USA > Vermont > Windham County > Guilford > Official history of Guilford, Vermont, 1678-1961. With genealogies and biographical sketches > Part 19
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55
Williams, George C.
8th Vt. 1 yr.
Bounty $500.00
Three Years
Barton, Francis
Substitute
Bounty $1300.00
Bowen, George
Volunteer
Bounty $ 875.00
Broughton, Manuel
Sub. colored
Bounty $1000.00
Chase, John
Closson, William
Bounty $ 125.00
Colored man
Recruited down south
Bounty $ 400.85
Cook, William
Substitute
Bounty $1350.00
Dunn, John
Substitute
Bounty $ 850.00
Fullerton, Charles
Navy
Bounty $ 800.00
Granson, James
Substitute
Bounty $ 788.00
Hill, Thomas O.
Navy
Bounty $ 800.00
Substitute
Bounty $1000.00
Nagle, Patrick Patterson, Peter Smith, Charles
Substitute
Bounty $ 500.00 Bounty $1350.00
Smith, William
Bounty $1000.00
Stark, Lynde
Cavalry for N. Vt.
Bounty $ 125.00
Stevenson, John
Substitute
Bounty $1350.00
Watson, John
Substitute
Bounty $1350.00
Names of Soldiers who lost their lives in Service
Burnett, John F.
Hill, George A.
Lynde, Elbridge F.
Fisher, Edmund
Jacobs, George
Robinson, Moses W.
Gregory, Stephen Jaqueth, Elisha Wells, George A.
Hill, Elbridge G. Lamb, Willard
Williams, Charles
Burnam, James H .- Enlisted in N. H. Regiment Lamb, Charles-Enlisted in 10th Mass. Regiment Lamb, Willard-Enlisted in 10th Mass. Regiment
192
Official History of Guilford
The following not listed previously are taken from Guilford Ceme- tery Records.
Baker, David-9th Vt. Inf.
Baker, Herbert C .- 9th Vt. Inf.
Baker, Peter-27th Mass. Inf.
Baker, Peter L .- 34th Mass. Inf.
Burdick, Lt. H. F .- 12th U.S.C.H.A.
Burnett, Hollis Cook, Charles E .- 9th Vt. Inf.
Cook, Malcom-2nd Vt. Inf.
Cook, Lt. Ziba
Cross, John W .- 8th Vt. Inf.
Fairman, Dwight S .- 3rd Mass. Cav.
Gallup, Amos S .- U.S.S. Ohio, Navy Gates, Elisha-11th Vt. Inf.
Grout, Charles M .- 21st Mass. Inf.
Higley, Elliot J .- 9th Vt. Inf.
Jacobs, Willard (William?)-Co. H. Wisconsin
Marsh, Dan H .- 4th Vt. Inf.
Phelps, John W. Col .- Ist Vt. Inf. Pierce, George H., 2nd Lt .- 7th
Conn.
Porter, Newton-8th Vt. Inf.
Shepardson, Hiram
Shepardson, Horace-24th Mass.
Shepardson, Lorenzo-16th Vt.
Sisson, Wheeler D .- 3rd N. Y. Cav.
Slyfield, John-22nd N. Y. Inf. Thurber, John
Tobey, Thomas E .- 11th Vt. Inf. Vanall, William-5th Mass. Cav. Wallace, Joseph-34th Mass. Inf. Weeks, Frank E .- 21st Mass. Inf. Whitney, Lemuel P .- 16th Vt. Inf.
Old Saw Mill on Broad Brook: This was on 100 acre lot No. 12 at the falls in Broad Brook, about 3/4 mile southeasterly from the bridge at East Guilford, on the Brook Road to Vernon. The mill site was a part of the Levi Boyden farm and first separated from the farm in 1834 when it was sold to Francis P. Adams. He sold a half interest in the site in 1837 to Artemas W. Adams and in 1838 they joined in a deed to Elihu Field, who reconveyed to A. W. Adams and he sold to Levi Boyden, Jr. in 1845. During this year he sold to William Gregory, who built a saw mill and shingle mill on the premises. The dam was well built of stone, at the head of the falls, just below the bridge.
A raceway was cut through the solid rock and a turbine wheel in- stalled. The saw mill was of the old "up and down" style, large circular saws having not then come into use. The storage capacity of the dam was very limited and little work could be done by the mill during the dry season. Gregory operated the mill until 1850, when he sold to Isaac T. Fisk of Guilford, who held the property until 1863, when he sold it to Charles Gale. Gale sold a half interest in 1866 to Samuel Boyden, which Boyden sold to Cha. R. Bardwell. Gale and Bardwell sold the property to Levi Boyden in 1879. After that time the mill was not used, but fell into decay and the force of the freshets has almost wholly removed all traces of both mill and dam.
