Young Historians 12/15/10 Bombs/Origamia Cranes1945 Timeline

Dear Young Historians:

On December 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States naval base. This resulted in the United States entering the war in both Europe and the Pacific. On August 6,1945, the US dropped the first Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima Japan. This led to the end of the war.

The use of this bomb, also lead to the development of cancer in people who were near the blast. One of the victims was Sadako, an 11-year-old girl. She tried to make 1,000 origami cranes to help her recover from leukemia. An ancient Japanese story says that if you fold 1,000 cranes, you will be granted a wish. She died before completing the project, so her friends finished it for her. Today, there is a monument to her at the Hiroshima War Memorial in Japan. The crane is now the international peace symbol.

To honor the season and “peace on earth, good will to man,” we will learn how to make origami cranes today.

Origami Crane Directions

Sadako Movie

1945 Timeline
• President Franklin Roosevelt dies
• First computer built
• Germans Surrender
• Allies discover Nazi extermination camps.
• Hitler commits suicide
• Churchill, Truman and Stalin hold the last wartime conference at Potsdam
• Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Yemen form the Arab League
• Microwave oven invented
• Slinky hits toy shelves
• United Nations Founded
• US Drops Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki

Books: “Animal Farm” by George Orwell; Newberry Winner: Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson; Caldecott Winner: Prayer for a Child, illustrated by Elizabeth Orton Jones; text: Rachel Field

• Music: Bebop begins with a recording by Charlie “Bird” Parker and Dizzy Gillespie

• Movies: “Anchors Aweigh” Blondie: Life with Blondie; Abbott and Costello in Hollywood.

• Songs: Sentimental Journey Doris Day; La Vie En Rose Edith Piaf; On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe Johnny Mercer

Young HIstorians-Milkweed/Morse Code/ WWII/1944

December 1, 2010

Dear Young Historians:

We didn’t have a chance to try Morse Code, a way of sending messages, the last time we met. Today we will try it using flashlights and rapping on tables to send “coded” messages. We will also be learning why school children during WWII collected milkweed pods.

Because so much of the war was over the ocean, there was a need for life vests. Kapok was what would have been used for the vests. However, the Japanese kept the USA from getting it. The floss of the milkweed floats the same way Kapok did. The children of Cavendish helped the war effort by collecting the pods

1944 Timeline
• Ballpoint Pens Go on Sale
• D Day
• Paris liberated
• Hitler Escapes Assassination attempt
• Oswald Avery determines that DNA is the hereditary material of the cell
• Roosevelt re elected for a 4th term as president
• The G.I. Bill of Rights is stabled to provide assistance to war veterans
• The World Bank is established to assist European postwar recovery.

• Music: Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copland

• Movies: National Velvet, Arsenic and Old Lace

• Books: “The Razor’s Edge by Somerset Maugham; "Gigi" by Colette; Newberry Winner: Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes; Caldecott Winner: Many Moons, illustrated by Louis Slobodkin; text: James Thurber

• Songs: Don’t Fence Me In Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters; Swinging on a Star Bing Crosby

How much do you know about Thanksgiving?

Who were the Indians that celebrated that first harvest feast back in 1621, which we’ve been told was the 1st Thanksgiving? What happened to them?

Many of us were taught that the first Thanksgiving occurred in 1621, when the Wampanoag (wahm-pah-no-ahg) "eastern people" or "people of the dawn." and white settlers-think Mayflower 1620- celebrated a three day harvest festival together. This was not a “Thanksgiving, “ as Pilgrims viewed such celebrations as days of worship, in which they prayed to God in thanks for a specific event. A good harvest, victory in battle during the Revolutionary war, and sufficient rain were all viewed as reasons for a Thanksgiving.

The Wampanoag had lived in southeastern New England for over 12,000 years. Within 50 years of the 1621 harvest feast, the Indians were driven from their land and many died from disease brought by the Europeans. Today, there are less than 5,000 of their descendants. You can learn more about them by going to:
• Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head
• Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe
• Wampanoag people Wikipedia

According to The Mayflower Society, there are tens-of-millions of individuals descended from the Mayflower passengers.

