USA > Vermont > Washington County > Waterbury > Waterbury, Vermont, chartered June 7, 1763 : bicentennial celebration, 1763-1963, Sunday, June 30th to Saturday, July 6th inclusive > Part 2
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In the 1790's the early 15 families had in- creased to 93 with 644 inhabitants. By 1820 the population numbered 1269 and in 1840 it was 1992.
The first successful merchant was Amasa Pride who established a store in 1802.
Statistics show that in 1840 there were in town 4 meeting houses, 17 school districts, 2 Post Offices, 4 stores, 1 tavern, 2 grist mills, 10 saw mills, 3 tanneries and 1 clothing works and woolen factory. . Agricultural records state there were 210 horses, 1608 cattle, 4,085 sheep, 493 swine and there were produced 2,329 bushels of wheat, 50 of barley, 11,776 of oats, 120 of rye, 2100 of buckwheat, 4,070 of Indian corn, 21,389 of potatoes, 3,327 tons of hay, 25,502 pounds of maple sugar and 9,001 of wool.
The inhabitants today number approxi- mately 3100, exclusive of the people in the Vermont State Hospital. In comparing sta- tistics there are today 17 horses, 10 swine, 15 sheep and 1429 cattle of which 904 are milch cows. Only 4 small sugar-places were operated this year. There are less than half the number of farms operated today than in 1840 but the modern system of mass production has been responsible for this difference. No grains are raised by the farmers and no potatoes other than those raised by a few people for their own use.
The people of Waterbury were almost en- tirely dependent upon what they raised and made for the necessities of life until the rail- road became operative on October 1, 1849. The windows, frames and doors for the first frame house built by Ezra Butler in the 1780's came from Boston by ox team and were three weeks in arriving.
Products of the wood working industry have been many and, listing those not already mentioned, we find wheelwright shops making sleighs, carriages and wagons, shops making furniture, chairs, doors, windows, blinds, maple shoe last blocks, wood turnings, spools, scythe snaths, and baseball bats.
Other industries have been charcoal, a patent medicine known as Downs Elixir, ink, boots and shoes, harnesses, stoves, a wrapper and night shirt factory, brick and a small copper mine.
Dairy products have been the usual, milk, cream, butter, cheese, condensed milk and cottage cheese. Today all milk is sold as fluid milk while fifty years ago there were five
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TV . HEATED C PRIVATE BATHS . WEEKLY RATES
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Gateway Motel
"IN THE GREEN MOUNTAINS" MIDWAY BETWEEN MT. MANSFIELD and MAD RIVER GLEN ROUTE 2 ยท WATERBURY, VERMONT
SELECTED BY
emmons WALKER
C. & C. IZOR, Owners-Mgrs.
Phone 244-8984
IZOR
BROS.
Mob'
More
IZOR BROS.
On # 33.
FUEL OIL DISTRIBUTORS
15 YEARS - INSTALLATION and SERVICE CAL - Gulf Solar Heat CHAS. - Mobilheat
creameries processing milk.
There have been granite companies under names of Drew Daniels, Union, Southeast (later W. L. Carr,) Perry, (later Rock of Ages,) and C. L. O'Clair.
The Cooley Manufacturing Company was established in 1882 by William Cooley, an in- ventor, who invented a cream separator, a marine gasoline engine with as many as four cylinders up to 40 H.P., for use in marine boats of various sizes, also manufactured portable water tube boilers, iron and brass castings, cast iron chimney caps and other labor saving devices. Later this became the Cooley Wright Mfg. Co. and their products were machines for the granite industry, castings and machine repair work.
In 1897 the Mount Mansfield Electric Rail- road was built from the railroad station in Waterbury to the Village of Stowe, a distance of 11.965 miles at a cost of $200,000. The Town of Stowe bonded for $40,000, the balance being raised by private subscription. Half of the original cost was furnished by Col. A. H. Soden of Boston, a roofing business man and former owner of the Boston National Baseball Club. At Waterbury Center a wooden trestle 800 feet long and 60 feet high was erected. The road never became a paying proposition and con- tinued in operation until 1932 when it gave way to modern transportation, parts of the road being used for new and modern highways.
The Waterbury Record, a weekly news- paper, was established in 1895 by Harry C. Whitehill and was published until his death in 1935. Publication continued until 1947 under ownership of Anair and Leahy, and the last five years of its existance by Milton E. Sunder- land.
The Pilgrim Plywood Corporation was organized in 1924 for the purpose of produc- ing hardwood veneers and plywood and con- tinued in operation until 1959. As many as 125 were employed at times and approximately 2.5 million feet of hardwood and logs were used yearly.
