Snow Season: Good for Visiting the Adams-Babcock Cemetery

It's challenging to reach this small old cemetery -- probably the earliest in town -- and we thank the Waterford road crew for rescuing the access bridge that was buried in stones and stumps after the April 29 washout, reestablishing it late this autumn. But there are tree trunks across the old path, and the blackberries have grown thick. So it's actually easiest to reach with some snow on the ground, and sturdy boots or snowshoes.

Today I crossed a well-marked deer trail on the way up the bank to the cemetery. There's definitely a good-sized buck among the group that walks through here.

The cemetery record was written up by Eugenia Powers in 1980 and re-verified in 2008; here's the introduction to its RootsWeb page:

       This cemetery is in the woods, north of a pasture, in what was once an orchard.  The ground is covered with ground-myrtle with very little grass.  It is on the Lot drawn by James Adams as part of his proprietor's Right which probably became son, Charles Adams' farm.
          It has been called variously, Adams Cem, Babcock Cem, The Settlers' Cem; and when its overgrown condition was "put right" in the Bi-centennial year, Helen Knight dubbed it "the Myrtle Cemetery" because of the quantities of ground myrtle in it, a name which has stuck with us locals; although the "official" sign now by the road reads, "Adams-Babcock Cemetery".
          It had pretty much been forgotten until the Bi-centennial year when a group of men from the Waterford and East St Johnsbury Churches cleared it out, cutting brush and putting up a snow-fence provided by the town.  It has a stone wall on the southeast & southwest sides.
          The entrance is from a path with a sign reading, "Adams-Babcock Cemetery" on the right side of East Village Road going uphill, 0.7 mi from the bridge off US Rte 2 in East St Johnsbury Village (bear right after the bridge), 100 yards before the right-turn onto Walsh Rd. Path is down from the side of the road, across the brook on a plank bridge, and up a short, steep bank to an opening in the fence.
          If your knees cannot handle steep, slippery paths; there was an entrance from the pasture on the east corner (as a long ago discontinued road once passed this way).  It is a longer walk; but, it is level walking.  To reach this entrance, stop at Mrs. Fissette's (just south of the turn onto Walsh Rd) and get directions and permission to cross her land.

I also found a note indicating that Submit and James Adams were the first settlers in St. Johnsbury but moved across the line into (what would later be called) Waterford in 1791. 

The extraordinary gravestone on Submit Adams's site is NOT the original; the reproduction was made after a 1982 tree-fall smashed the original stone.

I have a lot more information on the people interred here, but I'll save that for another day. For those of you who use FindAGrave, please note that the material there is the same material that Mrs. Powers wrote.

Correlation of 1932 Topo Map with Beers Map of Waterford Village

Identification of buildings and features shown on the 1932 USGS topographical map with Beers 1875 map of Waterford Village.

Waterford Village - 1875

This map is the Beers map of Waterford Village c1875.

Ca. 1858 WATERFORD, Vermont Land Owners, Businesses & Features

Ca. 1858 WATERFORD, Vermont Land Owners, Businesses & Features

Index to Names which Appear in Waterford, Vermont, on the ca. 1858 atlas: "Map of Caledonia County, Vermont From Actual Surveys under the direction of H. F. Walling", New York : Baker & Tilden, 1858.

This index project is being completed by Ann Mensch, with the assistance of Jennifer Scruton. Please note: Though the information on this web page is believed to be correct, the possibility of error remains. Please notify Ann Mensch should an error be found.

Introduction:

The "Map of Caledonia County, Vermont From Actual Surveys under the direction of H. F. Walling" was created about 1858. Since the process of compiling the information for a map of this nature takes some time, it is likely that land was bought and sold, and people relocated during the course of the project. It is, therefore, possible that someone who recently moved to the area may not have been included, while names of others who had already relocated away from the area still appear.

Due to the age, condition, and typeset style, many names are difficult to decipher. When names or letters within names were NOT able to be discerned with a reasonable degree of confidence, they are placed within brackets [ ].

The names which appear on this map are listed below, in alphabetical order by surname, followed by the name of the town/township in which they appear, then, the name of the village within the town when the name was associated with a specific village. Following the town and village names, the structure or business which may have been associated with the name is identified when applicable.

The interpretation of the following listing is included as an example:
Listing:
PARKS, E. C. : Waterford, Waterford
Interpretation:
E. C. PARKS is reported, on the 1858 map, with the listings for the village of Waterford, which is within the town/township of Waterford, Caledonia County, Vermont.

When the same name appears more than once on the map, it has been listed as many times as it occurred. No attempt has been made to determine whether the same person was actually listed more than once, or whether there were people who simply shared the same name. It is believed that in some cases, these may be explained by the existence of fathers and sons who share the same name.

