USA > Vermont > Rutland County > History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 63
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Spinning-Wheel Factory.2- Sylvanus Guernsey manufactured both the large and small spinning-wheels in this town from about 1790 till near 1840 and perhaps a little later. There was very little demand for them as late as 1830. His shop stood where now stands the dwelling-house of the late Gustavus Buel, a few feet east of the Bomoseen House. Mrs. Caswell, his daughter, says the last one he made was in the year 1846, for her the year she was married. Mr. Guernsey invented and manufactured a double-geared wheel-head, which in-
1 Now the Catholic Church.
2 Furnished Dr. James N. Currier by Mrs. Menira Caswell.
531
TOWN OF CASTLETON.
creased the speed of the spindle. He also made clock-reels, and invented a con- trivance so that the springs would not be broken should the children in play- ing with them turn them the wrong way. He made several kinds of swifts for winding off yarn, which could be easily adjusted to different lengths of the skeins. He also invented a double-headed flax-wheel, by means of which two threads could be spun at the same time ; few, however, could learn to spin on them, and not many were made.
Sylvanus Guernsey was born in Bethlehem, Conn., October 7, 1767. He was the eldest son of Solomon Guernsey of that town. He married, Novem- ber 30, 1797, Miss Esther Higley, daughter of Deacon Brewster Higley, of Castleton. He came to Castleton when seventeen years of age. He learned the wheelwright and carpenter trades of his uncle, a Mr. Kasson, of Connect- icut, during the winter months, and in the summer used to work at his trade and cultivate some land in Castleton. He used to go on foot to Connecticut in the autumn and return the same way in the spring. In the year 1800 he built the house where Channcy L. Baxter now lives, just a few rods north of Fort Warren in Castleton, on the west side of the Hubbardton road. He then moved his shop into his house where it ever remained as long as he needed a shop. After there was no demand for spinning-wheels, he made and repaired guns and rifles.
On the south side of Castleton River a few rods east of the present grist- mill, Deacon Erastus Higley had a carding and fulling-mill, and a cider-mill where he distilled cider brandy. In the basement of this mill Mr. Guernsey had a turning lathe, with which he used to turn cider-mill screws, bedsteads and many other articles; all these were carried by the water in Castleton River. Mr. Guernsey died April 3, 1855.
The Stage Lines - Prior to 1832 Joel Beaman, of Poultney, ran the stages in this part of the conntry, mostly in Rutland county. In 1832 E. B. Dewey obtained the contract for carrying the mails hereabouts, and became stage pro- prietor. He made Castleton his central point. In 1835 he failed, and A. W. Hyde succeeded him and purchased a line from Salem to Burlington, Rutland to Whitehall, Rutland to Manchester, between Lake Champlain and Lake George, and in winter had teams from Highgate to St. Johns. In 1841 he took the contract for carrying the " Lightning Express Mail," as it was termed, from Albany to Burlington, at $14,440 per annum. He was given a certain number of houses in which to deliver mail. During the muddy seasons of spring and fall he ran the mails in separate two-horse wagons, and timed him- self with a watch imbedded in a block of wood. He also placed the way-bill in the driver's hands and obliged the postmasters along the route to register the time of his arrival and departure.
Castleton was thus the headquarters of nearly all the stage business west of the Green Mountains in Southern Vermont. It was the junction of the
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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
lines from New York to Montreal, and from Boston to Saratoga and Buffalo. The fare from New York to Montreal in winter was $14.00. Between Salem, N. Y., and Castleton, thirty-four miles, Mr. Hyde had six teams to do the work, and frequently had forty passengers here at one time.
In 1844 Joel Beaman secured the contract from Castleton to Troy, and after about six months sold out to Mr. Hyde. By the opening of the railroad in 1850 the nature of the place was materially changed. Instead of being the central point of numberless stage routes, it became merely a way station be- tween Whitehall and Rutland. Hotel business consequently fell into a decline, and all other branches of business felt the effect. In later years, however, the town has been achieving a considerable reputation as a resort for summer vis- itors. It has always been noted for the number and excellence of its hotels. In addition to the early taverns already mentioned was the Westover House, which was erected about 1808, and kept from the earliest date to 1862 by Hyde Westover. R. H. Morris, W. C. Hyatt, Frank Sanford and William L. Batcheller, then kept it until about 1870, when it was destroyed by fire. The Moulton House was erected about 1812 by Samuel Moulton, who kept it until about 1839. His son, Cullen, then kept it about three years and closed it. Frank Sanford reopened it about 1878 as the Sanford House, and remained until 1883.