In the spring of 1865 the saw mill was owned and operated by
193
Official History of Guilford
Charles Gale. A large amount of lumber was sawed there, but the mill yard was very small and logs were piled across the bridge to the west- ward and as fast as the mill rollway was cleared the owner of the logs was notified and came with his oxen to draw in more. One day after a yoke of cattle and dray load of logs had barely crossed the bridge it broke away at both ends simultaneously, and dropped bodily into the mill pond. The rebuilding of the bridge was begun at once and sev- eral men of the neighborhood were engaged in the work, among whom was John E. Gale (Sr.) a brother of the mill owner. Soon after the work was begun a stranger came that way and asked for a job. Being young, active and muscular he was engaged to help about the bridge building. Two long stringers had been hewn square and placed in po- sition for the outside supports of the bridge floor. The men were all at work on a small yard between the road and the pond hewing tim- bers. It was April 16th, the next day after the assassination of Lincoln, which was the only topic of conversation among the men.
The stranger had not much to say about it, but after a time re- marked that he "was d -- d glad the old fourlegged scoundrel was dead." John Gale stood nearest the stranger; someone shouted, "Throw him into the pond, John." John started for him and the man ran up the slope into the road and toward the bridge site and without any hesitation sprang upon one of the new stringers, green and slip- pery, high above the deep water of the pond, near the dam. He ran across the stream upon the stringer, shouting, "Don't, John, don't!" John was scarcely a yard behind him, and as soon as he reached the end of the timber the man instantly doubled back over the other stringer, hotly pursued by John, who failed to overtake him, however, and the man ran on toward Algiers and was never afterward heard from.
The Old Guilford Cannon: For many years prior to 1865 the vil- lage of East Guilford, or Algiers, was in possession of an ancient can- non, which is described as being between three and four feet in length, and weighing between 300 and 400 pounds. As a noise producer this old cannon had no rival for many miles around, and was naturally a prime favorite among the young men of the vicinity, who took ad- vantage of every closely contested election and Fourth of July anni- versary to keep its interior from getting rusty, and incidentally to dem- onstrate their joy and ardent patriotism.
So frequently were the services of this old thunder-maker called into requisition that it became something of a nuisance to the good people of the little village, who began to resent the disturbance of its accustomed serenity, and finally a reward of five dollars was offered to anyone who would cause the permanent disappearance of the obnox- ious piece of artillery.
194
Official History of Guilford
On July 4, 1860, John E. Tyler of Guilford, one of the most active and persistent of the noise-makers, was badly burned in the face by a flare-back while firing the cannon on the church common. He was taken by his comrades to the Broad Brook House, and Dr. Geo. F. Gale of Brattleboro, an experienced army surgeon, was sent for. The victim's face was badly scarred by the powder marks, which he carried to the end of a long life.
The cannon was usually kept under the Episcopal church, and the firing done from the church common, a place admirably suited for the purpose, the steep slopes of Buck Hill and Boyden's hill reflecting the loud reverberations over the little valley and across the flats to south, where they were again turned by the high ridge on the western border of Vernon, extending from Broad Brook gap southerly to the Franklin and Parsons farms, where the echoes were sent back to the hills of the Squiers and Melendy farms on the west. Hardly would one series of reverberations cease before another discharge took place, to renew the distress of the timorous and exasperated womenfolks of the village, who likened these demonstrations to the din of bedlam, thereby adding to the incomparable joy of the young men in charge of the cannon.
But the limit of endurance was finally reached, and the old relic very suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. About 1865 it had been fired on the common in front of the church, upon July fourth, in cele- bration of the anniversary of Independence, according to the usual custom. M. P. Melendy and Charles R. Bardwell, familiarly known as Perry and Charlie, had done the firing, and had returned to the Melendy farm, on the hill to the westward, for a yoke of oxen and a cart, with the intention of taking the cannon up to the farm for safe- keeping. Meanwhile they had placed it in the vestibule of the church and locked the door.
When they returned with the oxen, great was their surprise to find the old gun missing. Investigation showed that entrance to the church had been effected by way of one of the east windows, and that the can- non had been carried to the window and there dropped to the ground, where all traces of it were lost.
