USA > Vermont > Orange County > Topsham > Sketches of the town of Topsham, Orange County, Vermont, 1929 > Part 7
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DECORATION DAY.
In the call for town meeting in 1887 an appropriation was called for to observe Decoration Day. On March 1, of that year $15.00 was voted for that purpose. Until recently money has been appropriated for this purpose every year.
As the years go on let us not forget our soldier dead. These men fought and many of them died that we and those who follow us may enjoy the blessings of liberty. A list of our soldier dead has been given. A small appropriation each year will place a flag on each one of their graves.
LEST WE FORGET.
Beneath the sod and the dew Lie the soldier boys of ours, Above them sing the birds, Above them bloom the flowers.
The shriek and the roar of battle No longer is heard in the land,
But neither can we recall The warmth of a vanished hand.
They gave their lives, their all, For the freedom of the world, They fought to free all nations, Wherever a flag is unfurled.
As long as the rocks shall stand, And as long as the river shall flow, We, of the living, must never forget The debt to them that we owe.
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SUGAR-MAKING IN TOPSHAM
So, lest we forget in the future, And war stalks forth o'er the main, Let us resolve in our might That they sacrificed never in vain.
Let our hate for war and for strife Strengthen throughout the years, As does the soil o'er these loved ones. Bedecked by our flowers and tears.
SUGAR-MAKING IN TOPSHAM.
Maple sugar making in Topsham begins sometime in March and usually lasts about a month. It begins from a week to ten days earlier in groves on land sloping to the south than in groves on northern slopes.
When the snow begins to settle around the bases of the maple trees the sap buckets are taken from the garret, washed and mend- ed, if necessary. Then they are hauled to the maple grove. Roads are broken through the deep snow-snow often three or four feet deep-and the buckets are left upside down by the trees where they are to be used.
On some morning when there is a crust upon the snow the sugar-maker equipped with brace and bit, hatchet and metal spouts, begins to tap his trees. Tapping consists in boring a 7-16 inch
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SUGAR-MAKING IN TOPSHAM
hole about two inches deep into the trunk of the maple tree from three to five feet from the ground.
The tapper selects that part of the trunk of the tree that re- ceives the most sun during the day, and that part of the trunk that has the most branches above it if possible. The hole is placed at least four or five inches from any previous tapping scar, the farther the better.
Next, the metal spout is driven firmly into the hole, the bucket is hung on a hook attached to the spout, and a cover is placed on the bucket to keep out bits of bark, rain and snow.
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SUGAR-MAKING IN TOPSHAM
The sap flows best on sunshiny days after a sharp freeze at night. A quiet day also favors the flow of sap, though a west wind with favorable conditions as to freezing will cause a good flow. An east wind and mild weather usually stops the flow of sap altogether.
With a team of horses or a yoke of oxen hitched to a sled the sugar-maker goes after the sap. In gathering, two pails each hold- ing about twenty quarts are used. Into these pails the gatherer empties the sap from the individual trees and carries it to a large tank on the sled. The carrying is often done with a sap-yoke.
The sugar-house is located in the most convenient place to the maple grove. At the sugar-house the tank upon the sled is emptied into a much larger tank. The emptying from the tank upon the sled is usually done by a pipe.
In the sugar-house the sap flows from the tank into the evap- orator. In the evaporator the larger part of the water is boiled from the crude sap. The sugar-house is well ventilated, often hav- ing a cupola at its top for the escape of vapor. One can always tell when the evaporator is at work by the mass of vapor that hangs over the sugar-house.
In the sugar-house the sap is boiled to the consistency of syrup. Then it is taken to the kitchen of the farm-house, where the women folks do the rest of the work. Their work is called "sugaring off." Sugaring off consists in slowly boiling the syrup till it will crystallize when it is stirred and cooled. The thermom- eter is used and much care is taken to prevent the syrup from boiling over.
A temperature of 218 degrees Fahrenheit is required for syrup, 230 degrees for pail-sugar, and about 240 degrees for cake sugar in the latitude of Topsham.
A part of the sap is made into syrup, a part into tub-sugar, some into cakes, and some into "cream sugar" as it is called.
