USA > Vermont > Bennington County > Gazetteer and business directory of Bennington County, Vt. for 1880-81 > Part 4
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
THE STAPLE PRODUCTIONS
of the county, are corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, flax, potatoes, but- ter, cheese, wood, hay, maple sugar, and the products of the orchard and garden. In early times winter wheat was successfully grown, but not so now. Considerable attention is paid in the more populous towns to dairying and wool growing.
The Bennington County Agricultural Society was organized at the town house in Shaftsbury Feb. 12, 1848, Hon. John H. Olin being the first president, and Samuel Ames, secretary. The so- ciety held regular fairs in September of each year. Want of per- manent grounds with proper buildings, however, detracted from the - usefulness of the fairs, until in 1860 when suitable grounds were inclosed and fitted up for its use at North Bennington. The last fair it is believed, was held in 1864.
MANUFACTURES.
Of the manufacturing interests, that of lumbering, with its vari- ous products, is the most important. Much capital is also em-
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ployed in the manufacture of cotton and woolen goods, steel squares, various kinds of machinery, light hardware, paper, stereo- scopic lenses, buttons, soap &c., &c. Great numbers of charcoal kilns are located in the county, producing some hundreds of thousands of bushels of hard wood coal per month, which finds a ready market at the furnaces in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
COUNTY BUILDINGS.
As previously stated, the county has two shires ; one originally at Bennington, (now Bennington Center,) the other at Manches- ter. The first court house at Bennington, built of wood in the summer of 1781, which stood just in front of the present resi- dence of A. M. Huling, was burned in the morning of May 17th, 1809 ; several buildings including Mr. Cushman's hotel, were also burned at the same time. The second court house, also of wood, stood a little south of the first; this was burned Oct. 28th, 1846, with a loss to the county of about $3,000. The next court house was of brick and contained the county clerk's office and was situated north of the present first church, and that too was burned on Friday morning March 26, 1869. Following this fire, there was some discussion as to where the new court house and jail should be located. An act of the general assembly provid- ing for the location and erection of county buildings in the coun- ty of Bennington, and laying a tax therefor, was passed Nov. 15, 1869. Immediately after the passage of the act, the work of building was commenced on South street, (East) Bennington, by Henry W. Putnam, the contractor, and completed the following year, at an expense to the county of $30,000. The building is of brick, and besides the court rooms, contains the county clerk's and probate judge's offices, the jail and the jailors residence, besides several offices above, which are rented. The vault in the county clerk's office is intended to be fire proof. The jail is provided with seven cells for the confinement of males and one, uff the residence of the jailor, for females. The apartments are too damp for good health, and, if possible, this defect should be remedied.
After the burning of the court house at Bennington Center, and until the present county buildings were completed, Courts
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were held in Free Library Hall, at Bennington. At a recent visit there were no occupants of the jails, in either shire.
At Manchester the first county buildings were erected in 1778, on the site of Manchester Hotel, now belonging to, and one of the several buildings forming the Equinox House. The court house and jail were parts of the same structure. The expense of building the court house was met by subscription, that of the jail by the State. The site of the jail has never been changed ; the court house has been added to, and used for a hotel as pre- viously stated. Previous to erection of the court house, the courts were held either at the meeting house, the tavern stand of Eliakim Weller, or that of Jared Munson.
The present court house at Manchester was built of brick, about 1822, by private subscription, at a cost of about $3,000 ; it was enlarged at the expense of the county in 1849.
THE POOR.
The poor of the county are supported by the towns where the applicants reside, and it is to the credit of some of them, that the office of overseer of the poor is almost that of a sinecure.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS.
The railroad between Bennington and Rutland was built under an act of the legislature, passed Nov. 5, 1845, incorporating the Western Vermont Railroad Company.
The company was duly organized, and the first board of direct- ors elected Feb. 28th, 1850, were Myron Clark, President; Aaron R. Vail, Vice-President ; Robert Pierpoint, Robinson Hall, Ira Cochran, Martin C. Deming, Asahel Hurd, Lemuel Bottum, Alanson P. Lyman. . Seneca Smith was chosen clerk. The road was put into operation in 1852.
