Cavendish Historical Society News

Monday, April 22, 2024

CHS Spring 2024 Newslette

THE SCRIBBLER II

The Cavendish Historical Society Newsletter

www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/PhineasGageCavendish

www.pinterest.com/cavendishvt/historical-cavendish/

www.thewriterwhochangedhistory.com

PO Box 472 Cavendish, VT 05142

802-226-7807 margocaulfield@icloud.com

Spring 2024 Vol. 18, Issue 2

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

While there are programs the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) offers annually, there are some new events and twists on old ones this year, particularly the annual plant sale. More events will be added throughout the year. The Museum opens Memorial Day Weekend and ends on Oct. 13. Hours are Sunday 2-4 pm with other times available by appointment. Call or e-mail to arrange other times.

May 25 (Saturday): CHS Annual Plant Sale in front of the Museum. Early bird special 5-7 on Friday.

May 26 (Sunday): Museum opens for the season 2-4 pm

May 30 (Thursday): Cavendish Memorial Day Celebration

June 6 (Thursday): Sturbridge Village Trip for CTES students in grades 5 & 6.

June 22 (Saturday): Ghost Walk Cavendish Village, meet at the CHS Museum at 8 pm. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight

July 21 (Sunday): 18^th Century Village Healers in Rural Vermont 2 pm at the CHS Museum. One of the speakers will be Dr. Charis Boke https://faculty-directory.dartmouth.edu/charis-ford-morrison-boke who will talk about the herb gardens of this era, how plants and herbs were used then and now.

July 27 (Saturday): 14^th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale. The CHS booth will be at the Gazebo on the Proctorsville Green

September 15 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk and Talk, starts with the talk 2 pm at the CHS Museum

October 13 (Sunday): Last Sunday the Museum is open for the 2024 season.

GARDENING TO ABSORB THE STORM

For many years-no one seems to remember when they started-CHS has held a plant sale. This year we have a theme “Gardening to Absorb the Storm.”

We are working with Black River Action Team (BRAT) in promoting gardening that will help to protect and restore Vermont’s rivers and lakes. Strategies to do this include “rain gardens,” plantings for wet areas of

lawns; and planting to help stabilize and protect river banks.

A rain garden is a bowl shaped garden designed to capture and absorb rainfall and snowmelt. When stormwater is captured, it helps to reduce the volume of runoff, thereby reduce flooding that can erode stream banks. It also helps to reduce excess nutrients, sediment, and pollutants from entering our water ways. To learn how to create a rain garden, check out the Vermont Rain Garden Manual.

This manual includes “The Vermont Rain Garden Plant List” for ferns, grasses, perennials, shrubs, and trees which are suitable for Vermont. This is a handy list to take when going plant shopping this spring as it provides information on what type of sun exposure a plant needs, salt tolerance, seasonal interest, what pollinators it attracts and lots more useful information. You can pick up a manual at the libraries in Cavendish and Ludlow.

While rain gardens are not recommended in a naturally wet area of a lawn, there are other trees and shrubs to plant that will absorb the water in such locations. If you have a low-lying spot that collects rain, an easy solution is to use this space to grow plants that thrive in wet areas. The right plants will absorb the moisture and prevent runoff. Use the plant list in the manual to determine what might work best for your property.

If you are wanting to know more about planting to maintain riverbanks in and around the Black River Watershed, contact Black River Action Team (BRAT) blackrivercleanup@gmail.com or +1 802-738-0456

Our goal is to secure as many plants as possible for the sale. Those items not sold will be used to help re plant gardens for property owners who lost them as a result of the July floods.

If you can help, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com

• If you have perennials, shrubs or trees in your garden that need thinning out, we can help with pots, soil and some extra set of hands

• People who can help with the transplanting. We will be starting after the first of May.

MANDRAKE OR CHAGA: WHICH DID SOLZHENITSYN USE?

We’ve been researching for the talk on July 21 (Sunday): 18^th Century Village Healers in Rural Vermont. From herbs to fungus, 18^th century medicine was plant based. Once such item is chaga, which has been used for centuries by the Abenaki. The Nobel Laureate and former Cavendish resident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn also wrote about chaga but believed mandrake root played a role in his cancer treatment.

