verg. day 08-18-2012 edition

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“WOW”is the fi rst word we hear when a customer walks through the door. They are pleasantly surprised by our colorful space in Middlebury, Vermont. And we are delighted to fi ll this space with the best yarn we can fi nd, the fi nest beads, and a selection of “just for fun” gifts!

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The City of Vergennes and the Addison CountyChamber of Commerce invite you to the 31stannual citywide celebration with festivities to

appeal to all ages. Free shuttle service is provided by Bet-Cha Transit; it will

be available to all venues and VUHS parking lot from 10a.m.–4 p.m.

The event’s public restrooms are located at City Park andinside Vergennes City Hall.

•Friday, Aug. 24Time: 7 - 10 p.m.Event: Street Dance. Vergennes Day Kick-off featuring

Panton Flats Park St. (behind bandstand in City Park)Admission: Donations acceptedSnacks available

•Saturday, Aug. 25Time: 7 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.Location: Fire Dept. Event: Pancake Breakfast (adults $8, children under 12 -

$6, under 6 free)

Time: 9 a.m.Location: City ParkEvent: Little City 5K Walk and 10K Race started in front

of City Hall. Pre Registration at: www.RunVermont.orgClick on Other Upcoming Races and Events tab. Race dayregistration 8-8:45 a.m. at the Stevens House – corner ofMain and North Green streets

Time: 10 – 11 a.m.Location: City Park

Event: Vergennes City Band

Time: 10 a.m. – noonLocation: VUHS Baseball FieldEvent: Radio-controlled model airplane show by the

Champlain Valley Flyers

Time: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.Location: Bixby LibraryEvent: Book sale: Vergennes Area Rescue Squad will pro-

vide food, give out goodie bags; Safe Kids Addison Countywill inspect and fit a limited supply of bike helmets.

Time: 10 a.m. - 4 p.mLocation: VUHS, Vergennes Union High SchoolEvent: Car Show. Cars, tractors, trucks and engines,

Green Mountain Cobras. Vote for your favorite. Awards at3 p.m. including Green Mountain Flywheelers Antique Gasand Steam Engine Club.

Time: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.Location: City ParkEvent: Craft Show. Over 75 crafters and vendors on dis-

play. Painting hands (for children) with Grandma Phyllis.

Time: 11:15 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.Location: City ParkEvent: The Benoits, musical group

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.Location: Vergennes Fire DepartmentEvent: Open House and Bubble PitTime: 12:30 - 1 p.m.

Location: City ParkEvent: “Books for Bikes” drawing sponsored by Bixby

Library, Vergennes Rotary and Safe Kids Addison County

Time: 1 p.m. until goneLocation: City ParkEvent: Lions Chicken BBQ. Prices $12 half chicken, $9

quarter chicken

Time: 1:15 – 2:15 p.m.Location: City ParkEvent: The Would Is, musical group

Time: 2:30 – 4 p.m.Location: City ParkEvent: Little City Jazz Band performs

Time: 3:30 p.m.Location: Falls Park at the BasinEvent: Rubber Duckie Race by Rotary (tickets available

at Rotary booth in City Park)

Time: All DayEvent: Vergennes Merchant Special Sales

Shuttle by Bet-cha Transit to all venues & VUHS ParkingLot from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Free

American Legion Post 14, Dorchester Masonic Lodge ofVergennes, Gaines Insurance Agency, Inc., J.W.&D.E. Ryan,Inc., Merchants Bank, Neat Repeats, National Bank ofMiddlebury, Vergennes Animal Hospital; VergennesRedemption Center LLC.

Vergennes Day Schedule of EventsAug. 25, 2012

2 - VERGENNES DAY 2012 THE SMALLEST CITY IN THE U.S.A.

The history of Vergennes is unique. Rather thanbeing home to traditional Vermont farmers, a dif-ferent type of individual settled in the Little

City—manufacturers, merchants, and professionals includ-ing mechanics and laborers. The restrictions of the city’s“little” 1,200 acres did not afford many to use the land forfarming. Vergennes found its way as a commercial centerfor the surrounding agricultural areas.

Early in Vergennes’ history rapid industrial growthappeared with forges, blast furnaces, a wire factory, andother facilities. Such growth made Vergennes the most suit-able location for and played an integral part of the War of1812.

It was during the War of 1812 that Commodore ThomasMacdonough established a shipyard at the foot of OtterCreek where he prepared his navy and built numerousships including, the flagship Saratoga, the largest militaryvessel ever launched in Vermont. Commodore Macdonoughcommandeered the banks and eventually put an end to theBritish invasion. It was his ships that defeated the British atthe Battle of Plattsburgh Bay in September 1814.

Owners of many of the shops in Vergennes can recountthe family history and tales of the War of 1812. One shopowner stated that one gunboat being transported from onelocation to another with no military forces on it somehowdiscouraged the British from coming closer to the banks ofVergennes.

After the war and within ten years, the Lake ChamplainSteamship Company built four lake steamers at the sameshipyard Macdonough established. In 1824 the opening ofthe Champlain Canal connected Lake Champlain with theHudson River and led to increased passenger traffic on thelake. The railroad in 1855 also increased production as lum-ber was transported.

