During the demolition and construction process, part of a stone foundation was discovered next to a pillar from the old bridge, which is potentially thought to be from an old French fort built in 1731. The foundation is about a foot and a half from the side of a pillar on the Vermont shore.
When the old bridge was built in 1928/29, workers reported seeing the old fort's stone foundation near the first concrete bridge pier on the Vermont side."
The history of this fort has been well-published over the years; for example, "In 1690, the British governor of New York, Francis Nicholson (1655-1728) sent Captain Jacobus du Warm, a Dutchman from Albany north to what is now Chimney Point, Vermont, to watch the French on Lake Champlain and engage them as enemies if possible. It is thought he built, a small, temporary, stone defense, where he, 20 Mohawks, and 17 soldiers stayed for about a month.
In the late 1600s and early 1700s the English granted land tracts for development at the south end of the lake, but most early settlement was unsuccessful.
France and England signed the Treaty of Utrecht in 1711, settling many property and boundary issues in Europe and the "New World." In the Champlain Valley, the dividing line between English territory and New France was settled upon as Split Rock, near what is now Westport, New York, and Basin Harbor in Ferrisburgh, Vermont. Because waterways were the easiest route for travel, whoever controlled Lake Champlain controlled the region. In 1731, the French became concerned about English entering the lake for trade and control. That year they built, well to the south of Split Rock, a wooden stockade of posts (Fort de Pieux) on the bluff at Chimney Point, at one of the narrowest points on the lake. For the French this was the simplest way with limited resources to control the lake and keep out the English. The British were greatly angered, as they felt this violated the Treaty of Utrecht and also blocked their travel on Lake Champlain north to Canada.
The stockade fort at Chimney Point measured about 100 feet by 100 feet. It had chambers for the commandant, a chaplain, and the guard - and a kitchen, bakery and storehouse. There was room for 30 soldiers." (Historic Sites Vermont)
Remains of Circa 1731 French Fort
Artist Sketch of Circa 1731 French Fort in Chimney Point, VT
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Photo Courtesy: Vermont Agency of Transportation and Artist Len Tantillo
Stone Foundation was Found Near this Concrete Pillar in Chimney Point, VT
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Photo Courtesy: Vermont Agency of Transportation
However, this was not the only potential archaeological discovery that was identified when construction crews were engaged with the bridge work in Chimney Point; whereas, archaeologists from Vermont also located the remains of a nearby red earthenware pottery that was operated by Moses Bradley (1765-1826) in the 1790s. Bradley is regarded today as one of the first red earthenware potters to work in Vermont before 1800, where many of these late-eighteenth century potters also possessed a training from Essex County, Massachusetts.
Massachusetts author, Lura Woodside Watkins wrote about Bradley when she published 'Early New England Potters and Their Wares' in 1950 -- "Moses Bradley traveled from Haverhill, Massachusetts to Chimney Point in Adddison County in Vermont in 1790. After a residency of seven years, Bradley, with his family moved east to Windsor, Vermont, where they continued to produce red earthenware well into the 1800s."
From what I have read, Bradley dug his own clay from the local riverbanks while he operated in Chimney Point that he later used to produce pottery, which was sold locally, but it may have been shipped to other locations along Lake Champlain, as well. Archaeologists reportedly recovered kiln bricks, wasters and kiln furniture at this site, where these artifacts certainly indicate the remains of a pottery. It was also reported that Bradley likely made the typical forms, such as mugs, creams pots, jugs, pitchers, milk pans, vases and other objects. This production is likely based on what is known about Bradley's later production after 1797.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any red earthenware that is properly attributed today to Bradley's circa 1790-1797 production. But I also have little doubt that some of this production from this period survives; although, it may appear similar to wares that were made in Essex County, Massachusetts in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.
Note: Nevertheless, there is also a lot yet to be learned about the red earthenware made in Vermont in the 1790s and 1800s. Bradley's business is just one example of the type of production that has been somewhat forgotten in Vermont today. There were many small businesses in Vermont, which likely operated similar to some of the smaller potteries in New Hampshire and Maine. However the Farrar family is what is most known today for the red earthenware that was produced in Vermont, but there were many more potteries, who's production is not defined - and, the stoneware industry in Vermont has overshadowed much of this production for most of the research that has taken place in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
Moses Bradley Pottery, Circa 1790-1797
Moses Bradley Pottery in Chimney Point, VT, Circa 1790-1797
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Photo Courtesy: Vermont Business Registry
Please Stay Tuned...Much More to Come...
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