Early Years
The First 200 Years
Jennie Smith Donaldson
Once part of Caledonia County, Cabot is situated in the northeastern part of Washington County, bounded on the north by Walden and Danville, east by Danville and Peacham, south by Marshfield and west by Woodbury. The township is six miles square and was once heavily wooded by hardwoods, hemlock and spruce.
The Town of Cabot received its name from Mr. Lyman Hitchcock, one of the original grantees, in honor of his intended bride, Miss Cabot of Connecticut, a descendant of Sebastian and John Cabot, early navigators and explorers of North America.
(Note added: The Cabot family of New England does not descend from John Cabot and his son Sebastian. They were born in Italy; their surname was 'Caboto.' The New England Cabot family descended from a different John Cabot, who was born 1680 in Jersey, a Channel Island; he emigrated to Salem, Massachusetts in 1700. The family name traced back to the 13th Century in Jersey.)
The first Cabot settler was Benjamin Webster, an uncle of politician Daniel Webster. In 1783, Webster built a log cabin on the Bayley-Hazen Road, near what is now the Walden town line. In March 1784, the family, on snowshoes, the hired man drawing what few goods they had on a hand sled, with the baby daughter riding in a wooden washtub, came from New Hampshire.
Other settlers soon followed and, by 1787, four settlers requested a meeting to organize the town government. The call, dated February 5, 1788, was issued by Walter Brock, Justice of Peace, for a meeting to be held in Thomas Lyford’s house. This document is in the Cabot Public Library. There were probably no more than 10 or 11 voters present, but officers were elected. It was voted to build a school house, but times were hard and the school house was not built until 1792, at a cost of $35 in wheat and $5 in cash, nails, or glass.
In the early days, the settlers had to clear the forests, and since there was no way to market the timber, they made potash salts.
Potatoes were raised in abundance and there was no near market for the crops. Hanson Rogers was the first of many who erected distilleries and the potatoes were made into whiskey.
(Note added: Hanson Rogers, Sr. was one of the first settlers of Cabot, an early innkeeper. He married Hannah, daughter of Benjamin Webster.)
Before the war of 1812, shipments were made to Boston and Portland, but with the war a new market opened and the whiskey was smuggled into Canada.
Dr. Gersham Beardsley and his brother Horace, of Massachusetts, built what became the well-known Yellow House tavern. A county road from Montpelier through Calais to Cabot joined the Bayley-Hazen Road. Traffic passed over Cabot Plains. The Yellow House became a popular stopping place.
Thomas Lyford, a mill-wright, built an up-and-down sawmill in 1789, using the Winooski River for water power. Others saw the advantages of water power and set up businesses. A wool-carding and cloth dressing shop, a starch factory, carriage shop, blacksmith shop and small foundry soon followed.
In 1790, Major Hitchcock, Captain Jesse Leavenworth and Asa Douglas presented the town eight acres of land for public use at Cabot Center, where the seat of government was moved, over strong protests by settlers on Cabot Plains.
About 1810, business began to move away from Cabot Plains to a new settlement at the Center, which, in turn, was abandoned for a newer settlement, beside the Winooski River.
The Yellow House was torn down in 1855, but hinges and a front door latch were retrieved and are now on display in Cabot Historical Society.
As industry developed along the Winooski River, the seat of government moved to Cabot Village. A third settlement developed in Lower Cabot. Water power from the river encouraged the growth of industry.
When the settlers first came to West Hill, they discovered a great meadow of hay, which was hand scythed, stacked and hauled on hand sleds to the barns in winter. About 1820, Avery Atkins bought the land and built a dam across West Hill Brook, flooded the meadow, and used the waterpower for a saw and gristmill. From then, it was called West Hill Pond.
Other settlements were at East Cabot, Hookerville and Peterville, along Molly Brook.
At one time there were 14 school districts, beginning with No. 1 on Cabot Plains, built in 1792; No. 2 at Cabot Center, 1793; and No. 3 at Lower Cabot, 1800. New districts were added, as new areas were settled. At first, school was kept only a few weeks in winter, later a summer session was added.
The Congregational Society built the first Cabot church, in Cabot Center, in 1806. The Methodist church followed in 1822. The two churches joined, in 1928, as Cabot United Church.
Sheep raising was once important, but with the decline of the wool market, farmers turned to dairying. F.A. Messer built a creamery, in Cabot Village, in 1893, and the milk delivered there was made into butter. In 1919, 94 farmers bought the creamery and established the Cabot Farmers Creamery Co. Inc.
Bayley-Hazen Road on Cabot Plains affords one of the most extensive and finest views in Vermont, regardless of the season. Jay Peak on the Canadian border, Spruce Peak, Belvedere Mountain, the Worcester Range, Mt. Mansfield, Camel’s Hump and the Lincoln Peaks are easily seen. To the east rise the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Here, on the heights, between the Winooski and Connecticut Rivers, is where Cabot began.
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Note: Jennie Smith Donaldson (photo) taught in Cabot and nearby towns for many years. She often spoke about Cabot history to area groups. We are grateful that her family gave many of her lesson plans, notes, photographs, and clippings to Cabot Historical Society.
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LINKS:
John M. Fisher's Cabot History from the Gazetteer of Washington County, Vt., 1783-1899.
John M. Fisher, son of Deacon Marcus O. and Fanny (Hall) Fisher, was born in Cabot, Vt., Nov. 15, 1833. At its incorporation, Nov. 19, 1866, he served on the board of trustees of the Village of Cabot. He was a charter member of the Green Mountain Lodge, F. and A. M., in 1865, at the first election, was made senior warden. He was appointed justice of the peace in 1881; county commissioner, 1875 to 1877. He wrote the history of Cabot, Vt., in Hemenway's History of Washington County, Vt., pp. 74 - 128. He married first, at Cabot, on April 9, 1856, Carrie, daughter of John M. and Carrie Lance, who was born at Cabot, Sept. 1, 1835, and died Dec. 26, 1869. He married, second, July 8, 1871, Roxanna L. Heath, who was born May 15, 1844. Judge Fisher resided at Lower Cabot. His children were:
Julia L., b. Sept. 10, 1864; d. Oct. 2, 1865.
Mary S., b. July 13, 1866; m. Sept. 1, 1888, E. L. Spencer, of Marshfield, Vt., had: Carrie Lance Spencer, b. Aug. 31, 1895.
Harriet Adelle (by second wife), b. Dec. 24, 1874.
Julia Frances, b. Nov. 3, 1876.
Cabot Charter, August 17, 1781.
Cabot Land Grant (transcription) February 1797
Cabot Common Deed 1823 (transcription)