To date, Vergennes maintains a strong industrial basewith two major companies, Goodrich Aerospace (wherevital parts for NASA’s recently retired space-shuttle fleetand defense craft have been manufactured) and NathanielElectronics. The convenience of Otter Creek and the pres-ence of the Monkton Iron Company, one of the largest ironworks in the United States, enhanced the growth ofVergennes into a visible commercial success. With the suc-cess, elaborate homes appeared block after block with

diverse architectural structures.Aside from Vergennes’ history, there are also cultural and

recreational attractions. Visit the Opera House, the GreekRevival style Bixby Library, Rokeby Museum, Round BarnMerinos, and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum.Picnic on the banks of the Otter Creek or the city greenwhere one can experience a true farmer ’s market. Another

fabulous idea would be take a cruise down the Otter Creekto Lake Champlain. Whether one wants adventure or seren-ity, Vergennes will satisfy all needs in a hometown awayfrom home.

Vergennes will have one in awe viewing the historicbuildings and picturesque Main Street with plenty ofthings to see and do.

• Ladies’ Clothing: Tribal, Prairie Cotton, Nomadic Traders, Very Vineyard and...

• Jewelry: Morningflower and Sea Glass • Children’s Clothing: Zutano, Le Top and Absorba

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Vergennes: Little City with a big heartTHE SMALLEST CITY IN THE U.S.A. VERGENNES DAY 2012 - 3

By Russ PicketThomas Macdonough Jr.

was born in Trap(McDonough), Del., on Dec.31, 1783, the sixth child andsecond son of Thomas Sr.and Mary VanceMcDonough. Thomas Sr.was a well respected physi-cian in Delaware. He isclaimed by Vergennes as apart-time resident and itsmost notable local hero, aswell.

Thomas Jr. worked as aclerk in a store inMiddletown, Del., while ateenager. He requested anappointment to the UnitedStates Navy with the help ofU.S. Sen. Latimer ofDelaware. On Feb. 5, 1800,at the age of 16, he receiveda warrant as a midshipmanin the navy. Prior to enter-ing the Navy, Thomas, Jr.,for unknown reasons,changed the spelling of hislast name from"McDonough" to"Macdonough."

On Dec. 14, 1803, he wasassigned to the "Enterprise",a 12-gun schooner.

The "Enterprise" alongwith the "Constitution" wassent out to either retake the"Philadelphia" or destroy itso that Tripoli could not useher against the U.S.

During the coming years,

the British began impress-ing American sailors. Thisact, of course, helped leadthe United States into thewar of 1812.

While in Liverpool,England, Macdonough wasimpressed into the BritishNavy. The story is relatedthat he was taken on boarda British ship and assignedsleeping quarters with the

corporal of the guard. Once the corporal fell

asleep Macdonough put onhis clothes and went outonto the deck. He saw thecorporal poke his head outof the hatchway andMacdonough immediatelyknocked him down, jumpedinto a small boat, brokeloose and was on his way.The sentry shot atMacdonough, but he safelymade his way to shore.Thomas swore "If I live, I'llmake England rememberthe day she impressed anAmerican soldier."

On June 18, 1812, theUnited States declared waron Great Britain.

On June 26, Macdonoughwrote the following note tothe Secretary of the Navy,Alexander Hamilton:

"Sir: The United States nowbeing at war, I solicit yourorder for service in the navyand hope you will favor mewith such a situation as inyour opinion I am suited tohold. I have the honor to be,your most obt. (obedient) sert.(servant)”

T. Macdonough

In August, Macdonoughreceived orders to com-mand a division of gun-boats, this time inBurlington, Vt.

The new division includ-ed six sloops and 2 gun-boats. The vessels werelocated on Lake Champlain,between New York andVermont.

When he first arrived hesaw the gunboats "one waspartly sunk and the seamsof both were so open asalmost to admit the hand."He immediately hired car-penters to prepare the ves-sels for war.

After repairs, he took hisconverted, patched-up war-ships down the lake (north)to the Plattsburgh, N.Y.,area to start patrols.

On June 2, 1813,Macdonough ordered Lt.Sidney Smith with the sloop"Growler" and SailingMaster Loomis with the"Eagle" to sail north to theCanadian border. Therethey were to block themouth of the RichelieuRiver to prevent Britishwarships from enteringLake Champlain.

Macdonough gave specif-ic orders not to cross theborder. However, Smithdeliberately sailed intoBritish territory where they

met up with British war-ships. After a four hour bat-tle the British captured bothsloops and sent all the mento prison. Now that theBritish could add two moresloops to their fleet, theyhad complete control of theLake. At this pointMacdonough moved hisfleet farther down the laketo Burlington.

On July 24, 1813, Lt.Thomas Macdonough wasdesignated MasterCommandant. He was thereafter called "Commodore"out of respect or courtesyeven though that rank didnot exist at that time.

The last of July 1813, aBritish flotilla landed atPlattsburgh's wharf with1,000 soldiers. They prom-ised the frightened citizensthat they would not destroyprivate property. However,they started burning publicproperty and stole the con-tents of many of the privatehomes in the area. Theythen sailed south andattacked Macdonough atBurlington. After a smallbattle they sailed on andcontinued to raid villages.The American fleet was nowhere near ready to battleon the open lake at thistime.

After repairs were com-pleted on his fleet, hemoved the fleet toVergennes for the winter.There he received authori-zation in January 1814 fromSecretary Jones to constructa new ship.

The brothers Adam andNoah Brown promised toconstruct a ship inVergennes within 60 days.To everyone's delight, theBrowns completed the newship in 40 days. On April 11,1814, Lucy AnnMacdonough, Thomas' wife,christened the 26-gun ship"Saratoga". Macdonoughwas now ready to do battlewith the enemy. A fewmonths later, theMacdonough and theSaratoga defeating theBritish in the maritimephase of the Battle ofPlattsburgh.

