USA > Vermont > Rutland County > Wallingford > People of Wallingford, a compilation > Part 24
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If you had a pain to be prescribed for or a tooth to be pulled, or if you wanted your photograph taken, or your watch repaired, there was a man in town who was qualified to meet your wants. Ethelbert O. Eddy, M.D., was truly a talented man. He practiced medicine in the south part of the town from about 1844 but relinquished it due to loss of health. From 1855 to 1884 he prac- ticed dentistry, and after 1860 he maintained a photographic studio and jeweler's shop. His house and shop was on the east side of Main Street, the second building north of Church Street.
It was my pleasure to have a personal acquaintance with Dr. Eddy. To illustrate his scientific knowledge and skill, I will mention a microscope that he made to the last detail, which I was permitted to examine. The achromatic lenses he chipped from lumps of flint and crown glass, then ground and polished them on a foot lathe, probably of his own construction. With hand tools he made the stand and mountings of the lenses, and the fine threads of the tube he cut in his lathe with a hand chasing tool. Only an instrument maker can appreciate such skill with
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appliances so primitive. Everyone knows the delicacy of watch repairing. This was an every-day task for him. He made photo- graphs-portraits and stereoscopic views-before the days of dry plates. A man of frail physique but keen intellect. He was the son of Hosea Eddy who came to Wallingford in 1805, residing here until his death August 2, 1876.
Thus far I have spoken only of handicraft and business of men, but occasionally there was a woman who gained an inde- pendent livelihood by her skill and business ability. The first house from Main on Elm Street was the home of Miss Frances Hibbard, who conducted a millinery shop in the east front room of her house. In her girlhood and twenties she was a beautiful young woman, with fair complexion and golden hair, which re- quired no artificial coloring to add to its beauty. Her entire life was spent in Wallingford. While still a young woman she became engaged to a man who had never lived in the town. The day before the wedding was to have taken place he came, but departed the next morning. It was generally understood that Frances dis- missed him for a reason that no one outside the family ever knew.
She then embarked on a successful millinery business which continued as long as her parents lived. When they were gone she lived alone, ceased to attend church, or to leave the house, except after nightfall to go to the store and the postoffice. Her business began and continued to decline, until finally none remained. One morning the neighbors noticed that no smoke came from her chimney. Upon investigation she was found dead in her bed, but the cause of her sudden death was never known.
It is apparent that Wallingford was not wanting in handicrafts and small industries in the 1870's. There were carpenters, black- smiths, masons, stone cutters, a cabinet maker, harness maker, cobbler, tinsmith, carriage painter, surveyor and a jeweler; there was a gristmill, a sawmill, tannery, marble quarry and half a dozen small industries, all contributing to the welfare of
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the village people. An industrial renaissance has since taken place, sweeping away the artisan and destroying local industry. Whether for better or worse humanity is swept along as in the current of a mighty stream, controlled by the inflexible laws of nature. Notwithstanding the loss of handicrafts and small in- dustries, the population of Wallingford village is much larger than it was sixty years ago. The chief industry is, as it always has been, the manufacture of hand implements but, whereas in the 1870's fifty men were employed, now more than a hundred find work at the factory. Formerly when a boy left school he might spend several years without much compensation learning a trade that, once learned, made him comparatively independent for the rest of his life. Now he starts in a factory almost at man's wages, never acquires more skill than is necessary to operate a machine, is always dependent upon a large corporation for employment and is subject to more or less control of a labor organization.
There is another factor that is entering into the problem of getting a living, viz., the ever increasing regulation of corpora- tions and trade by the government, both state and federal. The day that the parliament in London enacted a protective tariff which applied to hand implements, that same day the act was felt in Wallingford by the canceling of an order for pitchforks destined for England. Thus the lives of men in the mountains of Vermont are instantly touched by the acts of men in the Old World.
