USA > Vermont > Addison County > Bristol > History of Bristol, Vermont (1762-1980), Third Edition > Part 6
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Written by Ramona Fuller.
Heffernan's Pine Tree Farms
Pine Tree Gardens was started in 1931 at the current Charles Shepard property on the corner of North Street
Fuller Farm on Fuller Flats - east of the Village on Routes 17 and 116
e
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and Plank Road. Two acres of land were given as a wedding present to Dorothy Shiverette Purinton and George Purinton by her mother.
Together they started a truck (vegetable) garden and greenhouse. business. In 1936, the Edward Blan- chard property became available. It consisted of twelve and a half acres, more or less, on the east side of North Street or the current site of the "home" or original farm house and barn. This was purchased by George and Dorothy Purinton and construc- tion of a farm house was started in 1938. In 1941, the primary business of Pine Tree Gardens was still vegetables and a greenhouse.
As more land on the west side of North Street was acquired, George added a barn, in 1945, and milk cows; and they still continued their previous ventures. In the spring of 1953, the barn burned and was rebuilt as the ashes still smoldered.
Francis Heffernan, who came to live and work with the Purintons at the age of nine, entered the Army in 1954 and upon returning, in 1957, was of- fered a partnership. It was at this time the name was changed to Pine Tree Farms. An addition to the barn, more cattle, and more land were added shortly thereafter.
In 1959, Francis married Diane Hansen of Brooklyn, New York, and the farm was purchased from George and Dorothy Purinton in January 1962. Growth continued, more room for cattle was needed and in November 1967, the "Douglas Farm" or former Truman and Burt Varney farm located on Monkton Road just north of Hard- scrabble Road was purchased.
In 1968, the milking cows were consolidated, a milking parlor and free stall barn were built, and the gardening operation continued but at the new location.
In 1969, a new vegetable stand was built and, in 1973, a new greenhouse at the new location. Another greenhouse was added in 1975 and a third in 1979. As the herd grew, the need for land also grew. In 1974, another parcel of and just north of the home farm became available and was purchased from Rollin and Hazel Devino. In ad-
dition, land is also rented from neighboring landowners.
Pine Tree Farms today has grown to a little over four-hundred acres and still continues as a dairy farm, truck garden, and greenhouses. It is a family operated farm.
Written by Diane Heffernan.
Hill Farm
The Robert J. Hill farm purchased March 1971 from the John Kilbourn estate is shown on old maps as Parmelee property. As it is known to- day, this dairy farm consists of two- hundred-fifteen acres with a free stall barn. The house, built in 1845, has been renovated to include an apart- ment.
The Hills have about two- hundred-ten Holstein cows and heifers. The children have twenty-two registered cows. The Hills have four children, Ronald, sixteen; Joanne, fourteen; Brian, nine; and Kevin, four; who are active in 4-H and enjoy show- ing their cows at the County fairs. They all help with the farm duties.
Written by Jeanette Hill.
Bristol's author, Merritt Parmelee Allen, was born and raised on this farm where his family lived for several generations. He wrote all of his articles and books from the farm until he moved to The Maples on Hewitt Road. Further information is written on Allen under the Prominent Persons section of this history.
Hunt Farm
Lee Hunt was eighteen years old when his family moved to the Bristol Flats farm. His father, Charles Hunt, purchased four-hundred acres from Edwin Eastman, Lee's uncle, for three- thousand dollars in 1928. He had a wagon, dump rake, horses and mowing machine; fifteen to twenty cows were kept. Butter and cheese were made and sold to Middlebury College. For family use and cash, hens and pigs were also raised, berries and apples grown, and
maple syrup was made. There was no electricity when the Hunts first came to the farm.
Five years later Lee's father died. Lee worked on the farm for the next eleven years for his board and room. He then managed it for his mother un- til her death. It became a dairy farm carrying thirty-five grade cows.
For many years, Lee carried milk in cans from neighboring farms on the Flats, South Bristol, and New Haven Mills to the plant in Middlebury for shipment. By 1958, tank trucks took over picking up milk right at the farm from bulk cooling tanks and trucking it to markets in a matter of hours. At one time there were ten dairy farms on Bristol Flats, today there are three.
Lee Hunt is a direct descendant of the Eastman family, one of Bristol's first settlers.
Kilbourn Farm
Thomas and Janice Kilbourn are now raising a small herd of beef cows on land that has been in his family since 1893.
