Colonel Joseph Whipple, the father of Jefferson, applied for an innkeeper’s license soon after settling in the Meadows in 1772 (the broad intervale area on both sides of Route 115A) and opened his doors to provide shelter and refreshment to any who might happen along. Colonel Whipple steadily improved the settlement by building bridges, roads, mills, and selling property for more farms. Agriculture and lumbering and the making of potash, charcoal and starch were the area’s first industries.
Whipple built a grist mill to grind meal from the local wheat, corn and rye, but the closest flour mill was many miles away.
Learn more about Colonel Whipple at nearby cache sites Whipple #1, #2, #3, #5, #6, #7 and #8.