Following the list of names which appear, there are listings of Businesses and Natural Features reported, within the Town of Waterford and it's Villages, on the 1858 Map of Caledonia County, Vermont.

Statistics: A population of 1,412 is reported for Waterford on this 1858 map.
There are 215 names which appear in Waterford and its villages, and these are listed below. It remains possible that a small number of names were not included due to the condition of the map and/or readability.


SURNAME, First : Town, Village within the Town (if applicable), structure or business (if applicable)

[B]ARRINGTON, [Mrs.] : Waterford
[P]ARKS, Mrs. : Waterford
[RE]MINGTON : Waterford
ADAMS, J. : Waterford
ADAMS, W. : Waterford
ARMINGTON, S. : Waterford
B[A]NINGTON, J. : Waterford
BABCOCK, J. A. : Waterford
BABEACH, J. A. : Waterford
BARTLETT, S. : Waterford
BEMIS, H. : Waterford
BEN[VE__], L. C. : Waterford
BENNETT, G. : Waterford
BIN[___], T. : Waterford
BINGHAM, Mrs. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
BISHOP, J. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
BONNE[Y], A. P. Heirs : Waterford, Lower Waterford
BRACKETTS: Waterford : [see Hale & Bracketts]
BROCK, E. R. : Waterford
BROWN, [J.] : Waterford
BROWN, C. : Waterford
BROWN, D. L. : Waterford
BROWN, E. & B. : Waterford
BROWN, J. : Waterford, West Waterford
BROWN, J. Jr. : Waterford, West Waterford
BROWN, Mrs. : Waterford
BUCKS, W. : Waterford, Waterford : W. Buck's Hotel
BUGBEE, D. R. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
BUGBEE, L. : Waterford
BUGBEE, R. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
BUGBEE, W. : Waterford
BURNHAM, A. : Waterford
C[U__], E. A. : Waterford
CALE, [G. O.] : Waterford
CARPENTER, A. B. : Waterford, West Waterford
CARPENTER, A. D. : Waterford
CARPENTER, F. R. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
CARPENTER, I. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
CARPENTER, J. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
CARR, J. : Waterford
CARR, P. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
CARTER, E. G. : Waterford
CASWELL, J. : Waterford, Waterford
CASWELL, J. : Waterford
CASWELL : Waterford
CHAMBERLAIN, C. : Waterford
CHAMBERLAIN, C. : Waterford
CHAPLIN, G. : Waterford
CHAPLIN, J. : Waterford
CHAPLIN, J. : Waterford
CHAPLIN, S. : Waterford
CHAPLIN, S. C. : Waterford
CHURCH, S. : Waterford
CHURCH, S. : Waterford
CUSHMAN, H. : Waterford
CUSHMAN, O. : Waterford
CUTLER, E. & T. A. : Waterford
DAVISON, C. L. : Waterford
DAVISON, H. : Waterford
DENNIS [M_y] : Waterford
DEWEY, L. [F.] : Waterford, Lower Waterford
DEWEY, N. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
DEXTER, A. J. : Waterford
DREW, [Mrs.] : Waterford
FARBY, W. : Waterford, Waterford
FARR, [H.] : Waterford, Waterford
FARR, J. : Waterford
FARR, J. : Waterford
FELCH, G. W. : Waterford
FELCH, J. : Waterford
FELCH, J. : Waterford
FISHER, Mrs. : Waterford
FLANDERS, H. : Waterford, West Waterford
FLANDERS, H. : Waterford
FREEMAN, A. : Waterford
FREEMAN, E. : Waterford
FREEMAN, L. S. : Waterford
FRY, J. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
FRY, J. : Waterford
GASKELL, [J. B.] : Waterford
GOODELL, [B.] : Waterford
GOODELL, J. S. : Waterford
GOSS, [A.] : Waterford, Lower Waterford
GOSS, A. B. : Waterford
GOSS, C. C. : Waterford
GOSS, G. : Waterford
GOSS, H. S. : Waterford
GOSS, H. S. : Waterford
GOSS, Mrs. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
GOSS, Mrs. : Waterford
GOSS, R. O. : Waterford
GOSS, Z. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
GOULD, J. A. : Waterford