In 1836, a gentleman by the name of Ira Tucker purchased a parcel of land for the sum of two-hundred dollars. We assume shortly after that, Ira Tucker built the farm house and in January 1893, sold the house and land for two-thousand dollars to Ashbel Dean. One month later, the property was purchased by Thomas' grand- father, John Fitzsimons, who then operated it as a dairy farm.
The Bristol Railroad ran through the Fitzsimons' property and made a stop at a three-cornered building west of the farmhouse. This stop was known as "Tucker's Crossing." The Fitzsimons' grandchildren would ride to the farm from the Village for eleven cents.
In later years, John and Fannie Fitzsimons deeded their farm to their daughter, Marguerite Fitzsimons Kilbourn and her children. Upon the decease of John and Marguerite Kilbourn, the farm was purchased in 1971 by their son Thomas, grandson of John Fitzsimons.
Written by Janice Kilbourn.
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Lathrop Farm
The Lathrop farm, owned and operated by James and Claire S. (Cho- quette) Lathrop was purchased in 1976 from Daniel and Georgianna LaFrance. This farm is located on both sides of the Carlstrom Road, with the old Marcus Carlstrom farm bordering us to the north and the Ridley farm to the south. The Ridley farm in part is owned and operated by the Saunders. Our deed and many original land descriptions on this road use the name Ridley Road.
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel LaFrance had operated this farm off and on for nineteen years. John Gilmore sold the farm to the LaFrances after he had operated it for close to twenty years. Also, John Gilmore privately pur- chased this farm from a Mr. Hurlburt.
When we purchased this farm, there were sixteen cows, now we have expanded the operation to forty cows with thirty heifers. The original farm had one-hundred-eighteen acres. Since then, we have purchased twenty-five acres from the old Harvey Hewitt farm and fourteen acres from the Sarah and Bill Tatro estate.
In 1977, we put up a concrete silo followed by another bigger one in 1979. The barn, since our purchase, has been completely refurbished along with the addition of a heifer barn. We produce all our own feed on our land and land rented in and around Bristol.
Written by Claire S. Lathrop.
Livingston Farm
Philip and Harriet Livingston came from Massachusetts in the late 1950's searching for a larger farm to settle on. They found land cheaper in Vermont. One-hundred-eighty-eight acres plus livestock was purchased from Aubrey and Simone Weaver. The farm, located on Hardscrabble Road, had been in the Weaver family for nearly a century. Charles Weaver pur- chased it upon his return from service in the Civil War.
In November 1962, the barn was destroyed by fire. It was immediately rebuilt. The farm was enlarged in the early 1960's through the purchase of
adjoining lands from Carl Cham- berlain and Guy Blaise.
The Livingstons raise registered cattle and have the prefix "Broadview" on all registrations.
Written by Harriet Livingston.
Mahannah Farm
Carl Mahannah moved to his farm on Briggs Hill some thirty-five years ago. Forty head of cattle were kept. Each spring eight-hundred buckets were hung in the maple orchard. Carl and his wife came from Connecticut where he had a farm and milk route. Unable to carry on the farm due to fail- ing health, Mr. Mahannah presently rents his pasture land, meadows, and barns to Herbert Parker.
The farm was purchased from Almon Norton who moved there in 1913 from Starksboro. Owner before Almon Norton was Bill Briggs. Mr. Norton carried it on as a dairy farm. The next farm owned by his brother, Henry Norton, reverted to Almon upon the decease of Henry and his wife. The house burned.
Mr. Mahannah also purchased the adjacent Odell Estes farm. Mr. Estes ran a cider mill for a time.
dison County. After years of farming loam soil in New Jersey, we decided to purchase this farm due to the rich loamy soil, rather than farms in other areas.
Due to the high-rising taxes, urban development, and future outlook for farming in New Jersey declining, we decided to move to Vermont with our five children, farm machinery, and seventy milk cows. Since that time, two older children, Brad and Sue, have left the farm for other occupations.
Our three sons, Abe Jr., Dave, and John continue to stay home on the farm. Due to their interests in farming, the family has expanded the amount of animals to over two-hundred-sixty head, milking about one-hundred- twenty-five and about one-hundred- thirty-five head of young stock, calves and heifers. We also rent some nearby land, and last fall purchased a one- hundred acre tract of land in Monkton.
We have had to expand buildings to take care of our needs. We built a garage and workshop where all maintenance work on tractors, machinery, and trucks are done by David, who seems to excel in this line of work.
