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Concord, Vermont - Business
courtesy of the Center For Rural Studies
Business
In 1866 a woolen mill was built in West Concord (now Concord) to make fine white cloth and later, fancy cashmeres. In 1870 there were fifty women employed making knit jackets. The mill burned in 1872.
1900 saw the beginning of the granite industry in Concord. At one time there were four granite companies. Three granite sheds and a lumber mill were still in operation in 1937, but the largest business in town at that time was the New England Dairies Creamery which processed 70,000 pounds of milk each day. The creamery closed in the 1950s. The buildings were used by the Atlas Foundry Company, which employed 31 men until 1969 making brass fittings and aluminum castings.
In North Concord croquet sets were made at the Phelps Mill, and C. H. Dudley set up a steam sawmill in 1870 at the base of Miles Mountain. Fifteen Victory and Granby lumber mills brought their lumber to North Concord for shipping on the railroad.
In the extreme east of town, in an area called Russell Hollow, O. F. Russell was milling clapboards and lath boards and expanded to produce chairs and to operate a gristmill. In 1971 the Russell brothers were turning out 20,000 feet of lumber daily.
Railroads
By 1869 businesses were locating in Concord anticipating the opening of the railroad. The Union Block building was built in 1871; then in 1872 the first train ran of the Portland and Ogdensburg Railroad. In 1912, the Main Central Railroad took over the line. Between November 1, 1903 and March 15, 1904, 705 cars were loaded and shipped from the West Concord Station (Concord). The last passenger train was in 1958. Railroad depots were also built in East Concord in 1871 and in North Concord in 1877. Fires and railroad debt slowed growth in more recent times.
Municipal Buildings
Concord obtained its first fire truck in 1941.
The original Town Hall was built in 1859, rebuilt after a fire in 1906. The Village Choir and the Concord Military Band played for the opening of the new building. The Odd Fellows paid for the second floor, which was used for meetings and events for many town organizations. The clock tower and first floor was paid for by taxes and is used as the social and civic center of the Town, holding town and village meetings, graduations, dances, parties, plays, receptions, and basketball games. Harvey Judevine paid for the clock.
Note: This series is available courtesy of the Center For Rural Studies, a nonprofit, fee-for-service research organization which addresses social, economic, and resource-based problems of rural people and communities. We would like to thank them for the use of this information and would like to refer you to crs@uvm.edu for additional info or comments.