Wages measured in dollars have risen several fold in the last half century. Men worked in the Old Stone Shop for one dollar a day and a day was ten hours; the blacksmith received one dol- lar and a quarter. Today men work eight hours for four dollars. On the other hand, people live much better, enjoy more luxuries, receive more education, have better homes with only eight hours of labor than they did formerly with ten. We must conclude that the lot of the average man has improved, possibly at the expense
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of some independence so far as employment is concerned but not in all respects, for he is able to travel farther and see more of the world. His horizon is less circumscribed. Is he more con- tent? happier? Probably not. The joy of creation felt by the skilled artisan and the delight of accomplishment that comes to the man who by his own effort builds up a business are denied to the man who runs a machine and watches the clock.
It was customary to give the children of the Congregational Church school an outing once a year in the summer. In 1874 the Hoosac tunnel on which work had begun in 1855, was com- pleted and trains were running through it. An excursion was given the children that year to see this remarkable engineering achievement. We were taken by special train to and through the tunnel to the east portal. That famous tunnel is five and three quarters miles in length and made possible a railroad from Boston through northern Massachusetts to Troy and Albany.
On another occasion the school was given an excursion to the Bennington potteries where we saw the coarser ware being made on a foot-propelled potter's wheel. It was not long after this excursion that the potteries went out of existence and now the finer wares of that industry are much sought after by collectors.
The old road from Wallingford to Tinmouth branched from the main highway about a mile south of the village, passing near the Cascades and then led up the steep slope of West Hill. The ascent was a severe task for a team of horses with a heavy load, and a light buggy could scarcely be driven faster than a walk. A better road was the desire of those who of necessity traveled this route frequently and the records show that as far back as April 30, 1852, a committee of two was appointed to act with the Selectmen to choose a better route. Apparently nothing was ac- complished at that time but in 1874 it became the subject of much discussion. Some people favored improving the old route, since it avoided the construction of a bridge across the Creek; Mr.
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Frank Post advocated a route that crossed the Creek near his new factory at the north end of the village, which locality he hoped to make the center of a thriving town. Others favored a middle route which was ultimately the one chosen. The con- troversy waxed warm and was finally settled, in a special Town Meeting, held October 10, 1874, by a "Resolution that we raise a tax of 90c on the dollar of the grand list of 1874 as a special road tax for the purpose of raising money to defray the expenses of surveying, commissioners and court fees, building road and bridges and other expenses. A road from Wallingford village near the depot to Tinmouth as laid out by court committee 1873."
The covered bridge across the Creek, shown facing page 288, which is still standing, was constructed by Nicholas M. Powers of Clarendon, a famous builder of that type of bridge. He had built many other covered bridges in this and neighboring states. This bridge was located so near my home that I spent much time watching the process of construction. A ledge on the west side of the creek served as an abutment and involved but little work to cut off the top and so provide a level bearing. On the east side an abutment was constructed of large rectangular blocks of stone brought from Green Hill. This abutment rested in the soft mud of the river bank without piling and I, only a small boy, won- dered if it would not settle.
But most interesting was the construction of the lattice girders which were made entirely of spruce planks three inches thick by ten inches wide. They were laid down on blocks in the meadow beside the Creek. When all the planks were in place and fastened by nails "toed" into their edges, the holes for the pins were bored with hand turned boring machines on which the operator sat and gripped a crank with each hand. It took several days to bore all the holes in a girder-550 in number-each 13/4 inches in diameter. When the task was completed the second girder, made of similar planks, was laid down on top of the first. This insured
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their being exactly alike. Then the boring operation was repeated. While the boring was going on a temporary staging was erected across the Creek, supported on poles which in turn rested on the creek bottom. The planks of the girders were then numbered and taken apart piece by piece, to be set up in their final position, sup- ported on the staging and temporarily braced. As the planks were put in place they were secured and tied together by driving hard- wood pins into the holes that had been bored for them.