GOULD, J. A. : Waterford
GREEN, E. & L. : Waterford
GREEN, L. & M. L. : Waterford
GREGORY, C. : Waterford, Waterford
GREY[SON], J. : Waterford
GUIMBY, G. : Waterford
HADLEY, [S.] C. : Waterford
HADLEY, J. A. : Waterford, West Waterford
HADLEY, J. A. : Waterford
HADLEY, J. C. : Waterford, West Waterford
HALE & BRACKETTS : Waterford : Hale & Bracketts State Quarry
HALE, J. M. : Waterford
HALE, L. : Waterford
HALE, O. G. : Waterford
HASTINGS, [C.] : Waterford
HASTINGS, H. : Waterford
HASTINGS, J. W. : Waterford, West Waterford
HASTINGS, J. W. : Waterford
HASTINGS, J. W. : Waterford
HASTINGS, M. Jr. : Waterford
HAZELTON, J. : Waterford
HEMINGWAY, [G.] : Waterford
HEMINGWAY, D. : Waterford
HEMINGWAY, L. : Waterford
HIBBARD, L. : Waterford, Waterford
HILL, C. : Waterford
HILL, D. : Waterford, Waterford
HILL, H. : Waterford
HILL, J. H. : Waterford
HILL, L. D. : Waterford
HOAGG, C. : Waterford
HONGSTON, J. : Waterford
HOVEY, A. : Waterford
HOVEY, J. G. : Waterford
HOVEY, M. S. : Waterford
HOVEY, W. : Waterford
HURLBURT, R. : Waterford
HURLBUT, E. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
HURLBUT, O. B. : Waterford, Lower Waterford : O. B. Hurlut's Hotel
HUTCHINSON, B. : Waterford
HUTCHINSON, B. : Waterford
IDE, J. : Waterford Waterford : J. Ide Tannery
IDE, J. : Waterford, Waterford
JENNISON, W. : Waterford, Waterford
KIDDER, T. : Waterford
LADD, [R.] S. : Waterford
LADD, M. : Waterford
LAWRENCE & WINSLOW : Waterford
LAWRENCE, A. : Waterford
LAWRENCE, O. : Waterford
LEE, J. : Waterford
LEE, J. : Waterford
M[EN]SE : Waterford
MASON, P. : Waterford
MASON, T. : Waterford
MILES, J. : Waterford
MILES, Mrs. : Waterford
MILLER, N. : Waterford
MOREAN, N. : Waterford
MORSE, A. : Waterford
MORSE, J. : Waterford
MOULTON, A. : Waterford, Waterford
MOULTON, J. : Waterford, Waterford
NICHOLS, J. : Waterford
NICHOLS, W. : Waterford
O[___], S. : Waterford
OWEN, S. : Waterford
PACKARD, J. : Waterford
PALMER, Rev. J. E. : Waterford
PARKER, A. : Waterford, West Waterford
PARKER, A. : Waterford, West Waterford
PARKER, A. : Waterford
PARKER, A. : Waterford
PARKS, C. E. : Waterford, Waterford : C. E. Parks Store
PARKS, E. A. : Waterford
PARKS, E. C. : Waterford, Waterford
PARTRIDGE Heirs : Waterford
PIKE, B. : Waterford Waterford
PIKE, B. : Waterford
POQUETT, O. : Waterford
POWERS, [P.] A. : Waterford
POWERS, B. : Waterford
PRIEST, A. : Waterford
PROUTY, A. : Waterford
RICHARDSON, [I.] : Waterford
RICHARDSON, C. : Waterford, Waterford
RICHARDSON, C. : Waterford, Waterford
RICHARDSON, C. : Waterford
RICHARDSON F. : Waterford
RICHARDSON J. : Waterford, Waterford
RICHARDSON S. : Waterford
RICHARDSON : Waterford
ROLLINS, W. : Waterford
ROSS, A. P. : Waterford
ROWELL, R. F. : Waterford, Waterford
RUSSELL, L. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
SILSBY, D. : Waterford
SMITH, A. : Waterford, West Waterford
SMITH, A. : Waterford
SMITH, A. : Waterford
SMITH, J. : Waterford
SPAULDING, J. : Waterford
SPAULDING, O. T. : Waterford
STEVENS, O. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
STILES, J. Jr. : Waterford
STOCKWELL, [R.] : Waterford
STODDARD, J. D. : Waterford, Waterford
STODDARD, N. : Waterford
STODDARD, N. : Waterford
STODDARD, W. : Waterford
STREETER, S. : Waterford, Waterford
STREETER, T. B. : Waterford, Waterford
TAGGARD, R. : Waterford, Waterford
TOWLE, Mrs. : Waterford, Lower Waterford
VERMUTH, P. : Waterford
W[A]RKS, Mrs. : Waterford
WHEELER, E. M. : Waterford, Waterford
WHEELER, E. M. : Waterford, Waterford
WINSLOW [see Lawrence & Winslow] : Waterford
WOODS, S. : Waterford
WOODS, W. G. : Waterford
YOUNG, C. : Waterford