The Ward Lumber Company of Moretown, Vermont, purchased the properties of the Pilgrim Plywood Corporation in 1962 and now operate a very modern, highly efficient auto- mated saw mill, producing high grade hard- wood lumber and cut-to-size parts for the furniture trade.
The A. G. Anderson Construction Company of Barre maintains a cement mixing plant in town and transports concrete to various areas in this vicinity.
Longe and Stewart Lumber Company oper- ates a saw mill in Duxbury and has a retail lumber and building material business here in Waterbury.
The Valcour Chemical Company of Burl- ington purchased the properties of the Cooley Wright Mfg. Co. in 1962 and established the Valcour Salt Company which deals in certain chemicals and principally in rock salt for winter road use.
Winnisquam Farms Creamery occupies the old wrapper and night shirt factory building in the north end of the Village and operates a milk processing plant for milk deliveries in Waterbury, Montpelier and Barre.
The plant of the C. O. O'Clair Granite Company was purchased and remodelled in 1962 by the Houle Bros. who now operate it.
Just out of the Village is the plant of the Davison Wood Products Company, which has an excellent business in reproducing old colonial furniture and also maintains a gift shop offering many Vermont-made products.
The Metayer Construction Company of Waterbury Center does general construction work in this vicinity especially in the winter ski resort areas, and maintains a wood work- ing shop at the Center.
Radio Station WDEV, authorized by the Federal Communications Commission with 50 Watts on 1420 Kilocycles broadcasted its first program on July 16, 1931. This was founded by Harry C. Whitehill, publisher of the Waterbury Record. It is now operating with 5000 Watts on 550 Kilocycles and is owned and operated by Lloyd E. Squier with studios on Stowe Street and broadcasting facilities on Blush Hill.
The Demeritt Co. does a canning business in stringbeans and manufactures spring clip clothes pins and is owned and operated by Roy W. Demeritt. The business was first started by B. R. Demeritt and E. F. Palmer, Jr., and was the first canning factory, built and operated by native Vermonters in the State, and was known as the Demeritt-Palmer Packing Company.
At the north end of the village is the Ford Agency owned by Laurence Willis of South Burlington and known as the Willis Ford, Inc.
'At the south end is the Chevrolet Agency, owned by Harold Wheeler of Waterbury Center and known as the Wheeler Chevrolet Company.
Located on Randall Street is the Burnham Studio, a modernly equipped photographic and developing business.
At Colbyville is located the Aylward and Colby Nursing Homes. The Eastern Magnesia Talc Company, with offices in Burlington, has operated a talc mine across the Winooski River in Moretown for 50 years. This has been a great asset to Waterbury, and while produc- tion has ceased at this location, the plant is now being used for experimental purposes.
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STREET SYSTEM - WATERBURY VILLAGE (Pageant Held Off Butler Street)
TO BURLINGTON
WALLACE
THE WAR YEARS
Many of Waterbury's early settlers were veterans of the Revolution or French and Indian Wars. In 1812 Waterbury was repre- sented at the Battle of Plattsburg by some forty men under General John Peck and Captain George Atkins.
The list of Waterbury men who served in the Civil War approximates about 250. Of these eight per cent lost their lives in battle and forty-three percent of the officers from Water- bury made the supreme sacrifice. Several of t
Brevet Major-General William; Brevet Briga- dier-General William W. Henry; Colonel Henry Janes, Surgeon; Lt .- Colonel Charles Dilling- ham and Major Edwin Dillingham who was killed at Winchester.
In World War I, one hundred forty-four Waterbury men and women entered service and served in this country and abroad. Four were killed in service: Andrew B. Armington, Ray E. Delong, Ralph L. Henry, and Merton L. Slayton.
Four hundred thirty-eight men and women from Waterbury entered service in World War II and served on all fronts in this global con-
flict. For the first time since the Civil War, men from Waterbury served as a unit. Company "B" of the Vermont National Guard, under the Command of Captain Rex H. Morse, was in- ducted into Federal Service in February, 1941. They took part in many engagements in the Pacific Theatre of the war. High ranking officers from Waterbury were Major General Harold D. Campbell of the Marines, Colonel Rex Morse and present Lieutenant General Wallace M. Greene, Jr., who spent his boyhood and early school years in Waterbury. Ten from Waterbury gave their lives for their country: Leon A. Collins, Raymond J. Flannery, Thomas J. Flannery, Jr., Melvin E. Goodell, John C. Green, Jr., Hugh N. Jewett, Robert B. Reynolds, William G. Ricker, Earl R. Sevene, and James R. Stewart, Jr.