Frank Hoy kept a sort of tavern at Castleton Corners in the early part of the century. In 1838 he was stabbed in an affray there. From 1840 Mr. Whitney, William B. Colburn and Wilson Proctor successively kept it. In 1878, after it had been closed for years, R. B. Weston acquired title and has remained there since. Stephen Perkins opened a tavern at the Corners about 1830, and closed it when the prohibitory law went into operation. The Hyde- ville House, erected by A. W. Hyde in 1841, out of Gilroy's old carving fac- tory, was first kept by Alphonso Kilbourn. It was burned in 1852, rebuilt at once and destroyed the second time by fire about 1872.
Among the other early industries may be named the linseed oil-mill of Ebenezer Langdon, which stood on the site of the present grist-mill. It was closed about 1842, after having been many years in operation. Connected with it Mr. Langdon had a plaster-mill. In 1835 S. H. Langdon started a furnace back of the site of the present depot in Castleton village. He failed in 1854.
It has been the fortune of Castleton to take part in all the wars which have interrupted the growth of this country. It has already been seen that she did her part well by contributing to the success of her country in the early wars, and the following list of those enrolled on the side of the Union during the civil war attest her readiness to do her share still.
The town furnished two hundred and fifty men to aid the government in putting down the late rebellion, as shown by the following list : -
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TOWN OF CASTLETON.
William H. Alford, co. C, 11th regt. ; Oscar L. Babbit, co 1, 5th regt. ; Sam- uel I. Barber, and William H. Barber, co. C, 11th regt. ; Jasper A. Benedict, co. B, 2d regt. ; Rollin N. Blackmer, - bat., 2d regt. ; Charles F. Bliss, Na- than G. P. Bliss and Jeremiah Bolton, co. C, 1Ith regt. ; Jeremiah Bolton, co. B, 2d regt. ; Frank Bordeau, Ist bat. ; Samuel Brainard, co. B, 2d regt. ; Chas. F. Burt and Dunham G. Burt, Ist bat. ; Patrick Byrne, co. C, 11th regt. ; A. B. Canfield, 2d bat. ; Harry S. Castle, co. M. 11th regt. ; William H. Castle, co. C, 11th regt .; Eugene Chelson, co. K, cav .; Henry W. Cook, co. H, cav. ; John Dalabee, co. C, 11th regt .; James W. Donnelly co. B, 7th regt .; John Donnelly and Peter Donnelly, co. C, 1 1th regt .; James H. Dunham, co. M, 11th regt. ; Thomas Dunham and William Dunham, co. B, 2d regt .; George J. Ever- ton and James J. Everton co. H, cav. ; John A. Freelove, co. B, 2d regt. ; Will- iam Flinn, co. H, cav. ; George C. French, co. C, 11th regt. ; Henry Gardner, co. F, cav. ; Elias S. Gibbs and Moses G. Gibbs, 2d bat. ; Joseph Godfrey, Ist bat .; William Goodrich and Gile Gould, co. C, 11th regt. ; George K. Griswold, co. B, 2d regt. ; Benjamin P. Hall, co. I, 7th regt. ; William C. Harrington, co. C, 11th regt. ; Charles A. Hawkins, co. I, 5th regt. ; Gideon Hawkins, co. B, 2d regt. ; Michael Hayes, co. 1, 7th regt. ; Edwin H. Higley, co. K, cav .; Michael Hines, James Hope, Abial S. Howard, John Howe, co. B, 2d regt. ; George B. Hosford, co. A, 7th regt. ; Thomas Howley, co. H, cav. ; Daniel S. Huntoon, co. I, 7th regt .; James T. Hyde, co. C, 11th regt. ; Frederick A. Ingleston, co. B, 2d regt. ; Harrison Ingleston, co. G, 5th regt. ; Endearing D. Johnson, co. B, 2d regt. ; Enoch E. Johnson, co. B, 2d regt. ; James M. Johnson, Lewis P. Jones and Henry Jubar, co. 1, 7th regt. ; Charles H. Kellogg, co. C, 2d