USA > Vermont > Orleans County > Craftsbury > Historical celebrations in Craftsbury, Vermont, 1889-1941 > Part 2
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To the Scotch who have settled among us and produced such men as the late James W. Simpson, Craftsbury owes much of her intelligence and thrift.
Her freedom from the prejudices of creed and caste deserve special commendation.
In the brief time allotted me by the Committee in which to prepare and to deliver this address I have been compelled to pass over the names and work of many noble men and women but let us console ourselves with the thought that their memories and their deeds are cherished in the hearts of their descendants.
In 1791 Craftsbury had a population of 18; now it numbers 1400 with a Grand List of over $6000. From one school district in 1796 she has increased to 14. Until 1795, she was the only town represented in the County.
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As Sturbridge sent here one hundred years ago the flower of her youth so the Craftsbury of later years has sent her young men and women to the west to be the pioneers of that new coun- try. Wherever they have gone they have carried with them the qualities that command success. To those of her children who are scattered abroad Craftsbury sends the assurance of her tender solicitude for their welfare and to those who celebrate with her today's Centennial, she extends a mother's welcome and bids them all honor the memory of her founders for their ability, their integrity, their private and public virtues.
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CRAFTSBURY SESQUI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION IN AUGUST, 1939
The first meeting of those interested in having a celebration on the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Craftsbury was held in the Academy building on November 29, 1938. At this time a general committee was elected which at a later meeting organized with Martin S. Sawyer, President, Hon. Horace F. Graham, Vice President, Martha B. Paterson, Secre- tary, and Euna K. Anderson, Treasurer. Various committees were formed for different features of the celebration and the dates of August twenty-third and twenty-fourth 1939 were finally set for the celebration. Letters were written to the town clerks of the towns in the county and to others originally belong- ing to the county inviting the towns to participate in the pro- ceedings.
The project undertaken by one of the committees was the redecoration of the Craftsbury room in the Old Stone House at Brownington. This was done. Another committee marked the buildings and sites of historical interest some of which were vis- ited on a pilgrimage on August twenty-third.
On this day a granite marker, which shows the entrance of the Old Hazen Road into Craftsbury from Greensboro, was un- veiled with appropriate ceremonies. Addresses were given on this occasion by Mr. Carlyle V. Willey President of the Orleans County Historical Society and by Hon. Horace F. Graham of Craftsbury.
On the evening of August twenty-third an entertainment in the Town Hall portrayed the supposed reminiscenses of three men in a local store, thus bringing to remembrance the old time choirs, singing schools, and so forth.
The forenoon of the twenty-fourth was given over to sports and to the exhibits in the gymnasium. This building was fitted up to represent various rooms in a house in the olden time; the kitchen, dining-room, bedroom and parlor all being furnished with articles loaned for the occasion from homes in the town. In the gymnasium also were displayed pictures which were most in- teresting to the townspeople.
After a cafeteria dinner served in the Academy Building, the afternoon opened with a Parade, led by the Craftsbury Band, and comprising twenty floats, and groups, of local historial in- terest. In the van, seven episodes from the history of Craftsbury were represented : the first settlers arriving in an old-fashioned two-wheeled ox cart; Mrs. Crafts and her children in their new home, feeding a group of starving Indians; Augusta Crafts, as a bride, riding off on the same horse with her bridegroom, Dr. James Paddock ; an Old-Time School with quaintly dressed chil- dren sitting on antiquated double seats, the teacher with her rod,
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and the dunce on the stool ; a group of young men, on horseback and on foot, driving "rustled" cattle back to Craftsbury Common in 1813; a model of the first Academy building of 1829, cleverly made with brick-paper walls, and graceful cupola, complete with its tiny bell; finally, a motor-truck bearing "Craftsbury's Future Citizens"-a child from each of the seven present-day district schools, seated at a modern desk. The three Churches of the Town were next represented: the Congregational Church of Craftsbury Common by a float carrying an old-fashioned Minis- ter and hymn-singing Choir, complete with melodion and ancient song-books; the East Craftsbury Covenanter Church by two Elders carrying a cut-out of the old church building, es- corted by two ladies, all in costumes of the last century ; and the Craftsbury Village Methodist Church by a dashing Circuit-Rid- er, with his bulging saddle-bags.
