History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 47

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170

USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 47

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).

In connection with this account of early mercantile operations, it will be of interest to give the following incident, related by the venerable R. R. Thrall :

398

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

He thinks that one of the first stocks of goods in the village was owned by one of the Osgoods and was sold from the house then occupied by Captain David Tuttle, which stands on the west side of Main street - the only double house on the street. At the time the goods were placed on sale the house was in proc- ess of building. The chamber was occupied by a clergyman, and when he was absent on Sundays, a woman who also lived in the house, or a part of it, would go up stairs, take up one of the loose boards which then constituted the cham- ber floor, let her boy down through to the store-room by a rope, where he helped himself to such of the goods as she directed. The boy was arrested for the theft, and when his mother upbraided him for stealing he replied, " Mother, you taught me to steal." He afterward went to South America, and it is be- lieved was there executed for murder. William Page, father of John B. Page received a letter from him to the effect that if his father or mother was alive he wanted them to know of his fate.

In the year 1784 the Legislature of Vermont established five post-offices in the State, at Bennington, Brattleboro, Windsor, Newbury and Rutland. An- thony Haswell was then postmaster-general. The office in this place contin- ued under State administration until the State became a member of the Union in 1791, when it passed under control of the United States government. Fred- erick Hill was the first postmaster of Rutland after the change. (See later pages.)

In the year 1804 the State Legislature met for the last time in Rutland ; it has already been stated that the sessions of 1784 and 1786 were held here. In 1790 it met at Castleton ; 1792 in Rutland and continued its sessions here until and including 1797. In 1808 the State-house was erected at Montpelier and that became the permanent headquarters of the State government.

The growth of the village was not rapid for many years. The commercial demands of the surrounding country were limited to the necessities of the farmers, which were very small compared with those of the same number of modern families. The potash and pearlash manufacture was one of consider- able importance in the early years and provided a means of exchange between farmers and merchants at a time when money was very scarce; the land had to be cleared and the forests burned, so that the source of this product was a natural one. G. W. L. Daniels & Co., successors to James Barrett, jr. & Co., were largely interested in this line of manufacture ; they also made brick largely. In the year 1807 we find Zenas Allen, of the Tinmouth furnace, advertising potash-kettles for sale.

As the farms surrounding the village become more productive and the area of producing lands much larger, the growing of wheat was begun in quantities that left a surplus for foreign market ; this surplus gradually increased, and in the course of the succeeding twenty-five years was the chief export from the county and the source of important revenue. Troy and Lansingburgh were

399

TOWN OF RUTLAND.

the principal markets, previous to 1823, when the Northern Canal was opened, when Whitehall became the market. The little village simply kept pace with the demands of its surroundings. In 1807 Abijah Lathrop took the store which had been occupied since 1804, or earlier, by Wells & Washburn, and kept a general stock of goods. S. Prentiss was then postmaster. In 1809 the Vermont Courier was published "a few rods south of the court-house," by Thomas Pomroy. Messrs. Hall & Green then kept a store and there were other insignificant business changes ; but nothing of importance occurred in the place for a number of years aside from the great freshet of 1811, which swept away two-thirds of the mills and bridges in the county.

Coming down to 1820 we find that Miles W. Blanchard had removed " from the large building at the head of the West street, to the West side of Main street, one door south of the brick school-house," where he did a saddler's bus- iness, carriage-painting and trimming. Silas Warren & Co. were hatters and sold " ladies' bonnets." Orel Cook had begun his hat manufacturing business. Benjamin Burt was in the bookbinding business, and Fay & Burt were publish- ing the Herald. Bela Paul was a shoemaker and Paige & Jewell kept a gen- eral store. W. D. Smith was postmaster. Among the advertisers in the Her- ald were John Conant, of Brandon, stoves; Beman & Mallary, Poultney, in the same business ; Ben. Dix, general store in Rutland ; Harris & Young, Poultney, brewery ; William & John Hall, general store in Rutland ; Caleb Hall, Clar- endon, stoves and hollow ware ; William Alvord & Son, Rutland, furniture ; and James Barrett, jr. & Co., showed that they were among the most enter- prising merchants by the regular publication of a two column advertisement of their goods. The annual meeting of the " Social Library " was held on the first Monday in March, at Gould's Hotel; E. W. Bisbee was clerk. The po- litical situation of that period was looked upon by the editor of the Herald as " rather novel." "We are on the eve of an important election," said he, " and from general appearances a stranger would hardly mistrust that there were any such privileges amongst us as elections. It can hardly be said that we have any politics or any parties." Whether this condition of affairs was a source of anxiety or of congratulation to the readers of the Herald may be a question.