In Cancer Ward, while fiction and a means to reflect on Soviet society, Solzhenitsyn relied heavily on his own experience as a cancer patient. The character, Oleg Kostoglotov, like the author was a WWII veteran, sentenced to a Gulag and internal exile for his comments about Stalin, and received treatment in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Solzhenitsyn describes how a doctor notices that peasant patients don’t seem to get cancer, which he concludes is from their practice of drinking chaga tea. "He could not imagine any greater joy than to go away into the woods for months on end, to break off this chaga, crumble it, boil it up on a campfire, drink it and get well like an animal. To walk through the forest for months, to know no other care than to get better!"

Chaga (Inonotus obliquus) is a type of fungus that grows on the bark of birch trees in cold climates, including Siberia, Russia, and Vermont. It looks a bit like a clump of burnt coal, but cut open it reveals a soft orange core.

Indigenous cultures have brewed a chaga tea for centuries. Even Otzi the Iceman, the 3,400 BC mummy (more than 5,000 years old) preserved in the Italian Swiss Alps ice, was carrying chaga. Like the Abenaki, Otzi could have been using chaga for tea or for its amazing property to start fires and hold embers even in wet conditions.

Chaga does grow in Cavendish and we’d like to thank Cyrus and Ephraim Gross who have been carefully harvesting it for CHS the last several years.

Lab and animal studies suggest that chaga extract can reduce long-term inflammation thereby increasing immunity and helping to fight viruses and bacteria. It’s suggested uses include: cholesterol lowering, preventing and slowing cancer, and lowering blood sugar

Solzhenitsyn underwent surgery while in the labor camp, but his cancer returned while in internal exile. He draws on that for his character Oleg, “Although I’d been in pain for six months beforehand, the last month was agony: I couldn’t stand, sit or lie down without pain and could snatch only a few minutes’ sleep each night.”

Before entering Tashkent Hospital for treatment, Solzhenitsyn secured an infusion made from mandrake root that was supposed to be good for treating cancer. He was warned about an overdose. The allowable dose was from one to ten drops to be taken over a period of ten days, with the dose to be increased by one drop each day. Then it had to be gradually decreased to one drop with an interval of ten days allowed to elapse before starting again.

While the mandrake root initially seemed to help Solzhenitsyn, it didn’t last.

At Tashkent, he received 55 radiation sessions of half an hour each over six weeks. His character Oleg undergoes the same treatment, “This barbarous bombardment of heavy quanta, soundless and unnoticed by the assaulted tissues, had after twelve session given Kostoglotov back his desire and taste for life, his appetite, even his good spirits. After the second and third bombardments, he was free of the pain that had made his existence intolerable.”

However, Solzhenitsyn continued to use the mandrake infusion, along with radiation, when no one was looking. Upon discharge, he was told he would need to return for more treatment. While the tumor, was considerably smaller, it was still there. In short, he was not cured and so planned to continue the mandrake.

‘When I get back to Ush-Terek [his place of exile], I'll give my tumor another pummeling with that mandrake root... just to make sure it doesn't start throwing secondaries about. There's something noble about treating oneself with a strong poison. Poison doesn't pretend to be a harmless medicine, it tells you straight out, ’‘I'm poison! Watch out! Or else!’‘ So we know what we're in for.’ Cancer Ward

Like chaga, mandrake has been widely used for centuries. The mandrake is a perennial herb with thick, often forked, roots which may resemble the legs of the human body. Known for both its medicinal and psychoactive properties, a wide range of legends and myths have been associated with it over the centuries. During the Middle Ages mandrake was Europe’s most significant medicinal and magical plant, capable of curing practically everything, from infertility and insomnia, foretelling the future, to shielding a soldier in battle. It was used as a soporific (sleep inducing) and pain-killing plant for many hundreds of years. Mandrake is a powerful narcotic, emetic, sedative, and hallucinogen; its poisons can easily lead to death.

