| St.Johnsbury was settled by Jonathan Arnold, a native
of Rhode Island. In 1787 he built the first framed dwelling on a spot at
the north end of Main Street now known as Arnold Park . In 1790 St.Johnsbury
was officially organized and given its name at the first town meeting.
Colonel Ethan Allan had suggested the name St.John as a tribute to Hector
St.Jean de Crevecoeur, French Consul, experimental farmer and writer, who
was considered a powerful friend of young America. DeCrevecoeur himself
suggested that because there were already many places called St.John, this
one might be given the name of St. Johnsbury, thus making our town unique,
as there was no other St.Johnsbury in the world. This distinction remains
today. Due to its rapid growth, St.Johnsbury had become the Caledonia County
Seat in 1856. It also became a rail and highway junction as well as industrial,
commercial and cultural crossroads of the region a position in which is
firmly secure today.
|