regt. ; Lyman S. Kellogg, co. F, Ist s. s .; John Killsen, co. C, 11th regt. ; Theodore King, co. B, 2d regt. ; Orlando P. Liscomb, co. M, 11th regt .; John McKean, John H. Mckean and Peter T. McQuain, co. B, 2d regt; Henry W. Moody, Horace W. Moody and Patrick Murphy, co. M, 11th regt. ; Charles Morril, co. B, 2d regt. ; Cornelius O'Brien, co. C, 1 1th regt. ; William O'Brien, co. H, cav. ; Albert I. Parkhurst, Leonard R. Parkhurst and William Parkhurst, co. B, 2d regt. ; Noah A. Peck, co. C, 2d regt. ; Selah G. Perkins, co. H, cav. ; Patrick Poland, co. B, 2d regt. ; Edwin Poiney, co. H, cav .; Asa A. Potter, Ethan A. Potter, George W. Potter and James H. Remington, co. B, 2d regt. ; Justin E. Robinson, co. H, cav. ; Edgar Ross, co. C, 2d regt. ; George W. Ross, Horace G. Ross, James Russell, co. B, 2d regt. ; Leonard Russell and Marcus K. Rus- sell, co. C, 11th regt .; Thomas Russell, Patrick Ryan and John M. Shaw, co. B, 2d regt. ; John A. Sheldon, co. G, 10th regt. ; John Sheridan and Timothy Sheridan, co. A, 7th regt. ; Daniel Sherman, co. G, 5th regt. ; Zebulon Shep- herd, co. C, 11th regt. ; Sylvester Simons, co. H, cav. ; Albert H. Smith, co. M, 11th regt .; Edward C. Smith and Henry C. Smith, co. B, 2d regt .; James C. Smith, 2d bat .; John C. Smith, co. H, cav .; Leonard F. Solendine, co. A, 7th regt. ; Durham Sprague, co. B, 2d regt. ; Samuel E. Stocker, co. C, 11th regt, ;
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HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
Lemuel Streeter, co. B, 9th regt. ; John Streeter, Lawrence Trainer, Thomas G. Underwood and Rollin C. Ward, co. B, 2d regt .; William A. Ward, co. G, 5th regt. ; William Ward, co. I, 7th regt. ; Jacob Wheeler, John D. Wheeler and Nicholas Wheeler, co. B, 2d regt. ; Miles W. Whitlock, co. C, 4th regt .; Samuel F. Whitlock, co. K, cav .; John S. Williams, co. H, cav. ; Thomas Will- iams, co. C, IIth regt. ; William Williams, co. K cav. ; William Williams, jr., co. B, 9th regt. ; William Woodbury, co. C, 2d regt. ; Thomas Young, co. I, 7th regt.
Credits under call of October 17, 1863, for 300,000 volunteers, and subse- quent calls :-
Volunteers for three years .- Henry L. Bailey, Ist bat. ; Reuben Burton, 54th Mass. ; Joseph Clark, co. I, 17th regt. ; Frank Cull and Patrick Donnelly, co. C, IIth regt. ; Lyman C. Fish, co. H, cav. ; Salmon K. Gates and Andrew Godfrey, co. I, 7th regt. ; John Hayes, co. C, 11th regt. ; Israel Hunter, 54th Mass. ; Frank G. Ingleston, co. C, 11th regt .; Daniel Jackson and William Jackson, 54th Mass. ; James P. Kellogg, co. H, 2d s. s. ; William H. King, co. I, 17th regt. ; Francis O. Knapp, co. E, 11th regt. ; Henry A. Lawrence, co. C, 11th regt, ; David Lee, jr., co. C, 11th regt. ; Leonard C. Park, co. E, I Ith regt. ; Edwin M. Parsons, co. A, 11th regt. ; Henry Peck and Frank Pens, co. C, IIth regt. ; Patrick Poland and Lewis D. Potter, co. I, 17th regt, ; John Roberts, Hiram A. Ross and William Scott, co. C, 11th regt .; Sylvester Si- mons, co. C, 11th regt. ; Henry Stewart, 54th Mass .; Henry H. Ward, co. D, 9th regt. ; Cullen Wheeler, co. H, cav.
Volunteers for one year. - John W. Allard, co. G, 6th regt. ; Joseph An- dros, co. B, 2d regt. ; Alfred Atwater and Alonzo Atwater, 2d bat. ; George E. Austin, co. G, 8th regt. ; Hugh O'Neil, 11th regt. ; Wallace D. Parsons, co. B, 2d regt. ; Alexander Phillips, co. C, 7th regt. ; Charles E. Porter, co. A, 7th regt. ; John Ryan, co. C, 7th regt. ; Henry C. Willard, 2d regt.