There are six species of mandrake, mostly distributed throughout southern Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa. The most well known species are Mandragara officinarum and M. autumnalis, the former blooming in springtime and the latter during the fall. Mandrakes are stemless, perennial herbs with large taproots that can grow up to two feet in length. The flowers emerge in a cluster from the center of the plant, and depending on the species, range in color from a yellow-green to bluish-purple. The sweet-smelling fruits resemble small yellow apples. U.S. Forest Service

Note, American mandrake (Podophyllum peltatum) is an entirely different plant belonging to the barberry family and should not be confused with the poisonous European mandrake which is a member of the Solanaceae family.

Dr. Vincent Devita, the Director of the Yale Cancer Center from 1993 to 2003 and at one time head of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Solid Tumor Service, wrote an interesting article about testing the formula recommended by Solzhenitsyn. Eight grams of mandrake was soaked for two weeks in a bottle of 80 proof vodka, resulting in a dark brown liquid.

Devita had it tested and the results showed that the formula contained two cancer drugs VP-16 and alpha peltatin. The latter was too toxic for humans, but VP-16 had been very active in advanced testicular cancer in early trials without excessive toxicity and would eventually be approved by the FDA for use in testicular cancer. Interestingly, the exact concentration of alcohol needed to extract the alkaloids from the roots was the concentration in 80 proof vodka.

Devita writes, “In other words, Solzhenitsyn’s root-and-vodka recipe had neatly created a version of the medication strong enough to treat cancer…our own lab results suggested that Solzhenitsyn had probably, indeed, successfully cured his own testicular cancer.

If you have an interest in being part of a “Cancer Ward” reading group, please contact CHS at the numbers above.

References

• Cancer Ward by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

• Oak and the Calf Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

• Solzhenitsyn A Biography Michael Scammell

• Solzhenitsyn Reader Edward E. Ericson, Jr and Daniel J. Mahoney

• Devita, Vincent T as told to Elizabeth Devita Raeburn, “The Root From Issyk-Kul Revisited: Did Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Cure his Own Testicular Cance,,” Undark.org 03.31.2016

THE LOVELL SISTERS

At the end of the 19^th century, three sisters from Cavendish were attending and graduating from medical school. Lucinda, and her sisters achievements would be remarkable even today. The following is from a talk given by Sandra Stearns “Beyond Cooking and Cleaning,” which focused on women who worked “beyond housekeeping,”

At the turn of the century, three Cavendish sisters, the daughters of Cyrus and Lydia Lovell of Cavendish Center, all became medical doctors. Lucinda Sarah, the oldest, was born in Boston in 1863 but her family moved to Cavendish when she was a child. She attended Black River Academy in Ludlow, as did her two sisters. She graduated from the Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1900. [Today part of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.] She is listed in the 1900 census of Cavendish as a physician. She came home to what is now Bud Johnson’s farm in Cavendish Center to help care for her elderly parents. Her father, Cyrus, died in 1915 and her mother in 1926. Her father’s obituary states that she had cared for her father the previous seven years-that would make her living in Cavendish again from 1908 on. A local news items in 1916 says she was raising hogs and had bought a pure-bred boar. She was Town agent during the First World War and school director for a term in the early 1920s. She seems never to have practiced medicine in Cavendish. Muriel Kinsbury and Gertrude knew her well and say loved to visit with the neighbors and was a great story-teller. She died in Cavendish in September 1945 at age 82.

Her next younger sister, Martha. E. Lovell, also attended the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia and graduated in 1899 (a year before her older sister). She spent the rest of her life in Boston, serving 34 years as staff physician for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. [She was listed as the “Examining Physician.”] At that time, she was one of the best known physicians in the field of social work. She died in April, 1940.

We don’t have as much information about the youngest Dr. Lovell, Hattie. We know she was a physician and that she lived in Boston with her sister, Dr. Martha until her death in November, 1933. All three sisters are buried in the Center Rd Cemetery.

CHS recently received a donation of Dr. Lucinda Lovell’s books, among which are diaries. We are hoping that these will provide a lot more information about she and her sisters.

