In Times Past

Picture That! Photographers of the Upper Valley

2012-01-04T08:13:00.003-05:00

James A. Cutting, born in Hanover in 1814 and grew up in Haverhill. After moving

to Boston, he patiented the ambrotype, an advance in photography. The name of the style was taken from Cutting's middle name.

This hand-colored portrait is known as a carte-de-visite or CDV.

It was popular during the last half of the 19th century and was the

first photograph that could be reproduced in any number the

customer desired. (Bradford Historical Society)

E.H. Allen's Photographic Studio. This studio was located on the east side of Bradford's Main Street and was described by The United Opinon in 1895 as ranking among the best int he state. It housed Allen's photograph studio and "an extensive and beautiful line" of artist supplies. (Bradford Historical Society)
This cabinet photo was by Charles F. Bracy. He had studios at one time or another in Warren, Wells River, Woodsville and Fairlee with a career that lasted from at least 1877 to 1910. His elaborate advertisement appeared on the back of his formal portraits. (Bradford Historical Society)

Bradford's Railroad Photographer. This photograph of the Bradford station was taken around 1942 by Phillip Hastings. Over a 50-year period, Hastings became one of the nation's foremost railroad photographer, capturing the transiton of the industry from steam to diesel. (Bradford Historical Socielty)

Journal-Opinion December 28, 2011

Someone in your family probably has them. They are stored in a box or a timeworn album. They are photographs from which your ancestors look out in tones of black and white, sepia or even blue from times past. They depict infants, soldiers, new graduates, married couples or grim elders. They chronicle vacations, celebrations or family reunions. Some were taken by amateurs, others by professionals.

When they were taken, the family knew who and what was pictured. Now you know who they are only if someone bothered to write names and dates on the photographs. For the others, the people, times and places are lost to memory.

This column deals with the first century of professional photography in our area. It describes the advancements in photography from before the Civil War to the 1950’s.Included are the names and contributions of those professionals who worked in the area and those who had local connections, but made their reputations elsewhere.

The daguerreotype was introduced in 1839 and was the first widely used means of photography. It used a polished, silver-plated sheet of metal to produce a one-of-a-kind image directly from the camera. While it was replaced by less expensive methods, it fixed the idea of photography in the collective consciousness of Americans.

West Fairlee was the birthplace Albert Sands Southworth, one of the pioneers of American photography. That town’s historical society states that Southworth was born in 1811, grew up on Blood Brook Road and graduated from Bradford Academy. Although he left West Fairlee at the age of 18, he often returned to visit the family farm.

Southworth was fascinated by daguerreotypes and opened a studio in Massachusetts in 1840. He and his partner, Josiah Hawes, became recognized for their “aesthetic accomplishments and technical finesse.” Among the dignitaries who sat for them was John Quincy Adams, the first American President to be photographed. In 1862, the partnership was dissolved and Southworth became an independent photographer and lecturer. After he died, his remains were buried in the Blood Brook Cemetery.

One method that replaced the daguerreotype was the ambrotype. It was patented in July 1854 by daguerreian James A. Cutting of Boston. Cutting was born in Hanover in 1814. His family moved to Haverhill,where he lived into adulthood. Using the money from his invention of a new type of beehive, he moved to Boston and entered the photography business. The term ambrotype is based on Cutting’s middle name. It was an advance that gave multiple positives in a clear image and was presented as a matted and cased photograph. This method protected the image by sealing it between two pieces of glass. It had an advantage over earlier methods as could be viewed without holding it at a correct angle. It was also the first time that wet-late photography was used.

He sold his patient for the ambrotype for a reported $40,000, an enormous amount at the time. He then used his fortune to create one of Boston’s first aquariums and other places of entertainment. He also had a yacht which he called the Ambrotype. The report of his death in Connecticut’s Hartford Times in August 1867 mentioned that he died in an insane asylum. .

The popularity of the ambrotype was short lived, and it was replaced by tintypes, carte-de-visite’s or CDVs and cabinet cards. All three of these methods were introduced about the time of the Civil War and remained popular until the end of the 19th century.

The tintype was a single image produced on a thin iron plate, without the need for a negative. CDVs were mounted portraits, about the size of a calling card, thus their name. They were often hand colored. They could be easily reprinted to produce the number of copies desired by the customer. Images of some celebrities sold in large numbers.

Cabinet cards were larger than CDVs. Both types were pasted on cardboard or mounted in ornate cases made of leather over wood. A union case was two photos in the same case facing each other. With these advancements in photography, the general public came to realize it could have portraits made. Formerly that had been limited to the wealthy who could afford to hire painters.

E. H. Allen of Bradford was one of the first photographers in Vermont. He moved to Bradford in 1858 and set up a studio in the Hardy building near where Perry’s Oil Service is located today. He first produced daguerreotypes, but soon adopted the more popular ambrotypes and CDVs. His studio burned in the fire of 1883 and he relocated across the street. That studio also was destroyed by fire seven years later, but was rebuilt.

In 1895, The United Opinion ranked both the studio and the photographer as one of the best in the state. Allen died in 1917 and is buried in the Upper Plain Cemetery. Allen’s clear professional photographs of local scenes and individuals are a valuable tool for local historians.

One popular type of photograph that Allen apparently did not produce was stereograph. These featured two nearly identical images mounted side by side and when viewed through a special holder, provided a three-dimensional image. Both itinerate and local photographers specialized in this type of photograph. They were a widely popular form of entertainment in the late 19th century.

From 1875 to 1881, itinerant photographer was Carlyle Goodrich of Plainfield traveled through northern Vermont taking images of buildings and their inhabitants. A recent publication by Richard J. Petit on this photographer includes stereographs of several local towns. Petit writes “[Goodrich] captured the styles, dress, homes, livestock, and occasionally, significant family events of the era defined by his career.”

A local stereographic photographer was Amos F. Clough of Warren and Orford. As early as 1865, Clough had a studio on Main Street in Orford and began publishing local stereo cards. He is best known, however, for his winter landscape photographs. In the winter of 1869-70, he joined geologists on the top of Mt. Moosilauke and recorded the impact of the wind and temperature. The following winter, he joined a group on Mt. Washington in a similar project. He is described as “eminent in his profession” and “a true lover of nature and devotee of science.”

Daniel C. Chapman, another professional recognized for his photographs of natural phenomena, was born in South Corinth in 1826. In 1863, he began his photographic work in New York City. Over the next thirty years he gained “a world-wide reputation” for his experiments in the photographic process including making plates more sensitive and creating a device for making photographs to exact scale. Additionally, he is recalled for his photographs of phases of the sun and moon. He served as the chief photographer for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and the Bureau of Weights and Measures.

There were a number of contemporaries who provided professional local photographs in late 19th and early 20th century. Lucius L. Pollard was a traveling photographer and artist who had a studio on North Main Street in Haverhill from 1880 to 1885. He previously had studios in Waterbury and Springfield.

A photographer by the last name of Corliss produced photographs in both East Corinth and Newbury. It is possible it was Elizabeth Hunter Corliss who is listed in the Newbury history as a photographer around 1902. If so, she is the only local female photographer I found in that era.

The introduction of the Kodak camera in 1888 made the taking of photographs available to a larger number of people. They took pictures of almost every aspect of their lives, and Kodak did the developing and printing. New types of photographic film and papers were introduced and the practice of pasting photos to cardboard mounts was mostly dropped, although cardboard holders were used.

Around 1900, the “Real Photo” postcard was introduced, allowing both amateur and professional photographers to print pictures on cards that could be mailed. The golden era of post cards was in the period before World War I, and cards with pictures of individuals and local scenes were common.

Even with affordable cameras available, professional photographers continued to be important. W. D. Chandler of St. Albans, H. L. Bixby of Chelsea and R.M. McIntosh of Northfield were traveling photographers who visited this area. Photographs bearing their names are in the collections of the Bradford Historical Society.

The most accomplished photographer who traveled to our area was Clara Sipprell (1885-1975). Her life-time affiliation with Vermont began in 1915 when she was invited to photograph a catalog for Camp Hanoum in Thetford. Sipprell and her business partner rented a studio nearby and, until 1939 she came to Thetford off and on to photograph the Vermont landscape and its people.

In a 1988 Vermont History News article by Gisela Gamper, Sipprell is quoted: “In and around Thetford I think my best landscapes are made. My Vermont neighbors enriched my life by their friendliness…there is a magic of roots growing deep in this state which touches the whole world.”

Sipprell’s photographs exemplify the style known as photopictorialism. It involved the use of natural light and soft-focus lens as an artistic tool. Her works include portrait of many celebrities and contributions to well-known periodicals. In 1974, the State of Vermont honored Sipprell with the Governor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts, “recognizing her contributions to the history of photography with her luminous images in the pictorial aesthetic.” Her portraits are represented in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Important to the local historical record are photographs by Bracy and Adams. Charles F. Bracy worked in Warren in 1877, Wells River in 1886 and operated a studio and art store in Woodsville in 1890. It was said to, “compare favorably with any establishment in New England.” In 1910, he was advertised as being a partner with A. L. Adams of Fairlee. For the next decade or so, Adams took photographs that varied from local bands and farm workers to school photos.

Several photographers operated from studios in Woodsville. W. E. West had a studio in the Hotel Wentworth on Central Street in 1890, followed in 1894-96 by C. F. Bracy and J. J. Towle around 1900. H. C. Bailey opened a studio and art store in 1890 and was known in the state for his use of innovative techniques.

Silas Hobart operated a studio “specializing in photographs of all kinds” on School Street from 1914-1923. In 1925, E. McLeod Sipprell began to operate a studio on Central Street. Among his specialties were class pictures for local schools, and he was known as a “genial photographer.” In 1952, Sipprell’s studio was sold to Winthrop Klark, who, according to Blaisdell’s Haverhill history, had operated a studio in the Opera Block since 1948. It was later sold to George F. Scheller who operated the studio until 1960.

Bradford native Philip R Hastings (1925-1987) was one of America’s most gifted railroad photojournalists and is credited with inventing modern railroad photography. Born and raised within sight and sound of Bradford’s Boston and Maine station, he became a devoted railroad enthusiast. Beginning at the age of 12 and using a box camera, he began a life-long interest in railroad photography. It was in Bradford that Hastings began capturing in photographs the ritual that was the railroad industry, including both the equipment and the people in the railroading community.

His early mentor was Burnside Hooker, Bradford’s long-time station master. Railroad enthusiasts readily recognize the contributions Hastings made to capturing the soul of railroading, especially as it transitioned from steam to diesel. He contributed many illustrated articles in railroad magazines and contributions to and authored numerous books on railroading. His photographs depict an American landscape that has largely disappeared.

A collection of over 55,000 black and white photographs and 32,000 colored transparencies by Hastings are now housed at the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.

Hundreds of photographs of all types fill the archives of local historical societies and private collections. They were taken by professionals using elaborate cameras and by amateurs using less sophisticated ones. The pictures are of both private and public events and places. Those photographs help us to understand the local landscape and the lives of inhabitants in ways that words cannot. Even when the subjects are not identified, they add to our understanding of times past.

Professional photographers still delight us with exceptional pictures of ordinary and special occasions. But many Americans have the capacity to take photos using their cell phones and digital cameras. Images can be easily printed, posted on the Internet or stored on computer software.

The holidays are a time when many are added to our collections and two thoughts come to mind. Will these photographs, like those taken in the past, be available to view 100 years from now? Will the contents be identified or will they end up nameless, with no one knowing or caring about them? Take care with your images, as they will be a way your descendants will know who you were.

Lest We Forget: Veterans Day 11-11-11

2011-11-13T07:05:00.006-05:00

Armistice Day originally observed the end of fighting in World War II.

The armistice took effect on November 11, 1918 at ll a.m.

Copeland Furniture employee Carol Brown of Warren had the job of laser engraving
376 names of Bradford veterans on individual pieces of wood. The names were mounted
on three veterans plaques designed by Armin Driver.

PLAQUES BEING CRAFTED. Copeland Furniture Company owner Tim Copeland

looks on as employee Herman Durkee III of West Fairlee puts some of the finishing

touches on the plaque bases.

Some of the 150 residents who gathered in the Bradford Academy
Auditorium to share in the dedication of the Veterans plaques.

Robert Fish, shown in the end seat of the first row, was the veteran
who called on Larry Coffin and asked that plaques be created honoring
Bradford's veterans. Fish and his two brothers grew up in Bradford and
participated in WW II.

Color guards from American Legion Post #20 are shown with the Vietnam plaque. The Boy Scouts and the National Guard also provided color guards for the other two plaques.

November 9, 2011 as printed in the Journal-Opinion

“In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.”

This is the first verse of the famous World War I poem by Canadian Lt. Col. John McCrae. The Great War or the World War, as it was known until World War II, left millions of combatants dead. It began in August 1914 with the Allies, composed of the British Commonwealth, including Canada along with France and Russia against the Central Powers of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey. Modern methods of warfare such as the machine gun, giant cannons, tanks, airplanes, poison gas and trench warfare led to mounting casualties and a stalemate on the Western Front. A generation of young men died in the horror of the trenches with little gain for either side.

The United States entered the conflict in April, 1917 after Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare on American vessels. Over 4.7 million Americans, including men and women from our area, joined the military service. The American Expeditionary Force, led by General John J. Pershing, tipped the balance in favor of the Allies. An armistice was declared and the fighting came to an end at 11 a.m. November 11, 1918.

The war cost the United States 53,402 battle deaths with an additional 204,000 wounded. Over 63,000 other servicemembers died, many from the influenza pandemic. Many veterans came home suffering from shell shock, now known as post-traumatic stress syndrome. The nation rejoiced on that November day with school closings, church services, factory whistles blowing and spontaneous parades.

Bradford celebrated as people gathered in the streets in front of what is now the Bliss Village Store and “sang songs of joy and praise and thanksgiving, under a great star-spangled banner flying overhead across the street.” In Haverhill, as in other towns, the bells rang all day.

That day and hour became sacred in the memory of the victors. November 11th became known as Armistice Day in the United States and France and Remembrance Day in Canada and Britain. In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed the first Armistice Day anniversary observance.

In 1920, the newly established American Legion Post in Woodsville observed the anniversary with a dinner, concert and dance. Legion There were also Legion Posts in Bradford, Rumney, Lyme and Newbury. Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts were established in Wells River, North Haverhill, Groton, Fairlee and Bradford, some before and some after World War II.

Among their civic activities, these veterans groups sold poppies to raise funds for the needy children of France and for disabled veterans. Selling poppies, reminiscent of the poppies in McCrae’s poem, has become an annual tradition for veterans groups. Communities also used the observance to promote annual Red Cross drives.

In 1921, Armistice Day was declared a national holiday. The most solemn observance that year was the establishment of the Tomb of the Unknown at Arlington Cemetery. The custom of observing moments of silence at 11 a.m. in remembrance of the war dead became widespread. It was during the 1920’s that several local communities, including Fairlee and Bradford, erected monuments to those who had served.

In the 1920s and 30s, most states established Armistice Day as a legal holiday. Because the establishing of legal holidays was a state prerogative, it was not until 1938 that the Federal government made it a legal national holiday.

Only occasionally did local reporters for The United Opinion mentioned Armistice Day observances by schools and veterans organizations. Elders with whom I spoke recall that Memorial Day was more often observed with programs in school than Armistice Day.

In November, 1929, an editorial entitled “Armistice Day Thoughts,” praised the work of the American Legion in support of war veterans and their dependents. As it cited the Legion’s civic programs, it decried the lack of support for ex-service men by of the general public.

In 1935, the Bradford Legion post used the newly-dedicated Academy gym as a location for an Armistice Day dance featuring the Bar X Cowboys and caller George Bedell. By that time it had become an established tradition for stores to close for the holiday. This practice continued for some time, although by the 1950’s only some stores closed for the entire day.

World War II and the Korean War created millions of additional veterans and in the early 1950s, interest in observing a day in their honor grew. In 1953, a special Armistice Day assembly was held at Bradford Academy at which the school was presented with the flag that covered the casket of the late General Herbert T. Johnson of Bradford, former Adjutant General of Vermont. Orators spoke of the meaning of Armistice Day. On that same day, Loyalty Day was observed in the Fairlee elementary school.

In 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation changing Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In keeping with the theme of honoring all service men and women who have served, special ceremonies were held locally. (Because it is a day honoring all veterans, Veterans Day is spelled without an apostrophe.)

In 1968, the Federal government, as part of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, moved Veterans Day to the 4th Monday in October. However, when the legislation took affect in 1971, some states began to move the observance back to November 11th. In 1978, with popular support, the Federal holiday observance reverted as well.

Gary Scruton, Past Commander of the Legion Post in Woodsville, told me for some years the post and its auxiliary, joined by the Sons of the American Legion, the Newbury Legion Post and the Haverhill Veterans of Foreign Wars have held a short parade to the veterans monument on Woodsville’s Central Street. The ceremony draws up to 100 participants and spectators depending on the weather and the day of the week on which Veterans Day falls. The veterans groups also sell poppies.

Veteran Leonard Dobbins told me that Veterans Day ceremonies have been held in Bradford for decades. Scott Johnson, Bradford’s American Legion Commander, says since the mid 1990’s, a short Veterans Day observance has been held at the Bradford Gazebo. The American Legion provides a script for the half-hour program. He indicates that up to 40 residents including Scouts usually attend.

In 2010, at a special Veterans Day assembly, Oxbow High School and River Bend Career Center dedicated an honor roll to the students, faculty and staff members who have served in America’s armed forces. The plaque is located next to the flagpole on the front lawn.

This year, as in other years, newspapers will include mentions of Veterans Day in columns and advertisements. Television programs will make note of the day. Some businesses will close and others will offer special deals to service personnel and veterans. Veterans’ groups will hold ceremonies. Concerts, parades and wreath-laying ceremonies will be held across the nation. Flags and poppies will appear. Some will raise a glass to departed comrades.

For the first time since 1918, there will be no World War I veterans in America. Frank Woodruff Buckles pass away in February at age 110. In November, 2008, on the 90th anniversary of the signing of the armistice, he had been recognized by the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs as “our last living link” to that Great War.

The observance in Bradford this year was special. On Friday, November 11, at 11 a.m., Bradford dedicated Veterans Honor Rolls for its veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The ceremony, which took place in the auditorium of the Bradford Academy, was attended by about 150 local residents, including some 6th graders from the Bradford Elementary School. Bradford historian Larry Coffin outlined the history of the project. He said that this project has been underway since l965. At that time, Bradford historian Harold Haskins began compiling a list of World War II veterans. The project then languished until about five years ago. It was again set in motion on a summer evening when elderly Robert Fish arrived at my door.

He said that he was a World War II veteran and had joined the service along with his two brothers. They had all grown up in Bradford. He decried that there was no honor roll listing the names of Bradford veterans. He mentioned the monument that had been placed on Bradford’s Memorial Field in 1965, but noted that it did not include an honor roll. Mr. Fish attended the ceremony./

Scott Johnson, Wayne Kenyon and Larry Coffin took up the challenge. With the help of Copeland Furniture and its staff, and with the approval of the Bradford Selectboard, plaques bearing the names of Bradford veterans will installed on the east wall of the BA Auditorium. The 376 men and women named are those who were residents of Bradford at the time of their induction. It is anticipated that, at some later date, an additional plaque will honor those from Bradford involved in the recent wars in the Middle East.

It took Bradford 56 years to erect an honor roll for those who served in the Civil War, three years for the Great War. As the legions of servicemen and women from World War II, Korea and Vietnam grow old and pass away, it was long past time for Bradford to establish an honor roll to them. Placing this list of names in a most public place will help to honor them, lest we forget their sacrifice.

In November, 1926, The United Opinion featured a retrospective editorial entitled “Back to Plowshares” heralding the return to normalcy in the general population. But it went on to say, normalcy came to “…all except the shattered shell-shocked bodies and the bereft minds and morale of the unfortunate heroes. To them, then, is due all deference and reverence on Armistice Day, the first to respond, yet the most futile to restore and recompense, for an imperishable service.”

For Veterans Day, 2011, with a whole new group of veterans returning from conflict, this is a timely message.

Halloween's Mysterious Tales

2011-10-29T10:02:00.004-04:00

KNOW YOUR INTENDED. It was widely believed that Halloween was a time when one could discover a future mate. In 1871, a Bradford newspaper article described the charm depicted in this vintage Halloween postcard.

THERE BE WITCHES. Early New England residents believed that witches
carried out the Devil's work. The witchcraft hysteria that swept Salem, MA in 1692 led to the execution of more than 20 residents. This 1855 painting by Thompkin H. Matteson depicts the Salem trial of George Jacobs Sr., an ancestor of the author.

NOT ALL TRICK-OR-TREATER. The ghosts and spirits that appear on Halloween may not be just the ones looking for candy. Some residents believe that the answer to the question, Is Bradford Haunted?" is "Yes." (Photo composition by Michelle Sherburne)

As published in the Journal-Opinion
October 26, 2011 (with some additions)

Next Monday is Halloween. After dark, little costumed hobgoblins will come to our door, and we will distribute chocolate to ward off any hex they might put on our house. It is a night deep with tradition, with activities ranging from parties and harmless pranks to vandalism. There are also thoughts of witches, vampires and ghosts. This column examines the history of Halloween as well as the stories of the supernatural from our area.

This autumn observance has roots in the religions of pre-Christian Europe. The autumn solstice was observed as the festival of Samhain, the space between the seasons and the New Year. On this day, the Lord of Death gathered the souls of the dead, many of whom wandered the earth. Bonfires ruled the night and fortunes were told for the coming year. When these areas were converted to Christianity, the Church co-opted the pagan festivals it couldn’t stamp out. November 1st became All Hallows or All Saints Day. The night before became All Hallows Eve.

In each country, the observance took on its own features. In England, November 5th was Guy Fawkes Day, recalling the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in which a group of Catholics plotted to blow up Parliament. Children in England celebrated the day with the burning of “guy” effigies and begging for candy or pennies. Elsewhere, treats were left out to ward off the wandering souls. Cabbage Night has an origin in Ireland where ungathered garden produce was considered inedible because the spirits had spit on them.

The earliest settlers of New England observed the fall festival. To them, it combined all of the elements mentioned above as well as the completion of the harvest. But there was also a darker side. To them, the Devil and his evil band were a real part of their lives, something to be greatly feared. Witches were among them, casting spells on those who offended them. In Europe, thousands of suspected witches had been hanged or burned during the previous centuries.

The Salem witch trials of 1692 are the most well known manifestation of this fear. My 8th great grandfather, George Jacobs, and my wife’s 8th great grandmother, Susannah North Martin, were both tried and executed as witches during that hysteria.

In the early 19th century, the belief in witchcraft had not died away. There are stories of witches in the local area. William Little’s History of Warren states, “Every town has had its witch or wizard, but if tradition is correct, Warren had more than its share.” Among the tales he relates is one of Nan Tucker, “who once sold some walnuts in old Haverhill, much to the displeasure of a certain elderly lady. That night Tucker and his wife could not sleep; all night long there was rattling of walnuts on the kitchen hearth.” In the morning, walnuts were piled in the form of a pyramid on the hearth-stone, having been returned by the witch.

“But stranger yet, the silk handkerchief that Mrs. T. had used as a night-cap, when she went to take it from her head, fell to the floor cut in a thousand pieces.

Wells’ History of Newbury relates the story of an old West Newbury farmer, “who affirmed that he had seen witches dancing along the crane in the fireplace at midnight and believed that some malady which affected his cattle was caused by a woman in the neighborhood.” Molding an effigy of the woman from tallow and beeswax, he stuck it with thorns and melted it before the fireplace. It was said that at that moment, the elderly woman fell down stairs and broke her arm.

Topsham Sketches includes the story of the witch house of Dame Tucker near Waits River. Having a dislike of a certain man, she put a spell on him as he was driving his team of oxen past her house. “She ran out to the road and snapped her fingers at the oxen and their yoke fell off,” not once, but twice. It was also reported that she would go into a trance, take the form of an animal and “annoy her neighbors.”

Probably the most famous story of a vampire in our area is the tale of Old Doc Benton. He was reported to be the son of early Benton settlers. The story, which I first heard at Dartmouth’s Ravine Lodge, relates how Benton, while studying in Germany, traded his soul for the secrets of eternal youth.

Returning to practice medicine in Benton, his strange behaviors soon drove him into seclusion. The story tells of numerous strange happenings involving his attempts to secure the blood of children, adults and animals for his bizarre experiments. While he has not been seen since the 19th century, rumors of him around Mt. Moosilauke persist. It is a story best retold in a darkened room lit only by the flickering light of a fireplace, especially at Halloween time.

If you live in a house built before 1940, it is likely that former residents died there. That gives rise to the idea that older buildings may be inhabited by the spirits of the deceased. In September, the Bradford Historical Society offered an opportunity for local residents to answer the question, “Is Bradford haunted?” Over 50 came to tell and hear story after story of spirits and unexplained phenomenon.

Residents of a 1785 house on South Main Street report hearing a child crying when they tried to sleep in a certain upstairs bedroom. Mysterious nighttime sounds of footsteps in a Main Street home may be those of the long dead housekeeper Mary Tuttle, trying to find her way to her upstairs bedroom. Visitors to a home across the street report ghostly apparitions and mysterious noises.

Joi Winchell of Corinth recently told me that she has experienced unusual occurrences at her 18th century home. She related that late one night she heard laughter and the sounds of someone jumping on the bed and floor of an unoccupied upstairs bedroom. Twice, she heard the sounds of work horses passing on the road when there was none to be seen.

Jenn and Andy Boyce of Post Mills live in a house built on the site of the Commodore Hotel. The hotel was destroyed in 1910 and the Boyce home was built in 1914. They and their neighbors have heard unexplained old-fashioned music. Apparitions in 1890’s apparel have been seen. In a recent interview, Jenn Boyce said that they thought of their home’s ghostly guests as friendly and benevolent.

Not all the occupied structures are old. The family of Crystal Eastman of Bradford lives in a home built in 1995. It also has a family of three ghosts who live in that home. Eastman said the interactions between these two families led her to invite the Vermont Paranormal Investigators to examine her home. She said these ghost chasers found evidence of orbs, anomalies suggesting the presence of spirits.

Other places might also be haunted. A late night worker at Bradford Academy reported seeing a ghostly presence. In Topsham, there is a haunted cellar hole and in Haverhill, there was an afflicted tavern.

Mysterious New England has many tales of phantom ships. It is said that Fairlee’s Lake Morey is the haunt of the ghosts of Samual Morey and his boat. Florence Kendall wrote a poem about it that appeared in a 1928 edition of The Vermonter magazine. It read in part: “…And each year when midnight cometh, of the day he sank his boat. On the waters of Lake Morey ghostly craft is seen to float. On her deck the eerie Captain guides her swift and silent flight.”

Whether or not one believes these stories of ghostly happenings, Halloween brings a yearly opportunity to let the imagination run wild. Called Hallow-Een is an 1871 edition of Bradford’s newspaper, The National Opinion, it was described in terms of the spells and charms that might be used on that night to predict a future mate. Searching the available copies of The United Opinion from the 1880’s to 1910, I found no references to Halloween observances. That is not to say there were none, as other Vermont and New Hampshire publications report Halloween activities in many communities.

From 1910 forward, local columnists for The United Opinion mention holiday social activities for people of all ages. Schools, community halls and church vestries were the venues for activities ranging from masquerade balls to children’s parties. One such notice describes plans for a celebration to be held in Newbury where, “witches, fortune tellers, your future husbands and wives will be in attendance.” A harvest supper and promenade were included.

One prank that occurred at the time, and reported 50 years later, was played against a 220-pound bully. Several youths removed his union suit from the family’s laundry line and strung them up on a power pole in front of the Academy. To the delight of all, “the November breeze ballooned it like an airport wind sock” The bully, “scowlingly prowled abut his usual haunts, grim as a who-dunit detective, but he found no clue.”

On November 4, 1921, the Newbury columnist wrote: “Quite a commotion on our streets last Monday with ghostly figures in sheets and pillowslips which gave us creepy Ku Klux Klan feelings, which were not dispelled until their young mouths were filled with marshmallows and cookies.” The West Fairlee Center’s school, along with other area schoolhouses was filled, it was reported, with, “jack-o’-lanterns and white-robed spooks.”

There was a fine line between mischievous Halloween pranks and outright vandalism. In the November 6, 1931 edition, the following appeared: “Halloween night gave some of the mischievous of town a chance to perform some pranks, some of which were interesting and others were damage to public property. Would those who participated please right up what they tipped over?”

That this was perhaps a long standing tradition in Bradford is evident in the 1934 post-Halloween report: “Numerous disappearances of such things as chairs, screen doors, various dump carts and other articles not fastened down, as well as mysterious markings on windows. It was a great night for the youngsters and some of the older residents who the next day had to go about retrieving pieces of property that turned up in the most peculiar places. As those older citizens were on their salvage expeditions they no doubt were thinking of the number of years before when they too had made a lot of work for somebody on that night.”

Growing up in Orford in the 40’s and 50’s, I recall that October 30th was trick or treat night. Weeks of planning went into carving pumpkins and arranging costumes. Notes reading, “Be ready for trick or treat, or else!!” were left on neighborhood doorsteps. While some of the older boys were involved with vandalism, most pranks rarely rose above stringing toilet paper, smashing a pumpkin or applying a bit of soap to a window or two. As in most area towns, a Halloween party was held on the 31st. Ours was held in the Town Hall in Orfordville, complete with bobbling for apples, trying to eat donuts hanging from a string and a costume parade.

By 1946, some felt that Halloween was getting out of hand. An anonymous letter signed “A Mother” was published in local paper stating: “Hallowe’en has become a menace to many of the citizens of Bradford. Damage makes our village anything but Bradford the Beautiful.” An accompanying article read: “BAH!!! very inadequately expressed the way we feel about the way Hallowe’en is handled in this community.” It referred to the trick or treaters as practicing “rank bribery.”

A Bradford resident, a teenager at the time, recalls that others dumped a truckload of gravel on the front steps of the Bradford Academy, dropped water on the head of the owner of the Bradford bowling alley and created a potentially dangerous situation by removing the wooden front steps from some folks’ homes.

Despite these concerns, Halloween didn’t go away. Trick or treating for UNICEF was added. Families and businesses spent more on decorations and treats. Parties sponsored by community groups attempted to deter vandalism and in some communities, they did. The Bradford party in 1954, drew more than, “400 children, adults and ghosts” for a parade, skits,
treats and prizes. More elaborate costumes, often purchased or sewn by talented seamstresses, compared with costumes fabricated by youngsters themselves made judging the “best costume” contest difficult.

Personally, I love Halloween and all the harmless fun that goes with it. As the last vestiges of summer disappear and the days shorten, we decorate our home with our Halloween collection. I grow tiny white pumpkins and paint the faces of “guys” on them to give to friends and family. We always buy more candy than we need for the 75 to 100 trick or treaters who ply South Pleasant Street, many of whom come in from the surrounding rural area for better pickings.

A horror movie on television during Halloween week reminds me that when my heart beats faster and my palms get sweaty it is a sign that I am still among the living. No walking dead at our house, at least not this year. As to the “inexplicable activities” of ghosts, goblins and other horribles that stalk Halloween night, Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote: “Nobody has any conscience about adding to the improbabilities of a marvelous tale.”

Plain Talkin'

2011-09-28T19:41:00.002-04:00

What the Old Timers Said. Vermonters, such as the ones shown above, frequently used a visit to the local general store to swap stories and discuss the weather. But not too much.

(Library of Congress Farm Security Administration.

Plain Talkin' in West Newbury. "Oxen were better for breakin' out then horses." This is how Arthur Carleton responded to an interview in 1938. This 1899 photograph shows oxen being used on the Carleton Farm in West Newbury. (West Newbury Women's Fellowship)

Journal Opinion , September 28, 2011

The old Vermonter said, “Oxen was better for breakin’ out then horses for when they’d come to a snag on a stump or a root, they’d ease off. Horses are better for snowrollin.’ Made quite a sight, six-seven pair horses, heavy fellers, too, big rollers squinchin’ over the snow and the rocks tumblin’ and thumpin,’ steam comin’ out o’ the horses’ noses, an’ men a shoutin.”

No, this is not a script for a television parody on rural Vermont life. These comments are taken from a 1938 interview with West Newbury farmer Arthur Carleton for the Federal Writers’ Project. Carleton spoke with the traditional Vermont accent and dialect. This column describes that dialect and how those words are spoken. It also lists some of the words and expressions that were common to this region in years past. As there is a whole raft of them, with tongue in cheek, I only scratch the surface of that task.

The Europeans who settled southern New England were British: English, Scottish and Scot-Irish. Many of the English came from southwestern England and spoke with the accent of that region. Settlers from southern New England settled our region and brought with them the traditional way of speaking. It has been said that the traditional Vermont way of speaking is quite similar to the traditional dialect of East Anglia, on the southeast coast of England. In Vermont, that dialect continued through much of the 19th and early 20th century, especially among those who were most isolated by their rural settings.

Contact with Native Americans and through the unique experiences of Vermont life brought some changes to the traditional vocabulary. Names on the land included traditional native titles, e.g. Ompompanoosuc or Cohase. A farmer in Vermont knew that “apron-off” was the test to determine whether maple sap was cooked enough to be finished syrup and a late snow was poor man’s manure.

Linguists such as Alan A. Metcalf say that Vermont has a “divided linguistic personality.” The Connecticut River valley shares the speech patterns of eastern New England, whereas western Vermont is more like that of western Connecticut and northern New York.

Some examples of the eastern rustic dialect include letter dropping. That means not sounding the “g” from words ending in “ing” (hayin’), swallowing the “r” in words such as farmer (farm-uh) and the “t” sound in words such as bottle (baht-ul).

It also includes adding extra sounds, dragging out or substituting sounds. Calf sounds like “caaf”and idea like “ideer.” Regardless become irregardless. Words that are plural sometimes have an extra “s” sound added. Recall the Ames’s store in North Haverhill. Yes and no are “yup” and “nope. Pumpkin is spoken as “punkin.” Across is pronounced as if it ended with an “ed” or “t” .

This traditional accent has been described by writers from away as droll, twangy, gravelly, flat, slow, clipped, nasal, chewy and even as thick as, “overcooked maple syrup.”

Of course, not all Vermonters spoke this way. Those Vermonters with more education usually lost most, if not all, of any dialect lilt they might have gained in childhood. Immigrants had their own way of speaking, even when speaking in English. The French, Irish and Italian immigrants added their variations to the collective language.

Our region had a strong Scottish presence. Mrs. Robert (Elizabeth) Oliver of West Newbury was interviewed in 1938 by the Federal Writers’ Project. Of Scottish descent, she said: “Aye, I’ve the twa boys and four gels. Ooh, the times we’ve had. I come awa’ t’ this country twenty-eight years past. We furrst wint t’ Michigan where Rabert he’d some o’ his family t’come too. I dinnd like it there. It wasna’ like home t’ me.”

The linguistic division caused by the Green Mountains was also seen in the words used to describe things. Teeter-totters in eastern Vermont were sometimes called see-saws in the western region, fire-flies were lightening bugs, dropped eggs were poached and dish wipers became dishcloths.

The rise of standard English as spoken on radio, television and schools along with the significant influx of tourists and permanent residents from other states have hastened the decline of the more rustic accent. Under the influence of this nationalized language, words that were commonly used have disappeared while new ones were added. For years, I made frappes at the Fairlee Diner, until McDonald’s began to call those ice cream delights shakes. At that time, we had no idea what Tex-Mex foods like enchiladas or burritos were.

UVM Professor Julie Roberts has published several studies on Vermont’s traditional speech patterns. She finds it still exists, at least to some extent, among both older and younger generations of Vermonters.

She writes: “All speakers use language as a way to affiliate with (or dis-affiliate from) others. In Vermont, men tend to be more likely than women to affiliate with the traditional, agrarian lifestyle of Vermont, and are, therefore, more likely to retain a stronger dialect.”

Two generations of my students included in their conversations one of the most common grammatical mistakes in the Vermont vocabulary. It is the substitution of “didn’t” for “did, as in: “I went to the movies last night. Well, so didn’t I.” I hear the speech patterns in stores, meetings and when a group of traditional Vermonters gather in their dooryard to chew the fat.