Cream sugar, the most delicious of all maple products, is made by chilling the syrup to the consistency of thick cream. Then it is stirred in small quantities by hand till it becomes white. This ungrained cream sugar is usually put into glass jars and sold for frosting on cakes, etc. Ambrosia, the nectar of the ancient gods, had "nothing on" this cream sugar made from the maple tree.
The sugar making season is a strenuous one for the whole family. With every sugar-house there is a shed for the wood used in evaporating the sap. This wood must be cut during the sugar season on days when the sap does not flow. If this is done a supply of dry fuel is always on hand. Dead branches of soft woods . make the best fuel.
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SUGAR-MAKING IN TOPSHAM
Often when there is a good flow of sap it is necessary to be- gin boiling at three or four o'clock in the morning, and it may be necessary to continue late into the night. Sometimes the women folks and children have to be pressed into service, and they may be seen driving the team or emptying the sap into the draw-tub.
A lot of work is required to turn twelve to fourteen quarts of sap from the tree to one pound of sugar in the tub. It is not so easy a job as was thought by one westerner who bought a Ver- mont farm. Supposing the syrup came directly from the tree this man tapped his maple trees before he had his evaporator and wood ready. He was told by the joker of the neighborhood that he had better take the spouts from his trees, plug up the holes till after he got his spring's work done, then he could build a sugar-house, knock out the plugs in his trees and finish sugar-making.
Today, an average of two and one-half pounds of sugar to the tree is considered a fair yield, though some trees liave been known to yield as high as five pounds, or even more, if one can believe the stories told by some of the "old timers."
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THE CEMETERIES
THE CEMETERIES
Topsham has nine cemeteries. The oldest of these cemeteries are known as Currier Hill Cemetery, Round Top Schoolhouse Ceme- tery, the Groton Road Cemetery, Zion Hill Cemetery and "The Huckins Cemetery" on "Caldwell Hill." There is only one tomb- stone standing in the last nåmed cemetery. The next oldest ceme- teries are known as Fellows Hill Cemetery and the old West Tops- ham Cemetery. The newer cemeteries are known as the West Tops- ham New Cemetery, the Waits River Cemetery and the East Tops- liam Cemetery.
Currier Hill Cemetery is located ou what is known as Currier Hill, formerly called Chamberlain Hill. As the first settlement in town was made in this locality this is one of the first cemeteries. if not the first, to be located in the Town of Topsham.
This cemetery, as others of the earlier ones, probably was a private cemetery. No one has been buried here lately. If there were any records of the burials in this and the other early ceme- teries they have been lost. There is one 1812 soldier buried in this cemetery, a Duncan McKieth, who died October 1, 1847.
Round Top Schoolhouse Cemetery has two Civil War veterans, one lying south of the Weed tombstone in an unmarked grave, and George Sawyer, who died near Fredericksburg, Va., December 8th, 1862.
Groton Road Cemetery has one veteran of 1812, Jonathan Bixby, who died December 10, 1854. It has the following Civil War soldiers: Sergeant Jason R. Bixby, Co. B., 6th Reg., died at Camp Griffin, Va., December 9, 1861; Nelson J. Bixby, Co. B., 6th Reg., buried near the southeast corner of the cemetery, and Frank- lin Bixby, Co. B., 6th Vt. Reg.
Zion Hill
Cemetery is Smith located on the farm east of the village of West Topsham. No burials have been made in this cemetery for a long time. One soldier, William Sanborn, a veteran of the War of 1812, is buried here.
Fellows Hill Cemetery is located on what was the Nick Fel - lows farm, a mile or more north of the village of Waits River. This cemetery contains the bodies of two Revolutionary soldiers, John Fellows, Jr., who died March 24, 1837, and Benjamin Felch, who died August 16, 1833.
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THE CEMETERIES
FELLOWS HILL CEMETERY.
The old West Topsham Cemetery was laid out about 1812. When the new cemetery was laid out many of the bodies in this cemetery were moved to the new one. Below are given the sol- diers who were buried here.