Resources
Native Blood: The Myth of Thanksgiving

History of Thanksgiving Video

Thanksgiving History from the History Channel

Young Historians: Black Out

November 17, 2010

Dear Young Historians:

London, England was bombed at night a lot during WWII. It was called the “blitz.” In case the enemy could make it to the USA, the government ordered towns and cities to practice “black outs.” If the planes couldn’t see anything from the air, it was harder to drop a bomb. In Cavendish, “black outs” were held every few months. No light could shine through the curtains or from the barn. Air raid wardens went from house to house to make sure no light could be seen.

Today, we will do what the kids in Cavendish did during “black out.” They played games, sang, read, practiced Morse Code told stories and jokes and went to bed early.

1943 Timeline
• Americans join the Royal Air Force in round the clock bombing of Germany
• Italy joins the allies
• Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
• Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin meet at the Tehran Conference
• Jacques Cousteau invents the Aqualung (scuba)
• The Allies invade Sicily and the southern tip of Italy

• Books: “The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand; “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith; “Our Hearts Were Young and Gay” by Cornelia Otis Skinner (This author’s family came from Cavendish. Her father was a well-known actor. The Golden Stage Inn was originally the Skinner home.) Newberry Winner: Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Gray; Caldecott Winner: The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

• Movies: The Phantom of the Opera

• Songs: Catch a Falling Star by Perry Como; Oh What a Beautiful Morning Bing Crosby; I’ll be Home for Christmas Bing Crosby; When the Lights Go On Again (All Over the World) Vaughn Monroe

Young Historians: Decoding

During WWII, the United States used coded messages to pass important information. Both sides tried to figure out the coded messages. The United States came up with the only unbroken coding system. They used Navajo Indians to send message in the Navajo language. These men were called “walking secret codes” by other soldiers. Today they are called “code talkers.” You can read more about them at the Code Talkers website.

Today we will be making a “Caesar Cipher Wheel" We will practice “decoding” a message as well as sending them.

1942 Timeline
• Anne Frank Goes into Hiding
• Battle of Midway
• Battle of Stalingrad
• 110,000 Japanese-Americans Held in Internment Camps. These camps would last for three years.
• The Holocaust begins in Germany
• US forces under General Eisenhower invade Morocco and Algeria
• T-shirt introduced
• Starting in 1942 through 1945, female employees at Whitman’s Candy Company secretly slipped notes to soldiers in boxes of Whitman’s Chocolate Samplers destined for military shipment. Friendships, and even a few marriages resulted.

• Songs: White Christmas Bing Crosby; I’ve Got a Gal in Kalamazoo Glenn Miller; Praise the Lord and Pass the Ammunition Kay Kyser; There’ll Be Bluebirds Over the White Cliffs of Dover Kay Kyser; Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me) Glenn Miller

• Books: “The Stranger” by Albert Camus Newberry Winner: The Matchlock Gun by Walter Edmonds; Caldecott Winner: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

• Movies: Casablanca, Mrs. Miniver, Bambi

Dutton House

The following article is from WCAX.com The Dutton house, which once stood on the Cavendish Green, was built in 1782 and was relocated to the Shelburne Museum in 1950. It has since been restored to appear as it did in 1820. Two of the caretakers of the Dutton House at the Shelburne Museum visited Cavendish recently and met with the Cavendish Historical Society. Not only did they want to see the Museum, for possible items that may have been in the Dutton family, but they wanted to see where Salmon Dutton was buried (Cavendish Cemetery). When asked about the “ghosts,” neither of them had experience with anything paranormal in the Dutton house, but did say it had a “special feel to it.” Pictures of the house, as restored, are available on-line

Group hunts for ghostly activity year-round-Dutton House
“With Halloween just a short way away the idea of ghosts is a frightening possibility. But, for the Green Mountain Paranormal Society this time of year is just as spooky as the rest.