Nothing in this column should be construed to say that I think rural speakers are dumb. I grew up around men with very strong local accents. Woe be it to the person who took that as a sign of ignorance. I recently spoke to Joe Sampson of Bradford about the dialect he picked up from childhood contacts. Sampson is proud of that accent. He says it has served him well in dealing with others, who, because of that accent, underestimated his ability to uphold his side of a discussion.

Just as speech patterns have changed in our region, words and expressions have also undergone change. Bradford historian Harold Haskins, author Charles Edward Crane and Burlington Free Press writer Molly Walsh offer many examples of words and expressions used in times past. Many of them have been part of the vocabulary of my growing up.

Things around the house were called tumbler (water glass), spider (frying pan), nappy (small serving dish), all of which might be stored in the buttery or pantry. If ma had enough gumption (pep) after a day of hard work galore, she might stodge up a suppa. The youngin’ might wait out on the stoop (steps). The folks never thought to splurge by going to a hifalutin’ vittlery, that would be “livin’ high on the hog.” “Thingamajig” was what you called an item when the proper name eluded you. .

Events of life were described in terms that have disappeared. A guy might have a girl on the string and might call her the cat’s meow, that is, quite a rig. But if she was no longer interested, she would give him the mitten. From his point of view, that might be just hunky dorey, water over the dam. A person who died had bought the farm and was dead as a doornail.

Vermonters were careful with their hard-earned money; it was scarcer than hen’s teeth for many. But they might criticize a skinflint (miserly cheat) who was tighter than the bark on a tree. There was little patience for laziness or failure to act with intelligence. One might be described as a bump on a log, too dumb to suck alum and drool or pound sand in a rat hole. There was also contempt for the educated fool.

Individuals might be busier than a one-armed paper-hanger with the itch, independent as a hog on ice, or have a face that would stop a clock. They might be mad as a wet hen, fit as a fiddle, as quick as greased lightning or slower than molasses. There were those who felt bluer’n a whetstone or stood out like a blackberry in a pan of milk. Things might be just a fine kettle of fish or perhaps even fair to middlin’.

There are words frequently used today that would never be used in days past, at least in polite company. What passed for profanity in those days might be expressed by any of the following: land o’Goshen, for the love of Mike, land sakes alive, my stars and garters, shucks, my soul and body, fiddlesticks, jeezum crow or the more profane hell’s bells.

They knew proverbs of vernacular advice. Living close to the edge, many Vermont farmers recalled the adage: Half your wood and hay you should have on Candlemas Day” (Groundhog Day). Others included: least said, sooner mended, mind your p’s and q’s and let every man skin his own skunks.

With “Silent Cal” Coolidge as an example, Vermonters became known for being laconic in their speech. The expressions are, in a way, examples of that. They create a familiar picture in the mind with a simple simile or metaphor. While some may not be much of a hand to talk, I have spent too many sleepy evenings waiting for my Vermont-born father to finish discussing a deal to say that all Vermonters are short on speech. I have, over the years, enjoyed stories told by my elders, often in the greatest detail, even if the incident occurred decades before.

I always encouraged my students to talk with the elders they knew. I will never forget the terse response that one elder East Corinth resident gave to the student question: “Did you ever go to a city?” The reply was: “Went once. Didn’t like it. Never went back!”

Even for those who are short on speech, the weather is always a topic for discussion. There is of course, the old saying about weather in New England: “If you don’t like it wait a minute.” Rain before seven, done by eleven or fog goes up the mountin’ a-hopping, rain comes down a droppin’ might be a guide to a farmer planning his day. Seasons bring days that are hotter than the hubs of hell or colda than your grandma’s preserves.

Writing this column as summer draws to a close, I am thinking there might be frost on the pumpin’ tonight. I should look to see what the bands on a wooley caterpillar coat are as a predictor of the harshness of the coming winter and know that when there’s snow on Moosilauke, it will be in my dooryard in six weeks.

Tradition has shown that many Vermonters display a terse sense of humor, “that loves understatement.” It lives in the dry comment or retort. Forty years ago, Dartmouth professor Allen Foley collected some examples of that humor in a book entitled, What the Old-Timer Said (to the Feller from Down-Country and even to His Neighbor—when He Had It Coming!)

Foley was a frequent speaker at gathering throughout the valley. You may actually have had the opportunity to use one of his favorite retorts when asked: “Lived here all your life?” to which you respond, “Not yet!”

Foley writes: “Yankees from the hill-country are noted for responding to questions by asking one of their own, as epitomized in the exchange: “How’s your wife?” a neighbor inquired. “Compared to what?” was the canny counter query.”

Personally, my ear is tuned to hear the words spoken with a traditional way either in myself or others. I have been addressed as Mr. Mawdratah and have addressed others as Mister Man or Lady Jane. While I may not know what it means to be a ringed-tailed snorter or to bust a gusset, I do know what it means to feel like I have been dragged through a knothole, have too many irons in the fire or be pulled in forty-‘leven different directions.

Readers will undoubtedly have examples of the local dialect, accent and humor from both sides of the river. Those parts of our language help to define our traditional culture in a voice that is different and to many, more familiar. Hearing that voice brings back memories of local folks we have known in our past, in both rural and village settings. And while this article has not listed the whole kit and kaboodle, for now, its nuff said!

More Mining Mania

2011-09-06T08:50:00.009-04:00

The buildings of Copperfield village in Vershire surround the Ely Copper Mines in the 1888 photograph (UVM Special Collections)

The Crushing and Flotation Mill at the Elizabeth Copper Mine
in South Strafford around 1907. (UVM Special Collections)

Granite workers are shown in one of the stonesheds of the Ryegate Granite

Works (1880's). About this time the workers began to organize a local

labor union. (UVM Special Collections)

The Concentration Mill at the Pike Hill Copper Mine in Corinth.

(UVM Special Collections)

Workers at the Pike Hill Mine were housed, along with their families, in these

shanties near the mine. (UVM Spcial Collections)

Some of the businessmen and workers gather at the site of the Fairlee

Granite Works on the north slope of Sawyer Mountain. The company was founded in 1893 and went out of business after 1895. (Fairlee Historical Society)

As published in the Journal Opinion, August 31, 2011

In May, this column was devoted to the mining and quarrying activities of the western portion of Grafton County. It described activities ranging from the quarrying of soapstone in Orford and whetstone in Haverhill to the gold fields of Lyman. It included the history of successes and failures, valued commercial enterprises, cruel financial hoax and crushed dreams.

This column describes similar activities in adjoining sections of Vermont. It includes the lead, slate and gold mining ventures of the region, as well as the granite and copper enterprises in Orange and Caledonia counties. Those interested in more complete details are directed to Katharine Blaisdell’s Over the River and Through the Years, Book Four and Collamer Abbot’s Green Mountain Copper.

In 1848, the Boston Mercantile Journal ran an article entitled “Discovery of a Lead Mine in Vermont.” It reported that, “a truck load of bar lead” had arrived in Boston from Thetford, attracting “considerable attention.” The article described the mining operation, saying that the lead “appeared to be inexhaustible” and that two men could produce a ton of lead in a 12-hour day. It concluded by stating the belief that this shipment from Thetford was, “the first lot of New England lead ever brought to market.”

According to Thetford historian Charles Hughes, this mining enterprise was started as early as 1812 with the establishment of the Orange Mineral Company. The mine was located northeast of Thetford Hill.

An 1824 description stated: “The ore is rich, yielding 75 per cent of pure lead, but the vein is small, and has been pursued to the depth of 23 feet.” Small quantities of silver were also being taken.

The State approved the establishment of the Vermont Lead Company in 1849, but by 1861, the Vermont State Geologist indicated that the one hundred foot shaft and adjoining buildings were abandoned. In 1872, his report spoke of the, “ill success of the Thetford hill mine … taken tribute from men expecting riches from mining should prevent any further rash expenditures in this section.”

There was also an early soapstone quarry in East Thetford, “worked before 1855.” In 1845, the State Geologist described, “an irregular bed of soapstone about eight feet thick which has been quarried.” Hughes writes: “Since this quarry was soon abandoned, it does not appear to have been a profitable enterprise.”

Just north of North Thetford was the quarry of the Howard Slate Company. Incorporated in 1855, this company produced “remarkably tough roofing” for a number of local buildings. Hughes writes that in 1857, the company, “employed four men full time at a weekly wage of $35.75.” An 1862 report on the geology of Vermont states: “No quarry in the State is more favorably situated than this [for] an unbroken face of slate stands boldly up, as if inviting capitalists to unlock this storehouse of hidden wealth.” Apparently the company began to have difficulties by 1866 and there is no mention of the quarry in the 1888 county gazetteer.

Mineral operations in nearby Fairlee were of limited success. In 1857, the Fairlee Slate Company was incorporated. Its quarry was located northeast of Lake Morey, on the land of Amos Waterman. The quality of the slate was reported to be, “unobjectionable, and the quantity inexhaustible.” But as the quarrying required the removal of overlying rock from a relatively inaccessible location, the company soon failed.

Nearby, at the north end of the lake, there was a gold and silver mine on the property of Mrs. S.A. Davis. The United Opinion of May 28, 1897 reported that Professor N. A. Bibikov had “been engaged by St. Johnsbury parties to examine properties in that vicinity.” The 1902, the State Geologist reported, “gold in the value of $9 per ton and silver $30” were found there. It was reported in 1914 that a small quantity of gold had been taken from the mine, but apparently it cost more to get it than it was worth.

The north slope of Fairlee’s Sawyer Mountain was the site of another unsuccessful quarrying attempt. In 1893, a group of local businessmen incorporated the Fairlee Granite Works. Blaisdell quotes a local newspaper from that year: “The Fairlee Granite Works now have a good carriage road to their quarry and are rapidly getting into shape to do a large business. Dealers throughout the country are speaking highly of the quality of the stone.”

The United Opinion editor Harry Parker wrote, “As Bradford’s future growth and prosperity depends upon the success of this enterprise, all public spirited citizens should be willing to lend it aid and assistance. We believe it will prove a profitable investment for the stockholders.”

An article in the August 16, 1895 edition quoted a quarryman: “I never put my foot in a quarry where stone can be quarried for as small an amount of money as it can be there.” It might be noted that Parker was the president of the company.

This optimism was not to last. The quarry produced unusual dark blue granite, but as it was of inferior quality and quantity, the company closed after 1895. The granite water box that, for many years, faced the center of Bradford village, bears “Fairlee” in raised letters on it, an advertisement for the ill-fated company.

Granite was also quarried in Topsham for a short time. There were two small quarries, one south of the Ryegate line and one at the western foot of Pine Mountain, in the northeastern corner of the town. This latter quarry was owned by Isaac Ricker of Groton. The quarried stone was hauled to the railroad depot in Groton. The State Geologist reported that the Pine Mountain Granite Company quarry, “is being vigorously worked,” and had been for several years. He reported that the stone was of good quality and of varied color and grain. But, by 1909, the quarry “had been idle for a number of years.”

The Ricker quarry was at the south end of a deposit of granite that extended into Groton and Ryegate. Quarrying of that granite had a profound impact on the economic and social history of those two towns.

Mister Glover’s Groton describes the history of that town’s granite industry. The first quarry was opened on the Hatch farm in the southern part of town during the early 1890’s, the beginning of, “what was to become Groton’s dominant but short-lived industry.” Its potential attracted considerable attention, but an 1899 article in Granite, the industry magazine, indicated that its future depended on the influx of a considerable amount of new capital.

“Three principal quarries supplied the stone, much of it comparable in quality to Barre granite, and used extensively in monumental work for cemeteries. The decline of the industry was hastened, however, by the discovery that much of the stock quarried was unfit and had to be discarded.” By World War II, the quarries had closed, although several stonesheds continued to operate.

As early as the 1790’s, granite was quarried at Ryegate’s Blue Mountain for both local construction and export. Around 1800, a proposal to build the state prison in Ryegate included having inmates work in the quarries. Local opposition caused the prison to be built in Windsor.

In the period after the Civil War, the demand for monuments and gravestones and the building of the Montpelier and Wells River Railroad in 1873 increased the market for local granite and eased its delivery.

The May 14, 1897 edition of The United Opinon mentioned the Ryegate Granite Works shipped a large monument to Philadelphia and the company had, “quite a gang of men at work on the mountain and considerable granite is being taken out every day and brought to the sheds.” This “gang of men” may have numbered over 300 in the quarries and stonesheds. Many of them were Italian immigrants who added their talents as skilled stonecutters to the original Scottish workers.

Those workers organized a branch of the Granite Cutters’ National Union in 1885. The company resisted by threatening to blacklist members. It resulted in a series of court battles and community upheavals, but eventually the company recognized the organization.

A 1906 report indicated that Ryegate granite was, “growing in favor each year.” The 1913 History of Ryegate reported: “For the past few years about two carloads of finished granite are being shipped from South Ryegate each working day valued at about $10,000 per month.” Subsequent years brought a decline in the operations. The high processing cost of stone that did not have the quality of neighboring Barre and the Great Depression caused the failure of several of the remaining quarries. According to Ryegate historian Dwight White,
the last quarry closed in the early 1990s.

Gandin Brothers is the only stoneshed remaining in Ryegate. Its president, “Butch” Gandin indicates the company remains in business, despite foreign and domestic competition, by creating a nitch in the monument industry. Using granite from Asia, Africa and North America, the company manufactures monuments that match earlier ones.

The most significant mining operation in Orange County was of copper which was discovered there as early as 1793. In 1817, President James Monroe visited Strafford. His visit highlighted the national importance of copper mining in Orange County. Copperas, a chemical used in dyes and other industrial and agricultural uses, was the first product of the mines. By the 1830s, smelting furnaces had been erected and copper was produced, continuing despite ups and downs through the 1870’s.

The Elizabeth Copper Company was formed in 1883 and, over the next few years, extensive improvements were made. Falling copper prices and a major fire caused the mine to be closed from time to time. During World War I and II, the demand for copper led to increased production and employment. In an ad in the August 6, 1943 edition of The United Opinion, the company sought 100 additional workers, offering $48.43 for a 63 hour week. Workers would be supplied with a room for $1 per week and meals for fifty cents each. It also offered a new health insurance policy as a bonus.

Several attempts were made in the postwar years to revitalize the Elizabeth mine and in 1954-55, it was producing over 8 million pounds per year with over 200 workers. Its closure in 1958 brought an end to the longest operating copper mine in the nation.

Copper was also discovered in the southeastern corner of Vershire about 1812. The coming of the Connecticut and Passumpsic River Railroad allowed ore to be more easily transported out of the region. In 1853, the Vermont Copper Mining Company was formed by New York investors. By the 1870’s the operation had become a “boom copper camp” of Irish and Cornish miners. The town of Vershire was officially renamed Ely after Smith Ely, principle owner of the mine.

The Copperfield village included a giant smelting shed, roasting beds, a large store that contained a library, offices and meeting hall, two churches, sawmill, gristmill, school and over 50 dwellings. At the peak of production, the village had close to 1000 inhabitants, with over 800 workers. In 1880, the mine produced 3.5 million pounds of copper.

From its very beginning these copper enterprises were at the mercy of market conditions. A decline in the economy meant a decline in copper prices. When new sources of copper opened in the west, Orange County was no longer the nation’s leading copper producer. Additionally, the Ely mine was plagued by legal and management issues. Even when copper prices soared during the Civil War, the company was nearly bankrupt. While the 1870’s saw good times for the company, by 1882, it was again deeply in debt and unable to pay its workers.

In July 1883, the situation led to the so-called “Ely War.” Faced with worker unrest, the company’s acting president, ex-governor Roswell Farnham of Bradford asked Governor Barstow to bring in the state militia. The first to arrive was the Bradford Guard. The arriving guards found no riotous armed mob, but rather workers desperate for wages and supplies. After sharing their rations, the guardsmen marched back to the railroad. Despite attempts to revitalize the mines, they closed and in 1905, Copperfield was dismantled.

At the other end of the copper vein were two mines at Pike Hill in Corinth. The work began there about 1847 and was continued by the Corinth Copper Company and other firms. Roswell Farnham described the operation: “Those were days of prosperity for the Corinth and Union mines and their success gave life to all the business of the town.” Ore from the mines was transported to the depot at Bradford.

Farnham concluded, “Everyone made money except the companies that owned the mines.” As with the other mines, the Pike Hill operations were at the mercy of the market and closed and reopened several times, closing for good after WW I.

Neither Bradford nor Newbury had any mining or quarrying activities. About Newbury, historian Frederick Wells wrote in 1902: “Its hills have not yielded any mines of useful ore or precious metals. There are no quarries here to furnish the stone for the walls, or rich marbles for the costly adornment of great edifices in the cities.” Businessmen from both towns did, like Editor Harry Parker and Governor Roswell Farnham, invest their money and serve as officers in a number of these enterprises. The Bradford Savings Bank and Trust Company failure in 1898 was caused, in part, by its investments in the Ely copper mines.

All that remains of these mining and quarrying operations, other than several stone crushing sites, are abandoned flooded quarries, overgrown mines and piles of slag. Pollution from the abandoned copper mines has led to them being designated as Superfund sites by the EPA. Cleanup has already cost millions of dollars. Neighborhoods that once thrived are reduced or abandoned.

I close part two with the same sentiment as in part one, for it is no less true in Vermont: “That is not to say that the hills that hosted these mines and quarries no longer have treasures to offer. Abandoned mining roads have become hiking trails. Mountain sides offer sites for recreation and forestry operations. Seasons are heralded by their changing colors. And for those of us who have grown up in their shadows, they provide the reassurance of having a horizon against which you can rest your eyes.”

That Old Home Spirit

2011-07-29T12:36:00.004-04:00

Early Morning for Old Home. Bradford's Main Street is decked out in anticipation of the town's Old Home Week from August 11-17, 1901. It was described as one of the happiest weeks in Bradford's history. (Bradford Historical Society)

Take Me Back to Old Vermont. Heavy with nostalgia, this song was written in 1907 by J. C. Jones, music by H. F. Stafford and published by the Vermont Music Company of Rutland. It reflected the spirit of the Old Home movement.

Staged Alarm. At the August 1911 Thetford Pageant, local residents portray earoly Thetford families heading for safety in response to an impending British raid. Over 3,000 people viewed the three-day events staged along the Connecticut River in North Thetford. (Thetford Historical Society)

As printed in the Journal-Opinion on July 27, 2011

“Take me back to old Vermont
Where plenty smiles on every want.
Amid her winding vales, there let me roam,
By her famous pools and rills,
Marble, slate and granite hills,
And best of all, my old green mountain home.”

This is the chorus of “Take Me Back to Old Vermont,” composed in 1907 by Joseph Jones and Harry Stafford. They dedicated it to, “the sons and daughters of Vermont who have wandered from her green hills.” It reflected the mood of the Old Home Week movement of the previous decade.

This column describes how that movement was reflected in local celebrations. In addition to standard local histories, the information is taken from The Hill Country of Northern New England by Harold Wilson and The Vermont of Today, authored by Arthur Stone in 1929.

After 1820, area towns experienced a decline in population. The lure of western farm lands and urban economic opportunities drew many away. This decline raised fear that small towns in the two states were dying. Efforts were made to stem the exodus as well as draw new residents. It was out of these efforts that the Old Home Week idea was born.

It was first proposed in an 1897 article in the New England Magazine by New Hampshire’s Frank W. Rollins. Rollins called on those who had moved to revisit the town where they were born. “I wish that in the ear of every son and daughter of New Hampshire, in the summer days might be heard the persuasive word: come back, come back,” he mused.

The feeling was, Wilson wrote, “The temporary influx would freshen the humdrum lives of those who had stayed at home, and at the same time, bring a little money into the old home town.” In addition to the money spent on lodging, souvenirs and amusements, well-to-do visitors might purchase a piece of property or donate funds for a civic improvement.

This was not the first time that towns held special gatherings. Agricultural fairs, such as the ones held in Bradford after 1852, brought a community together, “and former residents made it the occasion for returning to visit relatives and revive moribund friendships.”

In 1885, Lyme held a major celebration on the common at which some 3000 present and former residents dined under a 325-foot-long tent. In 1897, Haverhill Academy had a grand reunion of alumni to celebrate the completion of the new Academy building.

It was not until 1899, however, that Frank Rollins, acting as governor, recommended that an “Old Home Week” be set aside. With the help of the Grange and the Agriculture Department, the proposal won wide acceptance and the last week in August, was set aside for the observance.

Sixty-five communities, including Piermont, formed Old Home Week Associations and invitations were sent out for the celebration. It was a marked success. Towns spruced up and decorated. Residents and visitors enjoyed parades, speeches, concerts, picnics, banquets, historic performances, and family reunions. Those who could not return because of distance, held observances by gathering in places as far away as California.

An editorial in The United Opinion praised the success of the New Hampshire program: “The idea was a novel one, but as carried out was a great success.” Pointing out that Vermont is famous for, “the men she gives to other states,” the editor encouraged the state to “profit from the example of its neighbor.” He concluded: “Think it over and next summer lets (sic) have a grand reunion of Vermonters.”

That very next year, the Vermont Legislature designated the week in August that included Bennington Battle Day as the state’s first Old Home Week. Governor William Stickney extended the state’s invitation promising: “To all her returning children we shall be glad to share hospitality and divide with them something of the strength of the hills.”

Communities across the state began, “amazing elaborate preparations.” Stone writes: “Vermonters are not given to sudden enthusiasms, so that the wide acceptance of the Old Home Week idea is the more notable, for the scheme was novel.” Forty-five towns including Bradford, Chelsea, and Peacham began early to plan programs. “Strafford started preparations late, but wound up with colors flying.”

Bradford’s Old Home Week was planned for August 11-17, 1901. Committees, including the community’s most prominent citizens, were formed to plan every aspect of the celebration. The Town appropriated $100 and private donations were solicited. One thousand invitations were sent out to former residents and descendants of former residents.

When the week arrived the town was gaily decorated with flags. The festivities began with two services of worship. On Tuesday, Captain Charles E. Clark, “Bradford’s most distinguished and noble son,” arrived to a welcoming crowd. That evening, the first annual meeting of the Bradford Academy Alumni Association was held at the Hotel Low. The week continued with banquets, historic sketches, entertainment, and speeches by residents and distinguished visitors.

As with other towns, these public events were, “…given second place to the private reunions, the renewal of acquaintances with friends and places, the revival of old ideas and affections and inspirations, the seeing again the homes of our youth with the eyes of maturity.”

The United Opinion concluded: “Bradford has, indeed, spent one of the happiest weeks in its history. Crowds of people from far and near have revisited the old home. Those who have returned for this Old Home Week must feel a sense of pride that the old town has neither retrograded nor stood still during the years which have elapsed since their residence here. Instead they return to a town that has kept up with the progress of the times.”

On July 1-2, 1902, an Old Home celebration was held in East Corinth to dedicate the Blake Memorial Library. Three children of Nathan and Susan Blake given the money to buy the land and build in library in memory of their parents. “Church services, picnics, dinners and hours of reminiscences” preceded the dedication ceremony. Long after the speeches were lost from memory, the story was told of the speaker, “who supplied the one moment of hysteria when his false teeth flew out from the grandstand in the middle of his eloquent discourse.”

In succeeding years, Old Home Weeks, or the more reduced Old Home Days, were held in towns throughout the area. In Pike and East Haverhill, they were sponsored by the Pike Manufacturing Company. In Bradford in 1909, the Fourth of July celebration seemed to be the event of the summer season. Over the years, the Old Home events were incorporated into the annual August Bradford Fair.

The chartering anniversary of area towns became a significant opportunity for celebrations. A century ago, towns across the two states observed their 150th anniversaries with historic pageants. Stone says that 1911 was, “called the pageant year…and marked the real beginning of the pageant as a feature in civic celebrations.” He writes that “the big three of 1911” were Bennington, Hartford and Thetford.

Thetford’s pageant was organized by William Chauncy Langdon, an educator from New York who advocated the use of pageants to promote civic awareness. He was drawn to the project by Thetford camp founders Luther Gulick and Professor and Mrs. Charles Farnsworth. He believed that: “The pageant is a drama in which the place is the hero and the development of the community is the plot.” He was an advocate of the New Country Life movement that called for the revitalization of America’s rural life. His role is the subject of a chapter in David Glassberg’s 1990 study of American historical pageantry.

Langdon worked with a local committee of year-round and summer residents. Duties, including that of assembling a large cast, were assigned to local community groups. Langdon secured a letter of endorsement from President Theodore Roosevelt. It read, in part, “I am much pleased to learn that the people of the town of Thetford are doing all they can to develop their resources under the direction of the University of Vermont and of the United States Department of Agriculture.”

The three-day pageant was held on the banks of the Connecticut River before large crowds. The cast of 500 residents and summer visitors, including youngsters from Camps Hanoum and Aloha, presented a series of symbolic episodes. Scenes described a nostalgic view of Thetford’s history, including its agricultural past, its role in the nation’s wars and the coming of the railroad. One scene predicted a better future for Thetford, including reversals of the previous century’s declines. .

Stone writes, “The best criticism of the whole event was made by one of the most honored citizens of the town. ‘I have lived in this town over seventy years, but this day makes it all worth while.’ ”

A more homegrown 150th celebration was held in Newbury in August 1912. The week was described by a front page article in the Groton Times. “The residents of Newbury have been preparing for this event and Sunday dawned upon that historic town dressed in gala attire, the homes open to cordially welcome the home-coming guests and strangers who came to join in the week’s festivities. Newbury people did themselves honor in this event.”

In addition to worship services, band concerts, and meals served in all sections of Newbury, the community celebrated with the dedication of five monuments. The one to General Jacob Bayley was unveiled on the Newbury village green before a crowd of 3500. A three-act play, “The Difference,” depicting a fictional account of the settlement of the town was presented at nearby Chadwick Hall. Special days celebrated Newbury Seminary and the area’s Civil War veterans. A Grand Reunion Day in West Newbury d

Haverhill held its 150th celebration in September 1912. The Soldiers’ Monument in North Haverhill was dedicated before a large crowd. A historic program was held at the Town Hall and the Village Hall served as a museum. In his remarks summarizing the history of the community, William Whitcher said: “Our heritage is a goodly one. May we transmit it not only unimpaired, but enriched to our children.” The day’s events concluded with a concert.

Orford held a 150th anniversary celebration in August 1915. It started with a parade along the common. Included in the parade was, “a hay-rack carrying about five elderly people” who had been there for the centennial observance in 1865. A banquet was served in a large tent and a ceremony was held in the Congregational Church.
drew a crowd of 600.

Old Home observances evolved after 1915. In some communities, they would only occur
on significant milestones, such as the 200th anniversaries of town chartering in the 1960’s, the bicentennial of the nation in 1976 and the anniversary of Vermont statehood in 1991.

Some towns adopted a different theme for a summer/fall celebration. Beginning in 1925, Fairlee residents worked with “summer people” to hold an annual Fairlee Day. Contests, parades, baseball games and camp activities were included. In 1926, the town used the occasion for the dedication of the Soldiers’ Monument on the Green. Fairlee Day has been held from time to time since.

On August 20, 1932, 400 people gathered in Piermont for the presentation of a “colorful historical pageant.” as part of a weekend of Old Home activities. At its conclusion, the organizing committee offered its thanks to the whole community, “for the success of this undertaking became a matter of great moment to all, and surely deserves to be long remembered in the annals of Piermont.”

Beginning in 1947, Orford used the Fourth of July as Old Home Day. Lyme had an Old Home Day Association from 1948 to 1958. About the same time, Groton began taking advantage of the influx of tourists in October to host Fall Foliage Day. Several towns moved their yearly celebration to Labor Day.

The Upper Valley is in the midst of another significant observance, the 250th anniversary of the Middle Grants. Events began this year and will continue through at least 2015, when Orford and Bradford celebrate the 250th anniversary of their settlements. Fairlee has already set a good example with its July 4th weekend celebration. Thetford will replicate the 1911 pageant on August 12-14 at Thetford Academy. Both towns have published updated histories.

Many of the successful observances mentioned above have common characteristics. They include wide community co-operating and planning, a respect for heritage mingled with a dose of nostalgia and a realistic view of current and future situations, an opportunity for fun-filled get-togethers, a celebration of family and friends and a hearty welcome for the returning visitor or stranger. Whether a local community is an old home or a new one to a town’s residents, these are attributes worth celebrating well beyond festive days.

The Old Barn

2011-07-10T08:36:00.012-04:00

MARTIN FARM--This barn is an example of a Vermont barn still serving its purpose.

Located on the farm of Larry and Sue Martin's dairy farm in Fairlee, it plays a major role in the childhood memories of my wife, Carolyn and her siblings, Charlotte, Larry. Gene and Cathy.

Yankee Barn--This early barn is owned by Trudy and Stanton Fadden and is located on Rogers Hill Road in Bradford. At some time in the past, it was moved to this site onto an existing stone foundation. It represents as style of barn architecture that became popular in the 1820's.

(Bradford Historical Society)

Houghton's Folly--byuilt in 1878 in lower Orford, this elaborate barn was the centerpiece of the Pavilion Stock Farm. Said to have been the size of 18 good-sized barns, it was built for Boston merchant S. S. Houghton. First used for housing harness race horses, it was destroyed by fire in 1930. (Orford Historical Society)

IN THE ROUND--Located south of Wells River, this round barn was built in 1903 by Hammon Baldwin. The style featured a central silo and a covered high drive ramp and was designed to save labor. The barn is currently part of the Knox farms. (Michelle Sherburne)

GRAY OLD LADY--Moving toward its tipping point, this barn is located on Route 5 south of the Bradford-Fairlee line. While once a centerpiece of the Gray family farm, it now sits idle with nature taking its toll. (Larry Coffin)

As published in the Journal-Opinion, June 22, 2011

“The barn is vernacular architecture. It is a reflection of the people and history of the region. Few of us can determine the age of a barn or its specific purpose at a glance, but we admire the classical proportions, the harvest design and sturdy construction, and the use of native materials. We can imagine how the building represented the aspirations and success of its first owner.”

This quote from Charles Leik’s Barns was sent to me by Jeannette Nordham of Bradford. Jeannette spearheaded a Bradford barn census a year ago for the Bradford Historical Society. She and her team documented the history of 50 barns that had been used for agriculture and built before 1958. Tony Brainerd photographed each of the structures. This census was conducted in connection with a state-wide program of the Vermont Department of Historic Preservation.

Last October, Nancy Boone of the DHP presented the history of Vermont barns to a large local audience. She had high praise for the work accomplished by the Bradford team. She included a few of Brainerd’s photographs in her standard presentation. On Wednesday, August 17, the Society will present a program on Bradford barns using the photographs and information collected for the census. This program will be held in the Bradford Academy auditorium and will be open to the general public.

This column deals with the development of area barns, tangible evidence of the evolution of agriculture in the area. It uses information from local histories, Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings by Thomas Visser and Boone’s presentation.

If the first structures built by settlers were houses, they were soon followed by barns. As in the European countries from which they came, barns were essential to subsistence farmers. They provided space for animals and equipment and for the processing and storage of crops. As with the first log cabins, log barns were rude structures. As quickly as framed homes were built, barns were framed as well.

Using local timber, many early barn builders used traditional English designs adapted to the harsher climate of northern New England. The so-called English barn, commonly 30’ x 40’, had a large door on the eaves side. The central area was a threshing floor with bays on either side.

Framing timbers were hewn from tree trunks with broad axes, sometimes smoothed with an adze and fastened in place with wooden pegs. For roofing, wooden shingles were used instead of thatch. Green framing sheathing was applied loosely, using hand-wrought nails. As the boards dried, cracks developed between them admitting light and ventilation. One 1855 observer wrote that barns often had, “cracks wide and numerous enough to thoroughly ventilate the barn, and keep it cool, especially in the winter.”

The following story about Aaron Mann’s barn building experience appears in Joel Mann’s 1865 “Centennial Celebration of Orford” speech. “Having occasion to board a new barn, and the boards being rather green, he tacked them on, as was customary, for shrinking before the final fastening, and retired to his bed, always sweet to the laboring man. During the night there arose, or rather descended one of those [Orford] mountain winds, and on viewing his barn in the morning, he found all the nails were driven ‘spang in to the head.’ ”

By the 1820’s, modifications in this traditional style appeared. Known as the Yankee barn, it had a similar internal design to earlier barns, but with the main door moved to the shorter gable end, allowing additional bays to be added as needed. Machine-made nails and timber sawed on circular saws replaced earlier materials allowing for tighter construction. Some windows, including small glass panes known as transom “lights” over the door, became common.

Farmers’ publications of the 1850’s advised against building too large or fancy a barn, noting that, “Few farmers can afford to erect a building equal to the one they can plan.” Encouraging farmers to retain the “common-place and meager” styles, J. H. Hammond warned in 1858: “Farmers should be put on their guard against laying out extravagant sums for the sake of making their barns ‘artistic’ and elegant structures….we have contended that decorations are useless on a dwelling-house: they are utterly senseless on a barn.”

These publications also included the debates over the wisdom of constructing a cellar. In 1857, a contributor to The New England Farmer wrote that: “A good cellar is as indispensable to a barn as to a house.” The cellar was used as extra space for the storage of crops, housing for animals and for the storage of manure, the benefits of which as fertilizer was being encouraged.

Barn size and architecture evolved with changes in agriculture in the two-state area. The introduction of sheep after 1810 resulted in barns with wide south-facing open shelters and a wool room. The decline of wheat as a major crop reduced the need for a threshing floor. The rise of the dairy industry required larger barns with stanchions. Raising horses required barns that could accommodate stalls. Farmers sometimes built hay barns in the outer pastures to store hay until it was needed. Many village homes also had barns to house carriages and horses and perhaps chickens and a family milk (milch) cow.

As barns were often the largest buildings around, they were sometimes pressed into other uses. In Bradford, one of the earliest schools was in a barn. In Thetford and Haverhill, newly formed congregations began by holding services in barns. In 1832, 500 mourners attended a funeral for three sisters in a large Piermont barn. Musters, town meetings, weddings, work bees and dances were held in barns. Later, the large exterior walls became billboards for products and events. Even later, barns became artist studios, theatres and apartment or business locations.

The hilly terrain of the area led to the building of bank barns. Similar in appearance to earlier barns, these structures were built in to the side of a hill to create a cellar. This style of barn often featured ventilators and cupolas, sometimes topped by weathervanes. Tighter building construction created the need to vent moisture from cattle and manure.

In some cases, a high drive ramp was built from the hillside to the upper floor, allowing hay to be easily transported for storage. Farmers used gravity for pitching hay from the loft and for shoveling manure through a hatch to the cellar below. This was especially important when there was a shortage of labor caused by the exodus of young men.

Just as new styles of construction were used, new labor-saving machines were constantly being introduced. Horse-powered fork lift raised hay to the lofts, later replaced by engine-powers methods. As the 19th century drew to a close, concrete began to replace fieldstone and planks for foundations and flooring. New building materials and techniques improved barn construction. Silos created feeding alternatives to hay and oats. Gable-front barns and ground level stable barns were built to accommodate larger herds. Milk houses were added to conform to changing health regulations.

Many barns in the styles mentioned above can still be seen around the area. There were also several built in dramatically different styles. The round or polygonal barn was not common although there were a few built in the area. Barns of this type were often up to four stories tall and were designed for maximum labor efficiency. Often a covered ramp led to the hayloft and cattle were stabled facing inward to a central silo. Two that survive include the one on the Knox farm south of Wells River and a 16-sided barn on the Schmidt farm on Route 10 in Piermont.

The most elaborate barn in the area was the centerpiece of the Pavilion Stock Farm, south of Orford village. A prime example of the more ornate structures, it was built in 1878 by S. S. Houghton of Boston. Built at a cost of $40,000, it was 240’ by 200’ with four floors topped by a clock tower, 150’ high. It had the capacity of 18 good-sized barns and could accommodate 200 horses. The building was destroyed by fire on July 26, 1930.