BECOME A MEMBER, RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP, DONATE

If you have not joined the Cavendish Historical Society, need to renew your membership, and/or would like to be a volunteer, please complete the form below and sending a check, payable to CHS, to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142. All contributions are tax deductible.

Name: _______________________________________

Address: _______________________________________________

Phone Number: _____________________ E-Mail: ____________________________

Membership Level

__ Individual Member $10 __ Senior Member 65+ $5 __ Sustaining Member $500

__ Household Member $15 ___ Contributing Member $250

Volunteer

___ I would be interested in serving, as a volunteer .I would be interested in serving on the following committee(s):__ Program Planning __ Fundraising __ Building (Museum)

__Archives _ Budget –– Cemetery __ Carmine Guica Young Historians

Donations are always welcome and can be designated as follows:

__ For general purposes __ Young Historians __Publications

__ Archaeological Activities _ Museum & Archival __ Special Events

__ Rankin Fund __ Williams Fund __ Solzhenitsyn Project

__ Other (please specify) __ Cemetery Restoration __ Preservation Projects

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

CHS Briefs: 4/1/24

It’s been quite a March and the beginning of April is shaping up to be just as snowy. However, there are hints of spring and the promise of warmer weather and with it spring and summer programming for the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS)

While there are programs we offer annually, there are some new events and twists on old ones, particularly the annual plant sale. More events will be added throughout the year.

CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

May 25 (Saturday): CHS Annual Plant Sale in front of the Museum. Early bird special 5-7 on Friday.

May 26 (Sunday): Museum opens for the season 2-4 pm

May 30 (Thursday): Cavendish Memorial Day Celebration

June 6 (Thursday): Sturbridge Village Trip for CTES students in grades 5 & 6.

June 22 (Saturday): Ghost Walk Cavendish Village, meet at the CHS Museum at 8 pm. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight

July 21 (Sunday): 18^th Century Village Healers in Rural Vermont 2 pm at the CHS Museum. One of the speakers will be Dr. Charis Boke who will talk about the herb gardens of this era, how plants and herbs were used then and now.

July 27 (Saturday): 14^th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale. The CHS booth will be at the Gazebo on the Proctorsville Green

September 15 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk and Talk, starts with the talk 2 pm at the CHS Museum

GARDENING TO ABSORB THE STORM: For many years-no one seems to remember when they started-CHS has held a plant sale. This year, in response to the floods in 2023, we have a theme “Gardening to Absorb the Storm.”

A rain garden is a bowl shaped garden designed to capture and absorb rainfall and snowmelt. When stormwater is captured, it helps to reduce the volume of runoff, thereby reducing flooding that can erode stream banks. It also helps to reduce excess nutrients, sediment, and pollutants from entering our water ways.To learn how to create a rain garden, check out the Vermont Rain Garden Manual on-line or pick up a copy at the Cavendish or Ludlow Libraries. This manual includes “The Vermont Rain Garden Plant List” for ferns, grasses, perennials, shrubs, and trees which are suitable for Vermont. This is a handy list to take when going plant shopping this spring as it provides information on what type of sun exposure a plant needs, salt tolerance, seasonal interest, what pollinators it attracts and lots more useful information

If you are wanting to know more about planting to maintain riverbanks in and around the Black River Watershed, contact Black River Action Team (BRAT) blackrivercleanup@gmail.com or 802-738-0456

Our goal is to secure as many plants as possible for the sale. Those items not sold will be used to help re plant gardens for property owners who lost them as a result of the July floods.

We need your need: If you can help, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com

• If you have perennials, shrubs or trees in your garden that need thinning out, we can help with pots, soil and some extra sets of hands

• People who can help with the transplanting. We will be starting after the first of May.

WINTER ACTIVITIES/YOUNG HISTORIANS: We’ve had a number of fun activities take place this winter. In February, we launched the “find the heart” hunt. Painted rock hearts were hidden at various historic landmarks, which could be found by following the various clues. While the rocks have all been removed and relocated to one historic spot, you can test your knowledge of Cavendish history by checking out the clues. CTES 5th and 6th graders made their own hearts to hide. Thank you Becky Plunkard for creating the painted heart rocks.

