USA > Vermont > Bennington County > History of Bennington County, Vt. : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 36
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67
At a freeman's meeting held on the 21st day of December thereafter the committee made their report, and recommended the purchase of two third class engines, but the estimated expense of the purchase seems to have staggered the voters present, therefore, when S. L. Godfrey moved that the whole subject be dismissed, and that the meeting adjourn sine die, the motion was carried promptly.
The department officers for 1869 are chief, John V. Carney ; first assistant, Rufus B. Godfrey ; second assistant, John Kehoe ; clerk, John R. Burton.
313
VILLAGE OF BENNINGTON.
Department officers for 1870 .-- Chief, William H. Cady; first assistant, James l'. Sibley ; second assistant, Frank Blake; secretary, J. R. Burton.
Officers for 1871 -Chief engineer, Henry W. Putnam; first assistant, George S. Bradford ; second assistant, Frank Blake.
At a meeting of the electors of the village held July 17, 1871, Judge Har- man moved that the village purchase two steam fire engines, but J. Halsey Cushman moved an amendment that but one engine be purchased with hose sufficient to supply the same. Judge Harman accepted the amendment and the proposition was carried.
Officers for 1872 .- Chief engineer, John V. Carney ; first assistant, C. G. Cole; second assistant, C. W. Benton.
The purchase of the steamer was followed by the organization of a com- pany for it, which became known as the Stark Steamer Company. Jackson Hose Company came into existence about the same time.
Officers for 1877 .- Chief engineer, Olney Fuller ; first assistant, C. W. Ben- ton ; second assistant, C. C. Kimball.
Officers for 1879-Chief, Olney Fuller ; first assistant, William Moore; sec- ond assistant, J. A. N. Williams.
Officers for 1880 .- Chief, Olney Fuller ; first assistant, Edward D. Morse; second assistant, James A. N. Williams.
Officers for 1882 .- Chief, W. H. Robertson ; first assistant, J. P. Sibley ; second assistant, M. W. Stewart.
Officers for ISS3 .- Chief, Rufus B. Godfrey ; first assistant, H. Mortimer Harris ; second assistant, Mortimer Hamlin.
Under the act of the Legislature passed in November, 1884, it was pro- vided that the firewardens of the village be appointed by the board of trustees, and not elected by the freemen, as had been the custom theretofore. Inas- much as the foregoing portion of this chapter has, so far as the village rec- ords permitted, given the succession of officers of the village, and occasionally the officers of the fire department, it is proper that there should also follow the succession of village firewardens, and that before describing the fire depart- ment companies, apparatus, etc., as they exist to-day, the several persons who have served in the capacity of firewardens of Bennington from the time the village was incorporated, or from the time of the first annual election in 1850, with the years of their service, may be mentioned as follows :
1850 .- Asahel Booth, Lemuel Grover, Buckley Squires, Madison E. Wins- low, James H. Bennett, Calvin Gilson, Moses Harrington.
1851 .- Asahel Booth, Samuel L. Godfrey, jr., Resolvy Gage, Decius W. Clark, Mason C. Morgan, James H. Bennett, Luther R. Graves.
1852 .- Asahel Booth, Mason C. Morgan, Samuel L. Godfrey, jr., James H. Bennett, Albert Walker, James Boardman, William E. Olds.
40
314
HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
1853 .- Asahel Booth, James H. Bennett, Samuel L. Godfrey, jr., Peter !! Story, Hymen Tuttle, James Boardman, Alonzo B. Valentine.
1854 .- Asahel Booth, James H. Bennett, Samuel L. Godfrey, jr., Peter II Story, Hyman Tuttle, James Boardman, Russell B. Judd.
1855 .- George Benton, George W. Hall, Henry W. Booth, Asa D. Stew- art, William B. Booth, Joel T. Shippey, Resolvy Gage.
1856 .- George Benton, George W. Ilall, Henry W. Booth, Asa D. Stew- art, William B. Booth, Charles S. Colvin, Resolvy Gage.
1857 .- W. Barker Wright, George W. Hall, Andrew M. Johnson, Asa 1). Stewart, David C. Harwood, Zadoch L. Taft, Henry E. Bradford.
1858 .- Henry G. Root, Decius W. Clark, Enos Adams, Asa D. Stewart, David C. Harwood, Zadoch L. Taft, Henry E. Bradford.
1859 .- Madison E. Winslow, S. Mason, Robinson, jr., Jolin Boynton, George Benton, Luther D. Hamlin, Chauncey L. Shaw, Henry E. Bradford.
