The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier., Part 15

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press
Number of Pages: 1064

USA > Vermont > Washington County > Montpelier > The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier. > Part 15

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While Esq. Orcutt was getting this road through, a petition was presented to the selectmen to lay out the Molly Brook road. Esq. Orcutt's head was too long for the petitioners ; he accomplished his favorite scheme.

The Molly Brook road occupies quite a prominent place in the road history of the town. Leading from East Cabot to Marsh- field, on the extreme east part of the town, it was opposed by the Centre and west part. The first petition for it in 1830, was refused, the reason set up for the laying of the road was to avoid the hill 1} mile long on leaving Cabot village; the road pro- posed being in two counties. The next step was to petition the Supreme Court for a committee. John W. Dana was elected an agent to attend court, and defend on the part of the town. In 1845, a petition was presented to the Legislature for a charter for a turnpike, and it went on in this way, petitions first to the selectmen, then to the court, each one being opposed by the town, for 45 years. When one set of men died out another took their places ; in 1865, the road was finally completed, and is now one of the leading thorough- fares through town.

SOUTH-WEST HILL,

with commanding view of the Winooski valley, and excellent soil, is one of the most desirable farming sections in town. The settlement was commenced here by James Butler, 1799, on the farm where John M. Stone now lives. Mr. Butler while doing his chopping boarded at Reu- ben Atkins'. Among the first settlers on

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this hill were Nathaniel Gibbs, Asa Co- burn, Ezra Bliss. One right, 320 acres of this hill, is lease land.

WEST HILL.

A beautiful table-land in the west part of the town, surrounded by valleys on the east, south and west, has a charming view of the country beneath. Enoch Hoyt, known as Deacon Enoch in later years, being a member of the Baptist church, bought of Edmund Gilman 320 acres, the farm now owned by Orson Kimball. He commenced clearing in the field back of the school-house in 1797, and built his cabin a little north of where Eastman Hop- kins lives. He came from Epsom, N. H., to the Junction (Cabot Plain), with his effects, and from there got them over on his back, probably. Four of his brothers, Ezra, Asaph, Benjamin and Samuel came very soon and settled near him. They were all steady men, and made this one of the best farming sections in town, and some of them after their pioneer life here, went to Wisconsin and started anew.

PETERSVILLE.

The first clearing was begun here by Reuben Atkins, in 1825, on the farm where his son Henry Atkins now lives. There being a school-district formed here in 1858, Peter Lyford, one of the select- men, went over to organize the district, since which the locality has been called Petersville. It has 4 dwelling-houses, I school-house and a saw-mill. It lies on the Molly brook road, 2 miles from Marsh- field village.

MARKET ROAD,

a half mile cast of Hazen road, was built to avoid the hard hills. Many of the towns in Northern Vermont took their produce to market on this road, from which its name. The first clearing on this road was begun on the farm now owned by Charles Oderkirk, by Samuel Levett, in 1821.

To the north Jesse Mason soon after began and cleared up the farm now occu- pied by his son, N. J. Mason. Mr. Mason says he has often seen as many as 60 loaded teams pass his house in a day, but

now in place of the rattle of the heavy wagons is heard the puffing of the iron horse.

FREIGHTING.

Robert Lance, from Chester, N. H., who came here about 1810, and lived where Hial Morse now does, did the first team- ing to Boston. His team was two yoke of oxen ; freight, salts, whisky, pork, and it took from 4 to 6 weeks to make the round trip. He usually made two trips a, year. A little later, Joseph Burbank began to go with a span of horses, and two loads a year would usually supply the merchants with goods. Benjamin Sperry used to team. It is said he was known from here to Boston by the name of Uncle Ben by everybody. Hugh Wilson did quite a business at teaming. In the winter quite a number of men would go to Portland, Me., with their red, double sleighs and two horses, loaded with pork. In 1838, Allen Perry began to run a 6-horse team to Boston, regular trips, the round trip taking 3 weeks. The freight tariff was $20 per ton ; his expenses, about $50 a trip. When he came in with his big, covered wagon it was quite an event for the place. He run his team till 1846, when the railroad got so near he sold his team and went to farm- ing. The P. & O. railroad is 5 miles to the north of us, and the Montpelier & Wells River the same distance to the south.

FIRST THINGS.

