USA > Vermont > Washington County > Gazetteer of Washington County, Vt., 1783-1889 > Part 16
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The task of the committee was difficult; not only financial aid, but locality, the community, church advantages, and various other considerations must have weight. Each town had advantages peculiarly its own; the committee in reporting bore witness to the generosity of each, and the fraternal spirit of the contest, but fixed upon the town of Barre, as, on the whole, meeting the
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greatest number of requirements. Barre, beside a general subscription of nearly $3,000, had about $12,000 already pledged as a local subscription and offered a suitably graded site free of charge. Five towns were, of course, disappointed, but they remained to an unexpected degree loyal to the school.
The institution was now an assured fact, and strenuous exertions were put forth to increase the subscription, the more sanguine working with a hope destined to be unfulfilled, that the sum already pledged by general subscrip- tion might be held as an endowment fund. Mr. Lewis continued as an agent for a time, and later G. H. Harmon and others assisted in the work.
The site chosen was on a plateau a little north of the village. "The prospect commands a fine view of the valley spread out along the river. To the south and west, over a wide reach of green hills, fertile farms stretch away before the eye, while down the valley towards Montpelier, and over the hills beyond, the dark blue form and sharp outline of the most sublime of Ver- mont's mountains, Camel's Hump, rises in silent majesty against the sky." The plan of the building was prepared by T. W. Silloway, of Boston, and the building committee consisted of L. F. Aldrich and Charles Templeton, of Barre, and Heman Carpenter, of Northfield. Early in the spring of 1867 the people of Barre, according to agreement, began to grade preparatory to build- ing, and in the summer of the same year, by which time the funds at the disposal of the trustees had increased to nearly $50,000, work was begun and prosecuted vigorously.
The work throughout was under the constant care of the building com- mittee, the Barre members, Messrs. Aldrich and Templeton, giving nearly their entire time for three years without remuneration. In digging for the foundation a fine bed of clay was found and from this all the bricks were made. This was a great saving, but the high prices of labor and all materials, which were still at war rates, made the original estimate of the cost far too low. It was also deemed best to heat the building by steam, the first so heated in the state, and this made an additional expense.
At this time the school had no agents, subscriptions had ceased to come in, and in the summer of 1868 it was feared that the work would have to. stop before completion. An appeal to the public brought a speedy answer from Mary T. Goddard, widow of the early benefactor, T. A. Goddard, who had recently died. She offered an additional $5,000, on condition that a like sum should be raised by others. At the time of the receipt of this communication, members of the board of trustees were gathered at the home of Judge Tilden, anxiously and despondently discussing the question of ways and means. An enthusiastic shout greeted the reading of the letter and new life was put into the work. The executive committee being in pressing need of funds, Mrs. Goddard did not wait for the complete fulfillment of her condition, but in a letter to the board sent a check for the amount with these words : "I wish you to accept this as a gift from Mr. Goddard, in memory of him whose interest in your institution would not, I am sure, have
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abated had his life been spared, and who would joyfully have witnessed a successful result of your labors. " The gift of $r,ooo antedating this by a few months, from Mrs. Philena Hayes (now Davis), then a resident of Chi- cago, deserves to be noted also as coming in a time of need.
The constantly increasing prices, however, rapidly consumed the funds at command, and it was amid renewed discouragement that the friends of the institution continued the work. Great credit is due to the building com- mittee and their energetic treasurer for the sacrifices and zeal which characterized the work until its completion in 1870. Of the building itself but little need be said. It is sightly, commodious, and substantial. From a central portion fifty-three feet square two wings extend to the north and south, each fifty-three and one-half feet long. It is four stories in height above the basement, and is built of brick with granite trimmings.
The school opened February 23, 1870, with eighty-eight students in attendance. L. L. Burrington, now at the head of Dean Academy in Massachusetts, was the first principal ; Miss Mary Bryant, preceptress. Soon after the opening the ladies of Barre held a " Bell Festival " to procure a bell for the school building, a festival famous in the vicinity as a great success. The net proceeds were about $525. The first class graduated at the close of the summer term, and consisted of four young men, three of whom had been with the principal at another school.