To celebrate Black History Month, and to honor Gloria Leven, we held a quilt making workshop at the Cavendish Library. Thanks to the Leven family, we had Gloria’s fabric stash to use. We also discussed the role quilts played in 19^th century America. To the question of whether quilts were used as guides as part of the Underground Railroad, there is not a lot of historical evidence to support that claim. None the less, quilts were a way to raise money and even a means by which freedom was purchased.

St. Patrick’s Day is always a fun time with the students at CTES. This year they made woven baskets, honoring the Irish heritage of weaving and basketry. Thank you Bob Naess for bringing your fiddle and playing a variety of Irish tunes.

As Cavendish continues with flood recovery and hazardous mitigation, we are pleased that our Young Historians have been making posters for the “Don’t Pitch in the Ditch” campaign and will be helping with transplanting and planting.

Thursday, February 15, 2024

CHS Winter Newsletter Winter 2024

THE SCRIBBLER II

The Cavendish Historical Society Newsletter

www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/PhineasGageCavendish

www.pinterest.com/cavendishvt/historical-cavendish/

www.thewriterwhochangedhistory.com

PO Box 472 Cavendish, VT 05142

802-226-7807 margocaulfield@icloud.com

Winter 2024 Vol. 18, Issue 1

REMEMBERING GLORIA LEVEN

It is with sadness that we report the passing of Gloria Leven on New Year’s Day. Gloria has been one of the stalwarts of the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) and even at 100, she was actively involved with the Young Historians Club at Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) and assisted with the cataloging of the Museum’s fiber collection this past summer.

Gloria grew up in Huntington, W VA, and graduated from Ohio State with a degree in social work. During WWII, she worked with the Red Cross in her hometown and ultimately worked in special education on Long Island.

As her family noted, It is with heavy hearts that we share that Gloria Ann Leven, the radiant and oh so beloved human that she was, passed peacefully on New Years Day.

She loved flowers, art, babies, books, the theater, sunshine, black coffee, meeting new people, her home, her family, her community…she loved her life, all 100 years of it, and she found joy even in mundanity and simplicity. To know Gloria was to know joyfulness and right up until the end, she remained her sunny self. She will be missed fiercely.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date with details to come."

Gloria was predeceased by her husband Seymour and son Thomas. She is survived by her brother Burt and wife Joan, sons Robert and Andrew, their wives Kim and Mary, granddaughter Jade and partner Justin, and great-grandsons Jasper and Oliver.

A much loved member of our community, Gloria left our town richer and kinder thanks to her many hours of volunteerism and presence. Thank you Gloria.

MAKE A QUILT SQUARE IN HONOR & REMEMBRANCE

In honor of Black History Month, and in remembrance of Gloria Leven, CHS and the Cavendish Fletcher Community Library are offering an opportunity to make a quilt square on Wednesday, February 28, 4-6 pm at the Library in Proctorsville.

Quilting has played a significant role in the lives of African Americans. They not only told stories through their quilts, but kept themselves and their families warm, while providing a source of income. It was also a time where they could socialize without “supervision.”

Lizzie Hobbs Keckley was born a slave, but obtained her freedom by selling intricate quilts. She became seamstress and quilter for the first lady, Mary Todd Lincoln and the Congressional wives. She created the famous “Liberty” Medallion Quilt from strips of Lincoln’s dresses. Keckley went on to become the director of Domestic Arts at Wilberforce University.

While many know the story of Harriet Tubman and her vital role with the Underground Railroad, they may be less aware of her quilting and how she used it to provide clues to guide slaves to freedom.

Quilters used their skills to provide funds for the Underground Railroad, anti-slavery newspapers and made 250,000 quilts and comforters for the Union soldiers during the Civil War. Ultimately, quilting played an important role in helping to abolish slavery.

The quilting tradition continues today through groups like the quilters in Gee’s Bend Alabama, who are the descendents of Pettway Plantation slaves. They are known for their use of colors, abstract design and storytelling.

