USA > Vermont > Addison County > Bristol > History of Bristol, Vermont (1762-1940) > Part 3
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There was an iron mine in the western part of the town. Rowland Robinson in his book, "Three Rivers," mentions this mine and says that orc was taken from it to make the cannon balls used by the American fleet in the battle of Lake Champlain.
Eight forges in all were built and the history of the one built in 1802 by Henry Franklin, Captain Gurdon Munsill, John Arnold and Obadiah Beal is so interesting that we quote an account of it from Harvey Munsill's history: "This forge did a good and profitable business for about seven years until the month of Junc, 1809 when it was burnt. This forge after it was rebuilt did a good, profitable business for seven years and then in the month of Junc, 1816, was again burnt. At this time the forge was owned by several different persons. It was again rebuilt by its owners very soon after its destruction the second time and continued to do a very large business for seven years more when again in the month of June, 1823 it was for the third time entirely consumed by fire. But not discouraged the owners again rebuilt the forge, and as before, continued to do a good, profitable business for about seven years, when on the 26th day of July, 1830, it was carried off by the great and memorable flood, leaving scarcely a vestige of the same, or of the dam across the river to mark the place where it once stood .- The forge has not been rebuilt since the great freshet -. "
Another gristmill, built of stone, in the east part of the village, in 1818 is of especial interest to us of today, as it was one of the four buildings that formed the foundation of the present Drake, Smith & Co. factory which
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
is in active operation today. The upper part of the stone mill was used as a pill box factory. Between 100 and 200 cords of white birch were used annually in manufacturing these boxes and several people were employed here. A sawmill, built sometime before 1836, formed the easterly boundary of the gristmill and shortly after that a tan-bark mill was built close-by. About 1845 the fourth building, a carding mill, was added to this group by Israel Eddy who later passed it on to his son-in-law, Sam Hasseltine, who abandoned the mill about 1880 and the machinery was then moved to Hinesburg. In the meantime, Solomon Drake, owner of both the grist and tan-bark mills sold the former but retained control of the tannery which he left to his son-in-law, Horace Farr. As late as 1865 leather was tanncd in the mill and a cobbler and harness shop was operated at the Farr housc on East Street, now known as the Dupee house. In 1880 the carding mill building was sold to A. J. Eastman who manufactured butter tubs there for five years. He then sold to E. W. Smith and T. S. Drake who formed the original partnership of Drake & Smith for the manufacture of bce keep- ers' supplies and boxes. They also bought the business which A. E. Manum had established, making the bee kecpers' supplies. In the early '80's Drake & Smith acquired the rights of the gristmill, sawmill and tan-bark mill, thus consolidating the four factories into one plant. About 1894 Charles McGee purchased several shares in the business and in 1935, in company with his son-in-law, Richard Smith and grandson Clement Smith, he bought the remaining shares from the heirs of the late E. W. Smith. The property for the first time came under the control of one family. Mr. McGee and Rich- ard Sinith are now dead and Clement Smith has moved but the property is owned by Mrs. Richard Smith and under the able management of Reuben Norton and Horace Farr the factory continues a thriving business making woden boxcs, silos, water tubs, door frames and sashes to order.
In 1862 Howden, Daniels & Company incorporated and began the manufacture of doors, sashes and blinds. In 1867 David Bosworth bought Daniels' interest and the firm became known as Howden, Bosworth & Company. There was too keen competition in the manufacture of doors and blinds for the company to be very successful and a change was made after the flood in 1869 had damaged the plant to some extent. At this time they decided to manufacture caskets and the first one made by the firm was put on the market in 1870. In 1877 the name was changed to the Bristol Manufacturing Company which was known for a number of years as one of the largest manufacturers of caskets in the country but which has now closed, having ended all activity in the plant in 1939.
For a number of years, while the Bristol Manufacturing Company was manufacturing caskets, a separate industry known as the O. K. Clothes Dryer Company was housed in the factory belonging to the Bristol Manu- facturing Company and manufactured clothes dryers of maple wood. The manufacture of clothes dryers was discontinued several years before the casket factory was closed.
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
Close to this plant, but independent of it was the James Whitney Chair Company, founded about 1850. Whitney finally gave up the manu- facture of chairs and in company with M. P. Varncy began making caskets. This enterprise was not very successful and the plant was sold to the Bristol Manufacturing Company which tore down one of the two Whitney buildings and erected a paint shop on the sitc.
