Connecticut western news., 1881-10-12
Salisbury Fifty Years Ago.


 The following interesting bit of local his tory is from Barber's Historical Collections of l936 now being republished in the Win sted Herald:
 The principal part of the township of Sails. bury was sold by the governor and company of the colony of Connecticut, in l737, at Hart ford. It had been surveyed and divided into 25 rights in l732 being at that time known by the government as wild, unlocated land. Three of the rights were appropriated to pub lie purposes; one for the support of schools, one for the first settled minister, and one for the support of the ministry. The charter of the town was given in 1745. "After 1t was To- known to the government by town M. Before this, it was known by no other than the Indian names Uedtog and Oatsdtonic. It took it's name from Mir. Salisbury, who lived not far from the centre of the town."*
 It appears that about the year 172O, three families came and settled in that part of the town called Weatog, These were, one family of Butchers, one of Whites, and one of Van Dozens. White was an Englishman, but had lived with and become connected ill marriage with the Dutch. The other two were wholly of Dutch origin. About the year 174O, there were eleven English and five Dutch families, which were settled in different parts of the town. There were four families of Whites in Weatog: Bebees, not far from the falls i; Lambs, at the forge in the hollow; Herveys, in the hollow; Newcombs, on the side of the mountain, east of the road that now leads from
 the hollow to Town hill Woodworths, at the ore bed Aliens, on the road from the hollow to the meeting house and Baylies, at the meeting house. These were the English fam lilies. The Dutch were, two Butchers and one VanDozen, st Weatog; Knickerbackers, at the stone house. on the Cornwall road Cor neiius Knic cik<ee,shscker. at the furnace; and Jacob VanDozen, between the ponds, ln the north part of the town.
 The face of the township, at the period of aspect. In every fail of the year it was burnt
 -~t""v the old grass and other vege;; over, to deS.;. . n-'~"t ho fresh and tender crop the ensuing year. Fires also Vt. often made to ring deer. These fires were made in 8 circular form, and all the deer in cluded were driven by the fire to one place, where the huntsman could easily kill them. ring, for this purpose, was made in the northeast part of the town, and the fire ran with such rapidity, that an Indian lad was shut within the ring, overtaken by the fire, and burnt to death. These burnings, with the ponds, mountains and clefts of rocks, made the face of nature appear forbidding to those who were not appraised of the excellence of the soil.
 Salisbury is situated in the northwest corner of the state; bounded north by the towns ot Mount Washington and Sheffield in Massachu- sets, east by the Housatonic, separating It from Canaan, south by Sharon, and west 5y the state of New York. Its average length Is miles, and it's breadth about 61Ia, comprising an area of about 58 square miles. The face oi the township IS broken, consisting of elevated hills, and deep and extensive valleys. The valleys are generally limestone, and the hills granite. It is one of the best towns for grain in the state. It is also excellent land for grazing.
 Salisbury, in addition to being one of the best agricultural towns in the state, is also much celebrated for itsivery rich and produc- tive iron mines. Of these, the one known as the "Old Gre Hill," locuted two miles west of the WanScOp0DtnluG Lake, Aas been worked since the year 1732. At that time. and for years afterwards, the ore was found lying near the surface of the earth, and was carried otf in considerable quantities by those who desired to make use of it. The site of the 'Old Ore Hill' was owned by one Bissel, who obtained the grant several years before the town was incorporated. About the year 1732, one Thom- as Lamb obtained grant of fifty acres of land and erected the first forge built In Salisbury His grant was situated in the southeast part of the town, on Salmon River. now called Lime Rock. From that period until the present have been constant. Within the last ten or twelve years from five to six thousand tons or ore have been dug annually. The ore IS sold at the mine for $3. ton. One dollar and 0 prietors of the ore bed as duty. The other dollar and seventy-tive cents belongs to the digger, from whose pit the ore is taken. The first furnace erected at Salisbury was built about the year 1762. upon the outlet of the Wanscopommuc Lake, two miles east of the s'Old Ore Hill" It is one of the oldest estab. lishmcnts in the county, and was erected by Messrs. Samuel and Elisha Forbes, Ethen Allen, and Mir. Hazeltine. During the Revolutionary war cannon were manufactured u. e., lao balls and bomb shells. t Col. Joshua Porter was at that time agent for the state of Con- nectcut. and superintended the castings.
 The large and inexhaustible quantities of iron ore found in Salisbury, and the abundant supply of wood for charcoal, and other materi- als necessary for smelling the ore, together with the superior quality of iron, introduced other manufacturers and iron has continued from that time the staple commodity of the town. There are at present Ill Salisbury, 4 blast furnaces, forges, with 20 fires, 2 pud- ding establishments, screw shop, 1 anchor shop, scythe manufactures, hoe manufac- tory, 2 trip hammers, cupola or pocket fur naces, for small castings. From to 600,000 bushels of charcoal are annually consumed at the different establishments. The pudding furnaces rec U re from to 5000 cords of wood The number of workmen employed in the different processes of preparing the ma terial and manufacturing the iron, amount in in all to about 500 men. The furnaces produce annually from 2,ooo to 300 tons of pig, iron. The forges and pudding establishments an nually produce from 1900 to 1,500 tons of wrought iron, which is used for anchors, car axletrees, musket barrels, and various other kinds of drafts. The Salisbury iron ore is the brown hematite, and yields about 40 per cent. of pig iron. It is well known to manufacturers, and stands as fair in the market as any other ron in the country.
 Salisbury Centre" is 50 miles from Hart ford, 59 from New Haven, from Sharon, and 34 from Hudson. The principal part of the ron ore obtained in this town, is about 2I niles southwest of this place. There are four md Episcopal; and five post offices, Sails bury Centre, Lime Rock, Furnace Village, o,1I