The title of the original stockholders having been extinguished by the foreclosure of the first mortgage, Jan. 1, 1857, the road passed into the possession of Shepherd Knapp and George Briggs, Trustees, who leased it to the Troy and Boston Railroad Com- pany, by which it was run until Jan. 16, 1867. Meantime, July 28, 1865, the bondholders organized a new corporation, called the Bennington & Rutland Rail Road Company, of which the first
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board of directors were Trenor W. Park, President ; Hiland Hall, Alanson P. Lyman, Chas. E. Houghton, M. Carter Hall, Chas. G. Lincoln, Treasurer ; Nathaniel B. Hall, Hugh Henry Baxter, George W. Harman, Clerk.
Subsequently on the 8th day of August, 1877, a new corpora- tion was organized called the Bennington & Rutland Railway Company, with the following named directors :- Abraham B. Gardner, President ; Augustus Schell, Cornelius Vanderbilt, Ben- jamin R. Sears and Trenor W. Park. George W. Harmon was chosen Clerk and C. E. Houghton, Treasurer.
The road is now run by that company, and the following are its officers :- Trenor W. Park, President ; John G. Mccullough, Vice-President; George W. Harmon, Clerk ; Chas. E. Hough- ton, Treasurer ; and Abraham B. Gardner, Directors.
The Rutland and Washington Rail Road, passes from. Washing- ton Co., N. Y., through the western part of Rupert into Rutland Co. The road is now operated by the Delaware and Hudson Canal Co.
The Lebanon Springs Rail Road, between Bennington and Chat- ham Four Corners in New York, was built in 1867-68. In aid of building this road the town of Bennington was bonded for $150,000, and since the bonding, in fruitless attempts to evade or set aside the obligation of the bonds, the town has increased the indebtedness many thousands of dollars. Other towns are groaning under the burden of this tax, though it is not so heavily imposed.
The road was subsequently consolidated with others, and has been run under the title of the Harlem Extension Rail Road, though operated at times by other companies.
Mr. R. C. Root, of New York, one of the principal owners of the Bennington and Glastenbury R. R., has for some years acted as president. Some misunderstanding arising between the bond holders, that portion of the road lying in New York was put into the hands of J. W. Van Valkenburg, of Albany, as Receiver, October 17, 1880.
The Bennington and Glastenbury Rail Road was built in 1872, is eight miles long besides various sidings. The road was con- structed by the company for the purpose of developing lands Owned by them in Glastenbury, and has not only served their
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purpose well, but has greatly helped business in. Woodford. A more lengthy description of this road may be found under the head of Glastenbury.
NEWSPAPERS.
Two weekly newspapers are published in the county, and one, though printed out of the county, is made up of local matter and issued as a county paper.
The State Banner was started at Bennington February 5, 1841, by Enoch Davis, and at the end of one year J. I. C. Cook be- came interested. In 1845, Benjamin G. Cook took an interest, and from that time until October, 1856, it was published by B. G. & J. I. C. Cook. B. G. Cook died in October, 1856. February, 1857, Thomas J. Tiffany bought the paper, and in 1858 changed its name to
THE BENNINGTON BANNER, and continued to be its publisher until June, 1859, when he resold to J. I. C. Cook and son, who published it until August, 1870, when they sold to C. A. Pierce & Co., then of the Manchester Journal. The paper is still conducted by C. A. Pierce & Co., (as a Republican weekly,) with H. L. Stillson as editor.
THE MANCHESTER JOURNAL, (Republican weekly,) was commenced by C. A. Pierce, May 28, 1861. H. E. Miner was editor during the first year of its existence. In the autumn of 1865, E. W. Pierce purchased an interest, from which time the firm style was C. A. Pierce & Co. In August, 1870, they purchased the Bennington . Banner, and subsequently conducted both papers until the following winter, when, finding the care of both offices too taxing, they sold the Journal on January 10, 1871, to Orvis & Co. D. K. Simonds was assistant editor. The circulation was increased by Orvis & Co. from less than 1000 to more than 3000 copies during the first three or four months. September 28, 1871, Mr. Simonds purchased the paper, and it is still con- ducted by him.
THE BENNINGTON COUNTY REFORMER, now in its fifth volume, is published weekly at Brattleboro, Vt., by C. H. Davenport & Co., and is largely circulated as a county paper. It is of large size and well printed. A. P. Childs, of Bennington, holds the position of local editor and manager.