The first marriage in town wås David Lyford to Judith Heath, July 23, 1795, by James Morse, Esq; the 2d was Solomon W. Osgood to Ruth Marsh, Jan. 3, 1800, by Joseph Fisher, Esq. The first child born in town was a daughter, to Thomas Blanchard, Oct. 3, 1787. The 2d was a daughter to James Blanchard, born Apr. 1, 1788; died Apr. 14, aged 14 days ; the second death in town. The first death was that of Nathaniel West, killed while chop- ping in the woods for Benjamin Webster, in the winter of 1786. He was crushed by the falling of a large birch tree. He was carried to the house, but lived but a few minutes. He was buried in what is now the pasture of G. W. Webster. The

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place is pointed out by a large maple tree. I am told there were six or seven buried here, but the graves are not discernible. The town continued to bury in different places. There were several graves in the pasture of Lenie J. Walbridge.

GRAVE-YARDS.

In 1800, the town purchased an acre of land at the Centre for a burying-ground and inclosed it. This was the first grave- yard in town. William Osgood, who died Feb. 5, 1801, was the first person buried in it. There are 92 graves discernible here. A large number of them have headstones that were dug out of the ledge near by and lettered, but they are hardly legible now. No burials have been made for 35 years. The last was that of Lieut. Fifield Lyford in 1846. To the credit of the town it has been kept inclosed by them, and tolerably clean, as also all of the other numerous small interment inclosures in town, where it is not done by individuals.

The next grave-yard was at the Lower Ville. In 1813, Elihu Coburn and Col. John Stone donated the original ground, ¿ acre, } each. Joseph Coburn was the first one buried in it. From time to time it has been enlarged. It has now about 329 in- habitants. It is a beautifullocation, about 40 rods from the Winooski, whose musical waters as they pass seemingly a little more quiet by here, you may imagine chanting the requiem of the dead.

In 1814, a burying lot was opened on the farm now owned by Orson Kimball, just above the residence of E. T. Hopkins. 19 graves are discernible.

The West Hill burying-ground, a gift from David Lyford and John Edgerton, was laid out in 1817. When they were staking it out it was in the time of what is called by the old people the great sickness. Mr. Edgerton repeated the lines :

"Yeiliving men come view the ground Where you must shortly lie."

He was the first person buried there. The graves here number 84.

East Cabot grave-yard is a very pretty plot for the purpose, donated by George Rogers, Esq., for that part of the town. 38 persons occupy this place.

Cabot Plain grave-yard, the ground for which was donated by Alpheus Bartlett, in 1825. The first one buried in it was Al- vira Covell. The interments in this yard are 39.

At South Cabot the grave-yard was do- nated by Moses Clark, in 1834, with the express understanding it was to be kept well fenced. Thirty-five have been in- terred here; the first a child of Moses Clark. It is now entirely abandoned.

Cabot Village grave-yard, ¿ acre of land, donated by John W. Dana, was laid out in 1820. The first one buried in it, Eliza Dutton, died May 20, 1820, age 22. It has been enlarged to one acre, and con- tains about 217 graves. T.H. Lance opened a

NEW CEMETERY

adjoining this in 1865, which is private property, those interring herein buying fam- ily lots. The first grave here is that of Joseph Lance, Oct. 12, 1865. There are 86 persons at this date buried here, July 5, 1881, and there are some very hand- some monuments of marble and granite. The town have built a tomb in the yard for public use. In 1854, the town pur- chased for $100 its first hearse.

SCHOOLS

were established as soon as there was a sufficient number of scholars in any local- ity. The first log school-house stood at the foot of Shephard Hill, just north of where the road near Harvey Smith's inter- sects with the Hazen road. Wooden pins were driven into the logs, and boards laid on them, for writing-desks ; benches were used for seats. The scholars had to turn their face to the wall to write. The first school was taught by John Gunn, in the summer of 1792.

At the first town meeting, 1798, a vote was passed raising 20 bushels of wheat for the support of a town school, under the direction of the selectmen. At a town meeting, Mar. 9, 1789, this vote was re- . scinded, as no school had been kept on ac- count of the great scarcity of wheat, but at the same meeting, 30 bushels of wheat was voted for a summer and winter school of 3 months each. The object had never

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been lost sight of. Every town meeting voted for schools, and the matter was de- ferred simply from the hardship of the times. A town meeting was called ex- pressly in Oct. 1789, to consider the sub- ject of building a school-house, and a tax of $40 for the same voted, $35 to be paid in wheat and $5 in cash, nails or glass. 3S. was to be paid per day for a man's labor and 3 for his cattle, he finding himself and cattle in building said house.