Then came the Town Library, with its old Crafts Family portraits reproduced in living tableau on a float. The John Wood- ruff Simpson Memorial Library float followed, with one group representing the counter of the old Simpson store at East Crafts- bury; and another, the book-table with Librarian and young readers, symbolizing the present use of the building. Next, the Craftsbury Community Fair organization was represented by a Roman chariot ; and the East Hill Players by Queen Drama, flanked by Comedy and Tragedy, riding in an open automobile.
A decorated automobile represented two of the 4-H clubs of the region, and the young lady members of the Lake Hosmer 4-H Club marched in varied costumes behind a banner reading : "From Hoops to Halters." The Craftsbury Grange was repre- sented by a beautifully decorated auto-truck ; and the neighborly good-will of the Town of Albany by an ox-drawn hay-wagon laden with citizens dressed in the best visiting clothes of olden days. Two distinguished ladies of Albany followed, in an auto- mobile-Mrs. Delia Honey and Mrs. Mary Stone, both well over ninety years of age. Finally a group of young people, on foot and on horseback, representing the Summer Colony of Greensboro, formed the rear guard of the Parade.
Following the parade came the literary proceedings of the day with Hon. Horace F. Graham in charge. These exercises took place in the open air on the Common. On the platform were seated Mr. Graham, already mentioned, and the speakers of the day : His Excellency Governor George D. Aiken, Hon. Aaron H. Grout, Mr. Carlyle V. Willey, J. Harry Covington, Mason S. Stone, Mr. Dwinell, Reverend E. O. Barnard, Edward Davit, Charles Plumley, Martin S. Sawyer, President, and the two aged citizens from Albany. The addresses given appear on later pages of this book. The Craftsbury Band under the leadership of Alden Twiss furnished the music.
The Celebration closed, as did the Centennial Celebration fifty years previous, with a fine display of fireworks.
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CRAFTSBURY SESQUI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION
1789-1939
The Afternoon of August 23rd Setting the markers on the old Hazen Road. Entertainment and Dance in the Evening.
The Next Day-all day-the 24th
A Big Parade. Sports. Dinner at noon. Cafeteria style. Gov- ernor Aiken is coming. Speeches in the afternoon. Appropriate Literary Proceedings. Flower Show. Surprise in the Evening.
Come and Renew Friendships and Acquaintances.
(The above is the text of the Post-Card Notices of the Craftsbury Ses- quicentennial Celebration which were sent out by mail).
TOWN LINE CRAFTSBURY GREENSBORO
HAZEN ROAD
17,79
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CRAFTSBURY, VERMONT
DEDICATION OF HAZEN ROAD MARKER
The Craftsbury Sescui-centennial Celebration opened on the afternoon of August 23rd, 1939, with an outdoor ceremony at the side of the highway leading from Greensboro into Craftsbury, a little to the East of the hamlet of East Craftsbury. There about 200 people from Craftsbury and neighboring towns gath- ered on the road and in the pasture above it for the ceremony of unveiling a granite marker set at the roadside and on the Town Line between Greensboro and Craftsbury. The marker is in- scribed: "HAZEN ROAD, 1779," and beneath: "N. 69 E. 536 Feet," the surveyor's figures giving the direction and distance from that point on the modern highway to the nearest point on the Town Line where the old Hazen Road passed into Crafts- bury. This road named for its co-builder, General Hazen, was be- gun by General Bayley of Newbury, under orders of General Washington, and was intended for a military highway to con- nect the Connecticut Valley settlements with Canada. It passes through Caledonia and Orleans Counties, and ends at Hazen's Notch in the town of Montgomery, where it was abandoned, there being no longer the need for a military road which had prompted its being undertaken in the earlier years.
The dedication ceremonies were opened with a selection by the Craftsbury Band; then followed the Invocation by the Rev. Herbert G. Schulze pastor of the East Craftsbury church, who was introduced by Ex-Governor Horace F. Graham, chairman of the memorial committee. Then the American Flag which was draped over the marker, was withdrawn by the Misses Elizabeth Clapp and Carolyn Anderson, two little girls whose families have played important parts in the history of Craftsbury. Mr. Graham then gave a brief address, outlining the history of the Hazen Road, and calling attention to the importance of such a highway in the birth and development of our communities. Un- fortunately his remarks were never written down, so that the in- teresting and moving address cannot be printed here. Mr. Gra- ham then introduced the main speaker of the occasion, Mr. Car- lyle V. Willey, president of the Orleans County Historical So- ciety, the text of whose address follows. The ceremonies were concluded with another selection by the Craftsbury Band.