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The Vermont Gazette, the first paper published in Bennington County, was commenced June. 5, 1783 at Bennington, by Antho- ny Haswell and David Russell. Mr. Russell retiring in 1790, the paper was continued by Mr. Haswell and his family, until October, 1850, when it was discontinued. In IS06 its name was changed to The Epitome of the World, and again changed in 1810 to The Green Mountain Farmer, by which it was known until 1816, when its original name was resumed, and from that time forward during its life, its name was never changed. In the early days when this paper was commenced, and for some time after, the editor frequently experienced difficulty in finding material to fill his paper, as is evidenced by the following extracts, September 15, 1788 :-
"Late unavoidable disappointments with respect to papers has obliged the printer to make use of the expedient of publishing a half sheet this day, in order that the posts may not be unreasona- bly interrupted in the prosecution of their business." In the issue of March 23, 1789, the editor says, " the post from Albany did not arrive last week, which prevents us from being able to com- municate any important information relative to the proceeding of that important body, the new Congress."
Mr. Haswell was a gentleman much esteemed and respected by those who knew him, and he aided through the influence of his paper the early development of this then new county. When the legislature passed the act establishing post offices at Bennington, and other places in 1784, he was appointed post master general, with extensive powers. His remains lie in the first church ceme- tery, at Bennington Center, beneath a marble tablet on which is inscribed,
"Anthony Haswell, a patriot of the Revolution, Printer and founder of the Vermont Gazette, 1783. A sufferer in the cause of freedom under the Sedition Act of 1790. Died May 22, 1816, aged 60 years."
The Tablet of the Times was begun at Bennington in January, 1797, by Merrill & Langdon ; how long it was in existence does not appear.
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The Plowman was started at Bennington, it is believed in 1800, by Thomas Collier and Wm. Stockwell, who came here from Litchfield, Conn. It was continued until sometime in 1802, when the press was removed to Troy, N. Y., where Mr. Collier estab- lished the "Troy Gazette."
The Bennington News Letter was commenced at Bennington in March, 1811, by Benjamin Smead; it was afterwards published by Williams & Phinney.
The American Register was commenced at Arlington by E. Gilman Storer, in January, 1817, and issued weekly nearly two years. At that time post-offices were not numerous, and so we find among the advertisements in January, 1818, one by M. C. Dem- ing, postmaster, advertising letters remaining in the post-office for residents of Arlington, Sandgate and Sunderland. Also proposals by Mr. Storer for the publication of a regular pamphlet, to be ยท called "The Union Magazine and Evangelical Intelligencer," the first number of which was promised February 1, 1818. [He issued the magazine for about two years .- ED. ] Elijah Buck advertises "the erection of a plaster mill and will grind for $3.00 per ton for ready pay." In the issue of November 4, 1817, among the news items, War with the Seminole Indians was feared, and, "General Andrew Jackson is no more ! The North Carolina Record states, on the authority of a gentleman direct from Nashville, that GEN. JACKSON WAS KILLED IN A DUEL WITH GEN. ADAIR." In the same number "Judson & Deming" advertise "Patent Cooking Stoves." A firm of the same style are doing business in Arlington now. In 1816 Mr. Storer removed with his press to Sandy Hill, N. Y. Mr. Storer still lives and resides in New Haven, Conn. No other paper has ever been issued at Arlington. .
The Vermont Sentinel was commenced in the spring of 1822, at Bennington, by -- Adams, from New Hampshire. As the venture proved to be unprofitable, the publication was discon- tinued after a few months.
The Journal of the Times was started at Bennington October 3, 1828, and issued weekly by Henry S. Hull, with William Lloyd Garrison as editor. They had come from Boston. The paper espoused the course of John Quincy Adams in opposition to the
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Gazette, which had come to have a decided leaning towards Jacksonianism. It started out under favorable auspices and a liberal patronage. The introductory article declared three objects to be the aim of the publishers, "to be pursued through life, whether in this place or elsewhere, namely, the suppression of in- temperance and its associate vices, the gradual emancipation of every slave in the republic, and the perpetuity of national peace." Mr. Garrison retired from the editorial chair and State in March, 1829, and the paper was discontinued with the issue of the 38th number.
The Horn of the Green Mountains was begun at Manchester by Edward C. Purdy in 1830, and was continued for more than a year.
The Vermonter was started at Bennington in the spring of 1835, by Andrew F. Lee, and continued for about a year. It was Whig in politics and was believed to have been purchased and owned by prominent men of the party.