The foregoing page shows that the business of the village had materially increased. This fact is also indicated by the incorporation of the Bank of Rut- land on the Ist of November, 1824, and the incorporation about that period of several manufacturing companies. On the 25th of October, 1825, the Rut- land Iron Manufacturing Company was incorporated by Moses Strong, Rodney C. Royce, Charles K. Williams and associates; the capital being placed at $100,000. Several years previously William Gookin and Richard Gookin, with others, incorporated the "Rutland Cotton Manufacturing Company." In 1836 Moses Strong, John Strong, George W. Strong, Ruel Parker, Edward Dyer and James Colvin, and associates, incorporated the " Clarendon Manu-

400

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

facturing Company " for making cotton and woolen goods at Clarendon. In the same year William Fay, James Barrett, jr., Luther Daniels, William Hall, Aaron Barnes, Alvin Tierney, William Barnes, Moses Lester, William W. Ford, Robert Goddard, James Porter, Jared C. Burdick, incorporated the Rutland East Creek Manufacturing Company, for the making of woolen goods in Rut- land. The marble industry, also, began to attract attention and capital, in- spiring hopes that have since been more than realized. In 1832 a resolution was passed in the General Assembly that the representatives in Congress and senators be instructed to use all honorable means to procure the passage of a "law which shall effectually protect our citizens engaged in the manufacture of marble from foreign competition."

While almost none of the incorporated companies above noticed ever began manufacturing, the bare fact of incorporation shows the spirit of enterprise then existing and the progressive character of the leading men of the village and town.

In 1836-38 some of the business houses not before mentioned were George T. Hodges and William Gilmore, who had formed a partnership, while Daniels & Bell had recently dissolved, Mr. Daniels continuing alone; A. L. Brown,1 Alanson Mason and James Barrett, jr., formed a partnership in the tanning business in Mendon ; Gershom Cheney, 2d, "a few doors north of the Episco- pal church, would inform his customers that he has recently so arranged his business in the line of coopering " as to furnish stock at wholesale and retail ; the firm comprising Charles Burt and Barnard McConnell, in staple and fancy dry goods, dissolved, and Mr. Burt joined with Lester Mason in the business ; John F. Knight carried on tailoring and would take country produce for his goods ; James Porter was a general merchant; in 1838 E. Pierpoint and Will- iam Y. Ripley became partners and took " the brick store once occupied by William Gookin & Son," for general mercantile business (Center Rutland) ; Nelson G. Howard carried on a general store ; White, Everson & Co. had book stores in Rutland and Castleton, the firm being William Fay, A. L. Brown, H. T. White and J. Everson ; Orel Cook, dealer in hats and caps, had " a lectle the best assortment that he has had for many years "; Alanson Dyer called on delinquents to pay for meat, tallow, etc .; Clark & Harrington were a firm of attorneys, and Jesse Gove would attend to the business of pensioners, "twc doors north of the court-house" ; William Hall wanted an apprentice in the saddlery business, and Snell & Whitney were blacksmiths. Thomas J. Orms- bee was postmaster in place of R. H. Waller, resigned, in 1836. Between the Papineau war, a predicted war with France, the " bank mania," as it was termed, the approaching financial crisis and the general activity in the political field, it was a stirring period from 1835 to 1838. The Herald, always Whig

1 Mr. Brown was elected town clerk in 1826 and efficiently performed the duties of that office for a period of nearly forty years. Ile died in 1865. His daughter and a son reside in Rutland.

