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Subject: Fayston, VT- Fay Family owners of the Catamount Tavern & Green Mtn Boys
Date: Thu, 6 Oct 2005 18:53:42 EDT

As indicated earlier, Fayston was named after the Fay family, who had owned
and operated the Catamount Tavern in Bennington.

The tavern was the headquarters for the Green Mountain Boys in the years
before Vermont became a state and before the nation’s declaration of independence.

Five of Fay’s seven sons fought in the Battle of Bennington, and his son,
John, was the first casualty. Another son, Jonas Fay, was the physician for the
Green Mountain Boys. Another son, Joseph, was clerk for the Governor’s Council,
a 15-member body that advised the Governor. In 1836, the Governor’s Council
was abolished and the Vermont Senate created. It was also Joseph Fay who, with
Ethan Allen, represented the Republic of Vermont before the Continental
Congress and later to the United States Congress to argue for Vermont’s admission to
the Union.

There are two important streams in Fayston, Mill and Shepard Brooks. Mill
Brook received its name because it furnished power for a gristmill. Shepard Brook
received its name from a hunter who trapped beavers.

Most of the mountain peaks on the western side of Fayston are approximately
3,000 feet. Dana Mill was named for the saw mill on Mill Brook, and Stark
Mountain was named for General John Stark, whose leadership was crucial in the
Battle of Bennington. The Battle of Bennington was the beginning of the Battle of
Saratoga, which was the turning point of the Revolutionary War.



Zadok Thompson on Fayston

Zadok Thompson’s A Gazeteer of the State of Vermont was first published in
1824. Updated in 1842, it contains a brief description of each organized town in
the state. Here’s some of what Zadock wrote about Fayston:

In 1800 there were 18 persons in town. The land is elevated, lying in large
swells. It is principally timbered with hard wood, and the soil is fertile,
producing good crops of grain and grass. Two streams, head branches of Mad river,
pass through the town, which are sufficient for mills, and four saw mills
have been erected.

http://www.vt-world.com/Archive/2002/November_27_2002/Features.htm

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