RUTLAND, a t. in central Vermont, chartered as Socialborough, 1772; incorporated 1847; capital of Rutland co. since 1781. In 1784-1804 it was one of the capitals cf the state; in the former year a state-house was erected, which is still standing. U. S. courts have been held here since 1791, the date of the admission of Vermont into the union. It was a frontier town during the revolutionary war, haVing two forts. It is very pleas antiv situated on Otter creek; about 6 m. sq.: pop. 'SO, 12,149. It is an the Rutland and Burlington railroad, the n. terminus of the Harlem Extension, and the e. terminus of the Rntland and Washington, and of the Rutland and Whitehall railroads, and the n.e. terminus of the Rensselaer and Saratoga. It is regularly built, with streets crossing each other at right angles, in a valley between the Green mountain range on the e. and Taconic range on the west. The fashionable watering-place of Clarendon Springs is 6 m. distant. It has many fine residences, 3 brick hotels, 11 churches, public schools, several private schools, the Rutland military institute, 2 Roman Catholic convents, 4 newspapers, 3 national banks with an aggregate capital of $1,000,000, a savings bank with deposits amounting to $650,000, and an efficient fire department. It contains 4
post-offices, Rutland, West Rutland, Centre Rutland, and Sutherland Falls. It has 4 public libraries, and a public reading-room. In the vicinity are extensive ledges of limestone, and the variety called Rutland marble, beds of which lie in the course of Otter creek, and were first quarried in 1830. At West Rutland quarries were opened in 183S, which since 1843 have become the center of the marble interest, and are principally owned by the Rutland Marble company. The business was started by William F. Barnes, who bought the ledges, now known to be of incalculable value, for a yoke of oxen. White marble is found as fine as Carrara, and variegated and brecciated marble. The 16 quarries now being worked employ 750 men; annual production, 2,500,000 sq.ft. of 2 in. marble, and large quantities are exported in blocks; other articles of export are wool, butter, cheese, and slate. Among the manufactures are the channelinn machines of the Steam-Cutter company, which have greatly facilitated the production of marble. It has 3 foundries.