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Warren
(by Week of November 19, 2008 - November 19, 2008)
Warren was named in memory of Dr. Joseph Warren, the first American who died at Bunker Hill. Dr. Warren was well-known in New England and was the major general of the militia and president pro tem of the U.S. Congress.
Warren began with a land grant in November of 1780. It took almost a decade for the grantees to raise the fees needed for the charter. The land was granted to John Thorp and 67 associates and contained almost 17,000 acres. Thirty-five years later, over 10,000 acres were transferred to Warren from the town of Lincoln. At first, Warren was part of Addison County, then part of Jefferson, which became Washington County in 1814. The charter was signed by Governor Moses Robinson and by his secretary, Joseph Fay, of the family Fayston was named after. Warren is one of the most popular place names in America. There are over 100 counties, towns and villages with that name.
The Republic of Vermont believed in land use planning. The landowner had to comply with many conditions. If the grantee did not build a house and cultivate five acres within a certain time, then the land reverted back to the state and was re-granted. Under the charter, lots were granted for public use, such as minister of the gospel, a county grammar school, an English school, support of a ministry, and a college.
In the southern part of Warren there is a bed of serpentine, and there are traces of gold along the Mad River. The first settlement was in 1797, and the first Town Meeting was held one year later. In 1800, 12 citizens took the Freeman’s Oath, and Isaac Tichenor, who became governor, received all 12 votes. Governor Tichenor was born in Newark, New Jersey, graduated from Princeton University and was affectionately known as Jersey Slick.
The first child, Cynthia Sherman, was born in 1797. The first minister was Reverend Nathaniel Stearns, a Methodist whose $100 annual salary was paid in grain. The first distillery was run by Samuel Austin, at a time when “toddy” was considered a family necessity. It was used “to keep out the cold and keep out the heat. It was necessary at raisings, bees, quilting parties, weddings, neighborly visits, funerals, sheep washing, butchering, and to entertain the minister when he called to inquire of the spiritual welfare of his parishioners.” The second cousin of Ethan Allen, James Allen, came to Warren in 1798. Deacon Allen was the first deacon of Warren’s Baptist Church.
In 1800, the census revealed that 58 people lived in Warren. By 1880, the population had grown to 951. In 1888, Warren had 10 schools, whose term lasted about 27 weeks and was taught by seven male and thirteen female teachers.
Warren is a mountainous area, in which are found Lincoln Peak and Mount Abraham. Route 100 runs north and south in the valley below. The Lincoln Mountain Road, which runs east and west, was originally a toll road and was built for fifty cents a rod. In 1840, there were over seven thousand sheep in Warren, and this large number was replicated in many Vermont towns. The census of 1840 revealed that East Montpelier, Berlin and Plainfield had over seven thousand sheep, and in Calais almost nine thousand.
In early Warren, according to Katherine Hartshorn, “the land was cleared, houses built, crops planted and farms took shape. The men hunted and fished, planted corn, potatoes and hearty vegetables, and raised cattle and other farm animals. Indoors, the women worked to the light of candles, tying knots in the light of their fireplaces. They baked in brick or stone ovens. Butter was made from milk, and cheese was made from buttermilk. These hearty souls spun their wool from flax to make cloth and fashion their families’ clothing.”
Hartshorn, who has written a brief history of Warren, concluded her presentation this way: “From 1798 through the next century and a half, Warren was alive with the activities which expanded a promising agricultural village to a busy mill town. As new world developments drew its youth to foreign shores and city lights, both population and progress subsided in Warren. Quiet country life was the rule. When its natural resources were recognized as a potential for the recreational industry, Warren became the bustling town we see today.
“The town has grown to 1,172 residents. The landscape has changed, new blood has arrived, but one can believe that Dr. Joseph Warren would be proud that his name has endured through nearly two centuries of the innovation and adaptation known to flow through Yankee veins.”
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