Vergennes Historic Walking Tour 2024 - Manual / Resource - Page 23
34
BENTON CO. FACTORY AND OFFICE
300 Main Street
The falls on the Otter Creek provided water power for a host of small
industries including this site on the north side of the bridge. In the late
1800s, it was home to the Hayes, Falardo & Parker Co. that made
window sashes. After the factory burned, Leicester F. Benton, a
teacher and entrepreneur, bought the site and a small Italianate
office building by the bridge. In 1906, he built a two-story brick factory
building for L.F. Benton Co., which became known for its high-quality
spark plugs. In the 1930s, L.F. Benton Co. added aircraft plugs to its
product line and in the 1940s, Simmonds purchased the company and
introduced electro mechanical assembly. Before too long Simmonds
outgrew the factory and built a new manufacturing plant on Panton
Road in 1952, but continued to also operate at this site until 1990
(now Collins Aerospace). Benton family members currently operate
Benton Real Estate Appraisers in the front of the brick building. The
rest of the factory structure has been remodeled into apartments.
35
BRIDGE OVER OTTER CREEK
Main Street
In 1785, the Vermont Legislature imposed a tax on nearby New Haven to build a bridge at the head of
the falls on the Otter Creek, the longest river within the state. New Haven’s boundary extended to the
falls at that time as the city of Vergennes did not exist. The bridge was built in 1786 and with ongoing
maintenance, soon became financially taxing to residents. In 1800, taxpayers spent $13 for four trestles
under the bridge, a new support piece and 800 feet of planking. Another bridge built in 1818 was
undermined by floods in 1830. A vigorous debate followed the flood with residents weighing whether to
repair the bridge, build new or rely on a ferry. Residents chose in 1832 to build a new bridge. The city
built the current bridge in 1934 and reconstructed it in 1969.
36
HYDROELECTRIC POWER HOUSES
East and West Banks of Otter Creek
The Vergennes Electric Co., also known as Vergennes Power Co.,
began generating electricity using hydropower equipment at the falls
on Otter Creek in 1893. It produced enough to light the city’s streets. In
1910, the board of directors of Burlington Traction Co., which ran the
electric streetcars in Burlington, bought the water rights on the
western bank of Otter Creek and built the brick generating facility to
provide power for its streetcars. When buses replaced streetcars in the
late 1920s, the power was available for other uses. A second power
house was constructed in 1943 on the eastern side of Otter Creek.
Both generating facilities are now owned by Green Mountain Power
Corp. Together they produce enough power for 1,200 homes.