INVOCATION
Hazen Road Marker
Aug. 23, 1939.
Eternal God our Father, in whom we live and move and have our being, we look to Thee in thanksgiving today for the privilege of dwelling in Thy Created World. We see Thee ex-
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pressed in the beauty and loveliness of our surroundings, and sense Thy Presence in the lives of Thy people.
We deeply appreciate the gracious heritage that is ours, and ask that we might be more worthy in the light of the sacrifice and achievement of our Forefathers. We live in comfort and security as typified by this road today, while they struggled in hardship and danger as part and parcel of their mode of travel.
We ask for their courage and endurance as we face difficult modern paths which lead on to new frontiers of mind and spirit. They established our physical surroundings and we today would carry on in their faith in helping build a human community wherein the inherent values of a civilization may expand and grow in truth and worth.
Increase our faith and guide our hearts and lives, in the name of the Pioneer of Life. Amen.
Herbert G. Schulze.
HISTORICAL ADDRESS
The following address was given by C. V. Willey, president of the Historical Society at the dedication of the Hazen Road marker.
"Roads are the mark of the advance of civilization. At the dawn of history, when the wandering tribes established a per- manent home, roads became a necessity. Historians mention three great highways running out from ancient Babylonia, then the foremost nation of the world. The Carthaginians are credited with the first systematic road building, but the great road build- ers, of ancient times were the Romans, who linked together their vast empire with permanent roads for travel, commerce and military uses.
"No later inventions of travel, such as the railroad, automo- bile or airplane, can compare in their influence on our county with the coming of the roads which made what was then only an unbroken forest a part of the civilized world.
"Let us give a little thought to how much a road, however crude, meant to the early settlers. Without a road leading back to civilization, they were obliged to live in huts of hewn logs, for no mill machinery could be brought to them, and they had no mill to grind their grain. They were without carts or wagons of any kind, and could not have those household necessities, the loom, and the great iron kettle for making salts of ashes, for washing or the making of soap or maple sugar. There could be no regular mail, no newspapers, nor communication with distant friends or relatives.
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"Previous to the Revolution and for some years after, north- eastern Vermont was an uncharted wilderness, a No Man's land, whether a part of the colonial provinces or of Canada, no one could know. That it was settled by people from the South, rather than from the North was due to the forethought and initiative of the men of Newbury, which in 1763 became the northern settle- ment and outpost in what is now eastern Vermont.
"Whatever arguments they advanced to win the approval and aid of General George Washington for the construction of a military road through this wilderness, one of their objects doubt- less was to relieve the frontier settlements of the menace of at- tack from Indians of the North who were resentful at having the planting and hunting grounds which had been theirs from time immemorial, invaded by white intruders.
"No account that I have read of the building of the Hazen Mil- itary Road details the obstacles they must have overcome; the thousands of trees felled, and their stumps removed; the hun- dreds of logs laid in the swamps for corduroy, and the boulders removed with the aid of oxen and horses to make the road pass- able as their report says 'for the ordinances of war.'
"That the builders of the road were well armed is evident as no reported attack was made upon them. But in the spring of 1781, two years after the completion of the road, the Indians came probably down the Hazen Road, attacked Peacham, then the new frontier settlement, and carried away two men and a boy prisoners. At once, Captain Nehemiah Loveland was sent with a company of soldiers to protect the inhabitants. In Septem- ber he sent a scouting party of four men up the new road to dis- cover any signs of Indians. They did not return, and there was no knowledge of their fate until the following summer, when in an exchange of prisoners at Quebec between the British army and the Continentals, two of the party were exchanged and told the story of being attacked in a blockhouse at the west of Cas- pian Lake in Greensboro. Two of the men were shot down and scalped, while they were taken prisoners and hurried to Quebec. They then led the way to the scene of the engagement where the bodies of the slain soldiers were found and buried where they fell.