In November of the same year, by vote of the trustees and act of the legislature, the name of the institution was changed to Goddard Seminary, in honor of Thomas A. Goddard. Mr. Goddard took a life-long interest in the educational work of the Universalist church, his name being forever connected with Tufts, Dean, and Westbrook by gift of buildings or endow- ment of professorships ; a proposition of his to give $5,000 was the nucleus about which the original fund was gathered ; his gifts supplemented by those of his wife made the school possible. For these reasons it seems preë ni- nently fitting that the school should bear his name. He was a man of large views, great charity, and just discrimination. His wide charities were distrib- uted with generous hand. Always the friend of the young, his constant aim was to help provide for the Christian education of the youth of the church to which he gave so liberally of his means and time. By his works he showed the greatness of his faith.
Though the school had seen dark days during its building, darker times were ahead. Instead of $40,000 the building, with the heavy cost of equip- ment for school use, had cost nearly $75,000, a part of which was unpaid. The only subscriptions during this time were gifts of fifty dollars by a large number of individuals or societies to furnish rooms. While for the first two years the number of students was large and school expenses amply provided by its income, the "hard times " rapidly came on, and it was a fight for life for many years. The trustees knew not which way to turn to obtain money for the pressing obligations of the school. Members of the board had risked
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much for the sake of the school, many being on notes of the institution for more than the value of their property.
At one of these dark periods Judge Tilden made a trip to Boston to ask aid of friends in that neighborhood. He found other interests pressing and those whom he consulted discouraged him. Disappointed and disheartened he started on his return home. Stop- ping at Concord, N. H., he received a little encouragement and help. The prospect of returning nearly empty handed was too painful to be thought of, and he turned back to Boston. Again Mrs. Goddard responded with a gift of $2,000, and soon, by the efficient aid of Dr. A. A. Miner, about $7,000 was secured, which tided ever the most pressing difficulties.
In 1872 Mr. Burrington resigned his position and was succeeded by Mr. F. M. Hawes. In the fall of the same year the school received its first bequest by wili, $r,ooo from the estate of Lucyna H. Ross, of Chesterfield, Mich., a resident of Barre in her younger days, who by her gift marked her memory of her native town and her appreciation of school advantages which she had desired, but had never been able to obtain. Later a bequest of the same amount was received from Amasa Watkins, of Reading, Vt.
During all its early years the school struggled under a heavy weight of debt. At many times it seemed as if the fight for its existence would have to be abandoned. The financial crisis of '73, and the hard times that followed, were severely felt by its constituency. It seemed folly to attempt to raise money at such a time, but it had to be done. In 1874 $11,000 was raised by the efforts of earnest friends, $7,000 being raised in Massachusetts and vicinity by Prof. Shipman, at this time president of the board of trustees, and the remainder in Vermont. The amount was completed at a conven- tion in Bethel in response to a fervent appeal of Mrs. Caroline A. Soule, and a beginning was also made on an endowment fund. This sum did not prove sufficient, and the next year another effort had to be made to conquer the spectre, debt. It was a gloomy prospect; but the ever faithful friends responded loyally, and about $4,000 more was raised. At the next meeting of the board of trustees, in June, 1876, there was found to be a slight remainder of the old debt, and, as if to mock the efforts of years, a deficiency of nearly $3,000 in the running expenses of by far the most disastrous year in the history of the school stared them in the face. This was near to being the last straw, but after long debate, eleven members of the board assumed the entire debt till such time as the school could pay it, a result not accom - plished till 1883, and then largely by the giving up of notes by those who, assuming the debts, had taken the notes of the institution, secured by the only mortgage that had ever been placed on the building through all these years of hardship and discouragement.
This was the last of the financial struggles of the school. It had been long and trying. Only by the cooperation of all under the leadership of the energetic and self-sacrificing president of the board of trustees, and by most persistent effort, was the result accomplished and the school put in a
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condition where it might hope for brighter things. It might literally be said of each one of several workers of the period, "without the help of this one it would have been impossible to save the school."
From 1876, when the remainder of the debt was, as stated, assumed by certain trustees, to 1880, the raising of an endowment fund of $to,ooo was prosecuted with more or less energy. Under the stimulus of an offer by Mr. Ira C. Calef to pay the last thousand of the sum, a thorough canvass of the state was made by Mr. H. V. French, $2,500 was raised in Massachusetts, and the full amount was made up by a memorable contribution in the great hall of the seminary at the close of the graduating exercises in June, 1880.
During these years of financial struggle the school itself was steadily gaining ground in the confidence of the people and in the ability to provide a thorough education, under the efficient principal, Mr. Henry Priest, who had succeeded Mr. Hawes in 1874. By his efforts facilities in the laboratory were increased, the cabinets received many additions, and the library was constantly growing. The class of students has been excellent to a remark- able degree from the beginning to the present, a fact of no small importance towards making a successful school. A well marked system of government has been followed from the first that, avoiding so far as possible minute rules, should cultivate habits of honor and order.