They search for paranormal activity and were recently at the Shelburne Museum doing just that WCAX reporter Gina Bullard went along for the investigation.

It all started in Cavendish Vermont. The Dutton family built their house in 1781. The house has seen a lot including being a store, inn, boarding house and tavern. By the early 1900s more than 11 people had died in the home -- and it was left abandoned for the next 40 years. It was then moved and donated to the Shelburne Museum....

....Now it’s said to be haunted.

Supervisor of museum security Dan Cole said, "People have had experiences here. There are several guides that will not work here. Some staff that are concerned about things they've seen or heard here"

Bullard: Those things people have witnessed range from footsteps and people in the attic to a girl crying at the edge of a bed. The Green Mountain Paranormal Society is now on the case and wants to see if they can see or hear any paranormal activity happening in the house…we went along with them for that investigation.

Cole: "Be careful it's dangerous. The best explanation that I've heard that the people were upset the Dutton's descendents or Duttons themselves are upset the house was moved from Cavendish."

Bullard: "One woman who was training to be a tour guide here swears she saw a man in tattered clothing sitting in this corner right here, growling at her. After that experience, she said she would never enter back into the Dutton home."

Bastian Gadouas says, "There's stories surrounding the place and there's a lot of history around the place so there's potential of something of several eras to be here whether it's hearing a sound or catching something on vid."

Cole explained, "We've had paranormals here before. This is something the museum has done to find some answers if we can and see where it goes."

The group uses scientific technology to hunt for signs of paranormal activity. Starting with quiet time, they break up and sit in different parts of the house and just listen. Then they report back on what they all heard.

Jennifer says, "The quiet time is for us to get a base reading of our natural senses of what the house sounds like quiet without people."

Next they send groups into certain rooms for electronic voice phenomenon - EVP sessions -- where they try to communicate with spirits.

Bastian Gadouas "First of all we could start out, what's your name?"

Gadouas says, "These things are manifesting with energy. This reads energy, so if this thing gets close by it, the idea is that it will make the lights light up."

Those lights did just that moments later in the green room, a confirmed spook, in a home famed for it's ghost stories.”

Young Historians 10/27/10: Fantasia

Happy Halloween!

In the 1940’s there was no “trick or treating.” Instead, there was a big party at school. Kids bobbed for apples, ate donuts off a string and dressed up.”

We will be watching parts of the Walt Disney movie “Fantasia.” First shown in 1940, it is one of the most popular films of all time. Each of you will be given the hit candy of the 1940’s-Bazooka Bubble Gum. There weren’t a lot of new candies in the 1940’s because of the war. Sugar and even certain types of candy wrappers were limited. Hershey Kisses stopped being made because the foil wrapper was needed for the war effort.

Today’s timeline is 1941, the year the United States entered the war.

1941 Timeline
• Japanese Attack Pearl Harbor, America enters WWII
• Churchill and Roosevelt's Atlantic Charter meeting establishes war and peace aims.
• The US Occupies Iceland in attempt to prevent a Nazi invasion
• Germany invades Yugoslavia, Greece and the Soviet Union
• The German Blitz of London is at its peak
• Jeep Invented
• President Roosevelt talks of Four Freedoms in his Sate of the Union speech.
• Manhattan Project Begins
• Civil Air Patrol formed
• Mount Rushmore Completed
• M & M’s” Plain Chocolates are introduced
• Bob Hope began broadcasting his first USO radio show from March Field at Riverside Ca.
• USOs (United Service Organizations) began and provided free coffee, doughnuts and entertainment to US Military
• Commercial black and white television broadcasting begins. “Truth or Consequences” became the first commercial TV program

• Movies: Citizen Kane, The Maltese Falcon

• Books: “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Ernest Hemingway; Newberry Winner: Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry; Caldecott Winner: They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson

• Songs Chattanooga Choo Choo Glenn Miller; God Bless the Child Billie Holiday; Take the A Train Duke Ellington; Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy The Andrew Sisters

Young Historians 10/20/10 Spotter Exercise

Today we will practice being plane spotters. You’ll have to listen for the sound of the plane. You will then note where it’s coming from and where it’s going. The final step is to “call Albany” and report what you have seen.