After a few years, a school-house was commenced by district No. I, nearly op- posite the burying-ground ; but being a bleak spot, was removed before finished, down into the corner of the field near the Junction. It was used both for a school and a town-house for a number of years. The school now numbered as high as 50 scholars. Unruly ones were regulated by the big ferule, and if this was not suffi- cient, by the birch toughened in the hot embers, applied freely. Sweetmeats and delicacies for the children's dinners were scarce. They carried barley cakes, and roasted their potatoes in the ashes of the huge stone fireplace.

District No. 2 was a large territory. The first school-house was built of logs, near where the old pound now stands. It is said the winter schools numbered as high as 90 scholars. After a few years this house was burned, after which a better one was built. This district has built the most school-houses of any in town. Itnow has a large and nice one, but few scholars.

In 1800, by request of Moses Stone, it was voted to form No. 3. The Lower Cabot district and other new districts were formed as needed. In 1801, they were num- bered according to their formation. June 10, 1801, the scholars in town from 4 years to 18 were 89, and in 1803, 149. There are now 14 districts. All support school 20 weeks each year, and most of them 31 weeks. We have no academy, but our people have always manifested an interest in education, not only in the district schools, the safeguards of our civilization, but by liberal patronage of the academies in the adjoining towns.

THE FACE OF THE TOWNSHIP

is generally broken and uneven, the soil adapted to all the grains, roots and grasses of this latitude. The leading interest for the first 50 years was raising grain and cattle ; at present it is dairy and sheep hus- bandry.

JOE'S POND is the largest body of water. It is about one-half in this town. It re- ceived its name from Capt. Joe, a Nova Scotia Indian. He was in the revolution- ary war, and used to traverse this section at an early day, and once had a camp on this shore. A smaller body of water in the east part of the town, about a mile in length and one-third in width, was named MOLLY'S POND for the Indian's wife, who travelled with him. [For the further inter- esting history of Capt. Joe and family, see' Newbury, vol. II, of this work.]

COIT'S POND, in the N. W. part of the town, was named when the town was sur- veyed, for one of the surveyors. It is a small sheet of water. The least disturb- ance in its waters roilsit. Itoften goes by the name of Mud Pond. It is a consider- able tributary of the Winooski.

WEST HILL POND .- Previous to 1820, the bed of this pond was "the great meadow," of good service to the early set- tlers in furnishing grass and hay. They would cut their hay here in the summer and stack it, and draw it in on their hand- sleds in the winter to their log barns, a distance of 3 or 4 miles. Avery Atkins in 1820, built a dam across the lower end of the meadow and flowed it. From that time it has been the West Hill Pond. The water comes from two streams in Wood- bury. It covers 60 acres, and makes a very fine water-power. It was used for years for a saw and grist-mill. West Hill brook, which empties into the Winooski, takes its rise in the N. E. part of the town. It is fed by several small brooks ; taking a southerly course, enters Marshfield. Upon this are several water privileges, some of which are very good, and are turned to good account.

MOLLY'S BROOK, its source Molly's pond, takes a southerly course, and enters the Winooski at Marshfield. On this stream

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are also good water privileges, that are used.

OUR MINERAL SPRINGS we do not pro- pose to discuss largely on, as we have but little (and we might as well say, none at all) knowledge of their analysis or the won- derful healing properties they contain. There is one spring a half mile west of the village, that is said to contain some excel- lent medicinal properties, and years ago was quite celebrated, and we have no doubt if plenty of money had been put into the Winooski, it might have been a success. At Lower Cabot there are two mineral springs, of which we have heard of their effecting some celebrated cures. They are strongly impregnated with sulphur, and we should judge would be first rate for the itch-that kind which no district school was fairly equipped without in the olden time.

The years of 1780 and '81 were of great severity, on account of deep snows. 1816 is spoken of by those now living as being the year of famine, snow falling in June 4 or 5 inches deep, blowing and drifting like winter ; scarcely any corn or other grain raised in town. One of the oldest inhab- itants has told me that "a barley cake was a barley cake that year." The next year they were obliged to go to Barre and New- bury to procure seeds for planting.

