USA > Vermont > Orange County > Topsham > Sketches of the town of Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, 1929 > Part 12
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One morning after Jack Frost had left a fringe of ice along the river the man went into the forest fearing that he would find his fairy friends gone. As he came near the fairy castle he was surprised to see the trees filled with wee birdies. The fairy queen alone stood at the door of her castle.
When the man asked for his little friend the fairy queen point- ed to the trees and said: "Your friend is among those birds and." she continued, "you will have your fairy friends with you all win- ter for I have changed them into chickadees." Whereupon the fairy queen herself flew to a nearby tree and became a downy chickadee.
All winter long the chickadees lived in the forest that lay on the three sides of the little old house on the side of the hill. Morn- ing. noon and evening they came to the shelf by the kitchen win- dow. Here they chirped happily as they ate of the crumbs placed there for them.
The chickadees were not afraid of the man and he was never lonely now. He was happy, too, for he knew that the fairy queen had the power when summer came to change the chickadees back into the fairies that lived in the castle which stands in the stump of the old maple tree in the forest.
173
MISCELLANEOUS
MISCELLANEOUS
MASTERS' REPORT FOR 1929.
Number of silos, 30.
Number of horses, 216.
Number of oxen. 0.
Number of sheep, 167.
Number of hogs, 153.
Number of dairy calves under one year, 408.
Number of grade cows, 690.
Number of grade bulls, 34.
Number of registered cows. 26.
Number of registered bulls, 20.
WHERE OUR MONEY GOES.
During the year ending February 1, 1929, $8,715.77 was spent for schools, of which $1,966.33 was rebated by the State and re- ceived in tuition.
During the same year the town spent about $25,000.00 on the roads. A large part of this sum was repair flood work. The State rebated about $12,000.00 of this sum. Between $16,000.00 and $18,000.00 in taxes were collected.
OF INTEREST TO EVERY RESIDENT.
1929-30-Tax rate, $3.85; grand list, $4,497.08. Poll tax for each voter, $3.85.
Head tax for each voter, $2.50.
A daily stage runs from East Topsham to East Corinth.
A stage runs twice daily from Waits River to Bradford.
A daily stage runs from West Topsham through East Barre to Barre.
OFFICERS OF THE TOWN.
Selectmen: S. F. Locke, M. A. White, J. C. Lang. Constable: G. H. Hight.
Listers: C. H. Hight, R. W. Hodge, E. B. Andross.
Road Commissioner: F. E. Bagley.
School Directors: R. N. Chalmers, E. S. Locke. W. E. Hood.
174
MISCELLANEOUS
Town Agent: E. S. Locke.
Health Officer: Dr. J. A. Dow.
Overseer of the Poor: R. W. Hodge.
Forest Fire Warden: Albert Downing.
Auditors: Charles Mclam, J. C. Lang, Frank H. Craig. Town Clerk and Treasurer: E. S. Locke.
OMISSIONS FROM "THE POPULATION OF TOPSHAM."
Mrs. Rosina C. Andross; July 5. 1869; East Topsham; Rep. Evelyn R. Andross: September 21. 1911. Nora E. Whitcomb; August 27. 1911.
Wilford F. Marston; July 13, 1866: East Topsham; Rep.
George S. Phelps; May 16, 1879: East Topsham; Rep.
LOGGING IN TOPSHAM
175
HOMES IN TOPSHAM
HOMES IN TOPSHAM
EAST TOPSHAM VILLAGE.
East of Road Going North From East Corinth.
Mckay Bros.
Cemetery
Methodist Church
George W. Merritt
Hall Bros. Orville Hubbard J. D. Miller's store and residence
Going East From Store, South of the Road.
Presbyterian Church
Rose Andross
Town House
Going North From Store, East Side of Road.
Wilford F. Marston
The Parsonage
Norman W. McLam
West Side of the Road
C. E. McLam
E. M. Hood
Going North From East Corinth, West Side of Road.
Charles McLam place
Susan McLam
Harry A. Morse Garage on the corner
Going West From the Store, on South Side of the Road.