The three spotter towers were located as follows:
• Above the Duttonsville School
• East Road in Cavendish across from the Moonlite Meadows Farm (the place that has the cows and sheep)
• Off of Blood Terrace in Proctorsville.

All three places would have a good view. It would have been easy to see the planes.

Today we will start with the Timeline of the 1940’s. In 1940, the United States had 132,164,569 people. The war was taking place in Europe. The United States was watching and waiting.

1940 Timeline

• Winston Churchill becomes prime minister of England
• Italy declares war on the Allies and invades southern France
• Germany invades Denmark and Norway
• Nylons on the Market
• Stone Age Cave Paintings Found in France
• The Great Smoky Mountains National Park dedicated
• Truth or Consequences became a radio show
• The first televised baseball game took place on WGN-TV featuring the White Sox vs. the Cubs in an exhibition game.
• The first showing of high definition color TV.

• Movies: The Philadelphia Story, Road to Singapore, Grapes of Wrath Fantasia, Pinocchio

• Books: The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers; Newberry Winner: Daniel Boone by James Daugherty; Caldecott Winner Abraham Lincoln by Ingrid & Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

• Songs: In the Mood by Glenn Miller; You are My Sunshine Jimmie Davis

Young Historians 10/13/10: Apples

This Wednesday, the Young Historians will be making apple pies for the Historical Society's annual meeting and recognition dinner on Oct. 17, 5 pm at the Cavendish Elementary School.

The most popular apple in Vermont is the McIntosh. These apple trees came to Vermont in 1835 from Ontario, Canada. Today, 65% of all Vermont apples are McIntosh. Other popular apples are Cortland, Red Delicious, and Empire. You can learn more Vermont apple facts at Vermont Apples.

In the fall, children of the 1940s would pick apples and help their mothers make pies, cider, applesauce, and apple butter. Below is the apple pie recipe we will be using today.

Crust
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 t salt
3/4 c canola oil
8 T of apple cider (you can use water)
Mix dry ingredients together with a fork. Mix wet ingredients together. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. Blend with a fork until it forms a ball. Wrap in wax paper and chill while you make the apples. Roll out between two sheets of wax paper.

Filling for one pie
6 cups sliced tart apples
3/4 cup sugar (
1/4 cup flour
1 t cinnamon, 1/4 t Nutmeg, 1/4 t cloves
2 T apple cider

Mix the filling and either pour into a dish pie dish that’s been greased or has a crust bottom. Cover with a top crust. Make slits in the crust and bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for 30 minutes. Serve it warm or cold, with out without ice cream or cheese.

Lincoln's Death/Andrews Family

CHS Newsletter: Scribbler II Fall 2010

As we prepared the report for the upcoming Annual Meeting on Oct.17, we were even a bit surprised by all we have accomplished this year. We couldn’t have done this without the support of our members, town, donors and the many volunteers who have given of their time and skills.

These are just some of the activities volunteers did this past year: planning and staffing programs for the Young Historian’s; cutting the lawn of the Old Stone Church; cleaning gravestones; letting us run hoses from their homes to clean the gravestones; organizing and running the plant sale (a special thanks to Pieter Van Schack for taking this over after Craig Rankin died); cleaning the Stone Church prior to the quilt show; restoring the Grange Hall Painted Curtain; deciding that the Joshua Parker Green loom could be restored and taking steps to make that happen; crawling up inside the cupola of the Museum to make sure it was in good shape; painting; carpentry; staffing the various booths at Old Home Day; shoveling snow in front of the Museum; hiking up Hawks Mountain in the continuing search for the rumored cannon; bringing water to volunteers; keeping a watchful eye on the Museum; donating items for the WWII Museum Exhibit-who else but Carmine would dash home and loan us his uniform for the summer; and spending many hours providing information about town history and genealogy.