We copy from an article in regard to first settlers' hardships in the " Cabot Ad- vertiser, July 1, 1868 :

There was no grist-mill, and all the grain had to be carried to West Danville to mill. There was no road but spotted trees, and but one horse in town to do the milling with, and she was blind. She was owned by James Morse, Esq. When any one hired her to go to mill with, they had to carry a grist for Mr. Morse to pay for the use of the horse. They would put the grain on the back of the horse, leading her. All would go well until they came to a log in the road, when the horse would stumble over it, and throw the grist to the ground. With patience the grist would be reloaded and started on the trip, only to have the accident repeated from time to time during the journey. The grist ground, they would start for home, and meet with the same luck as when going, and arrive at their happy homes late at night.

The first wagon in town was owned by James Morse, and was a dowry to his wife from some of her friends who died down country. The body is said to have been about 6 feet long, bolted tight to the axle, and was thought to be a gay vehicle.

The first stove in town was owned by Dea. Jas. Marsh. It was a long, high stove, and took wood 3 feet long ; cost, $80. This caused a great deal of talk and dis- cussion in the community in regard to the utility of its use, health of the family, etc.

The first clock in town was owned by John W. Dana. It was a tall-cased brass clock.

The first carpet in town was had by Mrs. John W. Dana, and came to her in the di- vision of her mother's things. A great many of the people had never seen a carpet when this came to town. But all these hardships were borne bravely, with the hope of better days.

OLD TIME DISTILLERIES.

Hanson. Rogers, Esq., a stirring, ener- getic citizen, 1809, erected the first dis- tillery in town, on Cabot Plain. As this was on nearly the highest land in town, where no running water could be obtained, he built quite a distance from the road, by a brook in the pasture now owned by Mr. W. S. Atkins, paying partly in blacksmith- ing-his trade, and the remainder in whisky. The distillery was ready for the crop of 1810. So many potatoes were now planted, one distillery was insufficient for the increasing business. A desire to make money appeared to pervade the people of those days even as it does the people of these days. Judge Dana, the merchant, built another distillery nearly opposite the buildings owned by Wm. Adams. There now were two distilleries within a half mile of each other, that could use up all the po- tatoes raised in the immediate vicinity. But other portions of the town, seeing the ready sale and good price for potatoes, began to raise them more largely, which rendered the building of other distilleries necessary. In 1816, one was built on the farm now owned by W. S. Atkins. Upto this time the product of these distilleries, that had not been consumed at home, had mainly been conveyed by teams to Boston and Portland. Now a new avenue was opened. The cloud of war began to settle

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down over our country, and soon we were involved in a conflict with Great Britain, and Cabot distillers, only about 40 miles from the Canada line, lost no time in find- ing a market in that country for the product of their stills. The good, orthodox cit- izens of this place seemed quite intent on obeying the divine injunction, " If thine enemy hunger, feed him ; if he thirst, give him drink." This command, so explicit in its terms, the towns situated near the border seemed bound to carry out ; a large number of cattle were driven over, and no small quantity of whisky found ready sale among the British soldiery. It proved a lucrative business to those engaged in it. It was smuggling, and was rather risky business, but the " commandment " was plain and imperative, and must be followed. And about this time distilleries went into operation rapidly. One was put up by Deacon Stone, where I. F. Haines' woolen factory is now ; one by Capt. Sum- ner, on the farm now occupied by R. B. Bruce ; one on the farm of Chauncey Paine ; one on the old Cutting farm ; one on Dea. J. L. Adams' farm, where Union Block stands, and one where Hial Morse now lives; so that 12 distilleries were in full blast at one time in Cabot. These made whisky very plenty, and it was used in all the different callings of life. Some even thought it was cheaper than corn for common living. It is said one poor man in Plainfield used to say that he would buy a half bushel of corn-meal, and carry it home, and his wife would make it all up into hasty pudding, and the children would eat it all up and go to bed crying with hunger. But let him buy a gallon of whisky, and they would all go to sleep like kittens by the fire ; he thought whisky the cheapest diet.