Betsey A. Currier L. F. Orcutt Josephine A. Smith Elizabeth White
Ada M. Powers William B. Mullaney Herbert Wilkins
176
HOMES IN TOPSHAM
North of Road Going West From the Store.
Old creamery
Blacksmith shop
William C. Fox
School No. 2
George C. Wright
J. C. Lang Sawmill Prescott Gewar William H. Morrison
WEST TOPSHAM VILLAGE.
West of the Road Going North From Waits River.
E. H. Farnham
G. H. Hight
Fremont M. Welch
C. S. Hight
L. W. Sweet New cemetery
Dr. J. A. Dow Mrs. Bagley place
W. B. Hall
The sawmill
John Flanders
East of the Road Going North From Waits River.
Charlie H. Young
Orin A. Avery
L. S. Tillotson
Fred E. Bagley
Earl R. Hood
Ella S. Sanborn
Floran A. Church and P. O.
W. W. Keyes
J. F. Perry
Blacksmith shop
The Herrin place
The Mill House
The School
Bobbin factory
The church and cemetery
Going West From the Postoffice.
C. H. MeCrillis Mose Hood place
Mrs. Mary J. O'Meara
Mrs. Addie M. Hood
WAITS RIVER VILLAGE.
North of Road From the East.
LeRoy D. Prescott Clifford W. Chalmers Mrs. C. E. Nutt The church
Parsonage Eastman house Mary C. Martin School No. 10
1. P. Hight's store
L. P. Hight
177
HOMES IN TOPSHAM
South of Road and North of the River, From the East.
H. R. Miles
C. H. Whitman
Mrs. Anna Chalmers
E. S. Locke's store and residence
Across the River on Pike Hill Road.
Lilla M. Richardson
Frank H. Craig
Kenneth A. Batten
Frank P. Richardson
Charles E. Disney
EAST AND NORTH SIDE OF TOWN.
1 Leslie W. Welch
31 Susie M. Webster
2 William H. Gallagher
32 Eugene Hood Farm
3 John F. Thompson 33 Henry Leet Farm
4 Frank P. Thompson
34 Darling Farm
Clayton S. Ordway 35 Mason Brothers
6 Fred E. Rowland
36 George Steele Farm
7 Leander A. Dexter
37 Charles R. Emerson
S Bert Lafoe
38 John White Farm
9 Warren V. Hood
39 Ernest R. Monroe
10 E. B. Andross
40 A. B. Fisk
11 R. B. Hood
41 Joseph Eastman Farm
42 Rowell Farm
43 Charlotte J. Furman
14 Edson Emerson
44
I. O. Moulton
15 Dodd Farm
45 Arthur Hood Farm
16 Harold H. White
46 T. J. Moulton
17 Andrew Avery Farm
47 Frank C. Moulton
18 John W. Darling
4 S Robert W. Jones
19 Evelyn B. Macdonald
49 Robert E. Donald
20 Charles D. Macdonald
50 Alex McRae
21 Hunter Farm
51 Rolla I. Barnes
22 T. S. Eastman
52
Morris R. Keenan
23 Glen Colby
53 Fred A. Rowe
24 Julian A. Dimock
54 Gilbert J. Smith
25 R. W. Hodge
55 William H. Morrison Farm
26 Nelson G. Miles
56
L. E. Keenan
27 Allie Green Farm
57 Ryegate Paper Co. Farm
28 Fuller Farm
58 W. E. Frost
29 Mrs. Lauraette J. Chalmers 59 William A. Sanborn
30 James E. Smith 60 C. E. Hood
The mill E. V. Batten Old Mill House
12 Macdonald Farm
13 I. S. Ordway
178
HOMES IN TOPSHAM
61 J. D. Miller Farm
6S Lewis E. Currier
62 Mrs. George A. Waters
69 Frank C. Smith
63 George E. Hood
70 George W. Merritt Farm
64 Iola B. Stevens
71 C. E. Currier
65 James B. Smith
72 John C. Wright
66 J. F. Miles
73 Amanda Rowland Farm
67 G. F. Miles
74 Hart Farm
SOUTH AND WEST SIDE OF TOWN.