The Vermont Express was started at Manchester during the fall campaign of 1836. Though eminating from Manchester, the printing was done at Salem, N. Y. A. L. Miner was the principal editor and promoter.
The Bennington County Whig was started at Manchester, in the spring of 1837, by B. C. Crandall, from Salem, N. Y. After a few weeks Crandall ran away. It was for a while issued by Orlando Squires, and then John C. Osborn, who had been a printer in the office, continued the publication about a year, when it was discontinued.
The Battle Ground was first issued at North Bennington, in Aug., 1853, by Dan'l Cady, then of Lansingburg, N. Y., and Hiram Atkins, under the firm name of Cady & Atkins. Mr. Atkins, the resident partner, issued a few numbers, when, not receiving any aid from Mr. Cady, left the concern and took the Republican Standard, at Bellows Falls, which he changed to Bellows Falls Argus. After Mr. Atkins left, Mr. Cady moved to North Ben- nington and continued the paper a few weeks longer, when he ar- ranged with Mr. Atkins to take the subscription list, and The Battle Ground was then united with the Argus. No other paper ha ever been issued at North Bennington.
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The Bennington Free Press was started at Bennington in August, 1870, by a committee, as a Republican campaign paper. It passed into the hands of Charles M. Bliss, in September of the same year, who conducted it as a regular county newspaper, until Dec. 16, 1871, when he sold to Henry L. Stillson, by whom it was continued until after the November election of 1872, when he changed the name to, and revived
The Vermont Gazette, under which title it was issued by Mr. Stillson, until he sold the paper, Feb. 1, 1874, to A. P. Childs, who took his brother R. S. Childs in partnership, and the paper was conducted by them until June, 1876, when they sold to F. Sherman Briggs & Co., who continued the paper until September of the same year, at which time A. S. Baker & Son became the pro- prietors, and conducted it until the spring of 1880, when it was dis- continued.
The Daily News was started at Bennington in May, 1875, by Frank P. Armstrong, who sold in July of the same year to a com- pany of gentlemen, who, under style of "The Daily News Associa- tion " conducted the paper until about the end of September, when it was discontinued. J. H. Cushman was editor.
The Vermont Centennial was commenced in the spring of 1877, by A. P. and R. S. Childs, and was issued in the interests of the Vermont and Bennington Battle Centennial, (part of the time as a daily,) until Sept. 4th, of the same year. It was well sustained.
The Bennington Daily Banner, was printed at the Banner Office from August 10th to 21st, 1877, as a necessary dis- seminator of news during the Vermont State and Bennington Battle Centennial celebrations. It was a large sheet, well filled each day with matters of interest connected with this great event. A rapid power press, ordered for the occasion, was delayed on the road, so that facilities for printing were inadequate to the great demand, and consequently the venture, instead of being a profit- able undertaking, was a tax upon the publishers, but a great con- venience to visitors fortunate enough to secure copies.
ABORIGINAL OCCUPANCY.
Though no direct or positive knowledge exists as to what tribes of Indians, in early days, made their homes within the bor-
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ders of Bennington County, yet evidences incontrovertable, estab- lishes the fact that some time in the remote past, Manchester and Pownal and possibly Arlington had been the home of the red man. More will be said on this subject under head of those towns.
WHEN FIRST SETTLED BY THE WHITES.
The first settlers according to the Vermont Magazine, were a few Dutch families, who, as early as 1824, squatted upon the banks of the Hoosick, without any title to the land. Allen's history says, "who these were is not known, but some years afterwards, the names of Gregor, VanNorman, Anderson, Westenhouse, Forsburg ; Voss, Hogle and Sebastian Deal appear in connection with lands subsequently claimed under patents originating in New York, and which titles, on the measurements of their limits, were ex- tended into the town of Pownal, about three miles on its western part."
The Forsburgs settled upon the lands now owned by Green Brimmer ; two brothers, by name of Burnes, on land now owned by Alonzo Whipple; Westenhouse, a farm on the west side of the river opposite the cotton factory. Gregor settled a little north of the rocks which bear his name.
Later, the south-western part of the town was settled by Youngs, VanNorman, Anderson and Fisher. Most of these claims were purchased by new comers, who held them under the New Hamp- shire grants of 1760.
