Here is a list of references to locations in E Montpelier mentioned in Across the Onion. Most use property owners from 1983, the year the book was written.We updated these locations to modern terms, using street addresses that can be found on GPS and Google Maps as well as the town land records.
Reference in Across the Onion is in quotes ” … ” followed by updated information in parenthesis ( … )
References to paragraphs: TOP = text before first paragraph. Paragraphs are numbered, each reference is lettered.
This information added is based on interviews with local residents, information in Across the Onion and the Wallings Map from 1858 and FW Beers map from 1873. We have done our best to be accurate.
ACROSS THE ONION PART 1 1781-1848
1. Beginnings Chapter
Pg 6 para 2 -“land now owned by Carroll Badger” (Private land between Center Rd and Bliss Rd)
Pg 7a – “the present Hall Gift Shop property..” (3070 US Rte 2 just east of Village Acres Rd – town fire station road)
Pg 7b “another cornfield lay on the opposite bank.” (down Stoney Corners Rd, a left off VT Rte 14S just south of bridge)
Pg 7c – “Lightning Ridge” (wooded elevated ridge 1/2 mile towards Plainfield from the Rte 2/ Rte 14N intersection)
Pg 8a para 1 -“Marshall Hodgeman” (near 305 Vt Rte 14N past Kelton Rd turn)
Pg 8b para 2 – “brook on the present Hill place” (Sodom Pond Brook just west of 925 Snow Hill Rd)
Pg 9 top – “surveyors had camped on Lightning Ridge.” (wooded elevated ridge 1/2 mile towards Plainfield from Vte Rte 2 / Rte 14N intersection)
2. A Hunger for Land Chapter
Pg 16 para 1 – “Ames Beaver Meadow” (Wetland across road from 3779 Center Rd)
Pg 20 para 1 -“now owned by James Wright family” (house at 1465 Center Rd)
Pg 21 top – “old Tinkham cemetery in EM” (behind Quaker Cemetery on Cherry Tree Hill Rd just south of Quaker Rd intersection)
Pg 22 – para 1- “Nathaniel chose his lots” (near 200 Hammett Hill Rd)
Pg 23 para 5 – “Roger Chapell farm” (3485 Center Rd, now Templeton Farm – white house/white barn)
Pg 24 top – ” now Austin Cleaves farm” (185 Lyle Young Rd, a large dairy facility. His buildings were up the hill from the present ones. Homestead location has historic marker that can be viewed by walking along East Montpelier Trail that starts on Dodge Rd near 780 Dodge Rd.)
Pg 25 para 2 – ” Covey family..” (farm at 1820 Center Rd)
Pg 26 para 1 – “House Clark built ” (area around 170 Cherry Tree Hill Rd)
Pg 28a para 2 – “bought Moses Robinson’s original 1st division” (area of Walbridge Rd off Horn of the Moon Rd.)
Pg 28b para 3 – “Farm now belongs” (Bair Family house 4264 Center Rd on east side of road)
Pg 28c para 5 – “Belonging to Ellen Hill (4299 Center Rd)
Pg 29 top – “now owned by Charles Codling Jr” (455 Codling Rd)
Pg 30a para 3 – “Brick house” (house at 30 Center Rd)
Pg 30b para 3 – “Sugar house at Slayton” (175 Cummings Rd)
Pg 30c para 4 – “Hawkins Farm” (2395 Towne Hill Rd)
Pg 30d para 6 – “Jarahmel Wheeler farm” on Gallison Hill (1105 Gallison Hill Rd)
Pg 30-31 – “Benjamin Wheeler’s Towne Hill Rd Farm” (probably 2021 Towne Hill Rd)
Pg 31 para 3 – “Elisha’s House” (house at 705 Murray Hill Rd )
Pg 32a para 5 – “cellar hole” on Cummings (Lot 51 – must be west end near North St) ask Sherwood Morse
Pg 32b para 5 – “Morse Farm” (918 County Rd)
Pg 33 para 4 – “large Georgian home” (2850 Vt Rte 14 N)
Pg 34a top – “Ella Mcknight” (area of 440 Snow Hill Rd)
Pg 34b para 2 – “Arthur Daggett Homestead” (139 Daggett Rd, the end of road on left)
Pg 34c para 2 – “Coburn farm” (139 Daggett Rd became Coburn Farm in 1830s)
