The Poultney River is a river in southwestern

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

and eastern New York. In its 40-mile long course, the river drains approximately 263 square miles as it flows northwards into the southern end of

Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; french: Lac Champlain) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the US states of New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. The New York portion of t ...

Course

The Poultney River's origin is from a mountain spring in the town of Tinmouth, VT. From here, it flows through the towns of Middletown Springs and Poultney, after which it begins to form the Vermont-New York border, beginning at the Poultney (VT)/

Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia *Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria Canada * Hampton, New Brunswick *Ha ...

(NY) town lines. Along this border, the river travels through the towns of Fair Haven, VT; West Haven, VT; and Whitehall, NY. On the West Haven/Whitehall border, the river enters Lake Champlain.Vermont Agency of Natural Resources Management Plan: Lower Poultney River. ''Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation; The Lower Poultney River Citizens Commission.'' August 1992. https://anrweb.vt.gov/PubDocs/DEC/WSMD/mapp/docs/mp_ORW-LowerPoultneyRiverMgmtPlan_August1992.pdf

Tributaries

For most of its course, the Poultney River is fed by a series of small brooks. It is not until it approaches the towns of Fair Haven and West Haven that more substantial waterbodies feed into the river. In Fair Haven, the Castleton River has its confluence with the Poultney. Approximately five miles downstream, the Hubbardton River also flows into the Poultney.

History

Revolutionary War

In 1901, a civil engineer constructing a hydroelectric dam on the river discovered the hull of a Revolutionary War-era vessel, just below Carver's Falls. After temporarily diverting the river, his crew excavated the ship, discovering within it an iron chest containing English gold sovereigns.

War of 1812

In addition the sunken, Revolutionary War sloop, there are several other historical vessels that have found their way to the bottom of the Poultney River. At the end of the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

, a combination of US Navy and captured British Navy ships which had survived the Battle of Plattsburgh were placed in Whitehall, NY, out of service. After several years of disuse their condition had deteriorated and, in 1820, they were floated into the Poultney River where they were allowed to sink. In 1825 many of the ships were sold, though already sunken, to salvagers. The largest of these ships were the frigate '' HMS Confiance'', the schooner '' USS Ticonderoga,'' the brig ''Eagle'', the brig '' HMS Linnet,'' and the '' USS Saratoga''. Of these ships, the ''Ticonderoga, Eagle,'' and ''Linnet'' have been the target of archaeological study and excavation attempts. The ''Ticonderoga'' was excavated with great success in 1958 and its remains were stored in the Skenesborough Museum in Whitehall. The ''Eagle'', left relatively intact, was surveyed by marine archaeologists in 1983 in such detail that they were able to reconstruct it in its entirety. The ''Linnet'', however, had been partially pulled out of the river in 1949 by local residents. In the process, the hull split in half and what was not brought ashore disappeared downstream, only to be rediscovered and surveyed by archaeologists in 1981. Due to the deteriorated nature of this wreck, only partial drawings and reconstructions of the ''Linnet'' were possible. It remains in the river to this day.

References