1 Robert F. Welch
35 Charles N. Lamphrey
John H. Felch
36 White Brothers
O. C. Croxford
37
Charles A. Smith
4 A. F. Ball
38 A. J. Kirby Farm
5 A. W. Hoyt
39 Croxford Farm
6 Anson A. Parker
40 Ralph B. Thurston
7 Elsworth D. Waterman
41 N. T. Cilley
S Mrs. Carrie I. Hood
12 Mrs. Carrie J. Thurston
9 T. D. Fellows
43 T. M. Welch
10 Henry Montandan
44 Kimball Farm
11 Bourdelais Farm
45 A. M. Bailey
12 A. W. Hoyt Farm
46 R. G. Page
13 E. S. Locke Farm
47 Frank Downing Farm
14 Old Emery Farm
48
Charles H. Cilley
15 Otis A. Page
49
J. O. Piette
16 Catherine B. Carter
50 Walter Bixby Farm
17 Kenneth A. Batten
51 Walter P. Burgin
18 R. A. Willey
52 Orange Butler Farm
19 Clinton L. Emery
53 Mary J. Brown
20 Will F. Harris
21 Mrs. Gertrude M. Rowe
55
B. L. Dexter
56 F. W. Currier
23 G. M. Coffin
57
Mrs. Bessie S. Cunningham
24 Charlie E. Dow
58 Phelps Farm
25 Laurence J. O'Meara
59
A. J. Willis
26 Amesbury Farm
60
George A. Hunt
27 Creamery
61
Arah E. Hunt
2S Waldo E. Hood
62 Hall Farm
29 M. H. Limlaw
63 Seth B. Moore
30 L. S. Tillotson
64
George W. McDuffee
31 C. J. Colby
65 Dan J. Morrison
32 E. C. Poole
66 Francis J. Martel
33 Charles W. Daniels
67 William Merrill Welch
34 Charles E. Hayward
68 Warren Avery Farm
22 F. G. Crockett
54 Anthony C. Hart
179
ROAD MAP
hierer mit.
750
"ime sich
82
3
74
HT
Filipe Will
143
the Territory.
53
Ready
Road,
To
The Territory
1.2.
47
34
5%
2.0.
53
1
35
/ 110.17.
H
12
54
43
-
10
1.18
20, 10
15
27
13 21.11
1.0
11.
Waits Russer
1.0.
Sears 135 Rode to De nira
Waite
River Road.
berete
.1
59ยบ Mit
2
3.
Grolos
Barra Road
S.A. He,
atom Road Cemetery.
45
CORRECTED SCALE: 564 RODS TO THE INCH.
8
180
CONCLUSION
CONCLUSION
During the past summer the author of these sketches has visit- ed every inhabited farm, and traveled over every road in Topsham. Some of these roads are very bad. When a man gets stuck in the mud in that season of the year when the roads ought to be at their best, and, at that, with a "Ford," the roads must be pretty bad, indeed. Anyone who travels over some of the roads in Topsham will not blame the farmers living on these roads if they do com- plain about roads and "kick" about paying taxes.
One sometimes hears the remark made that "the road to one of these farms costs more than the tax on snch farm comes to." This statement may be true, but the road-tax on all the vacant farms along many of these roads comes to more than is usually spent on such roads. We might just as well say of the family that has from four to eight children, "It costs more to educate them than the tax received from the farm on which they live." Yet we educate them.
The cheap lands in the other states of the Union are practi- cally all gone. Vermont, and Topsham in partienlar, has a lot of cheap land -- more cheap land than ever before. The way to sell this land is to make and keep good roads to every occupied farm in town. How shall this be done ought to be the question before every tax-payer in Topsham. A few suggestions are here given for thought.
If the farmers living on some of the more remote hill farms were allowed to work out their proportionate share of the road tax on their own roads under competent supervisors every year would they not have better roads and do less kicking about paying taxes than they do now?