Volunteers re-enlisted. - Rollin N. Blackmer and Albert R. Canfield, 2d bat. ; George C. Lowry, co. I, 7th regt .; Peter T. McQuain, co. B, 2d regt. ; Noah A. Peck, co. C, 2d regt. ; Robert Peino, George W. Ross and Horace G. Ross, co. B, 2d regt. ; Timothy Sheriden, co. A, 7th regt. ; Nicholas Wheeler, co. B, 2d regt. ; William Woodbury, co. C, 2d regt.
Enrolled men who furnished substitutes. - George W. Gibson, Marcus Langdon, C. H. Simpson.
Naval credits. - Francis Griswold, Edwin T. Woodward.
Miscellaneous. - Not credited by name, four men.
Volunteers for nine months in 14th regt. co. F .- Harvey Bishop, Oliver E. Brewster, Martin F. Brooks, Steven P. Carr, Joseph Clark, Patrick Delehanty, Fred H. Dennison, Daniel W. Fox, George H. Fox, Salmon K. Gates, Lyman J. Gault, Truman J. Gault, Franklin Gould, Henry H. Hosford, Joseph Jen- nings, John F. Johnson, Aaron Jones, Jonathan T. Kidder, William H. King,
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TOWN OF CASTLETON.
Moses Knapp, Henry A. Pond, Fayette Potter, Steven P. Shaw, F. H. Shep- herd, Harry Shepherd, Emmet W. Sherman, Frank W. Smith, Elton E. Ward, Willard D. Ward, Cutten Wheeler, George C. Wheeler, Charles H. Whitlock Daniel S. Wilder, James H. Wood.
Furnished under draft and paid commutation. - Henderson Bishop, Na- thaniel L. Cobb, James F. Donnelly, Hiram S. Hawkins, Timothy Finnegan, John Fox, Edward Gleason, Henry W. Keyes, Henry Langdon, William H. Northrop, Jehial P. Parker, Hale Tomlinson.
Procured substitute .- Lucius C. Nelson.
Entered service .- Chancey Briggs, 54th Mass.
Volunteers for one year. - James W. Donnelly, co. C, Ist art. ; James Fox, co. C, 7th regt. ; Theodore King, co. C, Ist art. ; Hugh Mahar, co. C, 7th regt. ; John H. Mckean, co. C, Ist art ; William L. Monroe, co. C, Ist art. ; Robert D. Pepper, co. C, Ist art. ; Willie A. Pattee and Wallace Russell, co. B, 2d regt. ; Archie Stewart, 5th regt .; John D. Wheeler and Miles W. Whit- lock, co. C, Ist art.
The growth in population of the town of Castleton is shown by the follow- lowing figures : - 1791, 800 ; 1800, 1,039; 1810, 1,420; 1820, 1,541 ; 1830, 1,783 ; 1840, 1,769 ; 1850, 3,916 ; 1860, 2,851 ; 1870, 3,243 ; 1880, 2,605.
MUNICIPAL HISTORY.
Castleton Village .- This village is the oldest as well as the largest one in the town whose name it bears. The little water-power which it possesses was utilized very early in the present century, first by Erastus Higley, in 1803, for a carding-machine and fulling-mill, and by Mr. Langdon for an oil-mill. After- wards there was a marble-mill, and a feed-mill on the site. About 1835, Hart Langdon erected a furnace there, and carried on an extensive business for sev- eral years.
The early schools have already been mentioned, but this village has in past days enjoyed an enviable distinction in educational matters. Not later than 1786, the citizens of this town initiated plans for the establishment of a gram- mar school. Samuel Moulton donated land a little on the east of the site of the Methodist Church. A building was erected thereon, and a school opened. On the 15th of October, 1787, the General Assembly passed the following act : "Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, that the place for keeping a county grammar school in and for Rutland county, shall be at the house commonly known by the name of the new school-house, near Dr. William Walcott's, in said Castleton ; provided that the county of Rutland shall not be at any cost or charge in completeing or repairing the same."