Another manufacturing concern in Bristol which was very successful for a time and was one of the largest of its kind in the country was the Bartlett Plow Manufactury. Much of the sod on the western prairies was broken by the plows manufactured at the Bartlett plant in Bristol. In 1847 a small shop burned in which plows were made near Quaker Street in the town of Lincoln. The plows were made by David Tabor, Russell Tabor and Stephen Bartlett. A place to manufacture by using water power was sought and located at the junction of the New Haven River and Baldwin's Creek. After land was purchased the new site was named Rocky Dale. Five dwelling houses were built, a temporary foundry and shop for continu- ing the plow business were constructed and operated to begin with by using stcam, while a water mill and a larger separate foundry were being constructed. The Tabors sold to S. Bartlett & Co., who built a larger water mill containing a saw mill, with flutter wheels to operate the saw mill, and a large Brest water wheel to run the plow machinery. Castings were made in the first foundry to build the large water wheel and saw mill parts, as well as for the manufacture of road scrapers, cultivators, plows, hay cutters, drags, and harrows. Some years after the larger water mill was constructed nicans for utilizing water power were much improved and later makcs of water wheels were used, and clapboards, spruce lumber, and nail keg staves were produced. After spruce lumber began to become scarce the manufacture of pill boxes, and small turned wood parts from white birch was added.
About 1880 fire destroyed the factory of the Barlett Plow Works but the machinery and right to manufacture plows had been previously sold to the Patrick family in Hinesburg.
Near the plow factory was Rockwood Barrett's chair stock and butter tub factory which employed 12 men and used 500,000 feet of lumber annually in the manufacture of chair stock and butter tubs. Mr. Barrett was a Rutland man and eventually moved the firm to Rutland.
A sawmill in South Bristol, owned by a Mr. Varney, changed hands in the late 1870's and the new firm of Sumner & Prime began the manu- facture of bee keeper's supplies. Later C. E. Gove bought into the firm which became known as Prime & Gove. The mill burned in 1894 and was not rebuilt.
In the last half of the century several industries developed which had a short existence and in many cases the dates of the starting and closing of the firms cannot be obtained. There was the mill for tar coating of shingles which was situated beside the O'Brien Brook in South Bristol and
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
the wagon shops of Albert Dunshee & Son (Herbert), Arba Mansfield and J. II. Wright. Three other wagon makers who also added blacksmithing to their trade were F. Greenough, Octave Cushman and N. McIntyre. Harnesses were made by Ira Farnham and William Battles and later by ·Ira Eastman, Heman Hill and J. Z. Gaudet. Peter Lander operated a cigar making factory for a time, employing about 20 hands.
The flood of 1869 destroyed the old red grist mill, at the foot of Mill Hill, but the owner, R. D. Stewart, rebuilt it. Later the Bristol Manu- facturing Company took it over as part of their plant and Mr. Stewart opened a feed store in the Gale store which had been moved to South Street. In 1896 Arthur Kilbourn and E. W. Smith formed a partnership and started the Cyclone Gristmill for custom grinding and a feed store. In 1900 Mr. Kilbourn bought his partner's interest and became sole owner. The 1924 fire destroyed the Kilbourn mill but it was soon rebuilt and a scparate office building was added. In addition to this mill there is now a branch store at New Haven Junction which serves as a warehouse and feed store. Mr. Kilbourn sells farm machinery, cement and fertilizer as well as grain. His sons Francis and John are associated with him.
In 1897 the Cold Spring Creamery on the New Haven River, owned by Evarts and Eastman was doing a thriving business and had just installed new machinery at its branch creamery in New Haven Mills. At this time the Riverside Condensed Milk Company was formed and built a factory across the river from the creamery at a cost of several thousand dollars. Evarts and Eastman were both members of the Riverside Company which took over control of the creamery. At first the firm prospered taking in from 30,000 to 40,000 pounds of milk daily but trouble soon arose. The condensery was closed and the machinery was sent to Worcester in 1901. Mike Hannon bought both the creamery and condensery buildings at auction. In 1903 he leased the creamery to a Boston firm and there is no further record of its activities. Except for two winters when it was used for roller skating the condensery building remained idle until 1910 when Mr. Hannon sold it to Homer Hewitt and Fred Wright who established a wood turning factory employing from eight to ten persons and doing a yearly business of $5,000 to $8,000. The factory burned in 1914 and was not rebuilt.
The same year that the condensery was built, 1897, A. L. Cain leased a section of land at the corner of Pine and Maple Streets and began the construction of a factory for the making of wood novelties which was finished the next year. The factory, which was a successful enterprise, employed from 10 to 20 hands. After the factory burned in 1903 Mr. Gain · was too disheartened to rebuild but local men formed a stock company, known as the Bristol Novelty Company and rebuilt the plant. After a time the business ceased and the factory was left vacant.