1860 .- John R. Gates, S. L. Godfrey, jr., Luther D. Hamlin, Joseph H. Loring, Samuel H. Brown, Peter H. Story, James H. Bennett.
1861 .- Silas Buss, George Benton, George S. Bradford, George W. Har- man, Thomas P. Burton, Hudson P. Smith, Hymen Tuttle.
1862 .- Silas Buss, George Benton, George S. Bradford, George W. Har- man, Thomas P. Burton, H. P. Smith, Hymen Tuttle.
1863 .- George S. Bradford, Rufus B. Godfrey, George Benton, L. M. Hol- ton, Joseph H. Loring, Luman P. Norton, Peter H. Story.
1864 .- George S. Bradford, Rufus B. Godfrey, George Benton, L. M. Hol- ton, Joseph H. Loring, Luman P. Norton, Peter H. Story.
1865 .- George S. Bradford, Rufus B. Godfrey, George Benton, L. M. Hol- ton, Joseph H. Loring, Luman P. Norton, Peter H. Story.
1866 .- George S. Bradford, Rufus B. Godfrey, George Benton, L. M. Hol- ton, Joseph H. Loring, Luman P. Norton, Peter H. Story.
1867 .- George S. Bradford, Charles S. Colvin, Daniel McEowen, Joseph H. Loring, Rufus B. Godfrey, Hiram Bingham, Albert Walker.
1868 .- Daniel McEowen, Lyman F. Abbott, George A. Packer, John E Pratt, Clark Rice, William H. Cady, George Rockwood.
1869 .- Joseph H. Loring, Milo Remington, George Albro, Daniel Mc- Eowen, John E. Pratt, Hiram Bingham, Lyman F. Abbott.
1870 .- D. W. Hyde, Levi Bradbury, George A. Wood, Lucius Holton, Al- bert Walker, H. W. Booth, Buel Rockwood.
1871 .- D. W. Hyde, Levi Bradbury, George A. Wood, Lucius M. Holton, Alonzo B. Valentine, William H. Grover, Buel Rockwood.
1872 .- George A. Packer, J. H. Woodman, Sylvester Peelor, Alonzo B. Val- entine, George A. Wood, John V. Carman, Buel Rockwood.
1873 .- Milo G. Remington, Daniel O'Donnell, J. H. Woodman, T. A. Hutchins, John E. Pratt, W. H. Grover, Martin Stickney.
·
315
VILLAGE OF BENNINGTON.
1874 .- William Martin, C. G. Cole, Daniel Cronin, R. M. Luther, H. M. Harris, C. C. Kimball, J. P. Sibley.
1875 .- Levi Bradbury, C. G. Cole, Daniel Cronin, R. M. Luther, H. M. Harris, C. W. Benton, C. C. Kimball.
1876 .- Milo G. Remington, C. G. Cole, Levi Bradbury, R. M. Luther, H. M. Harris, C. C. Kimball, C. W. Benton.
1877 .- Milo G. Remington, C. G. Cole, Levi Bradbury, R. M. Luther, H. M. Harris, C. C. Kimball, Charles W. Benton.
1878 .- Milo G. Remington, C. G. Cole, Levi Bradbury, Rev. R. M. Luther, H. M. Harris, C. C. Kimball, Charles W. Benton.
1879 .- Samuel Keyes, Thomas Barron, Nelson Molds, Charles B. Riddle, Edward Gilson, S. B. Pike, Rufus B. Godfrey.
1880 .- Orin D. Adams, Joseph H. Loring, Norman M. Puffer, Frederick Godfrey, George B. Sibley, George A. Smith, William H. Bradford.
1881 .- Frank Remington, Alexander Dougherty, Frank Dwyer, M. W. Stewart, J. W. Williams, G. A. Smith, C. W. Benton.
1882 .- Milo G. Remington, Joseph H. Loring, Levi Bradbury, N. M. Puffer, H. M. Harris, L. D. ITamlin, Charles W. Benton.
1883 .- John Purcell, Robert Drysdale, E. R. Buss, M. W. Stewart, W. G. F. Wright, H. M. Hamlin, E. W. Bradford.
1884 .- John P. Purcell, M. J. Guiltinam, E. R. Buss, Charles Galusha, Charles B. Riddle, M. F. Hamlin, E. W. Bradford.
1885 .- Elected by village trustees: R. W. Bennett, Robert Drysdale, Eu- gene Brown, Frank Cromack, W. D. Newton, George Phillips. Vacancy in Seventh ward.
1886 .- Orin D Adams, Robert Drysdale, Elmer Peelor, W. N. Hyde, W. D. Newton, G. N. Phillips, E. D. Moore.