From the weight of the cannon and its unwieldy nature, it was supposed that no less than three or four were concerned in its removal, but their secret was well kept, and no one ever called for the promised reward of five dollars, which was long held in readiness for any one who would claim it.
The origin of the cannon is obscure; it had been in town for a long time, and may have been the cannon brought by the Dummerston men who came with the state troops on January 19, 1784, to subdue the perverse Guilfordites and secure their allegiance to the new state
195
Official History of Guilford
of Vermont. The fact that the Dummerston men brought a cannon; that they had no horses; that a fierce snowstorm prevailed until the snow was four feet deep on a level before their return, might be rea- sonable ground for the supposition that they abandoned their artil- lery, which was described at that time as being "an ancient cannon," and it cannot be learned that anything of this description has been located in Dummerston since that time. And where the Dummerston men got their cannon is also a matter of conjecture. There is a possi- bility that it may have been one of the guns mounted at Fort Dum- mer, which had for its defense one "great gun", four patararoes and several swivels, all mounted, in addition to two four pounders, sup- plied in 1745. We are unable to find any record of the final disposition of these guns.
Until 1920 the above had been all that was known of the old Guil- ford cannon. The old relic was exhumed by John E. Gale at the Gale homestead. Mr. Gale had occasion to remove some earth at the south end of the granary and storehouse opposite the southerly ell of his resi- dence and about twenty feet from the highway. The old cannon was found only about one foot below the surface of the ground. It is hexag- onal at its base, and for about one half its length, and round for the remainder of its length, about three feet. The diameter at the base is eight inches, and at the muzzle six and one half inches. The bore is two and one fourth inches. An iron ball of this size would probably weigh about four pounds. It is conjectured that the cannon was taken from the church as a joke upon "Perry and Charlie" probably by John E. Gale (Sr.) and his brother Charles, possibly with the help of the Pierce boys, Henry and "Cord", who lived on a small place adjoining the Gale farm.
Mineral Springs: One of the original plots of land formed by the proprietors of early Guilford was lot No. 105, a one hundred acre lot on which the mineral springs were found. This lot was first deeded to Salah Barnard, and from Ebenezer Barnard to Jotham Bigelow in 1763. In 1763 he deeded all the part south of Broad Brook to his brother Joel and in 1785 deeded the east half of the lot which would include the buildings to Joel. The east line came very near if not ex- actly to the highway. In 1789 Joel deeded the land south of Broad Brook to John Hinkley and appears to have deeded the balance of the farm to Joseph Bullock, as Bullock deeded it to Hinkley in 1789. In 1788 Joel sold to Abel Whitney 52 square rods which Abel sold in 1792 to Luther Emes. This tract was sold in 1797 by James and Edward Houghton to James Fosdick, hatter of Weathersfield and is described as "with a dwelling house." This was on the road to Hinesburg from the Center, across the road from the brick schoolhouse. It came into the hands of Edward Houghton and his brother James, in 1794.
196
Official History of Guilford
One interesting fact may be added here. One of the owners during the time between 1837-1860 was Lovell Bullock. Mr. Bullock, an enter- prising man, sought to raise silkworms in the attic of the farmhouse on the property. He even went so far as to raise mulberry trees, the leaves of which trees are recommended as food for the small worms. No mention is made of Bullock's success in this venture.
In 1797 the Houghton brothers sold a portion of the land to James Fosdick, who built a house on that part of the tract. It was in this house that Mr. and Mrs. Royall Tyler lived from 1796 to 1801. On the remaining part of the original lot 105, Edward Houghton built a huge structure, which was used as an inn and hotel. Even today, there is a trap door leading to the cellar where the owner kept his supply of cider and hard liquor. The building itself is a monstrous thirty-seven room affair, with many of the rooms having a private staircase leading to the chambers. Many of the original numbers still remain on the doors of the rooms. In the corridors of the building, the walls were so made that there are perfectly rounded corners at every meeting of the walls. This feat was accomplished by cutting the border of wood into very small pieces and nailing them into the desired shape, a gentle curve. Even today the walls, floors, and woodwork are in excellent con- dition and remind one of the time in which the building was built.
The rambling house stands on a small hill overlooking the quiet town of Guilford Center, a small community, even during the 1800's, of about fifteen buildings. The site of the structure is in an ideal place for such an enterprise as it once was, for it is "located in the very heart of the town, surrounded by a horizon of rugged hills on every side, in the midst of a spacious bowl which includes nearly all of the points of activity which made the town so famous." These facts, plus the min- eral springs, probably contributed greatly to the success of the de- velopment.