Thomas and his wife areburied in the RiversideCemetery in Middletown,Conn. Together they hadfive children, James,Charles Shaler, AugustusRodney, Thomas, andCharlotte.

Printed with permission

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Commodore Macdonough: Hero of Lake Champlain

Thomas Macdonough

An engraving of Macdonough’s corvette the USS Saratoga built in Vergennes ship basin.


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Not too far from downtown Vergennesyou’ll find Lake Champlain. The OtterCreek has been a waterway linking the

Little City to the big lake. Along with the water-way comes sightings of a strange denzien of thedeep.

Champ the lake monster embodies the mysteries,wonders and importance of the Lake and the crea-tures that may or may not live within. The fact thatwe do not know whether Champ exists, meansthere is still an undiscovered and protected portionof the Lake left to discover. Perhaps most impor-tantly, Champ helps educate the public about thisbeautiful place and gives us all a reason to sit qui-etly by the Lake and ponder what lies beneath.

What is Champ—a dinosaur, a plesiosaur, awhale?

Part of believing that Champ exists means youneed to have a fairly good explanation for what hemight be. Theories abound. One theory suggeststhat Champ is a dinosaur that managed to escapeextinction and lives on in Lake Champlain.Another suggests that the creatures could be sur-viving zeuglodons, a primitive form of whale witha long snake like body. These creatures have beenthought to be long extinct, however fossils of themhave been found a few miles form Lake Champlainin Charlotte.

Champ might also be a Lake Sturgeon. There aresturgeon in Lake Champlain and they can grow togreat lengths. They are a very old, almost prehis-toric fish with a scale-less body that is supportedby a partially cartilaginous skeleton along withrows of scutes. Its single dorsal fin, running alongits spine, would match many descriptions ofChamp, although its sharp, shark-like tail wouldnot.

Another theory is that Champ could be related toa plesiosaur. A plesiosaur is a prehistoric water

dwelling reptile (not a dinosaur) with a long snake-like head and four large flippers. Plesiosaurs lovedfish and other aquatic animals. Scientists date theplesiosaur to the Triassic period, 200 million yearsago, through the Cretaceous period, about 65 mil-lion years ago (when all dinosaurs are thought tohave gone extinct).

It would take approximately 50 mature Champs,at the least, to have a breeding population ofChamps in the Lake and 500 to keep the speciesalive in the long term. While the numbers aredaunting, Lake Champlain does provide an idealhabitat for such a creature. The Lake is 120 mileslong, 400 feet deep in places and home to a diversepopulation of birds and aquatic life which wouldbe more than enough to sustain the belly of thisgreat beast. Additionally, the lake, in its presentform, has been around quite awhile —around10,000 years.

There have been at least 300 reported unex-

plained sightings of Champ over the years' There isno certainty when the first sighting of Champ was;however, the creature was depicted by NativeAmericans. It was said that Samuel de Champlainsaw Champ in 1609. This claim that he spotted a“strange monster” has been traced by historians toactually have occurred in the St. Lawrence estuaryhowever.

In 1819 in Port Henry, N.Y., a railroad crewreported to have spotted a “head of an enormousserpent sticking out of the water and approachingthem from the opposite shore.” Around the time ofthis sighting, farmers nearby claimed to have miss-ing livestock, with drag marks leading to the shore.There was also an early Champ sighting reportedin the New York Times in 1873.

There is now a website dedicated to recordingChamp sightings. To learn more about specificsightings at Champ Quest.com.

Special thanks to the Lake Champlain Land Trust

What lies beneath the lake?THE SMALLEST CITY IN THE U.S.A. VERGENNES DAY 2012 - 5

When the Walden Project was fea-tured in Edutopia magazine a fewyears ago, the Little City school

program received nationwide attention. Theeducational magazine, published by theGeorge Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF),encourages innovation in schools; it alsoadvocates for exemplary programs in K-12public schools to help practices spread nation-wide. That’s why the Walden Project becamethe talk of school teachers coast-to-coast whenthe article first appeared in 2007. Public RadioInternational also featured the project on abroadcast the following year.

The Walden Project is a public alternativeeducation program supported by the WillowellFoundation. Approximately 20-25 studentsattend the program yearly, which is located ona 230-acre parcel of land in Monkton and isoperated through the Addison NorthwestSupervisory Union.

As noted in the Edutopia article, the projectis not a traditional school program; it is a com-munity of students and teachers who use theformer farmland for what founder MattSchlein calls a “great, living template for edu-cation.” Students spend three days a week out-doors on the land, even through the winter.

Schlein, who has taught English, drama, andpsychology at Vergennes Union High School,founded the project in 2000 with a vision ofauthentic, student-directed learning based innature. The point of the program, accordingto Schlein, is to step outside the chaos ofeveryday expectations to “think deeply aboutwhere I am right now and what's essential,”searching nature and oneself for inspiration.

Despite Walden's unconventional approachand the apparent lack of structure visitors may

experience, student performance on the SATmatches that of their peers at VUHS.

An impressive 80 to 90 percent of Waldengraduates go on to attend college, compared tojust over half of the traditional VUHS programgraduates.

VUHS parents are among Walden's biggestsupporters. Through its inquiry-based

approach, Walden satisfies state content stan-dards in greater depth than a conventionalclassroom could. The program also surpassesthe high school on teaching the state's vitalresults standards for personal growth, headds. “Instead of reading 16 chapters in a sci-ence textbook,” one student said, “we do sci-ence.”