1887 .- Charles A. Pierce, Robert Drysdale, Michael McKeon, C. H. Wake- field, F. S. Pratt, George N. Phillips, George Sibley.
1888 .- Charles A. Pierce, ward 1; Arthur J. Dewey, ward 2; Michael Mc- Keon, ward 3; Charles H. Wakefield, ward 4; Andrew J. Downs, ward 5; Ed- ward L. Bates, ward 6; George M. Sibley, ward 7.
The Present Village Fire Department .- As will be seen from the foregoing pages, the fire department of Bennington since its first organization in 1850 has undergone many changes and reorganizations, making it exceedingly difficult to trace the existence of the several companies that have, from time to time, constituted the village department. It is not an unusual occurrence among fire companies that dissatisfaction and dissensions arise, and that companies disband and reorganize under a different name; and while this has occasionally occurred in the Bennington department, such acts are not exceptional, but are to be found in every community throughout the land. The old companies, Spartan No. I, and Protection No. 2, of course, have passed out of existence, as
316
HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
well as the old hand engines that they managed so well and efficiently, and it ., believed that not one of the old original members of either of these companie. is connected with the present department. The General Stark Steamer Com- pany has also disbanded as an organization, though the engine itself remain!, and is ready for use in any emergency. The excellent system of village water- works has rendered the use of the steamer unnecessary, and the only companies or apparatus required for protection against fire are the hose and hook and lad- der organizations, with which the village is now very well supplied.
The fire department of Bennington at the present time consists of the W. H. Bradford Hook and Ladder Company No. I, the Stark Hose Company No. I, the F. M. Tiffany Hose Company No. 2, and Putnam's Hose Company No. 3. The quarters of the several companies are as follows: The Hook and Lad- der Company on Main street above the factories; the Stark Hose Company on Pleasant street near North street, on the location formerly of old Spartan en- gine company ; the F. M. Tiffany Hose Company on Main street, and Putnam Hose Company, the junior of the fire organizations of the village, on River street.
The Bennington Fire Department has its own organization and elects its own officers; so also is constituted each of the companies that form the depart- ment, but it can hardly be within the province of this chapter to record the names of the various officers chosen by the companies or the department for self or social government. The department at the present time is under charge of Rufus B. Godfrey, chief engineer; Robert Drysdale, first assistant engineer, and Fr . I.I. Tiffany, second assistant engineer. The department is in better condition tor efficient service at the present time than it has been at any other time during its existence.
The Police Department .- This branch of the municipal government of Ben- nington is perhaps of the least importance, so far as this chapter is concerned, of any of its various departments, and demands but little mention in these pages. The existence of the police regulations and protection began with the incorporation of the village, and has kept even step with the growth of the place to the present day. Even before the village became separated from the township the constables saw that order and peace were maintained, but the office of constable was then, and still is, more of a process server than of a peace officer, and it was only when the acts of incorporation became operative that a police department can be said to have been organized, and as the act passed in 1849 contained no provision for the establishing of a police force, or adopting police regulatious, the local constabulary and the sheriff of the county per- formed police duty, but, fortunately, their labors were not particularly burden- some. But under an act of the Legislature passed in November, 1855, the trustees of the village were authorized to appoint police officers to the nun- ber of seven; and in pursuance of this power so vested in them they appoint-
317
VILLAGE OF BENNINGTON.
ed on January 30, 1856 George W. Hall, John V. Carney, William E. Olds, Henry F. Dewey, Lafayette D. Hamlin, Chauncey J. Olds, and Benjamin Gregg police officers for the corporation of Bennington These appointments were made for the year next ensuing, but the appointees were to serve until their successors were appointed, whether the time be more or less than one year. If the old village records are to be relied upon there were no further police appointments until the year 1859, when on July 15th Henry F. Dewey, Madison E. Winslow, Enoch Moore, Joseph H. Loring, Alonzo H. Bennett, Clark Rice, and John E. Pratt were chosen by the trustees as the conservators of the peace within the village. The act of 1884 made no radical changes in the police regulations of the village, but it did provide that of the seven police- men authorized to be appointed annually one of the number should be desig- nated as chief. Under this act the subsequent appointments have been made, but it has not been the custem of the board of trustees to make the same reg- ularly; still a sufficient force has been regularly maintained, under whose watch- fulness general good order is assured to the people of the village.
