CGYHU for June 2021

Below is the Carmine Guica Young Historians Update for June 2021. This is available at the CHS blog,  which maybe an easier format to use.

 

For more information, assistance, or to arrange a program, please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807. As much lead time you can give us for hands on history kits and programs is best for coordinating our volunteers, all of whom are vaccinated. We adhere to Covid-19 current guidelines as issued by the state.

 

There will not be a CGYHU for June or July.  However, we continue to work with students and happy to design programs where needed.

 

GREAT TRIPS A SHORT DISTANCE FROM CAVENDISH It’s been quite the school year. June and graduations seem especially meaningful this year. To help celebrate the summer and the opening of Vermont and surrounding states, use the resource guide to plan some trips this month and throughout the summer.

 

Since it is anticipated that Vermont will be completely open sometime next week, if any teachers are interested in an end of year trip, happy to help organize one.

 

CAVENDISH ESCAPE ROOM: We’re thrilled to have an on-line “Cavendish Escape Room” designed by Lorien Strange, a Cavendish home school student.

 

We gave her a variety of Cavendish history books and she managed to incorporate quite a bit of local history, including Phineas Gage, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Duttons, Fitton Mill and so much more. It’s fun for people of all ages and may be the right activity for an upcoming rainy (or too hot to play outside) day.

 

As far as suitable ages, Lorien noted the following, I had my younger brother, who is almost ten, playtest the game. He got through it in about an hour and ten minutes. Wonderful activity for a wet rainy day to do with kids or by yourself. Can you beat Lorien’s brother’s time?

 

Thank you Lorien for combining history and gaming in such an interesting and fun manner.

 

WHAT MEMORIAL DAY MEANS TO ME: Miles Glidden, who was a Young Historian while at CTES, just won the Memorial Essay contest at Green Mountain Union High School where he is in middle school. Read his essay by clicking here.

 

JUNETEETH June 19 (Saturday): Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. On June 19, 1865, a Union General rode into Galveston, Texas to announce that the Civil War had ended, and slaves had been freed.

 

This date brings up an opportunity to explore the following with students:

• How we pick our holidays. Would this date be chosen today to celebrate the end of slavery? 

 

After June 19, 1865, slavery continued to exist in Delaware and Kentucky with the 13^th amendment that abolished slavery not occurring for almost 18 months later in December 1866. In addition, the slaves of the five southern tribes Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole, that were driven with them in the “trail of tears,” into Oklahoma (Indian Territory) were outside the boundaries and not subject to the 13^th Amendment.

 

In the same vein, while we celebrate the 4^th of July to mark the independence from England, should more be made of Constitution Day, which created the United States, ultimately abolishing slavery, giving women the right to vote etc.?

 

• The history of slavery in the Americas: A very complex topic, not only did it exist before the arrival of Columbus, but both free blacks and Indians owned slaves. 

 

As the essayist, curator and Comanche Indian Paul Chatt Smith notes, “Obviously, the story should be, needs to be, that the enslaved black people and soon-to-be-exiled red people would join forces and defeat their oppressor.” But such was not the case—far from it. “The Five Civilized Tribes were deeply committed to slavery, established their own racialized black codes, immediately reestablished slavery when they arrived in Indian territory, rebuilt their nations with slave labor, crushed slave rebellions, and enthusiastically sided with the Confederacy in the Civil War.”. much of early American history is explained poorly by modern morality but effectively by simple economics and power dynamics. How Native American Slaveholders Complicate the Trail of Tears Narrative Smithsonian

 

• History is complex and changing. Regardless of gender, race, nationality or other identifiers, we operate very similarly because we are humans. Best put by Smith, History is harsh and it spares no one. Human beings throughout time and across the world demonstrate pretty much the same measure of brutality and grace.  

 

Historical figures are often cast as villain or hero, and events as good or bad. It is rarely, if ever, that simple. In addition to new information being found, we tend to put a spin on what we do know through modern sensibilities, not necessarily the time period in which it occurred.

 

In the last year I have struggled with the inaccurate way American history is being presented to the public. How much do you point out before you become vilified? This is a question I’ve asked myself as have many people involved in teaching and researching history.

 

Fortunately, there is leadership coming from the Smithsonian Institutions.  