Of course, barns were the centerpiece of a myriad of smaller support buildings. This included a silo, corn crib, granary, smokehouse, root cellar, woodshed, spring house, privy, piggery and a sugar house. One unique feature that developed in our two-state area was the connected barn. This style of continuous architecture connected the barn to the main house with a series of support buildings. This offered a sheltered corridor when the dooryard was plagued with deep snow and sub-zero temperatures. The danger of fire spreading to engulf the connected structures has led to alterations disconnecting the house and barn.

Fire has always been a constant threat to barns. Spontaneous combustion caused by improperly cured hay or dust has destroyed many of them. In the 19th century, several area towns went through an outbreak of intentional barn burnings. Having one’s barn burn and crops and livestock destroyed strikes most heavily at a farmer’s spirit and well-being. If initial barn-raisings promotes neighborliness, so does the response to the loss of a barn by fire.

Fire is not the only danger to barns. The decline of farming has made many barns a liability. With the increasing cost of maintaining barns, they fall into disrepair to the point of collapse. Several of the oldest barns in Bradford have been removed, their boards and beams becoming building material for new buildings elsewhere.

Pauline Whittemore of Lyme is quoted in that town’s Patterns and Pieces about a barn that had reached a tipping point: “The barn was beginning to return to nature. A beam had parted in the corner and poles had been put up to hold it for just a little longer…an empty barn that is not in use loses a shingle here and there. With each fall of snow and with the freezing and thawing and the rushing waters of spring clawing at the foundation, the walls will settle and stress begin. The winter winds and summer storms rack and push an empty barn. With the help of time, they have their way and gradually take it back from whence it came many years ago.”

Jeannette Nordham and her husband Bob are owners of an 1840 English-style barn in Bradford. When asked about her interest in old barns, she said that it stems from childhood visits to her grandfather’s farm in Iowa. Together they provided me with the following: “Those barn owners who have maintained and/or restored their barns, are glad they did. Barns can still have useful purposes. They add to the beauty of the rural landscape and are a worthwhile investment!”

In her October presentation, Nancy Boone said that at the present rate of destruction, some towns will have no barns remaining. She encouraged other towns to follow Bradford’s example by conducting a barn census. Owners of barns should also be aware of state and private grants available to preserve their structures. Although they are small and highly competitive, these grants offer some funds for repairs and maintenance. Some New Hampshire towns, including Haverhill, have taken advantage of a state law allowing property tax advantages to owners of historic barns.

This spring it was announced that the number of dairy farms in Vermont had dropped below 1000. Farm diversification takes some of the sting out of that statistic. There is no doubt that a part of the tourist attraction for our area lies in its pastoral landscape resplendent with carefully tended farms. Because of their importance to both our cultural heritage and current economy, we need to tend to our area barns. Let’s not lock the barn door after its too late.

Mining Mania in Grafton West

2011-05-29T06:51:00.007-04:00

One of the earliest commercially quarried minerals in the area was limestone. Shown is the restored lime kiln, one of two built near Black Mountain in Haverhill for the purpose of burning limestone, a process essential to its use.

Pike Manufacturing Company works at Pike Station supplied natural whetstones to a worldwide market. In 1932, the company was bought out and the operation was moved to Littleton.

Employees of the Pike Manufacturing Company are shown hauling stone from the Haverhill quarry. Horses, such as "Old Phoebe," were relied upon to lighten the work load.

As printed in the Journal Opinion, -May 25, 2011

“What stores the bowels of the mountains contain, time must unfold; all searches for subterraneous treasures have hitherto proved fruitless. …But from the specimens which have appeared, there can be no doubt of the existence of mineral and fossil treasures, the search of which, future generations will find employment.”

This observation about New Hampshire was written by British writer William Winterbotham in 1795. He based it on the earlier writings of New Hampshire’s Jeremy Belknap. This column details some of the mineral treasures found in neighboring towns in Grafton County. It also examines some of what Belknap called, “the disappointments [and] air of mystery” of some local mining and quarrying enterprises.

Probably the earliest use of stone by the settlers of the area was fieldstones for foundations and stonewalls. The source was nearby pastures and woodlands. These practical uses also removed them as an obstacle to farming.

Soapstone, also known as cottonstone was one of the earliest commercially quarried minerals in the area. Easy to carve even with woodworking tools, this stone had many uses including gravestones, water pipes and stoves. One of the largest quarries was located two miles north of Orford village on Cottonstone Mountain. In 1825, Samuel Robinson, in his Catalogue of American Minerals, described it as “one of the finest localities of sealtite [soapstone] in the United States.” Two additional quarries were located in the village of Orfordville and north of Briar Hill in North Haverhill. Bittinger’s History of Haverhill states that attempts to bring the latter to market, “proved a financial failure.”

Limestone was used in the smelting of iron, for plastering or whitewashing walls and for agricultural use. It was found in a number of area towns. Limestone was found in Haverhill in 1837 and two kilns were built near Black Mountain for the burning of limestone, a process essential for its use. In his 1842 survey of the geology of New Hampshire, Charles Thomas Jackson wrote the “inexhaustible beds of limestone” in Haverhill, Lisbon and Lyme were of “incalculable importance” to the economy of the state.

Given the quantities of limestone and wood for the kilns, New Hampshire lime easily replaced more expensive lime from other states. The Haverhill Lime Company operated kilns from 1864 until about 1888. Jackson mentions that one of the several limestone quarries operating in Lisbon in 1844 was over 60 ft deep and 300 ft long.
While they appeared to have closed by the late 1880s, they were for a time, “quite an industry.”

It is for good cause that New Hampshire is known as “the Granite State.” Granite is its most common mineral. At one time or another, granite has been quarried in many local towns. From the earliest years, granite was used for fence posts, foundations, doorsteps and millstones. At first, the source was surface boulders, with quarrying beginning in New England about 1800. By then, granite was being used for buildings and monuments, uses that continue today.

The history of local granite operations, as well as other mines and quarries, is detailed in Katharine Blaisdell’s Over the River and Through the Years, Book Four.
She writes that there was quarrying of granite at the Catamount Ridge south of Haverhill Corner which began in the 1780’s. In 1844, C. T. Jackson observed that good quality granite existed there “abundantly” and was “extensively quarried.” A number of companies were established both at Catamount Ridge and Briar Hill in North Haverhill. One company featured pink granite from the latter. The granite from these locations was used in the construction of a number of local buildings.

In 1893, Stone magazine predicted that the granite industry in the Haverhill area would “develop into a great business in time.” However, competition from other states, including Vermont, ended that hope. By about 1900, the quarries, and the cutting sheds that serviced them, had ceased operation.

At Piermont’s Black Hill, granite was quarried for almost the same length of time. It was described as “a variety not found elsewhere in New Hampshire.” In 1890, the Black Hill Granite Company was incorporated to expand the existing operation with three quarries. While the granite took a beautiful polish, “it could not be quarried in large enough blocks free of imperfections to make the business profitable.” Prior to its demise, there was a plan to build a railroad to transport the granite to Bradford’s railroad connection.

Sythestones or whetstones were also quarried in Piermont and Haverhill, an industry that remained vibrant for over a century. Both towns had deposits of mica schist, a fine-grained stone hard enough to sharpen any steel. Robert Fillion of Haverhill describes the history of the industry in that town, beginning as early as 1820. Locally, it probably had its origins in the need of a farmer to sharpen an ax or scythe. He may have picked up a stone, found it served his purpose and a local industry was born.

A number of individuals including Isaac Pike of Haverhill and later Charles Dodge and W. H. Gannett of Piermont were involved in grinding whetstones, but it was Pike’s son Alonzo who transformed the industry. The A. F. Pike Company, incorporated in 1883, became the Pike Manufacturing Company. Using stone from its quarries in Haverhill, Lisbon and Piermont, it became the world’s largest manufacturer of natural whetstones. From its company town at Pike Station, it shipped products to domestic and foreign markets. The market for natural whetstones declined after 1920 and the company was bought out in 1932 and operations were moved to Littleton.

Several types of slate have been quarried in the local area. In his 1870 report on the geology of the state, Charles Henry Hitchcock describes the considerable amount of clay slate that had recently been located along the Connecticut River. The slate found in Littleton was suitable for roofing and marbleizing and other “practical purposes.” He mentions that “excellent specimens” indicated the presence of slate in Piermont and south into Hanover and Lebanon. While the southern locations proved commercially successful, I could find no evidence of a quarry in Piermont at that time.

While clay slate was found along the Connecticut, mica slate was quarried on the hillsides. At its best, mica can be mined in “books” and processed in sheets that are semi-transparent and capable of withstanding high temperatures. It was often used in place of glass, when that was unavailable or not suitable, as in stoves or oil lamps. The discovery of vast quantities of this mineral overseas in the 19th century discouraged local operations.

The most important site for open pit mica mining was at the Ruggles Mine at Glass Mountain in Grafton, NH, where mica was discovered in 1803. As late as 1906, they were supplying mica for the Mica Crystal Works grinding plant in Warren. During World War II, the Woodward mica quarry was in operation south of Orford village. According to a 1953 U.S. Geological Survey, the quarry produced a “fine grain quartz-mica” from a pit that was 140 ft. long, 25 ft. wide and up to 40 ft. deep.

Iron ore was mined in several area towns. One of the most productive mines was at Cross or Iron Ore Hill near the Piermont-Warren town line. In 1844, it was reported that immense quantity of, “specular and magnetic iron of superior quality” was found there and over 100 tons had been transported to a Vermont smelting furnace. In 1861, it was described as one of the richest ores in the nation. It was suggested that the availability of local firewood and limestone would make this a very profitable location, but apparently this did not materialize. The 1886 Grafton County gazetteer makes no mention of any iron mining in Piermont. There were prospects for iron at Holt’s Hill in Lyme also, but no active mining. The 1844 report mentioned two “nefarious swindling” proposals that lost money for investors.

One of the most interesting stories of a hoax involving mining mania is related in
Little’s History of Warren. A group of 19th century tourists from New York were visiting Mt. Moosilauke. “There they fell in with a spiritualist who went into a fit, and looking with shut eyes toward Sentinel mountain saw fourteen different mines upon that green wooded eminence…the oracle was believed, a company was organized and they actually worked a year and a half at the spot indicated.” The minerals found did not pay and the investors lost thousands of dollars.

But at Ore Hill in western Warren deposits of copper, lead, silver and zinc deposits were found. Attempt to mine these began in the 1830’s and continued until 1959. Some attempts in the 1860s resulted in short term success, to the point of creating an active village of miners. Most, however, were thwarted by high processing and shipping costs, failure to find sufficient resources and fire.

The best local example of mining mania was caused by the discovery of gold in Lisbon in 1864. Within a year, three companies had been formed with interests in Lyman, Lisbon, Bath and Monroe. The area was given the name “Ammonoosuc Gold Field.” By 1877, one company had shipped 500 tons of ore to crushing mills in the area. Hitchcock reported that the best part of the Lyman vein produced about $18 of gold per ton of rock.

He predicted that these mines would only be profitable with luck and the expenditure of considerable capital. Luck was not on the side of the prospectors and the gold produced was less than mining and processing costs. The whole business was based on speculation and mine salting was common. Some were fooled by gold lookalikes. Doubt led to decline and even an attempt to reestablish the mine in Lyman in the early 1900’s failed. With that, the dreams of a “new Eldorado” vanished.

In addition to these commercial enterprises, the minerals of the area attracted “mineralogical tourists.” From the first half of the 19th century to the present, these “rock hounds”, cold-chisel and hammer in hand, have scoured the area for cabinet specimens. In 1844, James Dana listed the minerals to be found in area towns. They included in Haverhill: garnet and natural arsenic; Lyme: kyanite and black tourmaline, and Warren: quartz and termolite.

New Hampshire is still described as “an excellent location for the amateur mineral field collector,” and recreational gold panning is popular on several local streams and rivers, including the Wild Ammonoosuc. Many of the abandoned mines and quarries mentioned above are sites for those seeking specimens.

Few companies other than gravel, sand and crushed rock remains from the various local enterprises mentioned in this column. Many of the abandoned quarries and piles of tailings from those mining operations are overgrown and forgotten, except as they pollute neighboring streams.

That is not to say that the hills that hosted these mines and quarries no longer have treasures to offer. Abandoned mining roads have become hiking trails. Mountain sides offer sites for recreation and forestry operations. Seasons are heralded by their changing colors. And for those of us who have grown up in their shadows, they provide the reassurance of having a horizon against which you can rest your eyes.

The Old Town Tavern (1765-1865)

2011-04-23T10:44:00.010-04:00

Described in tourist guides as "a comfortable little hotel in Bradford" the Trotter House and stable served clients that arrived by stage or by station wagon from nearby railroad stations.

Newbury's Spring Hotel, located on Main Street in Newbury village hosted guests who came to "take the waters" at the nearby sulfur springs. It may have also hosted runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad.

This was one of the first taverns in Bradford. Originally located on the west side of the river road (Rt. 5), it was built by Capt. John Barron around 1800. About 1826, it was purchased by John and Hannah Pearsons, who operated it for 16 years. In 1842, they moved it to its present location on the east side of the road and built the new tavern shown below.

The Bliss Tavern, one of several at Haverhill Corner, hosted large crowds attending the nearby Grafton County Court. Owned by Captain Joseph Bliss, it also drew business from its location at the terminus of the Coos Turnpike that led to Warren and points south.

To great fanfair and with liquid refreshments aplenty, Jonathan Sinclair open his newly refurbished Grafton Hotel in 1830. As with the nearby Bliss Tavern, it drew customers from the adjacent Coos Turnpike.

The Old Town Tavern (1765-1865)
As published in the Journal-Opinion, April 20, 2011

“To the public generally he would observe, that his house shall never become the haunt of tipplers, gamblers and idlers, but shall on all occasions be found a pleasant and commodious resort for the weary traveler, the man of business, and the gentlemen of pleasure. On the subject of charges, attendants and fare, the proprietor would remark that fair dealings, trusty servants, and good living shall be found inmates of his establishment. He also professes to be a connoisseur in the article of Coffee and can well distinguish the Coos Domestic, from the Java Coffee. His bar is well furnished with the best of liquors and one toddy stick for the accommodation of customers with none for family use.”

This 1830 advertisement in the New Hampshire Post by Jonathan Sinclair announced the opening of his newly refurbished Grafton Hotel at Haverhill Corner. His was one of scores of inns, taverns and public houses that operated in the region. This column describes these establishments during the first century after settlement. It uses the terms inn and tavern interchangeably, except in the title of a specific business. It draws on standard local history books as well as information collected by John C. Wriston Jr. in his book, Vermont Inns and Taverns.

The first taverns were just simple cabins that provided shelter and food for those who passed by. The roads on which they were located were rough, and the infrequent travelers were afoot or on horseback. As communities grew and improved roads allowed for wheeled vehicles, many hostels developed into framed multistoried houses and later into elaborate hotels.

Taverns were often the first public buildings opened. The first in the region was Uriah Morse’s log cabin “ordinary” in North Haverhill, which offered shelter beginning in1762, a year before the town was chartered. In Orford, Israel Morey’s home was a tavern in 1766, one year following the arrival of the first settler. Robert Johnston opened a tavern in Newbury in 1769, the first one in what is now Orange County. Wells’ History of Newbury states that, “the first spirits sold at his bar were brought up from Concord in square kegs on horseback.”

Innkeepers were often men of local distinction, holding such positions as selectmen, legislators or post masters. Often they operated other businesses as well. Daniel Cooke of Corinth had operated a distillery, gristmill, potash plant and tannery as well as an inn. Many, like Colonel Morey, were veterans. Haverhill historian John Quincy Bittinger wrote that a hospitable innkeeper was expected to be, “agreeable and companionable by his ability to engage in intelligent conversation.”

Taverns were generally located along the well-traveled roads and as the roads increased in number and improved in condition, the number of taverns increased. The first taverns in Lyme were located along the River Road, and others followed as the Grafton Turnpike opened. In Ryegate, there were as many as seven taverns along the Bayley-Hazen Road. Taverns from Thetford to Newbury were stationed on the Windsor-St. Johnsbury Road.

In the 1790s, additional public roads were laid out and in the new century, private turnpikes were constructed. Both had a major influence on the development of taverns.
Situated along these roads, inns serviced teamsters carrying loads of goods, farmers driving animals and taking their crops to market and stagecoach passengers. Sometimes taverns specialized to the needs of these different groups of clients. Some taverns had contracts with stage lines and kept a stable with fresh horses.

Taverns also served the local community. They were the village social center where locals came for mail, supplies, companionship and news from the outside brought in by travelers. Before the building of town houses, they provided a place for town meetings, court sessions, Masonic meetings, militia musters and even worship services. Later ones often had a ball room for dancing and hosted concerts and traveling performers.

As the buildings evolved beyond the small cabin to framed structures, taverns provided more rooms. The Morse Tavern in Haverhill, a teamster tavern, is described by Bittinger as having four large rooms below and two in the attic. “One of the lower rooms was used as the bar-room, and the other opposite was a sort of reception room. Back of these was the kitchen and dining room. In the attic were rooms for the family.” Teamsters and farmers often slept on the floor of the barroom near the large fireplace. Some innkeepers complained that these customers sometimes brought their own food and only purchased drink.

Some inns offered hospitality to an occasional unusual guest. The Three Beaver tavern on the River Road in Lyme hosted, “according to tradition, some Saint Francis Indians [who] lodged there while traveling to Dartmouth College to visit their sons, and slept with their heads outside the window.” In addition to European guests touring the two-state area, hotels sometimes hosted traveling celebrities. In 1832, noted writer Washington Irving stayed at the Orford Hotel and commented quite favorably on the beauty of the village.

The reputation of a tavern was enhanced by the quality of the food and drink served. While the price of the services varied, in the 1830’s one might expect to pay ten cents for lodging, 12 cents for “a bite” and 25 cents for a regular meal. “With what was left at the bar, the landlords managed to collect quite a revenue in those days.” Principal drinks of the day included rum, cider and flip, a popular beverage made with sweetened beer. Some establishments probably had the same reputation as Haverhill’s Colbeth Tavern, where it was said, “the fast men of the day met and drank and handled cards.”

Local communities licensed the sale of alcohol by taverns. Overindulgence in alcohol was common, and proprietors would be fined or lose their license if they did not maintain an “orderly house.” Bittinger relates one example of overindulgence: When Jonathan Sinclair opened his tavern in Haverhill and, “the sign-post was raised, the whole crowd, it is said, was drunk, and one of the prominent citizens in Ladd street, who aided in raising the sign-pole, went home so far to ‘windward ’ that he tied his horse up by the tail.” It can be assumed that when liquor was served, barrooms were sometimes the scene of alcohol-fueled brawls. Friendly discussions or card games sometimes ended in disputes.

There were also legal disputes between proprietors. The Newbury history recounts the dispute between Widow Lovewell, who ran the Sawyer House, and Col. Thomas Johnson “over a barrel of rum, which she had bought of him and which she averred was more than half water. The colonel stoutly affirmed that it was rum, and nothing but rum, when it left his premises. The affair made much talk, and the colonel sued the widow for slander. It came out in the trial that the barrel had taken a whole night to travel the mile which lay between the two taverns, circumstances which Mrs. Lovewell’s hired man, and two others were very backward about explaining.” A dispute between the owners of the Bliss Hotel on Bradford’s Main Street and the neighboring Trotter House made it all the way to the Vermont Supreme Court.

With the growth of the temperance movement in the 19th century, attempts were made to restrict public drinking. There was pressure for establishments to forswear the sale of alcohol and become “temperance houses.” There was also pressure to discourage taverns from allowing dice or card games. While there were many ways around prohibition, the statutes passed in the two states between 1844 and 1855 closed down use of the bars in many taverns and inns.

Some taverns offered larger accommodations. During sessions at the nearby Grafton County Court, the Bliss Tavern on the common in Haverhill was filled with crowds attending the court. Katharine Blaisdell, whose Book Five of Over the River and Through the Years, details many of the taverns of the area, and describes the lodging provided by Captain Joseph Bliss. “By furnishing each of the bedrooms with six beds, plus straw mattresses on the floor, and assigning 3 or 4 men to each bed, he could provide lodging for a hundred or more people.”

Even more elaborate facilities were Newbury’s Spring Hotel, Bradford’s Trotter House and the Orford Hotel north of the turn to Fairlee. The Spring Hotel was opened in 1800 and run in connection with the nearby sulfur spring, where guests “took the waters.” Over the next 65 years, it was enlarged and, by the end of the Civil War, it had four stories, contained 40 rooms and was lighted by gas manufactured on the premises.

Wells writes, “In that house, as originally constructed, there was a secret apartment, known only to the proprietor…for the concealment of smuggled goods.” In her research on the Underground Railroad Journal-Opinion staffer Michelle Sherburne mentions that a tunnel leading from the hotel may have provided refuge for runaway slaves. The Beal Tavern on Lyme’s Dorchester Road and the Bliss Tavern are also mentioned as stations on the Underground Railroad.

Proprietors who had a house near a busy road or turnpike prospered. Those situated in a busy village did better than those in more rural locations. In his 1870 History of Warren, William Little, given to fanciful representations, has the following description of taverns that may not have existed in reality: “These taverns flourished wonderfully, and the proprietors all arrived at considerable wealth. The landlords had comely daughters for waiting maids; strong armed sons to attend the great ox teams that stopped to bait or rest over night, or to groom the saddle horses of gentlemen who patronized them. These inns of the old days were good ones, the table was always well set, the cream the sweetest and richest, the butter and eggs always fresh, vegetables and everything else nice, clean white beds, snowy linen sheets, well swept floors, all was bright and neat as strong hands could make it.”

The arrival of the railroad in the late 1840’s had a major impact. Those in villages with stations prospered. New ones were built in railroad villages such as Woodsville and Wells River. Station wagons brought passengers from the railroad stations to neighboring hotels. The flow of what would now be called tourists grew steadily as rail travel improved.

Just as some taverns and inns prospered, others disappeared. If traffic on a road disappeared, so did the taverns. Some such as Bradford’s Vermont House burned, and were not rebuilt. Other owners lost interest, died or moved away. Many structures throughout the area still exist, but have been converted to private homes. Current owners of those homes may not realize that their front room was once a barroom or that in an upstairs bedroom once slept eight or ten patrons.

The history of hotels and taverns did not stop in 1865, the period covered in this article. Later history will be covered in future columns. But it can be said that the hotels, motels and restaurants that currently operate in our region are the heirs to a tradition of hospitality, of eating out and staying over, established by the numerous taverns, inns and public houses of the past.

(Editor’s note: Additional articles in this series can be found in the author’s book In Times Past: Essays from the Upper Valley)

No One Lives There Anymore

2011-03-05T07:24:00.011-05:00

This 1925 map shows the extent of desertion of roads and houses in Piermont, Warren, Orford, Wentworth, Lyme and Dorchester. The dots represent deserted houses, and the heavy lines are deserted roads; roads still in use at the time are shown by a light line. The map is a result of a study by Dartmouth geography professor James Goldthwait that was included in his 1927 article "A Town That Has Gone Downhill."

The back of beyond sections of area towns were littered with the remains of abandoned homes and farm buildings as residents moved away and nature reclaimed the pastures. (UVM Special Collections)

The Frank Finney fam was one of the last to survive in Orford's Quinttown. According to Leon Marsh of Fairlee, who was born in this house, the buildings burned in the 1940s. Abandoned stone walls and overgrown cellar holes create a "silence of desolation" in this once thriving neighborhood. (Orford Historical Society) Copperfield, in Vershire, was a booming mining town in the 1890s. In the center of the village was a three-story company store. All that remains of this thriving community are the tailings, or waste materials, from the mines. (UVM Special Collections) In the 1870s, the mining company provided these shanties for miners and their families at the Pike Hill copper mine in Corinth. Like Copperfield to the south, this village disappeared with the closing of the mine. (UVM Special Collections) In August, 2006, my brother, Ray Coffin, Jr. joined me in a visit to the site of our great grandfather's farm on Hodge's Hill adjacent to the road between West Topsham and East Orange, Vermont. He and his family were one of five or six farm families that lived in this little neighborhood just before the Civil War. All that is left are cellar holes, stone walls and overgrown orchards. The road is now just a trail. As published in the Journal-Opinion, February 23 and March 2, 2011 “The traveler through such States as Vermont and New Hampshire in particular finds deserted homesteads at every turn, ruined and empty houses and their ramshackle barns, with open doors and windows looking like eye holes in a skull, and wide stretches of young forest, where once grew corn and potatoes. The inexorable forest comes down and claims its own as soon as the hand of man intermits his patient toil.” This 1897 observation by Daniel Appleton describes the condition in the back of beyond sections of many area towns as population declined after 1820. In December 2009 and March 2010, I wrote about the exodus from the region. This column deals with those area neighborhoods that became deserted. Not all deserted neighborhoods are covered as they have disappeared either in name or detailed memory. These include such sites as Davistown, Baldwin Corners, and Gray City, all in Orford. The population boom experienced by many area towns in the formative decades after 1765 brought farm families to all parts of each community. Many early farmers preferred the hill country because it was less prone to floods or swamps. They believed that the centuries of leaf mold from deciduous trees created better soil than that of the pine-covered low lands. For them, the sun shown a bit longer and the warm breezes prevented earlier frosts than in the shadowy valleys. Marginal though it was, the uplands provided sufficiently for the subsistence farmer. Lumber, firewood and maple sugar were taken from nearby forests, stones for walls were collected from upland pastures and food crops were grown on the place. But for many, the isolation was hard, especially for the women whose tasks literally worked them to death. At some point in the decades from 1820 to 1860, every area town reached a peak of population and began to decline. For a time, in some hill locations, it was true that the “only thing growin’” was the cemetery. These same towns recorded their lowest population since settlement in the period between 1920 and 1950. The following represents the high and low census years for some area towns during the period from 1820 to 1970. Lyme 1820, 1930; Thetford 1830, 1940; Newbury 1850, 1970; Bradford 1860, 1930; Topsham 1840, 1940. The causes of this decline include the lure of cheap land on the ever-expanding western frontier and the promises of the nation’s growing cities. These opportunities held special attraction for young adults. Other reasons given include the inability of these rough country farms to compete with the West in raising sheep and growing wheat, their most profitable. Add to these high taxes, severe winters and the loss of neighbors and kin. Some blamed those who unwisely located in submarginal locations or were too unwilling to do the work necessary to “eke out a living.” One observer blamed the decline on the poor diet of the families. Too much fried meat, potatoes and pie! The impact was most evident in the upland hill regions on the east side of area towns in New Hampshire and the west side of Vermont towns. In his 1927 article, A Town That Has Gone Downhill, Dartmouth geography professor James Goldthwaite describes the impact of depopulation on the eastern half of Lyme as an example of what was happening in many hill country neighborhoods. Lyme’s Patterns and Pieces includes several lengthy descriptions of school districts that reflected this decline. Written in 1948 by Edwin Dimick, they include the Acorn and Whipple School Districts in the north central part of town. The area was settled as early as 1776 and became a farming community with fine buildings and productive fields and orchards. Having lived there all of his 86 years, Dimick describes place after place where the buildings were gone and the fields had grown up to brush. Goldthwaite also mentions the decline of Tinkhamtown, a small settlement in the southeast corner of Lyme south of Gline’s Hill and the area around Acorn Hill and Smart’s Mountain. He describes the decline of farms: “the tide was ebbing fast by 1860.” By 1892, “the entire northeastern quarter of the township, so largely occupied by Smart’s Mountain, thus became a blank on the population map.” The Acorn Hill neighborhood was completely abandoned and “the 1100-foot contour…marks a rather definite population strand line for 1925.” It is no accident that a portion of this almost inaccessible territory is known as Hardscrabble. Neighboring Orford’s Quinttown is another prime example of the abandonment of the hill settlements. In 1792, Benjamin Quint settled adjacent to the base of Mt Cube near Jacob’s Brook. Goldthwaite described the community at its height as having “fifteen houses, a few saw mills, shops, a schoolhouse or two and a store and there was a schoolhouse (gone before 1855) at the top of the long hill on the mountainside, with 50 or 60 pupils.” Farming along with the quarrying of limestone were the two major economic activities. By 1892, the village had been largely abandoned. Several farms held out into the first decades of the 20th century. Lumbering activities were common. By the late 1940’s the only resident was the recluse Billy Brown. The swimming hole at Flat Rock on Jacob’s Brook was the main attraction. To the north was Piermont’s eastern section along the now abandoned North and South Road. This road ran from Clay Hollow along the base of Piermont Mountain. The 1947 history of Piermont describes the road as once being the location of “many large farmsteads belonging to our early most prosperous citizens.” Farms in this section were very productive and in the 1840’s were being sold at high prices. “New purchasers of these farms were not equal in ability to the men whose places they had taken” This, along with other causes, brought about abandonment and the road was eventually discontinued. Just to the east in Warren was Charleston. William Little’s 1870 history of Warren describes that district: “Their buildings were good, their great barns were always filled with hay, and their sugar places were the best in town. But alas! All this has changed. The dwellers in the district by the lake are all dead, the houses and the barns have mouldered away, the spot where they stood can hardly be found, and the fields and the pastures are grown with forest trees.” The conditions in these locations are summed up in a 1905 comment about Benton by William F. Whitcher: “Some sections which were formerly settled and occupied by owners of farms are abandoned.” Across the river in Vermont, western sections of river towns suffered in a similar manner. Brushwood in the northwestern area of Fairlee was “so isolated” that in 1895 the district school had only one pupil. Portions of West Corinth declined in population. Bill Hodge of the Topsham Historical Society says that the area in Topsham near the Groton line, known as “the Territory,” once had as many as 24 farms, three schools and a hotel. It is empty now, as are several of the other most rural sections in Topsham. In Bradford, portions of Goshen, the South Road and Tarbox have their share of abandoned cellar holes and stonewall. All of these are representative of the decline of small hill farms and the reforestation of much of Vermont. In Newbury, the Lime Kiln district and the Grow and Dow neighborhoods along the Topsham border experienced both early growth and later decline. Wells’ History of Newbury states: “The farms that cling to the hills on the west are among the best in town.” Writing in 1902, Wells concludes, “that Newbury has shared in the depopulation of all hill towns in New England. There are more than 200 spots in town where houses once stood, and there are none now.” Two other neighborhoods that experienced booms were Copperfield in Vershire and Pike Hill in Corinth. Copper brought a large number of residents to these mining villages. Located along the road from West Fairlee to Strafford, Copperfield at its height had almost 1000 residents, a school, two churches, a store, barber and millinery shops, a library and meeting hall along with the facilities required for mining and smelting copper. The Pike Hill neighborhood was not as large as Copperfield, but did have a school and store along with a number of miners’ shanties. Both of these mining communities are completely abandoned. I will write more on mining in the area in a later column. In 1984, Hal S. Barron wrote a manuscript entitled “Those Who Stayed Behind.” In it he takes earlier observers to task for viewing these changes “in terms of extraordinary decline and decay.” He refutes any assumption that “the quality of life in Lyme [or the other towns in the area] went down hill along with its people.” He suggests that these were “expected characteristics of older agrarian societies.” Despite the decline in population, most area towns had agricultural and non-agricultural sections that continued to prosper. In many cases, farm production remained constant, especially in the intervales along the Connecticut. Village life in towns such as Lyme, Thetford, Newbury and Bradford was vibrant and growing. In the last two decades of the nineteenth century, Bradford village gained a new hotel, three major brick office buildings, factories and a new library and academy along with new sidewalks, water system and electric lights. Despite the title of this article, it is not exactly true that no one lived in some of these rural neighborhoods for very long. In response to the number of abandoned farms both Vermont and New Hampshire established programs to advertise available property. The targeted audiences included potential immigrants from northern Europe and Canada as well as the new leisure class of America’s cities. In one 1889 listing of abandoned farms for sale, four Orford and Piermont farms were offered for between $3 and $11 per acre. New Hampshire listed 1342 “abandoned farms with tenantable buildings” and Vermont listed more than 1000, over half, “with buildings that are in fair condition.” Abandoned pastures turned into second-growth forests, offering opportunities for the lumbering industry. Writing in 1886 on the condition of Vermont forests, Hiram A. Cutting concluded: “Springing up as it does on so many worn-out and abandoned farms, the white pine has made industry and wealth possible to many parts of the state which otherwise would have been wholly deserted.” By the early 1900’s, a slow turn around had begun. There was an increase in the number of immigrant farmers. The “back to the land movement” and the growth of the summer recreation industry created interest in rural property among urban members of the new middle class. The advent of the automobile and rural mail delivery followed by the spread of telephone, radio and electricity to rural sections brought new life to the hill country. Old farm houses that were purchased as vacation homes often became retirement homes for gentlemen farmers. In July, 1932 an article appeared in The United Opinion under the headline “Many Seek Summer Home Sites in Vermont.” Prompted by Dorothy Canfield’s publication Vermont Summer Homes, over 7500 inquiries had been received by the Vermont Bureau of Publicity from “outsiders looking for homes, permanent or temporary.” Over the past four decades, life has returned to many rural areas as the overall population of local towns reached new highs. In the late 60’s there was a resurgence of the “country life movement” that resulted in new residents, full or part-time. The extension of the interstate highway in the early 70’s allows young families to build in remote areas and work in larger communities. With capital from home sales to the south, retirees are able to purchase tracts of land for new homes, often with the most desirable mountain views. While not equaling the home building boom experienced by some other parts of the nation, all area towns have experienced new construction, often in neighborhoods that had been most depleted of population a century before. Additionally, the reforested areas offer hunters, hikers and outdoor enthusiasts ample opportunities for recreation. I am the descendant of many generations of New England farmers. Interest in the topic of depopulation was enhanced by my trek to an abandoned neighborhood on Hodge’s Hill adjacent to the West Topsham-East Orange road. There my great grandfather Coffin lived with his family just prior to the Civil War. All that remains of that small collection of hardscrabble farms are cellar holes, stone walls and overgrown orchards. Both my grandfathers were born on Vermont hill farms. The small farm on which my father was born in East Brookfield doesn’t appear to have a single flat acre. While I grew up in Fairlee and Orford villages, we owned a 300-acre farm in Archertown near Sunday Mountain in Orford. Most of it was hilly. It was there that I was personally introduced to the idea that the best annual crop was often stones. Being descended from those who struggled to pull a living from often unforgiving land gives one an appreciation for thrift, hard work and a good dose of stubborn determination. And those are traits worth honoring.

Send Out the Alarm!

2011-01-07T09:54:00.004-05:00

Newbury Spared, Royalton Burned, In October 1780, a "Great Alarm" warned area
frontier communities of a threatened invasion by 300 natives and Tories from Canada. Warned that Newbury was on alert, the invaders veered west and attacked Royalton and Tunbridge. This engraving is from Gathering Sketches from the Early History of Vermont by Frances

Chase (1856) (Courtesy of John Dumville)

Bradford on Guard In January 1932, armed sentries were guarding Main Street in Bradford in the wake of anonymous threats to burn the area. This photograph appeared on the front page of The United Opinion and was taken by Clarence Finn of the Boston Post, one of three Boston newspaper that covered the threats. (Courtesy of the Bradford Public Library)

Topsham on Watch. During World War II, area citizens held air raid drills and manned obervation posts watching for invading airplanes. The lower photo show Gertrude Cilley and Hazel Colby manning the Waits River spotting post. These photos are taken from Topsham Sketches, courtesy of the Town of Topsham.

Vida Metcalf Perry-Munson displays the "Certificate of Honorable Service" presented to her in May, 1944 by the Army Air Force Fighter Command for her service as a volunteer in the Aircraft Warning Service. As a teenager, she was a spotter at the Erwin Worthley Farm on Taplin Hill in Corinth. Spotters such as Vida and her sister Eris Metcalf Eastman called in reports of airplanes during the early years of World War II.

As published in the Journal-Opinion, January 5, 2011

“War-Like Scene,” “Bradford, Vt., Armed Against Terrorist, Armed Camp” were the headlines in New England newspapers in the days following January 15, 1932. On that day, two Bradford businessmen had received anonymous letters revealing a plot to burn buildings on the east side of Main Street. The alleged motive was to collect insurance and clear land for a movie theatre. The wooden buildings in that section contained 17 businesses including the post office and were so tightly packed that a fire would endanger them all.