Businesses and Natural Features reported, within the Town of Waterford and it's Villages, on the 1858 Map of Caledonia County, Vermont

The following were reported in the Village of Lower Waterford, in Waterford, Caledonia County, Vermont:
Bridge, Second Littleton [over Connecticut River]
Brook [no name shown]
Church, Cong.
Grist Mill
Hotel, O. B. Hurlut's
Parsonage, Cong.
River, Connecticut
School
Shop, [?]
Shop, B. S.
Shop, Harness
Store
Toll House [at Second Littleton Bridge]


The following were reported in the Village of Waterford, in Waterford, Caledonia County, Vermont:

Bridge, Richardson Bridge [over Connecticut River]
Cemetery
Church, Union
Hotel, W. Bucks
Hotel, W. Buck's
Office
Saw Mill
Shop, B. S.
Shop, B. S.
Shop, Mechanics
Shop, Shoe
Store
Store, C. E. Parks
Store, C. E. Park's
Tannery, J. Ide
Tannery, J. Ide


The following were reported in the Village of West Waterford, in Waterford, Caledonia County, Vermont:
Brook [no name shown]
Pond [no name shown]
Saw & Grist Mill
School
Shop, Shoe
Store
Town Hall

The following were reported in Waterford, Caledonia County, Vermont:
Bridge, C. Richardson [over Conn. R. at Waterford V.]
Bridge, Littleton [over Conn. R. at Lower Waterford]
Cemetery [at Waterford Village]
Cemetery [between L. Waterford and W. Waterford]
Church, Old
Grave Yard [near nw border with Barnet]
Mountains, [3 unnamed]
Mt. Waterford
Parsonage, Cong.
Pond, Stiles
Rail Road, Connecticut & Passampsic River
River, Connecticut
River, Passumpsic
Saw Mill
Saw Mill
Saw Mill
Saw Mill
Saw Mill
School
School
School
School
School
School
School
School
School
Shop, Shoe
Shop, W. W.
State Quarry
Store
Toll House [at Second Littleton Bridge, L. Waterford]
Town Hall
Village, Lower Waterford
Village, Waterford
Village, West Waterford

Village of Upper Waterford - Before Flooding

The village of Upper Waterford before dam construction and subsequent flooding (date of photo unknown).

The view is west along Bridge Street. In the opposite direction (behind the photographer), Bridge St. goes down to the river and across to Littleton, NH & Pattenville, NH). For many years it was a toll bridge.

The intersection in the middle of the photo is that of Main Street which runs left-to-right in the picture, Bridge St. (foreground), and High Street (up the hill just to the left of the middle of the picture).

In the very foreground of the picture, Trout Brook runs under Bridge St. in front of the white house on the right. This house is the Ide house (Mrs. A. Ide and E. Ide)

The photographer is standing directly in front of the home of S. Streeter which is off-camera to the immediate left.

The house seen in the middle of the picture towards the top is Nathan Pike's house and is roughly where the boat launch and dock are located now (end of Old County Rd at the Moore Reservoir) with the present water level.

The large building to the left of the intersection of the roads is the Streeter Hotel, where the carriage house with its three openings is visible.

Not visible in this photo, several hundred yards down Main Street to the right was the Ide and Moulton starch factory and the Gregory and Ide sawmill, at the "Y" junction where the road goes up to Joslin Turn (near Joslin Falls) towards the town of Concord.

The Last Building Standing in Upper Waterford Before Flooding

This photo (circa ~1955) shows the Union Church in the village of Upper Waterford during the construction of the Moore dam, just before the flooding caused by the impoundment of the Connecticut River. It was the last building standing in the former village and in the photo it stands in stark contrast to the cleared and bulldozed landscape now surrounding it. I believe that the Union Church was burned down just before the flooding took place.

Close-up view of the Union Church (before land clearing - date unknown):

1932 Topographical Map Showing Upper Waterford

This map shows the village of Upper Waterford in 1932 before the construction of the Moore dam and subsequent flooding by the river...it shows roads and buildings, and the dark contour line shows the final shoreline of the Moore Reservoir (Connecticut River) after flooding. Everything below 809 ft above sea level was inundated by the flood waters.

St. Johnsbury Waterworks in Waterford - 1959

Description:

This is an image of the St. Johnsbury Waterworks in Waterford c1959.

The main focus of the image is the three buildings that are in various stages of construction. The first one seems to be completed with a round bottom floor and a slanted metal roof and a cupola at the top. The second building is in a state of partial completion with the bottom floor finished and the roof as a wooden frame. The third building has just the bottom floor. There is a fourth brick structure to the right. To the left of the buildings is a paved road and a wood and cable guardrail, along with a utility line. In the back there are forested hills.

