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Castleton was chartered in 1761.
The charter for 36 square miles of land was granted by Gov. Benning Wentworth of New
Hampshire and divided the land into 70 "rights" or "shares". Governor
Wentworth retained ownership of two shares and several others were given for churches and
a school. In the spring of 1767 Col. Amos Bird and Col. Noah Lee arrived for the first
time in Castleton from Salisbury, CT. and were its first settlers. Castleton's favorite
landmark, Bird Mountain, is named for Col. Bird. He had acquired 40 shares of land when
the town was chartered and built a permanent home here in the summer of 1769. Three
families had settled in Castleton by 1770. More settlers followed and by 1777 the town
consisted of 17 families. (to read more, click the "General Information"
button at the left. |