The school, which is said to have been the third, in order of time of this grade, in the State, was continued until 1800, when the building was destroyed by fire. It was soon replaced by a more commodious building, and on the
536
HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
29th of October, 1805, in " an act confirming a grammar school in the county of Rutland," the General Assembly constituted Rev. Elihu Smith, Hon. James Witherell and Chauncey Langdon, Araunah W. Hyde, Theophilus Flagg, Samuel Shaw, James Gilmore, Amos Thompson, John Mason, Enos Merrill and Isaac Clark, a board of trustees under the title of " the Corporation of Rutland County Grammar School." The board was completed on the 11th of March, 1807, by the election of Hon. Rollin C. Mallary, twelfth trustee. Care was taken from the first that the town of Castleton should be responsible for all the expenses of the academy. Save a limited amount of subscriptions se- cured for the purchase of the present building, and the rent of lands set apart for a county grammar school, the entire expenses of the school have been met by the inhabitants of Castleton.
The name, " Rutland County Grammar School " was changed to the " Ver- mont Classical High School," by legislative act, October 28, 1828.
Rev. Oliver Hulbert was preceptor of the school until 1807, when he re- signed and settled as a minister in Ohio. He was followed successively by R. C. Moulton, William Dickinson, Eleazer Barrows, Rev. John L. Cazier and Henry Belknap.
In 1815 the building was removed farther from the street and considerably repaired. Rev. John Claney taught in the year 1819-20, and was followed for six years by Henry Howe, who afterwards achieved a wide reputation as principal in an academy in Canandaigua, N. Y. He was succeeded by Rev. Edwin Hall, D. D., afterwards president of Auburn Theological Seminary, N.Y.
Hon. Solomon Foote was chosen preceptor in May, 1828, and entered up- on his duties with high purpose, thinking to devote his life to teaching. The school increased rapidly, and the accommodations becoming too limited to suit his aspirations, he conceived the plan of a high school for boys. By his own efforts, aided by Fordice Warner, a spacious edifice was begun, one hun- dred and sixty feet long and forty feet deep, with a stone basement, surmount- ed by three stories of brick. Araunah W. Hyde, on learning that the means of the board were running low, completed the building at a cost of more than thirty thousand dollars. On the Ist of November, 1830, an act was passed restoring to the institution its original name.
Rev. Truman M. Post, D. D., and Hon. John Meacham were respectively principals, among others, while the brick building, from the expense of its maintenance, fell into disuse. Rev. Charles Walker, D. D., and Rev. Lucius F. Clark followed as associate principals, and started a boarding-school in ad- dition. Their efforts were attended with an increase of students to two hun- dred. Rev. Meack succeeded Dr. Walker as associate principal, and in 1837 became sole principal of the school. In March, 1838, the old brick building was purchased of Araunah W. Hyde for sixteen thousand dollars, and it re- mained in the hands of the corporation until it was bought in May, 1881, by
OS. Very
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TOWN OF CASTLETON.
Captain Abel E. Leavenworth. Rev. Edward J Hallock was principal from September 3, 1838, until the spring of 1856. Under his management the school was very prosperous, and the debt of purchase was canceled. For every thousand dollars raised by Mr. Hallock, Mr. Hyde allowed three thou- sand. Mr. Hallock afterwards died of cholera in St. Louis, and the alumni have erected a stately monument to his memory in the Castleton Cemetery. In 1859 Rev. Stephen M. Knowlton succeeded Rev. Azariah Hyde, and was followed in 1862 by Miss Harriet N. Haskell, who conducted the school for five years under the title of Castleton Seminary. During her last year the Medical College building was donated by Carlos S. Sherman for the use of the school and moved upon its present site at the east end of the seminary building.
In February, 1867, the trustees of the Vermont Board of Education ex- pended several thousand dollars in establishing a State Normal School here for the First Congressional District, and from the start appropriated for such pur- pose the old Medical College building. Rev. R. G. Williams had charge of both Seminary and Normal School until 1874, and was followed, each one year, by Edward J. Hyde, A. M., and Rev. George A. Barrett. The seminay course was suspended in August, 1876, and Walter E. Howard, A. M., began his two years' course as principal of the Normal School. His successor for three years was Judah Dana, A. M. In June, 1881, he was followed by Abel E. Leavenworth, A. M., a graduate from the University of Vermont, who has had an experience of more than a quarter of a century as principal of classical and normal schools. The general supervision of the school remains with the "corporation of Rutland County Grammar School," and with the State super- intendent of education. The attendance during the fall term of 1885-86 was about 140. Eight counties and thirty-four towns of Vermont are represented.