For their gift of time, we would like to thank the following: Donna Allen; Ron Bates; Jackie and Joe Blanchard; Gene Bont; Pam Bruno, Dan Churchill, Winston Churchill, David Churchill; Tracy Churchill; Danielle Dulaney; Bradley Goodrich, Abe Gross; Carmine Guica; Jenn and Jarrod Harper; Tim Jefferson, Nancy Kelley; Gloria and Seymour Leven; Peter LaBelle; Cheryl and Carl Liener; Jennifer McBride; Bruce McEnaney; Diane McNamara; Chris Merrill; Priscilla Mound; Mary Ormrod; Jon and Bev Owens; Alex Provance; Bob, Spenser and Cooper Naess; Mike Pember; Chris Quinn; Wendy and Allen Regier; Sandra Russo; Pieter Van Schak; John Snarksi; Carolyn Van Tassel; Pang Ting; Linda Welch; Dwayne Warren; and Gail and Leon (Woodie) Woods.

Every donation we receive is a valued contribution. People give what they can and we appreciate it. A special note of thanks to Stanford Durkin; Dan Churchill, Winston Churchill; Theresa Schrag; Foster Johnson; Sandra Russo; Gary Wheeler; Otis Heald; and Patty Derr.

We also want to recognize and thank:
• The Town of Cavendish
• The Cavendish Library
• The Cavendish Community Fund (CCF) and Wendell Smith Foundation for funding several of our programs
• The Vermont Country Store for their generous donations to the Young Historians Program
• The Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA) for their continuing support of the Cavendish Update, which keeps our community informed about what’s happening as well as a record of “tomorrow’s history .”
• The students of Cavendish Town Elementary School-grade 4 for helping to open and close the Museum , grades 6 and 4 for their assistance in the care of the Proctor Cemetery and our Young Historians.

Annual Meeting/Recognition Supper
The Annual Meeting of the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) will be October 17, 5 pm at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. In the past, this has been a potluck supper. This year, we would like to thank our community, donors, members and volunteers, so the CHS board is preparing dinner. To ensure that we have sufficient food, we are asking that you let us know if you plan to come. You can do this by calling 802-226-7807 or e-mailing margoc@tds.net by Oct. 11.

One of the highlights of the evening will be drawing the winners of the Carolyn Van Tassel quilt and the Instant Wine bar.

Cavendish During WWII
The Young Historian’s Program is underway for students in grades 3-6 at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. This school year we will be doing activities related to the 1940s, with the first part of the year devoted to WWII. Below is some of the history we’ve collected. If you would like to add information, please send it to PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142, e-mail margoc@tds.net

• 168 men and one woman served in the 1941-45 period. Imogene Baxendale served as an Army nurse.

• Proctor Reel and Shook opened in the old Black Bear Mill in Proctorsville and employed about 50 people. The company made, among other items, the large wooden reels for electric or telephone wire.

• There were classes on how to spot enemy planes, rules for air raid drills, blackouts, a Red Cross War Drive and Springfield machine shops would now train women for the workforce.

• Civil Defense was very active. Residents were telephoned and told the date of air raid drills (black outs). Drills were held regularly, with air raid wardens patrolling the villages and farms to make sure that lights were out and shades were drawn.

• Because of the machine shops in Springfield, the entire area was considered at risk for bombing by the Germans. Three “spotter” towers for aircraft were set up. These were manned by volunteers for two hour shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Women, high school students, and men not in the service helped with spotting.

• School children collected milkweed for the war effort. The milkweed silk was used for life vests.

