THE SCRIBBLER IIThe Cavendish Historical Society Newsletter
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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.
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
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:
__ Archaeological Activities _ Museum & Archival __ Special Events
__ Rankin Fund __ Williams Fund __ Solzhenitsyn Project
__ Other (please specify) __ Cemetery Restoration __ Preservation Projects