Covered Bridge - Waterford - Date Uknown

Description:

A dirt road winds down to a wooden, covered bridge and the road continues, but disappears behind some deciduous trees. A house with a wooden fence is to the left of the photograph and another wooden house is to the right of the photo. There is a sign on the right side of the photograph, but the writing cannot be read. Utility lines follow the dirt road, as do trees and assorted shrubbery. Further back in the photo, presumably still alongside the road are more houses and what appears to be a wooden barn. There are pastures, hills and more trees off in the distance. It is either spring, summer or fall based on the foliage.

Description:

This image shows farm buildings, a house, and a church in the village of Lower Waterford. There is an open field in the foreground with a wire fence and wooden gates near the barn. A dirt road passes between two barns on the left. There are several deciduous trees scattered around the valley with a few elms in front yards. A "Hotel" sign is on the roof of the white building in the back ("Rabbit Hill Motor Inn" operated by St. Johnsbury House Hotel for use as a summer hotel). It was in 1957 that the ballroom and carriage house were converted to guestrooms. A neon “MOTEL” sign graced the roof and a sign by the parking lot read: “Good Vermont Food”.

Church to the left. A forested hill (east slope of Hurlbutt Hill) is in the background of the photograph.

Pine Blister Rust Outbreak - Waterford, 1924

Description:

This image shows a sample of publicity used at a field demonstration held in this area in August, 1924. This chart represents an actual count of trees infected with blister rust on the quarter acre plot. Sign reads: What is blister rust doing to the pine on this 1/4 acre and shows pie charts of healthy and infected trees.

Dead Pine Tree - Blister Rust Canker - Waterford 1924

Description:

This image shows a white pine tree killed of by Blister Rust Canker. The infection was on the trunk only five feet from the ground. Points of infection on the lower end of the tree are particularly deadly because the tree is girdled at the point of the canker. Everything above the canker then dies off. This tree would have made good lumber in a few years. There are no pine needles remaining on the tree. There are several small pine seedlings surrounding the large dead tree. There is snow on the ground and it is late fall.

Waterford School - 1928

Description:

Ann Fulford stands in front of the school her mother attended as a child. A small outbuilding is behind the school. What appears to be a flag pole stands next to the school house on the left. A dirt road curves around behind the school house. Tall grasses and a few flowering plants make up the landscape. A few deciduous trees are seen behind the school.

White Village - January 1960

This historic image shows the Lower Waterford Church and a small house in the village of Waterford, January 1960.  The (fairly newly constructed) Moore dam is in the background.

The church is a simple, wood-frame, gable-roof church with a two-tiered spire set at the front of the roofline. A small finial decorates the very tip of the spire. The simple church is very characteristic of many early 19th century Vermont churches, with their spires dotting the rural landscape. Elongated windows open into the faéade, and two main doors provide access at the front of the church. Across the road from the church sits a modest, wood-frame, gable-roof dwelling. Two small dormers project from either side of the roof, and a very crude porch provides shelter on the right side of the house. A small wing protrudes from the rear. A brick chimney rises from the back of the roof. Simple utility lines are visible in the foreground of the image. A small farm complex is located in the fields behind the main road. Deciduous trees line the road at the foreground, and a mix of open fields and forest spread out into the background. Hills rise up along the horizon. The ground is covered with a thin layer of snow. The season is winter.

Sugar House in Lower Waterford - Vermont Life - Autumn 1957

Description:

Photographer Aaron Fryer, of Philadelphia, captured this old sugar house in Lower Waterford on a sunny autumn day in 1951 ('57?). The view was snapped from a hill, which is visible at the foreground of the image. A cluster of tall, deciduous trees, full of vivid, yellow leaves, grow atop the hill at the left edge of the photograph. Yellow leaves cover the hilltop. Nestled into the side of the hill is a simple, wood-frame, gable-roof sugar house. A ventilator is centered on the roof of the building, and a small wing extends out of the left side. A porch along the front of the sugar house is tightly packed with fire wood. The Connecticut River flows through the valley beyond the building. A thick band of deciduous trees grow along the near banks of the river. Yellow, red, orange, and green leaves fill the trees. Small shrubs and rocks litter the ground at the base of the trees. On the far side of the river, on the right side of the image, is a forested hill. Conifers and deciduous trees cover the hill. Forested fields and open pastures spread out beyond the river, to the right of the forested hill. One or two dwellings are visible in the distant fields. Mountains rise along the background.