The popularity of other water cures in the state and in other parts of the country may have contributed much to the development of the Mineral Springs in Guilford, but according to a report from the States Assayers of Massachusetts, the springs did have some value as a cure. It may have been the cures in Germany, too, which instigated the forming of the resort in Guilford. The German idea for the water treatment was brought to the United States by Robert Wesselhoeft, the founder of a successful water cure in Brattleboro. Wesselhoeft thought that if animals and birds could cure themselves in the water of the forest, that the same treatment might work for humans. The new idea seemed reasonable to the people of many states in the United States, and at once, the water cure became one of the most fashionable places for the treatment of diseases.
No matter what caused it, the Guilford Mineral Springs Company was founded. The existence of mineral springs on the Houghton
197
Official History of Guilford
farm has been common knowledge for many years. Many of the farmers living around the springs had tried the medicinal water, and had found it did have some quality which made it useful as a tonic. The springs were not widely publicized, however, until the land was sold to a group of men interested in forming a cure.
James Dalton, Joseph Burnett, W. B. Potter, and John Knowlton bought the buildings and land on August 4, 1868. They formed a com- pany which was incorporated by the state legislature with a capital limit of $100,000. In 1870 the charter was amended and the capital limit increased to $300,000. The company immediately enlarged the grounds and built several new buildings, among them the spring house, bottling house, and pavilions and bridges near the springs. Trees were planted, drives were cleared, and the property became the most attractive in town. The springs house, bottling house, and springs were all located about one-half mile from the central house, beside a winding brooklet. The springs were once covered by a lattice- work covering to protect the wells from becoming clogged with leaves and refuse. The coverings and the pavilion were all patterned along the same lines, giving the buildings a neat, trim look. The bricks which lined the well were probably made in the brickyard and lime kiln of J. M. Houghton in Guilford. This business once turned out 300,000 bricks and 1,200 barrels of lime per year. The offices of the president of the corporation, James Dalton, were in the Savings Bank Building in Brattleboro.
The actual chemical properties of the springs were the most im- portant part of the entire idea. In a letter to the owners of the springs, Drs. Charles T. Jackson, S. Dana Hayes, and A. A. Hayes reported, "This is strictly a Mineral Water, having both saline and chalybeate characters. It is remarkable for the unusually large quantity of salts and gases held in solution and the variety of these constituents. In composition it is very nearly like some of the most highly valued and favorite German Mineral Spring Waters, and its value as an alternative medicinal agent is quite apparent." Dr. Root, in his analysis, states, "The oxygen of the atmosphere combines with the sulphur contained in the rock, forming sulphuric acid which unites with the aluminie (pure clay) composing sulphate of alumine." Dr. Root goes on to explain that through a series of chemical changes, a triple salt is finally formed, sulphate of alumine and potash (alum).
The chart of chemical components in the water is given in Hemenway's Vermont Historical Gazeteer as follows:
Carbonates of lime per gallon 15.8%
Chloride of Sodium per gallon
2.4%
Carbonates of iron per gallon 2.9%
Carbonates of magnesia per gallon .06%
Chloride of Sodium per gallon 2.4%
198
Official History of Guilford
One odd fact about the springs was the action of bubbles which rose to the surface of the pool and burst. "The bubbles that arise in the spring, on meeting a torch held upon the surface, will explode with a flame." The presence of the carbonates and sulphates probably gave the springs all the curing qualities it ever possessed, except for the psychological power in the patient's minds.
Although the cure was doubted by many citizens, the water must have had some effect on its users as indicated by the success of the company from 1868 to 1875. A great number of diseases were treated at the Springs Farm, among them "cutaneous eruptions", female dis- orders, and general debility. "In the cure of . . . Nervous Prostration, and Broken-Down state of the Constitution, the Guilford water stands without an equal."
In treating the various patients who visited the cure, the treatment consisted of taking baths in the mineral water and drinking large quantities of the same water. In other cures, including Wesselhoeft's in Brattleboro, the treatment also consisted of massaging of the body and limbs by attendants, and a large amount of walking in the fresh air. It may be assumed, therefore, that this manner of treatment was also used in the Guilford Water Cure, for it was a very popular method of treatment at the time. Since Burnett and Dalton had built many drives and walks when they first bought the property, exercise probably was an important part of the treatment at Guilford. It may have been the physical activity in the fresh, clean air that contributed to the curing power of the Springs Farm more than the properties of the water, but nonetheless, the Guilford Mineral Springs Company con- tinued to grow and prosper.