In 1912 the factory of the New Haven Mills Manufacturing Company at New Haven Mills, owned by M. I. Thomas, burned. A special village meeting was immediately called in Bristol at which it was proposed that
HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
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DRUGS
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Main Street About 1900
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
the village buy the Novelty Company factory and present it to Mr. Thomas, with tax exemption for five years, provided that he would locate in Bristol. The village officers, however, found that they had no authority to buy prop- erty. Mr. Thomas offered to pay $2500 for the factory. This offer was accepted and the remaining $1500 of the purchase price was provided by the townspeople who were very anxious to have the plant located here. This was the beginning of the Vermont Box Company which is now owned by Ford Thomas, son of M. I. Thomas. It is now a thriving enterprise employing between 40 and 45 hands.
Charles Frary started a factory on the New Haven River, east of Bristol village in 1908 and conducted a successful wood turning business there until 1934 when he sold it to Frank Elliott. The factory is now closed.
In 1917 Stafford & Sons of Morrisville took over a last block factory in Bristol which they sold to the Chamber of Commerce, with all the machinery and the tenement house, in 1932. In 1934 the factory was sold to Carl Aldrich who had a monument carving business.
In 1936 the A. Johnson Lumber Company purchased the Fred Ham- mond farm on Bristol Flats, where at a large outlay a number of buildings were constructed. In 1938 the plant was moved here from South Lincoln where it had been operating for over 10 years. The company had just gotten established when the flood occurred in the fall of 1938, causing much damage, and large quantities of logs and building materials were carried downstream by the New Haven River. Much of these materials was later recovered. The firm, under the management of Fred Johnson, operates on a large scale, buying logs in the vicinity and supplying all kinds of building materials as well as doing custom sawing.
HISTORY OF THE LITTLE NOTCH
The section known as the "Little Notch" is supposed to have derived its name from the fact that it is the smaller of two notches or clefts in the mountain range which extends through the entire length of the town of Bristol in a north and south direction. The Little Notch supplies the outlet for the watershed of the entire southeastern corner of the town, and covers approximately three thousand acres. The first growth or original stand of timber covering this section at early settlement was spruce, birch, maple, pine and hemlock, spruce being of greater quantity and value in the lumber industry.
Five small streams from different directions join together forming what is known as the Notch Brook. This is the same brook which is called "O'Brien Brook" in the early records of Bristol, after the three O'Brien brothers who operated a mill on the stream. A body of water known as Gilmore Pond is situated about one and a quarter miles easterly from the main highway leading through the Little Notch. This pond formed by springs covers some ten acres, with a depth of three feet and a black
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muddy bottom. The outlet of this pond is one of the five streams that form the Notch Brook. The name is supposed to have been derived from a man by the name of Gilmore who at an early period had a mill about fifty rods down stream from the outlet. Decayed timber of the old flume and log dam can still be seen. There are also threc to four acres of cleared land adjacent to this pond which would make it seem reasonable that there must have been a habitation at one time although no transfer of title to the land appears on any record.
The first road leading to the "Notch" left the main highway near the school-house in South Bristol turning to the east and following up the westerly side of the Notch Brook. In the ycar of 1859 the present highway leading up the easterly side of the Notch Brook was opened for use afford- ing not only a better grade but also a connection with the road leading south from Bristol Village along the foot of the mountain, this section having been settled for some time. Late in the year of 1860 the road was con- pleted over the mountain to the southern part of the town of Lincoln. At the point where the road crosses the divide into Lincoln the altitude is 1899 feet above sca level as given by the United States Government survey.
The date of the first settlement in the "Little Notch" is unknown, but it would scem that lumbering was the occupation that attracted people to this locality. Records show that on November 11, 1831, Rufus Barnard sold to A. and C. Curtis ten acres off the south end of lot No. 6 in the fourth division of town lots for a mill site. This site was at the point where the five brooks unite and for one hundred years following a mill was in opera- tion there. But nothing in the lumber industry of importance was estab- lished until the late 60's, when Mr. A. J. Eastman and Mr. Durfec built a saw mill for the manufacture of lumber, clapboards and butter tubs which were in great demand at that time. This mill was soon destroyed by fire, thus ending the first real attempt of a lumber industry in the "Little Notch."
In 1879 Joseph Jimmo built a lumber mill below the Eastman site which he operated for a few years. In the summer of 1880 Noah Lathrop and H. L. Parmelee purchased Mr. Eastman's mill site, together with two houses, a blacksmith shop and a barn. They then erected another mill on this site. In 1885 Mr. Lathrop bought Mr. Parmelee's interest in the firm. In 1903 the mill burned and was immediately rebuilt. That year Clarence Lathrop entered the firm which was known thereafter as N. Lathrop and Son. It grew to be the largest lumber concern in Addison County turning out dressed lumber, shingles and clapboards. The business continued until 1925 when all the timber of commercial value had been cut in this section.
