Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-10-30


As this farm-h house has been confused
with the Block House" which Mr.
| pierson also built, and as some have
supposed that the fight" occurred at
| this Block House. I will say that dur
ing my Investigations I found n copy
of some of the manuscripts of Mr.
oscar f. Sheldon, then of Wilsboro.
| n V, which were printed in w. c.
Watsons history of the Champlain Val
ley, published In 1862. Mr.. Watson re-
| fers to these manuscripts "as a rich
| treasury of antiquarian wealth, the re-
| suit of most careful and intelligent in
| vestiEation" In one of them ] found
a reference to the Person Block
i House" AS to which Mr. Sheldon says
"a bold promontory surrounded by
perpendicular cliffs, and connected with
the mainland by low. narrow strip of
land, which was overlooked at high
water. stood contiguous to the farm of
Moses Pierson. on a plat of ground
upon this promontory, hidden by "A
thick hedge of cedars Pierson con-
structcd a block house, as place of
refuge, in case of attack, while gath
ering his harvests." 1t is noticeable how
accurate this description Is of what is
now known as Mech Island" about hal
q mile west of the marker. Logans or
Quaker Smiths Point, is the only other
place in that vicinity which could be
suggested but this when visited fails
to correspond with the above descrip-
ton. Mech Island" is n high promon-
tory. on three sides of which are cliffs
| rising perpendicularly from the water
| to IL height of 40 feet on the south
side about so feet on the lake side and
! 70 feet on the north side. 1t is cover
ed with a growth of cedars. and is
connected with the mainland, on the
east, by "A narrow strip which would he
now covered with water had it not
| been. in late years, protected by a small
hllng of large stones. Just east of
| the Mech burial place on this island
| is the grave of James, the eldest son
| of Moses pierson. who died in Shell
burne December IA, 177j, which would
| tend to show that his family were liv-
/ ing in that vicinity at that time and
that the island was included i'm the
| lierSon farm. The date of the building
of this block house" is not known.
whether it was at the beginning or
at the close of Mr.. Persons first stay
| in Shelburne, between 1870 and i777.
/ When hostilities ceased and settlements
1 '''N' N''''N' 'ii' 'ih bIOth -HOuSe no long
er needed, was probably either torn
down or allowed to decay At the
present time a general examination of
/ the locality fails to reveal any indi-
cations of where it stood
From the very limited ground upon
this promontory, and the steepness of
its approach from the land. it is rca-
sonable to presume that this block
| house mi
script says, for "a place of refuge
against attack" not for a residence.
For its purpose the location was most
favorable, as the perpendicular cliffs
were almost impossible to be scaled by
the enemy, and the land side could be
easily defended
| Again, a farm residence would nat
urally be built on more level ground.
within easy access to the most desir-
able portion of the Lakeshore farm,
and where there was room for the adj
dition of barns and other out-buildinEs.
! The site of the farmhouse suggested
by the recollection of the older resi-
dents of Shelburne. was place upon
the land lying on the north side of
Mech Bay" near what is known as
the Hathaway place, within full view
north Of this marker; and it is rea-
sonable to presume that the fight"
took place at this farm house.
For the incidents attending the
right | am, necessarily, largely de-
pendant upon the published statements
of Lyman Thayer of Shelburne and
Rev. George +. Sutton Of Monkton
Save in some minor details they sub
stantially agree
When Mr.. Pierson returned in the
his wheat, he learned of an expected
approach of a maraudng party. Col.
Sawyer being apprsed of the report
FASTENED with 1t. Barnum and Corp.
Williams and fourteen soldiers to the
relief and protection of the Pierson
family. Naturally he would go to where
the family lived, the Person farm
house. and whore his command could be
more conveniently cared for. While there
he spent some time in strengthening
| the place. Hardly necessary If 1t had been
| the block house" The farm house was
constructed Of hewn logs laid close to-
Gether. and besides the entrance door
ii was provided with windows and port
holes While Col. Sawyer was at this
work Of barricadinc, the foe who had
been hc~erinG in the vicinity, sudden
ly disappea red. Col. Sawyer, suspect
ing this to he strataGem, and that
they were only waiting for reinforce
nents urged on his work, and when
night came he had made all parts Sc
cure, except one window. In the latter
part of the night a desperate attack
was made by the enemy numbering
about sixty, During the fight. at the