Stephen Bates, born enslaved on Virginia’s Shirley Plantation in 1842, escaped in 1862 and after the Civil War came north to Vergennes with U.S. Congressman Frederick E. Woodbridge. First elected sheriff in 1879, he served with distinction almost continuously for 25 years until his death in 1907, and he was also appointed chief of police. When fire damaged his family home on North Street, Vergennes citizens rallied around him with financial assistance. A respected city official and member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, he was a familiar sight in the community and was buried in Prospect Cemetery.