Gloria Leven, who died January 1 at the age of 100, was an ardent quilter. She always had a project in her living room and on her nightstand. Like the many quilters before her, Gloria helped to raise money for both the Library and CHS with her needle and thread.

The workshop on Feb. 28, is free and open to the public. Participants will learn more about the history of quilting as well as have a chance to use some of Gloria’s fabrics to create their own quilt. No sewing involved. The workshop is being run from 4-6 to accommodate those who wish to drop in after work. For more information call: 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com

A special thank you to Casey Junker Bailey whose workshop at the South Londonderry Library helped to inspire this one. This workshop is made possible in part from a grant from the Cavendish Community Fund.

FIND THE CAVENDISH ROCK HEARTS

In keeping with Valentine’s Day, the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) is sharing their love of history this February with a “find the heart” hunt at various historical spots in the two villages of Cavendish.

Ten hearts have been painted on rocks by Becky Plunkard. Using the clues below, find the hearts and take a picture and/or add a heart stone of your own to the places that mean the most to you. Please don’t move the rocks.

At the end of February, we’ll count up how many additional heart stones have been added to find out which historic spots in town people most like to visit.

Clues: Use the clues to find where the rocks are hidden

Cavendish Village

• Built in 1834 by the Baptist Church, it suffered arson at the hands of Fire Bug Fitton in 1875. As a result, the Church relocated and the building has served many functions since then, including being the Cavendish Town Hall.

• The Hon. Redfield Proctor, Vermont governor 1878-1880, donated a memorial, and the land it sits on, to honor the Cavendish men who served in the Civil War.

• Many people visit Cavendish to see and learn about Phineas Gage. In honor of this historic event, the town erected a monument on the town green, which is made of a green marble that was quarried in Proctorsville.

• Under the leadership of the abolitionist, Reverend Warren Skinner, a Universalist Church was built in 1844 by Scottish stone masons.

• Salmon Dutton, the founder of Duttonsville (now referred to as Cavendish Village) gave the land and is buried here. Many veterans are also buried here from the Revolutionary War through present day. Look for the stone near the entrance.

Proctorsville Village

• Redfield Proctor, Jr., also a Vermont governor like his father, donated a memorial to honor WWI veterans from Cavendish.

• Once the site of a very large mill, a fire in 1982 destroyed most of the buildings and the area was turned into a park. A dedication marker honors the person responsible for creating the park. This monument is also made from marble quarried in Proctorsville.

• Pollards store sold everything. If they didn’t have it, you probably didn’t need it. Opened from 1863 to 1964, former president Calvin Coolidge would have frequently visited as a kid when he was in town to see cousins and family in Proctorsville. Some of the contents of the store’s pharmacy can be seen at the CHS Museum.

• Built to be an “opera house,” the building was the former home of Crow’s Bakery. Former employees believed it was haunted by children.

• A bob sled run was built close by during the 1930s as part of the Civilian Conservation Corp’s efforts. It’s been rumored that part of the land was dug up to plant potatoes during the Depression (we’ve found no evidence that this happened) and “Firebug Fitton” is buried there. You’ll find the stone near the entrance.

PROCTOR PIPER CONSERVATION CORP

Recently, Hollis Quinn provided us with photographs his father had taken while working with the Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC). In addition to his pictures, we’re including excerpts from Philip Tiemann’s Memories about working with the CCC.

In Barbara Kingsbury’s history, she writes about the CCC, the locals that worked there as well as at least one person, Tom Lazetera who came with the CCC and stayed, marrying a local, Jennie Bidgood. Tom became an integral part of Cavendish.