While some felt it was a hoax, the actions of a crank, many took it seriously and took preventive measures. This terror was heightened by reports that similar letters had been received in Haverhill, Orford, Lebanon and White River Junction and that fires had actually been reported in some of those towns.

The local American Legion provided uniformed armed sentries who, according to one newspaper, were under orders to fire at trespassers. The downtown block was illuminated with searchlights, front and back. Federal, state and local authorities were involved in the search for the writer of the letters that had been posted in Concord, NH.

The name of the local individual named in the letters as threatening to cause the havoc was not released. However, it was reported that “he” had met with Village Trustees and offered to both cancel the fire insurance on his downtown property and offer a $200 reward for the letter writer’s identity.

For several weeks the town’s residents were on edge. It was later revealed that an arrest was made, and that the motive was a personal grudge against the individual named in the letters. Neither the name of that individual nor the accuser were revealed in local newspaper reports. Dr. James Barton states that he is “100% sure” the businessman was his immigrant father, Charles Barton, and that the motive was to discredit him.

This was neither the first time nor the last that the residents of our area experienced the terror coming from the threat of attack. In some cases, the threat of local attacks was real and in others only precautionary. Rumors and misinformation inflated actual dangers, increasing the perceived threats of attack. These threats would stretch from the earliest days of settlement through the years of the Cold War and include the danger from tomahawks and muskets to bombers and intercontinental ballistic missiles.

As some area towns celebrate the 250th anniversary of their chartering this year, it is well to remember that the earliest settlers lived on a dangerous frontier. They were familiar with the terror of earlier attacks by the French and their native allies. The outbreak of the American Revolution in 1775 brought a succession of alarms for area residents.

During the earliest years of the Revolution, residents believed they were on the invasion route from Canada to Massachusetts. In Orford, a guardhouse was built behind the present Masonic Hall for scouts on guard for an enemy invasion. Haverhill built four stockades to provide a secure place for citizens in case of attack. With many men leaving to join the revolutionary army, the area felt increased vulnerable. The fall of Fort Ticonderoga to the British in 1777, “caused great consternation” in surrounding communities. Colonel Israel Morey of Orford summed up that fear in a July, 1777 letter: “Our Frontier Towns are really in a dangerous and critical situation. We are entirely laid open to the sudden attack…” The American victories that summer reduced immediate fears.

While a major invasion did not take place, the fears never really went away. In October, 1780 there was a “Great Alarm” as 300 natives and Tories made plans to attack Newbury in retaliation for the death of a British general. Wells’ Newbury history states, “Terror magnified the invading force into an army.” Being warned that Newbury was anticipating an attack, the force veered west and attacked Royalton and Tunbridge instead. While the war subsided elsewhere after 1781, this area experienced a succession of alarms over the final two years of the war. Actions by Tories kept the nerves of the residents on edge.

In the 19th century, area residents experienced alarm both individually and as communities. The proximity of the British during the War of 1812, the frequency of major unexplained epidemics and the episodes of barn-burning, created alarm. Then Civil War brought with it fears for both the future of the nation and the safety of the men who joined the service. The attack on St. Albans in October, 1864 caused rumors that Confederates lurked over the border intent on invading Vermont. Additionally, there were the cycles of economic panic and fears some residents experienced as new immigrants moved to the area, endangering established ways.

The wars of the 20th century brought new threats to the area. When America joined the war against Germany in 1917, there were fears of sabotage throughout the nation. Locally, the most vulnerable strategic target was the Valley’s railroad. It carried the troop trains filled with members of the American Expeditionary Force on their way to Quebec where they would embark for Europe over the shortest ocean route. Detachments of troops were posted to guard bridges in Bradford and Wells River. Bradford historian Harold Haskins, himself a soldier in the war, wrote of fear that these bridges, “might fall victim of German saboteurs eager to slow up our country’s preparation for war by crippling our transportation lines.” They did not.

Protected by two oceans, the fighting of World War I seemed safely far away. That feeling was shattered by the attack on Pearl Harbor in December, 1941. As our region is less than 100 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, area residents joined national defense preparations. A Civilian Air Raid Warning Defense system was organized. In this area, civilian volunteers manned observation posts and trained as civilian defense wardens. Reports in The United Opinion told of state-wide preparation for the dangers of air raids. It quoted one state official: “The front lines in a modern war can be our own back yard.”

Towns in the area held trial blackouts. It was felt that village lights along the Connecticut River might guide invading planes toward possible targets. Woodsville held one in December, 1941. In early April, 1942 Bradford held its first blackout. There were warning blasts from the whistles at the Vaneer mill and the Vermont Dairy Co. along with the continuous ringing of one of the church bells. In August, both Vermont and New Hampshire held state-wide drills, with area towns participating in both. In November, Bradford had its first day-time mock raid with three planes buzzing the village creating simulated casualties and damage.

While few really expected such an attack, they were determined to be prepared for “whatever may come.” That preparation also helped to create a sense of participation by the civilian population in this total war. The paper encouraged volunteers to be trained and ready in the case of emergency. “America is calling! Take your place in the local defense effort” read one front-page article. Additional articles gave details for blackouts. They encouraged residents to know the rules, take simple precautions for the safety of family and property, and, above all, in the case of an actual attack, “Don’t lose your head. Panic hurts more people than bombs.”

Like the scouts of earliest days, observers watched for the enemy. They were trained to identify different aircraft and report the direction of their flight. In Topsham, the posts were at the Kenneth Batten farm and on the current Welch Road; in Haverhill one was near the County Road; in Newbury on Leighton Hill. Most were manned in shifts 24-hours a day even before it was announced that Germany was producing bombers capable of crossing the Atlantic to drop a 7000 pound bomb load. These watches were taken seriously.

Wallace Ragan of Lyme recently told me he was only 8 years old when he became an observer at the post on the hill east of the Lyme Common. Officials apparently want “young ears that might hear better.” Corinth also used young spotters at the Taplin Hill post. Ragan said the observation post had an old crank phone for reporting sightings. The older men whiled away the time with cribbage and checkers. He felt that the officer training facility at Dartmouth College and the tool industry in Windsor and Springfield were possible targets. By late 1943, the danger of attack by air was lessened and the shifts were cut back. While the anxiety over attack subsided, fears for the safety of hundreds of area residents in the service did not.

When World War II ended with the defeat of Germany and Japan, America enjoyed a brief respite from alarm. Then the Soviet Union “got the bomb,” bringing with it new fears. The Cold War’s arms race between the two nations meant the menace of nuclear weapons and mass casualties and destruction. The threat of atomic weapons being delivered by intercontinental bombers was eventually replaced by missiles with nuclear warheads. With the attitude that nuclear war was inevitable if not imminent, Civil Defense officials took actions to prepare the civilian population.

In 1950, a pamphlet entitled “Survival Under Atomic Attack” was sent to millions of homes, including those in our area. Individuals were encouraged to build air raid shelters and stockpile emergency provisions. Fairlee Civil Defense leader Lee Chapman notified residents of a program to secure dog tags to help identify victims in case of an attack.

As an elementary student at the Orfordville School, I recall being led through “duck and cover” drills. This was part of a national program that was supposed to protect school children in the event of an unexpected nuclear attack. At first, we were instructed to duck under our desks. Later, we were told that sitting on the floor in the hallway offered a better protection. Avoid under all circumstances looking at the “flash” created by a nuclear explosion.

The McCarthy era brought with it the prospect of communist spies and sympathizers in our midst. An April, 1949 political cartoon in the Opinion showed Uncle Sam rooting out communist spy rings. I recall suspicions being raised against those with a foreign accent, especially if they drew their shades at night! The authors of Freedom and Unity report that there were some who felt that Vermont had “been chosen as a testing ground for communist infiltration” and called for investigations of suspects. Others disagreed and resisted “threats to individual liberties and communal trust.”

In August 1950, the police were called to the Bradford Inn to investigate a stranger with a foreign-sounding name, “who was overheard to mention Communism in his talk.” A tongue-in-cheek article in the Opinion entitled “SSSHHH! Spies At Work” assured readers that not only was the stranger not a spy but that Bradford was probably not “Joe Stalin’s prime objective if the cold war gets hot.” Frank Bryan wrote that one Vermont editor reacted to any Communist threat to take over Vermont with the statement “Anyone who tries to bore from within in Vermont is going to strike granite.”

It is important to recall that the national witch hunt that destroyed the reputation of numerous citizens was condemned early by Senators George Aiken and Ralph Flanders of Vermont.

In 1953, the Ground Observation Corps reestablished the sky observation posts in several area towns. Meetings were held with Air Force technicians training local observers from Bradford, Fairlee, Wells River and East Topsham, “together with other patriotic citizens who wish to aid.” An appeal for volunteers read: “We are in a dangerous position. In a period of international strife and lawlessness, we stand as the bulwark of freedom. The next time an aggressor strikes, he will strike at us to try and eliminate us so that he can go on to conquer the world.”

In June 1954, there was a 48-hour test of these local defenses against enemy attack. This was part of a nationwide Operation Sky Scan to determine the capabilities of the observers in detecting invading planes. Bombers from Grenier AFB in Manchester took the part of enemy planes, flying low over the area. This test was followed by a more wide-ranging exercise a week later with local police and firemen stopping traffic, getting people off the streets and dealing with “simulated casualties.”

As each nation stockpiled its nuclear arms the policy of “mutually assured destruction” (MAD) meant that a nuclear war would be one without winners. Apocalyptic novels and films such as Tomorrow (1954), On the Beach (1957) and Alas, Babylon (1959) brought home the fears of nuclear annihilation. Children who grew up in that period reported recurring nightmares of invasion and war. The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 heightened the possibility of nuclear Armageddon. There was a run on local stores as residents’ stockpiled necessities. Members of my college fraternity went home, saying that if war was imminent, they wanted to be with their families.

This was an era that more than half of us know only as history. However, on September 11, 2001, the feelings of alarm were again brought home. The nation was under attack and for a time, we did not know the extent of those attacks. Since then, national security, code alerts, and terrorist plots have increased latent fears for our personal and national safety.

Do these fears replicate for local citizens the fears felt by earlier residents who knew danger lurked in the forests surrounding their small settlements, or the fears from German bombers in 1942 or the nightmares of nuclear annihilation? That is a question each individual must answer. And it is not a question that will go away any time soon.

Let's Go To The Movies

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Movie Theatres came and went. This photo shows the Bradford Theatre sometime between the

time it closed in 1956 and when it burned in 1959. The adjacent building housed Stuart's Restaurant. (Photo: John Fatherly/Bradford Historical Society)

In this hall on the second floor of the Fairlee (VT) Town Hall, movies were being shown from 1914 to the mid-1950's. On June 22, 1950, during the second showing on the second night of the newly-opened theatre, a fire broke out in the projection booth. Only the quick action of the projectionist and the Fairlee firemen saved the building.

Richard Henderson moved his movie theatre to the Henderson Block on Central Street in Woodsville, NH in 1914. He showed some of the first "talkies" at this 600-seat theatre in the late 1920's. In 1931, it was purchased by the Tegu family and operated as Tegu's Orpheum.

(Photo:Gary Chamberlin)

The Opera House on Central Street in Woodsville, NH was built in 1890 and films began to be show there from 1901 to the mid-40s. Its ads described it as "The Theatre With the Perfect Sound."

In 1921, George Jenkins bought the Village Hall and renamed it the Colonial Theatre. It operated until 1948. During the Great Depression and World War II it provided movie-goers with an inexpensive diversion from the issues of the day. (Photo: Bradford Historical Society)

The Bradford Theatre, located at the north end of the Bradford village business district opened on July 16, 1949 in a 500-seat Quonset type building. It closed in early 1956 and the shuttered building was completely destroyed by fire on January 18, 1959. (Photo: Bradford Historical Society)

Journal-Opinion, November 17, 2010

For over a century, we have loved going to the movies. The Smithsonian Institute attributes that love affair with motion picltures to their, “power to both mirror and manipulate, to blur fact and fiction, to romanticize, to vilify, [and] to enlighten.” This column describes the history of area movie theatres. The content is drawn from town histories, The United Opinion and interviews with theatre owners, employees and patrons.

Three inventions in the late 19th century made motion pictures possible. The combination of the motion picture camera, transparent roll film and the projector made the screen come alive with activity. Short, black and white films at first supplemented and then replaced vaudeville and song slide presentations. They were silent, but exaggerated gestures, subtitles and a musical score played by local musicians conveyed the plot. “Talkies” were introduced in the late 1920’s with early colored films produced in the next decade.

One of the earliest attempts at putting sound on film was Lee DeForest’s Phonofilm. One of his first films featured Charles Ross Taggart in The Old Country Fiddler at the Singing School, produced in 1923. Taggart grew up in Topsham and lived in Bradford and Newbury. According to Adam Boyce, who portrays Taggart in local appearances, Taggart’s performance as a fiddler and humorist was widely popular on the lyceum and Chautauqua circuits.

According to Katharine Blaisdell’s history of Haverhill, the first movies in Woodsville were shown by a man from St. Johnsbury. They were shown in Davidson Hall on Central Street in the early 1900‘s. From 1910 to 1914, Richard Henderson operated the Palace Theatre in the building which is now the bowling alley. He then moved to his newly-constructed Henderson Block which housed a 600-seat theatre along with a hotel and other businesses. According to The United Opinion, The Henderson Theatre was the first in the area to show “talkies” with a grand re-opening on May 15, 1929.

In 1931, the theatre was bought by the Tegu family and reopened as Tegu’s Orpheum. Over the next few years they renovated the theatre. Blaisdell quotes theatre worker Frank Millette who recalled a packed house for both shows on Saturday night. “Sunday movies were frowned on at first, but eventually the public relaxed their scruples.”

Gerry Sulham of Wells River recalls that in the 1950’s there were still no movie theatres in that village because they could just go across the bridge to Woodsville. She said that she would go with a “gang” of girls and often sat in front of a similar group of boys “who would throw popcorn at us.” After the show they went to the Happy Hour for a hot dog, fries and a coke. She remembers the special film presentation of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding and coronation. Others recall going to the theatre at Christmas for a free movie and a small gift. Garnett Hebb of Newbury said that going to the movies was a favorite option for an evening’s outing.

The Orpheum was in competition with the Opera House just down the street. It also had 600 seats and like other area theatres, alternated live performances with motion pictures. It advertised itself as “the Theatre With the Perfect Sound” with an “Electrical Ventilating System Just Installed for Your Comfort.” This theatre continued until about 1940 and the Orpheum held on until 1955. Nearby, weekly movies were shown in Pike Hall during the Twenties. The village was abuzz in 1922 at the showing of the sensuous film The Sheik , starring heart-throb Rudolph Valentino.

Smaller towns in the area that lacked a formal theatre were served by projectionist who traveled through the area. In the Lyme book, We Had Each Other, Ken Uline recalls that a man who operated a Fairlee movie theatre would bring his films to Lyme and other towns like Orford and Warren where there was a hall.

In Fairlee, movies began to be shown in the upstairs hall of the new town hall in 1914. In 1925, the management was taken over by Charles Thurber and John Munn. The Fairlee history mentions: “Many have fond memories throughout the ensuing years of the hard seats, the dashing heroes with their beautiful heroines, the piano played by Miss Wynona Bogle to set the proper mood, and the lovely hand-painted scene of Lake Morey on the screen.”

The Fairlee Theatre was purchased by Harold Smalley in July, 1931 and was renamed The Star Theatre, a title that had been used sometime earlier. It advertised movies like Arizona with John Wayne, described as: “Thrills of the Gridiron and Army Post in a Throbbing Heart-Interest Story.” The theatre featured a Western Electric Sound System and had two shows nightly, except for Sunday. In her memoirs, Hazel Donnelly of Orford recalled walking over the bridge to the movies in Fairlee. The theatre continued to operate through World War Two, but closed sometime thereafter.

Probably the most exciting night at the movies in Fairlee was June 22, 1950.
The theatre had been re-opened by Harry Hudson of Randolph. He had purchased new projection and sound equipment and, according to a note in The United Opinion, promised “movie entertainment on a par with that seen in any large town or city.” The opening feature was Sierra with Audie Murphy. However, during the second night of the new theatre, a fire broke out in the projection booth. Paul Sargent of Fairlee, who was 13 years old at the time, recalls that he and his friend Freddie Hayward were ushers that night. The two young ushers flung open the doors, but panic broke out as patrons rushed from the second floor hall. The fast response of projectionist Ray Foote and the Fairlee firemen saved the hall from extensive damage. The hall was repaired and films were shown from time to time through the mid-50’s.

As with other towns, motion pictures in Bradford were preceded by live performances and illustrated songs. The latter involved slides with a singer and accompanist. The first motion pictures, according to Bradford historian Harold Haskins, were shown around 1908 at the Village Hall, now the Old Church Theatre. In 1914, Doe Brothers store in Bradford gave away free tickets to the movies with a three dollar purchase. The showing of “The Birth of a Nation” in 1915 included a 10-piece orchestra and a chorus, “while several beautiful girls acted as ushers to furnish local color.” All seats for the three evening performances were sold out in advance.

On October 13, 1921 George Jenkins bought the Village Hall, and renamed it the Colonial Theatre. It was showing films at least three nights each week in 1929. It was at that time that a rumor was circulated that Charles Barton might create a movie theatre on the second floor of his newly-purchased building on Main Street. In a newspaper article in which Barton denied the rumor, the editor wrote, “Bradford is too small to support two movie theatres” and credited the Colonial with “giving our movie lovers very attractive programs.“

Mable Humphrey of Bradford often provided accompaniment for the silent films. Her daughter, Katherine Thibault said that her mother was so accomplished that she didn’t need the score and, using either the piano or violin, set the right mood for the action on the screen.

Joining Mable was Lucia Davis, also of Bradford. In a 2011 interview, Mrs. Davis recalled that Mable often played the violin while she played the panio. Davis also played the violin. She said that local musicians from the audience sometimes join in. She said that when scores were not provided with the film, the musicians would "make up the music."

That came to an end with the introduction of “talkies” in the late 1920’s. In May, 1931, the Colonial Theatre re-opened with a newly installed sound system. “Fighting Caravans” with Gary Cooper was the main feature, preceded by a brief band concert and followed by “selected short features.” Admission was 35 cents for adults and 20 cents for children under 12.

The Colonial Theatre continued to show movies almost year-round through the Great Depression and World War II. For the relatively small price of admission, viewers could escape the realities of everyday life through screwball comedies or trips of fantasy or adventures. During the war, films took on the added tasks of raising morale and patriotism and informing the public about the reasons for the conflict. Two features shown in both Bradford and Fairlee in the Spring of 1943 reflect these tasks. In Hitler’s Children, viewers were shown the brutality of living in a fascist dictatorship. The second was Stand By For Action with Robert Taylor and Charles Laughton, “a smashing saga of the sea, teeming with battle thrills of timely significance and brings before the wartime public a graphic portrayal of heroism and tradition.”

In 1949, the old Colonial Theatre, which had been closed for over a year, was replaced. The Bradford Theatre, owned by Dr. Leonard Abbadessa, opened its doors on July 16, 1949 in a 500-seat Quonset-type building. Located just north of the present business district, itt was described as follows: “The lobby, opening onto Main street, has the box office on one side and doors leading to a foyer, where there is a pop corn machine and candy counter. Retiring rooms are adjacent.” The theatre itself featured seats with red plush backs and leatherette seats on a concave floor “as to give every seat a clear view of the screen from the proper angle.”

Robert Nutting of Bradford worked at the theatre in the mid-1950‘s when it was part of the Tegu chain of theatres and managed by Charles Bigelow. He said that the biggest draw was for westerns featuring actors such as Roy Rogers or Hopalong Cassidy. I personally remember going to that theatre, sliding down behind the seat in front while watching Headhunters of the Amazon, singing along with the bouncing ball, mesmerized by heroic adventure or being enticed to come back by the previews of coming attractions.

Nutting recalls that by early 1956 attendance had dwindled. He said that on the night when the two evening show had a total attendance of ten, owner Pete Tegu announced, “We’re out of here tonight.” The building
remained shuttered until it was destroyed by fire on January 18, 1959.

Better television reception and the opening of three drive-in theatres hastened the decline of area movie houses. The Tegu’s Drive-in opened in May, 1953 in Woodsville. It had a capacity of 450 cars. In 1954, according to Blaisdell, the Tegus “donated one night’s entire receipts from both the Orpheum and the drive-in to the Cottage Hospital Building fund.” About 1998, owners Lee and Janet Tegu added a second screen and continued to draw large crowds for first run films at what then was called the Meadows Drive-In. After 2004, it closed and was demolished.

The Starlite Drive-In opened in lower Orford in the early 50’s. It was operated by Leighton and Shirley Godfrey of Fairlee. Mrs. Godfrey recently said that while she had sold tickets as a young woman at the Bradford theatre, the drive-in was really “Leighton’s project.” Using skills learned in Chicago, he managed the theatre and served as its projectionist. It continued to operate until the late 60’s and has also been demolished.

The Holiday Park Drive-in was opened in Fairlee in the early 50’s by Reginald and Terri Drowns of Barre. Shows started at dusk and admission was $1 per car. Around 1960, a motel was added, allowing guests to watch the films from their rooms. Robert Nutting worked at the theatre for 25 years in several capacities. He says that Drowns had his own censorship practices and would physically cut objectionable scenes or swear words, splicing the film afterward. Drowns also maintained a “heads above the steering wheel” rule and was known to interrupt young lovers who violated it. The theatre is still in operation under different management.

Today, viewers have the choice of multi-channel cable television, access to films on the internet or by mail and movie palaces featuring plush seating, surround sound, 3D screens, high definition projection and multiple choices. But these modern choices may still not dull the fond memories of the theatres mentioned above. Going to the movies as a youngster was a special treat. Taking your date made the darkened movie theatre a special place. The films opened your world in a special way. And those memories are treasures very special.

Women's Suffrace: A Radical Notion

2010-10-28T07:56:00.005-04:00

As published in the Journal Opinion
October 27, 2010

“The campaign for woman suffrage in America long since ended. Gone are the days of agitating, organizing, educating, pleading, and persuading. No more forever will women descend on State Legislatures and the national Congress in the effort to wrest the suffrage from State and national legislators. The gates to political enfranchisement have swung open. The women are inside.”

This victory statement by suffrage leader Carrie Chapman Catt is found in her 1926 book Woman Suffrage and Politics. Ninety years ago next month, women in Vermont and New Hampshire joined voters across the nation to cast their ballots. That right will be exercised by women across the region again on November 2nd.

In early America, a woman’s legal identity was defined by relationships with the men in her life, and that identity granted her few legal rights. Abigail Adams, in her famous letter to her husband John Adams in March, 1776, admonished the delegates at Philadelphia to, “remember the ladies.” She wrote, “Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”

That revolution was a long time coming. By 1784, New Hampshire, along with other new states that had granted women limited voting rights, revoked those rights. To restore them was considered so radical that it was not until 1848 that an organized effort to give equal suffrage to women was begun. It resulted from a proposal made by Elizabeth Cady Stanton at the convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, where the women’s suffrage movement was born.

It took another 80 years to achieve full suffrage for women. A brochure from The Women’s Rights Center in Seneca Falls states that the effort gained success only after, “480 campaigns to lobby state legislatures to submit suffrage amendments to the electorate, 56 popular votes on state amendments, 277 campaigns to get state political parties to adopt women’s platforms, 19 campaigns with successive Congresses, and the campaign to ratify the federal amendment in 1919-20.”

In Vermont, suffrage activities took the more moderate stand of gaining the right for women to vote in school meetings. A bill was submitted to the Vermont General Assembly in 1852. That year, Clarina Howard Nichols of Townshend, editor of the Windham County Democrat and the first women to address that body, spoke in behalf of the bill. She told the assembly that granting this right, “would not compromise a woman’s femininity. On the contrary, it would simply extend a mother’s accepted sphere of influence in the field of childhood education.”

In a 1973 article about Nichols, Madeline Kunin wrote, “The then-editor of the Rutland Herald threatened to present her publicly with a pair of trousers.” Nichols reminded the legislators that “they had legislated our skirts into their possession…Time enough for them to taunt us with being after their wardrobes, when they shall have restored to us the legal right to our own.” It would take decades before this modest request was granted.

In the period before the Civil War, the campaign was coupled with the abolitionist movement, but during that war, suffrage activities were put aside as women took active roles on the home fronts. It was that more active presence and the Constitutional amendments that defined citizens as males and granted the right to vote to black men that re-energized the women suffrage movement.

In 1869, a Special Commission on Women Suffrage recommended that an amendment granting suffrage be considered at the Vermont constitutional convention. They stated, “We see no good reason why the most ignorant man should vote, and the intelligent woman be refused…” Activities by supporters of the amendment brought the charge that the state was being invaded by, “strong-minded women.” Of the 223 delegates at the convention, only one voted for the amendment.

In July 1876, a century after Abigail Adams promised to foment a rebellion, E. Anne Hinman made a speech entitled “A Plea for Equality” to a Bradford audience. She made not only, ”a demand for the suffrage, but also for a higher education of women, and the breaking away of the rigid customs which have been established in society, and which prohibit her from sharing the benefits that accrue” from civilization. Her demand for a “wider sphere for women” included equal pay for equal work.

The Bradford Opinion reported that the lecture was, “well written and forcibly delivered and contained much good sound common sense and considerable nonsense.” It concluded, “that there are not ten men in the town of Bradford who are unwilling that women should have the privilege of voting if she wants it.” The editor went on to predict that “women will be permitted to vote sooner or later,” but doubted that the equality they expected to receive from the privilege would be realized.

This lecture, and its response, identifies some of the arguments raised against granting women a role in public affairs. Significant was the lack of wide-spread support from women. Additionally, the movement was coupled with other reforms including the temperance movement. The South feared granting women the right to vote would weaken its newly enacting laws depriving black men of that right. These fears created powerful enemies.

Many opponents felt that granting suffrage was against the teachings of the Bible as well as unnatural, unfeminine, unhealthy, a danger to the home and family and upsetting to “the fragile composition of the fairer sex.” One legislator from Rutland is quoted as saying that he was opposed to giving the ballot to “such a dangerous class as the women of Vermont.”

In 1872, two bills were introduced into the Vermont Legislature: one allowing women who paid taxes to vote and hold office in school district meetings and the other granting full voting rights. Both were defeated, although the school district bill passed the House and lost by only one vote in the Senate. New Hampshire adopted a similar bill in 1878, two years before it was finally adopted in Vermont.

Three years later, national suffragist leaders Lucy Stone and Julia Ward Howe met with supporters in St. Johnsbury and helped organize the Vermont Woman Suffrage Association. The focus of the group’s efforts over the next several decades was to expand the school suffrage to all municipal elections. Deborah P. Clifford’s article on the drive was published in Vermont History magazine in 1979. She writes that a bill granting municipal suffrage was introduced every two years. “Rumors abounded that one house would consent to give women the right to vote as long as the other agreed not to.” The bill finally became law in 1917.

At the national level, the focus was to gain full participation in state and national elections. In 1871, prominent suffrage leaders submitted a petition to Congress asking for the right to vote. Over the next 48 years, they were rejected and vilified for their efforts. They organized, petitioned, demonstrated and cajoled, gaining victories and suffering defeats state by state. One of those defeats was in New Hampshire when a 1902 referendum granting woman suffrage was defeated by the male voters.

The service of women to the nation during World War I helped tip the balance for a constitutional amendment granting full voting rights to women. By 1917, twelve states had granted equal suffrage to women and the following year Jeanette Rankin (R-Montana), the first woman elected to Congress introduced a suffrage amendment. Called the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, it stated, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”

President Wilson opposed the idea when first elected in 1912, but in January, 1918, faced with a re-election campaign, he came out in support of the amendment. The millions of women who could already vote in state elections was a major factor in changing minds. Both supporters and opponents knew that the right of women to vote would come eventually and those who opposed it would be the first victims of the new electorate. The proposed amendment passed both houses by the necessary two-thirds vote on June 4, 1919.

The battle for ratification in the required 36 states was the last battle in the long and continuous struggle. Illinois was the first to affirm the amendment. On September 10, 1919, New Hampshire became the 16th state to ratify it. By March 1920, 35 states had approved, eight had voted against or refused to vote. Gaining the 36th for the required three-quarters was unsure. There were those who wanted Vermont to have the honor of confirming the right to vote for the women of the nation.

Samuel Hand’s history of the Vermont Republican Party entitled The Star That Set, describes the Vermont battle for ratification. Republican Gov. Percival Clements was opposed to the proposal, an opposition that “was grounded in the fear that suffrage proponents sought the vote as a weapon to re-impose prohibition.” When the presidential suffrage bill passed the Legislature, he vetoed it. “Clements contended that the legislators elected to the 1919 session should not vote on the issue since they had been elected prior” to congressional approval. “He proposed instead that candidates for the 1921 session declare themselves on the issue.”

By July 1920, the focus of the ratification movement was on Tennessee, one state in which there was a chance of success. The Legislature was equally divided. It came down to Harry Burn, the youngest member of the body. He had worn a red rose, the symbol of the opposition. The bill had been defeated, but was up for reconsideration. Burn changed his vote to one of support and the amendment was ratified. He later told reporters that his mother had written him a letter stating, “Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the ‘rat’ in ratification.” That single vote gave women across the nation the right to vote in all elections.

Women voted for the first time in a Presidential election in November, 1920. It apparently was not newsworthy to the editor of The United Opinion as there was no major article at the time. Neighborhood reports included some notice of the event. In September, 1920, the reporter for West Fairlee Center noted that eight local women voted in the primary. The West Newbury columnist wrote: “Not many women from this side of the town attended the primary. We hope to see more of them next November. It is now up to the men and women of the country to say what they will have.”

On November 5, the Thetford column included the following: “Town Meeting drew a good number of voters, both men and women. One hundred and sixty-six had registered to vote and probably most of them cast their vote. The young misses of twenty-one were there, also one lady of one hundred one and one half years cast her vote for the first time. Mrs. Elizabeth C. Newcomb is the oldest person in town, if not the county. Chas. Douglas, the Republican candidate for town representative was elected. He made an informal speech in well chosen words, thanking the people for the honor given him. He treated the ladies to chocolates and men to cigars.”

In 1920, Haverhill’s Frances Parkinson Keyes, author and wife of U. S. Senator Henry Keyes, wrote an article entitled “On the Fence” published in The Atlantic Monthly. She stated that while she had been an “anti-suffragette all my life,” she had done nothing of consequence to prevent women suffrage. If fact, it was with her “entire approval” that Senator Keyes voted for the amendment. But, Keyes wrote: “I dread the very thought of voting.” She felt that women had enough in their lives without the extra burden of an expanded role in society. With a combination of hope and concern, she challenged women to accept this newly granted right in such a manner as to prove the opponents wrong. Mrs. Keyes, we can say with certainty, they have.

There is no doubt that the right to vote was the key for women to equality and influence in our society. A primary focus of my professional teaching career has been to inform both young men and women of their right to vote and the responsibilities that go with that right. I registered hundreds of young area residents who had reached their 18th birthday. As a Bradford election official and moderator, it is with no small amount of pride that I see many of them exercising the right to vote. As a citizen it has been my privilege to vote for women seeking office. What once was a radical notion has now become the norm. Hurrah and hurrah.

Damming the Falling Waters

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Glacial Lake Hitchcock was formed behind a giant earthen dam at Rocky Hill, Connecticut about 15,000 years ago. Before it drained away about 3,000 years later it had reshaped the valley for almost two hundred miles upstream. (Map Umass Geoscience)

The mill pictured above and the two below are typical of the many mills located on the streams, rivers and lake outlets of the region. The one above is the Sanborn mill established in1876 on the Grant Brook in Lyme Center. (Lyme Historians)

The dam on this Lyme mill is a log dam. Logs of this type were hauled to tanneries

and the bark was used for hide processing. (Lyme Historians)

This tannery was established in 1846 by S. W. Balch and is located

on Grant Brook in Lyme. (Lyme Historians)

The falls at Boltonville on the Wells River was one of the significant sources of hydropower in the area. The river falls about 60 feet in a distance of about 130 feet. The first mill was build at this site in 1775 by the Scots-American Company of Ryegate.

There were three log or timber dams on the falls of the Waits River in Bradford. Pictured above is a repair crew working on the flume that leads to one of the factories near the second falls (c. 1880's) Bradford Historical Society
The Comerford Dam in North Monroe/East Barnet was constructed between 1928 and 1930. Up to 2700 men worked on the project, with crews working around the clock. A village was created to house and feed the men.
The completed Comerford dam was the first stage in the development of the
Fifteen Mile Falls area of the Connecticut River

This bronze plaque recalls that the dam was named in honor of Frank D. Comerford,

President of the New England Power Associaton at the time of its construction. These next photos were on Wednesday, Sept.15, 2010 during a tour of the dam. Staff member ScottFullam, Control Technician, was my very helpful tour guide.

"The Button"

In the lobby of the Cumerford Dam power station is mounted the button President Hoover pushed to activate the dam. The inscription reads: "By pressing this button, set up in the telegraph room of the White House in Washington, Herbert Hoover, President of the United

States , at 10:30 A.M. on September 30, 1930, placed Cumerford Station in operation. The impulse from the President's finger, traveling 700 miles over a special telephone circuit, opened the turbine gates and set no. 2 generator in operation."

This is the channel in the Connecticut River downstream from the Comerford dam.

The downstream face of the dam shows the "jersey barrier" type

supports that hold the dam in place.

As printed in Journal-Opinion
September 15, 2010.

Fifteen thousand years ago, the retreating glaciers deposited a giant dam near Rocky Hill, Connecticut. A huge lake, known as Lake Hitchcock, extended 200 miles up the river to present-day St. Johnsbury. By the time the dam gave way about 12,000 years ago, it had given a new shape and fertility to the Connecticut River Valley.

Within the heritage of the Abenaki, who peopled this valley before the coming of the Europeans, are legends of Odzihozo, the earth-shaper and Ktsi Amiskw, the Great Beaver.

This Great Beaver held back the waters of the Kwanitekw, or the Connecticut. But a cousin of Odzihozo broke the back of the beaver and released the captive waters.

On September 30, 1930, President Herbert Hoover pressed a button in the White House and one of the turbines in a newly-constructed dam on the Connecticut River between East Barnet and North Monroe began to produce electricity that was sent to southern New England.

On Saturday, September 18, the Third Annual Local Energy Alternatives Festival will be held in Bradford. Organized by the Energy Committee of the Bradford Conservation Commission along with others, it will be dedicated to, “renewable energy, sustainable living, local food production, transition to a world without oil and re-skilling.” A tour of the hydro-electric station at the dam on the Waits River is just one of the activities.

Taking its lead from these four events, this column deals with the history of dams in our area. In addition to standard local histories, it takes information from Where the Great River Rises, published by the Connecticut River Joint Commissions and From the Rivers by John T. Landry and Jeffrey L. Cruikshank.

Runoff from ample rainfall flows down the rocky foothills of the Green and White Mountains into the valley, creating rapidly flowing streams and numerous waterfalls. Ponds and lakes release their overflows down outlets to rivers into the Connecticut. Where hydropower was created by flowing and falling waters, the earliest settlers established their homes. The building of mills to grind grain and saw lumber was of primary importance.

For many of these mills, dams enhanced the available power. Some of these were rudimentary dams that sometimes didn’t survive the spring freshets. Others were stout wooden frameworks of logs or timbers filled with earth and stone. Where there were rock outcrops, these dams might be secured by iron spikes. Norman Smith’s History of Dams explains that the upstream wall might be sloped, “causing the pressure of the water to stabilize the dam and hold the facing materials in place…the air face was vertical so that the overflow fell straight.”

Some dams operated on a “store-and-release” principle, storing water until it was needed. Other mills operated with natural flow or “run-of-the river” design. In many cases, the mills were “high water mills” that operated only portions of the year. Dams on navigated rivers had to “include canals and locks for passage of lumber and farm products.” Water was transferred to a mill’s waterwheel by a sluice or canal to a gate that regulated the flow.

The power of the rushing or falling water was harnessed by means of waterwheels. “Protruding boards on these wheels, called ‘buckets,’ caught the downward pressure of waterfalls, turning the wheel and rotating the attached power shaft.” Wheels were of different designs with water being caught at the top, middle or bottom of the wheel.

