Editing Shelburne, Vermont (section)

==History==
Shelburne was chartered by [[New Hampshire]], August 18, 1763, to Jesse Hallock and 64 associates by governor [[Benning Wentworth]]. The name "Shelburne" or "Shelburn" was chosen to honor [[William Petty, 2nd Earl of Shelburne]], a celebrated nobleman of the [[British parliament]] and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]]. According to the charter, the town was to have an area of {{convert|23500|acre|km2|1}}, or a tract a little over {{convert|6|sqmi|km2|1}}, but owing to a blunder on the part of the surveyors, it was shorn of a large portion of its possessions.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

From the beginning, Shelburne's economy was based on farming. With the clearing of land and burning of logs the town experienced a [[potash]] boom. A carding and [[fulling mill]], a [[gristmill]], a [[sawmill]], and a [[blacksmith]] shop were erected on the La Platte River at Shelburne Falls. In 1811, a few [[Merino sheep]] imported from [[Spain]] led to an upsurge in sheep raising. Orchards and fruit growing became a major source of income for the farmers, with some 17,740 trees in 1880. Following the [[War of 1812]], commerce on the lake expanded rapidly.{{Citation needed|date=June 2010}}

The [[Lake Champlain Transportation Company]] established its shipyard at Shelburne Harbor and launched its first steamboat, the ''General Green,'' in 1825; this was followed by ten others before the [[Ticonderoga (steamboat)|''Ticonderoga'']] in 1906. In 1955, the ''Ticonderoga'' was moved overland to the [[Shelburne Museum]], where it is now on display.<ref>[http://www.shelburnemuseum.org/collections/detail.php?id=8] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091205074708/http://www.shelburnemuseum.org/collections/detail.php?id=8|date=December 5, 2009}}</ref>