If every voter in Topsham should "push" for some concrete roads and elect a representative and vote for a senator who are in favor of such roads, would there not be a better chance of getting some good roads in Topsham? Permanent hard roads are the cheapest in the long run, and where these are made there ought to be more money for the hill roads where permanent roads, in all probability, will never be built.
During the past twenty years there has been over 120,000 trees planted in the Town of Topsham. There is room for much more planting of this kind. Every farm has plenty of young trees that can be transplanted with only the expense of the labor in doing so. The young man who reforests the waste lands
181
CONCLUSION
on his farm is providing a future source of wealth for himself; the older man who reforests his farm is providing a future source of wealth for his children or for posterity. Every tree planted in the Town of Topsham adds to its wealth.
Only a few sheep were found in Topsham. Topsham has a lot of good sheep-lands and plenty of hay. Will not sheep raising pay in connection with dairying?
During 1929 the Town of Topsham paid about $2,200.00 in interest. Part of this interest was on the town's debt, and the rest of this interest was on money used to do the summer road work. If the whole or a part of the town taxes were collected in the spring or early summer, would not the town save some interest money?
The Town of Topsham has an outstanding debt of between $30,000 and $40,000. If there is a certain percent of the tax money raised to pay this debt and there is no appreciable depreci- ation in the debt year after year, can we blame the taxpayers for wanting to know what becomes of this money?
Might it not be a good thing for the town to take all the lands sold for taxes? If this land was planted to trees or the trees on such land were allowed to stand for forty or fifty years the land would be worth from $50 to $100 per acre.
This land would become valuable town property and in time might go a long way towards paying the town debt. On much of this land there probably could be enough timber cut every year to egnal the taxes now received on such lands.
Topsham lost a number of herds of cattle during the past few years because of tuberculosis. Would not more sunlighted build- ings for cattle in winter have prevented some of this loss. Sun- light is an enemy to the germs of tuberculosis, whether they be in man or beast. Houses and barns should be built so as to get the most sunlight possible within them.
It has taken considerable over a year of the author's time to collect these sketches. His object was not to make a history of Topsham, but to preserve some facts and data which may prove interesting to present readers, and that may prove valuable to those who come after us. Some mistakes naturally creep into a work of this kind. The printer says that the author of these sketches read all the proofs, so his (the printer's) "skirts" are clear. Of course, then, the fault for errors will naturally fall on the author, who asks his readers' forbearance because of such errors, know- ing them to be wholly unintentional.
Several blank pages for records follow. If these records are kept accurately. they may prove of interest to future readers and of value to some future historian of Topsham.
182
BIRTH RECORD
Birth Record
183
BIRTH RECORD
Birth Record
-
-
184
DEATH RECORD
Death Record
185
DEATH RECORD
Death Record
186
MARRIAGE RECORD
Marriage Record
187
MARRIAGE RECORD
! ) Marriage Record
188
UNUSUAL WEATHER RECORD
Unusual Weather Record
1
189
UNUSUAL WEATHER RECORD
Unusual Weather Record
190
FLOOD RECORD
Flood Record
191
FLOOD RECORD
D
Flood Record
192
EARTHQUAKE RECORD
Earthquake Record
193
VIEW OF WAITS RIVER VILLAGE
VIEW OF WAITS RIVER VILLAGE
194
INDEX
INDEX
A
General Allen 18
Anchor Ice. 40
An Old Bill of Goods. 50
Assessment for 1824 79
Abbreviations
89
Alcohol and Undesirable Citizens. 10%
Autumn in Topsham
140
B
Boundary 9
Borrowing 50
Micah Barron
A Topsham Brook 107
Some of Our Blacksmiths
143
The Village Blacksmith. 14:
Birds
163
Birth Record 182. 18:
C
Cost of Collecting the Half-Penny Tax 15
Churches of Topsham :
Waits River Church. 52
East Topsham Presbyterian Church. 55
East Topsham Methodist Church. 59
West Topsham Church 58
The Cemeteries. 94
Soldiers Buried in Topsham :
Currier Hill Cemetery 94
Round Top Cemetery. 94
Groton Road Cemetery 94
Zion Hill Cemetery 94
Fellows' Hill Cemetery 94
Old West Topsham Cemetery 95
New West Topsham Cemetery 97
East Topsham Cemetery 95
Waits River Cemetery 98
195
INDEX
A Queer Character 69 Creameries 70
Conclusion
180, .181
Doctors
73
The Doctor's Hams 74
Decoration Day
89
Death Record.