MLandon

401

TOWN OF RUTLAND.

or Republican, posted the name of Harrison for president, with the Whig ticket senators for Rutland in the names of Robert Pierpoint, William C. Kittridge and Thomas D. Hammond ; The Vermont Anti-Slavery Society had become of some importance in politics and held its second annual meeting in 1836 at Middlebury, with Samuel Cotting, a former manufacturer of wire screens, etc., here, as secretary. The local newspapers were over-burdened with political discussions, and the columns of the Herald and the Middlebury Free Press in particular bristled with invective. The Middlebury editor was characterized as "the restless, rattle-headed young man of the Free Press, late of the anti-Ma- sonic party, but now hanging on the skirts of the Van Buren ranks," while he in return speaks of the editor of the Herald as " Grandfather Fay." General Jackson finally signed the Distribution Bill, by which a large sum of surplus revenue was distributed among the various States, giving Vermont nearly half a million dollars, a measure that for a short time caused a feeling of encourage- ment ; but this was soon dispelled, as detailed under the heading of financial interests a little further on.

Although Rutland escaped the disastrous results of that era to a greater ex- tent than many other localities, still new enterprises of a mercantile or manu- facturing character were abandoned for the time.

At that time Castleton and Clarendon were successfully contesting with Rutland for a right to the title of the most thrifty village in the county. An- other important cause of the lack of growth and the more rapid development of the village resources for quite a period was the absence of railroad com- munication with other prominent business centers. The community felt their isolation seriously, and it was not until a railroad was assured that the place awakened to the fact that it might become one of the most thrifty villages in the State. The people of the village encouraged every movement towards securing railroad transportation. In reference to the Champlain and Connect- icut River Railroad (incorporated in November, 1843), a meeting was held in this village on the 3d of March, 1846, at which the following preamble and res- olutions were adopted : -

" WHEREAS, It is probable that the whole capital of the said corporation will soon be subscribed and the work upon said road be commenced, and,

"WHEREAS, It is believed that the success of this enterprise will greatly conduce to the interest and prosperity of this town and of its inhabitants, and deserves such aid and encouragement as it is in our power to bestow, therefore,

" Resolved, That whenever said railroad shall cross any existing highway in this town, the said corporation shall not be required to raise or lower said high- way, so that said railroad may pass over the same, but this town will do the same so far as said highway is concerned, without expense to said corpora- tion." 1

I The above resolution was rescinded in the following year, but it was rather on account of the impracticability of its provisions than from antagonism to the railroad enterprise. 26

402

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

The railroads came, as we have detailed in the chapter on the internal im- provements of the county, and with them such a marvelous impetus was given to the growth and prosperity of the village as the most sanguine had not antici- pated. Meanwhile the village was incorporated, under an act of the Assembly passed November 15, 1847. The first section of this act reads as follows :--

" SECTION I .- That part of the town of Rutland embraced within the fol- lowing boundaries to wit: Beginning at the east side of the highway at the northern corner of land owned by Charles K. Williams; thence east on the north line of the said land, and in that direction 100 rods ; thence due south to the south bank of Moon's Brook; thence west along said bank until it strikes Truman Moulthrop's land ; thence in a straight line to the southeast corner of Jonathan C. Thrall's land; thence north on the east line of said land to the northeast corner of the same ; thence due north to the north line of land set off to Lydia Fay, as dower in her husband's estate; thence east on the north line of said land and in that direction to the east side of the highway first men- tioned ; thence to the first mentioned bounds, shall hereafter be known by the name of the village of Rutland, and the inhabitants of said village are hereby constituted a body politic and corporate with the usual powers incident to pub- lic corporations, to be known by the name of the village of Rutland."I

The village was divided into seven wards in 1856 of which the following were designated as the boundaries : -

Ward [. - All of Main street north of the court-house square, including the streets and roads running east out of it, to the north and east lines of the village.

Ward 2. - All of the court-house square and all of West street, to and in- cluding Wales street.

Ward 3. - All of all Main street south of the court-house square, includ- ing Green street, to the east and south lines of the village.

Ward 4. - All of Washington street, including Pleasant, Prospect and Mad- ison streets, to the south line of the village, and west to and including the Bardwell House.

Ward 5. - All of Merchants Row, from the Bardwell House to West street, and all of the buildings and streets west and north of West street, including all of the territory east of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad track south to the line of the village.

Ward 6. - All of the remainder of West street from Wales street, includ-

1 These boundaries have since been changed, and are now as follows : "Commencing at a point on the east bank of Otter Creek, where a continuation of Robert Moulthrop's north line would strike said bank of said creek, at the water's edge at low water mark ; thence easterly to the said Moulthrop's northeast corner ; thence easterly in the same direction to a point due south from the bridge crossing Moon's Brook, on Green street; thence north to a point due east of H. H. Baxter's northeast corner ; thence west to said Baxter's northeast corner ; thence westerly on said Baxter's north line, and in the same direction to East Creek ; thence southwesterly on the east bank of said East Creek to Otter Creek, and thence southerly on the east bank of said Otter Creek, to the place of beginning."