• Rationing began in 1942. Sugar, meat, butter, lard and coffee were the main foods rationed. Gasoline rationing went into effect, causing many Cavendish residents to travel to Rutland by train. Tires were also in short supply.

• Defense savings stamps were sold to school children and rallies were held to sell war bonds.

• Drives were held to collect scrap iron and rubber . Red Cross Home Nursing Classes and Civil Defense meetings were held in addition to the meetings of the Farmers’ Clubs, the Sunshine Society and the Home Demonstration Club.

• Gay Brothers was “the chief war industry of our town where 300 people worked producing 30,000 yards of woolen blankets, Navy uniform cloth and Khaki flannels each week for the United States Government.

• In 1942, the town voted to exempt every soldier and sailor from taxes.

• When the war ended in Europe V-E day, May 8, the celebration was subdued. However, when V-J Day (Japan’s surrender) came, August 14, Mill whistles and church bells were sounded from about 7 pm until midnight.

Genealogy On-Line
At the request of CHS genealogist Linda Welch, we have been adding new information about families to our blog. Note the listing of families on the right hand side of the page.

CHS Wins Local Historical Society Awards
We just received word that CHS is receiving an award from the Vermont Historical Society for two of our program, It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that the Local Historical Societies Awards Committee met today and has overwhelmingly agreed that you nominations for both the Cemetery Care and Maintenance Project and Young Historians Program are both meritorious and worthy of award. The committee was very impressed with the well thought out, diligent implementation and community wide resonance of your programming. It was felt that your programs are exemplary and can serve as excellent models for other organizations.


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

___ 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 ___ Young Historians


Donations are always welcome and can be designated as follows:

__ For general purposes __ Educational Programs __Publications
__ Archeological Activities __ Museum & Archival __ Special Events
__ Rankin Fund __ Williams Fund __ Young Historians
__ Other (please specify)
___ Cemetery Restoration

Message from the President

As part of the Cavendish Historical Society's Annual Meeting and Recognition Dinner on Oct. 17, the President of the Board has issued the following statement about this year's activities:

Message from the President
It is amazing what can be accomplished with a dedicated group of volunteers and staff. Below is a list of our on-going activities:

• Archeology: As funding permits, we will continue to “dig up” our history.

* New in 2010:Cemetery Preservation Project: Working with the Cavendish Cemetery Commission and the Cavendish Elementary School, CHS has organized a group of volunteers that are cleaning and repairing gravestones in the town’s seven cemeteries. As part of this project, CHS has developed a handout based on the National Park Service’s brochure on Monument Cleaning. This is available from CHS, the Town Office and the Cavendish Library.

• Educational Outreach: CHS offers the following programs:
* New in 2010: In-service for teachers
* New in 2010 Curriculum learning. CHS offers programs to all grades of the Cavendish Elementary programs, which combine local history as it pertains to a specific area of study. While aspects of this have been offered in the past, school year 2010 represents the first year that we have curriculums from nearly every grade at the Cavendish Town Elementary School.
- Young Historians: A weekly program for students in grades 3-6, volunteers provide hands on learning about Cavendish history. Last year we focused on the 1930’s and are learning about the 1940’s this year.
- Community education through special events, such as the upcoming Celebrating Proctorsville pictorial display at the Cavendish Library.

• Genealogy: One of the most requested areas of information, CHS has a series of books, Families of Cavendish, which were developed by our genealogist Linda Welch.
* New in 2010-The CHS blog www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com now has a special genealogy section so that Welch can provide immediate access to new information.

• Museum: CHS operates a museum from June-mid October. Staffed by volunteers, the Museum is open on Sundays from 2-4 pm and at other times by appointment. Archival work is done year round. Restorative work of the Museum’s collection is mainly done during the summer months.
* New in 2010: Repair and restoration of the Cavendish Grange Hall Curtain
* New in 2010: Restoration of the Joshua Green Loom

• Newsletter-Scribbler II: A bi-monthly newsletter, which provides information about current CHS activities as well items of historical interest.