Each town’s local history chronicles the many mills and dams located on the lakes, rivers
and streams of its community. There were as many as 50 water wheels on the Ompompanoosuc and its tributaries. At one time or another, there were a similar number on Jacob’s Brook in Orford. Wherever there was flowing water, small industrial sites developed.

Some of these include Post Mills and the other villages of Thetford, Waits River and the other villages of Topsham, East Corinth, East Ryegate, Wells River and the other valley villages of Newbury, Woodsville and the other villages of Haverhill and all along the brooks of Lyme, Piermont and Orford.

Dams were also located at the outlets on lakes such as Lake Fairlee, Morey, Tarleton and Ricke and Halls as well as Ticklenaked Pond. In addition to providing power for mills, these dams regulated the level of the lakes. Many lakes and ponds still rely on dams for that purpose.

In addition to grist and saw mills, the early water wheels ground clover and linseeds for oil; turned lathes that fashioned chairs and bobbins; powered machines that made fishing poles, paper, shingles, boxes and clothes pins. They pressed fruit for cider and jelly. Electricity was generated at Woodsville on the Ammonoosuc and at Thetford Center at the Great Falls of the Ompompanoosuc.

The falls in the Waits River at Bradford and the Boltonville Falls on the Wells River have been two of the most significant sites for power production on tributaries of the Connecticut. The first mills at Boltonville were built in 1775 by the Scots-American Company of Ryegate. Katharine Blaisdell’s Over the River and Through the Years describes the development of the river, which, at Boltonville, falls about 60 feet in a distance of about 130 feet. In 1909, the Ryegate Light and Power Company built a power plant at the foot of the second falls. Damaged by the 1927 flood, the dam was repaired and continued operation until the 1950’s, when the plant was severely damaged by lightning.

In 1772, John Peters built the first mill at the falls in Bradford. It was a grist mill
located just south of the Route 5 bridge. Two years later, Benjamin Baldwin built a sawmill at the third falls near the present Bradford Veneer and Panel Company. In 1847, Asa Low built the brick grist mill that stands at the entrance to Bradford village. Other mills, including Low’s large paper mill, stood on the west side of the river and used water from three dams to power their machines.

At the1847 grist mill, the water was carried from the fall by a wooden flume under the bridge into the basement of the mill. The water turned a large water wheel and then returned to the river. The interior location, common in many northern mills, prevented the wheel from freezing in cold weather. In 1897, the Bradford Electric Light Company began to use the old gristmill for the production of electricity and in 1902, built a stone arch dam at the middle falls. This dam was built from cut stones remaining from Low’s destroyed paper mill. The height of the dam was raised in 1921 with a 16-foot concrete section.

In 1972, the hydroelectric dam had become silted and damage to the main turbine caused the plant to be closed. In August, 1981, Central Vermont Power Company spent $3.5 million to rebuild the dam and powerhouse. Presently, it has the capacity to produce 1,500 kilowatt-hours of generated electricity. One of the activities of Saturday’s LEAF Festival will be a tour of the adjacent power station.

As has been stated before, on September 30, 1930, what is now known as the Comerford Dam in North Monroe was officially set into operation. Begun in 1928, the project employed up to 2,700 men, with crews working around the clock. It was built in cooperation with the New England Power Association which had begun to acquire land and water rights on both sides of the river several years earlier.

United Opinion articles at the time described the dam as “the largest hydro-electric plant ever built in New England.” It was the first phase of the mammoth Fifteen Mile Falls development, and it rose 175 feet above the river bed and stretched 2,253 feet from shore to shore. It had the largest concrete retaining wall ever built in the United States and each of its four turbines were capable of developing 54,000 horsepower of electricity. The electricity was sent by newly-constructed steel tower lines to Massachusetts, thus saving an estimated 200,000 tons of coal annually.

President Hoover’s role was particularly appropriate because, as Secretary of Commerce and chairman of a special government commission that was studying the “super-power” resources of the northeastern section of the country, he had visited New England. The commission’s report highlighted the need to develop the hydroelectric potential of the Connecticut generally and the Fifteen Mile Falls specifically. In that section of the Connecticut, the river drops 367 feet in elevation and, “for centuries the 400,000 horse power… was running wastefully to the sea.”

The other two dams in the Fifteen Mile Falls project are the McIndoes Station in Monroe, completed in 1931, and the Moore Station in 1957. The latter is located south of Littleton, N.H, and is the largest of the three with an output of 190,000 kilowatts. Together the three dams “comprise the largest hydroelectric generating complex in New England.”

The last significant project on the Connecticut in our region was the rebuilding of Wilder Dam(1950-1952) at the Wilder Falls. The first dam was built in 1882, slightly north at the Olcott Falls. That dam was of timber-crib construction with a concrete dam added in 1926. It had initially been built to supply water power to a paper mill, with hydroelectricity capacity added later. The mill closed in 1927.

A new dam was proposed in 1944, but local opponents such as Henry W. Keyes Jr. of North Haverhill, fought its construction in a protracted legal battle. They pointed out that the increased height of the proposed dam, and the resulting lake, would flood thousands of acres of prime farmland. Despite these concerns, some of which have proven accurate, the dam was completed. Prior to the construction of the dam, one could see the middle rock base for the Fairlee-Orford covered bridge as a small island south of the present bridge. As a result of the higher level of water, it no longer can be seen even in the most prolonged drought. The resulting lake with its flood control capability has made possible riverside homes and river recreation unknown in the 1950’s. All four of these modern dams are currently owned and operated by TransCanada Hydro Northeast.

Following the devastating floods of 1927 and 1936, a different type of dam was built.
Specifically designed for flood-control, they remain generally empty during most of the time. Three such dams are the ones at East Barre, Union Village and North Hartland.

The mighty dams on the Connecticut are the modern descendants of the mammoth glacial dam of Lake Hitchcock and, perhaps, even the giant dam created by the legendary Great Beaver. With their huge artificial mounds of rock, flooded acres and altered riverbanks, they are like Odzihozo, the earth-shaper. Dams have created the industrial and recreational bases of towns and villages throughout our region and continue to give electrical lifeblood to our modern way of life. Water controlled behind dams throughout the valley means a constant supply of drinking water for people and animals and water with which to fight fires. The water that would otherwise flood homes is held in check.

The power from the hydroelectric dams free industry from being located only on the banks of rivers and streams. Whether small or large, whether the water released from them turn waterwheels or turbines, they represent the renewable energy being celebrated by the LEAF Festival this weekend. For nearly 250 years, dams have taken the power of rushing water, increased its natural power and used it over and over again as it flows to the sea.

Slavery: A Crime Against Humanity

2010-08-25T13:02:00.009-04:00

The Presbyterian Church in East Topsham was one of the local churches of that denomination that included many abolition sympathizers. Their pastor, the Rev. R.N. Johnston, took an early and active stance for abolition. William Lloyd Garrison, pictured below, once spoke there "to a crowded hours." (Journal-Opinion photo)

William Lloyd Garrison (1805-1879), a major spokesman for the abolitionist

movement and publisher of the abolitionist magazine The Liberator
"The Negro Woman's Appeal to Her White Sisters" ca. 1850.
This type opf abolitonist material aimed to appeal to women as wives
and mothers for the plight of slaves separated from their families. (Library of Congress)

Alexander Twilight, born in Corinth, Vermont in 1795, became the first African-
American to graduate from an American college (Middlebury) and the first of his race to
serve in a state legislature. His lasting contribution was a teacher and headmaster of the
Orleans County Grammar School in Brownington, Vermont.

(Library of Congress)

Published in the Journal-Opinion, August 25, 2010

“Born of a resistance to arbitrary power—her first breath that of freedom—her first voice a declaration of the equal rights of man— how could her people be otherwise than haters of slavery—how can they do less than sympathize with every human being and every community which asserts the rights of all men to blessings like their own?”

This is how, in 1855, the Vermont Senate explained the strong stand taken by many Vermonters against slavery in America. As we approach the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, this column examine the way Vermonters struggled with America’s “peculiar institution.”

Slaves from Africa were first brought to Virginia in 1619. By the time the union was formed there were slaves in all the states. Slavery was the basis of the economy in southern regions, and it was a contentious issue. Slavery’s importance was reflected in the compromises written into the Constitution. But, not in Vermont. When it adopted its constitution in July 1777, Vermont declared adult slavery unlawful.

As there was a negligible black population, this significant action was easy. Randolph Roth, who has written on both the subject of abolition and the Connecticut River Valley, estimates that approximately 250 blacks lived in the valley in the late 1700’s. Some were free and others held as slaves. The 1790 census recorded four slaves held in Haverhill, three in Orford and two in Piermont. It also listed a small number of “non-white free persons.” The 1791 Vermont census listed as free, Jeptha Sharp of Bradford, George Knox of Thetford, Jeremiah Virginia of Newbury and other African-American area residents.

Some of these were active leaders in their communities. Jeptha Sharp was among those Bradford residents, who in 1796, petitioned the state to create Vermont’s first incorporated library. Alexander Twilight, born in 1795 in Corinth, was the first African-American to graduate from an American college and the first to serve in a state legislature. His lasting contribution was as a teacher and headmaster at the Orleans County Grammar School in Brownington, Vermont. His lasting monument is the large granite hall he built with his own hands for the school’s expanding student population.

While both Vermont’s dedication to equality and individuality, (and its small black population), are important reasons for the growth of the abolition movement, the lack of shipping interests involved in the slave trade or commercial dealings with the South were contributing factors.

The first organized effort in Vermont to deal with the issue of slavery was the formation of the Vermont Colonization Society in 1818. Its members held that the cure to the “heavy curses” of slavery was to purchase slaves from their masters and send them back to Africa. Believing that whites and blacks could not mix in society, they feared a “dreadful collision” between the two races.

Rev. Silas McKeen of Bradford was active in the Society. In a sermon delivered at their meeting in Montpelier in October, 1828, he reviewed the success of the national effort in establishing Liberia on the west coast of Africa and the settling there of 1200 free blacks. He extolled the valuable influence of this Christian colony on the rest of Africa’s “moral desert.”

McKeen hoped that these efforts might awaken a “slumbering conscience” in slave holders. As a result, Southerners would recognize that the “intolerable burden and curse” of slavery could be “taken off their hands” as freed blacks were restored to freedom in Africa. He predicted that unless this effort was successful, the “impending doom” of God’s wrath would descend upon the nation.

For other Vermonters, the only solution to the curse of slavery was immediate emancipation. This more radical movement found its voice in the Vermont Anti-Slavery Society, organized in 1834. With great zeal, its members criticized both slavery and the racist “gradualism” of the colonizationists. William Lloyd Garrison of Boston was its primary spokesman.

Strident voices raised the level of reaction to the abolitionist movement. Abolitionist attacks on the Constitution led to fears among many for the union it created. Commercial interests feared for interruption of trade and the loss of rights to private property. Abolitionists’ connections with other reform movements, such as women’s rights and the prohibition of alcohol, caused additional opposition. There is no doubt that some Vermonters feared the impact of a free black population.

In 1835, Congressman William Slade of Vermont reflected this hesitancy with the following statement: ”I believe the immediate and unqualified abolition of slavery to be inconsistent with a just regard, both of the best interest of the community, and the highest welfare of the slaver.” In later years, he became an advocate of immediate emancipation.

In 1835 two incidents in the area reflected that opposition. They are described in the Vermont History article “Racism in Antebellum Vermont” by John M. Lovejoy. In September, an itinerant abolitionist lecturer was driven from a Bradford lectern by a mob with the use of a fire pump. He had chosen to speak despite appeals that it would “only agitate the subject.”

In November, Rev. George Storrs of the New Hampshire Anti-Slavery Society spoke at the Methodist Church in Newbury. “A number of men and boys gathered in and outside the chapel making speeches, talking loudly about maintaining the Constitution and the Union. They did their best to disrupt the event, hollering, ringing the bell, breaking a panel on the front door, and throwing brickbats. But Storrs prevailed, raising his voice loudly when the occasion called for it.”

While three of these rioters were arrested and fined for disruption of the free speech rights of Rev. Storrs, there seems little doubt that many Vermonters agreed with them. Wells’ History of Newbury mentions, that in 1842, many at the Newbury Seminary objected to the admission of a black student as, “it was held by a large portion of the public to be a sin and a crime to teach a colored person to read and write.”

In the late 1830’s and 40’s, national events increased support for the abolition movement. Since Vermont’s and Kentucky’s entrance into the Union, there was a pattern of balancing new states between free and slave. From the beginning of the nation’s expansion, there was more agreement in Vermont against the spread of slavery than there was over what should be done with it. Territorial gains from the acquisition of Texas, the Mexican War, and “schemes for the acquisition of Cuba” raised fears among otherwise conservative residents of the area.

When, in 1850, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act designed to punish those who harbored slaves with imprisonment and fines, Vermonters declared any slave brought into the state would be free. This was an extension of the 1804 statement by Judge Harrington of Middlebury who declared that “slave ownership would only be recognized by a bill of sale for the slave signed by Almighty God, Himself.” Numerous petitions and legislative resolutions from Vermont so outraged many in the South that one Georgia Senator suggested that a ditch be dug around Vermont so that it could be floated into the Atlantic.

Runaway slaves found refuge and work among area residents. The sewing circle of the Topsham church wrote the following: “We want to give the little money we raised, in such way that the fugitives who are really needy, will be befitted.” Tradition holds that there were a number of stations along the Underground Railroad in towns bordering the Connecticut. Modern research suggests that the notions of danger and secrecy are exaggerated and “that actual aid to fugitives was provided casually if not haphazardly and often delivered quite openly.”

The battle between the two major anti-slavery groups caused turmoil between and within the major Protestant churches of Vermont. Congregational ministers generally supported the colonization even as a growing number in their membership joined many Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians in supporting the more radical abolitionists. With time, some Congregationalists abandoned their earlier stance. This change is reflected in an 1856 Thanksgiving sermon preached at Lyme by Erdix Tenny, entitled “American Slavery: Not Sanctioned by the Bible.”

The Rev. Orange Scott of Newbury was one Methodist minister who worked to persuade his denomination to “embrace immediate emancipation.” Both abolitionist groups used Christianity to justify their stance, an appeal that had less effect on the unchurched.

Two of the most active ministers in the cause were Rev. James Milligan, of Ryegate and Barnet and Rev. R. N. Johnston of Topsham. Both served Presbyterian churches, a denomination that took an early and active stance for abolition. Milligan toured the area lecturing for the “immediate, unconditional abolition of slavery and the full integration of Afro-Americans into American society.” He joined Storrs in facing down the Newbury mob in 1835.

Johnston served the Topsham church from 1851 to 1866. According to Roth, Johnston both gave anti-slavery lectures and arranged lecturing tours that “opened the way for old anti-slavery apostles.” On one of these occasions, William Lloyd Garrison lectured in Topsham, “to a crowded house, for almost all classes of people were curious if not anxious to hear the great Abolitionists.”

Topsham Sketches states that Johnston’s activities “roused not only the ire of some of the members of his church but of people in neighboring towns and several times he received threats against his life. A placard was hung on “the church by some pro-slavers which read ‘Death to traitors and nigger preachers.’” He wrote on one occasion that he was warned that a mob of 50 men from Corinth and Bradford was coming to do him harm. Johnston was also involved in two anti-slavery conventions held in Bradford in 1858 and 1860. At those meetings, conflicts continued to erupt between “every shade” of anti-slavery advocates.

By the time these conventions were held, the abolition movement was having a major impact on Vermont’s political parties. In 1854, Vermonters began to abandon the Democratic and Whig parties and embraced the newly formed Republican Party. The Republicans held Vermont’s loyalty until 1964, the longest single-party state control in American history.

By 1860, the issue of slavery had created an “insolvable dilemma” that tore the nation apart. The Republican candidate in the election of 1860 was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln held more moderate views on slavery than the radical abolitionists and Vermonters gave him three-quarters of their votes. When in 1861, Vermonters responded to Father Abraham’s call for troops, the main motive was not to abolish slavery, but to restore the union.

In 1863, Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation giving freedom to those slaves being held in the 10 rebellious states. In 1865, at the conclusion of the Civil War, the 13th Amendment was adopted, officially abolishing slavery in America.

Tragically, it was not the end of involuntary servitude, which still exists in America. In April, Governor Douglas signed into law a bill establishing a task force to recommend actions to the Legislature to deal with the issues of human trafficking. In doing so, Vermont joins most other states in addressing this issue. To rephrase the 1855 statement: How could Vermonters be otherwise than haters of slavery—how can they do less than sympathize with every human being and every community which asserts the rights of all people to blessings like their own?

Going to Summer Camp

2010-07-29T09:18:00.018-04:00

Early in the 20th century train-loads of campers arrived in the Upper Valley for summer residential youth camps established by pioneers in the industry. (Photo: Fran J. Barrett, Jr.)

Some of the nation's earliest camps for girls were located in the Upper Valley. Anna Dodge of Post Mills was a force behind the establishment of Quinibeck on Lake Fairlee. Campers are shown here presenting a classical tableau, c. 1915. Performances of this type were prepared for camp and public audiences. (Photo: Fairlee Historical Society)

One of the earliest, if not the earliest, camp for girls was established on Halls Lake in Newbury by Julia Farwell. Riders from the camp are shown here in front of Hale's Tavern in Wells River about 1910. (Photo: Newbury Historical Society/David Kazan)

Virgil Prettyman established Camp Moosilauke in 1904 on Upper Baker Pond in Orford. In the early years boys swam without bathing suits. The photo below shows the rustic cabins original to the camp. Today the camp still uses some of these cabins and the original dining hall. It is described by the current staff as "a recess with no classes." (Photos: Camp Moosilauke)

Girls of Summer gather on the railroad platform at Ely c. 1916. (Photo:Thetford Historical Society)

Boys from Lake Morey's Camp Lanakila prepare for a camp expedition around 1926. Establihsed in 1922, it was part of the Aloha family of camps and served "the little brothers of Aloha and Hive campers." Below is a photo of Mother and Father Gulick (Luther and Harriet Farnsworth Gulick). The Gulicks and their extended family are responsible for establishing the Aloha camps, Camp Hanoum (now Farnsworth) and the Camp Fire Girls. (Photos: Aloha Foundation)

Going to Summer Camp”
In Times Past
Journal Opinion July 28, 2010

“There seems to be something almost magical in the common things of life that draw people together. Doing those things together that all the people of the world have done together; experiencing the world-old and world-common feel of the earth under one’s feet, the look of green trees, the touch of fresh water; cooking in the open; sleeping on the ground about a camp fire; carrying the pack; standing the strain of the long trail…under such conditions souls fuse.” Dr. Luther H. Gulick, 1917.

Residential youth camps have flourished in the Upper Valley from early in the 20th century. Those who established these camps were pioneers in the camping industry. This column will identify several of those pioneers and describe their lasting contributions. The impetus for this column comes from an unpublished manuscript from David R. Kazan, a summer resident of West Newbury. His manuscript describes the contributions of Julia Farwell of Newbury and the camp she established on Halls Lake.

Leslie Paris’ Children’s Nature: The Rise of the American Summer Camp describes the origins of the camping movement in the cultural changes of the late 19th century. As America became more urbanized there were fears that the increased leisure for youth would lead to boredom, listlessness and “unsavory influences.” Many camp pioneers worried that urban living was unhealthy and would also diminish, “a familiarity with the natural world, a slower pace, a rootedness in the land.” The first camps were established in the 1880s and served several hundred middle and upper-class Protestant boys. In the 50 years that followed, youth residential camping expanded to include other groups and by the interwar years, more than a million children went to camp each summer.

Most of the early camps were for boys and young men. A few visionaries felt that the benefits should be extended to girls. One of the earliest pioneers in camps for girls was Julia H. Farwell. Born in 1855, she grew up in Wells River and was a graduate of Mt. Holyoke Seminary, Barnard College and Columbia College. As early as 1898 she began teaching in the Castle School, a school for girls in Tarrytown, New York. During summer recess she returned to her home in Wells River.

The exact date she established “Miss Farwell’s Summer Camp for Girls” on Halls Lake is part of the mysteries that Kazan explores in his manuscript. Some sources list the date as 1905 or 1906. However, a May 26, 1909 New York Times advertisement states that the camp was in its 20th year. If the camp was established in 1889, that makes it the oldest girls camp in the nation. Even the later dates place it among the oldest. Farwell directed the camp until 1918. The camp bears her name to this day.

Of all the local pioneers, the extended family of Dr. Edward and Harriet Farnsworth Gulick receives the most credit. Known as Father and Mother Gulick, they established Camp Aloha on Lake Morey in 1905 and Aloha Club on Lake Katherine in 1915. In 1910, they founded the Camp Fire Girls and were among the founders of the American Camping Association. In 1908, Harriet’s brother, Charles Farnsworth and his wife Ellen opened Hanoum (now Farnsworth) in Thetford. Sister Ellen Farnsworth established Aloha Hive on Lake Fairlee in 1915 for girls too young to attend Aloha. In 1922, the Gulicks’ daughter Carol Gulick Hulbert and her husband Chauncey opened Lanakila on Lake Morey for “the little brothers of Aloha and Hive campers.”

At the time of its centennial in 2005, the Aloha Foundation recalled Aloha’s opening day: “On June 30, 1905, Father Gulick took the children, Leeds 13, Carol, 8, and Harriet, 6, to meet the train in Fairlee. There they greeted Aloha’s first twenty-three campers, sooty and tired after arduous travels by horse and carriage and a succession of trains. Once in Fairlee, some of the exhausted girls proceeded to Aloha Cottage aboard the Lake Morey Steamer, and some finished the journey by horse and carriage. Trunks and duffels followed by wagon up the dusty lake road.”

Another early camp was Lake Fairlee’s Quinibeck, described in the 1925 Directory of Private Summer Camps as, “one of the most successful camps for girls in the country.” Much of that success is attributed to Anna Dodge. A Post Mills native, Dodge played a leading role at the camp from its inception in 1911 until it closed in 1971. A graduate of Thetford Academy and Castleton Normal School, she was a teacher and superintendent in the Thetford schools. Dodge’s influence extended beyond Quinibeck as she served on the board of the National Association of Directors of Girls’ Camps and hosted sessions for New England camp personnel at Lake Fairlee.

In neighboring New Hampshire there are several early summer camps. In 1904, Virgil Prettyman established Moosilauke, a camp for boys, on Upper Baker Pond in Orford. He was the first headmaster of the Horace Mann School, an affiliate of Columbia College. Nearby is Pemigewasset, established in 1908 by three friends, Drs. Edgar Fauver, Edwin Fauver and Dudley Reed. They were all graduates of Oberlin and Columbia Medical School. “Pemi” is the oldest summer camp in the country under the same continuous family ownership and management.

In this period there were a number of other camps established, some of which were short-lived. On Lake Fairlee: Billings (1906), Big Pine (later Beenadeewin 1908), Shanty Shane (now Ohana, 1911), Neshobe ( later Norway 1912), Kenjocketee (1912), Lochearn (1915) and Wyoda (1916), On Lake Morey: Honomoka (1910) and Wynona (1914). On Lake Armington: Tahoma (1913); Lake Tarleton: Serrana (1916). South Strafford: Ken-Jocketee (c. 1920); Lyme Pond: Pinnacle (1916). On Lake Stinson in Rumney: Eagle Point (1905), Agawam (1919-20) and Stinson (1927); Thetford Center: Campanoosuc (1907) and Kokosing (1920). Others were established in later years.

While some of the camps offered separate age-group divisions within the same location, others created affiliated camps to separate younger campers from older ones. Boys were separated from girls and it was only later that a few co-educational camps were created. In 1915, Billings began devoting half the season to boys and the other half to girls. Shanty Shane was created as a family camp for those parents who had children encamped nearby.

Many of these camp names were taken from Indian legends or landmarks with native names. This was in keeping with the pseudo-Indian programs often carried out in the camp activities. Wyoda was a “beautiful Indian maiden of high ideals.” Passumpsic was a native word for “much still water.” Aloha, Lanakila and Hanoum came from the Gulick-Farnsworth families’ experiences as missionaries in Hawaii and Turkey. However, Billings took its name from the Billings family of Woodstock, generous patrons of the camp. Lochearn’s name reflected its Scottish theme.

The men and women who established and staffed these camps were individuals who had built careers working with young people. They were educators in public and private schools and colleges. Some were staff members in church or youth organizations. Counselors were chosen for their ability to work with children and be positive role models. Parents were assured that the personnel offered group and individual guidance within a carefully supervised and safe environment.

Camp programs were centered in the activities mentioned by Edward Gulick in his 1917 statement. Campers learned to swim, sail and canoe on area lakes and rivers. Wearing required camp uniforms, they hiked local mountains, tented in wilderness areas and went horseback riding on wooded trails. Creative fun in the form of handicrafts, nature crafts and group games made up a portion of each day. Stories, performances and group singing around a campfire rounded out the evening. Accommodations were rustic cabins or tents. For urban children, this was “fun with a purpose”, a fulfillment of the “back to the country” movement, nature up close and personal.

Some camps advertised specialized programs. Farwell “made much of archery” and horseback riding. Hanoum in 1910 tutored campers in foreign languages and mathematics augmented by toasting marshmallows and “girl talk.” Pinnacle advertisements mentioned manual training and rifle practice. Moosilauke’s early program included auto maintenance.

Interviews with local elders reflect a variety of opinions about camping experiences. Those who grew up in rural settings or were from poorer families rarely had the opportunity to go to camp. The farm or village or city streets were “camp” for many. Their summer activities, like my own, were more likely to be self-directed. Some camps operated by church or youth organizations made camping available to girls and boys of moderate means. Billings did that by keeping fees low and by establishing a scholarship fund in 1916.

Of those who went to camp, most recalled positive camp experiences, often establishing lasting friendships. One local resident commented, “It was the highlight of my youth.” But there were also bouts of homesickness and pranks. Those pranks could turn both ways. While most discount short-sheeting of a camp cot or a nightly snipe hunt as harmless, being designated the camp”goat” bordered on harassment and abuse. One elder recalls being thrown into a lake “to learn to swim” as the basis of a life-long aversion to swimming.

The summer camp industry had a major impact on the local economy. It offered summer employment to those who were available because of school and college breaks. Many were counselors and others worked in the local train stations and camp offices, kitchens, infirmaries and laundries. Maintenance personnel positions were both seasonal and year round.

During the first half of the century, campers usually arrived in special train cars from southern and eastern cities and would be dropped off at local stations. Local individuals provided transportation for campers to and from train stations as well as to churches and river docks and on mountain expeditions.

Camp advertisements often noted that fresh produce was purchased from local farmers, eventually supplemented by wholesale produce companies. Camp Quinibeck maintained its own farm and provided year round employment for its farmers. When parents’ weekend began, the impact on local hotels and restaurants was significant.

Campers and counselors purchased items at local stores. An entry in a 1910 camp diary reported that a troop of girls descended on a Fairlee soda fountain and left the young attendant quite beside himself. He was probably not the only local lad upended by these city girls of summer. Having purchased a lantern, the diary writer stated the campers, “lit up the town.”

Campers also participated in local events and often attended local churches. The Post Mills church was filled to overflowing with campers, many of whom arrived via the lake on “war canoes.” Farwell campers enjoyed attending local baked bean suppers. Camp choruses and theatre companies performed for local audiences. In 1911, campers from Hanoum played a major role in the Thetford Pageant. In 1922, Camp Moosilauke Merrymakers began a yearly appearance performing for a Fairlee church benefit.

Some of these camps have closed and others have opened. The Great Depression and World War II impacted the camping industry as did the post-war prosperity. Closed or open, many have alumni organizations. Alumni loyalty being significant, some families attended a camp over several generations. Former campers sometimes became camp staffers. Alumni visits to the local area added to the positive economic impacts.

An added benefit of the camping experience was to free parents of their children during the long summer vacation. One advertisement stated: “Thoughtful parents find in Camp Passumpsic a happy solution to the summer vacation problem.” All programs were designed to send youngsters back to their parents healthier and more self-reliant, “enriched and inspired” by a summer at camp. Therein lies the value of the summer youth camp movement; a movement that has its roots in our region.

Bradford UCC Celebrates Bicentennial

2010-07-04T09:52:00.012-04:00

Mary Sanborn describes the contributions of long-time organist Katrina Munn as the Bradford Congregational Church celebrates its bicentennial.

We gather together to celebrate 200 years of worship. Group photograph taken following the bicentennial service of worship, Sunday, June 27, 2010. (photo: David Perry)

The Bradford Congregational Church (UCC) was organized June 24, 1810. Two hundred years later it held a gala bicentennial celebration. The pictures below are by Janice Neubauer for The Bridge Weekly Sho-Case.

Moderator Daniel Perry II, longtime member of the church, acts as Master of Ceremonies for Saturday, June 26th special presentation honoring the present church building, its history and architecture and the special contributions of several significant members in its past.

Rev. Silas McKeen, represented here by Larry Coffin, was the pastor of this church for 43 years in the 19th century and was instrumental in its growth. A native of South Corinth, McKeen became the pastor in 1814. He was widely known for his sermons and efforts on behalf of the temperance and abolition movements.

Martina Stever, general chair of the Bicentennial Celebration, gives a history of the original church building, and describes the architecture of the current church building pointing out the stained glass windows which over the years replacing the originals.

Carolyn Coffin (right) conducted tours of the restored and renovated Church Parsonage.

She is shown here with church member Barbara Stahl.

Bruce Stevens of Ryegate, plays the church's newly restored pipe organ at the Concert, the grand climax to Saturday's events. Stevens was recently honored as Artist of the Year by the Vermont Chapter of the American Guild of Organists.

Church Historian Eris Eastman provided a history an memorabilia display for the Bicentennial Celebration. The display included programs from previous celebrations as well as photographs from as far back as 1875.

Some of the members of the church pose with Vermont Governor Jim Douglas, who with his wife Dorothy, honored the church with a visit to the Saturday celebration. Back row L-R: Eris Eastman, Virginia Moore, Gloria Fox, Daniel Perry, Robert Gallo. Front row: Mary Sanborn portraying long-time organist Katrina Munn, Governor Douglas , and Larry Coffin as Rev. McKeen.

Church, Town and Disestablishmentarianism

2010-06-24T14:35:00.006-04:00

The First Congregational Church of Thetford was organized in 1773. The meeting house was built in 1787 at the south end of Thetford Hill's common, serving both as a church and town meeting hall. It was moved to the present site in 1830 and is now the oldest church building in continuous use in Vermont.

In 1875-6, the Bradford Congregational Society voted to replace its old church with a new one. The new one, shown here being constructed, was designed an built by Bradford's George Farr. The older structure can be seen on the left, before being moved to the rear of the lot.

On June 24, 1810, the Bradford Congregational Church was established and in late June, 2010 held a weekend of activities to commemorate its bicentennial.

The First Congregational Church at Haverhill Corner traces its orgins to the Haverhill town
church and preaching of Rev. Peter Powers in 1765. The building was built in 1827 by the Methodist Episcopal Society and sold to the Congregationalists in 1829.

CHURCH, TOWN AND DISESTABLISHMENTARIANISM
Journal-Opinion, June 23, 2010

During this coming weekend the Bradford Congregational Church will celebrate its bicentennial. Celebration activities begin with an old fashioned hymn sing on Friday night. On Saturday, following a tour of historic sites connected with the church, a ham and salad dinner and a Bruce Stevens organ recital will be held. Activities conclude with a church service and birthday luncheon on Sunday. All of these events are open to the public.

If the Congregational denomination was the dominate one in the early years of this area’s settlement, why did it take over 40 years for the Bradford Congregational Church to be established? To answer this question, this column explores the relationship between town government and churches in the area during the first half-century following settlement.

The early settlers transplanted the culture of southern New England to the area, changing it as needed to meet the demands of the frontier. Some migrants left their earlier homes because of upheavals in established churches there. Many brought with them strong religious beliefs. Many of the established town churches were Congregational. This denomination’s belief in absolute local control over church affairs introduced the town meeting form of government throughout New England.

Most settlers, especially community leaders, adhered to the Connecticut Standing Order that allowed town tax revenues to be used to build houses of worship and support ministers. In 1783, the Vermont legislature enacted this practice into law, despite the 1777 Constitutional provision: “No man ought, or of right can be compelled to attend any religious worship, or erect, or support any place of worship, or maintain any minister contrary to the dictates of his conscience.”

New Hampshire had a similar protection written into its Bill of Rights. This protection did not prevent the states from requiring residents to support their own church and town church membership was assumed unless otherwise declared.

From the very beginning many settlers felt the need for worship services. The lack of church buildings did not stand in the way, with services being held in barns, private homes and taverns, and in the case of Fairlee, in a field next to the river.

One of the earliest projects undertaken by towns was the building of a meeting house for both worship and town meetings. The meeting house at Thetford Hill, the construction of which began in 1787, today remains the oldest Vermont church in continuous use. In some communities decisions about the placement of the building within the town were the subject of much controversy. Some towns called on a committee from neighboring towns to make an impartial decision. Because many put no special significance in the place of worship, these dual purpose buildings were used for decades, sometimes with several denominations and town meetings taking turns.

As there was a shortage of ministers, towns yoked with neighboring towns to worship together or share a minister. One of the earliest religious leaders in the area was the Rev. Peter Powers of Newbury. He helped establish the Newbury church in 1764. That town’s historian Frederick Wells writes of Powers: “His parish at first included all of the settlements from Hanover to Lancaster. He was often called to go on long and lonely journeys through the wilderness to solemnize marriages, bury the dead, and break the bread of life to the people, and he did not shrink from any labor, however great.” Powers played a leading role in creating town churches in Fairlee, Orford, Haverhill, Ryegate, Lyme and Thetford.

With a shortage of hard cash, towns often paid ministers in, “corn, grain and the fruit of the earth.” Rev. Richards of Piermont wrote that he had never received a single dollar in hard money for his services. In 1790, the Groton town meeting voted, in an action common to the area, to raise 40 bushels of wheat “For the support of the gospel in town.” In Newbury, timber from the glebe land was used to pay the minister. In addition to town revenues, some churches gained financial support from the sale or rental of pews.

As is still true, the effectiveness of a particular minister determined the growth or decline of a church. An effective minister might lead a revival of interest and fill the pews only to be followed by a less effective one and reduced attendance. One Haverhill church, after having a revival of interest in the 1790s, was described as having, “a period of discouragement and gloom” after 1807, with only 12 of 90 members remaining.

Attending church on the Sabbath was an all-day activity. The buildings were usually unheated and both the prayers and sermons were long. The benches were hard. There was a protracted controversy over the singing of hymns during worship. Jeremiah Ingalls of Newbury, one of the nation’s major hymn composers and singing masters, made a significant contribution to quelling that controversy by teaching congregations “Christian Harmony.”

Families often walked or rode many miles to attend, both because of the desire to do so and because it was expected. Sunday Mountain in Orford was so named after a Mr. Palmer died there: “the awful fate of a man who defied the Lord’s wrath by going exploring on a Sunday instead of joining the pious congregation at religious meeting.” Church discipline was a serious matter and extended into daily life. Officers known as “beadles” were selected to enforce discipline during services and tithing men policed behavior in the community. Errant members were subject to excommunication.

The number of Vermonters who regularly attended worship services varied significantly through the years. During a 1789 tour of the state, Rev. Nathan Perkins wrote, “Not more than 1-6 part of ye families attend family prayer in ye whole State. “ He went on to say that only half supported public worship and that for the rest there was no Sabbath, no religion, no heaven or hell and no morality. Revivals caused significant growth in church membership during the first half of the 19th century. According to historian Randolph Roth, “by the mid 1830s, Vermonters were the most churchgoing people in the Protestant world. Eighty percent attended church regularly.”

While many of the towns in the area operated under the presumption that all residents were Congregationalist, there were exceptions. Many of the early residents of Ryegate, Barnet and Topsham were Scottish Presbyterians and hired ministers of that denomination.