"Troopers Bliss and Sleeper, doubtless lads in their teens, as the able bodied men were then in the Continental Army, buried in an unmarked grave on the west shore of beautiful Caspian, were as truly martyrs to the advance of civilization as were many others of whom long histories have been written.
"Today we mark the greatest factor in the development of Orleans county-the Hazen Military Road. Over this road came the settlers of Greensboro, Craftsbury, Albany, Irasburg, and the towns in the Missisquoi Valley. In two years after the incorpora-
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tion of the county in 1792, the first county road was built (in 1794-95) from the Hazen Road in Greensboro through Glover, Barton, Brownington, Salem, Derby to Stanstead, thus opening up the eastern part of the county with the Hazen Road as a foun- dation.
"May we, as the inheritors of what these men laid out, bor- row some of their spirit and self-reliance. Could they return now, they would marvel at the countryside as we see it. The modern roads, the green hills and fields would be something beyond their dream. As we dedicate this stone, that marks the beginning of our county, let us dedicate ourselves that in our hands, its grandeur and beauty and the freedom and liberty that they sought, shall not grow less."
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CRAFTSBURY. VERMONT
TEXT OF PROGRAM FOR THE AFTERNOON OF AUGUST 24, 1939
PROGRAM
Hon. Horace F. Graham, presiding
March-National Emblem Bagley
Invocation-Rev. Carl J. Peterson
Address-Carlyle V. Willey President Orleans County Historical Society
March-Hail Vermont Perry
Address-His Excellency Gov. George D. Aiken
March-Invercargil Ļithgow
Address-Hon. Aaron H. Grout
March-Washington Post Sousa
Remarks by Distinguished Visitors
America-Audience led by Quartet and Band
The Craftsbury Band will furnish the Music.
The Historical Society will meet at the Church at 11 o'clock A. M.
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SESQUI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION TOWN OF CRAFTSBURY, VERMONT.
AUGUST 24, 1939
INVOCATION-REV. O. E. BARNARD.
Let us bow our heads in prayer. O thou eternal God, our fathers trusted in Thee and we, Thy children, look to Thee as our hope and as our strength. We thank Thee for all our blessings, especially for the privilege of being born in the land where there is the recognition of human rights, and as we are met in this beautiful spot this afternoon where so much of Thy glory is be- ing revealed to us in the world of nature, and where our minds are stirred as we think of what has transpired on this historic ground, we would bow in submission, in humility and with thanksgiving, but also with a recognition of our own obligations as sons of those who have lived wisely and have wrought nobly that we might receive the blessings that we today enjoy. We pray Thee, O God, that Thou wilt help us in these days of uncer- tainty and confusion through which we are passing, that we may do our part as nobly, as loyally and with as much consecra- tion as our fathers did who made possible the blessings of this Town and of this State. Grant Thy blessing, O Lord, we pray Thee upon all those who today have it within their power to carry on and to do the work that needs to be done in these days through which we are passing. Especially grant Thy blessing upon those in places of authority-upon the Governor of this Commonwealth and all associated with him, that they may con- tinue to guide wisely the ship of state and that they may be given wisdom and grace from Thee; and grant, O Lord, that we may all have that spirit of loyalty which shall enable us to live and work and do our part in all the coming days. Grant Thy bless- ing upon the exercises of this hour, strengthen us that we may do Thy will and bring us to that Heavenly home, through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Note : Mr. Barnard officiated on this occasion in the place of Rev. Carl J. Peterson, a former pastor, who had been invited to do so, but was prevented by illness.
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ADDRESS OF CARLYLE V. WILLEY
President, Orleans County Historical Society, Aug. 24, 1939.
Mr. Chairman. First I thank you for dignifying my few re- marks as an address, for I can assure you that all addresses to- day will be made by the distinguished speakers a little later on the program.
The Orleans County Historical Society is most deeply in- debted to the citizens of Craftsbury and to your committees for this Sesquicentennial Celebration. We thank you for this fitting observance of the event which marks the beginning of the history of our county. The memorials which have been placed by our Society, such as the marking of Runaway Pond in Glover; the Hazen Road in Lowell; the Indian and Pioneer Landing on the Barton River and all the others, have little weight in comparison with the first building of a permanent home in Orleans County by Colonel Ebenezer Crafts in Minden, now Craftsbury.
