Harbour

Vergennes City Docks

Name: Vergennes City Docks
Address: US

2.9United StatesNew England

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Type: Harbour

Municipal docks on Otter Creek at Vergennes, Vermont, reached from Lake Champlain about seven miles up the creek below the falls.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

From the lake, follow Otter Creek roughly seven miles upstream to the basin below Vergennes Falls. There are two options on arrival: south side dockage at Falls Park, which is deeper, and the north side at MacDonough Park, which has more length and lies closer to town.

Practical

First-come, first-served dockage with eight power outlets and six water connections, for a small donation. Stays are capped at 48 hours. Shops and restaurants of the historic downtown are a short walk up the gateway stairs from MacDonough Park.

History

In the winter of 1813 to 1814, Commodore Thomas MacDonough expanded a commercial shipyard below the falls here. Shipbuilder Noah Brown brought over 100 shipwrights, who built the corvette Saratoga in 40 days plus the brig Eagle, the schooner Ticonderoga and six row galleys. That fleet defeated the British at the Battle of Plattsburgh on 11 September 1814.