In other towns, the Baptists and Methodists had an early presence. Historian John Fatherly writes that the Baptist Society of Bradford was organized in 1793 and erected a meeting house on the Upper Plain. They reorganized in 1805 stating they had 25 members: “This language is important because the Laws of the State of Vermont (1797) provided that the inhabitants of a town having a similar denomination could form into a society when their number exceeded twenty-five; and the property of these individuals would be exempt from being taxed for religious purposes.”

These “adherents to other doctrines,” now protected in both states, complicated town votes on covering church expenses. When the question came before the 1800 Corinth town meeting, non-Congregationists prevailed and refused to, “support a minister of any denomination whatsoever from town funds.”

Because the 1797 law did not protect those who were members of no church from being taxed, there was an additional movement to abolish the injustice of the town church tax connections. Those who supported the disestablishment viewed the practice as a form of discrimination. The new Republican Party, the members of which supported the ideals of Jeffersonian democracy, joined them in bringing changes in the law.

Antidisestablishmentarians organized in opposition to this movement. They asserted that abolishing the Standing Order was “irreligious and asserted that the power of truth against the reign of evil would be destroyed if the state, by reason of public taxes, ceased to support an orthodox and fearless clergy.” Incidentally, that word is about the longest nontechnical word in the English language. In elementary school we discussed that word, generally believing we would never use it much less be able to spell it.

In 1807, Vermont broke the connection between towns and churches. One missionary from Connecticut was of the opinion that those who were responsible for this action “were infidels, Baptists, and Nothingists.” Passing the law did not mean the practice changed immediately. According to Thetford historian Charles Latham, “Thetford simply ignored or evaded the 1807 law ending tax support for the church…”

In 1819, the New Hampshire Legislature passed the Toleration Act, releasing towns from the obligation of supporting the church. Towns and town churches in New Hampshire joined their Vermont counterparts facing, “the dilemma of how to pay the minister if not from the town treasury.”

Now to the question of the bicentennial of the Bradford Congregational Church. Bradford had followed the example of other towns in maintaining a town church. A meeting house was completed in 1795 on the Upper Plain. For 14 years Rev. Gardiner Kellogg was the only minister of this church, the Congregational Calvinistic Church. By 1806 a total of 150 Bradford residents had declared in writing to the Town clerk that they did not agree with the religious teachings of this Congregational majority.

When the 1807 law was passed, members of the town church dissolved their organization, “with a view to the formation of a new church, with a more orthodox creed, and consisting of members more intimately united in Christian fellowship.” Rev. Stephen Fuller of Vershire, helped seven members to organize the present Congregational Church on June 24, 1810. He described their desire for a new church as the need to rise from a “deranged, broken and disunited state, professing to feel the importance of getting into a regular state, in which they might exercise Christian faithfulness towards one another, and instead of darkness, hold up light to the world.”

In 1815, Silas McKeen was ordained in this church and began a distinguished career that, with a ten year interruption, lasted until 1866. In 1836, the building on the Upper Plain was purchased by the church and moved to Main Street. Two years later a parsonage and church bell were purchased from a bequest by Timothy Ayer.

In 1875, the church decided to build a new building. The old one was moved to the southwest corner of the church lot and over the years has been used for a number of purposes including its current use as the Old Church Theatre.

During the first century and a half, the Bradford Congregational Church experienced the strong membership and high attendance that characterized the times. As with other churches in the area, it reached out to meet needs of its members, the community and, with mission activities, the broader world. In the 1960s those high numbers began to decline. Recent surveys reveal that Vermont and New Hampshire are ranked among the lowest in regular church attendance.

My wife and I are members of the Bradford Congregational Church. I have always been a Congregationalist; my wife grew up in Bradford’s Grace United Methodist Church. In our family histories are members, including deacons and ministers, of both those denominations and others. Not only do we believe that church membership is important for us personally, we believe that churches play a vital role in the life of any community. As our church celebrates its bicentennial it finds itself on the verge of calling a new pastor. A new pastor in any church offers the opportunity for renewal, even in Vermont and even if it is 200 years old. .

First Book Now Available

2010-06-06T16:44:00.004-04:00

Bradford Public Library presents:
“In Times Past: Essays from the Upper Valley.”
By Local Historian Larry Coffin

Series of essays covering topics of local history including Vermont towns from Thetford to Ryegate and New Hampshire towns from Lyme to Woodsville. Topics range from Town Poor Farms, Town Meetings, Rogers’ Rangers and Disastrous Fires to Abandoned Golf Courses and Things That Never Happened. 120 pages, illustrated, soft-covered presentation. Profits will benefit the Bradford Public Library.

To order by mail send $19.95 plus $4 for shipping to: Larry Coffin, P.O. Box 490, Bradford, Vermont 05033. Mayke checks payable to Larry Coffin.

Name:________________________________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________________________

Number of copies:_______________ Amount enclosed:__________________________

If you wish to have a personal message written on the flyleaf by the author, include the wording on a separate sheet.
Comments on “In Times Past”

“Local history is the foundation upon which regional, state, and national history is build. Larry Coffin has crafted an important piece of that foundation, bringing to life the history of Bradford, Vermont and the surrounding area for all to enjoy. Larry’s well-written essays highlight aspects of our shared past and link them to the present.” Paul A. Carnahan, Librarian, Vermont Historical Society

“Larry Coffin’s monthly column ‘In Times Past’ is one of the most valuable and popular features in the Journal Opinion. He provides a historical perspective that aids the contemporary reader in understanding the people, places and events that shaped the Upper Connecticut River Valley communities we live in today. Coffin’s survey of the past draws parallels to current discourse.” Alex Nuti-de Biasi, Managing Editor of the Journal Opinion.

“Through the focus of Larry Coffin’s writings is local history, his historical interest and knowledge are broad enough to make him center that local history in a wider context, what was going on at the same time in nearby towns, in Vermont and New Hampshire, and in the country. And he combines that broader background with a wealth of interesting detail.”
Charles Latham, President, Thetford (VT) Historical Society

“Exploring topics as diverse as inventors, strawberry growers, the arrival of the railroad, golf courses, epidemics, town meetings and Rogers’ Rangers, Coffin deftly and engagingly reminds us that all history is local and that local history at its best –as he presents it here – reflects and illuminates the extraordinary, great, and important issues and events that command our attention as well as the ordinary patterns of life that continue to shape the world we occupy today.” Michael Sherman, Editor, Vermont History

“What better person to decide what it is that we should know about this place we love so much? What better person to craft the prose in a way that will warm our hearts, inform our thinking, and bring peace and understanding to our lives? For good history does more than suggest a proper future. It gives order to a complex world and meaning to a troubled mind. This series of essays should be in the homes of all residents of the Upper Valley.” Professor Frank Bryan, UVM

Driving the Middle Way: Log Drives on the Connecticut

2010-05-23T07:52:00.012-04:00

Area residents sometimes joined the river-side encampment

for a Sunday dinner. (Bradford Historical Society)

Van Dyke log drive c 1909 at the Thetford-Lyme Bridge. Notice rivermen

on the logs and spectators on the bridge. (Lyme Historical Society)

These logs would have just passed through several of the most difficult sections
of the drive on the Connecticut River. ( From Katharine Blaisdell)

This photo was taken just north of the Village of Bradford.The cooks often
prepared bean-hole beans for the crew's meals. (Bradford Historical Society)

This historical site marker in the Great Northern Woods of New Hampshire

reminds motorists of the log drives that originated in that area.

Journal Opinion
May 19, 2010

They came from the north during the late spring and summer. The sounds they made were of distant thunderstorms growing gradually closer. But they were not storms. They were the annual log drives down the Connecticut River from the great northern woods to mills in southern New England. They provided spectacular shows for area residents gathered on the riverbanks as they passed.

Much has been written about the history of log drives on the Connecticut. This article will focus on the drives as they passed through this region. In addition to town histories, the information comes from Robert Pike’s Tall Trees, Tough Men, Bill Gove’s Log Drives on the Connecticut River and Katharine Blaisdell’s books. These titles are recommended to those who want additional information.

The earliest settlers of the region found a primeval forest with trees sometimes reaching 200 feet in height. These forests had to be cleared to establish farm fields. Surplus logs and lumber were floated down the river to markets, domestic and foreign.

After the Revolution, Bradford’s John Barron and Orford’s Israel Morey entered into a contract to deliver logs down the Connecticut to be used as masts for the French Navy. The average log was 60 feet long with one measuring 116 feet long and 40 inches in diameter. In his description of this enterprise Silas McKeen noted that “there was a giant gathering to witness the logs rolled into the river.”

After 1810, local lumbermen built rafts from boxes of logs and drifted them down the Connecticut, returning by foot. Wells’ History of Newbury states that it took 25 days to make the round trip from Wells River to Hartford, Connecticut. In 1827, Horace Allbee of Fairlee made the trip with 76 individual boxes fastened together into rafts. These rafts often held timbers and other area products for market.

From the beginning there were problems with bridge companies whose structures were damaged and from mill owners who needed dams for consistent water levels. As canals were built, restrictions were placed on the size of these rafts. At the Bellows Falls canal they “were not to exceed fifty-four feet in length and seven in width and to draw not more than three feet of water.” When loose logs were too long for the canal locks, they were “coaxed over dams and falls.”

In 1854, C. W. Bliss, later of West Fairlee, was hired to work as a cook for the crew of 18 rafts with 108 boxes bound for Holyoke. When they reached the Bellows Falls canal it took three days to break up the rafts and pass them through the locks. A large gathering of local people watched as the crews raced to reach the locks first.

The first long-log drive from the forests south of the Canadian border to mills and markets in southern New England was held in 1868. Over the next 46 years this annual event would represent, according to Gove, the longest log drive in the nation; “None compared with the Connecticut River when considering the volume of logs involved,” he wrote. The logs were cut in the winter by lumberjacks housed in camps and piled beside the river and its tributaries. The drives began, often with up to 700 men, when the ice went out and there was sufficient flow from melting snows.

The area from Fifteen Mile Falls north of McIndoe Falls to south of Lyme and Thetford was the middle way for the journey from the Connecticut Lakes to the mills in Massachusetts and Connecticut. That stretch of over 50 miles was also one of the most dangerous in the entire 345 miles of the river. At the Falls, the river fell almost 350 feet over the large boulders and ledges. In the middle was Muliken’s Pitch. Pike writes that the Pitch “was known as the most dangerous place on the whole river.” Because early drives got hung up in the Falls, the Connecticut River Lumber Company blasted open about 10 miles of this section.

Below where the Passumpsic River joins the Connecticut, there was a difficult stretch known as Twenty-Seven Islands. It was followed by the Woodsville Narrows, up stream from the present Wells River-Woodsville bridge. Wells History of Ryegate calls the Narrow “the wildest spot on the river above Bellows Falls.” Below that location was where drives from companies logging the upper regions of the Ammonoosuc came into the river.

After Woodsville were eddies, islands and wide oxbows. When water was very high logs stranded on the meadows, when low on sandbars. The section down river also presented problems. An article in the Bradford Opinion of August 2, 1879 stated, “The rear of the big log drive in the Connecticut passed here on Saturday. The river men were several deep getting around Johnson point and Willard bend. The next hard place below here was Fairlee mountain and then near Ely station.” Add to that the bridges at Fairlee and Thetford as well as additional islands and bars.

At many of the locations mentioned above and at each bridge, log booms were placed in the river to hold and direct logs. Blaisdell’s history of Haverhill describes one at the Bedell Bridge: “The boom there was hitched to a large tree on the New Hampshire side and the other end to the middle pier of the bridge. That kept the logs going down the swiftest part of the river and protecting the bridge.”

Jams occurred where there were obstructions in the river. They were often the most dangerous part of the drive for river men. With hundreds of logs piled against each other like giant jackstraws, men had to pry them loose with pikes and peaveys. In extreme cases dynamite was used. As a log jam broke, a river man might find himself caught in the moving logs “with no way to shore and pure disaster ahead.”

Gore describes a major jam in June 1900 near Wells River, “when 55 million board feet of lumber jammed up against some bridge pier, piled solid for a half-mile up the river and in some places 6 to 10 feet deep.” It took 175 men to work it apart.

Not all the logging took place in the northern forest. Local loggers supplied local sawmills and wood product factories. Some loggers added their harvest to the river drive. Lyme’s town history describes how logs cut in the eastern part of the town were brought to the riverbank during the winter. It quotes an 1887 Hanover Gazette: “John Jewell has a huge force of help on his log job as he has a million feet to put in the river in three weeks.” Pike also mentions Ruth Parks of Lyme as “the only lady logger in the United States who swung an axe, handled a cant-dog, drove team, and ran her own camps.”

Robert Pike’s books describe in depth the tough life of the lumberjacks and river men. It is still true today that this is one of the most dangerous occupations. Deaths and injuries were common and men who died along the route of the drives were often buried in empty pork barrels.

After a long winter in the northern woods, men returned to civilization with money and pent-up emotions. At Woodsville, the conflicting companies would hold their drives to avoid mixing logs. Part of the force was laid off at this point. Men from the drives descended on the village, keeping bars and law enforcement busy.

There is a story of one river man “who was drunk and feeling his oats in Woodsville one day, and seeing the wax figure of a half-nude woman in a store window, uttered a great logger’s rutting-whoop and leaped through the plate-glass spiked boots first, grabbed the female figure, and tried to ravish it.”

Actually, there were many positive interactions between local residents and the drivers. Large crowds gathered to watch the men work the logs. News of the drive was carried in local newspapers. The United Opinion of June 19, 1891 carried the following front page notice: “The last of the annual ’drive’ of logs from northern New Hampshire has just passed Bradford. It contained one hundred and twenty million of feet of lumber and required 275 men and 40 horses to care for it. The rivermen have been remarkably fortunate thus far this season as not a single life has been lost, which is something unusual.”

The Connecticut Valley Lumber Company was accompanied by the cook raft “Mary Ann” and wagons of supplies. Buyers purchased extra supplies from local merchants. When a camp was set up the cooks made bean-hole beans and baked in large reflector ovens. Sometimes on Sundays local residents were invited to bring donations for a pot-luck meal at the camp. Anytime, local boys might be treated to a large gingerbread cookie.

The drive did not always pass a community quickly. A crew with horses rafted behind to pick up logs that had become stranded. From beginning to end, a large drive might extend 75 miles along the river and take several weeks to pass. Troublesome drives, such as the one in 1914, might take up to five months to reach the mills in Massachusetts.

Probably the most famous death connected with the drives was that of lumber baron George Van Dyke. As president and major owner in the CVLC, Van Dyke was influential in the entire lumbering operation. At the end of the 19th century the company owned over 320,000 acres of prime timberland and operated mills in Vermont and Massachusetts, including one at McIndoe Falls. He often accompanied the drive in a carriage or car, observing the operation firsthand. Seeing a man struggling in the river, he is reported to have shouted “To hell with the man! Save the peavey!”

It is perhaps more accurate that he rarely asked them to do anything he himself had not done before or was willing to try again. How he treated his men was probably no different from any of the large employers of the 19th century, but his workers returned season after season. In August 1909, Van Dyke was seated in his chauffer-driven car near Turners Falls overlooking the river drive. For some reason the car moved forward over the cliff and the two men were killed.

Van Dyke did not live to see the end of the long-log drives on the Connecticut. The 1914 drive was very troublesome and so the 1915 drive was the last. The end came as a result of a number of factors. Most of the old growth timber had been harvested and the remaining logs were smaller. Damage to meadows and bridges coupled with conflicts with other users of the river, made the drives more expensive. Drives of four-foot pulp wood continued until the 1940’s, but there is no doubt they lack the adventure of the earlier drives.

On Sunday, May 23 another group of adventurers will travel a portion of the middle way. They are participants in the annual spring Paddle the Border event. Leaving from the Woodsville Community Field they will find the harnessed river less dangerous than a century ago. As they float to their destination at the Bedell Bridge State Park, they may well think of those river men who, with their corked boots and long pikes, rode long logs down the Connecticut a century ago.

My Great Great Grandfather's Trip to California

2010-05-12T13:53:00.005-04:00

The Grecian, the ship that Nap took to California. Pictured in San Francisco Bay.

Naphthali and Rose Anna Coffin

Diary of the Voyage of Naphthali Coffin to the Goldfields of California
March 2, 1852 – August 12, 1852
Provided by Thomas Britton

Naphthali Coffin, my great-grandfather, was born in Gilead, Maine on 13 Feb 1822. He was a direct descendant of Tristram Coffin who was an early American immigrant and founder of Nantucket. Nap was married to Rose Anna Wheeler who was born in Calais, Vermont on 18 Aug 1827. They had two children, Abbie and Ferdinand, my grandfather, born 16 May 1850. Rose Anna lived to 07 Nov 1909 and died in Barre, Vermont.

Like most people of the day Nap worked hard eking out a living as a farmer and with other assorted jobs such as shoemaker. When the news of the California Gold Rush spread, Nap and thousands of others believed in the instant riches waiting for them in California. A once in a lifetime opportunity to make enough money to escape from the hardness of life as a farmer. In 1852, Nap painfully left behind his wife and small son and joined his great-uncle David on a 15,000 mile sea journey to seek their fortune.
The arduous journey south around Cape Horn and back up to San Francisco held many unknown challenges and ultimately ended in disappointment. The young man from Northern New England saw things few others had. The striking wildlife, exotic Rio De Janiero, the mountainous coast of Chile and much more created an adventure that is well captured in Nap’s account. The fifteen thousand mile journey took 162 days. 155 days (five months) were spent on board the Grecian with the other 339 passengers. During this time Nap shared his 7’ by 5’ room with a fellow passenger.
By 1852 tens of thousands of miners had found the easy gold and many mines were played out. Uncle David died six months after arriving. While this diary only includes the sea trip it is easy to imagine the hardships faced upon his arrival through the eyes of others seeking their fortunes. Remarkably there is a well written book based on the diary of Charles H. Harvey who sailed on the same trip as Nap. Charles kept his diary through the months after he arrived and it is probably very representative of the hard times Nap and his uncle had.
There is no way of knowing when and how Nap returned to Vermont. Daughter Abbie was born in 1854 so we can assume his stay was relatively short and probably painful. Nap returned to farming and died on 10 Sep 1861. He is buried in the cemetery behind the church in Orange, Vermont.
This well written diary reveals a lot of the personality of Nap. He was a strong family man and missed his wife and son. He talks of poetry. The strong religious tones in the diary reflect the long history of the strict adherence to religion found throughout the chronicles of the Coffin family. He was thoughtful in his writing. He enjoyed fiddling and singing on board. He was a patriot with a strong reverence for flag and country.
I have included this picture almost reluctantly because it presents a severe portrait of Nap and his Roseannah. The writings of his diary reflect a strong young man, deeply in love and ready for adventure.

The California Gold Rush
To really understand the mystique which led to this 15,000 mile journey it is important to understand what drew so many men to this quest. The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter's Mill, in Coloma, California.[1] News of the discovery soon spread, resulting in some 300,000 men, women, and children coming to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately 150,000 arrived by sea while the remaining 150,000 arrived by land.
These early gold-seekers, called "forty-niners," (as a reference to 1849) traveled to California by sailing boat and in covered wagons across the continent, often facing substantial hardships on the trip. While most of the newly-arrived were Americans, the Gold Rush attracted tens of thousands from Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. At first, the prospectors retrieved the gold from streams and riverbeds using simple techniques, such as panning. More sophisticated methods of gold recovery developed which were later adopted
around the world. At its peak, technological advances reached a point where significant financing was required - increasing the proportion of corporate to individual miners. Gold, worth billions of today's dollars, was recovered, which led to great wealth for a few. However, many returned home with little more than they started with.
The effects of the Gold Rush were substantial. San Francisco grew from a small settlement to a boomtown, and roads, churches, schools and other towns were built throughout California. A system of laws and a government were created, leading to the admission of California as a free state in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850.

The Grecian
(Excerpted from the Diary of Charles H. Harvey)
Nap and Uncle David spent 162 days (originally estimated at 90 days) on the clipper ship the Grecian. There is little chance that Nap had any previous knowledge of the costs of passage or of types of ships that would be sailing to California, but his selection of the clipper Grecian was both fortunate and sound. Although there must have been many times on the voyage when he questioned his judgment - or the chance - that caused him to choose the Grecian, when one reads records of similar voyages of other vessels, he must conclude that it was probably a fortunate choice. For example, there was the Challenge, whose captain, Robert Waterman, aspired to achieve a record time from New York to San Francisco. The voyage was described as “Hell Ship" Nine of the crew died, and the captain was later tried for murder on the high seas but was acquitted There is no accurate record of the number of ships that were lost with all hands on board en route to the fabled gold fields nor is there a list of vessels that turned back or beached in the Falkland Islands, Rio, Valparaiso, Talcahuano, or elsewhere along the coast of Central and South America. Unlike these unfortunate vessels, the Grecian survived - at least for a time.
In terms of beauty and speed, the clipper ship occupies an important and romantic place in American maritirne history. Its heyday occurred in the decades of the 1840’s and 1850’s. Scholars still debate what a clipper ship was and how it carne to be so-called. Owners of vessels at that time attracted customers, by claiming their vessels were clipper ships - even when they clearly were not.
Two scholars give the following technical definition of a clipper ship:
The clipper ship was a sailing vessel of peculiar construction, designed for great speed rather than capacity. It had a long sharp bow, generally flaring outward as it rose above the water and a long, clean aft. The entrance lines were hollow, the masts were set with a great rake, and the yards were very square. A great sheer enhanced the appearance of a beautiful model and in every way the clipper ship ranked among the most handsome vessels ever put afloat.
The New (1975) Encyclopedia Britannica describes a clipper ship in part as a:
classic sailing ship of the 19th century, renowned for its beauty as well as speed. Apparently starting from the small, swift coastal packet known as the Baltimore clipper, the true clipper evolved first in U.S. and later in British yards. In its ultimate form it was a long, slim, graceful vessel with projecting bow and radically streamlined hull carrying an exceptionally large spread of sail on three tall masts. The emphasis on speed came partly from the desire to bring the first tea of the season back from China, and partly from the competition with the overland route across North America to the California gold fields. The American "Flying Cloud" made the voyage from New York to San Francisco in a record 89 days, and the British "James Baines" set the transatlantic sailing record of 12 1/2 days from Boston to Liverpool.

The Grecian was built in 1851. She was designated a "medium" clipper, a new design that ernphasized a "flat-floored" shape in its midsection. Earlier voyages around the Horn by slender, sharper-bowed clippers, had proven that this "sharp" design was poorly fanned for optimum speed.13 She was a large ship-indeed the largest vessel ever built in the Portland, Maine, area to that time. There is no agreement as to her tonnage. The official government registrations list it at 1,130 tons. A New York newspaper advertisement for the ship cites it as a "1,500 tons, copper fastened clipper ship. In any case, the vessel was sufficiently large to carry what was, up to that time, a record number of passengers around Cape Horn, over 330 men, "women and children.1s
Although there is confusion about the ship's tonnage, it is definitely known that the Grecian was launched September 27, 1851, at the shipyard founded by James B. Cahoon and George Turner at Ferry Village on Cape Elizabeth, now part of South Portland, Maine. Shortly after its launching, Adam Smith of New York purchased the new, large clipper ship for sixty thousand dollars and sailed her to New York. It was logical for New York to become the home port of the Grecian for that city was the principal East Coast point of departure for California bound ships.
The captain of the Grecian on its maiden voyage around Cape Horn was an experienced sailor, Frederick Ilsley (also spelled Isley in some sources). He was a member of the seafaring Ilsley family of Portland, Maine. His parents were Henry and Elizabeth (McLellan) Ilsley. Frederick Ilsley served in the United States Navy for a time and was listed as a midshipman, February 2, 1829. Nothing is known of Captain Ilsley's later maritime career nor the date and place of his death.

Newspaper advertisements claimed that the Grecian would sail for California on February 28, from its pier at No.4 East River, but the ship did not depart until March 2. In spite of hardships, storms, smallpox, near mutinies, food and water shortages, and hazards never dreamed of Naphthali and his fellow passengers, sick and well, made it to San Francisco from New York in 162 days, including' the two days they were in quarantine in Rio because of the cases of small pox on board.

The Diary of Naphthali Coffin

The diary below is based on a transcript prepared by my cousin Edna Blackmer. In her original, sentences were separated with spaces, but with little punctuation. My edits have been mainly replacing the spaces with periods to make it a little easier to read. Based on other diaries I have seen this one is especially well written with many interesting observations.
Tuesday, March 2, 1852
We left New York for Rio De Janeiro. Our Officers names are Capt. Ilsley, first Mate Gorden, second Mate Clemons and third mate Mitchell. We left Pier No. 5 at five o'clock with fair winds in our favour. After being out at sea about two hours I was taken with seasickness. I was very sick. I had the advantage of many of our passengers. Some of our passengers could not vomit, but I for one vomited up everything a grate many times before I got through with the seasickness. I never shall forget the first week after leaving New York. There was not an hour I think but what I was sick. All the food I ate I vomited up for about ten days. I think I suffered everything that a seasick man could suffer in the time. I was weak in this time. Oh, if I could of had the Companion that was far from me. One that oft has held my aching head and soothed my weary limbs to of cheered my gloomy midnight hours. It would have been pleasant to have.
March 5
Very rough sea with high winds. 700 miles from New York.

Friday, March 7, 1852
The wind was not in our favour. Our ship was we thought going to the Bottom. At fifteen minutes past 10am we lost our main mast and fore masts. It was a scene to behold. The confusion was soon over. 1,250 miles from New York

Thursday/Friday, March 11 and 12, 1852
After I was over my seasickness, my appetite was returning good. I was in good health for a few days. On the 12th day I was taken unwell. I was taken with a severe pain in my left side. It went from my side to my bowels and kidneys. I was in grate distress for two days and nights. I used mustard on my bowels. This was my first relief. After this sickness I began to improve as to my health. I was well about one week when I was taking again with the same complaint. It commenced in my right side. It was so severe in ten minutes that I could not sit up. The pain went into my kidneys causeing difficulty with my urine. The physician was called to me. He did not know what my trouble was, some said one thing, some another. The first medicine that I took was Castor Oil and Spirits of Turpentine. I vomited it up within ten minutes from the time I took it. They then put a mustard poultice on my side and bowels. This relieved the pain for a few moments. I was taken on deck and every attention paid to me that could be on board the ship. Many seemed interested for me. I had hot water applied to my feet and bowels. It eased the pain for a few minutes. It would then come on again. It seemed worse than ever. They gave me (physic) until I thought I should vomit myself to death. I was washed in brandy and had medicine pouring into me for one week. I received about six or eight injections. It was to no affect. It seemed as though every medicine worked against me. Note I had in my stomach 16 pills, 2 drops of Castor Oil and 5 tablespoonfuls of Salts. This at last gave me relief.
No one can imagine my suffering until they have had the same distress. I had no passage of my bowels for about eight days. Had it not been that God of mercies who gives us Life and bestows upon us all of the blessings I must eventually gone down to a watery grave. I heard no one say, but what I should get well. In my presence My Physician said I could not live. Passengers were surprised when they saw me on my feet. I shall never forget my sickness on this ship. I laid on deck every day, while I was sick on my couch almost as hard as board. William P was my nurse. He attended me with grate care. No one could done better. With the exception of that Companion that was far from me, one that would cheerfully I trust watched over me and shared my troubled if She had been in my presence. Often did I wish you my companion was with me. My pen cannot discribe my feelings. Give me home and Wife to take care of me in sickness and in health.
Very warm. Declared this day that we had the small pox on our ship. There was a grate excitement among our passengers. It is a cloudy day. Wind fair and a good breese. From the equator 1940 miles. At noon this morning Mr. John Morrill died with the Small pox. He was thrown into a watery grave. There was a solemn time I can assure you. He was from Troy, New York.

Wednesday, March 24, 1852
Calm and very warm. 1500 mls from Rio Jenerio. 15 cases of small pox.

Tuesday, March 30, 1852
Calm winds. We saw land about 40 miles to the East of us. It was the coast of Brazil.
Sunday, April 11, 1852
On Sunday we discovered the grate range of mountains that lie along the coast of Rio Jenerio. They are high and mountainous as far as the eye can extend. Between these Mountains in the Valley are sugar plantations. The traveler would naturally think that people would not inhabit such a mountainous country, although it presents to the Seaman the most pleasing scenery.

Monday, April 12, 1852
The Mountains in this place are not so high at the seashore as they are a short distance back. These Mountains are covered with green shrubery bareing different kinds of frute such as oranges, lemons, bananas and many other kinds of vegetation such as Coffee, Sugar Cane, Grapes Coconuts and Pine Apples. I will not try to discribe them all. This evening about six o'clock pm we passed through the Chanell into the Harbour of Rio Jeneiro. On our right hand is a most beautiful fort. It is built upon a Mountain. It is made of granite stone. It is built upon a Mountain that is about fifty feet high from the water. Canons are placed in every direction in the eye of the traveler as they pass by it. They gave us the signal that there was a fort. The signal was a streem of fire that arose from the center of the fort about 30 feet high from the roof of the building. Then the Officer asked us whare we was from and whare we was bound. Our Capt answer was from NY and bound for San Francisco. On our left as we passed through the chanell is a mountain that is 900 feet from the sea. It is almost perpendicular. The first American that ever went round Cape Horn climbed this high and huge Mountain. On the top of it he spread the Star Spangled Banner and waved the free flag of North America. He was the first and the last man that ever ascended this steep prisipice.

Tuesday, April 13, 1852
Rio Jeneiro is a most romantic place in the world. It is surrounded in every direction by mountains. The buildings are not made with any workmanship. Most of them are small. This city is filled with slavery. The slaves are of the darkest colored Negroes. They wore no apparel with the exception of a small piece of cloth buttoned around their waist. The Roman Catholic have the power in South America. We have an American consul in Rio Jeneiro for to manage our American affairs that is connected with this nation. On Monday morning the Custom House officer came alongside of our ship and inquired whare we was from and whare we are bound and how many passengers and if any sickness on board. Our Capt answered one case of small pox and have had forty cases of the same. We having sickness on our ship we was querenteened and not a man allowed to go ashore. The Officer wished to know if we wanted Medical aid. Capt answered no. Our Captain wished to know how long we should have to lay whare we was. The Officer said three or four days. We had every necessary thing brought to us that we wanted. They brought us fresh Beef, string beans, radishes, new Onions, oranges and bananas, limes just picked from the tree.

Wednesday, April 14, 1852
About five o’clock pm the city reporter came along side our ship and said that we was out of querentine and after the customs house officer came aboard our ship we could go ashore.

Thursday, April 15, 1852
This morning we went ashore to see the City of Rio Jenerio. A grate many curiosities we saw there. The first object that I saw was the long eared muels that is used in this place and Negroes carrying heavy burdons on their heads without touching it. Negroes Wenches bare as they come into the world as far down as their waist and Negroes babies naked as they come into the world. The market presents to the spectator every kind of fruit that can be thought of. This market is dirty and filthy. The owners are Spanish and Blacks. There is no regulation nor fancy to Streets. They are very filthy. They are laid out very narrow hollowing in the center of the street. When the travler ascends to the top of the mountains thare he can see the wonderfull works of nature. Fine Building surounded with all kinds of frute. On one of these mountains I plucked from the trees Oranges, Bananas and Coffee. This was very plesant to me.

Friday, April 16, 1852
Provisions are very high in Rio. I bought me a dinner in Rio. I had one egg and a small peice of ham, three cups of coffee and some Bread and Butter and my bill was 75 cents. Other things in the same proportion. The princible milk is Goat's milk. For a small cup of milk and bread is 25 cents. The price of Goat is fifty to sixty Dollars. I did not explore Rio as I should if it had not been for the Yellow Feavor. It is verry sickley here.

Saturday, April 17, 1852
I went ashore three days in succession. It cost me 90 cents to come and go. I was very much fatigued when I arived to the ship. I was more at home on the ship then I was in Rio Jenerio. The land seemed to me to be in motion. It was a very curious sensation to me. I bought 220 Oranges $1.10 and fifty Limes for 25 cents. A lime is smaller than a lemon and for the same use. The Oranges and limes are green. I have rolled them in papers to keep them from rotting until we get into cold weather so that I can eat some of them then. I have not eaten an Orange nor any other kind of frute since I left home. I did not think it safe to eat it in this climate. There is a celebration in Rio Je. This day Emporer arives into this City from his country seat and lives in the citty through fall and winter and then returns again to his country seat. It is a grate day with this nation. the Emporer here is considered thare supreme Being. If God was regarded as the Emporer is this would be a happy and prosperous nation. Bands of music and the Militia are in service to the honour of the Emporer Don Pedro. The Emporer was drawn through the main streets of the Citty by six horses of ordinary specimen. The harnesses were costley and Beautifull. His carriage cost 35,000 Lbs. It was presented by Queen Victoria to Don Pedro the Emporer of South America. As he passed through the streets he was guarded by Officers and Soldiers with bands of music to accompany him. When the Soldiers and Officers passed by the Emporer each one shook hands with him and kissed his hand as a token of love and honour to his Majesty.

Sunday April 18, 1852
This is Saboth morning with me, but if thare is any people that disregards it is the people of Rio Jenerio. We have this morning Market Boats along side our ship loaded with frute such as Oranges, Bananas, limes and water melons. The passengers soon bought all of the Negroes frute. Small boats are coming to our ship to carry passengers to the shore. Thare is grate confusion with our passengers this day. Thare has not been an hour I think for the last week, but what thare was a drunken man on board our ship. It is a scene for a moral man to behold. Cursing and swearing is almost the only language that can be heard from our passengers. I have said our passengers were in confusion and so they are.
Thare has been several fights on our ship this day. In the first place one of the sailors come aboard the ship this morning drunk and one of the Officers of the Ship in his drunkiness took him and abused him. The Sailor mad in his drunkness went and got a weapon and struck the second mate and the blood run as though he was butchered with a knife. The Second Mate struck at the sailor. He was so drunk he fell himself. The Sailor run and the Mate after him. When Mr. Gorden discovered it he arrested them both and put them in irons for safe keeping. This creates a grate excitement on the ship. During the Saboth Day about five o'clock pm one of our Sailors insulted our first mate. He was arrested and put in irons. With this excitement we can hear the sound of the fife and drum with Bands of music and soldiers drilling in the Navy. This is on God's Holey Day. If any moral man was in this ship he would naturally think by the appearance of our ship crew that thare was no God. They are thare own supporters and no end to man. About eight o'clock this evening our second mate went and prepared himself with pistols and swore in his drunkness that he would kill the first mate if he could find him. He pursued him. Mr. Gorden, the first mate, passed the second mate in disguise and went into his room and loaded a revolver and a double barrelled pistol and gave order for the third mate and sailors to arrest the second mate and put him in irons. The first mate said the first man that attempted to assist the second mate he would shoot him dead. This was another excitement. Soon after this riot I retired to my bed and soon went to sleep. About two o'clock I was awoke out of my slumber by a rush of people on deck. A fight commenced. One was knocked down and beat. Knives were drawn and lives threatened. This ended the riots for the night. 500 people will make a grate confusion in times of a riot.
I think thare was never a more wicked and miserable lot of people together than thare is on this ship. Many of them are gamblers and they gamble day and night. Swareing and drinking is thair main business. No man can sleep unless he can sleep with gambling by his side as thick as bees around a hive. If any moral man or woman could look upon the misery that lies in the bosom of some of our passengers he would learn how to appreciate the contrast between being placed with such crew or be returned we will say perhaps with the Companion of his bosom and his own dear family and thare enjoy the blessing that God bestows upon us dayly. It is a true marvel that a man is never to old to learn. On Sunday evening we received our last water boat and eight lively Hogs. We received about 200 casks of water with other provisions in Rio Jeneiro.

Monday, April 19, 1852
We sailed from Rio Jeneiro. Most of the passengers were glad to leave that port. We had but little wind. We made but little headway on our passage.

Sunday April 25, 1852
Sunday morning with a heavy squall about 10 o'clock. Sails reafed, very rough sea. Sailed 216 miles last 24 hours. Several sick on the ship. Some sick by eating frute, some with small pox, some seasick.