The two girders, completely assembled, were tied together by floor beams beneath, cross beams overhead and suitable bracings. Then the roof was added, the floor was laid and the bridge was completed by covering the sides with boards to protect the girders from the weather. Removal of the temporary staging completed the job.
The building of this bridge destroyed the best swimming hole in town. There were no bath houses in those days; none were needed. The bushes served the same purpose. Bathing suits were not the vogue either. The smaller boys bathed on the east bank but the men and larger boys swam across the creek to deeper water where they could use a diving plank that projected from the ledge that now forms the west abutment of the bridge.
My grandfather Clark's farm was not equipped for sugar mak- ing but one spring his two sons, Pitt and Chauncy (we called him Channy) wanted to make some sugar from the sap that could be collected from a few maple trees in the pasture on the edge of Green Hill. Wooden sap buckets were borrowed, a large iron kettle that could be used for boiling the sap was among the farm equipment and tubs for the collection and storage of sap were obtained-just where I do not remember. There were no sap spouts, so these had to be made. Branches of alder were cut in the swamp and pieces of these, about six inches long, were made into spouts by pushing the pith out with a red hot wire and taper- ing one end with a jack-knife. We built a fire in the hog-house
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arch one evening to heat the wires and sat around the fire making sap spouts and laying our plans for sugar making in the near future. Dead wood lying about the pasture was collected for fuel. The trees were tapped, the boiling kettle was set up on stones in the woods at the south end of the sugar bush and a fire was built under it after a sufficient quantity of sap had been col- lected to fill the kettle and the storage tub. Most of the boiling was done in the evening which imparted a spirit of romance. The March evenings were cool but the snapping, crackling fire, with flames that leapt up around the steaming kettle radiated heat which, together with the labor of tending the fire, kept us warm. The fire lighted up the woods and caused shadows to dance in the foliage of the trees. When the fire was forced too hard the boiling sap in the kettle overflowed, creating consternation on the part of the attendants. "Dr." Case, a resident of Hartsboro, who was in attendance and possessed of superior wisdom and experi- ence, stated that a piece of salt pork would prevent the sap from boiling over. Acting on this advice we obtained a small piece from the pork barrel of the family and, tied to a piece of string, it was allowed to float in the boiling sap. Just how effective it was cannot be definitely stated but it conformed to tradition and the boiling continued.
From time to time a sample of sap, approaching the consistency of syrup, was dipped up and poured into a glass of cold water to determine its density and when to stop the boiling. The iron kettle and the numerous little buds and twigs that got into the sap gave a darker color to the syrup than that made with modern appliances, but some persons imagine that dark syrup has a better flavor than the lighter product. We did not disillusion anyone on that point.
Boiling in the woods was not carried beyond the syrup stage. If sugar was wanted further boiling was done on the kitchen
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stove in the farm house and a fine grain was imparted by vigor- ous stirring after the boiling while the sugar cooled.
Among the fire wood gathered in the sugar bush was an old hewn beam that had come from a building. "Dr." Case called my attention to it and remarked that it was once a part of the Union Church that stood on the farm, on the east side of the road just north of the great barn: the first church built in Wallingford. This interested me and I cut a chip from the beam as a souvenir. Grandfather once told me that when the church was being built Deacon Hall rode up on horseback, stopped in front of the build- ing, and made the remark, "A meeting house without a steeple, a drunken priest and a wicked people." I do not believe he in- tended the remark to be personal in any respect.
Vermont in general, and Wallingford in particular, is fortu- nate in having numerous springs of crystal clear water on its hill sides. A suitable conduit is all that is necessary to bring a supply of water to the houses of the people. In the early days metal pipes were not available. Almost every article used in the domestic economy had to be made from the trees of the forest. Conduits for water were made of logs by boring a hole through them longitudinally with a hand auger, made by the village black- smith, then tapering one end to fit into a conical-shaped recess of the other end of a similar log. These were called "pump logs," and by joining a sufficient number of them together a conduit of any length could be made.