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VUHS: Home of the Walden Project


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MAKING GRANDPOP PROUD — Former Vermont State Sen. Tom Bahre of Addison County was justifiablyproud to watch his grand-daughter Amanda Morse of Vergennes compete at the Vermont State LoggingCompetition held at the Hannaford Career Center’s North Campus earlier this year. Morse is a student at thecenter. When not selling advertising for the Addison Eagle, Bahre is a Christmas-tree farmer and lumber-man; he has passed along his love of trees and working with wood to other family members. Teens had toqualify to compete in the contest which involved a variety of chainsaw and log handling techniques. Thewinner received a chainsaw valued at $700.

Photo provided

THE SMALLEST CITY IN THE U.S.A. VERGENNES DAY 2012 - 7

By Members of the OtterCreek Basin Student HistoryClub

The Otter Creek StudentHistory Club was started inSeptember 2002, in hopes ofhaving a good time in theprocess of learning andsharing the history of ourtown.

We meet weekly and dojust that, learn about ourtown and the changes it hasbeen through to make itwhat it is today. We aremostly made up of highschool students but all arewelcome.

Some of the students inthe history club went toVermont History Day thisyear with stories on the Fireof 1958 and PhilomeneDaniels, both stories have ahuge impact on Vergenneshistory. We are hoping thiswebsite will bring you a lit-tle of what we learned.

Our group has a two-foldpurpose. We are workingwith the Vermont HistoricalSociety Community HistoryProject to capture and pre-serve the stories that make

our community special.This involves us with ouradult history counterparts,the Otter Creek BasinHistory Club and brings inthe talents of local peopleand history buffs. We inter-view, photograph, listen,process and then record thestories we have learned.

Some members of ourgroup prefer dramatic pre-sentations, some prefer sto-ryboards, other write greatterm papers, and still otherslove to utilize technology totell the stories.

Each of us contributes ina small way to bringing tolife for our generation andthose to come the wealth ofhistory that has occurred inthe Otter Creek Basin andsurrounding towns.

We welcome you to visitthe Vermont HistoricalSociety Community HistoryProject’s website (www.ver-monthistory.org) and inviteyou to share a brief glimpseof our journey as we learnabout the five-town regionwe proudly call home.Philomene Daniels: theWorld’s First Femail Steamboat

CaptainSteaming Out of the Past:

Philomene Ostiguy DomingueDaniels Caisse and TheDaniels Steamboat Line(1877-1916)

To many of us asteenagers it seems thatVergennes is a typical, quietand sometimes predictableVermont town. It shockedus to no end to learn thatVergennes was not only acentral point in the historyof the region, but that thetown falls we fish in wasonce the center of an eco-nomic boom that was criti-cal to the development ofthe region.

Our story begins with thesteamship whistles thatused to resound down thebanks of Otter Creek. TheOtter Creek Basin atVergennes Falls was alivewith the sounds of people atwork. Factories makinghorse nails, furniture,shade-rollers, grindingcrops and ironworksspanned the top of the falls.

Cargo and raw materialscame and went by horse-drawn wagon and the OtterCreek, which served as the

highway of the region.People, cargo and mailneeded to move up anddown the river, out on toLake Champlain and downthe coastline to meet trainsand other methods of trans-port. It was an exciting timeto live in the little city.

Onto the river go LouisDaniels and his new wifePhilomene. Having movedto Vergennes after theirmarriage in 1865, the couplesettled in a home across thestreet from the docks.

Louis took jobs for W.R.Bixby and later at the Hayesand Falardo Shop. His truelove was the Otter Creekand in 1869 he writes him-self that he is employed ona steamer the Curlew, whichwas an 80ft double deckersteamer. His first license,issued to him in 1873,showed him as the engineer.In January of 1877, hebought the Water Lily andfor the first three years hadSam Ives as a partner. OnJune 10, 1880, he paid hisformer partner, $ 150 for hisshare in the business andthe Daniels Steamship Linewas born.

For the first couple ofyears Captain Louas he wasknown to the townspeoplewas always seen on theWater Lily with his wife athis side. She was a deter-mined and feisty youngwoman who was a presenceat any gathering.

Dressed in the latest offashion, she had the appear-ance of a lady. Her skillsand determination earnedher the trust and respect ofher husband and broughtabout a change in the familybusiness and the history ofthe country.

Louis was an enterprisingbusinessman and wanted toexpand the steamship lineto include more boats andpilots. He and Philomenehad two sons, Mitchell andFred. Both of the boys wereraised on the boat andlearned the over twenty-seven channels that weretaken in traversing theOtter Creek from the docks,up to Fort Cassin, where the

Otter Creek met the Lake. By 1897, the demands of

increased commerce and thebeginning of excursion trav-el made the Water Lily andthe second boat the LittleNellie almost obsolete. Inthe winter of 1897, CaptainLouis built in a shed nearhis house the steamer "TheVictor. The steamer was 63.2feet long and could accom-modate 275 passengers.With all three boats on theriver, Louis needed help. Itcame from an unpredicted,but colorful source, his 42-year-old wife Philomene.

Philomene had alwayshad a strong constitutionand was known for sayingthat she was “as good apilot as any man on theriver.” She also felt herskills could have her “per-form any task on the boat,except for the engineer,because that would requireher to wear pants, and shecould not bring herself todo that. She was a lady, youknow.”

Encouraged by her hus-band, and armored with herknowledge of what she wascapable of, Philomene pre-sented herself at the CoastGuard Station in Burlingtonto test for a steamshippilot's license. They were atfirst amused, but quicklyalarmed when a determinedPhilomene demanded, “itwas her right to test, andshe wasn't going home untilshe did.”