Several people who had been cured at the Mineral Springs were so elated at their recovery that they offered testimonials praising the treatment and assuring the success of the venture. The following is one of those testimonials:
When my son, Lorenzo Dow Franklin, was a child between three and four years of age, there came upon him a terrible humour, which broke out in all parts of his body, head and eyelids, down to his feet. We tried many remedies which were recommended to us, consuming bottle after bottle of sarsparilla to no purpose, when my husband took the child to Guilford Spring, and bathed him there twice. He also brought home a jug of the water, but I had only use for it a few times, for the child began to improve immediately. The disease soon left him, and has never returned.
Guilford, Oct. 12, 1868.
CHARLOTTE FRANKLIN
The minor business conducted by the Guilford Mineral Springs Company was the bottling of their wonderful water for sale in the major cities and towns of New England. The largest market for the
199
Official History of Guilford
liquid was in Boston, where the citizens literally swallowed the whole idea and the contents of many bottles as well. The people of that town were well impressed, for a great many names in the guest book of the inn were followed by "Mass." written under the heading, "State".
The actual bottling was done in the building erected by Burnett and Dalton. The bottles, after being filled with the wonderful elixir, were then cased and shipped out to the waiting townspeople of nearby states and towns. The chief use of the medicine was as a tonic and antacid. One user reported that his kidney ailment had been stopped entirely by the use of this bottled water only. Apparently the selling of this tonic was successful, for the business flourished for several years.
The squat, heavy, green bottles are frequently seen today as decorations, bookends, lamps, and are displayed in the windows of antique shops. In the flower garden of the present owner of the Springs Farm, these sturdy vessels are turned neck down and used as the border for several plots of flowers.
Almost all the guests at the Mineral Springs Farm were accommo- dated in the spacious rooms of the huge, centrally-located inn. The cost was low for the stay, and the surrounding countryside was a pleasant view from any room of the large structure. It was a quiet and restful place for those unfortunate souls afflicted with a disease that could be cured only by the miraculous action of the spring water of Guilford. At the height of its existence, the Mineral Springs attracted many well-known guests. One of these people was Mrs. James Fisk, wife of the prominent businessman, James Fisk, who was noted for his crooked enterprises.
The incorporate property was taken over by Weeks and Potter, druggists, of Boston and was run actively for several years but probably did not produce adequate returns for the investment. The Mineral Springs began to fail. Those people who had maintained that it had been just a fad blamed the decline on the fact, stating that the people had just grown tired of the idea and had sought other new inventions and discoveries to satisfy them. Still others believed that the water cure had been started at the wrong time to succeed. The event that had brought about the Springs' downfall, was, according to some, the precipitation of the carbonates and sulphates in the water, causing a thick layer of sediment to form on the bottom of the container in which the water was stored. Whatever the cause, the Guilford Mineral Springs Company failed, and has not been restored since that time.
The buildings are now in the hands of the descendants of Andrew G. Weeks and have been kept in their original condition.
These buildings, plus a few written documents, are the only reminders of a once proud, prosperous, and fashionable resort, founded for the benefit of the people of New England. This enterprise was the product of an age and era which, along with its ideas and ideals, has vanished and will never return.
CHAPTER VI Industrial and Social Growth
The Robbery of Ira Kent: Ira Kent, son of Samuel, lived and died on the farm where his father settled and remained during his lifetime, on the stage road leading from Guilford Center toward Green River, on the easterly slope of the hill, where Geo. W. Prouty afterward lived for many years, and which is now occupied by Mrs. Leon Cutting.
On the morning of April 26, 1870, Mr. Kent and his hired man arose early, according to their usual custom, and having finished their breakfast and the farm chores were away at the south side of the farm, out of sight from the house, mending fence.
Soon after seven o'clock two men, who had apparently been watch- ing their chance, walked into the house where Mrs. Fitch, an elderly woman who had for some years kept house for Mr. Kent (he being a widower) was alone and about the housework. She was immediately bound and gagged, the house ransacked and currency and U.S. bonds to the amount of about $6000 was taken. Soon after the robbers had left the premises, S. R. and R. T. Cutting, who lived at Green River, came driving past. They were stopped by Mrs. Fitch, who had been released either by her own efforts or by the robbers before they left, and were informed of the robbery. They immediately sought Mr. Kent and then notified his brother-in-law, Stephen Smith, of East Guilford. Pursuit was attempted and the men traced as far as Shelburne Falls, Mass., after which the trail was lost. Hand bills were prepared at Greenfield, of which the following is a copy.
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.