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Otter Creek, 31 miles S. W. from Montpelier,
and 33 S. S. E. from Burlington. The fathers
of this town were Colonel John Chipman and
the Hon. Gamaliel Painter, who came here
and settled in 1773. The settlement advanced
but slowly until after the revolutionary -war ; it
then began to increase, and is now one of the
most important towns in the state. In 1791 it
became the shire town of the county, and in 1800
Middlebury College was founded here. See Col-
leges. The surface of the town is generally
level. Chipman's Hill, 439 feet above Otter
Creek, is the highest elevation. The soil is fer-
tile and productive, and furnishes large quanti-
ties of wool, beef, pork, butter, and cheese. The
town is admirably watered by Otter Creek and
Middlebury River. At the falls on Otter Creek,
the site of this flourishing village, are extensive
manufacturing establishments ; and large quanti-
ties of white and variegated marble, with which
the town abounds, are sawed and polished for
various uses, and transported to market.
Middlebury is well built, on ground ascending
gradually each way from the creek, and present-
ing many eligible sites for the location of dwell-
ings and public buildings. There are five or six
churches of different denominations; also one
or two flourishing academies. The Rutland and
Burlington Railroad passes through Middlebury,
and connects it with all the other great routes, N.,
S., and E.
Middle, N. Jn Cape May co. Bounded E. by
the Atlantic Ocean, W. by Delaware Bay, and is
drained by Goshen, Dyer's, Green, and Fishing
Creeks, which empty into Delaware Bay. Here-
ford Inlet also extends from the Atlantic in-
land 4 miles. Surface level and marshy; soil
sandy.
Middlefield, Ms., Hampshire co. Previous to
1783, this town was a part of Worthington and
Other towns. The features of this town are bold
and rough, but the soil is strong and well adapt-
ed for grazing. The town is well watered by a
number of the upper branches of the W. branch
of Westfield River. 135 miles W. from Boston,
and 16 from Pittsfield.
Middlefield, N. Y., Otsego co. Watered on the
W. by Otsego Lake and its outlet, and on the E.
by Cherry Valley Creek. It is a hilly town,
with a soil of sandy, calcareous loam. 3 miles
E. from Cooperstown, and 59 W. from Albany.
Middle Haddam, Ct. In the town of Chatham,
Middlesex co., on the E. side of Connecticut
River. 21 miles S. S. E. from Hartford.
Middle Paxton, Pa., Dauphin co. Drained by
Fishing, Stony, and Clark's Creeks. Surface
mountainous; soil gravel. 9 miles N. E. from
Harrisburg.
Middleport, c. h. Iroquois co. 192 miles N. E.
of Springfield.
Middlesex County, Ct., Middletown and Haddam,
shire towns. This county is bounded N. by Hart-
ford co., E. by Hartford and New London coun-
ties, S. by Long Island Sound, and W. by New
Haven co. The general surface of the county is
uneven. The soil is generally good, particularly
adjacent to Connecticut River. There are many
small streams which afford mill privileges, fertil-
izing the soil and giving beauty to the county.
The waters of the Connecticut afford it an im-
portant business in navigation, especially in the
coasting trade. |
Middlesex County, Ms., Concord, Cambridge,
and Lowell, shire towns. Surface uneven,
growing hilly on the W.; soil various, though
generally light. Highly cultivated. The Mer-
rimac enters the N. E. border, by the afflu-
ents of which, including the Nashua and Con-
cord Rivers, the county is crossed from S- W. to
N. E. In the S. E. is the Charles River, flowing
into Boston Harbor. The Maine, Lowell, Fitch-
burg, and Worcester Railroads, with their branch-
es, afford easy communication with Boston. This
county abounds with manufacturing establish-
ments.
Middlesex County, N. J., c. h. at New Bruns-
wick. Bounded N. by Essex co., E. by Staten
Island and Sound, and Monmouth co., S. by
Monmouth and Mercer counties, and W. by
Somerset co. Drained by Raritan River and its
branches, Millstone and Rahway Rivers. Rari-
tan Bay, in the E. part, forms a fine harbor,
communicating with the ocean and with Staten
Island Sound. Surface level in the S. E., and
undulating in the N. and N. E.; soil diversified,
being very fertile in some parts.
Middlesex, N. Y., Yates co. Bounded on the
W. by Canandaigua Lake, and drained by West
Creek. Surface somewhat hilly; soil very rich
gravelly loam. 12 miles W. from Penn Yann,
and 194 from Albany.
Middlesex, Vt., Washington co. The S. part
of Middlesex is watered by Winooski River,
which furnishes here one of the best stands for
mills in the county. The N. branch of this river
runs across the N. E. corner of the town. Mid-
dlesex is uneven, but the only mountain of con-
sequence lies along the line between the town and
Waterbury, and is called the Hogback. The
timber is such as is common to the mountain
towns, and the soil generally good. The chan-
nel worn through the rocks by Winooski River,
between this township and Moretown, is a con-
siderable curiosity. On the bank of the Winooski
River, at the falls, near the middle of the S. line
of Middlesex, is a flourishing village. Mr.
Thomas Mead was the first settler. He began
improvement, in 1781 or '82, and the next year
moved his family here from Chelmsford, Ms.
6 miles N. W. from Montpelier. The ■ Cen-
tral Railroad passes through the town.
Middlesex County, Va., c. h. at Urbanna
Bounded N. E. and E. by the Rappahannock
River, separating it from Lancaster co., S. E. by
Chesapeake Bay, and S. and W. by Piankatank
River, separating it from Matthews, Gloucester,
and King and Queen counties, and N. W. by
Essex co.
Middletown, Ct. City, port of entry, and half
shire town of Middlesex co., lies on the W. bank
of Connecticut River. 14 miles S. from Hartford,
and 24 miles N. E. from New Haven. The town
ship was originally about 9 miles N. and S..
varying from 4 to 10 miles E. and W., and em
bracing four parishes ; but that part of the town
formerly known as Upper Middletown, has recent-
ly been constituted a distinct township, by the
name of Cromwell. The soil of Middletown,,
which rests on a base of secondary red sand
stone, is generally good ; and the surface is undu-
lating, and in many parts highly picturesque.
There are fine meadows, on a considerable stream
entering the river N. of the city, which contain
about 650 acres. On this and other streams
there are several manufacturing establishments;
among which are two or three, on a large scale, |