This was 1887 and historyrecords her as the world'sfirst licensed steamshipcaptain. From 1887-1903you can see images of thesteamers moving up anddown the Otter Creek.Many have the famed hatand dress silhouette ofCaptain Phil at the helmand many are of CaptainLou.

Much of our understand-ing of the life of Philomenecomes to us through thework and efforts of hergreat-great-granddaughterJane Vincent. Jane grew uphearing stories of CaptainPhil, but didn't seriouslybegin documenting andrecording her ancestor'sstory until about four yearsago. She interviewed sur-viving family members, andspent countless hours inrecords from here to Canadatracing the path of CaptainPhil.

Ms. Vincent even beganperforming as her ancestorin reenactments at local his-tory museums. Many peo-ple are shocked at therefined lady like imageVincent shows, as mostwould guess Philomene wasmore a tomboy and rougharound the edges.Remaining photographsand stories passed downdocument that while shepiloted the boat as a manwould, she was dressed inthe latest of fashion andinsisted on appearing as alady.

“I was never one to getout in front of a group ofpeople,” said Jane Vincent.“It’s as if she is giving me apush to get out there. I feeldeeply inside that she was-n't given enough credits inhistory.”

The untimely death ofCaptain Louis in 1903brought into reality anotherchapter of the Daniels'steamship line. Mitchell'swife Helen was a petitewoman who excelled in thetasks of a homemaker. Shecould cook, sew and oftenmade dresses and cakes for

the best families in town.She had eight children andkept an impeccable home.While she had worked theboats extensively herselfwith her husband, she didnot have Philomene's driveto work outside the home.

At the death of Louis sheapproached Philomene andoffered to help out by test-ing and taking her place asthe third pilot in the familybusiness. She andPhilomene continued topilot the steamers until thebusiness was turned over toLouis and Helen full time.

Our research shows thatthe Daniels FamilySteamship line stopped in1916. The development ofthe horseless carriagechanged the way that goodsand services moved in theOtter Creek Basin. The eraof the steamers was overand the business closed.Philomene lived until 1926and was buried in theCatholic cemetery inVergennes. Her stories andmemory were really notheralded until her descen-dants began tracing thefamily history and record-ing the life of this lively anddetermined woman.

The Burlington Free Pressand Times of May 5, 1887,called her “undoubtedly thefirst woman to receive apilot's license in this coun-try, if not the world.”

Captain Phil’s careeropened our eyes to a timewhen Vergennes was theeconomic center of theregion and the Falls wasalive with daily commerceand business.

Our favorite story waswhen Captain Phil foundherself facing one particu-larly obnoxious male pas-senger who followed herinto the wheelhouse andinformed her that she was“trying” to pilot the ship.After asking the man toleave four times, CaptainPhil altered his attitude bypushing him overboard.When he was fished out hehad a new appreciation forher authority and did notquestion her again!

As a history club we haveturned our understandingof this colorful local personinto a play, which we pre-sented at Vermont HistoryDay. It was well receivedand will again be presentedat the national level compe-tition in College Park, Md.,in June of this year.

We cannot help but thinkthat this must pleaseCaptain Phil. She was aheadof her time, a strong believ-er in doing what was neces-sary for her family to beprosperous. It would tickleher, we think, for the coun-try to learn that the captainof the Daniels Steamshipline did indeed wear petti-coats and was very much alady.

Printed with permission ofthe Vermont HistoricalSociety.

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Vergennes hometown of first woman steamboat skipper

Philomene Daniels


Rather than being home to traditionalVermont farmers, a different type of indi-vidual settled in the Little City ofVergennes—manufacturers, merchants, andprofessionals including mechanics andlaborers. The restrictions of the city’s “lit-tle” 1,200 acres did not afford many to usethe land for farming. Vergennes found itsway as a commercial center for the sur-rounding agricultural areas.

Early in Vergennes’ history rapid indus-trial growth appeared with forges, blastfurnaces, a wire factory, and other facilities.

It was during the War of 1812 thatCommodore Thomas Macdonough estab-lished a shipyard at the foot of Otter Creekwhere he prepared his navy and builtnumerous ships including, the flagshipSaratoga, the largest military vessel everlaunched in Vermont. CommodoreMacdonough commandeered the banks andeventually put an end to the British inva-sion. It was his ships that defeated theBritish at the Battle of Plattsburgh Bay inSeptember 1814.

Owners of many of the shops inVergennes can recount the family historyand tales of the War of 1812. One shopowner stated that one gunboat being trans-ported from one location to another with nomilitary forces on it somehow discouragedthe British from coming closer to the banksof Vergennes.

After the war and within ten years, theLake Champlain Steamship Company builtfour lake steamers at the same shipyard

Macdonough established. In 1824 the open-ing of the Champlain Canal connected LakeChamplain with the Hudson River and ledto increased passenger traffic on the lake.The railroad in 1855 also increased produc-tion as lumber was transported.

To date, Vergennes maintains a strongindustrial base with two major companies,Goodrich Aerospace (where vital parts forNASA’s space-shuttle fleet and defensecraft are manufactured) and NathanielElectronics. The convenience of Otter Creekand the presence of the Monkton IronCompany, one of the largest iron works inthe United States, enhanced the growth ofVergennes into a visible commercial suc-cess. With the success, elaborate homesappeared block after block with diversearchitectural structures.

