USA > Vermont > Lamoille County > Morristown > History of Morristown, Vermont > Part 20
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In 1889 the Grand Chapter meeting was held here. The growth of the order in the state may be seen from the fact that at this meeting there were forty-two voting delegates, while today there would probably be 400. The following account of the exemplification of the work of the order by Coral Chapter was printed in the Transactions of the Sixteenth Annual Convocation of the Grand Chapter:
"The work of the order was finely exemplified, in some respects better than had ever before been witnessed, with the Grand Chapter as audience."
The order has shared the pleasure of the Masons in their new quarters and has taken its part in the activities common to both bodies.
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The temple is also the meeting place of Lamoille Com- mandery, No. 13, Knights Templars, which was chartered in 1907, and includes in its membership sir knights from Hyde Park and Stowe as well as Morristown. One of its members, Thomas C. Cheney, served as grand commander of the state Order of Knight Templars in 1930, at which time the annual conclave was held here.
Morrisville was never host to a more colorful gather- ing than this Eighty-Eighth Conclave, held on June 22-24. The convention opened on Sunday evening with a musical program presented by local talent and a sermon by the Rev. William J. Ballou of Chester, grand prelate. On Monday, a banquet was held at Samoset-on-Lake Lamoille, the most largely attended past commanders' meeting ever held in the state up to that time. The business session was held Tuesday morning. and in the afternoon the parade started from Peoples Academy, and marched through the principal streets of the village. The striking uniforms of the knights, representing fourteen different commanderies, and the varied uniforms of the five bands made it the largest and most beautiful parade ever seen here. The conclave closed with a concert, reception, and ball held in the auditorium of Peoples Academy.
GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
Next to the Masons in point of time was the James M. Warner Post, G. A. R. The loyalty which prompted the men of Morristown to volunteer at the time of their coun- try's need led them to establish and maintain a strong and active G. A. R. post. It was first organized on May 6, 1868, the same year in which the Department of Ver- mont was established, and was the fourth post in the state. Its first commander was Capt. C. J. Lewis, an officer with a gallant war record which caused the State Department to select him as its first assistant adjutant-general. , The post was named after Gen. James M. Warner, a native of Middlebury, Vt., a graduate of West Point, who was made colonel of the Eleventh Vermont Volunteers at the outbreak of the war and was promoted for gallant and meritorious conduct until he was brevet brigadier-general in 1865.
The new post had eleven charter members at first, but interest lagged and in September, 1870, their charter
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was surrendered. This indifference was only a passing phase, however, and in 1878 the post was reorganized with forty-one charter members and George W. Doty its com- mander. From that time until death depleted its ranks to the point of extinction it was one of the leading influ- ences in town. A perusal of the local newspapers shows it to have been instrumental in arranging lecture courses and public entertainments; it was the prime mover in the Soldiers' Reunions held on the fair grounds for many years; it was influential in securing the Soldiers' Monu- ment; and its members were leaders in the civic life of the town for many years.
This post furnished three of the commanders of the Department of Vermont. In 1893 and 1894 George W. Doty served in that capacity and during his term of office A. A. Niles was assistant adjutant-general and Frank Kenfield assistant quartermaster-general. At the annual encampment, held in Burlington that year, Colonel Doty was able to report that the local post included seventy- four members. There were then 111 posts in the state, with a membership of 5,308.
Ten years later the state again honored the local post by electing Capt. Frank Kenfield its department com- mander. As an indication of the decreasing ranks of this body throughout the state, the official reports gave 101 posts and 2,838 members.
This, the Thirty-Seventh Annual Encampment, was held in Morrisville on February 25 and 26, 1903. Preliminary to the opening of the busi- ness sessions of Wednesday the local W. R. C. gave a re- ception, at which about 250 guests were greeted by the receiving line which included among others several of the past presidents of the corps and past department com- manders of the G. A. R. Hon. Hugh Henry of Concord, N. H., Gen. O. O. Howard of Burlington, Governor McCul- lough of Bennington, Gen. T. S. Peck of Burlington Ex-Congressman H. H. Powers of Morrisville and others well known throughout the state and beyond. At the public campfire, held in the town hall on Wednesday evening, F. W. McGettrick, then of St. Albans, acted as toastmaster and presented among others Dr. T. H. Murphy of New York City, Mrs. Kate Jones, also of New York, then national patriotic instructor, Ex-Lieut .- Gov. Z. M. Mansur of Newport, H. H. Powers of Morrisville, Pension Agent Hugh Henry of Concord, N. H. Thus was brought to an end an event of much interest to the soldiers of the town.