Mercantile Interests. - Dunham G. Burt began the saddlery business here in the fall of 1884, as successor to his father, B. W. Burt. The business was established about 1832 by George W. Ellis, who sold out to Volney Sherman. T. M. Sherman was B. W. Burt's predecessor.
The general store now owned by James Adams was that of Langdon, Davey & Co., in 1837. In the fall of that year Adams & Davey bought the concern. The firm was changed in 1846 to Adams & Adams, being F. B. and James Adams, brothers. In 1857 James Adams bought out his brother, and in 1865 sold to Linscomb & Sherman. Seth Pepper bought them out in 1866, and the next year became the associate of James Adams. Pepper went out in 1868. The father of the present proprietor has been mentioned as an early merchant.
The dry goods business of W. C. Guernsey was established by Ferrand Parker in 1842 or 1843 and transferred to the present proprietor in 1851.
George L. Preston began dealing in jewelry here in 1883, as successor to his father, L. W. Preston. C. D. Griswold, who founded the business about 1843, sold to L. W. Preston.
538
HISTORY OF RUTLAND COUNTY.
The firm of E. H. Armstrong & Co., dealers in drugs and medicines, was formed in August, 1884. W. C. Rice, Rice & Kellogg, Northrup & Son and Charles Nichols were successively proprietors in the inverse order of their naming. Dr. Theodore Woodward established the business about forty years ago. The general store of A. L. Ransom was started in 1859 by G. D. Spen- cer, who sold out to E. H. Armstrong in the spring of 1865. His successors were Armstrong & Sherman, C. S. Sherman and the present proprietor.
C. S. Proctor began to trade in groceries in 1861. He has had Calvin Wood and Marcus Langdon as partners at different times.
T. P. Smith established his grocery business in 1866 or 1867.
F. L. Reed started his hardware store here in the spring of 1882.
The dry goods and general store of H. E. Armstrong was started by him on April 1, 1883. He had before that traded in Poultney for several years.
W. H. Northrup, wholesale manufacturer of ink powders, extracts, per- fumes and pomades, started about 1872.
Hotels .- One of the finest hotels in the State is the Bomoseen House, which was erected in 1868 by William L. Batcheller. In 1871 he was succeeded in the proprietorship by Stutely Beach, who remained about a year. Lucius Col- lins kept it then until the spring of 1880. H. P. Ellis commenced keeping it, and remained, with the exception of eleven months following the spring of 1884, when T. N. Carpenter, of the Fifth Avenue Hotel, was here until Octo- ber, 1885. The present genial proprietor, J. H. Whitehall, took possession on the 9th of last October, and bids fair to surpass even his predecessor in the ex- cellence of his " bed and board."
The old Mansion House, built by Araunah W. Hyde in 1830, stood on the site of the Bomoseen House, and was kept for the first three years by D. S. Kettle. E. B. Dewey and A. W. Hyde each in turn followed him until the spring of 1837, when Chester Spencer opened it as a temperance hotel. He had previously opened a temperance house in Wallingford, said to be the first in the United States.1 From 1847 to 1849 others ran the house. Mr. Spen- cer then returned and kept it until 1854.
Athough there are no other hotels in this village, there can be no fitter place to enumerate the summer houses on Lake Bomoseen.
Coffey's Picnic House was built in 1852 by F. S. Heath ; sold in 1878 to Harvey Bishop, and at once transferred to Michael Coffey, who rebuilt it, and keeps it now. The Taghkannuc House, on the island of the same name, was built in 1874, and is now owned by A. W. Barker. Bixby's Hotel, built by
1 Chester Spencer was born in Pawlet in 1800. He learned the clothier's trade. In 1821 he went to Mount Holly and four years later married Miss E. E. Draper, of Claremont, N. H. It was in 1835 that he opened the Temperance Hotel in Wallingford. He died in 1876. His son, G. D. Spencer, who has rendered valuable assistance in the compilation of this town history, was born in Wallingford, October 12, 1830; came to Castleton in 1837, from 1852 to 1859 was in New York city, and from 1868 to 1880 in Fairhaven. The rest of his life has been passed in Castleton.
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TOWN OF CASTLETON.
Mark W. Bixby in 1876, is still kept by him. The Lake House was built by the present proprietor, R H. Walker, in 1880. Johnson's Club House, Colo- nel E. D. Johnson, manager, is the property of a club composed of members from all about the country. It was converted into a hotel from a farm-house in 1880.
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