Aside from Vergennes’ history, there arealso cultural and recreational attractions.Visit the Opera House, the Greek Revivalstyle Bixby Library, Rokeby Museum,Round Barn Merinos, and the LakeChamplain Maritime Museum. Picnic onthe banks of the Otter Creek or the citygreen where one can experience a truefarmer ’s market. Another fabulous ideawould be take a cruise down the OtterCreek to Lake Champlain. Whether onewants adventure or serenity, Vergennes willsatisfy all needs in a hometown away fromhome. Vergennes will have one in aweviewing the historic buildings and pictur-esque Main Street with plenty of things tosee and do.

Have a pleasant Vergennes Day! from Dr. Greg Maurer & Staff

From left to right: Melinda, Pat, Greg, Erin, Julie, and Chelsea 35595

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History of Vermont’s ‘Little City’ is unique

Vergennes AnimalHospital ranks medical care no. 1

The Vergennes Animal Hospital is a progressive smallanimal hospital with a highly trained medical staff. Animallovers around Addison County have long appreciated thecaring and highly skilled staff of this professional pet med-ical center.

Located at 20 Main St. in America’s smallestcity–Vergennes–the hospital’s progressive practice has beenserving the health care needs of pets in Vergennes and thesurrounding communities since 1940.

Many people make up the behind-the-scenes and frontline activity at Vergennes Animal Hospital. From theminute you enter the hospital, any number of staff mem-bers will be there to assist you and your pets.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Mark Basol,DVM, CVA, moving to Vermont , all the while, practicingveterinary medicine at Vergennes Animal Hospital.

“I appreciate the opportunity to provide service and careto the many pets throughout Addison County and beyond.Vergennes is a great place,” according to Dr. Basol.

In 1998, Dr. Anja Wurm, DVM, joined Vergennes AnimalHospital right out of veterinary school at Tufts University.With an undergraduate degree in psychology from theUniversity of Colorado at Boulder, she brings a lot of ener-gy to the practice and keen understanding of people andtheir pets.

Veterinary technicians are an integral member of theVergennes Animal Hospital’s veterinary health care team;they have been educated in the care and handling of ani-mals, the basic principles of normal and abnormal lifeprocesses, and in routine laboratory and clinical proce-dures. All veterinary technicians work under the supervi-sion of one of the hospital’s licensed veterinarians.

Vergennes Animal Hospital, 20 Main St., Vergennes, Vt. 05491, 802-877-3371


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The City of Vergennes, Vt., takes itname from one of the 18th century’s mostdynamic individuals—Charles Gravier,Comte de Vergennes (1719–1787).

Vergennes was a French statesman anddiplomat. He served as Foreign Ministerfrom 1774 during the reign of Louis XVI,notably during the American War ofIndependence.

Vergennes hoped that by giving Frenchaid to the American rebels, he would beable to weaken Britain's dominance of theinternational stage in the wake of theirvictory in the Seven Years War.

Vergennes was introduced to the profes-sion of diplomacy by his uncle in 1739. In1768, he married the widow AnneDuvivier (1730-1798)—Comtesse deVergennes.

Vergennes’ rivalry with the British, andhis desire to avenge the disasters of theSeven Years' War, led to his support of theThirteen Colonies in the American War ofIndependence, a step which would help,ultimately, bring about the FrenchRevolution of 1789. As early as 1765 hehad predicted that the loss of the Frenchthreat in North America would lead ulti-mately to the Americans striking off theirchains.

Vergennes sought by a series of negotia-tions to secure the armed neutrality of thenorthern European states, eventually car-ried out by Catherine II of Russia; at thesame time, Vergennes approved of thePierre Beaumarchais's support for secretFrench assistance, as arms and volunteerssupplied to the Americans.

In 1777, he informed the ThirteenColonies' commissioners that Franceacknowledged the United States, and waswilling to form an offensive and defensivealliance with the new state.

In French domestic affairs, Vergennesremained a conservative. In 1781, hebecame chief of the council of finance,

and, in 1783, he supported the nominationof Charles Alexandre de Calonne asController-General.

Vergennes has often been portrayed byAmericans as a visionary, because of hissupport for American independence. Hissupport for Republican insurrection, andthe enormous cost France incurred in thewar, are generally considered the cause ofthe French Revolution.

Vergennes was played true-to-life byactor by Guillaume Gallienne in the 2006film “Marie Antoinette.”

Little City with big father:Comte de Vergennes

Vergennes namesake: The Comte de Vergennes


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Salmon making big comeback in Lake Champlain

After a regimen of lampricide treatments around Lake Champlain, sea lamprey populations shrank and salmon are now more numerous and healthier.Photo courtesy of Summit to Stream

From Staff & News ReportsLandlocked Atlantic Salmon have a

long history in Lake Champlain. The fisheven have a history of in the Otter Creekas far as the falls at Vergennes.

“You go back to the 1700s salmon werevery abundant in the lake,” said Vermontfisheries biologist Bernie Pientka.

That changed.“Through all the logging, through

development, through all of that therivers were impacted; the salmon wereimpacted,” said Pientka. “By the 1800sthey were pretty much gone from thelake."

So scientists in New York and Vermontpartnered up to try to bring them backstarted around the 1970s.

Salmon were stocked in the lake, butthere was a problem—sea lamprey. Theeel-like creatures attach to fish, rasp ahole in their skin with a toothy tongue,and suck the blood and fluids out them.

The parasitic lamprey made it hard forscientists to bring back the salmon popu-lation, so biologists targeted the lamprey.