Abe Jr. does most of the fertiliz-
Mierop's Lake Winona Farm - Monkton Road - aerial view
Mierop's Lake Winona Farm
Lake Winona Farm was pur- chased in the fall of 1968 from Paul and Alice Cousino.
It was through friends of a similar background and the Christian Re- formed Church now located in Vergen- nes, Vermont, that Abe and Margaret Mierop began looking for land in Ad-
ing, planting, spraying, and harvesting of crops with the help of the other boys and Mr. Mierop.
John does a lot of feeding animals, caring for calves, cleaning barn, helping with the gathering of crops, and anything else needed to be done.
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It takes more managing than work to keep everything running smoothly and this is done by Mr. Mierop with the help of the family.
A new free stall barn was added in the summer of 1978. This is a great im- provement to our heifer-raising pro- gram. We raise all our own herd replacements using Eastern Artificial Insemination Cooperative as our source for herd improvement. We also use DHIA testing once a month.
Abe Jr., David, and Mrs. Mierop do the milking two times daily. Average pounds of milk varies between ten-thousand to eleven-thousand every other day.
We attribute a lot of success to our fine Harvestore System which helps us to gather our haylage in fine shape and get it off fast so we can get about four good cuttings a growing season of alfalfa.
At present an addition of fifty-two feet is being constructed on the main cow barn to house at least twenty more milk cows and a bunk silo to hold more corn silage.
Written by Margaret Mierop.
David Purinton Farm
David and Regina Purinton pur- chased the so-called "Meehan Farm" in 1974 from Robert and Elsie Purin- ton. The Meehan farm is approximate- ly one-hundred-fifty years old.
The Purintons purchased it in 1953 from Robert Levesque. In 1954, they erected a "modern" barn with steel stanchions and indoor plumbing with a bulk tank and milking machines. The original barn, which still stands, consisted of wooden stan- chions and an outdoor water tub. The milk was kept cool in milk cans inside an ice house.
Robert Levesque purchased the farm from F. O. Dutton. Dutton farmed it for only two years. During the two years he owned it, he logged three-hundred-thousand feet of timber. He sold the farm two years later for more than he purchased it for. Dutton logged with horses and used a cross-cut saw.
Dutton purchased the farm from Charles and Eddie Meehan. The
Meehans were the first owners to pur- chase a tractor, plow, and harrows, for eight-hundred dollars. Today the same would cost, at the least, twelve- thousand dollars.
The Meehans had a five-thousand tap sugar bush, which Dutton logged off. We now have four-hundred taps.
Many changes have taken place since the Meehans owned the farm. We use artificial insemination instead of a bull for reproduction. Through selected use of the best bulls, we have larger animals than the new barn was built for. Therefore, we are remodeling and putting in wider and longer com- fort stalls. We have registered Hol- steins instead of grade cows.
We have erected a new twenty by sixty foot concrete silo, with an automatic unloader instead of wooden silos which were unloaded by hand.
We feed a total mixed ration. Each cow is fed a balanced diet. The feed is blended inside a mixer cart with vitamins and minerals.
We are on a computerized accounting system. So, many changes have taken place since Charles and Ed- die Meehan farmed here.
Written by Regina Purinton.
Robert Purinton Farm
Traveling north from Bristol toward Starksboro, one will find the Purinton Farm situated high on a hill. It is believed to be the oldest farm in Bristol continuously run by the same family for four generations.
It has been operated by Scott Purinton and his wife, Amanda, for a year. Scott's parents, Robert and Elsie, operated it for thirty-one years before him. Robert's father, Ralph, operated it for thirty-two years before him. And before Ralph's time, it was owned by his father, Nelson. It is interesting to note that Ralph and Robert were both born in the same bedroom in the farm house.
The farm is a fertile loam abun- dant with rocks. The many stone walls and stone piles speak for the toil of clearing the meadows.
It is about the period from 1948 to 1979 that I am writing. That seemed to
be the age of change for agriculture. In 1948, there were three horses and one small tractor. Over the years, the trac- tors increased in horsepower and numbers until there were seven plus a bulldozer. The horses gradually faded out of the picture. Their stalls and hay were needed for milk-producing animals.
The hay was all handled by hand. It was "tumbled" behind a dump rake. A few years later, it was side-delivery raked and loaded by a hay loader. Around 1950, came the first hay baler which was a bulky, noisy rig. It was always breaking down. Eventually the balers were perfected, and then came kickers so that the bales were thrown into the wagons automatically. Con- veyors and elevators took the place of the pitch fork to get the hay into the far corners of the barn.