Since the establishment of the permanent fund other gifts have come, until the school has now the income of $20,000. Of this sum Stevens Calef, of Providence, R. I., bequeathed $t,ooo, the late Jonas Barber, of Richmond, $7,000. Besides this the institution holds a gift of $3,200 from Mr. J. M. Haynes, of St. Albans, subject to his life interest, and Mrs. Almira Smith, of Barre, a devoted friend of the school, willed to it her entire personal estate, subject to the life interest of her parents. In 1884 a tract of land south of the building was purchased to prevent the encroachment of the growing village. It was, in part, paid for by gifts of the Alumni. This addition renders it possible to make the grounds a great ornament, and the work of putting them in proper order, which pressing necessities have heretofore forbidden, will be undertaken in the near future.
The graduates of the school number 228-104 ladies and 124 gentlemen. It is worthy of note that more than one-half of the young gentlemen who have graduated, in all sixty-eight, became college students, of whom fifty- three entered at Tufts, the remainder at Dartmouth, Burlington, Harvard, Cornell, Boston University, Smith, and Antioch.
The following gives the names of its successive teachers and their terms of service :-
Principals :- L. L. Burrington, 1870-73 ; F. M. Hawes, 1873-74; Henry Priest, 1874-83 ; Alston W. Dana, 1883-87 ; D. L. Maulsby, 1887. Precep- tresses :- Mary A. Bryant, 1870-72 ; Adelma A. Ballou, 1872-74; Hattie E. Wood, 1874-76 ; Bessie A. Weeks, 1876-78 ; Flora C. Eaton, 1878-82 ; Alma G. Watson, 1882-83 ; Linda H. Brigham, 1883-86 ; Mrs. M. B. Aitcheson,
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1886. First Assistants :- C. W. Parmenter, 1870-71 ; Adelma A. Ballou, 1870-72 ; G. A. Adams, 1871-72 ; F. M. Hawes, 1872-73 ; Fannie Wolcott, 1872-73; Leslie A. Lee, 1873-74; Eva D. Heaton, 1873-74; Charles M. Knight, Bradford Sparrow, 1874-75 ; Lois I. Witherbee, 1874-76; Seth L. Larrabee, 1875-76 ; D. M. Woodbury, 1876-78; P. A. Thompson, 1876; Charles C. Bates, 1878-82 ; Arthur W. Peirce, 1882. Second Assistants :- G. A. Adams, 1870 ; J. N. Mallory, 1871-72 ; Persis A. Thompson, 1872-76 ; Dora A. White, 1876-77 ; Alma G. Watson, Mrs. A. C. Averill, 1880 ; Philip G. Wright, 1883 ; F. L. Bigelow, 1883-86 ; H. W. Whittemore, 1886; Grace B. Aitcheson, 1886. Instrumental music :- H. S. Eddy, 1870-71 ; W. A. Briggs, 1871-76 ; W. A. Wheaton, 1876-82 ; Miss J. B. Snow, 1882-84 ; Miss L. M. Kendall, 1884. Vocal music :- A. J. Philips, 1870-73 ; F. E. Grant, 1873-74 ; Charles Dudley, 1874-76; Mrs. F. J. Hopkins, 1880-81 ; Mrs. B. W. Bradley, 1881-84; George W. Foster, 1884. Painting and drawing :- C. Marion Ware, 1870-72 ; Louise Watson, 1873-74; Hattie E. Wood, 1874-76 ; J. O. Gilman, 1876-78 ; Mrs. James Vincent, 1878-79 ; Lettie Davis, 1879-80; Fannie A. West, 1880-85 ; Eva M. Hall, 1885-87 ;. Martha E. Calef, 1887. Penmanship :- B. L. Dwinell, 1870-72 ; Uriel H. Squires, 1872-74; H. N. Pearce, 1874-76 ; H. H. Hollister, 1876-79 ; J. M. Kent, 1879.