The first settlers under the New Hampshire grants were the families of Peter Harwood, Ebenezer Harwood, Leonard Robin- son, and Samuel Robinson, Jr,, from Hardwick and of Samuel and, Timothy Pratt, from Amherst, Mass., who settled in Bennington, in June, 176r. Settlements were made in the other towns in about the following order, viz: Arlington and Shaftsbury in 1763, Manchester in 1764; Rupert 1765; Sunderland 1766; Dorset 1768; Landgrove 1769 ; Sandgate 1772; Peru 1773; Woodford, Stamford and Readsboro about 1777-'8; Winhall in 1780; Glas- tenbury, probably about the same date. Searsburg previous to 1790, temporarially. The first permanent settlement in this town was in 1824.
The early settlers were principally from New Hampshire, Massa -3
X
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chusetts, and Connecticut, and located under the New Hamp- shire charters granted by Gov. Benning Wentworth.
LAND TITLE CONTROVERSY.
Immigration was rapid and prosperity seemed to smile upon the inhabitants, but a dark day was dawning. In the spring of 1765, the people were surprised by a proclamation from Lieut-Gov. Colden, of New York, dated April roth, giving a copy of an order of the king in council, of the 20th of July preceding, by which the wes- tern bank of Connecticut river, was declared to be the boundary between the provinces of New Hampshire and New York, and notifying all his majesty's subjects in the province to conform thereto and govern themselves accordingly. There is no doubt that this change of jurisdiction, made without the knowledge of the settlers, was most distasteful to them. Their customs and habits were different from the New Yorkers, yet notwithstanding their avertion to the system and laws of that province, they would doubtless have quietly submitted to the new jurisdiction if nothing more had been demanded. Rumors, however, soon began to prevail that the king's order in council was to be construed in New York, rot only as providing new governors and laws for the settlers, but also annulling the titles to the lands they occupied.
These rumors were confirmed during the summer and fall, by the appearance among them of numbers of men from New York, having with them surveyors employed in running and marking lines by trees in the woods, and setting up stakes and other land- marks in the cleared fields, and also by their making direct claims to lands under New York patents.
Becoming thus alarmed for the security of their property, the settlers appointed Samuel Robinson, of Bennington, and Jere- miah French, of Manchester, as agents, who proceeded to New York city to intercede with the governor of the provinces to pro- tect them in their possessions. But on stating their errand to the governor, they found that already the largest and best portions of their land had been granted, and that for the poorer land remain- ing the enormous patent fees which were demanded, were fully equal to the value of the soil.
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Among the lands which had thus been granted, were a grant of 26.co0 acres by the name of "Princetown " to John Tabor Kempe, James Duane and Walter Rutherford, being a tract about twelve miles long by four wide, and embracing the whole of the rich valley of the Battenkill, which is included in the townships of Manchester and Sunderland and the most of Arlington; and a grant of 10,000 acres to Crean Brush, covering considerable portions of the south-westerly part of Bennington, and north- westerly part of Pownal.
The persons to whom these grants,-above mentioned,-were made, were all New York city lawyers, Kempe, the first named, being attorney-general of the province.
It was well known in New York that these lands had long been granted by New Hampshire, and were actually occupied under such grants, and the patents were procured in utter disregard of the rights and claims of the settlers. The New York grants were made by Lieutenant-Governor Colden to his favorites and friends for mere speculative purposes ; he received enormous sums from patent fees, which the grantees expected speedily to recover with large additions from the avails of the lands.
This territorial controversy is one belonging to the whole State, rather than to any particular section. The people of this county, however, took a leading part in the controversy, and a brief notice of the grounds for the dispute seems indispensible to a right understanding of subsequent events with which they were connected.
New York construed the kings order in council of July, 1764, declaring "the western bank of the Connecticut river to be" the eastern boundary of New York, to mean not only that it should de in future, but always had been the boundary, and hence the New Hampshire grants were null and void. The New York government did not, however, rely wholly on this construction, but claimed the said river as the original boundary of New York, un- dler charter from King Charles II. to the Duke of York, in 1664. The language of the charter, though seeming to favor such a con- straction does not express definitely the territory intended to be covered. It is very certain that prior to the kings order of July, 1764, New York had never exercised jurisdiction to any part of the
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Connecticut River, but that New Hampshire had been repeatedl recognized by the king and his ministry as extending westward t Lake Champlain, and to a line running southerly from that lak to the north-west corner of Massachusetts, the present wester boundary of Vermont; that on all the English and America maps of the period, New York is bounded on the east by the las mentioned line.
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