Educational Institutions .- For a period of more than twenty years after the village of Bennington was incorporated and became an independent jurisdic- tion, it still remained attached to the township so far as its educational institu- tions were concerned; and it was not until the latter part of the year 1870 that the people of the village were enabled to free themselves from the township and establish a graded school system, such as would not only be an honor to the place, but would give the youth of the locality the benefits of a modern school in which they could receive instruction in the higher branches.
Prior to the passage of the act by which the village was incorporated into a graded school district the territory embraced within the village limits was di- vided into no less than five school districts of the township, and these even were subject to any change desired to be made by the freemen of the town at any regular meeting; and being thus divided it was utterly impossible that the chil- dren of the village should have the advantages of a higher education than could be had at any country school. Therefore it was not unnatural that a feeling of dissatisfaction should be created among the progressive people of the corpora- tion, and that their desire for better educational advantages, together with their united efforts, should lead to the separation from the district school system of the township, and the establishment of the magnificent institution that now adorns the village. Of the town or district schools that have been erected on the village plat the first was probably that built soon after the incorporation of Union Academy, October 30, 1817, which some few of the older residents will call to mind. Another stood about on the site of the Stewart property, not far from the site of that just named. Another town district for a time had a school in the basement of the Methodist Church on Main street. Another was built on what is now known as Depot street. But perhaps the most pretentious of
--
318
HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
the old school buildings was that on South street, which was built about 18.45 or 1846, and was considered the leading school of the locality. But since the completion of the graded school these old buildings have lost their usefulness as educational institutions, and are either removed altogether or occupied for other purposes than schools.
"1On the 14th day of April, 1870, at the instance of George W. Harmon, Eugene O. Cole, Alonzo B. Valentine, Henry E. Bradford, Olin Scott, and oth- ers, a town meeting was called to see if the legal voters of the town would con- solidate the five districts in the village, viz .: 4th, 15th, 17th, 18th and 23d, thus forming one district. The assembled voters of the town took action upon the proposition and decided to consolidate the districts. The following persons were appointed to act as the prudential committee of the graded school dis- tricts thus organized : Henry E. Bradford, Olin Scott, and Eugene O. Cole. Some time in June of the same year the opponents of the graded school enter- prise called a town meeting to see if the town would reconsider its vote of the April meeting consolidating the districts. This the town did and divided the one district into the original number. Thereupon the friends of the system not to be foiled in this way in their endeavors to establish a graded school in the village, circulated a petition among the legal voters thereof, of which the fol- lowing is a copy : 'To the Honorable General Assembly of the State of Ver- mont, session of 1870. Your petitioners, legal voters of the village of Ben- nington, would respectfully pray your honorable body to incorporate a graded school under the name of Bennington Graded School, comprising the territory within the corporate limits of said village. Bennington, Vt., September 24, 1870.' The names of two-thirds of the legal voters of the village representing three-quarters of the grand list were on this petition. The Legislature granted the request of the petitioners and passed an act of incorporation. Thus was established the graded school system in the village by the official act of the General Assembly of Vermont."
In accordance with the provisions of the act above named a call for a meet- ing for the purpose of electing officers of the district was issued on the 26th day of October, 1870, and the meeting was ordered to be held at Free Library Hall on the 9th day of November thereafter. The meeting was organized by the election of George W. Harman, moderator, and Thomas J. Tiffany, clerk. On motion of J. Halsey Cushman a committee of seven, one from each ward, was appointed to nominate district officers; and upon the presentation of this com- mittee the following officers were elected: Trustees, Luther R. Graves, Charles E. Dewey, Sylvester Peelor, Daniel McEowen, David Carpenter, John V. Car- ney, and Buel Rockwood; treasurer, George W. Harman ; collector, Rudolph Goldsmith. At a subsequent meeting held December 19, 1870, William S. Southworth, Hiram Bingham, and Henry E. Bradford were chosen district audi-
' From the sketch prepared by C. H. Hubbard, and deposited in the corner stone receptacle.
1
319
VILLAGE OF BENNINGTON.
tors. The early meetings of the school trustees were devoted mainly to the reorganization work necessary to be done, the employment of proper teachers, and the vast amount of preliminary discussion in contemplation of the purchase of a lot, and the erection of an appropriate school building thereon. Of course this undertaking was not to be accomplished at once, and it was in fact some four years, or in 1874, before the new building was ready for occupancy ; in the meantime the old schools were used, but after the completion of the new build- ing the others were sold, and the avails of the sales were turned into the school fund.