The present condition of the school is the best in its history. The num- ber of pupils in the fall and winter terms of 1887 and 1888 has never been exceeded. The musical department, which was made a prominent part of the school work in 1884, has been successful from the first, both in number of pupils and character of the instruction. Nine scholarships have been recently endowed by gifts of friends, which are given, under prescribed condi- tions, to those needing aid. Of these one was founded by Hon. Parley Starr, of Brattleboro, one by the sons of Capt. Stephen Foster, of East Montpelier, one by Mrs. Harriet Mason Christie, of Woodstock, and the others by friends in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
The future of the school never was so encouraging as at present, a result due mainly to the devotion to it of scholars, teachers, and friends. To them it owes its life, after a struggle for existence that would discourage the bravest. From the beginning a very large number have responded to every call for funds. Often when the husband has died, the wife has taken his place as a benefactor; the son has supplemented the gifts of the father. New friends have risen to aid and strengthen the old, and its supporters were never so numerous as at the present. All things seem to prophecy for Goddard the fulfillment of the prayer of one of its earliest and latest friends, that "its prosperity may ever endure, and it may long continue to be a power for good in all the state, sending forth faithful children and obedient disciples of Christ our Teacher and Saviour, and God our loving Father."
Barre Academy was incorporated by act of the legislature of Vermont, passed November 13, 1849. An organization was completed under this act,
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and Newel Kinsman was chosen president and Leonard Keith, secretary. The academy building was completed in 1852, and in the autumn of that year the school was opened, with j. S. Spaulding, A. M., principal. Mr. Spaulding, before he came to Barre, had earned a high reputation as an able educator, by his successful management of the academy of Bakersfield, Vt .; and during the twenty-eight years that he was at the head of Barre Academy this high reputation was more than sustained. President Buckham, of the University of Vermont, at the funeral of Dr. Spaulding, uttered not mere words of eulogy when he alluded to Barre Academy as the Rugby of Ver- mont, and compared Dr. Spaulding with Dr. Arnold. Many of Dr. Spauld- ing's pupils may say of him, as one has said of Carlisle, " He benefitted me not so much by what he taught as he did by evoking an energy of purpose and will." This energy was impressed upon all who were so fortunate as to receive the instructions of Dr. Spaulding.
Dr. Spaulding was succeeded by A. H. Wheelock, A. M., a graduate of the academy and of the University of Vermont, who remained in charge of the school a little more than two years. Mr. Wheelock then accepted a position in the Institute of Technology at Boston, Mass. The school was con- tinued only three years longer. J. R. Slocum, A. B., succeeded Prof. Wheel- ock, and remained but one year. It continued its existence the ensuing two years, under the management of E. H. Dutcher, A. B., when, because the institution was without funds and in debt, the trustees found it impossible to continue it longer, and Barre Academy ceased to exist.
In the fall of 1887 the grounds and buildings were conveyed to the village school district (No. 8, of Barre). The district, by vote, had decided to adopt a system of graded schools so that, phenix-like, the old institution will be perpetuated by the new, in a manner more in accord with the spirit of the age, and perhaps will better subserve the needs of the entire community.
The curriculum of studies prescribed by the academy and mastered by its students thoroughly prepared them to enter any and all of the New England colleges, and fitted them also to enter into active business, or the learned professions. Over three hundred pupils, including both sexes, have gradu- ated from this institution, and those who have been enroled as students num- ber thousands. The honorable career of many of these affords surest testi- mony of the high character of Barre Academy.
The National Bank of Barre stands in the front rank of financial institu- tions in the Green Mountain state, and is the only National bank in Barre. It began business July 1, 1873, and its interests have been allied to the prog- ress and prosperity of the community, its policy being such as to promote the general welfare of the village. Its officers are : L. F. Aldrich, president ; B. W. Braley, vice-president ; F. G. Howland, cashier ; F. F. Cave, teller. The directors are : L. F. Aldrich, B. W. Braley, J. M. Perry, Charles Tem- pleton, and John Lynde. At this writing the loans and discounts of the in- stition are $218,000; its deposits, $145,000 ; its capital, $100,000 ; and its
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surplus and undivided profits, $31,500. The business of the National Bank of Barre covers a wide range of territory, and its depositors are from all towns surrounding this village, while many live at remote distances. The bank buys and sells government bonds, and sells New England state, county, and town bonds, and western state, territory, and school bonds. This institution pays interest on certificates of deposit at the rate of three per cent. per annum for periods of less than six months; and four per cent. interest on deposits remaining six months or longer. Interest deposits draw interest from the date of deposit, and no notice is required in the event of withdrawal. This bank has a guarantee fund of $200,000. Since its organization the National Bank of Barre has paid to its stockholders $164,000.
