History Middlesex, Vermont

the town of middlesex granted royal charter on june 8, 1763, new hampshire colonial governor benning wentworth. town takes boundaries waterbury, incorporated previous day, , worcester, received grant same day middlesex. source of town s name uncertain supposed wentworth, or staff member, chose name location between waterbury , worcester. possibility wentworth chose middlesex seek favor english nobleman charles sackville held title lord middlesex until 1765, when became duke of dorset.

the town remained largely undeveloped through period of vermont republic , vermont statehood, settlements in village , putnamville. putnam family among first settlers of town. seth putnam elected first town clerk in 1790; brothers isaac , jacob putnam elected town surveyors.

middlesex village, situated along winooski river, town s chief settlement , location of town hall. middlesex village obtained post office in 1821 (that office closed in 1966). middlesex center is, name suggests, in near center of town situated northwest of great brook , brook road. shady rill rolling, lowland 3 brooks-herrick, martins, , patterson, each named local family, converge north branch runs south wrightsville , montpelier. northern affiliation baptist church built in shady rill in 1849. village of putnamville located along town s eastern border along north branch river. waterfall there once powered grist , saw mills. post office opened in putnamville, incongruously titled putnamsville, in 1882 (this post office closed in 1935).

wrightsville, south of putnamville, once sizable settlement 30 built structures, , several mills. wrightsville dam, built civilian conservation corps 1933-35 in response 1927 flood, caused settlement disbanded. northbranch cemetery moved southwest portal road, , majority of greek revival houses moved west hill old hood place presently stands. off portal road , bolduc road tangletown road, takes name area of town nicknamed tangletown because woods there thick , alike settlers reported getting tangled (lost) in area.

the town had large bear population late nineteenth century. recorded story tells of farmer located between middlesex center , bear swamp finding 1 of sheep killed bear. farmer , wife walked property take stock of flock. farmer spotted bear , killed it, afterward wife called out sighted 1 , shot one, couple returned barnyard , spotted third bear-this 1 eating of sheep, , farmer shot bear well. area received nickname beartown.

through of nineteenth century , mid-twentieth century, primary economic activity farming. dairy farming, sheep herding (for wool), logging, orchards , maple sugaring have been part of town s economy. following end of world war ii, town transitioned becoming place live people worked elsewhere, in montpelier.