James H. Coffrin, 9th Reg., Co. G., Vt. Vol.
Stephen C. Davis, died March 23, 1887.
Ephraim Webster, died November 11, 1862, probably a vet- eran of the War of 1812.
Jacob Wilds served in both wars with England; died January 16, 1841.
The East Topsham Cemetery was laid out to contain 72 square rods in 1815. It was enlarged in 1891. The following is a list of the soldiers and sailors buried in the East Topsham Cemetery, or of those buried elsewhere, and a flag erected on Decoration Day for them:
George Buchannan, a sailor, buried in the William Carruth lot.
Warren C. Bowen, Co. G., 6th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died January 11, 1913.
Albert B. Butterfield, Co. F., 1st Frontier Cav .; died 1919.
Henry Butterfield, Jr., Co. D., Sth Reg. Vt. Vol; killed at Cold Harbor, Va., in 18.63.
Stephen Chase, died July 28, 1883 (1812 vet.)
William W. Chalmers, died January 6, 1897.
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THE CEMETERIES
Charles P. Divoll, Co. G., 6th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died at Alexan- dria, Va., June 3, 1864, from wounds received in the Battle of the Wilderness.
Morris L. Divoll, Co. G., 6th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died near Fal- mouth, Va., December 28, 1862.
Albert Dickey, Co. A., 11th Vt. Reg .; died August 25, 1864. Petry T. Dickey, died 1866.
William Dickey, Jr., died 1916.
Thomas W. Dickey, Co. D., Sth Reg. Vt. Vol .; died April 10, 1899.
John Downie, died August 11, 1864; buried at City Point, Va.
Isaac W. Frost, 3rd Vt. Bat .; died July 16, 1865, at Alexan- dria Hospital, Va.
Gibson H. Eastman, Co. I., 11th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died 1862.
Edwin P. Garland, Co. D., Sth Reg. Vt. Vol .; died March 4, 1864.
Frank George. Co. D., 3rd Mass. Cav .; died of starvation and exposure in a rebel prison at Salisbury, N. C., December 13, 1864. Putnam Hayward, died 1926.
Henry B. Heath, Co. G., 6th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died October 17, 1865.
Lieut. Horace L. Heath, Co. G., 6th Reg., promoted to 3rd U. S. C. Troop; died October 23, 1865, at Jacksonville, Fla .; twin brother to Henry B. Heath.
Charles F. Persons, died December 28, 1889.
Thos. J. Pillsbury, Co. B., 6th Vt Vol .; died May, 1862. (One of the missing.)
George W. Pillsbury, Co. B., 40th N. Y. Vol .; died June 18, 1919.
Roy E. Powers, Sergeant Co. H., 1st Vt. Inf .; died in hospital 1918. (World War.)
John H. Miller, Co. G., 9th Reg .; died December 3, 1894.
Benjamin Ricker, Co. G., 6th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died at Alexan- dria, Queen Street Hospital, May 22, 1864.
Ransom Rowell, died June 24, 1902.
Capt. William K. Richardson, died June 15, 1850. (1812).
Henry C. Richardson, died August 15, 1910.
Curtis S. Stevens, Co. K., 11th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died October 21, 1888.
Jacob B. Sawyer, Co. D., Sth Vt. Vol .; died June 5, 1863.
John Sawyer, Co. H., 11th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died July 20, 1913.
Rufus H. Tucker, died at Alexandria, Va., 1862.
Hail D. Willard, Co. D., 11th Reg .; died 1917.
George G. Welton, died December 28, 1865.
Frank Willey, recruit in 10th Reg .; died December 18, 1917.
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THE CEMETERIES
Joseph C. Weed, died September. 21, 1902.
Charles Weed, Co. G., 15th Reg .; served in the Indian War in Florida (1837); died December 3, 1896.
The New West Topsham Cemetery was laid out about 1860 or 1861 as a private cemetery by Roswell M. Bill. There is talk now of incorporating it as a public cemetery.
Following are the names of soldiers buried in the West Tops- ham Cemetery, or soldiers for whom a flag is placed there:
Charles Andross, Co. F, 26th N. Y. Cav., died 1922.