This farm grew from two small silos to four large ones. The last one, erected in 1977, holds one-thousand tons of corn! The corn used to be pitched by hand and it was back- breaking work. Now, it is all handled automatically by choppers and blowers. The farmer clearly has had to become more of a mechanic.
Beginning in the 1950's, the cost- price squeeze caught the farmer in its grip and everywhere the little farmers went out of business. The remaining ones had to become larger and, hopefully, more efficient. This farm branched out into the poultry business to produce added income. Hatching eggs were produced for a New Hamp- shire hatchery for eighteen years. This required a flock of five-thousand layers. So a new four-story hen house was built using lumber raised on the farm and sawed on Robert's por- table saw mill. This farm grew from two-hundred-fifty acres to over one thousand. It then became known as Purinton Farms. It grew from forty cows to over three-hundred-fifty registered Holsteins.
In 1948, a cow which gave forty pounds of milk a day was considered to be quite an animal. In 1978, due to ar- tificial insemination and better feeding programs, many cows are capable of producing over one-hundred pounds a day. The most exciting event upon the
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horizon right now is the process of ovarian transplants in cattle. With the best cow producing the ova and any or- dinary cows being the recipients, or "nurse cows," a farmer could build a herd of excellent cattle in a matter of a few years. Before it has taken many men a lifetime of selective breeding to do this.
It was a good day when the smelly old milk cans gave way to the modern stainless steel bulk tanks. The flavor of milk improved as well as the cleanliness. This particular farm grew from nine cans of milk to a two- thousand-five-hundred gallon bulk tank, which washes and dries itself!
In an effort to combat the rising price of grain, this farm installed a mix mill and the grain was mixed and ground at home. This opened up a new field of balancing rations and feeding formulas. More studying for the tired farmer!
The planting of crops became in- creasingly more scientific. Insect con- trol as well as soil nutrients had to be studied. During the past thirty years, labor became always harder to find and more expensive to keep. The farm has had to become more mechanized and the farmer more adept at "fixing" all his labor-saving machines.
In our Grandfather's time, anyone with strong muscles and a love of animals could succeed in farming. On today's farms, the man at the helm has to be a businessman, a scholar, a finan- cier, and a master of many trades. The one quality which he must have is a "never-give-up" attitude. He lives in the hope that tomorrow will be better. The land is good, else why would four generations continue to till it?
Written by Elsie Purinton.
Rathbun Farm
The Rathbun farm was established around 1891 and seventy plus acres were added on May 5, 1913. Reed H. Rathbun moved from Bristol Village to the farm in South Bristol. The farm was later transferred to his son, Henry, on August 15, 1930. He farmed it for thirty-five years.
Henry transferred the farm to Allen, his son, on May 18, 1965. Ini- tially, Allen did not do any dairying.
He had beef animals and bred heifers for several years, while he maintained his job at General Electric in Bur- lington.
In November 1971, a corn crib was skidded into the woods on the farm from the site of the old homestead. The corn crib was renovated into a camp for weekend use by Allen's family. On May 1, 1972, Allen, his wife, Helen, and their two daughters, JoAnn and Jody, moved to the farm on a trial basis and rented their house in South Burlington for a year. Within months, the family real- ized they would be staying.
Many changes have taken place. The camp, which became a permanent house, was added on to; and a hay barn and dairy barn were built by Allen. Two sons were born to the fami- ly, Joshua and Jeremiah. In November 1977, the dairy was started.
Chores are shared on the farm as Allen still works forty hours a week at General Electric in Burlington. Farm- ing is an enjoyable and satisfying life style. Hopefully this farm will pass on to the next generation!
Written by Helen Rathbun.
Saunders Farm
Allan Saunders has done extensive conservation work with the Agri- cultural Soil Conservation Service of- fice since first owning his Bristol Flats farm in 1975. Much fertilizer has been added to the lands to improve produc- tion; a new silo erected and stanchions in the barn replaced with comfort stalls to make more room so that the farm carries over one-hundred head of cat- tle.
Improvements to the beautiful old six-column colonial house included painting the exterior, installing a new furnace, and insulating.
The previous owners, Thad and Sadie Lathrop, purchased it in 1940 from Miles Culver. They lived there about five years before their son, Earl Lathrop, took over the management. The Thad Lathrops also owned the Ridley farm on Carlstrom Road since 1926. Lower meadows from the Ridley farm were acquired by Mr. Saunders with the purchase of the Flats farm.
