Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-08-28
THE FOUR BROTHERS
OF Lake Champlain Their owner "A Bur-
lington Boy, who Bought them for
Keepsakes.


Caesars Gaul was. one very rich and in
fluental section of it is in the extreme
southeastern quarter; another very mum
erOus branch of it is on the extreme north
ern border: another highly arstocra,ic
and exclusive part of it constitutes an out
post on the western line and fourth part
has its nome on the extreme eastern bound
AIRY. History gives no authentic account
of the causes which led to this separation
of so interesting family, for whether we
consider our island possessions by ;udvid-
uals, by groups or as II whole. they are
something to be proud Of The NOUN
| tains, the lakes, and the river tthc State
long ago charmed all lovers of natural
scenery but if any one has given Il just
need of compliment to the islands of
New York, the fact has escaped the OBJ
servation of the writer.
When the diSsension in our island family
| occurred, be the time more or less remote,
| Manhattan, Staten, Long, Governors
| BlackwellS, Randall's and little BedlOe's
| settled on the sea coast; a large colony
numbering Il thousand, according to pop
ular estimate, took up their abode on the
st. Lawrence Goat. Bath, Luna, Three
Sisters and One Brother, withdrew to the
| Businesses of the Niagara rapids and Jun
! iper, Schuyler, Four Brothers, and mum
erous clan of relatives, sought their fort
| llneS in Lake Champlain, the queen of the
lakes of the State. The wide separation of
the Three Sisters and the Four Brothers
goes to show that the sexes of the original
family got on but poorly when together,
and it is sad to think that such comely and
amiable appearing sons and daughters
should deem it expedient to dwell so far
apart.
The Four Brothers still lead a lonely
life. They are situated two miles from the
main land on the New York side of the
lake, and are fully seven miles distant from
the Vermont side The nearest point of
access to them is Browns. Browns is at
the extreme end of Wlllsboro Point,
majestic projection of land having the
| broad lake on one side, and Willsboro,
or Corlears bay on the other, the whole
being in Essex county, about twenty five
miles south of Plattsburgh. The point is
from half mile to Il mile in width. 1t is
well settled with farmers whose hand
some houses, good fences, red barns, AMI
well ordered fields elicit admiration
from every stranger Wilsboro is his
torical as every mile of the New
Situated on the Bouquet river, it has
several factories run 10y water power. |
Burgoyne here held Il confab with the
Mohawk Indians, resulting in their agree
ing to join the British in the march of the
latter to their surrender at Schuylerville. |
Browns, as it has been said is at the eX-
IRENE north end of the Point. A select |
few from New York and Brooklyn have
found out the charming spot and have for
some years in summer time hidden them
selves away there, roomiug in some snug
little cottages in Farmer Browns orchard
and taking their meals at the little brick
farm house.
From Browns the Four Brothers look
like one island. They are situated one at
each corner of a paralelogram not rec
tnnpllIDr and therefore, he ii psi in ha
range of vision covers the other three.
But if one gets into one of the light boats
at the cock and rows out to the Brothers
| neighborhood he finds the four standing
out as clean cut and as handsome as any
| islands to be found in American waters.
The Four Brothers of Lake Champlain sit
! alone in their glory. A feeling of solitude
comes upon one on approaching them over
| The water. Lake gulls and stupid water
| flies are their only inhabitants. The gulls
resent the encroachment of any one who
with dipping oars goes near to modest peir
ancient, solitary reign The whole mock
o. a hundred or more starts up from the
graVelly shores, from the ellis of rocks
and from the bushes that cover he islands,
screaming and flying about i'll apparently
| the utmost distraction. No one at all ac-
quainted with the harmless nature of these
birds shoots at them. They nest ON is
! lands, every year, raising numerous
| brood which they feed from fish and gar
| ptNC, oCNulN'l ~ IiiC 'Ii'iS III tHtIl
! flights over the water and along the main
| shores
So little attention is given to these four
| island gems by the people on the mainland
in this neighborhOod that no one was able
to tell the writer, when he visited them
recently, how or by whom they were own
ed Inquiry, however, of the tax collec-
| tor of the town of Wlllsboro, on the New
York side, elected the fact that the islands
belong to Mr.. f. p. Hatch, of New York,
Han,
Lord Il Taylor Mr. Hatch is il native of
Vermont, | believe, and was reared in
sight of these islands near burlington.
Although engaged in business in the great
metropolis, be cherShcs the ties that hold
him to his early life in this superb lake
and mountain country Much of his sum
mer vacations is spent at his country home
near Burlington, where he has the society
of such men of leisure as DR.. Webb, lie
grand b. Cannon, and other wealthy New
| Workers, who own country seats ON the
| Vermont side of Lake Champlain. In an
interview with Mr.. Hatch respecting the
| Four brothers, he took manifest pleasure
in acknowledging his ownership OF them.
IL got possession Ofthcm he said. "about
three years ago, thus accomplishing pro
Ject | mad long had in view. When was
young man living in Vermont, 1t was
one OF my delights to sail out to those isl
ands aud spend all the time | could on
them, and fishing among them As long
ago rs that time formeda determination
some day to own them if | was ever able
to buy them. In later years | made some
efforts to get them, but was always pre-
vented from doing so by one cause and an
other: The record on which my present
deed is founded shows that they were sold
on May |, ls4l, by one Seth Hunt to Ed
gar BiDn. Blum kept them three years
and then, on May /, 1874, sold them to
Nathaniel b. Haswell, This is the Haswell
who became well known in Vermont on
account of the hold he had on the Govern
ment works at Burlington aud at Juniper
Island. He held the position OF superin-
tendent OF the works under all the Demo
cratic administrations Of his time. From
the heirs of Haswell the Four Brothers
passed to Miles \. Evarts. This was in
May, 1891. In March, 1866 Eyarts sold
them to Orrin Shipman, and in March,
lsS2 | succeeded in purchasing them from
the heirs of Shipman. For years | lived
IN fear lest they should be stripped of their
timber and otherwise devastated, but
fortunately they were left by their success
sVe owners in almost their native state
y III. .l..Ft