I ask for only a few minutes of your time to give you a glimpse of the purpose of our Society. It was formed in 1853, eighty-six years ago. The objects are expressed in the first article of the constitution then adopted: "To promote the study of Natural History, primarily in Orleans County and Northern Vermont, and to collect and preserve while the early settlers are able to furnish them, the items of interest in the civil history of the County, which would otherwise be lost to the future histori- an." That this was possible at that time is proven by the selec- tion of the first president of the Society. They chose a man who with his father had been the first settlers in Orleans County ; a man whose record can hardly be equalled in this state or in any other : A graduate of Harvard College, afterward Chief Judge of the Orleans County Court; President of the Convention for Re- vision of the State Constitution : Governor of Vermont ; Repre- sentative in Congress, and United States Senator-the Honor- able Samuel Chandler Crafts of Craftsbury.
In later years, Gov. Horace F. Graham of Craftsbury also served for many years as President of this organization.
Thus being so intimately connected with your distinguished citizens and your town, our Society is honored to the greatest de- gree by the invitation to be your guests on this occasion.
Always, in every society, when everyone is enjoying the fes- tivities to the utmost, someone arises to throw a cold, wet blan- ket on the occasion. Faces which were wreathed in smiles be- come overcast and sorrow reigns supreme. for someone has brought up the subject of membership and dues. This is now my duty and pleasure. The continuation of carrying on the objects of
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our Society "to preserve those items of interest in our civil his- tory which would otherwise be lost to the future historian," pa- pers such as will be given by the principal speaker today and a marker for the graves of Troopers Bliss and Sleeper in Greens- boro can only be done by your support and by your continued support.
In a territory so large as our County, it is almost impossible to make a personal appeal to all who are interested. It must be voluntary to a great degree. The cost of membership is not ex- cessive-$1.00, and $.50 dues thereafter. Mr. Carroll Jenkins, our Treasurer, will be pleased to attend to you. May this So- ciety, founded by Samuel Crafts and his associates, and contin- ued so many years, have your active assistance ?
Contrary to the belief of most of you, this celebration does not end tonight, for as a memorial of this occasion, one of the committees of this Sesquicentennial celebration has finished the decoration and furnishing of a room in the Old Stone House in Brownington as a Craftsbury Memorial Room. The official opening of this room with a picnic lunch at noon will be held there at some later date.
ADDRESS-HIS EXCELLENCY GOV. GEORGE D. AIKEN
Governor Graham, Ladies and Gentlemen on the platform, folks in Craftsbury, and neighbors of Orleans County, and I see some from more distant points. This is certainly a delightful audience gathered here in Craftsbury today. I have seen the his- torical parade depicting the historical events of the early days of this town and I feel I am speaking to a typical Vermont au- dience, made up partly of people born and brought up here and partly of folks that have come to Craftsbury we will say years ago, expecting to remain temporarily and deciding to stay in- definitely for the rest of their days. And then as I look around the audience I see quite a few people who haven't been in Ver- mont long enough yet to get the fragrance of balsam permanent- ly fixed in their hair. But that is the finest fragrance in the world as you will learn later on.
I am spending a good deal of time these days in attending Old Home Days and Centennials and Sesqui-Centennials, but they all take the form of Old Home Day. I think that is just about one of the finest institutions that there is in the world- when folks get together in their neighborhood and folks who lived there years before come back and others come in to partici- pate in these affairs.
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Old Home Day originated, as you know, in New Hampshire. But I think it has been brought to perfection in Vermont. Com- munity loyalty today is stronger in our own State of Vermont than in any other State in the Union, and we have strong loyalty to our State, as well as to our community. During the last few years people outside have viewed this loyalty of Vermonters to their community and their State with mixed and rather divergent feelings. Many folks have regarded this State of ours as some- thing that has given them a feeling of security. I fear that a few others have regarded us as a stumbling block in the attainment of their ambitions. I don't know just what it is that makes Ver- monters what they are, why they are so intensely loyal to their State and to their own peculiar form of government-our Town Meeting form of government, which is the nearest to being a government of the people of any government in the world. Pos- sibly it is the type of people that settled Vermont, that came up here because they loved liberty. They felt irked by the oppres- sion of the distant government of the older colonies of New Eng- land, and they came up here to a rich land where they could' en- joy freedom of worship and a right to control their own local af- fairs.
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