Sketches of the town of Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, 1929, Part 12

Author: Craig, Frank H., 1859-
Publication date: 1929
Publisher: Bradford, Vt., The Green Mountain Press
Number of Pages: 210


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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