West Pawlet

West Pawlet. Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail. , West Pawlett was originally known as “Mark's Corners.“ Possibly named after Ira Marks ran a starch factory on Indian River in 1843. This intersection was the center of activity in the town of Pawlet during the second half of the 19th century, hosting the railroad beginning in 1851., The sheep craze had started in 1809 when William Jarvis sent a flock of Merino sheep to Vermont. By 1812, prompted by British tariffs on wool during the War of 18 12, West Pawlett had a woolen mill to manufacture cloth and a fulling mill to clean and tighten the weave. West Pawlet had a fulling mill and woolen factory by 1812, prompted by the British tariffs on wool during the War of 18 12. After the war, the tariffs were lifted and the wool economy collapsed in Vermont, closing the woolen mills in West Pawlet., The first cheese factory in Vermont was built south of West Pawlet in 1864 by Consider Bardwell, taking advantage of the nearby depot to ship cheese. Bardwell was also one of the first to establish a quarry that was worked by two Welshmen from Granville beginning in 1864. The major slate company, was the Rising and Nelson operation that dominated the landscape of West Pawlet, A disastrous fire in 1896 destroyed most of the commercial buildings at the intersection. One of those was the Layden and Burdick building drugstore with a family livings on the second floor, where the fire is thought to have started. At least eight buildings burned down in that small commercial area, and all but one was on the east side of the rail trail. The railroad continued to boost the economy of West Pawlet, providing shipping for the slate industry and other businesses such as an automobile dealer operating out of the concrete garage constructed in 1920 on the opposite side of the tracks from the business blocks., Although an elaborate railroad station was constructed c. 1905, the early 20th-century coming of the automobile brought competition that railroads never recovered from., Photo Captions: , (Above Far Left ) 1891 Burleigh birdseye view of West Pawlet Village (courtesy of the Pawlet Historical Society), (Center Top ) Group in front of Layden and Burdick Store, c. 1905. Note Paine's Celery Compound sign that is still visible ( courtesy of the Pawlet Historical Society), (Center Bottom) West Pawlet Railroad Station, c. 1910 ( courtesy of the Pawlet Historical Society), (Far Right) West Pawlet, c. 1910 (courtesy of the Pawlet Historical Society)