 

 Smith and Kevin Gover of the National Museum of the American Indian have been championing for years the need for Americans to look at our entire history and stop hyphenating it as Irish-American, Native American etc. As they continue to point out, Indians are humans, not “new age forest bunnies,” Smith’s phrase, not mine. Study it all, the good and the bad, recognizing both human capability and culpability. It’s a history of “us” not “us” vs “them.”

 

To stay on topic, it may be helpful for adults to take a few minutes to read The Misguided Focus on 1619 as the Beginning of Slavery in the U.S. Damages Our Understanding of American History Smithsonian Magazine 

 

We know history can be a tough subject. CHS is here to help our teachers, parents, students and community better understand Cavendish's history and the role it's played in our state, country and even world. Don't hesitate to ask questions. We may not have the answer but we can certainly work with you to find it.

 

Have a wonderful summer.

CHS Annual Plant Sale May 28-29

 

Craig's plant list

 

The Cavendish Historical Society's Annual Plant Sale kicks off with an early bird special on Friday, May 28 at 5:30 pm and runs till 7 PM. 

Over the years, the community would keep an eye out for Craig Rankin, the founder of the sale, putting out plants and would rush over to get first pick. To make it easier for everyone, we've established a time to stop by.

The sale is Saturday, May 29th from 8:30-noon in front of the CHS Museum, 1951 Main St. (Route 131) Cavendish.

 

We will once again have container veggies-tomatoes (cherry, early girl and sun sweet); lettuce buckets (two sizes this year) and herbs. Svetlana Phillips has created beautiful hanging baskets and for the first time in recent memory we will have peonies. 

There are a few bleeding heart plants and bee balm as well as hosta and other native plants.

 

 

 

The CHS's Cares Closet will be open so a good opportunity to load up on free masks, games, books, craft projects etc. for the summer months. Please note that once the state is completely open, people will be able to drop off books and other items when there is space in the closet.

For questions or other information, please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-22607807. 

CHS Newsletter Spring 2021

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

 

May 28 (Friday): Plant Sale Early Bird Special 5:30-7:00 PM. We will be offering container veggies again this year, along with Hosta, hanging baskets and even peonies. Farmer’s Market Covid requirements apply-that means masking and social distancing if you are not vaccinated.

 

May 29 (Saturday): Annual Plant Sale from 8:30-Noon. Note the CHS Cares Closet will be open so a good time to load up on free summer reading, puzzles, art supplies as well as cloth and surgical masks.

 

June 19 (Saturday): Midsummer Night’s Eve Cavendish Village Ghost Walk. Meet at the Museum at 8 pm. Wear comfortable walking shoes and bring a flashlight.

 

July 11 (Sunday): The Museum will be open from 2-4 pm for the season.

 

July 31 (Saturday): 11^th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale. 9-2.

 

September 12 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk & Talk, meet at the CHS Museum at 2 pm. Walk portion is about a mile and a half and includes a visit to the site of the accident.

 

VIRTUAL CAVENDISH ESCAPE ROOM

 

Want to learn more about Cavendish history while playing a game?

 

CHS is pleased to announce an on-line “Cavendish EscapeRoom” designed by Lorien Strange, a Cavendish home school student. Already winning awards for her writing, one of the CHS board members noted after playing the game ..even if Lorien doesn’t become a writer, and I don’t see why she wouldn’t, she already writes better than most of us.

 

Not familiar with virtual escape rooms? This is a web-based activity where you solve riddles, complete puzzles with the goal of “escaping the room.” These can be played solo or as teams.

 

To help Lorien in developing the game, we gave her a variety of Cavendish history books. It’s amazing how much she was able to incorporate, including Phineas Gage, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Duttons, Fitton Mill and so much more.

 

As far as suitable ages, Lorien noted the following, I had my younger brother, who is almost ten, playtest the game. He got through it in about an hour and ten minutes. Wonderful activity for a wet rainy day to do with kids or by yourself. Can you beat Lorien’s brother’s time?

 

To play the game, go to the CHS blog, 

 

Thank you Lorien for combining history and gaming in such an interesting and fun manner.

 

ALICE BERTRAND’S DOLLS

 

This winter, CHS received several donations that have had us engaged in various types of interesting research.

Patty White contacted us about “some dolls” made by a woman in Proctorsville that she thought would be better served in the Museum than in her closet. Thanks to her donation, we uncovered the story of Alice Wheeler Bertrand.