During the Korean War in 1950, Waterbury Company "V", National Guard Field Artillery Battery "A", 206 and Medical Detachment 206 were mustered into Federal Service with Cap- tain Charles W. Burton in command. This company was stationed in Germany. Paul Izor gave his life in this War against Communism.
World War I and World War II Memorials
Harry N. Cutting Post No. 59 AMERICAN LEGION
Dedicated to the Service of Veterans, the Community and Waterbury Youth
LITTLE RIVER
There is a curving sweep of Little River Lake as it catches a sheen of sunlight and stretches eastward toward the Center and southward toward the Village. A deer pauses in its drinking at the water's edge as flocks of ducks stir ripples as they ascend skyward. A soft, gentle breeze blows a requiem through birch and the alders. The Gods of the hills have reclaimed their own.
Below the placid waters our forefathers once tilled the soil and hayed the lush river meadows. Trees crashed in the heavily forested hills, there was the screech of the circular in the busy saw mills along the river and Cotton Brook. Kids kicked the dust in the road as they slowly made their way to district school and in the winter they scratched patterns and ini- tials on the thick frost on the windows. Young- sters were born and the old folks reached the end of their year. Many were interred with solemn and simple rites in the old Ricker Mountain cemetery, where they still sleep, undisturbed by progress.
Little River appears on some maps as Waterbury River and is formed by the con- fluence of East and West branches in Stowe. Miller and Gold Brooks flow into it before it reaches Moscow, and below that community it is again enlarged by Nebraska Brook. As it reaches the township of Waterbury, Cotton Brook, Bryant Brook (from Ricker Mountain) and Alder Brook flow into it.
It was on Alder Brook in 1786 that a moose was shot by Ezra Butler and James Marsh to celebrate the first Thanksgiving in Waterbury. To the Marsh family, destitute of food, it was manna from heaven.
At that time the most traveled road from Waterbury to Stowe was over Blush Hill and
across Alder Brook. Close to where the road crossed Alder Brook, Joshua Hill built a plank tavern and fitted it with two brick ovens and five fireplaces. Here Oliver Luce lodged before pressing on to become the first settler in Stowe.
At a meeting held at Hill's Tavern in 1802, it was voted to hold town meeting the year ensuing "at the school house on the River" which no one today has been able to locate. It was voted "to pay raise two cents on the dollar for the support of schools payable in good wheat and six shillings per bushel; rye, at four, and indian corn at three shillings the Bus."
Later the Ziba Smith schoolhouse was erected not far from Hill's tavern and later it was moved to Gregg Hill.
Dr. Daniel Bliss, the first physician in Waterbury, settled near the mouth of Little River, as did Seth Chandler the first black- smith. According to Pauline Moody in her ex- cellent Vermont Historical Society article, from which most of this material is taken, the land along the River reaching toward Stowe was not settled for some time. However, deer, moose and beaver were abundant in the area and hunters soon had established a well worn trail which the River road eventually followed.
The Gospel came early to Little River. Lorenzo Dow, the famous Methodist circuit preacher is said to have lost his shoes in fording the river on his way to Stowe in 1799. Records show early meeting of the Free Will Baptists in 1828. A Freewill Baptist Society was organized on Little River in 1840.
A meeting house was built on a site not far from the mouth of Alder Brook and it was enlarged in 1860.
The Little River bridge, near the church, was the scene of numerous baptizings. These
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occasions called for a large turnout of both the reverent and the irreverent. "In the winter of 1863-64 the ice was several times removed, and scores were baptized by immersion in the openings thus made in the river when the mercury was well below zero."
Little River had its tragedies, its mysteries and its share of excitement. Little Alice Meaker was given poison in another town and brought to Little River and buried in a swamp beside the road before the poison could complete its deadly work. On Cotton Brook a man went insane and murdered his wife and mother with an axe. Near the church a girl hanged herself and near Hill's Tavern a ped- dlar disappeared very mysteriously.
Near the mouth of Cotton Brook, in a mill put up by Richard Demeritt, was an up and down saw. After this mill was operated by Leonard Foster, father of Dr. Foster, who was adopted by Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science.
A Mr. Bashford is thought to be the first settler any distance up the River. He made his pitch "in that beautiful vale above the mills" and was succeeded by Mr. Calkins whose several sons built tenements around the mill erected by another son, Rev. Charles Calkins.