No occasion was ever perfect without it. If a neighbor came for a friendly visit ; if the pastor came to makea call, or to join a couple in the holy bonds of matrimony, or perform the last sad rites of burying the dead, and especially when a child was born into the world, the whisky and flip went around merrily ; and when the ladies had a quilting, every time they rolled the quilt

all must take a little toddy, and when they had rolled it about four times, they were ready to drop work, tell stories and have a jolly time. A story is told of one of these good old ladies who at the conclusion of a quilting put on her bonnet, one of those large, old-fashioned poke bonnets, then in vogue, and got it on wrong side before, covering her face entirely, and was in great trouble to find the strings. The good old lady got out of the dilemma by the assistance of her friends, but never could tell exactly what the trouble was.

All the public gatherings were held at the Plain, and the occasion which usually attracted the largest crowd was that of June training. At this time the military officers were elected for the following year. At one of these elections John Dow, who subsequently became a prominent minister of the Methodist denomination, was elect- ed captain. After the election, Capt. Dow, as in duty bound, ordered the treat, and all drank to repletion, after which the com- pany was formed for drill and inspection, and the various evolutions gone through with. During the practice, one of the brothers of the newly-elected captain, who had imbibed somewhat freely, was unable to keep time with the music. and finally fell flat on the ground. His comrades helped him to his feet, and began to up- braid him for his unseemly conduct ; with maudlin wit he answered, " It is all right ; the Dows to-day are rising and falling."

About 1815, the newly-set orchards com- menced bearing ; great quantities of apples were brought into market, and cider-mills were built in different parts of the town, and some of the inhabitants began to have cider in addition to whisky for a beverage. The first cider-mill was built by Robert Lance, nearly opposite the residence of Albert Osgood, in 1819.

Cider and whisky were the staple com- modities of the time, the former selling for $3 per barrel, and the latter from 67 to 75 cents per gallon. So common was their use, they were regarded very much as "United States " currency in these days.

No farmer thought of beginning a winter with less than 12 or 15 barrels of cider and

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CABOT.

one or two barrels of whisky in the cellar. It was no uncommon thing for a young man to hire out for the season for 300 gal- lons of whisky, and this he would dispose of for stock, store-pay, or anything he could get.

About 1823, the farmers began to think raising so many potatoes was running out their farms, and, after all, not so profitable as some other crops, and less were planted, and the number of distilleries decreased, until in 1832, there were none running in town, and New England rum was used by those who thought they must have some- thing stimulating, and sold freely at all the stores and hotels in town.

About 1825, the temperance question began to be agitated ; people commenced to think they could get along without quite so much stimulant, and from that time to the present, there has been a marked dim- inution in the quantity absorbed in town.

The writer has in this matter endeavored to state facts simply and fully, but does not mean to be understood as saying that in the manufacture and sale of liquors, Cabot was a sinner above the other towns in that vicinity, for it is probably a fact that for its number of inhabitants, it had fewer distilleries than any other town in this section.

POST-OFFICE.

There was no public mail service in Cabot till 1808. The only newspaper taken by the pioneer settlers was the North Star, then as now published at Danville, und this was procured by each subscriber aking his turn in sending his boy, or going himself on horseback to the printing office, und bringing the papers for his neighbor- hood in saddle-bags. What he could not listribute on his way home were left at the rist-mill, then owned and run by Thomas yford, on the same site where the mill ow stands, and by him were distributed s the subscribers came, or sent to the mill or them. None of the subscribers of that ay are now living, but their children tell le that the receipt of the paper was eemed a matter of so much importance hat all the family gave attention while ome one of their number, by the light of

the tallow candle or the fainter flicker of the fireplace, read aloud not only the news but the entire contents of the paper.

Letters were brought by travelers passing through the town. In this way the early settlers received their mails for the first 23 years.

The first regular mail service through Cabot was begun in 1808, and Henry Denny was the first carrier, his horseback route extending from Montpelier to the Canada line, passing through Cabot, Dan- ville, Lyndon, Barton, etc., and his re- turn was made by way of Craftsbury and Hardwick. The round trip occupied about Io days. About the year 1810, he com- menced to bring the Vermont Watchman, published then as now in Montpelier, and when he came to the house of a subscriber he would blow his tin horn lustily, and im- patiently await the coming of some mem- ber of the family to receive the same.

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The History of Washington County in the Vermont historical gazetteer : including a county chapter and the local histories of the towns of Montpelier., Part 15

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890 Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press Number of Pages: 1064

Author: Hemenway, Abby Maria, 1828-1890
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Montpelier, Vt. : Vermont Watchman and State Journal Press
Number of Pages: 1064