Chittenden Mills Falls

The falls are directly beneath the Route 15 bridge, adjacent to the Old Red Mill in Jericho, just east of the town line between Essex and Jericho.The Browns River is a broad, meandering river that gently winds through a broad valley between the towns of Underhill and Jericho. In Jericho, it cuts through a gorge of heavily fractured schist in a series of drops spread out over a run of nearly 3/4 of a mile. The lowest series of falls is the site of Chittenden Mills.Chittenden Mills, known locally as the Old Red Mill was declared a National Historic Site in 1972. The plaque at the site reads, "Named for Thomas Chittenden, first governor of Vermont and great-great grandfather of Frank Howe. Frank and his father Lucien rebuilt this mill in 1885 changing from grinding with mill stones to the new gradual reduction roller process. Grain was shipped in on the B & L Railroad from the mid-west and the flour sold over a wide area of northern Vermont. The four Tyler turbines were powered by the Brown's River. The miller's house was built in 1859. Until 1929 a Town Lattice Truss covered bridge spanned the gorge on the site of the present footbridge." The western footings of the bridge partially collapsed after a boisterous flood. It has yet to be replaced.