1780-1789

1780

Phineas Parkhurst of Royalton, Vt., wounded in an Indian raid there in 1780, rode horseback to Lebanon to warn the valley of possible attack, and to have his wound treated by Dr. Hall. He studied under Dr. Hall and became a physician and prominent citizen here.

Ichabod Packard moved to Lebanon in 1780 and built a sawmill and gristmill on the Mascoma below Hardy Hill Rd. Lumber was needed in the thriving Hardy Hill neighborhood, which had more residents at that time than the center village. (F-1)

1781

Lebanon’s first town pound was built on the King’s Highway between Farnam Hill and Storrs Hill. Stray cattle, horses, hogs and other animals were impounded here and their owners were required to pay the pound keeper for their release. (I-7)

1783

Aaron Hutchinson came to Lebanon about 1783, the town’s first lawyer and one of only two or three in Grafton County. He was a graduate of Harvard and a courtly gentleman who wore knee breeches and ruffled shirts. He resided in Lebanon until his death at 89.

1787

William Dana passed through this region in 1758 after the Battle of Louisburg, and came to settle here in 1763. Dana’s Tavern, built in 1787 in West Lebanon, was one of the town’s first public houses and it prospered for 150 years under a number of owners. (G-2)

1789

Nail making was a vital industry in a growing town, and nail makers were paid a subsidy from 1786-1805. Daniel Robinson of Lebanon made 300,000 tenpenny nails between 1789-1791. The first nailmaking machine was invented in Bridgewater, Mass. in 1786.