Pg 35a para 1 – “Mekkelson & Tofani Auto Sales” (2419 Vt Rte 2)
pg 35b para 1- “Battles” – (2537 Rte 2)
pg 35c para 2 – “John S. Hall Farm” (945 Putnam Rd)
pg 35d para 2 – “Sibley Farm” (350 Sibley Rd)
pg 35e para 3 – “Brick House” (135 Cate Farm Rd)
pg 36a para 1 – “Nathaniel & Theophilus Clark” (1350 Clark Rd)
pg 36c para 4 – “Hazel Vincent” (435 Vincent Flats rd – cape just south of school ball fields)
pg 36d para 5 – “Gladys Dunkling” (1265 Kelton Rd)
pg 37 – “Farm owned by Ernest Dodge” (305 Foster Rd)
Pg 39a para 1 – “Florance Coutant” (4839 Center Rd)
Pg 39-40 – “Nathaniel Ormsbee” (Farm at 2915 Center Rd)
Pg 40a para 1 “Old Badger Place” (765 Center Rd)
pg 40b Para 2 – “Owned by George Fitch” (450 Fitch Rd)
Pg 41a para 1 – “Gould Hill” (Gould Hill Rd/Sparrow Farm Rd area)
Pg 41b para 1 – “Sparrow Farm” (225 Sparrow Farm Rd)
Pg 41c para 2 – “Arthur Daggett” (139 Daggett Rd)
pg 41d para 2 – “Nathaniel Davis” (200 Hammett Hill Rd)
Pg 41 e para 2 – ” John Gray” (Right side Factory St just past Gray Rd intersection)
Pg 41e para 2 – Barnabas Hammett – (470 Hammett Hill Rd) present farm)
3. The Society of Friends Chapter
Pg 43a para 2 – “crude first meeting house” (east of 170 Cherry Tree Hill Rd on south side in dip)
Pg 43b para 1 – “Four Corners” (intersection Vincent Flats, Dodge & Putnam Rds)
pg 44 top – “Monument at former Bennett home” (east of 170 Cherry Tree Hill Rd on south side in dip)
Pg 44 para 2 – “Quaker Meeting House” (just south of Quaker/Cherry Tree Hill Rd intersection)
pg 49 para 1 – “Quaker Willow Farm” (downhill from Four Corners School near 1138 Snow Hill Rd)
pg 50a para 2 – “Stone from Quaker Meeting House doorway taken to Carl Hall Farm” (?)
pg 50b para 3 – “Cemetery” (just south of Quaker/Cherry Tree Hill Rd intersection on right in front of Tinkham Cemetery)
4. Two Meeting Houses
pg 53 -para 2 – “Old Meeting House” (1620 Center Rd)
pg 56 bottom – “Old Brick Church” (60 Church St)
5. The Public Guardian Chapter
pg 63 para 4a – “Newbury Rd” (near 170 Cherry Tree Hill Rd)
pg 63 para 4b – “Barre Country Club” (142 Drake Rd)
pg 64a para 1 – (Cate Farm – 135 Cate Farm Rd)
pg 64b – last par – “Clark Stevens place” (near 170 Cherry Tree Hill Rd)
pg 65 – para 1 – “Larned Coburn built covered bridge” (on Coburn Rd)
pg 68 – “Pound near Parley Davis house” – (1465 Center Rd)
pg 69a top – “Cate Cemetery” (on Cate Farm Rd)
pg 69b top – “Clark Cemetery” (Just south of 1350 Clark Rd near sharp turn)
pg 69b para 2 – “John Stevens Farm: Henry Brazier” (1990 Brazier Rd)
pg 70 para 1 – “Old Meeting House” (1620 Center Rd)
6. District Schools Chapter
Pg 71-72 – See Historic Sites of EM pamphlet for school locations
Pg 74 para 2 – “Mary Daggett” (probably Daggett Rd)
Pg 77 para 1 – “Masonic Temple” (156 Main St on the roundabout)
7. Self Sufficiency Chapter
pg 79a – Lemuel Brooks sold his Potash operation on County Rd to Andrew Dodge
pg 79b – Davis & Pratt’s store (part of mill?)
pg 79c – Ruth Paine who lived in the Center (Beers shows MK Paine on Bliss)
pg 80 para 4 – Colonel Lamb’s oil mill
pg 83 para 3 – James Allen’s farm on Coburn Rd
Pg 84a – Ormsbee Picture was Elisha Gove (2305 Center Rd)
pg 84b para 2 – William Tuthill home in the Center
pg 84c para 2 – Thomas Brooks Farm now Harry Morse’s (918 County Rd)
pg 85a para 1 – Parley Davis Mill on Bennett Brook – (brook crosses under Center Rd south of Dodge Rd intersection. Dam was on north side of Center Rd)
pg 85b para 1 – “Parley’s last Mill” ( same location as above?)