Some earlier owners included the Eddy, Boynton, Abernethy, and Leonard families.
Sherman Farm
The third generation is working this family-owned dairy farm in South Bristol. They have sixty mature milk- ing Ayrshire cows, also heifers and calves. Half of them are registered.
Boundaries of the farm changed with the sale of a wood lot in Bristol Notch in 1949 and the acquisition of pasture land from the Willis O'Bryan farm in 1951. Adjoining land is leased from Earl Gove. An addition to the barn was built in 1979.
Formerly known as the old Art Gove farm, it was purchased by Hollis Sherman in 1939 from Walter Kimball. Following Hollis' death in 1965, ownership was taken over by his son George. Presently George is operating the farm with his son Larry.
Tanner Farm
Lawrence and Joyce Tanner have been on the same farm for the past twenty years. It is located north of Bristol Village on Route 116. Their farm will keep fifty dairy cattle which is the family's main income. The mak- . ing of maple syrup is a seasonal side- line for the Tanners, but not an exten- sive one.
The house is very old. At one time it was a half-way house for the stage coach, where they watered horses and changed teams. This farm was owned for many years by Frank Hines and his son Charles.
The Tanners note the decline of the number of farms in late years and feel the impact of urban development on their farmland.
Written by Joyce Tanner.
Terrier Farm
In 1972, Richard and Lydia Ter- rier with their three children moved to their farm on Route 116 South Bristol. They came from Bridport. Dairying is the principal farm crop.
Formerly owned by Rolan and Rodna Farr, the southern boundary line of this farm borders Elephant Mountain Camping Area.
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VI Government
Town Government
The original charter of Bristol, Vermont, granted by Governor Ben- ning Wentworth of New Hampshire in 1762, outlines a governmental system still in use today. The charter clearly instituted Town Meetings as a means of local self-government. The Town Meeting still remains the principal governing body of most Vermont towns. It is, in effect, the Town Legislature in which every legal voter is entitled to speak and vote.
The Town of Bristol is governed by a three person Board of Selectmen, who hire a Town Manager. In addi- tion, there is a Town Clerk and Town Treasurer. In Bristol, the major deci- sions concern town finances. The deci- sions of the Town Meeting stand re- corded by the Town Clerk as the policies which the Selectmen must im- plement during the ensuing year.
The Board of Selectmen is chosen
by electing one person each year to serve a three-year term. This board is charged with administration of town government between Town Meetings. All appointments to town offices not filled at the Town Meeting are made by the Selectmen. This includes the filling of any vacancies that might occur in town offices or on their own board un- til the next elections. The Selectmen set all salaries, not decided by Town Meeting, except their own. The basic operational expenses of the town government are itemized in the Select- men's budget and the amount is voted by Town Meeting. The Selectmen assume responsibility for all financial transactions.
The position of Town Manager was established in Bristol in February 1967. The Town Manager is hired by the Board of Selectmen to supervise the various activities of the town, especial- ly the town departments.
The Town Clerk is elected yearly. The Clerk serves as a recorder of the annual Town Meeting and any other special meetings during the year. She records all current vital statistics, mort- gages, deeds, and other town records, and files the records of all other town officials. The Clerk is also the keeper and preserver of all previous town records which are required to be kept in a fire proof vault. She issues a multitude of special licenses.
The Town Treasurer also acts as the School Treasurer. She keeps all ac- counts of town income and disburse- ments. Checks are drawn only upon written orders signed by two of the Selectmen. The Town Treasurer prepares and mails all tax bills, and she receives tax monies until the due date.
The Town of Bristol has many other offices and officials. Following is a chart of the various Town positions with an explanation of each one.
Town of Bristol Government - March 1980
Position
Duties
Elected, Hired, or Appointed
Term of Office
Person(s)
Term Expires
Town Moderator
Presides at annual Town Meeting and at any interim meetings.
Elected
One Year
Ernest M. Codding, Sr.
1981
Town Clerk
Records the annual Town Meeting and other special meet- ings; keeps all town records; issues special licenses.
Elected
One year
Renia C. Partridge
1981
Town Treasurer
Keeps town accounts; acts as elementary School Treasurer; pre- pares town tax bills and receives tax monies.
Elected
One year
Renia C. Partridge
1981
Board of Selectmen
Administers the town government between Town Meetings.
Elected
Three years
Francis Heffernan
1981
Roy J. Clark
1982
William C. Wisell
1983
Town Manager
Supervises the various activities of the town under the directives of the Selectmen.
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