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IN AND AROUND EAST MIDDLEBURY
The Charters of Middlebury and New Haven are dated on November 2, 1761 and
Salisbury on the third day of the month.
Middlebury received its name from its location between New Haven and Salisbury. By
the charters, all the towns are bounded west by Otter Creek and extend, where there is not
room, below the western slope of the Green mountains for their eastern boundary.
The Charter of Middlebury is made in a printed blank of the same description as those of
the other towns.* We will omit the formal part of the charter but would like to note a tew ot
the conditions annexed to the charter, specifically in the second, fourth, and fifth parts.
T h e s e c o n d i s a s f o l l o w s ; . , . „ . - _
That all white and other pine trees, fit for masting our Royal Navy, be carefully preserved for
that purpose, upon penalty of the forfeiture of their right of such grantee, as well as bemg
subject to the penalty of acts of Parliament.
T h e f o u r t h a s f o l l o w s ; . . . . , . , „ . .
The grantees to pay annually, for ten years, the rent of one ear of Indian corn only t lawfully
demanded.
l^eTproprietor, settler or inhabitant, to pay annually after ten years, one
shilling proclamation money for every hundred acres, he so owns in l,eu of all other rents,
and services whatsoever.
just North of the Salisbury line, on a lot which Eber Evarts started to clear in 1775, Joel
Boardman built a large tavern" He purchased the land from Evarts. As far as we can learn
S Boardman, Daniel Foote and possibly two or three others are the only people to
settle Middlebury before the American Revolution.
After the expedition into Canada and the retreat of the American Army in June 1776 the
Tab tante of this and neighboring towns were exposed to scouting partes of Bnfsh Tones
^SETiecWy after the defeat of Arnold the following October. Stones are told of
the retreat from the country in 1777.
This charter is still in existence
. The door of the tavern is now the north door of J.C. Boardman's house