Matthew Allen, Civil War, died May 9, 1904.
Charles Bagley, Co. G., 9th Reg .; died in Chicago of small- pox, March 3, 1863; not buried here.
Lewis Batchelder, died October 13, 1864; War of 1812.
Charles H. Beede, died April 4, 1911.
Judson Bagley, died (probably) in Chicago; body not in this cemetery; flag for him at the left of the Bagley monument.
William B. Bagley, Co. B., 6th Reg .; died June 18, 1918.
Ralph W. Burgin, (World War); killed at a saw mill on the Groton road January 15, 1926.
Benjamin Blake, Co. H., 9th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died February 14, 1895.
Smith G. Cheney, Co. G., 10th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died in Seminary Hospital near Alexandria, Va., September 5, 1863.
Almon Clement, died February 21, 1868.
Alfred M. Clement, died July 20, 1901.
William Durant, died February 4, 1879.
Rev. Lewis Dexter, 9th Co., 8th Vt. Vol .; died Oct. 18, 1921.
Frank Davis, Co. K., 4th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died 1916.
Charles Emery, died 1925.
Rinaldo Hood, died 1892; 2nd grave to the left of the Hood monument.
Thomas Jenkins, buried in the south end of the Jenkins lot, No. 156.
C. Earl Magoon, U. S. Navy; died in service at Portsmouth, Va., March 21, 1918.
Charles Daymon Magoon, Co. M., 1st Reg. N. H .; died 1892.
David B. Minard, died 1908.
George Minard, died of smallpox in Chicago. Flag placed on his father's grave.
Frank Minard, buried at the left of his mother's grave (Sarah B. Minard).
Seth Moore, died May 23, 1863.
Christopher C. Payne, died December 1, 1883.
Charles Poole, Co. G., 6th Vt. Vol .; died 1917.
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THE CEMETERIES
Joshua T. Payne, Co. K., 13th Reg. Penn. Cav .; died February 25, 1901.
O. H. Palmer, died 1909.
George H. Rice, Co. G., 9th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died 1915.
James Ronham, U. S. Cav .; died 1915.
Ophir S. Sanborn, died July 8, 190S.
Lyman Sanborn, not buried here; flag on his father's (George Sanborn) grave.
Cornelius Simpson, buried in the northeast corner of the ceme- tery, lot No. 173.
Albert D. Smith, died February 6, 1864, War of 1812.
Leander Tillotson, northeast corner of cemetery, north of lot No. 173.
Capt. LaMarquis Tubbs, Lieut. in Co. B., Capt. of Co. G .; died 1925
Moses Wilds, died November 1, 1879, War of 1812.
Charles H. Willey, died at Point of Rocks Hospital, Virginia, April 1, 1865.
Oramet D. Willey, Co. G., 9th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died 1922.
Moses Wallace, died February 11, 1866. War of 1812.
Hiram T. Wood, died December 8, 1892. He carried a rebel bullet in his neck to the day of his death.
The cemetery at Waits River village was laid out in 1841-2 on land given by Asa Dunbar and James Richardson. The original cemetery lies in the southeastern corner of the present cemetery. In 1860 an addition of one rod in width was made on the east side and north end; in 1881 two pieces of land were added, one form- ing what is now the northeast corner, and the other forming the whole west side next to the triangular piece bought of H. R. Miles November 13, 1923. Soldiers buried here are:
James Annis (1812) buried southwest of the J. Townsend Carter grave, and southeast of the John Miles grave, and half way between them.
The following are Civil War veterans:
James M. Cilley, 6th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died 1916. .
Josiah Clarke, 10th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died in battle at Winches- ter, Va., September 19, 1864.
Jesse Clarke, 10th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died at Brandy Station Feb- ruary 17, 1864.
William Craggy, Co. D., 15th Vt. Vol .; died 1904.
Henry A. Jackman, served four years in Mass. Light Art .; died 1905.
Joseph F. Laird, Co. G., 9th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died 1889.
George B. Miles, Co. G., 10th Reg. Vt. Vol .; died July 6, 1912.