In June, 1873, the trustees were directed to purchase from Henry E. Brad- ford and Lyman F. Abbott the lot of land on School street, on which the build- ing is erected, at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars ; but this lot was subsequently enlarged by a further purchase from Henry W. Putnam, costing eight hundred dollars ; but of this latter sum the district only paid six hundred dollars, the balance having been contributed by Major Alonzo B. Valentine. At a meeting held on the 27th day of October, 1873, the trustees reported the plans and specifications for a school building, the estimated cost of which was not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars. After hearing the report this res- olution was offered and adopted: " Resolved, That it is hereby ordered that a school building be erected in the district, for the accommodation of the school children of the district according to their several grades; such building to be substantially in accordance with the plans before this meeting, the same being drawn by Mr. M. F. Cummings, of Troy, N. Y., and recommended by the school trustees." A further resolution passed at the same meeting authorized the trust- ees to contract for the building of a school-house upon the lot above named.
But about this time there seems to have been rampant a strong sentiment of opposition to the graded school enterprise, brought about largely, undoubt- edly, by the dread of the heavy burden of taxes that must fall generally upon the people of the district, and partially by reason of the fact that there were per- sons who had opposed the project from the very beginning, they being satis- fied with the old district school system, however insufficient or unpopular that system might be. But, after a fair and impartial discussion of the whole subject, a meeting of the district was held, and the propositions of the warning-to see if the district would reconsider the previous vote to build a school-house-to sell the land purchased from Henry E. Bradford and others, and to indefinitely postpone the collection of the necessary tax for building purposes, voted at the previous meeting, were dismissed by a very large and emphatic majority.
No further serious obstacle was encountered by the committee to impede the progress of their work ; the contract was let and the building at last com- pleted. Its location, situation and attractive appearance are familiar to every resident of the township, and to a great number of the people of the county, and therefore needs no minute description in these pages. Notwithstanding
320
HISTORY OF BENNINGTON COUNTY.
the best efforts of the trustees it was found impossible to keep the expense of erecting the building within the estimated sum of twenty-five thousand dollar,, and the school structure cost, in fact, twenty-nine thousand dollars, to which must be added the further sum of three thousand dollars for furnishing, and sti .: another like sum for heating apparatus, making a total cost of the whole prop- erty complete of something like forty thousand dollars.
General School Rulcs.1-The schools under the care of the trustees of the Bennington Graded School District shall be classified as follows: Primary, In- termediate, Grammar and High. The Primary Schools shall consist of three classes : Seventh, sixth, and fifth; the Intermediate of one, the fourth, and the Grammar of three, the third, second, and first. The High School shall be divided into classes according to the course of study pursued. The time speci- fied for each class in the course of study is designed to be one year of thirty-nine weeks. For convenience of study and recitations each class may be divided into sections. No teacher shall have more than two classes under her charge unless the school is so small it cannot be otherwise arranged.
Branches of Instruction .- Instruction shall be given in the Primary, Inter- mediate, and Grammar Departments in Temperance, Physiology, Reading, Spelling, Writing, Arithmetic, Language, History, Grammar, Composition, Declamation, and Vocal Music. The courses of study for the High School, which are four in number, viz .: 1, a commercial or business course of two years; 2, a general course of three years; 3, a full English course of four years; 4, a classical course preparatory for college of four years. The instruction in the High School is in six departments, embracing the following studies: 1, Classics -Latin, and Greek; 2, Modern Languages-French, and German; 3, Com- mercial-Book-keeping, Phonography, Type-writing, Mechanical Drawing, Commercial Arithmetic, Business Forms and Commercial Law; 4, Mathematics -Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry and Surveying; 5, Belles- lettres, History, etc .- Critical study of English Language, Theme-Writing, and Declamation, Rhetoric, English Literature, American Literature, Ancient Me- diæval and Modern History, Civil Government, International Law, and Logic, Vocal Culture, Music; 6, Natural Sciences-Physical Geography, Temperance, Physiology, Natural Philosophy, Natural History, Botany, Astronomy, Geol- ogy, Chemistry, Meteorology.
The honor, and certainly an honor it is, of having built up and maintained the most excellent reputation of the Bennington Graded School belongs alike to faculty and trustees, for both have been zealous in their efforts to establish in Bennington an educational institution second to none in the State, and the present condition of the school shows that those efforts have been crowned with abundant success.
In the preceding portions or divisions of this chapter some mention has
1 From the Bennington Graded School Catalogue of ISS7.
----
-
321
VILLAGE OF BENNINGTON.
been made of the officers connected with the various branches of the munici- pal government of the village ; therefore this subdivision would hardly be com- plete without some allusion to the persons who have comprised the board of trustees of the district, as well as other officers connected therewith; but it is deemed inexpedient to here furnish a complete roll of the teachers of the school from the time of incorporation to this present.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.