403

TOWN OF RUTLAND.

ing the streets and buildings leading out and south of West street, to the east corner of Merchants Row, and the streets and buildings on the north side of West street, Cottage Place, Grove, Spring and Pine streets to the north line of the village.

Ward 7. - All the streets and buildings situated west and south of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad track, to-wit : east side of Forest and east end of Pierce streets, Franklin, Union, Furnace, Howe, Granger, Brown and Cherry streets, to the south and west lines of the village.

In January, 1848, the rights and privileges of the " Fire Society," under the local protection of which the village had remained for many years, were relin- quished to the new corporation, and a meeting was called for the 5th of Janu- ary of that year, at the court-house. The meeting was held and Solomon Foot was made moderator and F. W. Hopkins, clerk. The officers elected at this meeting were as follows: trustees, George T. Hodges, Robert Pierpoint, Luther Daniels, Solomon Foot, Charles Burt, R. R. Thrall and Moses Perkins. Fire wardens, James Barrett, jr., Silas H. Hodges, George W. Strong, Ephraim Butterfield, William W. Bailey, Robert Pierpoint and Jacob Edgerton. Treas- urer and collector, John B. Page. A committee was appointed to report by- laws at the next meeting; it consisted of Silas H. Hodges, Robert Pierpoint and R. R. Thrall.

Let it be remembered that at this time there was scarcely a building on the western slope of the hill or on the flat below, except a little way down on West street -- and that was only thirty-five years ago; but a railroad had reached the town, and great changes were already inaugurated.

Among the instructions to the trustees at the July meeting of 1850, they were directed to "clear out and cover up such ditches as they shall think proper." This was the precursor of the sewer system of the village. The board was also instructed to "extend the plank walks and construct them through the Main street north and south from Mrs. Temple's to Mr. Perkins's on both sides ; also, on the street from Mr. Perkins's east on the north side as far as they think proper." And in the following year (1851) it was deemed incumbent on the trustees to issue the following edict : "No person shall drive or ride any horse or other beast upon the plank sidewalks, except to cross the same ; penalty fifty cents." It reads as if these regulations might be twice as old as they are.

A glance at the business interests of 1851 shows that H. L. Spencer was conducting the "Rutland county bookstore;" J. R. Parker & Co. had recently opened " a new clothing store near the depot a few rods north of Lan- don & Graves' store ; " D. P. Bell was a general merchant and O. L. Robbins the same; James Barrett & Son were still largely engaged in trade ; J. B. Kilburn was a hatter in Chaffee's building; Joseph Gould would take daguerreotype miniatures " for a few days only, over Barrett & Son's store; " B. H. Kinney

404

HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.

was about to locate here as a " sculptor and monumental marble-worker ; " H. T. Dorrance was a saddler in the village, and John Quilty carried on the tailor- ing trade ; Dr. E. V. N. Harwood announced that he had taken rooms at the Franklin Hotel and would remain "as long as business requires;" Charles Clem- ent had a "cash store " at Center Rutland, which he disposed of in April to William H. Liscomb and John Osgood; George W. Strong advertised for wood for the Rutland and Washington Railroad; the Rutland Savings Bank was just getting into successful operation ; Pratt & Foster kept the Franklin Hotel ; Charles Burt was postmaster and Reuben R. Thrall and W. H. Smith were partners in the law business ; J. B. Proctor kept a store at Center Rutland ; a new line of stages was recently opened from Castleton to Salem, N. Y., by Bard- well, Field & Co., and another by H. Bryant from Rutland to Bethel, Wood- stock and Windsor.

In 1850 Melzar Edson and Marcus P. Norton purchased of William Hall the " lot adjoining the depot grounds on the east and fronting on the main road leading to the village from the west," on which it was intended to lay out streets. They announced that "in view of the prospective increase of business in our village consequent upon the completion of the Rutland and Burlington Rail- road, this offers a rare chance," etc. Had they properly appreciated the value of that " rare chance," a higher price would undoubtedly have been placed on those lots.