• Old Home Day: Held the Saturday prior to July 4, 2011 will be an important year, as it will be the 250th anniversary of Land Grants, which is responsible for the founding of the town.

• Oral History: Interviews, many of which are being videotaped, are done year round.

• Today Becomes History: In addition to understanding what has happened in our town, CHS maintains information about current events for future generations. CHS is one of the supporters of the “Cavendish Update,” a weekly electronic newsletter about Cavendish. It is available on-line and can be obtained via e-mail by sending an e-mail to margoc@tds.net with “subscribe Cavendish Update” in the subject heading.
- Cavendish Business Directory: Updated at least early, CHS includes business information, for businesses located in Cavendish, and/or are owned by Cavendish residents.

* New in 2010 Walking Tours: CHS has developed two walking tours-Phineas Gage and Celebrating Proctorsville.

As we move into 2011, the 250th anniversary of the founding of Cavendish, we are planning a town wide celebration that will take place throughout the year. For our many friends that live out of town, make Cavendish a destination this coming year.

CHS Wins Local Historical Society Awards

We just received word that CHS is receiving an award from the Vermont Historical Society for two of our program, It is with great pleasure that I write to inform you that the Local Historical Societies Awards Committee met today and has overwhelmingly agreed that you nominations for both the Cemetery Care and Maintenance Project and Young Historians Program are both meritorious and worthy of award. The committee was very impressed with the well thought out, diligent implementation and community wide resonance of your programming. It was felt that your programs are exemplary and can serve as excellent models for other organizations.

Thank you to our many volunteers that have helped to make these programs possible

Young Historians 1940s Spotter Planes/Cavendish in WWII

The Young Historians will meet this coming week for the first time this school year. Below is the letter each student receives as well as information about Cavendish during WWII. If you have information about this time period, please e-mail it to margoc@tds.net

September 22, 2010

Dear Young Historians:

Welcome back. This year we will be studying the 1940’s in Cavendish. The first half of the year, we will be doing things that from World War II.

Today’s project is to learn how the children of Cavendish helped to spot airplanes that might have flown over our town. You will be given a deck of “spotter cards.” We will show you how to play the card game “War.” This was how children and adults learned the different type of airplanes.

Cavendish was at risk for being bombed by Germany because it was close to Springfield Vermont. Springfield made things used in the war. Three “spotter towers” were set up in Cavendish. Children would go with their Mom’s, Dad’s and grandparents to watch for planes.

The next time we meet, we will try spotting planes and reporting what we fine. So play “War” with your friends and family.

We are in need of milkweed pods. Please collect them and bring them the next time we meet.

Below is information about Cavendish during Word War II. Ask your family if they have any war stories that you can tell at our next meeting.

CAVENDISH WWII 1941-1945

• Residents of Cavendish listened to the radio for news. Many farm families did not have electricity and used their car batteries to connect their radios.

• 168 men and one woman served in the 1941-45 period. Imogene Baxendale served as an Army nurse. Six men were killed in action and several were wounded. They served in every branch of the armed services and in nearly every area where American soldiers, sailors and flyers were sent.

• Gay Brothers Mill signed a union contract with Local 261 of the Textile Workers Union of America, CIO affiliate.

• Proctor Reel and Shook company moved its machinery from New Jersey into the old Black Bear Mill in Proctorsville and employed about 50 people. The company made, among other items, the large wooden reels for electric or telephone wire.

• There were classes on how to spot enemy planes, rules for air raid drills, blackouts, a Red Cross War Drive and Springfield machine shops would now train women for the workforce.

• Civil Defense was very active. Residents were telephoned and told the date of air raid drills (black outs). Streetlights were turned off at the scheduled time. Anyone outside was to take cover inside. Those in their homes were instructed to pull down the blinds on their windows and keep the light inside to a minimum. People in cars were to pull over and find shelter in the nearest building. The idea was that enemy planes couldn't target what they couldn't see, and that any light visible from above could attract bombs and gunfire. Drills were held regularly, with air raid wardens patrolling the villages and farms to make sure that lights were out and shades were drawn.