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In 1911 and 1912 the state again selected its depart- ment commander from the local post in the person of A. A. Niles, and the Forty-Sixth Annual Encampment, over which he presided, was held in Rutland June 6 and 7, 1912. The number of the posts in the state had then been re- duced to eighty-seven, with a membership of 2,131. The passing years have taken their toll in the local order until this organization, which once included the leaders of the town, in 1935 has but one member.
WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS
Closely connected with the Grand Army of the Repub- lic is the Woman's Relief Corps and James M. Warner Relief Corps, No. 57, was organized in December, 1889, largely through the efforts of Frank Kenfield, then com- mander of the post. It had twenty-five charter members and chose Mrs. Florence Gates its first president and Mrs. Clara Niles its second. This body has always been a strong ally of the G. A. R., and since its membership is not confined to the wives or close relatives of the veterans of the Civil War, it is not limited in numbers as are the other affiliated orders and still maintains its strength. That its membership has been of a high order is shown by the contributions this corps has made to the work of the order in the state.
Mrs. Gates, the first president of the local corps, was elected president of the Department of Vermont in 1897-'98.
Mrs. Clara B. Niles was elected senior vice-president of the state body in 1898 and president in 1899-1900. She was renominated for a second term, but refused to serve.
Again in 1925 and 1926 the state body came to Morris- ville for its president and Mrs. Annie Wallace served in that capacity.
There have been many red letter days in the history of the two organizations. On one occasion Capt. and Mrs. C. J. Lewis, then residing in Hannibal, Mo., visited the post, of which he had been the first commander. He presented it with a gavel, the head of which was of mahogany shaped from a piece taken from the historic battlefield of El Caney near Santiago, while the handle was of oak from the noted cave of Mark Twain at Hannibal.
Another interesting event was the visit of Mr. and Mrs. James Van Metre, which occurred in September,
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1915. Mrs. Van Metre was the Unknown Heroine of L. E. Chittenden's novel by that name and the story of her services to a Vermont soldier is the theme of that book. They are also related in brief form in Benedict's "Vermont in the Civil War." In September, 1864, Lieut. Henry Bedell of Westfield, Vt., a member of the Eleventh Vermont, was seriously wounded near Berryville, Va. His captain, Charles J. Lewis, of this town, and Capt. Chester Dodge, also from Morristown, took care that he was re- moved to a dwelling and money and medicine left for his care. But the only attention he received was from a faithful colored man who finally went to Mrs. Van Metre and begged her to do what she could for the sufferer. One of her brothers was supposed to have been killed and another mortally wounded in the conflict and her husband was even then confined in a northern prison. If she had been a woman of less noble character, she would have let the thought of what she had personally suffered at the hands of this man's comrades check her natural impulses to succor; but, instead, she called in her own family physician and at considerable danger to herself nursed him back to such a state of health that he could be brought back to his Vermont home and she herself accompanied him there. While all Vermonters were glad to honor Mrs. Van Metre, and the state later did so officially, the local G. A. R. was especially pleased since Lieutenant Bedell had several warm friends among its members who were glad to express in person their gratitude for her heroic kindness to a comrade.
In 1931, after the new Masonic Temple was completed, the corps bought the former Masonic hall and has been comfortably installed in it since that date.
SONS OF UNION VETERANS
An offspring of the G. A. R. was the G. W. Doty Camp, No. 50, Sons of Union Veterans, which was organized in 1888 largely through the efforts of Colonel Doty, who pre- sented the camp with two beautiful silk flags and in many other ways showed his interest in its welfare. The camp began with twenty charter members and George F. Earle, for many years a well known business man in town, was its first captain. Since Colonel Doty was not only inter- ested in its progress, but was the first man to enlist from
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Morristown in 1861, it was fitting that this camp should bear his name. The fortunes of the order have waxed and waned. Twice it has been disbanded, but in 1902 it was reorganized, with A. N. Camp as its captain, and since that time has maintained its standing.
