Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1861-01-17
From the Vt. Watchman and State journal.
THE OLD FRENCH ROAD FROM
OLD CROWN POINT FORT TO
CHARLESTON, n. II.

CHARLESTON, n. II.
Mr.. EDITOR Il have thought if might
interest some of your readers to See some
account of the old French track or road
from old Crownpoint Fort to No. -Four
(now Charleston, n. h. previous to the
peace between England and France in
1868. My attention was called to this
. subject by Mr.. Hagar, the State Geolo-
gist, calling on me to inform him where il
was. | said to him | had general know
ledge of the route, but could not answer
the direct question. lie then said he must
give up the finding it on the west side OF
the mountain he could trace the road to
Mount Holly and no further. He then
told the object of the enquiry, which was
that new State Map was in progress, and
he wanted to have the track of the Old
French road appear on it across the State
from the two points named. And it excl
ted my mind at once, for the following
reason: My father, Elias Hall, then OF
New Cheshire, New Haven County, Con-
necticut, enlisted into. the army Of Lord
Amherst at Hartford, and the Coloncl's
name was Whiting. And have heard him
tell of being 50 small he was fearful ofno
being received or mustered, and he got On,
TO q stone to Shosp himSelf larqer. That
he was at the south end Of Lake George.
and saw the StTteen MOuSoitd that history
mentions all move at once towards their
destination, the capture of TiconlerOgt
and CrownpOint. That before they got
through the lake, he, with others, staid
one night on an island, (probably now
called Prisoners Jsland,) and the woods
seemed all alive with the bowling wolves,
and that young soldier about six feet
ton9, think by the name of Merriam
manifested much fear, and at length boo
hood out loud, and said, we shall all be
eat up by them t0raat wolves" And he
told him TO save his gun and bayonet. as
there were Indians in the woods.
The army landed at what has since been
called Amherst Landing, just east of the
outlet OF the lake, Lord HOwe's Landing
being IN the rear near a mile, and where
the steamboats, stop now. The next | re-
collect he was at Crownpoint, and acted
Sas ergeant, and was on fatigue duty some
OF tue time in digging the big well ~ the
northeast angle OF the fort. From achiId
| have heard him tell of his services in
%, as he called il, and some places on
Lake George and Champlain. lie spoke
of the old French Burying-ground wes-
teriy from the fort and next to Bulwaggy
Bay. From these accounts took an in
terest, and when nineteen years old went
to look over my fathers ancient scenes.
] 'l'ha firlt | .han ,,,tIn, 81. 1
cal fact have not seen elsewhere. a mile
or more south of what was called the gar
| rlsOn ground, Give or six hundred acres.
was a second growth OF timber, and the
| land had been cultivated i'm the manner
the French do their seigniory land, and
| there was what appeared like corn or po-
tato hills in perfect rows, running east and
west.
In what was called the French Ruryng-
Ground, | saw one slatsh appearing grave
stone, in leaning position, with the fig
ures l72O on it and think this was tl,.
| place the first old settlers, Of what is now
| the town OF Addison, used for the dead
| The old French settlement, extending
| perhaps five miles on the east side Of the
lake from Chimney Point was entirely
abandoned between 1850 and 1853 and
| several OF the hardy and enterprsing far
mers who removed from Connecticut and
| Massachusetts took possession Of well I'M
proved farms, and | am inclined to think
| that place was the first settled in Vermont
| and L am confirmed in this opinion 10y
Mrs. Sarah Markham, daughter Of
Benjamin Kellogg, who was among those
who came there first.
Crown Point Fort and Chimney Point
beng only half a mile apart,t the Old French
Road started at the latter point to cross
what is now Vermont and across the
mountain. My father, late in the fall of
1893, was taken with the rheumatism. and
had permission from Lord Amherst to re-
turn home, and went in the Old French
Road, before there was a family in this
section OF the country, except what | have
named, and he is the only individual | ever
knew that walked it. The first night on
his way he stopped at Camp Stony SprF7tg
now in the eastern part Of the town of
ShOreham, and six miles west of Whiting
depot, and ten miles soulh-westerly Of Mid
dlebury. | have forwarded to Mr.. Bissell
who owns the farm where the spring is, a
monument to be placed there to mark one
spot on the Old French Road, and desig
nate one spot where my deceased parent
rested his weary limbs in the wilderness
one hundrel and eleven years since; and
have suggested two other places to mark
the road of some Importance TO history,
from Lake Champiain to Connecticut
River | understand and believe MIR.
IIagar, the Assistant State GeOlogist, fol-
lowed the information | communicated to
him soon after his application, and it APP
pears on the new map, as desired. There
is doubt that pttatord Stockade Fort
was on the track it then went south three
or four miles, turned southeastery from
the place where old Capt. j. Fassett lived,
and by where +. Drury, J. Warner and
A. Ladd lived in Pittsford in Rutland by
where 10 Keeler lived more than seventy
years since, by Seth Keeler's to the old
Major Cheney place, and then south to
Rutland Union Store, near which are
marks of the Rutland fort; then it went
south over four miles, turning easterly
passed the Bowman place and to the north
of Crary's Mills, then east to the road go
ing to Shrewsbury Center, to where a Mr.
White lived eighty years since, from there
to the twenty-mile camp, three miles from
the old Dutton Tavern Stand, and thence |
to No. -Four (kaaOao mott. The brave and |
celebrated Major Rogers, after incredible
suferings and hardships, with what men
were not starved on his return, after the
destruction of the st. Francis Indians, re.
turned in this road to Crown Point in
1859; and / am at loss to conjecture !
more hazardous and successful expedition
on record. ELIAS HALL.
Rutland, Dec. IL, 1860.