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was set up by the Roosevelt administration in April of 1933. Unmarried men from eighteen to twenty-five years of age were to be enlisted in conservation work across the country… A camp was set up in Proctor-Piper State Forest in Proctorsville in November, 1933. It was located on Bailey Hill above the Hillcrest Cemetery. 125 young men from New York City came to work. They were provided with uniform-type clothes, food and shelter. They received $30 a month: $25 of it was sent home to their families and $5 waas given them for personal expenses. Six to eight local men, with no age limit, were hired at higher pay because of their experience to loggers or because of other skills. Gray bearded Bert Hutchinson came with his son and a team of oxen; Don Ward brough team of white oxen. Hollis Quinn was another experienced local; he worked with the CCC from December, 1933 until April 1934. Much of the work was in the woods, clearing hiking trails and horse-back riding trails, building roads through the Proctor-Piper Forest, putting up bridges over streams, and building fire places and picnic facilities at various sites…

The Proctorsville camp did provide many recreational activities for the men. There were boxing matches, basketball and baseball teams, and even a log-rolling contest. They built the first mile-long bobsled run in New England. Buses were provided to take the men to near-by movie theatres on Saturdays and to churches on Sunday. ..

The CCC program was not only to help men financially and to get some forestry work done; it was planned to keep young people from becoming demoralized by the lack of jobs and to provide them with a wholesome and healthy experience…

In 1935, the CCC completed its Proctorsville project and the group moved on to New Jersey.

The following is from Philip Tiemann’s “Memoirs of Coming into Vermont (Cavendish) in the Depression.” Tiemann moved to Brook Road from Chatham, New Jersey with his wife Isabel (Carr), and three children Wyeth, Ann and Joyce in 1933.

I must admit that as October ended we were feeling somewhat depressed. And November began on the rugged side, cold, and with snow almost every day. The children enjoyed this; they had sleds to slide to school on, and Wyeth found some, old skiffs among my junk and began to learn to use them. And they stayed remarkably well.

Despite our problems, I realize as I look back that every time we apparently had reached the end of our rope something happened to enable us to keep going. So it was at that point: my neighbor came in one morning with the announcement: "They're going to build a new CCC camp over to Proctorsville, and want to hire carpenters and helpers. I’m going to try for a job, and why don't you?" "Some carpenter I’d be. And how do I get there, walk?" I asked sourly. He grinned. "They'll be tacking just about anybody, and if you apply as my helper no one will know the difference, I'm going to drive the horse, and you can ride with me if you want."

Both Isabel and I were dubious, but our friend proved to be right: we were in a long line of applicants and were duly signed up. This was at the time when the Civilian Conservation Corps was well established and many groups of young men, organized in camps on somewhat of an Army basis and in many cases commanded by Army Reserve officers were being usefully employed on various conservation projects. The Proctorsville camp was laid out for a number of long, single story wooden barracks, a mess hall, and administrative buildings, all of very simple construction. While one crew was putting in foundations others were building framework for the sides; these were pushed up very much on the order of an old-time barn-raising and a soon as they were secured the sheathing started while the rafters were being nailed in place. Flooring and window and door frames, quickly followed.

So I spent about a week turning out even earlier than usua1 in the morning in order to be ready when my friend drove by,. taking the five-mile ride in the sleigh, working all day in the open regardless of weather, and then making the long trip home. I wasn't yet hardened to that-type of life and lasted just that one week before coming down with a terrific cold which kept me in bed for some days; and then was in no shape to go back to the job. A redeeming feature of this fiasco was that for some strange reason I had been rated as a carpenter and drew wages as such.

Not that it did us much good, as within the next two weeks I broke my eye-glasses twice, and had the expense as well as the nuisance of mailing them away for repairs. Both times pure carelessness when I was breaking up kindling wood.

RESEARCHING YOUR CAVENDISH ANCESTORS

We receive a lot of inquiries about ancestors. Here are two tips to help make your search a lot easier:

Find A Grave: Thanks to dedicated volunteers, Cavendish’s cemeteries are well represented at this website. The most common comment we receive is “I looked but they weren’t there.” More often than not, I can find the ancestor using varied searches to do so.

• Don’t limit your search by dates of birth and death as these can be wrong

• Expand your search by typing in the name without limiting it to Cavendish or even Vermont

• Try just a last name or a first initial and a last name

• This site includes burial locations, headstone, photos, biographies and other information that families may choose to provide. This can often help you find other family members.

Family Search: This website contains microfilm of births, marriages and deaths from 1760-2008. Instead of making a trip to the Cavendish Town Office for this information, check this website first.