In 1825 Lent Ives and James Rustin laid pump logs from a spring on the north side of what we now know as School Street, about opposite the site of the sash and blind shop, and conveyed the water to their respective homes in the village for both farm and domestic use. Later on the original pump logs made from logs were replaced by machine-made pump logs, which were square sticks about four inches thick, bored in a machine and fitted with iron bands on the ends.
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In 1876 the wooden conduit was replaced by welded iron pipe which is still in use at the present day. Mr. Isaac Munson was on his death-bed when the iron pipe was being laid and was much interested in the progress of the work, hoping that he might live to drink some of the water that was to flow in the new pipe to his residence, a hope that was fulfilled.
No event in the year created greater interest than the exhibition and performance of Barnum's Circus which every year or two made Rutland one of its stopping places. In the days of which we are writing, the circus traveled by horse drawn wagons and usually passed through Wallingford in the early morning hours of the day on which it was to exhibit. The elephants traveled on foot and some of the bridges could not be trusted to support their excessive weight. This was true of the bridge at the south end of the village, consequently the elephants were made to ford the creek and it was a sight not to be missed by the boys in town, for the elephants seemed to enjoy a bath and were disposed to linger in the water, taking pleasure in filling their trunks with water and then squirting it at some person or object that attracted their attention.
When the circus was expected many of the boys and presum- ably some older persons arose at an early hour to see the ele- phants ford the Creek.
In the early days spirituous liquors could be purchased at al- most any grocery or general store. Then came the prohibition law which allowed them to be sold by a duly appointed town agent and for medicinal purposes only. This was the law in the 1870's. The first town agent whom I remember was Harvey Congdon. He usually accepted the statement of the purchaser that the liquor was for a sick wife and one marvels at the amount of illness among wives of that period.
George Tower succeeded Mr. Congdon as dispenser of liquor. His policy was to question the statements of purchasers as to the
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sickness of their wives or their need of the stimulant. As a result of this policy sales were much lighter than under Mr. Congdon's dispensation. The public was not entirely satisfied with either policy. Prohibitionists expressed the opinion that Mr. Congdon sold too much. Persons addicted to alcoholic stimulant thought Mr. Tower refused to sell to persons who should have the liquor.
The Fourth of July celebration was an annual event of im- portance in the 1870's. It began by raising a large United States flag across Main Street at the four corners where two flag poles were set, one on the southeast corner close to Martindale's store; the other on the southwest corner. A band of twenty or thirty pieces was engaged to provide martial music and a public speaker to stir patriotic emotions.
The celebration usually began with a street parade, led by the band and composed of a company of Civil War Veterans, sym- bolic floats, "horribles," etc. A prominent place was assigned to Lev. Allen with his fife that piped louder when a little prohibited something warmed the inner man; and by his side marched Mar- tin Williams, who rolled a drum as none other could. These men had served in the Civil War and the music they made had a mean- ing. After the parade people assembled in the school yard facing a platform erected for the band, the officers of the day and the speaker. Then followed an oration that warmed the hearts of the audience. Two men who performed this service stand out in my memory: Hon. Joel C. Baker and Hon. David E. Nicholson, both prominent lawyers in Rutland. I can still see David E. waxing eloquent with frantic gestures until the tears ran down his cheeks in his endeavor to stir the patriotic emotions of his audience for the flag and those who fought for it. Loud ap- plause followed when he finished and then the band played a national air. Gone are the days when the periodic return of our national holiday makes the heart beat stronger with patriotic pride. Then we were proud of our independence; now doubts
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creep into our minds and we ask ourselves how much independ- ence we really possess.
The year 1876 was outstanding in the annals of our family. First of all was a visit to the Centennial Exposition in Philadel- phia. I went with my parents and the great Corliss Engine stands as clearly in my memory today as any event of my boyhood. With my taste for things mechanical, machinery hall was the part of the exposition that was really worthy of consideration in my estimation. I heard more or less about the wonderful invention of Alexander Graham Bell, enabling persons to converse at a great distance over a wire, which was being demonstrated, but I did not take advantage of an opportunity to test the device and have regretted it ever since.