Its companion order is the Sons of Union Veterans' Auxiliary, which first bore the name of the Ladies' Aid Society of G. W. Doty Camp. It was the seventeenth of such groups in the state and was formed with fourteen charter members and Mrs. Emma Cheney its first presi- dent. At least one of its number, Mrs. Florence Wilson, who afterwards moved to Burlington, was division presi- dent of the Department of Vermont. This order at length disbanded, but later reorganized under its present name.
DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
The next patriotic organization in point of time is the Capt. Jedediah Hyde Chapter of the D. A. R., which was formed on February 23, 1914. Its membership is not confined to this town, but includes residents of Hyde Park, Stowe, Johnson, and Elmore as well. It took its name from Captain Hyde, the first settler of Hyde Park. Its membership is limited to fifty and its first regent was Mrs. Lou Slocum Fleetwood of Morristown. This body has marked the graves of the Revolutionary soldiers within its territory, has presented pictures of George Washington to the standard schools in its district, and participated in the other activities which characterize that society.
In September, 1933, this chapter was hostess at the Thirty-Fourth Annual Vermont State Conference of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The meetings convened at the Congregational Church, with the exception of the reception and banquet, which were held at the Masonic Temple. The guests of honor at the conference were Mrs. William H. Pouch of New York, vice-president- general, and Mrs. Henry Bourne Joy of Michigan, recording secretary-general, and over 150 delegates were registered.
AMERICAN LEGION
Morristown American Legion Post, No. 33, was organ- ized in 1919, with Dr. Lloyd C. Robinson as its first com- mander, and has grown into an active influential body. At first its meetings were held in the Grange hall, the
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gathering place of the other patriotic orders, but in 1931 it took over the old gymnasium, thoroughly renovated it and now, as The Barracks, it serves as an attractive hall for social gatherings of all kinds as well as for the post meetings. This body furnished the state vice-commander in 1932 in the person of R. R. McMahon, while Dr. G. L. Bates and Carroll Silloway have both served on the state executive board, the former in 1932 and the latter in 1933.
One member of this post, Percy Sweetser, received the medal of the Order of the Purple Heart for bravery displayed and wounds received while carrying a message in the Meuse-Argonne offensive.
AMERICAN LEGION AUXILIARY
The Auxiliary of the Morristown American Legion Post was organized on January 13, 1921, with Helen Rob- inson as its first president, and since that time has offered efficient aid in the charitable and patriotic work of the post. From its membership have been elected the presi- dents of the Department of Vermont for three terms. Mrs. Irving L. Potter was department president in 1923 and again in 1926, while Mrs. James M. Kelley filled that office in 1930.
NEW ENGLAND ORDER OF PROTECTION
The New England Order of Protection is a fraternal and benevolent order which was started here in the late 80's with Walter Pike, a local marble dealer, its first warden. It has provided a maximum insurance at a minimum cost and for many years was one of the most flourishing orders.
GRANGE
The present Grange dates from 1893. Previous to that time, Malvern Grange, No. 24, was organized in the late 70's, functioned a few years and disbanded. Later the farmers, realizing the value a live branch of the Patrons of Husbandry might be to them, reorganized under the name of Lamoille Grange, No. 233. Clement Smith was its first master and was also active in the state Grange, serving as state master in 1909. Mr. and Mrs. Smith attended the meeting of the National Grange, held
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that year in Des Moines, Iowa, where they were elected national chaplain and lady assistant steward, respectively, the first time that two national offices had been given to one state.
On February 7, 1917, the order fittingly observed its twenty-fifth anniversary with an all-day session, which included dinner and post-prandial exercises.
THE ROTARY CLUB
The Rotary Club is one of the more recent organiza- tions, having been formed in 1927 with Levi M. Munson its first president. Since that date it has shared in the various activities which characterize that movement.