 

Born in 1898, Alice Wheeler Bertrand grew up in Pinney Hollow, a village of Plymouth VT. She created highly realistic character dolls, perfecting a technique using felted wool and wire. She depicting family members and other people she knew in Plymouth and nearby Proctorsville. The dolls bear an uncanny likeness to their subjects.

 

 

Alice Bertrand gained national fame for her dolls, winning a blue ribbon at the New York World’s Fair in 1964.  Her descendants donated nearly two dozen dolls to the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site in 2000, which are on display in the Aldrich House. They were also featured in their “Homespun Treasures” exhibit at the Museum & Education Center a few years ago.

 

According to an April 24,1964 article in what is believed to be “The Rutland Herald,” Proctorsville: A collection of character dolls designed by Mrs. Alice Bertrand of this village will be shown at the New York /world’s Fair in the State of Louisiana Building.

 

The Long Island Doll Club of New York selected four dolls made in the real likeness of individuals Mrs. Mary Wheeler, Mr. Lois Pollard, Miss Mary Edson and Mrs. Cora Sheehan. Other dolls in this collection are a caricature type of country folk. Mrs. Bertrand’s dolls were accepted by directors of the Doll Museum and will be listed in the category of Individual Creative Doll Artistry.

 

The Doll Collectors Museum planned a full range of Doll art. The theme is “The Kinship of Mankind” The dolls will be exhibited in stage and scenic settings approved by the collectors and artists whose doll are on loan. Collections from the Metropolitan Opera Association and Traphagn School of Design are in the doll display.

 

Married to Claude, the Bertrands lived on Depot St., the ranch house just before the Golden Stage Inn. Alice died in 1976 while Claude died in 2000. Both are buried at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville.

 

Thanks to social media, we’re learning a lot more about Alice and who these dolls depicted.

 

In the accompanying note from the donor, White wrote, “The dolls were hand made in the likeness of a couple who lived in town, not sure who. My Aunt, was good friends with Claude’s sister Sally Rellis, who has also been dead now for several years, although she lived to be 104!.”

 

Given her ability to make such realistic dolls, the overwhelming consensus is that the dolls represent Ralph and Doris Bates who also lived on Depot Street in Proctorsville. As one person noted, I think this is a likeness of the couple that lived on Depot Street also just down from where the present post office is now. .. My husband says it was made by a Mrs. Bertrand. They were on his paper route when he was a boy.

 

The details of each doll is fascinating. “Doris” is holding a purse, which appears to have been bought, but when opened, it reveals a tiny homemade wallet. There is as much detail in the under garments as there is in the outer wear.

 

If you have any information you’d like to share about, Alice or the Bates family, please use the contact information on the front page of the newsletter.

 

The dolls will be on display at the CHS Museum starting this summer.

 

A very special thank you to all who commented and provided information. Particular thanks to  Dr. Stacia Spaulding, Norma Randall, Penny Trick, and William W. Jenney, Regional Historic Site Administrator, President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site.

 

CIVIL WAR PITCHER COMES HOME TO CAVENDISH

 

CHS also recently received a donation of  an engraved Meriden Quadruple Silver plate tilting insulated water pitcher from Carolyn Somerville of Richmond, VA. She has provided a piece of Civil War history that we were unaware of.

 

Carolyn noted, that the pitcher has been in her family for 70 years. It came from her grandmother Grace Dennard of Dallas Texas. My mother says my grandmother bought it at an antique shop. She thinks the antique shop was in New Orleans.

 

Such pitchers were found in private and public dining rooms from the 1850s until the early 1900s. There were also widely used as presentation pieces and awards and were generally expensive.

 

The pitcher is engraved as follows, “Presented to Mr. & Mrs. J. E. Ward Company E, 1 Infantry Vermont Volunteers.”

 

John Ward was the supervisor of the Proctorsville Woolen Mill and provided the cloth and money to help recruit the 1st Vt. Co.  Many of the men were employees of the Proctorsville mill before they left for the war.

 

Responding to President Lincoln’s call in mid-April 1861, for 75,000 men for three months to help put down the rebellion, Vermont Governor Erastus Fairbanks ordered the recruitment of the regiment. The regiment was organized from militia companies from ten towns, including “E” Cavendish VT.

