Colonel John Chipman’s Barn

A portrait of John Chipman from Henry Sheldon’s portrait scrapbook.

Henry Sheldon’s second spindle in his Windsor chair was procured from the barn of Colonel John Chipman of Middlebury, Vermont. In large part, the significance of the spindle comes from the barn’s owner and his historical impact on the town of Middlebury. Colonel Chipman was born on October 22, 1744 in Salisbury, Connecticut. In the spring of 1766 at age 21, John Chipman set out for Vermont  along with fifteen other men from their homes in Salisbury in search of a homestead.[1] At that point, there wasn’t a single formally constructed house in all of Vermont. When Chipman arrived in the Middlebury area, he decided to stay and begin the process of building a home, while the remaining men pushed on to the area that is Vergennes today. Chipman spent his first summer in Vermont clearing 7-8 acres of land in Middlebury by hand.[2] When the fall of 1766 arrived and Chipman felt underprepared for the harsh Vermont winter, he proceeded to return to his home in Connecticut.[3] Seven years later, Chipman returned to Middlebury in the spring of 1773 to make a permanent home there and formally founded Middlebury, Vermont.[4] Chipman’s role in Middlebury’s history varied over his lifetime. He served as Sheriff of the county from 1789-1801, all the while acting as moderator at town meetings.[5]

At the start of the Revolutionary War, Chipman immediately dropped everything to fight against the British. Colonel Chipman volunteered for the Vermont-centered militia named the “Green Mountain Boys.”[6] The Green Mountain Boys were originally formed in present day Bennington, Vermont as an unofficial militia that was created to protect the property rights of those who were given land grants from New Hampshire.[7] The militia went on to play a significant role in fighting the British in the Revolutionary War. Due to their geographic location, they primarily fought on the Canadian front against British forces penetrating the border.[8] According to Jeremiah Colburn, a Boston-based numismatist, Chipman was designated first lieutenant in a new regiment created by Colonel Seth Warner. The regiment joined the rest of the forces at Ticonderoga in March of 1777.[9]

Chipman’s barn was actually involved in the Revolution as well. When the British came into Middlebury during the war, they attempted to burn down the barn.[10] They failed in their attempt because the wood was so newly-harvested that it was still green and would not combust. On top of the British attempting to burn the barn, a local Native American population tried to burn it down as well and also failed. Though Sheldon documented the Native American attempt in his journal of acquisitions, he gave no indication as to when they tried to destroy the barn. Even after the British and Native American attacks, Chipman’s barn outlived his life as he passed away in 1829 at the age of 85.[11] Henry Sheldon managed to procure a piece of the barn for his chair on January 19th, 1883.[12] Being the second spindle and thus the second relic featured, clearly Chipman’s legacy was very important to Sheldon and the rest of the Middlebury community.

Henry Sheldon was able to compile an impressive history of the town of Middlebury and was able to capture what happened throughout its early existence. It only makes sense that Sheldon would decide to include a relic from one of the town’s first free-standing buildings that was built by the founder of the town itself. Sheldon procured the relic of the barn from Peter Goodrich, who donated the sample on January 19, 1884, as recorded in Sheldon’s ledger.

Goodrich was a Vermont-born carpenter who lived from 1821-1892 when he passed away in Middlebury, VT.[13] The Chipman Barn spindle ties the significance of Sheldon’s relic chair back to the town of Middlebury itself in a profound way. Even though the barn currently does not stand, the inclusion of the spindle in Sheldon’s chair ensures the lasting legacy that Chipman had on Middlebury.

-Grayson W. Ahl ‘19.5

Footnotes

[1] Henry Sheldon, “Chipman Biography in Portrait Scrap Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[2] Jeremiah Colburn, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman,” Flag of our Union, June 13th, 1868.

[3] Henry Sheldon, “Chipman Biography in Face Scrap Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Samuel Swift, History of the town of Middlebury: In the county of Addison, Vermont (A.H. Copeland, 1859): 194.

[6] Jeremiah Colburn, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman,” Flag of our Union 23 (13 June 1868): 375.

[7] Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Green Mountain Boys,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed January 28th, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Mountain-Boys

[8]  Colburn, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman.”

[9] Ibid.

[10] Henry Sheldon, “Sheldon’s Log Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[11] Henry Sheldon, “Chipman Biography in Face Scrap Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[12] Ibid.

[13] “Peter Foster Goodrich.” Find a Grave, accessed January 23rd, 2018. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173458006.

Works Cited

“Green Mountain Boys,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed January 28th, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Mountain-Boys

“Peter Foster Goodrich.” Find a Grave, accessed January 23rd, 2018. https://www.findagra ve.com/memorial/173458006.

Swift, Samuel, “History of the town of Middlebury: In the county of Addison, Vermont.” Page 194. (A.H. Copeland, 1859), Ebook edition.

Colburn, Jeremiah, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman.” Flag of Our Union 23, no. 24 (13 Jun. 1868): 375.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.