In the night of July 5, 1875, an attempt was made by four burglars to rob the Bank of Barre. They entered the residence of Cashier Charles A. Black, and compelled him, with a rope around his neck, to repair to the bank, and commanded him to open the safe ; but were there convinced of the fact that it was secured by a chronometer lock, as Mr. Black had informed them at his house. They then returned Mr. Black to his residence, where they had left a guard with his family, securely gagged and bound them all, Mr. Black with his hands handcuffed behind him. Mr. Black, in time, released himself and gave the alarm by informing the officers of the bank, who promptly in- stituted a pursuit of the robbers. A telegraph dispatch was sent to the Wells River bank next morning, announcing the fact of the burglary, and handed to Sheriff John Bailey, of Wells River, who started in pursuit and bravely capt- ured Peter Curley before night in a wood lot near Rumney, N. H. By the indomitable perseverance of Mr. Bailey, with the aid of other detectives, two more of the gang were arrested in the city of New York, in August following. One of them, an escaped convict from Sing Sing prison, was handed over to the authorities there to serve out his unexpired term. The other, George Miles, with several aliases, was tried at Montpelier, convicted, and sentenced to serve a term of fifteen years in the state's prison. Peter Curley, the first captured, gave "state's evidence," and was discharged.
Granite Savings Bank and Trust Co .- This bank began business April 13, 1885, and has already attained a position in the front rank among the monetary institutions of the Green Mountain state. The bank has a capital of $50,000, and conducts a commercial business in addition to its savings bank department. At this writing the institution has $225,000 on deposit, $185,000 being interest deposits, and $40,000 business deposits. Its deposi- tors number 825 persons. The loans and discounts approximate $250,000. The company pays interest on deposits at the rate of three per cent. per an- num ; and on deposits remaining six months or longer interest at the rate of four per cent. per annum, credited or compounded semi-annually, is allowed. The company receives business accounts subject to check, and makes collections throughout all parts of the United States and Canada, furnishes Boston and New York exchange, buys and sells United States bonds, and bonds of any of
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the states, counties or towns in New England ; also furnishes drafts on Ireland, Scotland, England, and other European points. The officers of the Granite Savings Bank and Trust Co. are : John Trow, president ; H. O. Worthen, vice- president ; H. W. Blodgett, treasurer ; C. N. Field, teller. The board of directors consists of the following gentlemen : John Trow, H. O. Worthen, A. D. Morse, C. L. Currier, W. E. Whitcomb, A. E. Field. The business of the company is steadily increasing, as will be seen by the periodical state- ments.
The Barre Water Company was chartered in the autumn of 1886. The res- ervoir is formed by damming Jail Branch about three miles above Hotel Barre. A sixteen inch water-main connects with the service pipes at the village. The head is equal to 260 feet. About six miles of service pipe have been laid, and there are fifty hydrants. The plant is owned by a private company, with the following officers: Dr. J. Henry Jackson, president ; William Birney, treasurer ; E. W. Bisbee, secretary. Directors: William Birney, Thomas N. Birney, C. L. Goodhue, Dr. J. Henry Jackson, and I. F. Aldrich.
Stafford > Holden Mfg. Co .- This industry dates its history to 1861. In 1864 it became Stafford, Holden & Co. In 1876 the concern was incor- porated under its present title, with a capital of $40,000. The officers of the Stafford & Holden Mfg. Co. are : E. B. Wood, president ; Clark Holden, secretary and treasurer. Directors : L. F. Aldrich, Horace Fifield, I. L. Gale, and J. R. George. The company give employment to sixty hands, and their works are fully equipped with every modern facility and appliance for the work in hand. The machinery is driven by water-power, with steam as auxiliary. The works are in a substantial brick building 200 feet in length, with several accessory buildings of wood. The company manufacture annually 24,000 dozens forks, rakes, and potato hooks, which find a market in all the civilized countries on the globe, large shipments being made to Europe and South America. The company is in possession of a prosperous business, and its product is held in great favor by the trade.
William Moorcroft's woolen factory .- Mr. William Moorcroft is proprietor of the Moorcroft woolen-mill, located about three-fourths of a mile from the postoffice. This mill has been in existence many years, and has been under control of Mr. Moorcroft for about thirteen years. Mr. Moorcroft. however, had been engaged in business in Montpelier for many years before, and has an experience of forty years in this industry. The Moorcroft woolen-mill gives employment to twenty hands in the manufacture of all- wool white flannel. The capacity of the mill is from 150,000 to 200,000 yards per annum, and it consumes 75,000 pounds of wool per year. The product of the mill is sold through Faulkner, Page & Co., Boston and New York.
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