pg 85c para 3 – “Daggett’s Mills”( where)
pg 85d para 4 – “Stephen Foster sawmill” (brook goes under Foster Rd just across from 945 Putnam Rd)
pg 85e para 4 – “Joseph Batchelder Slayton mill” (Now Horn of the Moon Pond. Mill what near 340 Sanders Circle)
pg 85f para 4 – “Elias Metcalf Mill” ( 3 places where brooks are? )
pg 86a para 1 – “Samuel Rich Mill” (at Corner of Route 14 and Factory St)
pg 86b para 2 – “Nathaniel Davis Sawmill up the hill” ( Brook crosses under Rte 14 just north of Hammett Rd/Rte 14 intersection. Sawmill was on east side of road)
pg 87a para 4 – “Russell Brook on Horn of the Moon”
pg 87b para 4 – “Shop Bennett Brook” – (brook crosses under Center Rd just south of Dodge Rd intersection. Dam was on north side of Center Rd)
pg 87c – Samuel Rich Brickyard
pg 87d – “Larned Coburn made bricks” (1085 Coburn Rd just east of the Coburn Bridge)
pg 88a – “Truman Kelton brick house picture” (1265 Kelton Rd)
pg 88b – “Joel T White sawmill below Templeton” (just east of Templeton/Center/Lyle Young intersection)
pg 88c – para 1 – “John Holden House” (630 Templeton Rd east of the town garage)
pg 88d – para 3 – “Elihu Taber cabinet shop” (across from 140 Snow Hill Rd)
pg 90a para 1 – “Nathaniel Davis House” (200 Hammett Hill Rd)
pg 90b para 1 – Sylvanus Morse store near County Rd (near Horn of Moon?)
pg 90c para 2 “David Robinson store near Parley Davis Sawmill” (near intersection of Center Rd/Dodge Rd)
pg 91a para 1 – Davis & Pratt store, was Samuel Rich store, torn down with Mill?
pg 92a top – “Moses & Rich store” white building still standing” (3065 VT-14)
pg 92b para 2 – Merrill & Williams in E Village Bldg ( where gambrel style house at 2875 Rt 2 now stands)
8. Way of Life Chapter
pg 93a para 1 – Benjamin Phinney house (840 Sibley Rd)
pg 93b para 2 – Penniman house (1370 Center Rd – corner of Bliss Rd)
pg 93c para 3 – Nathaniel Davis farm (near 200 Hammett Hill Rd)
pg 94a para 2 – farm was owned by Hammett family (near 200 Hammett Hill Rd)
pg 94b para 3 – Hezekiah Davis House on East Hill (88 Banfield Rd)
Pg 94c para 4 – Samuel Rich’s house (2850 Vt Rte 14 N)
pg 97a para 2 – Joel Bassett home now owned by Freda Battles (2537 VT Rte 2 (long owned by Maurice and Barbara Brown)
pg 97b para 3 – Jerahmel Wheeler’s belonging to Heitmann (1105 Gallison Hill Rd)
Pg 97c para 4 – In 1842 Addison Peck built brick house at 4264 Center Rd across the street from his father’s house, still standing at 4299 Center Rd
pg 101 para 3 – in 1814 Jonathan Snow… the present Anspach place (140 Snow Hill Rd)
pg 101 para 4 – Samuel Rich’s (2850 Vt Rte 14 N)
pg 102a para 1 – Merrill Williams had first tavern, post office & store 1820s. In 1844 leased to Rensselear Hammett. Bldg was where the house at 2875 Rt 2 now stands.
pg 102a para 3 – “near Morse School” (3843 County Rd)
pg 102b para 4 – “Bradford Lane house” (house/barns – 805 Horn of the Moon Rd)
pg 102c para 4 – “Parley Davis home” (house at 1465 Center Rd)
pg 103a para 4 – “Nathaniel Davis’s house” (Near 200 Hammett Hill Rd)
pg 104a para 3 – “Mahlon Cotrill’s hotel”
pg 104b para 5 – “Merrill William’s Hall East Village Bldg” (where house at 2875 Rt 2 now stands)
pg 105a – “Hammett’s Hall East Village” (South side of Rte 2?)
pg 107a para 3 – “Boyden Homestead” (765 Center Rd)
pg 107b para 4 – “Dr Philip Vincent” (435 Vincent Flats rd – cape just south of school ball fields)