PARENT-TEACHER ASSOCIATION
Attempts had been made to form a Parent-Teacher Association for some time, but not until 1930 was it placed on a permanent basis. It now contains a representative section of the parents of the village and similar organiza- tions exist in several of the rural schools.
Other orders like the Modern Woodmen of America, the Independent Order of Good Templars and others have. come and gone, showing that the town has never lacked for fraternal organizations.
THE MORRISVILLE WOMAN'S CLUB
Among the town organizations which have been influ- ential in shaping the life of the community is the Woman's Club, whose name has been linked with most of the worth- while projects which have been undertaken locally or by the State Federation.
It had its inception in a little reading club organized by some of the young ladies of the village who, as early as 1884, began to meet weekly at the homes of the members and to study the lives and works of different authors. Often times they put on a public musical and literary enter- tainment and sponsored lectures of a cultural nature. This type of club was maintained for several years until some members felt the time had come for a little broader field of work and more varied lines of activity.
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In 1892, under the able leadership of Mrs. Laura Gleed, the Morrisville Woman's Club was organized. Its object, according to its by-laws, was "the mutual improve- ment of women and the securing of all benefits arising from organized effort." For the first eight years of its existence Mrs. Gleed was its president and she laid its foundations broad and deep enough to sustain a progres- sive, growing body whose methods have changed with new conditions and expanding interests. Its modest member- ship fee of twenty-five cents was raised to fifty cents, to a dollar and then to two dollars, thus reflecting in part the changes in living conditions, but quite as much the varied demands that are made today of such organizations.
The meetings were at first held at private houses in the afternoons, then they alternated between Saturday afternoons and Monday evenings, but for a good many years they have been held regularly at the library on Monday evenings, and that date is generally recognized as "Woman's Club Night" in planning social gatherings. The character of the programs has changed greatly through the years. At first a definite line of study was undertaken in art, literature, travel, etc., and current topics kept the members in touch with present day conditions. The programs consisted for the most part of papers pre- pared by the club members. Gradually, as the work of the different committees increased in importance, it became necessary to give them a place and the intensive study of one subject gave way to the presentation of all kinds of questions of social, political, and economic interest and competent speakers from outside brought the club views of the larger groups of women or of state and national bodies.
To recount the story of its local activities would reveal its manifold interests. In 1900 it equipped and sent out the first traveling library in the state, a line of work which was taken up and maintained by the State Federation as long as the need for such existed. In 1901 it erected the drinking fountain for man and beast at the foot of Academy Park, which was for many years a great con- venience until changing conditions and the alteration in the streets made advisable its removal, in 1929. It also placed the granite watering trough on Watering Trough Hill. For years it maintained an excellent lecture course which brought to the town a high grade of musical talent,
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and such well known lecturers as Adirondack Murray, Thomas Dixon, Jr., Newell Dwight Hillis, and others. That the club entertained lofty ambitions is seen from the fact that in October, 1906, it sponsored a Tag Day to raise funds for a local hospital and the $250 raised then was turned over and used for that purpose a quarter of a century later. In 1913 it gave an entertainment to raise money for an opera house and the money secured is still available for that end. During the winter of 1919 an evening school was held under the immediate direction of Supt. C. D. Howe, which was attended by thirty-four different adult students and the club was interested in this project both financially and otherwise. It employed a district nurse during the winter months for two years, 1919-1920, until that work was taken over in part by the Public Health Department of the Red Cross. During the war it was engaged in every form of relief work as it raised money for the Belgian Relief Fund, the War Chil- dren Relief Fund, Furlough Homes for Soldiers, etc., and bought Liberty Bonds, and assisted the Red Cross and . engaged in all the other activities that characterized that period.
As its founder was the prime mover in establishing the town library, it was only natural that it should be closely identified with that institution. Its meetings have usually been held in the library and in return it has con- tributed money for the purchase of books and magazines and, when the Carnegie building was erected in 1912, it bought chairs and tables for the new rooms and placed the shrubbery on the grounds. It has also been instru- mental in beautifying other parts of the village and has made many contributions to the public welfare of the village.
