The town of Colchester is dominated by three mountains in the center of the township; Baxter Mountain, Campbell Mountain and Brock Mountain. To the west, Bear Spring Mountain forms the barrier between Colchester and Walton and Houck Mountain in the southwest divides Colchester from Hancock.
The earliest recorded settler was Timothy Gregory who built a log house on the river flats in Colchester in 1776. Other early settlers were Frederick Miller who lived farther upriver from Timothy Gregory, Daniel Parrish near the mouth of Cole’s Clove, Russell Gregory below Brock’s Bridge on the east side of the river and William Rose on the west side of the river below Downsville near Rock Eddy. Thomas and John Gregory, James and S. Shaver, Silas Bowker, Peter, Harry and Hekemiah Avery and Jacob Barnhart were also recorded to have lived in Colchester before the Revolutionary War.
Bluestone Country
Learn more about Colchester’s historic stone mining industry, documented by Jake Homovich. To see more of his work check out jbhphoto.org