After a regimen of lampricide treat-ments in rivers around Lake Champlain,sea lamprey populations shrank and fishbecome more numerous and healthier.

“Decreasing number of wounds, alsoseeing larger older salmon than we havein the past,” said Pientka. “So we're start-ing to see some two lake-year, three lake-year fish.”

And Pientka said the fishing is good.He said anglers willing to brave chillyweather can do well this time of year. Thefish run shallow now, and can also becaught from shore.

A license is needed, and all lake troutand salmon must be at least 15 incheslong. There is a limit of two fish, all othersmust be released.

Anyone thinking of fishing or going outon the lake for anything should check theweather forecast and keep a close eye onconditions, since the lake can be treacher-ous, especially in the winter.


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Library is classic Beaux-ArtsbuildingBy Lou [email protected]

VERGENNES — Seven months after the sinkingof the RMS Titanic in April 1912, which celebratedits worldwide memorial centennial during thespring of this year, the Bixby Memorial Library inVergennes opened its doors to the public withconsiderable fanfare.

Located on Main Street in downtown Vergennesthis small public library, from its glass dome to itsfront facade of Grecian columns, is a classic exam-ple of Beaux Arts-style architecture rarely seen inVermont.

The Beaux Arts style is a neoclassical architec-tural style that was taught at the École des Beaux-Arts School in Paris during the late 19th and earlycenturies. This building style, while heavily influ-encing the architecture in great cities such as NewYork, London and Paris between 1880 and 1920,was mostly ignored in rural Vermont. However,the Bixby is a grand, local testament to a van-ished pre-war era of elegance and style.

On May 12, the community helped celebrate thecentennial of the Bixby Memorial Library at theinstitution’s annual gala held at Basin HarborClub on Lake Champlain in Ferrisburgh. Finefood, music, dancing demonstrations, a silentauction, and raffle items were part of the eveningfestivities.

According to the library, this year ’s gala themewas “Happy Birthday, Bixby Library”. The eventkicked off a year-long centennial.

Gala music was provided by Chris Wyckoff,Justin Levinson and the Little City Jazz Band.Dancing was held and attendees enjoyed severaldance demonstrations by Jim Condon and othersillustrating various decades since 1912.

A silent auction, featuring items from local arti-sans and businesses was on display. A raffledrawing, which included two tickets and trans-portation to a Red Sox-Yankees game at FenwayPark (Fenway Park also celebrates its centennialalong with a Red Sox 1912 World Series appear-ance) went to Ted and Marian Nickerson ofVergennes.

Bixby Library celebrates 100 years in 2012

1912-2012: 100 years of the Bixby memorial Library in Vergennes, Vt. The classic Beau Arts-style building had a birthday party at the Basin Harbor Club May12.

Photos by Lou Varricchio

Main Street, Vergennes • 802-877-3048 • Monday-Saturday 8:30am-5:30pm

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Vermont’s largest solar-electric array stands along themunicipal line between Vergennes and Ferrisburgh. Whiletechnically on the Ferrisburgh side of the line, the powerstation is seen as serving the greater Vergennes area. Theplant officially started generating electricity from sunlightin early December 2010.

The energy station stands on 15-acres on the west side ofU.S. Route 7, adjacent to the Vergennes Union High Schoolathletic fields. It “harvests” one-megawatt of electricityfrom the Sun that powers the equivalent of nearly 200homes.

The photovoltaic electricity generated is fed, via electri-cal inverter, to Green Mountain Power and the power grid.

Built and maintained by Ferrisburgh Solar Farm, LLC—aproject developed by Pomerleau Real Estate ofBurlington—owner Ernest A. Pomerleau conceived of thebig solar array and was the driving force in making theambitious commercial venture a reality.

“If you think about what we’re trying to accomplishhere,” said Steve Ploesser, vice president of constructionmanagement for Pomerleau, “we’re trying to take sunlightand absorb as much of it as we can because it’s the sunlightthat activates the electrons in the silicon cells. The electronsare moving, they jump on to the wires embedded in the sil-icon and they shoot up to the main line. The dark panels aredesigned to absorb as much sunlight as is technologicallypossible. These panels have under three percent reflectivi-ty, so there isn’t much sunlight to reflect here.

The alternative energy engineering firm Alteris ofConnecticut provided the technical skill to create a solararray that works in cloudy Vermont.

“We went to the professionals,” said Ploesser. “Theyhave expertise in building solar arrays.”

According to Brian Waxler, executive vice president ofPomerleau, most of the design and construction work wasdone by Vermonters.

“The Alteris group is out of Montpelier,” Waxler said.“At all times we tried to use Vermont people. We wanted tokeep the money here.”

Solar energy and Vermont isn’t always an intuitive pair-ing, but Ploesser said there’s plenty of sunlight, even on acloudy day, to keep the silicon cells generating electricity.Even Vermont’s heavy snowfall shouldn’t prevent the solarfarm from “harvesting” the Sun.

“There a misconception about photovoltaics,” Waxlernoted. “You don’t necessarily need direct sunlight.Germany and Spain are the leaders currently and thosenations have less direct sunlight than Vermont. Of courseArizona has a higher efficiency but we can generate a lot ofelectricity from the Sun here.”

According to Ploesser, even Vermont’s heavy snowfalldoesn’t stop the Solar Farm from producing electricity.

“Snow slides right off the panels,” Ploesser said. “It’slike a metal roof. We even left room for snow to accumu-late. If it gets above four feet, we plow in between the arrayrows to remove the white stuff.”

