History Calais, Vermont

old west church on christmas eve

colonel jacob davis named calais after french port city of same name, during time of general enthusiasm things french result of france s aid during american revolution.

the wheelocks , parkers first families settle town, in latter part of 18th century. in , mid 19th century, vermont wool industry spawned sheep pastures in town. photographs of time show heavily de-forested calais. many small vermont towns, calais devastated civil war. volunteers calais flocked union cause, serving in army s volunteer regiments. in post-civil war era, agriculture turned sheep dairy, , new families came fill farms sold families , widows of civil war veterans.

historical landmarks

kents corner
old west church
maple corner
robinson saw mill
adamant co-op

village histories

calais once had village called sodom. name allegedly given because village had no church, though did have few active quarries. in 1905, residents petitioned state legislature change name adamant, chosen suggest hardness of granite.

pekin named after peking (now beijing), china, result of local farmer had friend missionary china. missionary sent chinese wheat vermont, farmer planted it, , flourished. became style give directions using wheat field landmark ( pekin wheat , or past pekin wheat ). eventually, location of field came known pekin. version suggests missionary sent rice, , farmer planted rice in low-lying plain, flooded each spring. river came known peking brook, later , presently pekin brook.