The reader has already learned something of the enormously rapid devel- opment of this village between 1850 and the end of the war of the rebellion ; it was phenomenal in New England The real estate business was, perhaps, the most important traffic in the place. Far-sighted men who had faith in the influence of railroads to draw around their depots and lines the business of a village or city, purchased lands on the before neglected flats, and were jeered at for so doing. New streets were rapidly laid out and improved, lots were surveyed and sold, and the sound of hammer and trowel were heard on every hand. The marble industry was becoming one of the greatest importance and a source of wealth which gave the utmost stability to the extensive building and business operations, which might otherwise have changed the era of pros- perity into one of disaster. Manufacturing establishments were removed hither from other parts of the county and population followed.

The chief products of the county in 1850 and before, were grain, wool, butter and cheese; fine stock-breeding had not then become a prominent in- dustry. Before the railroad era the business of the place was all on Main street. The brick buildings of the village were James Porter's store, Robert Temple's house, Orel Cook's house, D. Butler's house, William Butman's house, J. C. Burdick's house, the Eleazer Wheelock Hotel (now the Brock House). There were three other hotels, the Grove House, which stood next north of Knowlton & Carver's store, the latter adjoining the old court-house ; the Franklin Hotel

405

TOWN OF RUTLAND.

and the Reed Hotel ; another public house was kept by Abel Page; the latter was on West street on the lot now owned by Nicholas M. Davis. 1

In 1851 the farm of 150 acres, embracing a large portion of the flat land on which the village is now built, originally owned by Moses Strong, was sold to a syndicate of six men, called the " Rutland Land Company," who cut it up and sold it in lots.

Before 1860 the following named new streets had been opened; Grove street, laid out in 1848 ; Cottage street, opened in 1852 and extended in 1858 ; Madison street, Pleasant street and Prospect street, opened in 1852 ; Evelyn street, opened in 1853 and extended in 1866; Freight street and Forest street, opened in 1853 ; Wales street, opened in 1853 and extended in 1862 ; Spring street, opened in 1853 and extended in 1868; Meadow, River, Franklin, Mechanic, South and School streets, opened in 1854; Court and Centre streets, opened in 1856 and Nickwacket in 1860. All this shows the remarkable extension of the village during those years. There was some opposition to the rapid prog- ress down the hill-side and upon the flats, particularly in regard to the post- office, which was removed to its present location in the year 1854; but the powerful influences at work could not be resisted, and soon it became a matter for wonder why the business part of the place was ever placed on the hill.

The prominent business houses in the year 1860, as indicated by their an- nouncements in the press, were Isaac M. Southwick, wholesale groceries and provisions ; C. Burt & Son, general merchants ; Barrett & Son, hardware ; A. F. Spencer and F. Chaffee, clothing and furnishing goods ; J. B. Kilburn, cloaks, fancy goods, etc. ; French & Kingsley, hardware ; Landon & Kingsley, grocers, I. D. Cole, clothing, fur goods, etc .; F. Fenn & Co., drugs and toys ; H. O. Perkins, flour and feed ; H. C. Wood, boots and shoes; Pond & Morse, drugs, toys and fancy goods; Clark Brothers, jewelers; Fisher & Haven, dry goods ; Bowman & Mansfield, foundry ; Julius H. Mott, successor to William L. Belknap, merchant tailor, hats and caps, etc. ; E. N. Merriam, music, sew- ing-machines. A. F. & M. C. Davis were large brick-makers. The Bardwell House had been built and opened in 1852, and the Franklin Hotel renovated and improved.

Returning again to the records we learn that, as another evidence of the general spirit of progress, a meeting was called in June, 1858, to see if the peo- ple would aid in putting up gas works, and the same year $500 were appro- priated to erect fences around the parks on Main street. In March, 1859, a proposal was advanced at a meeting, that the people buy the land between West and Center streets and west of Court street, for a public square ; and to see if the corporation would purchase a vacant lot between Washington and

1 The nonse where William HI. B. Owen now lives is said to be the building whence the indemnity was taken to be paid to New York when Vermont entered the Union. The house was at one time the property of John A. Graham and later of George T. Hodges.

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.

History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers, Part 47

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co. Number of Pages: 1170

Author: Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925. 1n; Rann, William S
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y., D. Mason & co.
Number of Pages: 1170