18+. 185
E
Early Town Meetings. 15
Elevation
17
Early Days.
46
Earthquake Record
192
Fences 49
Flowers 147
Forests
145
Feed the Birds. 152
Ferns
161
G
The Original Grant. 9
The Original Grantees. 12, 13
Our Grandmothers. 46
The Glebe Lot
61
Grand List and Tax Rate (1929) 173
H
Samuel Holland. 15
Hemenway's Gazetteer 17
The Old Mill House. 41
The Dunbar House 41
Haunts and Witches.
67
Homes:
In the South and West Part of Town 17S
In the East and North Part of Town. 177
In East Topsham Village 175
. In West Topsham Village 176
In Waits River Village. 176, 177
196
INDEX
I
Introduction
7 Interesting Facts 77
In Winter 168
John Horse (Poem) 74
Lawyers
72
Lest We Forget ( Poem)
89
Listers' Report for 1929
173
M
The Mills at Waits River 43
The Minister's Muskmelons 60
The Muster 80
West Topsham Mills. 72
The Old Beaver Meadow 141
Marriage Record.
186, 187
The Name, Topsham 9
O
Organization of the Town
11
Oxen 47
The Observer. 73
Officers of the Town in 1929 173, 174
P
Proceedings of the First Town Meeting.
12, 13, 14, 15
Asa Porter 14, 15, 16 Pounds
49
Punishments 50
The Public Lands. 61
The Poor of the Town. 68
Population
78
Propagation Lot 62
197
INDEX
Products in 1840. 78
Property 1845-1920
80
Postoffices :
East Topsham 105
West Topsham 105
Waits River. 105
Star Route. 106
Population of Topsham .. 108
Omissions from "The Population of Topsham" 174
The Plant Life of Topsham.
145
R
Roads
17
Road Map of Topsham 179
Old Stage Road 18
Removal of Snow 18
Railroads
19
A Peculiar Receipt
51
A Ride Through Topsham 75
Reforestration
146
S
Surface 17
Stock at Large.
49
Storms and Cold. 78
Our Soldiers. 87
Sugar Making in Topsham.
90
The School Lot. 66
Correction for School Lot. 169
Two Bear Stories. 68
Stores at West Topsham 71
Stores at Waits River 43
The Squall at Honey Corners. 82
East Topsham Stores. 102
Story of a Topsham Raindrop
103
The Schools of Topsham:
Number of Schools in the Town. 20
Report of N. R. Johnston 22
Adoption of School Books. 22
Getting An Education Today 23
The present Superintendent's Duties. 23
His Salary. 23
A Relic of Examination Days. 25
Diary of an Olden Schoolmaster 26
198
INDEX
The Present Schools:
East Topsham School 2.7
Galusha Hill School. 29
Four-Corners School 31
Waits River School. 32
West Topsham School
34
The Topsham High School 36
Equipment of Topsham Schools 37
The Old School Bell 38
Topsham (Poem) S
Terms to Each Grantee. 10
Town Clerks 79
Treating
Topsham Rifle Company .81
Town Funds Low 8 1
West Topsham 71
East Topsham. 100
The. Town House 100
Our Visitors .... 85
W
Wages 19
Willard's Plan. 12, 15
Explanation of Willard's Plan.
169
The Name, Waits River
39
Waits River on a Rampage 40
Waits River Village. 40
Waits River (Poem) 42
An Afternoon Walk in Topsham 142
The Whip-Poor-Will 167
The Broken Wing. 163
Where Our Money Goes 173
Unusual Weather Record 188, 189
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