Wednesday, April 28, 1852
I could but weep this morning to think that God in his grate mercies was bestowing upon me so many blessings of Life that I am a Spared Monument of God mercy whilst others around me are sick and some taken from time to eternity and I still amongst the Living. Oh that I may praise and reverence My Maker and My God the few days that is allotted me to live in this wicked world. That I may be prepared to meet my God in peace when time with me will be no more. Sidney Storm died this morning and is ready to be launched into a watery grave. The cause of his sickness was by eating frute and drinking. The corpse lay upon the deck ready for buriel. It is a solemn scene but our Saviour Says in his holey word it is better to go to the House of Mourning then to the House of feasting for the Living will lay it to Heart.

Friday, April 30, 1852
This morning is severe cold. It was a very cold night. I was up most of the night. The sea was so rough I could not Sleep. Wind high and sea rough. Wind in our favour. Our ship rolls and tumbles like an egg shell. It was very difficult to stand upon the ship it was so rough. Last night was not the first night that I have been without sleep since I came aboard of the Grecian. There has not been 10 nights since I left New York but what I have been up from 1 to 4 times in a night. Sometimes I get something to eat. Sometimes I cannot find anything that I can eat, but one thing I can always find that is my pipe, my old friend. I have slept on a hammock since I was sick. It is a very easy place to sleep. Last night I left it and went into my room. It was to cold to sleep in my hammock. It hangs about seven feet from floor. It rocks the same as a cradle when the ship is in motion. It is a much better place to sleep then my birth is in warm weather. This morning I have some cold, my throat is sore and my head aches. It is by course of being up in the cold last night. My appetite is good as necessary.
My health is good this morning. Some Sleepy. I did not get much rest for the past week it is very cold. It is impossible to keep myself warm. I shall never forget the many hours that I have sit alone in my room, yes, those gloomy midnight hours that I passed in watching the motion of our Ship and thinking of thee My Dear Wife, one that is far away, one that seems though far away to cheer my heart. Were it not for the Roseannah I should pass many more gloomy hours then I do when I think of thee Dear Wife. It warms my heart to love and happy it is for me to think that there is one that thinks of me when far in distant climbs, one that shares my gloomy hours and shares with me my toil and hardship as I pass along this dreary voyage.

Sunday, May 2, 1852
My health is good this morning. Grate excitement through this Storm of Wind. Such Wind I never saw. Our Ship seems nothing but a bauble on the waves of this wild Atlantic Ocean. It snowed this morning with us. A tremendous gale long to be remembered. Our steward and our cook fought a battle this Sunday morning. Grate excitement. Sailed SW 160 miles

Monday, May 3, 1852
My health is good this morning, not but little sleep for the past 24 hours. Days are very short, nights are long and tedious. The Sun rises about 10 past seven and sets about four o'clock PM. Severe cold in this Latitude.
Seas so rough that it's with great difficulty that I can stand by holding on. Last night I commenced composing some Poetry. I have not finished it. I have many things to entertain myself. Sometimes I am reading, Sometimes Singing, Sometimes writing and fiddling, Sometimes smoke a pipe a little or a segar, often listen to the various opinions of our passengers. It is very amusing to me and see the sad faces that's here on this ship.

Tuesday, May 4, 1852
Dear Companion, much of my time is devoted in thinking of thee, one that is far away. Yes, happy is the hours that are spent in thinking of thee. Would I be miserable or not were it not for thee. Yes, unhappy would I live unhappy and dreary would the hours pass away. It cheers my very Soul to think that there is one that lives and loves the barer of these lines. One that thinks of me though far away one that shares my pleasures and sorrows of the Day. Ah, that little one, that Babe, that last I saw in it's Mother's arms, that little one that clung to me as I was about to leave my home with its mother weeping over it. It fills my heart with grief to think of that hour. Oh, may we three meet again.
Wednesday, May 5, 1852My health is good this morning. We have not any distance for the last twenty four hours. Wind ahead driving us back this morning. The Forkland Islands are in far view to us. Thare are covered with snow. Very high mountains. It is very cold here.
I will try to describe our living to the reader. Our food our hogs would refuse. Dear Wife, if I could go to your table and eat the crumbs that falls to the dog I should think that I was well to live, but that privilege I am deprived of. There has been several days that some of the passengers have not had either knife or fork to eat with. Our principle living is sea bread and salt meat, sometimes we get tea or coffee, but it is so poor that I cannot drink it. Everything is so nasty. It is enough to turn a strong man's stomach. Thankful I am Dear Wife that you do not know my situation and my fare on this ship. My pen cannot describe it to you. We get such fare as I have described twice in twenty-four hours. In the morning we get our Breakfast between nine and ten o’clock and our supper between four and five in the evening. Such is our fare. Dear Companion, I hope through the mercy of God that I shall be spared to live to return again to you.

Thursday, May 6, 1852
My health is good with the exception of a lame back. My appetite is good, but nothing to eat that is good. We had some corn bread and salt beef. I had one piece of corn bread and some meat and some coffee that was not fit for hogs to drink. This was our breakfast. Our supper was not so good. Hard times.

Friday, May 7, 1852
My health is good this morning. I had a good nights rest. This morning we had some applesauce and some soft bread and coffee. For our Supper was fresh meat, very fat, made into a stew. It was the same as hogs fat with a little Bread cooked with it. I ate some of it as I was obliged to do so. This is going to California! I guess Roseannah, if you should be here and see us twenty four hours you would say that you had seen enough of human nature, but I have one thing to comfort me. That if I live I shall some time get to my journey's end where I can have something that is fit to eat. It is very cold here. I am so cold that I cannot hold my pen; still I have my drawers, pants, overalls woolen and cotton shirt on.
Saturday, May 8, 1852
This morning my health and spirits are good. Nothing new to write only I saw a Whale (spout) for the first time. It is very cold here this morning. The deck is covered with snow. We make but little headway. We are in a calm. Very near Cape Horn. Our fare was the best that it has been since we left Rio (de Janeiro). We threatened to throw the Negroes overboard if they did not give us better fare so they have done a little better.

Sunday, May 9, 1852
This is God's Holy Sabbath. My health is good. It does not seem by the appearance of our passengers, but it is Sabbath. With in it is the same here as it was at home and I hope that it will always be the same. Oh may I regard the Sabbath Day and keep it Holy.
Monday, May 10, 1852
My health is good this morning. This morning the sea is smooth and beautiful. Wind is light but in our favour. It rains here this morning. Much warmer than what it has been. About 2 o'clock pm Statens Land was discovered laying South West from us. It is an island and lies near Cape Horn. Thare is nothing to be seen but high mountains covered with snow. I am surprised that South America is so mountainous. No man can form a correct idea of a country untill he explores it.
Wife I have not much to write, but I will try to find something to devote myself a few minutes. In the first place our living is much better than what it has been. Rosannah, it seems a long time since I saw you, although I never was sensible of time passing away so quick as it has since I sailed from New York. Time flyes fast. It has been 69 days since we sailed from NY. The time that I spend on this ship is lost. This long voyage is dreaded by me, but I am here and I must indure it. I hope and trust that it will be all for the best. This is ten o’'clock in the evening. I sit in my room meditating on the past and future events of human nature. Man in the natural state is nothing more nor less than a beast. That is a man that has given himself up entirely to all the sinful lust of this vain sinfull and wicked world. One that does not regard neither God nor man, one that cares not what he says or what he does to injure his fellow beings, one that will lie cheat and steal, one that has perhaps left his Companion who is a kind and virtuous wife who considers her husband the same and bids him go and be a virtuous husband and when he is out of his Companion's presence he says in his sin and folly that he can go where he pleases or with who he pleases and do what he pleases to satisfy the sinfull lust of this world and break the vow that he has made to his Companion who he had left behind. Such a man I consider worse than a brute of creation. Such men I think we have with us and plenty of men on our ship that any person would think the finest of gentlemen. The first sight you will see them in their drunkedness and so I might mention other things connected with out ship's crew but I will forbear. Wife often have I thanked my God that I was never led away into the many vices that is carried on in this wicked world and I hope by prayer that I be led in that path that God will prosper and justify me.

Tuesday, May 11, 1852
My health is good this morning. Dear Wife I have nothing to do but write, so I will write to you. It seems a great while since I saw you and Bubby and it will be a great while before we see each other if we live. Often do I think of thee. I hope that it will be the will of God that we shall be spared to meet each other in this world, but if time should otherwise determine, may we be prepared to meet each other in Heaven where parting will be no more. I did not consider nor imagine our long separation. If we ever meet again on the shores of time you said Dear Wife that we did realize our separation. We did not, no more than a child, but as it is I hope that it is all for the best. I have one thing to comfort me -that I am not a gambler nor drunkard nor I have least fear of being led into those vices nor do anything Rosannah but what I should be willing for you to see and to know. I will return to you if I live and you live an honest husband and it is my least fear but what I shall find you my virtuous wife the same as when I left you.
Note: We had a little trouble with one of the waiters. He threw a handfull of knives at me. They went all around my head but did not hit me (he was started of very quick I assure you)
Wednesday, May 12, 1852
My health is good this morning. I have spent the day in fishing for birds. I caught one. It’s called the Sea Pigeon. We have grate assortment of birds here. Birds of the most beautiful plumage. I am thankful we have got so near past Cape Horn. So long dreaded I think we shall pass it without any trouble. I have often thought our ship might be lost and we go down as thousands of ships have on the account of having so much wickedness on our ship and it is through the mercy of God that our ship and passengers so many of them have been spared this far for wickeder I think never cross the seas unless they was regular Pirates then what we have got on our ship.

Thursday, May 13, 1852
Health is good. Nothing to write of any consequence. Rather Colder Head Winds driven back near Stratens Island. This Island was in fair view this morning. It was the southern part of Stratens Island. Tack ship S.S.E. Anxious to get around Cape Horn.

Friday, May 14, 1852
Health is good this morning. Wind in our favour SSW. Are thinking to clear Cape Horn this morning. 50 miles south of Cape Horn. If the wind keeps us on this tack we shall pass around we think Cape Horn. It is quite rough tonight although nothing to what we have had. It has snowed very fast here today, been very cold. With us it is as cold here this day as it is in the winter with us in the most of the winter months, although I am not prepared to judge as I would be at home as we have just come from one of the hottest climates in the world. It takes as many clothes to keep me warm as it does in the winter at home. Since I have been writing this evening our ship has been tacked and now we are sailing SSE direct of from our course. This is the 4th day since we have been sailing back and forward trying to clear Cape Horn. Wife, it is discouraging to me to think of so long a voyage to California, if I live to get there. But I am here and must put up with it. It is a general time of health on our ship. I have spent most of the day in fishing for Birds. I have caught one. I had a good dinner of Sea fowl. I saw an old whale and a young one together near the ship. The first that I have seen. I am anxious to get around Cape Horn as this is the most dangerous part of the voyage. We expect to get more plesent weather when we get into the Pacific Ocean

Saturday, May 15, 1852
My health is good this morning. Almost discouraged in thinking of our long voyage to California. It is now almost three months since I sailed from New York. Our prospect is three months more before we arrive, if we live, in California. 74 days since we sailed from New York to Cape Horn. Dear Companion this night is the most feerfull night that I ever witnessed by Sea or by land. Often I have heard of Cape Horn, but what did I know about it until I saw it. Nothing, no more than an infant child. If you could see our situation this night you would say Lord Save us or we perish.
The words come into my mind, Oh, it is a feerfull night. There is danger on the deep. The wind rores like thunder. Our Ship is sailing fast. It rolls so that I have to brace myself to sit in my room which is seven feet long and about five feet wide. Every few minute’s waves brake over her Bullworks, sometimes more and sometimes less. Water is running on deck like a Brook. Whilst I have been writing this evening we was in the greatest danger. For a few minutes the ropes gave way that was connected with wheel and rudder and the helmsman had no power to steer our ship. Had it not been seen at the time and every effort used to lash the ropes we should have been buried in the deep, deep sea. The Little Sailor Boys was holding on to have the ropes lashed. They cried for the danger. Our ship is poorly manned for so large a ship. There is but 14 able bodied seamen and 8 boys, in full 22 where there ought to be 30 able seamen. Our Capt. said we might be thankful that we was saved from the deep.
Wife I should like this night to be on land with you. Although I'm contented with my situation unplesent as it is, I never have seen the hour when I regretted that I started for California. I hope by the kind protection and mercy of God that I shall be spared to live through my jurney and be prospered in all the lawfull pursuits that I may enter into and return to the Companion of my bosom and to that little Son that I have left behind and there injoy the society of them the remainder of my days that alotted me to live here on earth in peace and prayer to God. While I have been writing here this evening I can hear some cursing and swearing some playing clarinet, some flute, some barking like a dog, and some blaring like a wolf and in fact all kinds of sounds you can think of. It is one of the greatest manageries I think that can be found.

Oh whare is the friend that my heart used to cheer far, far away, Oh far away.
RAC NHC
Sunday, May 16, 1852
My health is good this morning. As usual everything was turned up side down that was not lashed fast. We had rather poor fare, all I had for my breakfast was salt beef and applesauce and mouldy biscuits. Our living is hard. Often have wished that I could sit down with you Dear Wife and eat a meal of victuals. The time will come I hope when we shall meet And then I guess I'll have something good to eat, Rosannah Coffin

Monday, May 17, 1852
My health is good this morning with the exception of a light cold. Nothing special to write this evening. Our living is poor. All I had for my super was salt beef and hardtack. I think it rather hard fare for me.

Tuesday, May 18, 1852
I have some cold this morning, sore throat, good apitite. Wind in our favour with a beautifull breeze. We last night passed from the Atlantic Ocean into the Pacific Ocean. We doubled Cape Horn this last 24 hours and happy we are to think we are clear of the Cape, the most dangerous part of the seas. We had plenty of noise last night. Several were drunk on our ship and also our Commander was intoxicated with the rest.

Thursday, May 20, 1852
My health is quite good this morning. My cold is some better than it has been. Land discovered this afternoon. It was the cost of Patagonia. For a few days past I have had some extras for a few meals. I have got me a tin plate which I take some fat pork, cut it in slices and fry it in my tin plate with fire that procedes from a candle. Any person would smile to see me cook in my stile. This meat when it is cooked makes me think of home. Companion I like to be with you this evening. Your company would be the most agreeable to me of anything on earth. Often, yes very often, do I think of you and the many hours that we have spent together, but now we are separated from each other, but I antisipate the time when we shall meet each other again in this world and enjoy each others society as we have done before.

Friday, May 21, 1852
Nothing new to write this evening. My cold is much better. There is a very rough sea, waves run mountain high. I shall not sleep much tonight. The sea is so rough the waves brake over in grate quantities of water. Everything is turned upside down, dishes broke, one of our tabels was broke down. I could not sit to the table without holding on with both hands. We are going faster than we ever run before, say for the last six hours run at the rate of 15 miles per hour. This is about 10 o’clock in the evening. We have a dreadfull night. It is dark and fearfull. The wind roars almost like thunder. The water is about 2 feet deep on our ship's deck.

Saturday, May 22, 1852
My health is good. Nothing new to write. It is a general time of health on our ship. Merry hearts to think we are so near Valparaiso where we can go ashore.

Sunday, May 23, 1852
My health is good. This is a very cold and cloudy morning. Our living is poor. Most of the time I make my meals of salt beef and hard tack. We have some other changes, but they are cooked in such shape that I cannot eat them. Each one has to steal his knife and fork and hide it or else he would not have any to eat with nor dish to drink in, so I look out for no one. I have got knife and fork, drink dish and small spoon and a large one so I am equipped as the law directs. I do think that I can take care of no one. I keep some sugar, some hard tack and some salt pork locked in my trunk, so that I can fry me a piece of meat when I want it. My spider is a tin plate of the first kind and a candle is my fire and wood.

Monday, May 24
My health is good. I have not slept more than three or four hours in a night for some time. Our passengers are hollering and screaming the most of the night so that no person can Sleep unless they can sleep in hot water.

Tuesday, May 25, 1852
My health is good. This day this has been one of the finest days that we have had for the last thirty days. It has been quite warm so that our passengers can sit on deck without suffering from the cold. Some are playing checkers, some cards and chess and some fishing for birds. I have spent most of the day in fishing for birds. Many of our passengers are washing as there has not been much washing done since we left Rio on account of the cold and rough weather that we have had.
Wednesday, May 26, 1852
This morning is fine and delightful. The sea was very calm. We made but little headway on our passage. Head winds some of the time which prevented us from sailing on our right course. Our passengers are very anxious to get to Valparaiso so they can once more put their foot on dry land and enjoy the various privileges which the land affords. Washing has been carried on extensively with many of our passengers. Some of them are fishing for birds. Some beautiful birds are sailing around our ship. They are called the albatros and they are very large. They measure from 8 to 18 feet from one point of the wing to the other. They are of the most beautiful plumage. I have been fishing some today. I have skinned five birds that I have caught and have their down on the skin stretcher on a board. I made my dinner today of hardtack and raw mackerel. It was the best that I could get on the ship. It is a general time of health on the ship. There is several passengers got the mumps. Charley Ward has got the mumps in the room with me.

Thursday, May 27, 1852
This morning is very stormy. The wind blows very hard. Last night was very rough. The waves run mountains high. Our ship was tossed in every direction. During this day the principle business that has been carried on is bird fishing. Mr. Hanes caught two Albatroses. They weighed about twenty lbs. They measured ten feet from the point of one wing to the other. I have spent most of the day fishing birds. I caught two birds. One that measured 7 feet from one point of one wing to the other. Its colour was mostly black. I skinned him and streched it on a board. I have got his head and bill and some of his wing bones as it is a grate curiosity for any to see. We have made no headway for the last twenty-four hours. The wind against us. My health is good this morning.

Friday, May 28, 1852
This morning is rough and windy. The sails are full, ploughing the waves with grate rapidity. Our ship rolls so that the yard arms nearly meet the water. At each roll I have been sitting on the quarter deck fishing for birds. Sometimes I could almost reach the water and then I would soon be up some 25 feet. A grate part of the time is rather unplesant for me. Uncle David is sick a bed with strong simtoms of a feavor. It takes up part of my time in waiting upon him and also William P. is quite unwell. Some seasick with a severe headache. This ship is a hard place to be sick on. We are sailing off from our course with speed. Everything almost presents itself unpleasant. We have had winds to trouble us and our living is miserable. It is not worthy to be called living. We have no sugar, a very small quantity of butter alloted to each mess, plenty of Salt mete, Hoss, as we call it and hard tack. We had this morning a small warm biscuit dealt out to each man and no more I think that this is rather hard living. So we go Sailing NE by North. 420 mi from Valpariso. My health is good with the exception of some cold.

Saturday, May 29, 1852
This morning is cold and windy. Seas run high. We are most of us cross to think of our long passage on the Grecian. This is the 89 day since we left NY. A little more than one half of our way to California. It is discouraging to think how much time we are almost wasting away on this ship. We are 100 mls farther from Valpariso than what we was yesterday and we are still sailing off from our course with a strong wind. No lat or long today. I have spent most of the day in taking care of Uncle David. I am in hopes that he is some better this afternoon

Sunday, May 30
This morning presents itself to us on the ship plesent and beautifull. It does not seem here by the appearance that it is the Sabath Day. Some of our passengers are preparing for washing, some are fishing for birds. Many of them do not regard the Sabath no more then the brutes of the field, but I thank my parents that I was taught to regard the Sabath Day and keep it Holy. The wind blows very strong through the day. Much stronger it blows this evening. Our ship is tossed around as though it was a small canoe. The sea is tremendous rough this night. It will make many of our passengers think of how the most unplesent of all places in this world is the Atlantic or Pacific or in fact any Ocean, lake or river in a heavy gale of wind. It makes every object gloomy and unplesent. We are sailing West direct from our course. We are about 300 miles from Valpariso. We saw land this morning. It was the mountainous Island Mocca SW from us. It is quite cold. We have not the Lat nor Long taken this day. I have been waiting upon Uncle David today. He is much better then what he has been. William P. is quite slim. He has got a severe cold. My health is good for me. No one can imagine how hard it is to be sick on this ship unless they have experienced the same. Our living is very poor. Everything is dirt. No person can keep clean where we are, but here we are and here we must stay for the present. 89 days since we left NY and we have about 6400 miles to go a straight line to San Francisco.

Monday, May 31, 1852
This morning presents itself as one of the most frightful mornings that we have ever witnessed on our passage. The storm commenced about Sunday noon. The wind blowed a perfect gale. There was but little sleep on the ship. For the last 24 hours everything was turned upside down. The wind began to abate about noon today. We was all thankful when the storm was over. The for tack was carried away last night. Every sail was furled with the exception of our main top sheet and that had two reafs in it. We made no headway. We only floated. Sometimes we was sailing W sometimes NE. Our direct course was N. We did not get the lat or long today.

Tuesday, June 1, 1852
Most of our passengers are discouraged to think of our long passage and how slow we are going. Along our passage our living is poor. We had meat for supper. It was most raw. We had to eat it or nothing. We sometimes have tea and sometimes get none. We are deprived of our rights. We have no sugar. We are lowered on butter -it is a verry small piece once a day. The cobber passengers fare well on this ship. The agreement was from Mr. Smith that we should have the same living on the ship as the cobber passengers did. We are making an effort to see if we cannot have better living. My health is good as it has been for the journey.

Wednesday, June 2, 1852
This morning is plesent and beautifull. The sea is calm. We are about in the same place that we was three days ago. We have not made 10 miles in the last three days. We are sailing first on our course and then on another. We have tried to clear this point of land with 12 different tacks, but have not cleared it. We are in hopes of clearing this point on our next tack. The land that we can see is very mountainous. It looks beautiful as we pass by it. The shrubery is green and bountiful. We are about 200 miles from Valparaiso. We have seen several whales today. Our passengers had a great time with Mr. Johnson. He was just drunk enough to make fun. It was equal to Barnum Museum to see him perform. We are all very anxious to see Valparaiso. It is a general time of good health on our ship. We had baked beans for our supper. We was all satisfied with our supper. My health is good and hurrah for California. We never had baked beans until we had a Yankee Steward. He said baked beans and we had them. Our fare is much better than what it was a few days ago when we had Darloes for Stewerds.

Thursday, June 3, 1852
This morning is somewhat cooler than it has been. For several days we had a fine breeze, but not in our favour. The wind seems to be against us on every tack. We have sailed forward and back. This is the 5th day to cleer land. Conception, we are very near to it this afternoon. We have not made probably over 25 miles for this term of time. We are thinking to cleer this point on our next tack. This lies NE from us we are sailing. We passed along the coast of Conception. Land there was a beautiful island that presented itself to us being a short distance from the main land. This island was off the lee side being NE from us. There was a beautifull cape that was connected with this island. It extended along the cost NW from the main island. This cape was level and beautifull. It was covered with green shrubbery. the main island is almost square by all appearances. It is between 2 and 3 hundred feet from the water. It is almost perpendicular on the summit of this island. It presents to seamen the most romantic scenery we have seen.

Friday, June 4, 1852
This is a cold and cloudy morning. The wind blows like a hurricane. It commenced blowing about 4 o'clock yesterday. It is still blowing stronger and the sea rougher then I have ever witnessed since I came to sea. The fore sheet was carried away this morning about 4 o’clock. Every sail was furled except the main top sheet and that was reafed. This has been the longest storm or rather tempest that we have had. It lasted 26 hours. It was fearfull and dangerous. Little did we know but what we might go down to watery grave as thousands have in bygone days. We could not sleep much last night. I did not sleep untill four o'clock this morning. Then I went to sleep and slept until about 8 o’clock at this time. The ship was roiling and tumbling as though it would soon go to the bottom. When I awoke this morning everything was wrong side up. It looked worse between decks then a barn yard after a long storm. There was about one hundred dollars worth of provisions distroyed last night. I had for my breakfast some soft tack and apple sauce that I could not eat and some hoss mete and some coffee that is as bitter as gall without sugar or molasses. This is our fare. I had for my supper some stewed beans. There is ten in our mess. We all had to eat out of our mess pan without drink of any kind. We had some hard tack. We had no knives or forks unless we had them hid away. I have no fork. I eat with my knife and fingers. It was very amusing to see the waiters bringing down the stewed beans. One of them made a miss step as he was coming down the stairs and fell and threw his pan with about 4 quarts in it some feet and covered over 2 or 3 of the passengers as though they was planted. It created a grate laugh. The heaviest roils that we have had in this gale or storm was tonight about five o'clock. There was several feet of water on deck. When she roiled every object was in motion on this ship. It was thought by some that she would never rise again. We have not made much the last 24 hours. We are near land, Conception. No observation taken. My health is good as usual.

Saturday, June 5, 1852
It is plesent this morning and quite calm. The sea is not very smooth after so long a storm as we have had. We are sailing this morning near the seashore. All that we can see is mountains. They run up almost perpendicular some 2 to 3 hundred feet in some places. These mountains are the most of them covered with green shrubbery. We can see the remains of balconies on some of the mountains where they have burst forth there fire and smoke from the towering hights of them. It is very plesent to the traveler to look upon mountain scenery as they pass along the coast of Chile. The captain decided to go ashore. Arrrived into this harbour and threw the anchor of our ship about six o'clock in the evening. Every man's on hand. Full of music. We have sailed today about fifty miles. Our course has been NNE. Every person has been looking for Talcahuano.

Sunday, June 6, 1852
It is very cold and stormy this morning. We are anchored in the harbour of Talcahuano. We made strong calculation to go ashore, but we are disappointed. We cannot go ashore on the account of the wind blowing so hard from the main sea and we being anchored so near a land bar that we cannot raise our anchor and spread sail before she will drift onto the land bar. The Captain of the Pioneeer, a steamship, not more than a cobb’s length from our ship, came aboard the Grecian this morning. He arived into this port the 5th day of June. There is great excitement on the Grecian today. We was 47 days from Rio to Talcahuano. It is 95 days from NY to Talcahuano. We anticipated being in California before this time. The Custom House officer came aboard the Grecian and gave us some information in regard to provisions and such necessary things that we wanted on the Grecian. He gave us the regulations of the place. There is a fine for man to get drunk or to fight or to carry revolvers or dirk knives or run horses in Talcahuano streets. Conception city lies 9 miles from Talcahuano. We have a tremendous storm this day. It commenced last night. My health is good.

Monday June 7, 1852
This morning presents itself to us in the Bay of Talcahuana, plesent and beautiful. We are every one of us looking for a boat to carry us ashore into the city. About 10 o'clock the small boats came along of our ship to carry us ashore. The small boats were crowded full until most of our passengers were ashore. I was in the first boat that went ashore and I was the first man from the ship Grecian that put his foot on soil in Talcahuana. This village contains about 4000 inhabitants. The principle inhabitants are Spanish. There is but few Americans in this place. This village presents itself to the spectator as one of the most dismal places. The buildings most of them look as though they had been buried beneath the ground for years and had just risen for the spectator to behold. There is not a two-story building in this place. The roofs of the buildings are covered with earthen that is manufactured from the clay. These buildings are owned by the richer class. The poorer class lives in huts made of sticks and straw. They are poor indeed. They have no floor in these huts. They live just the same as the brutes of the fields. It is not necessary for a man to get married. He can live with a woman as he pleases and all is right.

Tuesday, June 8, 1852
The complexion of the natives here is copper color. The most of them are very ignorant. The streets are narrow and filthy. Hollowing in the center so that the water can run in the middle of the street. There is considerable trade in this place. Most of the store goods are much higher in price than they are in the States with the exception of some few provisions that are raised in this country. The principle grain that is raised here is wheat and barley. They plow the ground with a wooden plough. It is made like a one tooth rake. There is a spine that is about 16 feet long and through the end of this spine there is a hole that is made through the spire and a stick put through this spire in a form so that it will hook into the ground. When the point of the plough gets dull they take the ax and sharpen it. It is very curious to see the fashions of this place. There ox yokes are made of a straight piece of wood and lashed to the horns of the ox for him to draw by. There is no iron about these yokes or ploughs. The ox wagons are about 18 feet long. The wheels are made about 2-1/2 feet in diameter and from 4-6" wide. The owners are not allowed by law to grease their cart wheels. They can be heard to make a loud noise some distance as they are made of nothing but wood. The soil is beautifull rich but very rough and uneven. It produces from 30 to 50 bushels of wheat or barley to the acre. The principle part of the soil that is cultivated is on the hills where the earthquakes has made its appearance. Talcahuano in 1835 was mostly destroyed by an earthquake. The water in the bay receded into the village and covered the buildings mostly up. It threw down and washed a grate part of the place away
There was several ships lieing in the Bay at this time. They was carried into the extream part of the village and when the water fell the ships were on high and dry ground. Earthquakes are very common here. There can be seen at this time one mountain that is burning. The smoke can be seen a grate distance. From it one year ago this winter the sea receded 4 feet. Every person young and old left their home and fled to the hills for refuge. As for fires or burning of buildings they have none here. There is but one stove in Talcahuano. They have a small cast iron dish that will hold about 1/4 part of a bushel. It is called in Spanish a pacazo. This is filled with charcole and fire so as to warm where it is necessary. Most of the cooking is done over the pacazo. There are many valuable cole mines in this place. The principle productions are wool, coal, wheat and barley. Horses can be bought for one ounce a piece. Mules are used here and any quantity of Jackasses used for carry burdens. Oxen and cows are very cheap

Sunday, June 13, 1852
This is a business day. More Horse raceing, bull fighting and cock fighting than on any other day in the week. Stores are open and a grate day for trade. There was a cock fight today at two o’clock. I was present at the time. There was as many as could get on the piece of ground. There was one pair of cocks that fought 14 minutes and the judge rang the bell. The next pair fought 11 minutes and it was over. The watchman or rather the saranos in this place go round and cry the time of night every half hour during the night. The law in this place is if a man dies that is in debt he must be put in irons so long a time before burial.

Monday, June 14, 1852
This is a fine and plesant morning in Talcahuano. I am staying at the Tremont House Board at
1.25 per day. This morning I saw a man Dead lieing on the beach. He was taken to the Caliboose. I went to Conception. Walked it in company with Mitchell and Bigelow. It was a grate walk for us. We was three hours making 9 miles. We was tired boys when we arived there. We was very hungry after ariving there. We soon got something to eat and then commenced tramping. It is a much prettier place than Talcahuano. There is but few good looking buildings in Concepcion, although it is a very rich place. There is a Catholic meeting every morning here.

Tuesday, June 15, 1852
The streets are wide and plesant. Good sidewalks on the main street. In 1835 the earthquake destroyed the principle part of Concepcion. There is the remains of many buildings that was shook to pieces by the earthquake. There is about 9000 inhabitants in Concepcion. There is many rich stores. The principle inhabitants are Spanish. C Hallock and T. Gregory stopped in this place to learn the Spanish language. There is grate quantities of wines made of grapes that grow spontaneous in Chili. The wines are made in the country by the natives and brought to market in skins that hold from 1 to 4 gallons a piece. Mules are used to carry these burdens.

Wednesday, June 16, 1852
Every thing is wide awake in Talcahuano this morning. Passengers are preparing themselves to sail soon. They have the most of them got tired of this place. This evening there is a grate noise with about 12 or 15 of the Grecian passengers. They are going up and down the street hollering and screaming under the influence of intoxicating drink. About 9 o’clock there was taken to the caliboose 6 men. Their names Williams B, Young T, Willson, Teney, Isaac, one name that I do not know. They was taken to the caliboose and kept through the night untill morning.

Thursday, June 17, 1852
This morning they were released by paying 1/4 of an ounce a piece. They was a hard looking set of boys when they come out of the calaboose. Passengers are preparing themselves to go aboard the Grecian as fast as possible. At four o'clock the Grecian set sail from Talcahuano for San Francisco with a fair wind for our ship to clear the Bay of Talcahuano. Our Capt. put ashore 3 of the man in Talcahuano and ordered them not to come aboard of the Grecian again their names Butten, a Darky, T Wilson, waiter, Batcher, a stowaway. Mr. Clements left our ship and went aboard of the Julian, an American vessel from New York, as second mate. He was selected with cheers of respect when he left our ship. We was piloted out by an American that lives in Talcahuano. The Julian had no pilot and she run aground on to a sand bar soon after she set sail. The Grecian and the Julian set sail about the same time. We left the ship Julian lieing on the Bar in Talcahuano Bay. The Pioneer got out of cole about 9 days before she arived in Talcahuano. She burnt barrels of Pork and everything that she could in the ship. She drifted on to a ledge of rocks in a storm and sprung a leak. Passengers were alarmed.

Friday, June 1852
This plesent and beautifull day. We have a fine breeze direct on our course. We are sailing fast at the rate of 10 miles per hour. We are sailing NW-N 195 miles from Talcahuano with the Grecian ship and as merry a crew as ever crossed the seas.

Saturday, June 19, 1852
This morning is quite warm. It is some cloudy. Wind not in our favour. We are sailing NNWest. Many of our passengers got burned very bad in Talcahuano. They have got a receipt so they will remember Talcahuano. 119 days from NY

Sunday, June 20, 1852
We have a fine breeze this morning. Much warmer than it has been for many days. We are making fair headway on our passage. We are very happy to think that we are on the last part of our passage to California. It's a general time of health on the ship. Mr. Hall is sick by an injury from a fight in Talcahuano with one of our passengers by name of Big Mike. Made 90 miles sailing today.

Monday, June 21, 1852
It is much cooler this morning. It is some cloudy. We have a fine wind in our favour. Passengers are merry with smiling faces to think we are making such progress on the last part of our passage making 160 miles from Talcahuano

Tuesday, June 22, 1852
This is the warmest morning that we have had for the last 50 days. Everything seems plesent around us. We are sailing direct on course with stormsails set and square yards. Nothing new or interesting today. Made 180 miles the last 24 hours.

Wednesday, June 23, 1852
We are in much finer latitude this morning than what we have been in for some time. The decks are covered with passengers. It seems plesent to have it so warm that we can stay on deck without endangering our lives or suffering with the cold. Our living is poor. The butter is so strong that we cannot eat much of it. We have plenty of hard tack. We had fresh mete soup or rather slush for about 16 days every meal. I guess we got sick of it by this time. There is something said today about making preparation to celebrate the 4 of July. We are making but little headway although the wind is in our favour. We are today in the S East trade winds. They are very light.

Thursday, June 24, 1852
We have this morning dead calm. It is very warm and plesent. We are making but little headway on our passage, but we are hoping for more winds. No observation taken today. Many of our passengers are manufacturing ivory rings. This is the principle business of the day. Pop made his $11.00 today.

Friday, June 25, 1852
We have this morning the calm sea that we had yesterday. The sea is calm and almost perfectly smooth. It is plesent and warm. We are all wishing for more wind. Old Pop says he is tired of the old ship. Passengers are getting uneasy, but we must stand it. Old Pop says if two goes in together they must come out together. So it goes. All kinds of business is almost carried on our ship. The principle business is ring making out of whales teeth. I have sawed up two whale’s teeth for making ivory rings.

Saturday, June 26, 1852
This is the third day that we have had a calm. We made but little headway in this time. It is quite warm. Our passengers are complaining. They think they have so long a voyage to California. It seems very unplesent to me to see the old Grecian making so little headway. Nothing new or interesting today. Everything is still and quiet this evening. Some few of our passengers telling storys to amuse themselves. Mr. Remie from Hardwick, VT said that he heard of a man that felled two acres of heavy growth in one day and also a man that cut seven cords of wood in one day. I backed him. I told them I knew a man that cut seven cords of wood in one day. Mr. Greenwood said that he did not believe it. Old Pop said that he knew a man that would cradle eight acres of grain in one day and he had cradled six himself and he knew a man that would cut five cords of white oak wood in one day. I told him that I knew a man that thrashed 31 bushels of wheat with a flail in one day and that lifted a stone that weighed 660 lbs and that he was on the ship. Mr. Woods said that a man cradled 9 acres of grain in a day. Mr. Remie said he knew a man that cut a cord of wood in 40 minutes. Mr. Knowlton from the State of Maine said that there was a man that had a cow, a cow that he had to turn out into the Bay when she was going to calve. He turned her out one night when he expected her to bring forth and she did not and the next year he turned her out one night to bring forth and he went out in the morning and she had brought forth a calf and a yerling at one time. This was the last of story telling. 180 miles from St. Ambros.

