Guildhall, the county seat of Essex county, lies in the southeastern part of the same, in lat. 44º 32' and long. 5º 18', and is bounded on the northeast by Maidstone, east by the Connecticut river, southwest by Lunenburgh, and northwest by Granby, containing an area of 19,477 acres. It was chartered by Governor Wentworth, of New Hampshire, October 10, 1761, to Elihu Hall and sixty-three others, residents of New Haven county and vicinity, in Connecticut. Their first proprietary meeting was held at New Haven on the last Wednesday of October, 1761. The first deed was given by John Blakeslee, Enos Todd, Giles Dayton, Samuel Mix, David Thorpe, Joshua Ray, Gershom Todd, Titus Tuttle and John McClure to John Hall, 5th, and dated November 2, 1761; the second, by Daniel Mackey to John Hall, 5th, dated November 6, 1761, but by whom the name of Guildhall was given to the town is not known. 

  On the plains and intervals of Guildhall the soil is fertile and is easily cultivated; on the hills, strong, and better adapted to grazing. Dairying, and stock raising is an important industry. The town is well watered. The stream formerly known as Spaulding brook rises in Granby, flows through Maidstone and thence through the southeast corner of Guildhall to the Connecticut. As the first mills were built upon this stream, the modern name of Mill stream is more appropriate. Burnside brook heads in Granby and turns just east of Burnside mountain or west of Hubbard hill, uniting with Mill stream.   Wallace brook drains the central, and Catspaw brook the western part of the town.  Cow mountain, in the western part of the town, received its name from the fact that a hermit negro, called “Old Bacchus,” who lived in this vicinity, appropriated to his own use another man’s cow, for which he suffered the dire consequences. The summit affords a fine prospect. 
 

(Source: Gazetteer of Caledonia and Essex Counties, VT.; 1764-1887, Compiled and Published by Hamilton Child; May 1887)