This mill, built sometime during the 1820's was where the water fell twenty five feet.
Among the other owners of the mill was Hiram Gale whose widow sold it before moving to Galesville, Wisconsin in 1859. The Gale daughter at the age of ninety-three reported that she remembered a flood which made many changes below the mill site. She remem- bered such names and location of homes of Brown, Minot, Douglas, Akely, Whitney, Morse, Rutherford, Elder Fuller, Beebe, Henry, George Randall, Davis and Coffrin, also Stick- well, Gleason and Luce.
George Randall, a native of Ricker Moun- tain and a successful forty-niner, owned the mill for many years. One of his specialties was cutting spruce dimension timber for the Central Vermont Railroad.
Luke Roberts purchased the mill in 1907 and at that time the new owner considered putting in a hydro-electric plant and flooding the territory one mile back thus creating a lake. It was considered at one time to run the trolley line along Little River instead of through Waterbury Center.
The dam did come to Little River as a result of the 1927 flood. In June, 1935 Robert Fetchner, director of the emergency conser- vation work and Gov. Charles M. Smith turned the first soil with silver spades; on August 1, 1936 President Franklin D. Roosevelt visited the project; and on October 19, 1938, the Water- bury Little River Dam was formally delivered
to the State of Vermont.
At the time of its dedication the Waterbury Record said: "Over three years of labor went into the construction of this mammouth earth dam, one of the largest of its kind in New Eng- land. 2,500 men were employed on the huge earth embankment of over 2,000,000 cubic yards together with its auxiliary works. The dam is over 2,000 feet long with a maximum height of about 175 feet. 160 trucks were used . to transport the earth to the dam from pits in the valley were 12 large power shovels were in operation. The center of the dam is com- posed of 500,000 cubic yards of clay with se- lected gravel on each side and a heavy rock fill at both upstream and downstream toes of the dam. Each layer of earth was spread and rolled before each succeeding layer was dumped.
"The Little River is diverted through a concrete conduit nearly semi-circular in sections, 14 feet wide and 101/2 feet high. A steel transition section consisting of two paral- lel 54 inch pipes had been installed in the outlet. Two 48 inch free discharge regulators (needle valves) in the valve house at the down- stream end of the conduit regulate the flow of water through the pipes up to 1,500 feet per second. To provide for protection to the earth embankment, in case of a flood of great magni- tude, a spillway of reinforced concrete 252 feet long and 25 feet high is constructed at the end of the dam. 20,000 cubic yards of con- crete have been poured into various structures of the dam. With water in the reservoir, a spillway crests a lake about 6 miles long.
Since completion of the dam, various improvements have been made and a power plant put into operation.
The area is rapidly developing its re- creational facilities; boating and water skiing are becoming very popular and of course fishing attracts many sportsmen.
The State has built a road along the Ricker Mountain side and has established some 32 camp sites with fireplaces, toilet facilities and water piped from a spring on the side of the mountain. Plans are in the making for further development of the area.
The old timer will view the quiet beauty of the lake with mixed feelings. He will see beneath the still waters, the winding road, the farms along the way, the covered bridge and the church beyond, the spinning wheels of the buggy with its huge umbrella. He will feel again the hospitality of the friendly famers and taste again the salmon gravy at the Talberts.
The color and the life is gone from Little River, and perhaps quite appropriately, the mists of the night weave a shroud and cover the solemn stillness.
. L. PERKINS LG
a
V. L. Perkins Company, Inc.
Established 1907 by V. L. Perkins and W. J. Boyce.
Incorporated 1931 as the V. L. Perkins Company Incorporated.
"In the future, as in the past 56 years, our family business will continue to stress service to the homes and communities of this area.
We are proud to be a part of the past and the future of the Waterbury area."
-- Charles S. Parker, president
1907 - Founded at present location 1910 - Wood block damaged by fire 1911 - Present brick building erected 1925 - Charles S. Parker became a member of the firm 1927 - Building damaged, all rolling stock and merchandise lost by flood.
1931 - Incorporated as V. L. Perkins Co., Inc. 1960 - Present funeral home constructed from former municipal building.
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THE VERMONT STATE HOSPITAL
In accordance with the recommendations of Governor William P. Dillingham and pur- suant to the action of the Legislature, a site for the Vermont State Hospital was purchased in 1889 from C. C. Warren. The first board of trustees were: W. H. Giddings, M.D., Bakers- field, Vermont; Don D. Grout, M.D., Stowe, Ver- mont; H. D. Hobson, Brighton, Vermont. The superintendents in order were: W. E. Sylves- ter, M.D., appointed in 1891 and served a little less than a year; W. H. Giddings, M.D., served four years and four months; Frank Page, M.D., followed Dr. Giddings and served two years and a half. Dr. Marcello Hutchinson followed Dr. Page and served six years and four months, retiring in August, 1905. Don D. Grout, M.D., followed Dr. Hutchinson and was appointed September 6, 1905.