Among the early settlers living in log houses in the decade 1850-60 were families of the following names: Harris, Bigclow, Stilson, Peckham, Adams, Scarborough, Thomas, Shadrick, Newton. In the next two decades many more families settled here, among who we find thesc names: Corm- icr, Brown, Cousino, Odette, Eubar, Carpenter, Jimmo, Parmelee, Lathrop,
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Booska, Pecott, Duquette, Bone, Rivers, Sears, Swinyer, Vincent, Devoid, Bellman.
At first small clcarings were established and log houses erected to be followed before long by frame houses. Farming on a small scale was attempted but the land was so uneven and the soil so rocky that it never proved successful. Many of the settlers turned to lumbering, selling their logs to the mill owners, while others converted their hardwood into char- coal which they sold to the owners of forges in Bristol and adjacent towns. There was a very good market for charcoal around 1850.
In 1879 school district Number 9 was organized and a school build- ing was erected about 20 rods north of what is now the Harry Vincent farmhouse. The school was entirely surrounded by spruce timber and had an attendance of 14 pupils. As the lumber industry increased the popula- tion bceame larger and in the school ycar 1887-88 there was an attendance at the school of 50 pupils, all in charge of one teacher. About 1900 a two room school was built and for approximately ten years two teachers werc employed. In the spring of 1938 the school was discontinued as there were not enough pupils to maintain it longer.
After N. Lathrop and Son discontinued their lumber business in 1925 the population of the Notch decreased rapidly so that in 1938 there were only two families left there. At the present time, however interest is again being aroused in the location and now, in 1940, there are six fam- ilies residing there, one of whom has just erected a new house.
The foregoing account of Bristol Notch was written by Mrs. Clarence E. Lathrop.
HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
I
Aerial View of Bristol with Main Range of Green Mountains in Background
(1) ROAD REPLACING PLANK ROAD
(2) FORMER COURSE OF BRISTOL RAILROAD
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Military History of Bristol
The first militia company in Bristol was organized June 7, 1791. It was the 10th Company, 2nd regiment, 6th Brigade Vermont Infantry. Cyprian Eastman was chosen eaptain and Benjamin Clapp, lieutenant. Another company, the Light Infantry, was organized June 1, 1808, with John Kilbourn, eaptain and Jehiel Saxton, lieutenant. Very gay were these infantrymen in their uniforms which consisted of searlet eoats with white and buff faeings, white pants with blaek half-gaiters, white vest, black stockings and eitizens round hat with a brass pieee in front. These eom- panies did their full share in helping enforee the Embargo aet of 1808 and in fighting in the War of 1812. Sixty-six men from Bristol took part in the Battle of Plattsburg.
The records of the G. A. R. were burned in the fire of 1924 so the following list of Civil War veterans enlisted from Bristol may be ineom- plete. It was obtained from the H. P. Smith "History of Addison County" and from gravestones in Greenwood Cemetery. The list: J. M. Bacon, A. F. Baker, E. R. Baneroft, C. L. Bartlett, H. R. Beekwith, R. A. Bird, H. Bowers, C. Bowers, H. Brooks, W. Brooks, Napoleon Bush, Moses Bushee, A. Butterfield, A. Bezner, J. Bezner, W. E. Bieknell, C. Bowers, G. H. Bunker, E. D. Barnes, Abraham Butler, Henry Butler, R. C. Brown, E. D. Chase, E. D. Chillson, H. Cook, M. Callihan, Joseph Clapper, Charles Clapper, A. Danforth, G. E. Drake, O. B. Drake, W. B. Dunshee, F. Daniel, C. E. Dushon, F. M. Dwyer, Philip Dwyer, Noble F. Dunshee, J. C. Emerson, L. C. Finch, E. J. Foster, A. N. Gauthier, C. Grimes, B. J. Grinnell, F. W. Grinnell, G. W. Green, Frank Greenough, Nicholas Gravel, Ed Guinan, John Hagan, David Hamblin, J. B. Hastings, B. F. Hiekins, J. Hines, J. W. Hilton, E. R. Jacobs, U. D. Jacobs, A. A. Leland, Noah Lathrop, John MeVar, H. C. Myers, James Moody, S. S. Morgan, F. Mullings, G. Mullens, Richard Munroe, Daniel Munroe, C. R. Myers, H. D. May, Napoleon MeIntyre, A. E. Manum, M. Melian, W. W. Needham, H. Noland, C. E. Nelson, J. Oakes, Charles O'Brian, Hòraee O'Brian, Loren Oreutt, H. L. Prime, A. A. Peters, P. Phinney, S. Preston, Charles Prinee, S. W. Palmer, E. B. Palmer, D. Patno, Israel Plain, H. C. Powers, D. C. Quimby, J. B. Quimby, C. J. S. Randall, Horace Robbins, W. T. Riehard- son, N. Roberts, Alfred Rouell, John Searborough, William Scarborough, John Shadrick, James Shadriek, William Shadriek, William Shadrick (these two were unele and nephew), Isaae Shadriek, R. Sharlow, Benj. Sheldon, J. Sheldon, L. Steady, Jr., F. Strait, E. Tart, N. Tart, D. R. Thompson, N. C. Thompson, E. Tatro, E. Vradenburg, S. Vradenburg, C. B.