 

The regiment mustered in 38 officers and 743 enlisted men, 28 of whom were from Cavendish. Members of Company E, 1 Infantry were as follows: Blanchard, Oliver H; Carey, William W; Clark, Asaph; Conant, Freeman C; Emery, Nelson W; Field, Alphonzo L; Fitch, Samuel; Fletcher, Henry Clay-Died in the Marine hospital at New Orleans, LO Jan. 24 1865; Freeman, Jason E; French, George Blood; French, John Quincy; Howard, George M. R; Ingleston, William H.; Langworthy, Sanford; Lyon, Josiah T;  Miller, George S; Paine, Lowell B: lost on steamer "North America", 12/22/64, off Cape Hatteras, near Egg Harbor; Shepard, Charles A; Spaulding, George T;  Sperry, William Joseph (Medal of Honor); Stearns, Alick; Stone, Edmund; Taylor, George D; Tuttle, Oscar S; Weston, Isaac H.; Witherell, Jonathan B; and Witherell, Nathaniel G. B.

On May 23, 1861  the regiment made the first reconnaissance on Virginia soil by United States troops, marching six miles from Fortress Monroe to Hampton.

While the initial tour of duty was three months, many of the Cavendish men re-enlisted and served with distinction throughout the war.

In 1878, John Ward and his wife moved to Ohio where John was a superintendent at a woolen mill in the village of Tiffin. Though Ohio was now their home, they did return to Proctorsville. According to an article in the in the Vermont Tribune Proctorsville News 14 July 1910:  Mrs. John Ward from Green Springs, Ohio and her daughter Mrs. Josephine "Josie" Hansberger wife of Charles F. Hansberger from Columbus Ohio, are guests of Mrs. Don C. Pollard (Aunt to Calvin Coolidge). Mr. Ward's family were beloved residents of here a number of years ago. Mr. Ward being the overseer in the weave room. They moved from here in 1878. This is Mrs. Ward's 1st visit back here in 32 yrs. Mrs. Hansberger was here 10 years ago." 

 

ALL SET TO DIG

 

Thanks to Dave Gallagher and Ana, our amazing duo who gave us the CHS Cares Closet, we now have the screens to do archeological digs in Cavendish.

 

If you are interested in learning more about CHS’s archeology efforts, contact us at the numbers on the front page of the newsletter.

 

 

SUMMER PROJECTS

If you are a local you know how challenging Route 131 is at the moment. A major road replacement and repaving is underway, which will not be completed until the fall.

 

However, work will be taking place on both the Stone Church (thank you Doug McBride for the staging) and the Museum (thank you Chris Chadwick for taking care of the broken window).

 

The Museum will be opening for the season starting Sunday, July 7, from 2-4 pm. The delay in start is in keeping with Vermont’s Covid guidelines. Anyone who is not vaccinated will be asked to mask and social distance in accordance with state recommendations. Visits can be arranged for other times by contacting CHS staff. The Museum will be open on Sundays through October 10.

 

 

YOUNG HISTORIANS PRESERVE & SERVE

 

As part of the CHS’S Carmine Guica Young Historian's Preserve and Serve program, Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) students as well as our home learners have hit the ground running this spring.

 

Our home learners have cleared a home owner’s lawn and have been working in Hillcrest Cemetery.

 

 CTES 6th graders have made two trips to Hillcrest to remove debris and to clean grave stones. The 3rd grade spent an afternoon lining the labyrinth behind Gethsemane Church with rocks and even had a chance to walk it.

 

Very shortly the 6th graders will be working in the Proctor Cemetery and 3-5th grades will be completing the labyrinth and doing yard work at Gethsemane Church. Note that the labyrinth is open to the public.

 

Thank you to our incredible students who are making such a difference in our community.

 

 

 

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

Cavendish Escape Room

 

Thank you to Cavendish's remarkable Lorien Strange, who has created the first ever Escape Room based on Cavendish History. 

Lorien is a recent transplant to our community and a home school student. She's hit the ground running and created a wonderful activity for all ages to enjoy. 

We gave Lorien a variety of Cavendish history books and she managed to incorporate quite a bit of local history, including Phineas Gage, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Duttons, Fitton Mill and so much more.

 

As far as suitable ages, Lorien noted the following, I had my younger brother, who is almost ten, playtest the game. He got through it in about an hour and ten minutes. Wonderful activity for a wet rainy day to do with kids or by yourself. Can you beat Lorien’s brother’s time?

 

Thank you Lorien for combining history and gaming in such an interesting and fun manner. 