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THE CEMETERIES
C. B. Moore, Co. C., 6th Vt. Inf.
William A. Philbrick, Co. D., 10th Reg. N. H. Vol .; died on March 31, 1866.
George M. Phelps, Co. D., 19th Vt. Reg .; died 1905.
Dexter S. Prescott, died 1914.
Edward W. Rowland, Co. D., 15th Vt. Reg .; died at Gettys- burg, Pa., July 22, 1863.
Joseph R. Smith, Co. I., 11th Vt. Art. Vol .; died May 4, 1925.
An iron fence was erected along the south side next to the road on August 19, 1924. Several evergreen trees were set out along the outside of this fence. In the course of time these trees will add to the appearance of the cemetery.
Too many of our cemeteries become neglected, more so as the years pass, and the people buried in them are forgotten. Nothing is more depressing than an old cemetery with some of its grave- stones slanting in all directions and others lying flat upon the ground. A poorly kept cemetery reflects upon a community while a well-kept one, like well-kept buildings, gives the impression of a prosperous community.
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EAST TOPSHAM
EAST TOPSHAM
The original grant of Topsham specified that one lot near the center of the town should be set apart for a village to be divided into lots.
The location of the Tabor sawmill on Lot No. 24 seemed to make it a better location for establishing a village. East Topsham or Topsham, as this village was called, soon had besides the saw- mill, a store, a grist mill, school, church and a clothing factory.
On petition of more than seven freeholders the village of East Topsham was laid out by the selectmen on August 30, 1833. No record of any other villages being laid out in the town could be found.
THE TOWN HOUSE.
A meeting at the dwelling house of Lemuel Tabor in East Topsham was called at one o'clock on Nov. 22, 1805. The pur- pose of the meeting was:
(1) To choose a moderator.
(2) To vote to build a Town House, how large, and where it was to be located.
(3) To see if the town will raise money for the support of the gospel and what proportion of said money each denomination shall have.
The call was signed by Thomas McKieth and John Ford, se- lectmen of the Town of Topsham.
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EAST TOPSHAM
At this meeting held on November 22, 1805, it was voted to build a Town House. The building was to be 40 feet long and 33 feet wide. It was to be placed about 25 rods southeast of the Tabor grist mill. The location was afterwards changed to a site nine rods east of the guide board near Lemuel Tabor's on the south side of the county road.
The construction of the house was bid off to David Bagley for $462.00. Two-thirds of the price was to be paid in money on June 1, 1806, and one-third in neat stock and grain by December 1, 1806. It was voted to pay as follows for lumber delivered:
Good hemlock boards, $4.00 per M .; good white pine boards, clear, $12.00 per M .; good white pine clapboards, $10.00 per M .; good white pine shingles, $2.00 per M .; good spruce boards, $5.00 per M .; good hewn timber for frame $4.00 per M.
The Town Hall or House was completed in 1806. On March 6, 1827, it was voted to move the Town House to its present lo- cation. The selectmen deeded the old site to the pew-holders of the new Presbyterian church.
By 1852 the Town House was in bad shape, and on September 7, 1852, it was voted to build a new house entirely. The question then arose where should the new house be located. The people of the east part of town wanted the new building to be located on the old Town House site; the people in the west part of town wanted it located in the center of the town. The old Town House was torn down, and a meeting was called to vote for a site. It was voted to build on the present site. Horace Mills was given the contract to hew out the timbers and to erect the building.
The ire of the people in the west part of town was roused, another meeting was called, and the proposition to put the new Town House on the old site was defeated, and the voters decided to place the new building near Kasson Bridge, which was the center of the town.
Meanwhile Mr. Mills had the frame ready to set up and was waiting for the town to decide where it was to be placed. One night a party of young men of East Topsham and vicinity took the frame from the mill-yard and by morning had it standing on the old foundation.
Another meeting was called to vote on the question whether the frame should be left standing or whether it should be re- moved to Kasson Bridge. It was decided by a plurality of two votes to leave it standing on the old Town House site.
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EAST TOPSHAM
The new house was completed in 1853. The stone work and stone cost $105.00; carpenter work and himber, $549.50, and work on the grounds and steps $24.00, a total cost of $678.50.