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Warner, C. E. P. Wheeler, E. C. Wright, J. Weaver, L. F. Weaver, L. S. Walker, Ed Whittemore, George Whittemore, Daniel Whittcmore, Jr., C. Yattaw. The last veteran of the Civil War was Lester Bryant who died in 1936 at the age of 98. Mr. Bryant did not enlist from Bristol but came to Bristol from Lineoln a few years before his death.
The observanee of Memorial Day in Bristol began in 1889, the money being obtained by popular subseription at first. Soon money was donated by the town at the annual town meeting for this purpose to the Bristol post of the G. A. R., known as the W. C. Dunton Post. The money is now donated to the American Legion. In 1928 the Women's Relief Corps, affiliated with the G. A. R., placed a bronze tablet on the park in memory of the soldiers from Bristol who participated in the Civil War.
A chapter of another Civil War organization was formed in Bristol sometime during the 1890's. The N. F. Dunshee Camp Sons of Veterans was formed at this time and met regularly for many years. The eamp was named after Colonel N. F. Dunshee because of his splendid record as a soldier in the Civil War.
There are no records of Spanish-American War veterans obtainable. The only men from Bristol who took part in this war whose names we know were David Bosworth, Judson Hanks, Vern Brooks, Harold Foyles, Mr. Tabor, Walter Shedriek and Claude Guinan.
A record of the Bristol men who served in the World War was ob- tained from the bronze tablet in the park, which was placed there by the Bristol post of the American Legion. These men were: Irwin Atkins, Leighton Betts, Leon Bingham, Edward Blanchard, John Blanchard, Wal- laee Booska, Fay Brown, Robert Brown, Conrad Brown, Cyrus Butler, N. J. Camarra, Able Chandler, Harrison Chapman, Ernest Clapper, Wallace Clapper, Carl Clark, George Cormier, Willard Cormier, Harold Coursey, Francis Cousino, John Dalton, Walter Danforth, Alfred Devoid, George De- void, Volney Durfee, Henry Dwire, John Dwire, William Edmunds, Peter French, Howard Guinan, Alfred Hagan. William Hier, Vernon Hill*, Ben- nett Hughes, Newton Hurlburt, Clyde Hutchins, Guy Hutchins, Ray Huteh- ins, Walter Irish, Chester Jacobs, Casper Jones, Franeis Kilbourn, Grover Langeway, Lewis Lathrop, Alphus Lattrell, Philip Lawrence, George Lee, Howard Levarn, Russell Lowell, Walter Mason, Clinton MeCormick, Howard MeCormick, Rolla MeCormick, Charles MeKinnon, Daniel Me- Kinnon, Thomas Mckinnon, Bernard MeShane, Laurenee MeShane, George Mott, George Murray, Cardell Norton, Guy O'Bryan, Ralph Palmer, Lever- ette Palmer, Vernie Pecor, William Philips, Arthur Prime, Dean Prime*, Albia Provoncha, Henry Rathbun, Harold Shiverette, Truman Shiverette*, Carl Smith, Clement Smith, Francis St. George, Berley Sumner, Ceeil Sumner, Ford Thomas, Norman Thompson, James Turner, Melwood Shephard, Linwood White, Dr. Harold Williamson, Donald Wilson. These men were in the army.
*Killed in action. (Shiverette died in camp.)
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Aerial Pho
by G.N. L.
HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
Bristol Airport View to North
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HISTORY OF BRISTOL, VERMONT
Navy men from Bristol were Leslie Billings (died soon after joining), Arthur Drummond, Lyman Frary, Leonard Lafayette, Merrill Prime, Car- roll Stearns, Fay Thompson, Marvin Wendell.
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