A disastrous fire at the hospital occurred December 24, 1909, in which the roof of Hall No. 3 was destroyed and Halls Nos. 1, 2 and 3 were rendered temporarily unfit for use.
The medical staff in 1914 were Don D. Grout, M.D., superintendent; W. L. Wasson, M.D., assistant physician and pathologist; E. A. Stanley, M.D., second assistant physician; T. J. Allen, M.D., third assistant physician. The number of employees was 147; the number of patients 768; of these 434 were males and 334 females. The hospital farm of seven hundred acres was in charge of H. C. Douglass.
Following Dr. Grout, superintendents in order of service were Dr. W. L. Wasson, Janu- ary 1, 1917 to 1918; Dr. Eugene A. Stanley from 1918 to August 19, 1936; Dr. James C. O'Neil, 1936 to July 31, 1944. In August, 1944, Dr. Rupert A. Chittick became superintendent and began the tremendous and, thus far, suc- cessful task of modernization.
Over the years V.S.H. has been to the people of Waterbury much more than a hos- pital. It has been a vital and integral part of village life. Few Waterbury children of past generations will ever forget the little white, summer houses that used to dot its spacious lawns, the Holstein herd which used to be driven down South Main Street, back and forth to pasture, or friendly "Old Andrew" who had a camp way up the brook in Duxbury with a high stockade around it to keep the "shysters" out.
The area in back of the hospital, now oc- cupied by the laundry, power house and carpenter shop was used for various com- munity events, principally baseball.
Waterbury usually had a good town team and an ardent local following with a definite "Brooklyn complex." Here were held the small fairs, carnivals, boxing matches and Fourth of July celebrations.
The disastrous flood of 1927 dealt a dev- astating blow to the hospital area. It swept
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away the large cow barn, the horse and wagon sheds and worst of all a prize herd of 121 Hol- stein cattle and 6 horses. The barn and farm facilities were rebuilt in Duxbury. The first barn was destroyed by fire in 1942 and had to be rebuilt.
However, the real outstanding story of the 1927 flood at V.S.H. is the human one, and it was one of great courage and devotion to duty. With no lights, no heat, no telephones and all service facilities flooded the work of removal of patients to the second floors was carried out calmly and methodically with the aid of a few flashlights.
Only one patient lost his life due to the transfer and he probably died of heart failure from over exertion. There were no injuries and no confusion. Thus was written a chapter of hospital history of which all should be proud and it should always remain as a shining ex- ample to those who serve in times of stress.
The water had risen on most first floors to a height of 6 feet or over and the herculean job of cleaning up, repainting, replastering and general restoration took a couple of years.
The need for space in an expanding hos- pital is always a problem. In June, 1932 the "A" building was completed on the north (female) side, to ease crowded conditions. On the male side the "B" building was built and dedicated July 13, 1939.
World War II put an end to further con- struction and the staff just carried on with what they had and did the best they could with shortages in everything, including help.
In 1944 a vast program of modernization was started and can only be listed in brief. While these major developments blend into the remarkable picture that is V.S.H. today and naturally complement each other, they can for purposes of clarity be separated into two phases, improved patient care and treat- ment, and improvement and expansion of the physical plant.
In improved care and treatment the follow- ing services and programs were begun: In 1944 the electro-convulsive treatment began. The Psychology and Social Service departments were started. In 1951 a training program for psychiatric aids began and a consulting staff developed providing consultation in all medical and surgical specialties. About 1950 X-ray screening of all admissions and repeated screening of residents to discover and care for tubercular patients became standard pro- cedure. A research program began in 1954. In 1956 Rehabilitation Houses were opened through cooperation with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Department of
Education. 1957 saw the beginning of psychi- atric affiliation for nursing students of general hospitals, an elementary school was started and secondary school program added in 1959. Other programs initiated or expanded are the development of many group activities, pro- grams and ward activities, the beginning of a recreational department, a program to provide individual clothes cabinets for patients. Bars were removed from most windows and a partial open door policy established. About half the patients now have varying degrees of freedom, including Town privileges. There has been a greatly increased program in occupational training and a vocational training program was started in 1962.
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