It was identified with the State Federation from the latter's inception in 1896. When that body was organ- ized at St. Johnsbury by delegates from six clubs, the local organization was one of the six, and Mrs. Gleed was the first vice-president of the larger group. In 1922 it joined the General Federation of Woman's Clubs and it has been privileged to share in the work of both of the larger bodies. For eleven years one of its members, Miss Mary Moody, was chairman of the education committee of the State Federation, whose great work was raising money for scholarships in the Normal Schools, and thus helping to
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build up the rural schools of the state. Mrs. Gertrude Powers has been chairman of the music committee of the State Federation and also vice-president of the North- western District. Mrs. Augusta Slayton was president of the State Federation, 1921-1923, and later General Federa- tion director. Mrs. Diadama Greene was vice-president of the Northwestern District, 1933-1934.
When the local club was less than ten years old, with an average attendance of only a dozen or so, it had the temerity to invite the State Federation to meet with it. The convention assembled on October 16 and 17, 1901, with the meetings held in the Congregational Church, and thirty-one delegates representing eighteen of the twenty- seven clubs then federated were present. The chief items on the program were addresses by Mrs. Sally Joy White, who spoke on some important phases of the labor ques- tion, particularly of women wage earners; and by Helen Winslow, daughter of the neighboring town of Johnson, residing in Roxbury, Mass., who took as her subject, "What the Club Should Mean." . On Wednesday evening Mrs. Gleed entertained the gathering at an enjoyable reception at her home.
On October 13, 1920, the local body entertained the clubs of the Second District, at which time it was estimated that there were 200 visitors.
On May 20-22, 1924, this club again acted as hostess to the Federation. During the lapse of years its member ship had grown to 115 and it was assisted by the Uplift Club, organized by the women living in the eastern and southern part of the town and of Elmore, numbering thirty- one members, and the Unity Club of the Congregational Church, which had just federated. If the resources of the club had grown during the lapse of years, the task which they had undertaken had also increased in magnitude since the official records showed a total of 366 present, the largest attendance at any state meeting up to that date. The enlarged scope of the interests of the Federation is shown by the program which, aside from the reports of the various departments, included an address on "Illiteracy" by Augustus O. Thomas, then commissioner of education in Maine; on "Better Homes in America" by Miss Helen Risdon of New York; "What Is the Greatest Danger in America Today?" by Chancellor C. S. McGown, president of the International College of Springfield, Mass .; and
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"Traffic in Opium and Other Dangerous Drugs" by Mrs. John W. Moorhead of New York. Gov. Fletcher D. Proctor, Rep. F. G. Fleetwood and other well known people took part in the meetings in one capacity or another.
For many the climax of the convention was the presentation of Mendelssohn's oratorio, "Elijah," on the second evening of the gathering. But one joint rehearsal was held, yet this splendid production was worthily pre- sented. This feature has been followed in successive Federation meetings.
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CHAPTER XIV
MUSIC IN MORRISTOWN
M towns and cities claim consideration either because they have certain natural advantages or can do some one thing better than most others of their class. £ It has been the boast of Morristown that it was a musical town, and it has been fortunate in the number of talented musicians within its borders who have given gener- ously of their time and talents. Certainly any study of local history shows that it has always been a music loving place and its standards of excellence have been high.
The first evidence of this is seen in the singing schools which flourished a few generations ago. We often read of the paring bees and huskings which constituted so large a part of the social life of our ancestors. With them should be included in this town, at least, the singing school and the neighborhood sing. In Sterling, Mud City, Dis- trict No. 10, Cadys Falls, the Corners, as well as at Mor- risville, these singing schools are known to have flourished and they were probably just as common in the southern and eastern part of the town. These gatherings were usually held at the schoolhouse, thus anticipating the modern idea of making the schoolhouse a social center. At the Corners the church was the natural meeting place, while sometimes a private house was used. In most cases there was no musical instrument, but the tuning fork served to give the pitch. At a little later date the organ or melodeon was found in many homes largely because of the love for music, which was fostered at the singing school. Usually at the close of the term, a public exhibi- tion was held at which schools in two or more districts united in putting on a program in which both old and young had a part. Stored away in the attic of many a home in town is a worn copy of "The Morning Star," with scales, exercises, two part, three part, and four part songs or some other singing book highly prized by earlier generations.
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