Monday, June 28, 1852
We have no wind this morning to speak of. This is the 4th day since we have made but little
headway on our passage. The time begins to seem long since we left home for California. We are all wishing for more winds. There is nothing new or interesting with us today. Ring making is the principle business. Some are washing, some are mending. We have no observation taken today. This evening there is some fiddling and dancing with Gentlemen and Ladies. They promenaded on the quarter deck by moonlight. We have a plesent moon.

Tuesday, June 29, 1852
It still remains calm. No wind to fill our sails. It has been cloudy four days. The most of the time it is quite cool. We are running on our course with a light breeze. We are sailing NW. Some of our boys have had a spree. Today they made considerable noise. Rum will do grate things when it is used. There is not many days but what we can see the bad affect of liquor. We have a set of boys on the Grecian that will get drunk very often. Many are amusing themselves in playing cards.

Wednesday, June 30, 1852
Everything seems gloomy and unplesent. We are making no headway on our passage. This is the tenth day since we made but little progress on our passage. We have made some three hundred miles for the last ten days. Most of the passengers are getting tired of our long passage to California. We have not had the sun fair for the last ten days, although we have had no rain in this time. Some of our passengers have a drunken spree this evening. We have fiddling and dancing by moonlight on the quarter deck. Saw some black fish today.

Thursday, July 1, 1852
This is the first day of July. Now 100 days on board. Time begins to seem long. We have fair prospect for 60 days more before we land in our distant port. Everything seems unplesent. We are all hoping for more wind to carry us along. Our fare is poor. There is nothing on this ship that is plesent or agreeable. I for myself long for the time to come when we may land in San Francisco. We are making preparation for the 4th. We have fiddling and dancing on the deck by ladies and gentlemen. Some whales were seen today. We are making no headway. Passengers are healthy.

Friday, July 2, 1852
This morning we have but little wind and not in our favour. It is unplesent indeed for us to remain almost in one degree of latitude for about 12 days. There is nothing plesent or agreeable on this ship. Almost every subject seems corrupt, swaring, card playing, gambling, drinking is the main business that is carried on in this ship. There is not hardly a day but what there is someone drunk. This evening there is two or three drunk. We have very plesent evening. No lat taken today. We are sailing sometimes W sometimes E. It is quite cool.

Saturday, July 3, 1852
We have more wind this morning than what we have had for many a day, although it is not in our favour, but we are glad to see the ship move along. We are hoping the wind will come round soon in our favour. We are running at the rate of about 6 miles per hour. Nothing new or interesting this day. Time begins to seem long to us. Four months is a good while for one to ride on a ship at sea. It is a general time of health on this ship.

Sunday, July 4, 1852
This is the fourth Day of July, a day that is respected and celebrated by almost every free man born in America, but in honour to this grate and alustrous the Passengers of this ship do but little. Circumstances will not permit. This morning presents itself to us as plesent and beautifull. We had this morning brief discourse from Mr. Morrel. It was very interesting. The foundation of his remarks may be found St. John 3: 16. Psalm 149 was read for the instruction of our passengers. The hymn that was sung Man, thy fond pursuits forbear. Mr. Morse David C. and NRC assisted Mr. Morrel in singing. Never has there been such a time on this ship when there was such order as there was when Mr. Morrel was addressing the assembly on the ship. His discourse was about one hour. It seemed like home. Four months has passed and this is the first time that we have had a prayer offered in public on this ship. It seemed the most like home to me of any time since I come to sea. To sit down in silence to hear the Gospel preached from a man of God elect. At 12 o'clock this day the American flag, that free flag of North America, was raised in honor to this alusstrous day. Tomorrow is the day that will be celebrated on this ship. We are sailing NSW. This evening at sunset the cannon was fired and the flag lowered. Several of our passengers are on a spree. They make a grate deal of sport. At 12 o'clock this night the cannon was fired again. This ended the proceding and celebration of the 4th day of July on Sunday. Most of our passengers retired until morning.

Monday, July 5, 1852
This morning the canon was fired at sunrise. This is rather unpleasant morning. It is some squally. It did not last long. It was soon clear and plesent. Grate preparation are making this day. We have an extra dinner if we wish to buy it. There is three different prices. One table in the after cabin pay one dollar, one table the price is fifty cents and in the lower salon twenty-five cents a dinner. About 1:00 o’clock AM they commenced firing the canon. They fired it several times. With several small arms Mr. Gordon commanded the firing in a Man of War style. It went off in good shape. Mr. Gordon was dressed in Man of War style. Happy Jack was dressed in an Indian chief style. Commodore Morse is dressed in St. Patrick style and acts out the Paddy right from Cork in Ireland in grate ardor. This company created grate amusement. There was a grate hurrah through the ship this afternoon about 3 o'clock. Mr. Gordon went to his room and found his gold watch and chain was taken out of his trunk. Mr. Tucker said that he saw the man that stole it. Mr. Tucker said that it was Mr. George Reed, a passenger that has his wife and two children. A man that by every appearance is an honest and respectable man. Mr. Gordon says that he will take his revolver and shoot. He went to Mr. Reed and told him that he had stole his watch and chain and that he was a damn thief and if he did not give it up to him he would take his life before he arived in San Francisco. Mr. Reed told him in a cool manner that he did not steel his watch and that he knew nothing about his watch. Gordon swore he did and that he would search his person. Gordon searched Mr. Reed and did not find his stolen property. He then searched his trunk and room in vain. Most of the passengers was in favour of Mr. Reed. Tucker said that he saw Reed in Gordon's trunk, then he said he did not see him in the trunk, but near it. This created a grate excitement. Missis Reed cried as though she had no friends. I felt sorry for Mr. Reed and wife. This subject I leave at this time for farther alustration at some future time. About 4 o'clock this afternoon Mr. Chase read the Constitution of the United States of America. It was interesting. Good attention was paid to his reading. At sunset the canon was fired two or three times and the flag was lowered. The extra supper as I call it was to come off at six o’clock in the lower salon and the first table in the after cabin. We in the lower salon was to have ham, drawed beef stake, alamode cake, apple tarts, meat pie, mince pie and custard pie. There was about 75 sat at the table for supper. We sit about an hour before we get anything to eat and then it was requested by the steward that there should be one or two men from each mess go up to the galley and see that the supper was brought down in safety. Mr. Gordon was called upon to stand the galley with a drawn knife in his hand to protect those that was carrying supper to the various apartments of the ship. The agreement was that if the supper was not satisfactory to each man his money was to be refunded. Most of them paid in advance. I did not pay for I thought a good pay master payed after the work was done. We had about half that was on our bill of fare. There was grate dissatisfaction among the passengers. Those that did not pay will not and those that did pay are fighting to get their money back and will probably get it. There was several of our table mates that treeted the messes with wine. Commodor Morse bought some four or five bottles and got on to the table amongst the plates and dishes and walked the length of the table and treated every man on the mess and then hurrahed for the Commodor and the Indian Chief. Then some of the passengers went to breaking plates. This was soon ended. The waiters picked them up and carryed them away. This ended our fourth of July. We have dancing on the quarter deck. We have a fine breeze. Sailing direct on our course. Made 100 miles from Talcahuano.

Tuesday, July 6, 1852
This morning we have a bully breeze. We are sailing fast and direct on our course. Sailing NW. Made 200 miles. Nothing new or interesting. Mr. Gordon searched several of the passengers to find his watch, but did not suceed in his attempt. There is various opinions among our passengers in regard to the lost watch. Our living is rather poor today. Tonight our supper was hard tack, sea bass and palatives and cold water. Hard fare.

Thursday, July 8, 1852
This morning is plesent and delightfull. The wind still continues to fill the sails of the Old Grecian and bears us onward to our distant port. This morning one of our sailors met with a sad accident. About 4 o’clock he was passing by the Bake House and probably was hungry. He ran his hand into the window to find something to eat. The Baker, surprised, struck him with his knife twice. The first time he cut a slight gash. The second time he cut a gash some two or three inches long and severed two chords of his fingers and an artery. I saw it before it was dressed and it looked very bad. It was very painfull. We are sailing NW-W. Made 220 miles, about 750 miles from the equator. Our living is very poor. Hard tack and salt hoss is our principle fare. A petition of about 200 of the passengers has gone to the Captain for to see if we cannot have better living.

Friday, July 9, 1852
This morning we have a fair wind in our favour bearing us onward to our long sought port. This morning one Mr. Eleizer Whipple was found missing. He, it is supposed, jumped overboard during the feast. Mr. Woods said that he thought that he saw a man jump overboard about 2 o’clock last night, but was not positive. Mr. Woods went directly and looked over the Bullworks near where he had seen the man jump over, but could not see or hear anything from him. Therefore did not give any alarm, but probably it was Mr. Whipple. He has been sick for a few days, but nothing serious. He was a strong and muscular man. He was young and the picture of health. He was from Maine, Somerset County town of Salem. He left his wearing apparel and his money in his room. It appears almost as a premeditated suicide, although if he accidently fell overboard and the alarm had immediately been given he must have perished for the ship was running at the rate of 12 miles per hour. There is grate excitement in regard to the petition that has been up and signed by the passengers, although it was approved by the Captain, but the cooks say that they will not do any more cooking on the passage. Our living is very poor. Within a few days it has been worse than what it has ever been since we left New York. How we shall fare for the rest of the passage is unknown.

Saturday, July 10, 1852
It is plesent and beautifull this morning and altogether the warmest morning that we have witnessed since we left Rio Janiero. We have a fine breeze in our favour, but not so strong as it has been for a few days past.

Sunday, July 11, 1852
This is another of those fine mornings. With a good sailing breeze made 180 miles. Our passengers are all in good cheer to think we are making such headway on our passage. Four months and seven days since we left New York. We are 560 miles from the equator and about 3,780 from San Francisco. Our living has much improved in the lower salon since there was a change of cooks in the galley but still ,there is a chance for more improvement. There is several of our passengers sick with feavors on the ship.

Thursday, July 15, 1852
We have still a fair wind in our favour. About 75 miles north of the equator. We past under the equator about seven o’clock last evening. We rather expected a calm this morning, but we are happily disappointed. The cabin passengers are finding much fault because they have to fare the same as the passengers in the lower salon. The agreement was from Smith.

Tuesday, July 20, 1852
We had a fine shower this morning. It is now clear and beautifull sailing with a fine breeze. Making 155 miles. The passengers are the most of them enjoying good health. Those that have been sick are getting better. The boys have a grate time with boxing gloves on.

Thursday, July 22, 1852
We are in the same calm this morning making 30 miles. It is extremely warm this morning, but little air can be felt from any quarter. The planks are so hot that a man cannot indure to stand upon it but for a few minutes with his bare feet. Every passenger is trying to keep himself in the shade as much as possible. This morning many of the passengers are busily ingaged in fishing. Large schools of fish are along side the ship. I prepared my hook and line and went into fishing. I caught four in a few minutes. They was soon driven away. These fish are called the black dolphin. They weigh about 1 Lbs. apiece. I dressed them and had them for my supper. These were the first fresh fish that I had eaten since I come to sea.

Sunday, July 25,1852
We have a light breeze this morning. Sailing NNW making 85 miles. It is not so warm as it has been for several days past. There has been a grate excitement among the passengers this morning. There was several pieces of glass found in the bread that was given for the passengers to eat for their breakfast. It is thought by many that John the Chinese has made an atempt to poison the passengers in the lower salon. He made his threat that he would poison us with glass. He was heard to say to that affect last night. He would not cut the bread that John Huxley baked and went into the bake shop and made his own bread. Many things look suspicious. The Chinese was baker and was turned out for his threets. He is a treacherous villen and I think has made an atempt to poison the passengers on this ship, although I cut bread for my breakfast and found nothing in it, but I saw glass that was broken in the bread and it was prepared very fine. It never went in without hands. Mr. Streeter read a sermon today. His text was the 13th chapter and 14 verse of Romans. It was an interesting discourse.

Monday, July 26, 1852
It is quite warm with a light breeze. We are now about 1400 miles from San Francisco. We think that we are almost there although we expect not to get there with this wind for a long time. We are expecting the trade winds soon. Nothing new today. It is 146 days since we left New York City.

Tuesday, July 27, 1852
This morning our breeze is light. Making 105 miles. We are making more longitude than we are latitude as the wind blows from the north, the course that San Francisco lies in from us. We are hoping for a more favourable wind. We are getting short of provisions. We are low on water. It is hard to be dry and nothing to drink.

Friday, July 30, 1852
It is cloudy this morning. Grate appearance of rain. We have but little wind. It blows direct from the North. The same course that we wish to be, making 106 miles. We are 383 miles SW of San Francisco. Our provisions are getting very short. We are hoping that we shall have a fair wind. If not we must suffer worse than what we have since we sailed from New York.

Sunday, August 1, 1852
This morning we have a verry strong wind from the NE, making 175 miles. It seems like old times to see our ship roll and tumble as she glides along. Five months this day at five o'clock since we sailed from New York. We had a short text read by Mr. Straten this afternoon.

Monday, August 2, 1852
The wind still continues to blow strong from the NE making 216 miles. Our passengers are full of glee and rejoicing to think the wind is more in our favour and that we are making good headway on our passage.

Tuesday, August 3, 1852
We have no breeze sailing NW, make 116 miles. It is quite warm today.

Wednesday, August 4, 1852
A dead calm. The sea is perfectly smooth. Sailing NNW made 90 miles from San Francisco. I saw a shark today. He was caught but they did not hold him.

Friday, August 6, 1852
The wind still continues light. Sailing NW, made 70 miles. Our living is very poor. We have nothing that is fit for the hogs. To eat hard tack is the principle living we have, but very little meat and what we have is stinking meat.

Saturday, August 7, 1852
We have a fine sailing breeze in our favour. Sailing NNE made 102 miles. Mr. Mason is verry sick. Affects from a break that has settled down.

Sunday, August 8, 1852
We have fine breeze in our favour. Made 160 miles. From San Francisco 540 miles. Nothing new today Passengers are preparing to go ashore in San Francisco. It is very cool.

Monday, August 9, 1852
This morning we have a powerful breeze carrying us on our course made 292 miles. San Francisco 258 miles away. Sailing at the rate of 12 miles per hour. General time of health. One case of feavor on the ship. Extremely cold.

Tuesday, August 10, 1852
This morning is plesent and beautifull. Sea is very calm. Our ship moves along very slow for San Francisco. We are 68 miles from San Francisco Bay. Everyone has been looking for land. This afternoon we discovered land. A small island lieing SE from us. Passengers are preparing to land. There is one or two that is sick with the feavor, otherwise passengers are in good health.

The Grecian and Nap landed in San Francisco on Wednesday, August 11, 1852. This ended his diary.

Local Libraries: Small Town Perfect

2010-04-15T04:49:00.012-04:00

The quaint yet elegant George Peabody Library is named after the famous philantropist who gave it to the village of Post Mills. When it opened in 1867 it was the first building built in the state as a library and featured one of the finest collections in eastern Vermont.

The Orford Social Library is housed in the former Fiefield's Millinery Store built in 1840. Sale of the Orford Academy in 1898 provided the money for the purchase of the library. This is one of the two libraries in Orford that were the origin of a life-long love of libraries for the author.

The Woods Library Building, dedicated in 1895, housed the Bradford Public Library.

This 1907 post card shows the Woodsville Public Library. One of four libraries in

Haverhill, New Hampshire, it is located in a building donated by Ira Whitcher, local lawyer and businessman. It was completed in 1894.

Tenney Memorial Library, one of two in Newbury, was dedicated on June 10, 1897. It was the gift of Martha Tenney in memory of her father Abner Tenney and stands on the site of the former Spring Hotel.

Journal-Opinion, April 14, 2010

National Library Week is observed April 11-17 this year. It has been sponsored by the American Library Association since 1958. The theme for this year’s observance is Communities Thrive @Your Library. While the theme may be stated in a modern style, the relationship between local communities and libraries is well established. Since the 18th century, libraries have been a vital part of local towns on both sides of the Connecticut River.

The earliest libraries in the British colonies were found at colleges such as Harvard. The Rev. Dr. Thomas Bray brought the idea of local parish libraries to Maryland and the Carolinas around 1700. He envisioned libraries stocked with donated books. In 1731, Benjamin Franklin and others established America’s first subscription library. Members pooled their resources to purchase books from England.

Local town histories and books such as Where the Books Are, a history of Vermont’s local libraries by Patricia W. Belding, describe the evolution of the area’s local libraries.

A high percentage of the earliest citizens of the area were literate. Randolph A. Roth states in his book, The Democratic Dilemma that, by the beginning of the 19th century, the Connecticut River Valley “had one of the highest literacy rates in the world.” Approximately 95% of men and 85% of women could read and write. This was due in large part to the Protestant emphasis on individuals being able to read the Bible.

Despite this high level of literacy, families owned few books other than the Bible and other religious works. Books were scarce and expensive. At the time, individuals often measured their affluence by the number of books in their collection. Very early in the area’s settlements individuals came to realize the value of sharing their meager collections. In February 1774, James Whitelaw of Ryegate went to Newburyport, Massachusetts and purchased books for the common use of the residents. Ryegate had perhaps the first circulating library in the state.

In 1796, 34 residents of Bradford petitioned the General Assembly for the incorporation of the Bradford Social Library Society. It was approved by the Vermont legislature meeting in Rutland in November 1796, the first so incorporated. An early social library was chartered in Orford in 1797. In Lyme, a library was established in 1798 with 37 proprietors, each of whom initially paid 50 cents to be a member.

Social or parlor libraries held collections that circulated among share holders. Sometimes others were allowed to access the collection for a subscription fee. The books were kept in a member’s home, a local tavern, church or store. Roth describes how many of the members were “voracious” readers. This interest in libraries was characteristic of the “village enlightenment” of the period which encouraged the study of human culture and the sciences.
There was enough interest in creating local social libraries in Vermont that in November 1800, the legislature enacted a general law incorporating library societies within the state.

There was a succession of social libraries established in Haverhill, the first in 1801. In 1812, the name of this library was changed to the Aurelian Social Library. In 1829, two successors, the South Social Library and the North Social Library were organized. Each of these had a relatively undocumented and short life. In 1845, the desire for a social library led to another being established with a collection of about 250 volumes. All of these libraries included books from local printers and bookstores. This pattern of libraries being established and then gradually disappearing only to be revived years later was normal in many area towns.

The regulations of the Bradford Social Library in the late 1790’s give us some insight into the operation of a library at the time. “Books are to be drawn the last two hours before sunsetting [and] the fine for burning the midnight candle and letting a drop of tallow fall upon the print was four cents, when it fell upon the margin it was two cents. The dire penalty for turning down a leaf was three cents, and until the fines were paid the offender could draw no books.”

One variation on the social library was the athenaeum, the first of which was founded in Boston in 1807. This cultural institution was established to provide a stimulating atmosphere for “the study of the greater works of learning and science.” It did so through the acquisition of books, art and artifacts and by opportunities for lectures and discussion groups. The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum was established in 1871 by Horace Fairbanks. When it opened it was the state’s most costly and well-equipped library.

Locally, some groups established lyceums, a version of the athenaeum without the expansive collection or building. These lecture and discussion groups were popular from the 1830’s through the Civil War and then evolved into the Chautauqua Movement. In 1857, the Bradford Scientific Association was formed and within the next 20 years accumulated, “a cabinet of minerals, specimens of natural history, and various artificial curiosities [and] a good beginning of a valuable library.”

Most of these early libraries were not truly public, with books loaned to the general population. But in 1833, in Peterborough, New Hampshire, the first free public library supported by taxation was established. It was so well received that by 1849 New Hampshire passed a law permitting local governments to appropriate tax funds for the purchase of books and maintenance of public library buildings. It was the first state to pass such a supportive law.

In the next 100 years, public libraries were created in almost every town in our area. They attracted patrons with a larger variety of books, especially novels and children’s books. Gradually all, even those that remained private in ownership, began to receive funds from state and local government sources. They also continue to rely on the generosity of donors, including some rather large donations.

An early and significant donation of $5500 was given to Thetford in 1867 to establish a library in Post Mills. The philanthropist was the successful financier George Peabody whose connection with the community was visits to his grandfather, an early settler of the town. The resulting Peabody Library opened in October, 1867 with 1,100 books, the largest collection in eastern Vermont. Belding writes, the building was, “the earliest in Vermont built specifically as a library.”

Other early library buildings established with large donations include: in Thetford, the Latham Memorial Library in 1876 with a bequest from Azuba Latham Barney; in Wells River in 1892, the Baldwin Memorial Library from Erasus Bladwin in memory of family members; the Bradford Public Library in 1893 a bequest from John L. Woods; the Woodsville Public Library in 1894 a gift from Ira Whitcher; the Tenney Memorial Library in 1897, in Newbury from Martha J. Tenney in memory of her father; the Blake Memorial Library in East Corinth in 1902 by three members of the Blake family in memory of their parents. Other area towns that did not have generous donors continued to place their library collections in private homes, stores and churches.

Buildings and the collections they contained often experienced destructive fires. Both the Bradford Ladies’ Public Library and the Bradford Scientific Association sustained partial loss of their collections when the building in which they were housed burned in 1883. On December 5, 1912, the Fairlee Public Library was destroyed by fire. When the Piermont library building burned in September 1934, only the books in circulation were saved.

The store housing the Ryegate Library Association’s collection was destroyed in 1941, but the books were saved. In 1942, a fire destroyed Thetford’s Latham Memorial Library. That same year the building housing the Pike Library burned, but most of the books were saved. In 1945, the Romanesque style building housing the Blake Memorial Library in East Corinth burned with the loss of 3,000 books. In all of these cases, communities rallied to replace and enhance buildings and collections.

Men played a dominant role in establishing several of the varied early libraries mentioned above. It was women, however, who kept the movement alive, serving as trustees, steady patrons and librarians. The library in Orford began in the 1870s when Hannah Willard Sanborn solicited books from Orford residents and housed them on the second floor of her father’s main street store. In Bradford in 1874, “new life was breathed into the lagging [library] organization by the contribution of $1 each from 63 women.” As a result the library became the Ladies’ Library Association and continued until 1893. In later years, women’s clubs at both the local and state levels became major contributors to libraries. Many libraries were fortunate to have women who gave decades of service as librarians, often at little or no salary.

In 1894, the Vermont legislature passed a law that encouraged towns without free public libraries to start their own collections with state assistance. After each town appropriated sufficient funds, it received a book collection from the state valued at $100. At the time the secretary of the newly-created Vermont Library Commission reported that there were 27 free libraries and 29 subscription supported libraries in the 245 towns of the state. She reported that the “Library spirit is alive in Vermont,” with an additional 139 communities wanting free libraries.

That “Library spirit” was alive in our area at that time. The Bradford Public Library was created in 1893 to take advantage of the Woods bequest. In 1894, the East Corinth Public Library began with donors and subscriptions and the Woodsville Free Library was established and moved into its new building. The next year, the Ryegate Public Library was established. In 1898, the North Haverhill Library Association was formed. The next year the Orford Social Library was incorporated.

Fairlee voters at the March, 1895 Town Meeting rejected the 1894 law as being a “needless expense.” But the advocates were persistent and in 1898 the town allotted the sum of $15 to maintain a free public library. The library opened with 103 books from the state and 79 from individuals. By 1907, the collection had outgrown a private home and a vacant schoolhouse was moved to the west side of Main Street to be the town’s library. In 1905, West Fairlee voted to accept the state’s offer of books and establish a library. Only Topsham was left without at least one library within its borders.

Over the years financial support for libraries has become a regular part of town government budgets. In some towns, such as Lyme, the staff members are town employees and governing boards are elected or appointed by the Selectboard. In others, the town allotment is to a private organization that serves as the public library. In towns with multiple libraries, public allotments are shared.

The “Library spirit” is still strong in our area. Margaret Ladd, librarian at the Piermont Library, describes local libraries as “centers of the community.” The current recession has increased the number of patrons. In addition to the traditional services, most libraries now provide internet access, hold programs for both adults and children and circulate audio books and DVDs. Communities do indeed thrive at these local libraries.

No longer are library collections the property of a privileged few. Their evolution in our area supports the philosophy that a democracy’s educated citizenry is enhanced by free access to a community-owned library. If you are a patron of your local library you know what I mean. If you are not, consider visiting your local library during National Library Week and beyond. You will find they are, to use a description by one Piermont patron, “small town perfect.”

Men of the Exodus

2010-03-26T10:18:00.012-04:00

"Remember the Alamo" became the rallying cry for Texas Independence. Bradford's Mills Andross was among the defenders who sacrificed their lives in 1836. 31-year old Mills is shown below in a drawing by Len Reggs,Jr. published in Lyndonville, VT's The Independent in 1982

Henry Wells, a native of Thetford, Vermont, helped to establish both American Express and Wells Fargo. The companies had almost exclusive control of all express and stage routes west of the Missouri River in the period of the Civil War

Captain Charles E. Clark was one of the major heroes of the Spanish-American War of 1898 with his exploits as commander of the USS Oregon. Born on Bradford's South
Main Street, he is portraed in this formal portrait that hands in the lobby of the Vermont State House. (photo/Sarah Copeland Hanzas)

Article appeared in the Journal-Opinion, March 24, 2010

One president and vice president, 14 U.S. senators, 99 congressmen, 19 governors, 16 state chief justices, and numerous U. S. Cabinet members, military commanders, ambassadors, religious and business leaders, authors and editors were Vermont’s pre-1915 contribution to the rest of the nation. These are in addition to those who served the Green Mountain State itself. According to a 1915 article by Dorman B. E. Kent, given its relatively small population, Vermont exceeded all other states in the importance of this contribution.

These men were part of the century-long migration from Vermont that began in 1808. Large numbers of Vermonters left the state for better opportunities in the West and in the nation’s urban centers. This exodus was described more completely in the December column.

This column deals with four of those individuals with local connections and who settled elsewhere. Selecting just four 19th century men is not meant to diminish the role of the other men and women who contributed to the growth of the nation. There was a steady stream of migrants from Vermont and New Hampshire to the nation’s mills, farms and armed forces. They were builders, missionaries, teachers, artists, writers and more, filling every niche in the growing nation. While proud of their heritage, many also agreed with the saying, “Vermont is a good state to be born in, provided you migrate early.”

Mills D. Andross was the only Vermonter to die at the Alamo. He was born in Bradford around 1804. Without inheritance, he went to Boston and found employment and Elizabeth, his wife. He soon brought his young family back to Bradford to farm. In a recently published pamphlet on Andross, Kenneth Lawson writes, “Mills was possessed of an adventurous and somewhat reckless spirit. He longed for something more than the hand-to-mouth existence of a small farmer in rural Vermont.”

Around 1835, Andross left Bradford for Texas, drawn by the lure of free land. He left his wife and two sons behind. Texans were in revolt against Mexican rule. Andross joined that revolution as part of a group of volunteers known as the New Orleans Greys. He participated in the Seige of Bexas in San Antonio in late 1835 and remained there with other volunteers.

This small group was confronted by a large Mexican army under the command of General Santa Anna and retreated to the relative safety of the Alamo Mission. They were joined by others including Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie. William Travis took command of the nearly 190 defenders.

In late February 1836, the army of Santa Anna laid siege to the Alamo and on the morning of March 6 began the attack. Despite severe losses in hand-to-hand combat, the Mexicans prevailed. Andross and the other defenders were killed. Their bodies were burned to deny them Christian burial.

“Remember the Alamo” became the rallying cry for the newly formed Republic of Texas. By their deaths the defenders helped achieve Texas’ independence and the subsequent victory in the Mexican War. Mills Andross of Bradford played his role in that achievement.

Henry Wells, a native of Thetford was connected to the establishment of Wells Fargo and American Express. He was born in Thetford in 1805. The Wells family were short-time residents of the area having only recently arrived when Henry was born and they departed for central New York when he was eight.

Wells was plagued with a persistent stammer, an impediment that limited his career opportunities. At age 25, he moved to Rochester, New York and opened a school for the cure of speech defects. Five years later the nearby Erie Canal opened and Wells became involved in moving passengers and freight, gradually extending his business to include lines of transportation elsewhere.

According to information provided by the Thetford Historical Society, Wells became the Albany agent for the first American express company. Having visions beyond those of his employer, he, with others, formed another express company. The burdens of competition, schedules and debt were born fully by Wells, and the company prospered. In 1844, he opened Wells & Company, transporting goods between Buffalo and Detroit with William G. Fargo as employee. In 1850, he merged his company with others to create the American Express Company and he became its first president.

To take advantage of the business created by the western expansion, Wells, Fargo & Company was created by American Express. With almost exclusive control of all the express and stage routes west of the Missouri River, Wells, Fargo and its parent company prospered. “Wells’ hand was everywhere” in the expansion, including successful battles with the Post Office Department.

In the late 1860’s, economic threats from competitors caused Wells to retire from his long presidency of the company. Wells turned from business to a long-held dream, the building of a college in Aurora, New York, near his childhood home. In 1868, he established Wells Seminary, a liberal arts college for women. This was the result of an admiration of scholarship, “coupled with the adoration of womankind.”

Wells spent his elder years at his home Glen Park, adjacent to the college campus. An ardent traveler, he spent winters in warmer climates and died on one such trip in 1878.

Lumbering in the vast forests of the West drew men from our area. One such man, whose name is engraved on Bradford’s academy building and library, was John Lund Woods. He was born in Corinth in 1821. Left fatherless at about age 12, he spent his late teen years with his uncle of the same name and for whom Woodsville is named. The following information about his adult life is taken from a 2002 publication by John A. Fatherly, subtitled “Magnanimous Benefactor.”

At 19, Woods moved to Port Huron, Michigan and began working in a saw mill and “quickly became proficient in the lumber business.” In 1851 he took over the business and quickly became a very rich man. Selling his Michigan holdings, he established a wholesale and retail lumber business in Cleveland, Ohio. He died there in 1893.

“At the time of his death he was interested in Colorado gold mines, Louisiana pine lands, New York City lumber yards, railroads and steamboats.” He used his accumulated wealth for the benefit of others. His philanthropy included major gifts to colleges, libraries and hospitals. Western Reserve University in Cleveland was a major recipient of his generosity.

Woods left two $15,000 bequests to Bradford. One was used to construct the Woods School Building. The three-story brick building designed by George Gurnsey opened on North Main Street in 1894 replacing the wooden academy building. It continues to serve as a municipal center.

The other was used to purchase land and build a library overlooking the business district. The Woods Library Building was designed by Lambert Packard to specifications outlined by Woods and was dedicated on July 4, 1895. Woods’ generous gifts continue to reap rich returns for the residents of Bradford and the surrounding communities.

Charles Edgar Clark was born in Bradford in 1843. He grew up in Bradford village and attended Bradford Academy for several terms. At 16, he moved with his family to Montpelier. In 1860, he received an appointment to the Naval Academy at Annapolis. Upon graduation he was assigned to the West Gulf Blockade Squadron and participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay.

Following the Civil War, Clark remained in the Navy, gradually advancing in rank. His assignments included both sea and shore duties around the world. His excellent service was rewarded with a promotion to the rank of captain in 1896.

Clark’s greatest achievement came during the war with Spain in 1898. On March 19, 1898, he was given command of one of the greatest battleships afloat, the Oregon. He was ordered to sail the ship from San Francisco around the Horn to join the American fleet off Santiago, Cuba. Despite being shadowed by enemy vessels and having to seek temporary sanctuary in neutral ports, Clark accomplished the voyage in record time. After a two month news blackout, the ship’s arrival at Key West was met with public acclaim. The voyage highlighted the need for a canal across the Isthmus of Panama.

The Oregon took up station off Santiago Bay as part of the blockade of the Spanish fleet. On July 3, the Spanish tried to escape. With engines ready the Oregon was able to move quickly in pursuit. The battle, in which the Oregon played a decisive role, was over in a matter of hours. The war was successfully completed within months. As he was ill with tropical fever, Clark was ordered home.

In 1902, Clark was promoted to the rank of rear admiral. The Oregon, after being the subject of much national attention was, like the admiral, gradually retired from active duty.

In 1899, Admiral Clark was honored during a visit to Bradford. At the time of his death in 1922 an editorial in the United Opinion stated: “We the people of Bradford feel that “Capt” Clark belongs to us and that he is one of our greatest gifts to the nation’s service.” In 1926, the town raised funds to erect the statue of Clark that stands in Memorial Park. The headboards of the Oregon are displayed inside the front doors of the Academy Building and a display of Clark-Oregon memorabilia is located in the Bradford Historical Society’s museum on the third floor.

There are dozens of other area residents who played interesting and intriguing roles in the nation’s development. Azariah Wild of West Fairlee was involved in the situation that led to the shooting of Billy the Kid. Levi P. Morton, who became vice president of the United States, is reported to have clerked in a Bradford drug store while earning money to attend Dartmouth. Daniel Kimball Pearson, born in Bradford in 1820, made a fortune in real estate in Chicago. He provided great quantities of lumber to rebuild that city after the great Chicago fire of 1871. He, like John Woods, was a “magnanimous benefactor.”

Albert Sleeper from Bradford was the 29th governor of Michigan. Topsham’s native son James Peabody was elected Governor of Colorado in 1902. As governor he mustered the Colorado militia in opposition to the mine workers union in the infamous Cripple Creek Strike.

The parallel exodus from neighboring New Hampshire also resulted in significant contributions to the rest of the nation. John Quincy Bittinger’s 1888 History of Haverhill has an entire chapter devoted to “Haverhill Abroad.” He wrote that Haverhill sons and daughters were, “an active factor in the growth and progress of other communities.”

Individuals mentioned include Noah Davis, the judge who presided at the New York trials of William “Boss” Tweed and James Cutting, inventor of ambrotype photography. Frederick Crocker and the Angier brothers of Haverhill were involved in developing the oil industry in Pennsylvania.

In the years after 1915, Vermont could claim an additional governor, vice president and president (Calvin Coolidge) along with an unknown number of other Vermont-born men and women who achieved office in other states.

For over four decades I worked with the young citizens of our area. Many of them followed the tradition of leaving the area for better opportunities. Like those earlier migrants from the area they are now spread across the nation. This drain of talent is our semi-voluntary contribution to advance the growth of our nation. Our hope for them, as they continue to resettle elsewhere is that they, like their predecessors, will prosper and become leaders in their new communities. And that they will carry with them the New England values of hard work, practicality and enterprise.

Bradford Celebrates Wilson Globe Bicentennial

2010-01-18T07:46:00.020-05:00

Local actor Scott Johnson portrays James Wilson, creator of the first American-made globe. Johnson told the audience at the recent Bicentennial celebration about Wilson's fourteen-year quest to create a saleable globe for the American market. Details of this Yankee inventor's life may be read in the accompanying Journal-Opinion article. Photo and the one below by Bernie Marvin of the Bridge Weekly

BHS Directors Phyllis Lavelle and Diane Smarro paid tribute to over 120 donors who helped to raise $27,000 for the conservation of the Society's globe. Special recognition was given to Tim and Jenny Copeland and Copeland Furniture for their generous contribution of a custom-made display case.

On Sunday, January 17, 2010, the Bradford Historical Society sponsored a Wilson Globe Bicentennial Celebration. James Wilson of Bradford was America's first globe maker. The first recorded sale of his globes was on January 18, 1810. Over two hundred people attended the celebration.

Wilson Globes became the primary source of American-made globes after 1810.
His first workshop was in Bradford and was later moved to Albany, N.Y. to be closer to the markets.

BHS Curator Karen DeRosa gave the history of the BHS's first-year globe. It was purchased in 1960 from a Mrs. Mills of White River Jct. It was described as being in deplorable condition.

In 2007 the globe was delivered to the Williamstown (Mass.) Art Conservation Center for

conservation. Karen described the process the globe underwent to be conserved. Clicking on the WACC website one can access an article in the Art Conservator that giving details of the project.

Members of the Bradford Elementary School 4th graders under the direction of Heidi Torphy and with accompaniment from Bob Benjamin presented the "Wilson Globe Song." It was created with in 1993 by Vermont singer Margaret McArthur and BES students.

BHS President Larry Coffin joins Wilson's gggrandson Malcolm Spencer to view the

reconditioned globe in its new display case. Mr. and Mrs. Spencer drove from Maryland to attend the celebration.