The array panels are modular, each panel connects toanother with wiring that is akin to a home extension chord.

“At the middle of the array set,” Ploesser said, “thewiring goes underground through a series of undergroundconduits to the inverter. There are no batteries involved, noelectrical storage here.”

To help educate the public about the benefits of solarenergy and the Ferrisburgh Solar Farm in particular, TraceySchoonmaker, Pomerleau development coordinator, createdan information kiosk at the array site that explains the mar-vels of science and engineering behind photovoltaic tech-nology. Schoonmaker said VUHS science students areinvolved with the solar farm project, making it a perfectpartnership with an energy learning lab located next doorto the high school.

Right now, there are a lot of folks banking on alternativeenergy. While there’s risk in putting your energy eggs inone basket, there’s still a lot of promise.

Perhaps the best endorsement for solar power came fromAmerica’s brightest inventor, Thomas Edison—”I’d put mymoney on the Sun and solar energy. What a source ofpower! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal runout before we tackle that.”

Green technology: Vergennes goes solar

At the time the solar-power station on the Vergennes-Ferrisburgh municipal line was completed last year, the one-megawatt solar array was thelargest facility of its kind north of New Jersey.

Photo by Lou Varricchio


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Aboard the MV CarillonThe MV Carillon is equipped to

carry 49 passengers and the largecruiseboat is a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed luxury vessel with a smoothand comfortable feel. The cabindesign of the Carillon creates an openexperience in warm weather or awarm, cozy experience during fallfoliage weather with the windowsclosed and the heat on.

Special event cruises depart fromdocks at Shoreham, Whitehall,Vergennes, or Crown Point, N.Y. dur-ing the year.

The Carillon’s one-way cruisesmotor between Shoreham andWhitehall, N.Y., and betweenShoreham and Vergennes. Watch theonline reservation calendar (www.car-illoncruises.com) for dates that cruisesare available.

During the Quadricentennial cele-bration, a special one-way trip fromVergennes to Shoreham as part of theVergennes Day Cruise event was held.Passengers sailed eight miles fromVergennes to Lake Champlain viaOtter Creek.

Cruises often include views of his-toric lake wrecks still resting in theirwatery graves—the Waterwitch andthe Champlain steamboat wreck sites.

The vessel frequently sails pastBasin Harbor Club and on to the pal-isades and Westport Harbor. Cruisesoften offers wonderful views ofCrown Point and Arnold’s Bay, whereAmerican traitor Benedict Arnoldscuttled his fleet in 1776. Included areviews of the sites of amphibious land-ings of Carleton’s Raid in 1778—whenthe Otter Valley, from Middlebury toVergennes, was attacked by maraud-ing British and their Indian allies.

Cruising Vergennes and the lake

Explore Lake Champlain aboard the MV Carillon


For most of its long history, the City ofVergennes has relied on the Otter Creek as ahighway to Lake Champlain. The creek isone of the major streams located inVermont. Roughly 112 miles (180 km) inlength, it is the primary stream runningthrough Rutland County and AddisonCounty.

Otter Creek rises in the Green MountainNational Forest on the western slopes ofMt. Tabor in Peru township in BenningtonCounty, and flows southwesterly towardsEast Dorset, thence veering northward intoEmerald Lake in Dorset township. Thence itruns northward passing through the town-ships of Danby, Wallingford, Clarendon,Rutland, Pittsford, Brandon, in RutlandCounty. On entering Addison County, itgenerally forms the town line between var-ious townships. It next passes throughMiddlebury, Weybridge and Vergennes andeventually empties into Lake Champlain atFerrisburgh.

Otter Creek (or "Kill") was known to theFrench as "La Rivière aux Loutres", whencethe English name. On April 1st, 1690 Capt.Abraham Schuyler was commissioned bythe city of Albany to take a party up theOtter Creek about seven miles and there tokeep watch and engage any indians. [Thiswould correspond today to the town ofVergennes]. In 1731, the French began con-struction of a fort at Crown Point to beknown as Fort Frederic. Before constructionbegan, they founded a new settlementcalled Addison.

Vergennes, situated on the first falls, 7miles (11 km) upstream from the outlet ofOtter Creek, was chartered in 1778 onlyfour years after New Haven and Hartford,and thus was the third incorporated city inNew England.

The stretch of water between the mouthat Fort Cassin point, Lake Champlain (thesite of the former Fort Cassin) andVergennes is passable by boat, and is fre-quented by motor boats, canoes, and

kayaks. Indeed, Vergennes was a shipyardof some importance in the various wars ofthe 18th century. Many nesting platformshave been built along the creek, so one islikely to see both Osprey and Bald Eagles inthe area.

The second set of falls, the Otter Creek

Falls, is in the town of Middlebury, the sitechosen in 1800 to be Vermont's original seatof higher education, Middlebury College.According to Around Middlebury[2], OtterCreek is the longest river in Vermont andwas once an important "highway" throughthe western part of what is now the state.

In Addison County, Otter Creek passesthrough significant wetlands, in particular

Cornwall Marsh, Little Otter Creek Marshand the Brandon Swamp.

Because it is called a creek, the unusualsituation of a river emptying into a creekoccurs several times along its length. Thesource and mouth are separated by 68 miles(109 km) miles distance—the (approximate)additional 44 miles (71 km) are due tomeandering.

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Phone: (802) 877-3675

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Otter Creek: Artery of the Little City

Otter Creek at VergennesPhoto by Lou Varricchio


35839


verg. day 08-18-2012 edition

Documents

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