Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1851-06-26

BURLINGTON.-While standing on College
Hill, a few weeks since, noting the commercial
advantages and unrivalled beauty Of location
enjoyed by that queen of country villages, our
thoughts at once reverted to the interesting, but
little known incidents attending the first selec-
lection of It's site by Ira Allen, the sagacious pi-
onoer in looking out all the most eligible places
for settlement in this part of Vermont.
About the year 1878, this energetic young
man, having explored nearly all the lands in
Bennington, Rutland and Addison Counties,
pushed his way through the wilderness along
the Lake northward, till he reached the limits OF
Burlington, which had been chartered without
much, if any, exploration, about ten years be-
fore, and made to embrace much more territory
than it does now. Here pitching his camp on
the Lake shore TO serve for his head quarters,
he proceeded to explore this aud the n%ortherly
sections Of the Lake country. After having
thus, by personal examination, formed his opin-
ion of the relative advantages of all the diffe.
rent localities on, or near the Lake, for settle
ment, he finally fixed on the present site of the
village of Burlington for an extensive purchase,
wishing to secure the rich meadows on Onion
River for himself, and all the lands round the
head of the Bay for his brother, Heman Allen,
who was then a merchant in Albany, VIC think,
but who had authorized Ira to select and pur-
chase for him such a location III Vermont as
gave the best promise of becoming, some day,
the commercial emporium Of the new State
Having marked the track he wished to secure,
he broke up his camp, and proceeded to Massa-
c%husetts, sought out the proprietors and p%urchas-
ed, for nine pounds sterling, the whole tract he
had selected, containing, probably y, between two
and three square miles. He then returned to
his residence in Bennington County, but careful
ly kept his motives for the purchase to himself
Sometime after this, ascertaining that a York
surveyor was locating the Onion River mead
ows, he enlisted his brother.in law, Capt. Re
member Baker, and one of his own brothers
with a few assistants, and proceeded to Burning
ton, drove off the York intruders, and resurvey-
ed his purchase in company with his brothers
who rallied him hard on his folly in purchasing
anything but the meadows, asking him what hi
ever expected to do with that barren plain o
stunted oaks and pine lying on the Bay? He
however, gave no explanations and leaving then
to watch the Workers, took an exploring tour vi
Onion River, to Bolton and Waterbury. Whel
he returned he found, to his great v~exation, tina
his brothers had sold to a land Spectator, VIII
had been along in his absence, his whole pur
chase, except the meadows, for eleven pounds
thinking they had done him a great service /
getting him so well out of what they called
foolish bargain. He then told them, for the frs
time, his object in selecting the spot, which h
predicted would become one of the most beau
, tiful villages, as well as the largest commercit
town in Vermont, and at once declared his de
termination of getting it back, whatever it migl
cost him. And, in pursuance with this resoll
ton, he followed the purchaser to Massachl
sets, and, after some trouble, succeeded in r
/ purchasing his favorite tract, for which, howe
Il er, he had to give sixteen pounds.
Such, as we learn from the private papers lie
by Ira Allen, to which we have had access, W
the origin of the village of Burlington.