 

Be sure and let us know what you think of the Cavendish Escape Room. 

CHS Briefs May1, 2021

 

 If you have questions or would like to volunteer with CHS, please e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807.

 

 

PLANT SALE/ORDER NOW: CHS’s Annual Plant Sale is May 29 (Memorial Weekend Saturday), with an “early bird special” the night before, on the Museum grounds. Once again we will be offering tomatoes to go (Early girl, Sun gold, cherry) as well as the salad buckets and herb pots. We’re now taking orders until May 10 (Monday) for these items.

 

Tomatoes are $10 and come in five gallon food grade buckets. Salad buckets are $15 a piece and includes a variety of greens. These can last you the whole summer and into the fall. Herb pots include a variety of herbs, each one being slightly different. These are $15 and come in a suitable container for gift giving.

 

We have some new gardeners contributing this year, so we hope to have a plant list at the CHS blog by May 20. We’ll also be posting on the Cavendish VT Facebookpage as we get closer to the event.

 

We will only being doing deliveries this year for those who are home bound.

 

If you have questions, call, e-mail or text to the numbers above.

 

VIRTUAL CAVENDISH ESCAPE ROOM: We’re so excited to announce an on-line “Cavendish Escape Room”designed by Lorien Strange, a Cavendish home school student. Already winning awards for her writing, one of the CHS board members noted after playing the game ..even if Lorien doesn’t become a writer, and I don’t see why she wouldn’t, she already writes better than most of us.

 

We gave her a variety of Cavendish history books and she managed to incorporate quite a bit of local history, including Phineas Gage, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Duttons, Fitton Mill and so much more.

 

As far as suitable ages, Lorien noted the following, I had my younger brother, who is almost ten, play test the game. He got through it in about an hour and ten minutes. Wonderful activity for a wet rainy day to do with kids or by yourself. Can you beat Lorien’s brother’s time?

 

Thank you Lorien for combining history and gaming in such an interesting and fun manner.

 

ALL SET TO DIG: Thanks to Dave Gallagher and Ana, our amazing duo who gave us the CHS Cares Closet, we now have the screens to do some archeological digs in Cavendish. If you are interested in learning more about this, contact us at the numbers above.

 

SUMMER PROJECTS: If you are a local you know how challenging Route 131 is at the moment. A major road replacement and repaving is underway, which will not be completed until the fall. However, work will be taking place on both the Stone Church (thank you Doug McBride for the staging) and the Museum (thank you Chris Chadwick for taking care of the broken window).

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

May 28 (Friday): Plant Sale Early Bird Special 5:30-7:00 PM. Farmer’s Market Covid requirements apply-that means masking and social distancing.

 

May 29 (Saturday): Annual Plant Sale from 8:30-Noon. Note the CHS Cares Closet will be open so a good time to load up on free summer reading, puzzles, art supplies as well as cloth and surgical masks.

 

June 19 (Saturday): Midsummer Night’s Eve Cavendish Village Ghost Walk. Meet at the Museum at 8 pm.

 

July 11 (Sunday): The Museum will be open from 2-4 pm for the season. This is dependent on Covid regulations.

 

July 31 (Saturday): 11^th Annual Cavendish Town Wide Tag Sale. 9-2.

 

September 12 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk & Talk, meet at the CHS Museum at 2 pm. Walk portion if about a mile and a half and includes a visit to the site of the accident.

 

NEW AT THE CHS BLOG

• Carmine Guica Young Historians Update for May: Includes information for remote learners, teachers, parents etc. Contains a lot of historical information and resources for the month ahead. https://cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com/2021/04/cgyhu-for-may-2021.html

 

WE COULD USE YOUR HELP

Plant Sale: If you are dividing plants or have extras, please consider donating them to the CHS Annual Plant Sale. We can provide you with pots and soil. If you need some assistance we can possibly help with that as well.

 

COVID-19: CHS continues to collects items, stories etc. associated with the pandemic for archival purposes. If you have something you would like to donate, please contact us.

 

CHS CARES CLOSET: If you or someone you know would like to receive items from the closet, but can’t get there, e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com or call 802-226-7807 with your requests for books, puzzles, craft projects, hands on history kits, masks etc.  If you have items you’d like to donate to the Closet, please call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com

 

 

Donations for CHS can be sent to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142. Checks should be payable to the Cavendish Historical Society.