The method of procedure at town meetings has not changed since those of early days Every question to be voted on is stated in the call for the coming town meeting. At the meeting which follows the call, a moderator is chosen, after which each item in the call is taken up, discussed and voted on.
At the beginning of proceedings at each March meeting a list of those who have not paid their taxes to date is read. These delinquent tax-payers cannot vote.
A whole day is usually taken to transact the town's business. A dinner is served in the hall at noon by one of the Woman's As- sociations of the village, and an hour or two is spent at the table. This get-together at noon is always a pleasant affair.
Some lively times have occurred in the old Town Hall at town meetings during the past hundred years. The story is told of one man who proposed one of the items in the call. After the item had been discussed in the meeting, the proposer of the item rose and shouted: "Vote her down boys, vote her down!"
EAST TOPSHAM STORES.
The oldest store in East Topsham, the old Tabor store, now used as a garage, stands on the right hand side of the road as one enters the village from the south, and opposite the present store building.
The present store building was erected about 90 years ago. J. D. Miller, the present owner, got possession of it in 1920. A general line of merchandise is carried.
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EAST TOPSHAM
ALCOHOL AND UNDESIRABLE CITIZENS.
In early days it was customary for the selectmen of Topsham to give the constable authority to warn undesirable people out of the town. The first mention in the town records of a warning of this kind was in 1805, when the constable warned five single per- sons and five families to leave town.
An old receipt states that the quantity of spirits distilled from the Asa Porter distillery on Fellows' Hill from February 1st to April 1st, inclusive, in the year 1815 was 220 gallons.
William F. George, who was a strong temperance man, once canvassed the town to see how much alcohol was sold. He re- ported that during one year 78 barrels of New England rum was sold in Topsham.
The first mention in the town records of the sale of alcohol was on May 21, 1844, when a call was made asking the town to vote: "Whether or not the county court should grant a license to any person to sell or retail ardent spirits in the town." This ar- ticle in the call was dismissed without voting upon it, but at the March meeting in 1847, 177 voted for and 117 against the sale of ardent spirits in the town.
The no-license party defeated the license party in 1849, 180 to 121. In 1852 a license was granted to innkeepers to sell spirit- vous liquors for medicinal, chemical and mechanical purposes. Granting licenses to agents to sell liquor was the method for many years. Alcohol for medicinal purposes became a farce. It could be had on almost any pretense. By 1854 there was so much drunkenness that the Overseer of the Poor petitioned, through the county court, asking that a number of residents in Topsham have guardians appointed over them because they were liable because of drunkenness to become a burden on the town.
The Eighteenth Amendment put an end to the curse of the licensed drink shop. While some alcohol is boot-legged in the town of Topsham at the present time, no such conditions of drunken- ness, with its resulting evils of idleness and gaming, exists as in earlier days:
STORY OF A TOPSHAM RAINDROP.
One day a little raindrop fell from a cloud that hung over a forested hill. Downward it fell till it struck the leaf of a maple tree. It rolled along this leaf to its very apex then dropped to the ground.
Through the mossy earth it sank, deeper and deeper, till at last it came out into the light of day and began its long journey to the sea. Down the hillside it raced with its many brother
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EAST TOPSHAM
drops, swinging around a rock or dashing into the bank upon one side or the other of the brooklet till it seemed to the little rain- drop that, not only itself but all it brother drops had gone crazy.
A brook trout with a flip of its tail threw the little raindrop into the air where it reflected all the colors of the rainbow. Fall. ing back into the brook it moved swiftly on its way. It caught a glimpse of the blue sky through the tree-tops above and heard the happy songs of birds in the nearby trees.
At last with a final plunge the little raindrop entered the broad river. Slower now, it passed green meadows, pleasant farm houses and blossoming orchards. It moved under bridges over which is heard the rumble of the electric car. It rushed through sluiceways and against mill wheels that turn thousands of spindles. It was pushed about by many boats that ply upon the waters of the river till at last it came to a great city and there passed out into the mighty ocean.
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