Something else interested us that year more than the exposi- tion at Philadelphia. My father purchased the Asa Webster place on Main Street, the second house north of Depot Street, and plans were being drawn to build a new house there the following year. Sheets of paper were procured ruled in quarter inch squares and all members of the family drew plans upon them. Father had pretty definite ideas of the house he wanted; mother preferred to have it smaller. Father's ideas seemed to predominate in the end.
First of all, the Webster house and small store that stood just north of the house, had to be moved. Mr. Webster and his family, consisting of his wife and two daughters, had lived there many years. His business, on a small scale, was a store in which he sold a miscellaneous assortment of articles, such as clothing, sheep twine, peanuts, tobacco, etc. Boys and young men of the village frequented the store and annoyed Mr. Webster by pranks which were not humorous from his point of view. For two generations he was the butt of practical jokes. After selling his house he moved to East Wallingford.
The Webster house and store were moved across the lots to
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Railroad Street where they now stand, the store converted into a single tenement and the house, with little or no change, a tene- ment for two families. When these buildings were moved, George Harris, son of Howard Harris whose residence was oppo- site the Webster home, witnessed the removal and proposed the name Webster Avenue for the thoroughfare commonly called Railroad Street. He painted a street sign and nailed it up at the corner of Depot Street where it remained for a considerable time. When a new deed was drawn for the property that included the two Webster buildings, its location was given on Webster Ave- nue. In time the street sign disappeared, few persons remember the name given by Mr. Harris, and it has since been spoken of as Railroad Street for an obvious reason.
The Webster lot on Main Street was lower than the street sur- face, necessitating a retaining wall on three sides and earth fill- ing to the extent of three thousand yards. James Titus was em- ployed to build the wall, the stone coming from a ledge beside the creek. A yoke of oxen was purchased by my father to haul the earth filling from the farm of Abraham Adams on School Street.
When a general plan of the house to be built was determined it was given to Putnam and Graves, Architects, Rochester, New York, to develop the details and prepare specifications. A contract was entered into with Smith and Allen of Middlebury to build the house. Work of building began in the spring of 1877 and was not completed until the end of the year. My father sold our home on Depot Street to Harvey Congdon, agreeing to give possession January 1, 1878. We moved into the new house between Christ- mas and the New Year. As the weather was cold father took the precaution to keep up fires in the Depot Street house to prevent freezing of water pipes until he gave possession to Mr. Congdon. January 1st Mr. Congdon moved, in a blinding snow storm, and the next night allowed the fires to go out, resulting in burst
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water pipes. The residence of Justin Batcheller is shown facing page 312.
In our new home we found ourselves surrounded by pleasant neighbors. We were in sight of the "four-corners" and took an interest in the occasional passerby. The life of this, like most other villages, is largely the interest we take in what our neigh- bors are doing. No one then dreamed of motor travel. Our next door neighbors on the south were the John Millers, and living with them were Mrs. Miller's father and mother, the Dickermans. Mr. Dickerman's chief occupation in his declining years was split- ting wood. He could be seen at the wood pile almost every pleasant day, axe in hand, where his habit of industry kept his passing hours from hanging heavily. He died in his eighty-sixth year. Mr. Miller was a dignified gentleman, very discreet in speak- ing of his own affairs, but much interested in the affairs of his neighbors. A son, John D. Miller and his wife, lived with his father and mother. He conducted a small business with Henry C. Cole, manufacturing oxbows in the factory built by Franklin Post. He also had banking interests in Rutland.
Our next door neighbors on the north were Mr. and Mrs. Hud- son Shaw, elderly people, Mr. Shaw having retired from active business. Their daughter married Col. Aldace F. Walker, who became a prominent railway attorney and officer. Their son, Wil- liam Shaw, was Principal of the Wallingford public school for a year or two.
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