Middletown Springs History
History of Middletown, Vermont, by Barnes Frisbie (1867, reprinted 1975), tells the early history of the town in great detail. About 1774 a few settlers, mostly from Connecticut, started coming into this area that lay in a fertile valley ringed about by high hills. A good-sized stream promised power for mills that a new settlement would need. In increasing numbers they cleared land, built log cabins, prepared fields for planting, and laid plans for mills along the river. When news came of the war with England, many able-bodied men dropped everything and headed south. After the Battle of Bennington, they were mustered out in 1778-79 and came back, eager to take up their unfinished work.
As grist mills, tanneries, distilleries and sawmills were set up along the Poultney River, and as new settlers arrived, residents of the surrounding towns who lived closer to the new settlement than to their own village centers joined in the new venture. By 1783 this settlement, then parts of Ira, Tinmouth, Poultney and Wells, held about 300 dwellers, and interest arose about organizing a new town.
The link below takes you to a full article with highlights from the book.
Read the Full Article
Video History Series
In the fall 2024 MSHS began a video project designed to capture archival recollections from longtime Middletown Springs resident and Historical Society President David Wright, a member since the early 1970s. David was asked to sit for informal, unscripted interviews over two 5-day sessions.
The sessions were videotaped, logged, transcribed and indexed as archival material. Multiple storylines were identified in the interviews and four were selected for series of videos: A Town Built on Agriculture; Crossroads: How Topography & Transportation Shaped a Vermont Town; Horse Power: The Story of A.W. Gray & Sons; and Mineral Springs and Montvert Hotel. The four videos can be viewed on the Society’s YouTube channel.
MSHS Collections Manager Mary Lou Willits tapped the extensive MSHS photo and document collection while the producers shot village footage for the videos and sourced additional images from the Library of Congress, the Poultney Historical Society, Vermont Historical Society, U.S.D.A., Adirondack History Museum, and other collections. “These are visually interesting, narrative videos that make Middletown Springs history and the project come alive,” says Mary Lou. “We’re pleased we could do this for so many reasons. Anyone who has talked with David about Middletown Springs and its past knows the depth of his recall.”
Explore the Historic District Photo Album
Publications
Middletown Springs Historic District
The Middletown Springs Historical Society is proud to announce its publication of the Middletown Springs Historic District book, a collection of the photographs and descriptions of the historic properties and places in the village of Middletown Springs, based on the National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, prepared by historic preservation architect, Matthew Cohen, and approved by the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. in 1985.
Middletown Springs Historic District book, $60, postpaid.
Another excellent reference is The Historic Architecture of Rutland County (1988, out of print but available to see at the Historical Society), which includes additional historic properties in Middletown Springs.
Merchandise
The Society also has for sale a limited number of antique Middletown Springs Mineral Water bottles. Prices range from $60-$150, depending on condition.