when a train went off a bridge and dropped into the White River in Hartford. Thirty-nine people were killed.

CHAPTER 5 Some Historical Buildings in Williston

Many of the historical buildings in Williston are in the middle of the village along Route 2. The story of these buildings gives some idea of the importance of religion in Williston's history. Many of these buildings were first built as churches.

The Old Brick Church was built by the Congregationalists in 1832 for the sum of 2300 dollars. They used it until 1899 and it remained empty and unused for some time. In the 1970's it was restored and it is now used for weddings and community groups. The building is attractive because of the use of Gothic windows and doors with pointed arches.

The First Universalist Church was built in 1860. It was used as a church until about 1890. It has been used as a social hall and the town library. It was sold to the Thomas Chittenden Grange in 1938. Later the Grange deeded the building to the town and on March 2,1987 the town voted to renovate it for use as town offices, while still preserving the historic appearance of the building.

What is now the Thomas Chittenden Memorial Town Hall was built in 1842 as the First Methodist Church. The Methodist grew in number and in 1867 built a new church on the corner of Route 2 and North Williston Road. This was the site of the Eagle Tavern which burned in 1850. In 1899 the Congregationalists joined the Methodists to form the present Federated Church.

Probably the oldest house in Williston is on Governor Cbittenden Road near the Catamount Family Center. It was built in 1796 by Thomas Chittenden for his son Giles.

The dedication of the Thomas Chittenden Monument in August of 1896 was one of the more exciting happenings in Williston's history. About 2,000 people came to Williston for the ceremonies. Many of them got off the train in North Williston and took horse drawn wagons to the village. Governor Woodbury was on hand and the Vermont National Guard fired a seventeen gun salute. Many speeches were made, a band played, and at the end the audience sang "America". The Burlington Free Press gave the ceremonies front page coverage and included this description in its article:

"... much of the success of the day was due to the people Of Williston. Their hospitality was of a generous nature and all present carried away only pleasant recollections of their visit to the pretty village."

CHAPTER 6 St. George

St. George has the smallest area of any town in Vermont. It was chartered by Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire on August 18,1763. At that time the grantees were under the impression that they had a full-sized town of six miles square. But Williston and Burlington had been chartered earlier and their northern boundaries were indisputedly the Winooski River. This left Shelburne and St. George, both chartered the same day, with a piece of land six to seven miles wide at Lake Champlain but narrowing in a triangular fashion as it moved inland. St. George was left with only 2200 acres, not the 23,040 originally called for. In 1848 a small piece of land was taken from Shelburne and added to St. George to give it 2304 acres.

St. George was named after King George of England. Joshua Isham came from Colchester, Connecticut and was the first settler in St. George. The year was 1784. The first town meeting was held on March 9,1813.

St. George has always been an agricultural town. There were no mills or industry of any significance. From 1838 to 1901 St. George had a post office. The Red Schoolhouse, built in 1852, had students in it until 1965. It has seen town dances, church services, and even the fabrication of mattresses for town residents by the Home Demonstration Group during World War 11. The schoolhouse was also used for town meetings. It is now used for a polling place and public hearings.

In the early 1970's St. George attracted some national attention with its development plan. In an effort to avoid becoming just an area of suburban housing, some land was purchased to be the site of a town center that would include offices, shops, and small industries. A design competition was held. The winning plan was chosen from ten designs submitted by architectural firms. It was a unique way to go about planning and building a The original plan has undergone several changes and the first construction has started.

Today St. George is a suburb of Burlington. There are several housing developments and a trailer park. The Rocky Ridge Golf Course is located in St. George. Town meetings are held in the club house of the golf course. The 1980 population was 677.

St. George is bounded on the north and east by Williston, on the west by Shelburne, and on the south by Hinesburg. Part of the town borders on Lake Iroquois. The highest point in town is Mt. Pritchard at 11 60 feet. During the 1940's there was an active lumber camp on the mountain. Ruins of the buildings can still be seen.