• Springfield was considered a high-risk area for bombing by the Germans. Since Cavendish housed many of the workers for the Springfield factories, as well as being the home to Gay Brother’s Woolen Mills, the area was also concerned to be at risk. After the war, when the German list of where to bomb in the United States was found, Springfield was not only in the top 10 sites, but ranked number 6.

Three “spotter” towers for aircraft were set up in Cavendish:
- School Hill, above the Duttonsville School,
- Across from Moonlite Meadows Farm (Ting’s Farm), on what is now known as East Road
- At the end of what is now called Blood Terrace off of Maple Street in Proctorsville.

These were manned by volunteers for two-hour shifts, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Women, high school students, and men not in the service helped with spotting. They had to learn to identify both friendly and enemy airplanes. Every plane that flew over had to be reported. They used high-powered binoculars. All of the spotting towers were made of wood. Walls were lined with identification charts.

• School children collected milkweed for the war effort. The milkweed silk was used for life vests.

• Rationing began in 1942. Sugar, meat, butter, lard and coffee were the main foods rationed. Sugar and butter were not big issues for farm families who could rely on their chickens and maple syrup. Gasoline rationing went into effect, causing many Cavendish residents to travel to Rutland by train,. Tires were also in short supply.

• Defense savings stamps were sold to school children and rallies were held to sell war bonds.

• Drives were held to collect scrap iron and rubber . Red Cross Home Nursing Classes and Civil Defense meetings were held in addition to the meetings of the Farmers’ Clubs, the Sunshine Society and the Home Demonstration Club.

• Gay Brothers was described as “the chief war industry of our town where 300 people worked producing 30,000 yards of woolen blankets, Navy uniform cloth and Khaki flannels each week for the United States Government. 37% of the workers served in the military. In need of workers, women worked in the mills, many men had second jobs there and all high school students over 16 were asked to work at the mill whenever possible.

• In 1942, the town voted to exempt every soldier and sailor from taxes.

• Cavendish women made surgical dressings for the Red Cross and people were taken to Springfield to donate blood.

• In 1943, a victory garden show was held at the Opera House (now Crows Corner Bakery).

•In 1944, the Cavendish Sunshine Society voted not to serve the Town Meeting lunch because of rationing and lack of help.

• On April 10, 1945, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visited Chester High School, which some Cavendish students attended. She came to thank them for giving up their junior year trip and use the money for the war effort. It was on her way home from Chester, and other speaking engagements that Mrs. Roosevelt learned that her husband, President Roosevelt, had died.

• By 1945, there were few young men left in Cavendish, as most enlisted when they turned 17.

• When the war ended in Europe V-E day, May 8, the celebration was subdued. However, when V-J Day (Japan’s surrender) came, August 14, Mill whistles and church bells were sounded from about 7 pm until midnight.

• Rationing was lifted in August 1945.

Great Great Great Granddaughter of Leonard Proctor

Young Historians/Proctorsville

Celebrating Proctorsville
The Cavendish Historical Society is pleased to announce that this fall, we will be focusing on Proctorsville. On September 12, there will be a walking tour of Proctorsville, starting at 1 pm in front of the Proctorsville War Memorial. Learn about an Inn with a ghost, the hotels that once graced Depot Street, see the homes that were built by the founder of Proctorsville, Capt. Leon Proctor, and much more. There are 16 stops on the tour. Copies of the tour, available on the 12th, will also be at the Cavendish Library, starting September 14. Be advised that there are some hills, so be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes.

For the month of October, there will be a pictorial display of Proctorsville in the Cavendish Library.

On October 10, the annual cemetery tour will take place at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville at 2 pm. There will be a second guided Proctorsville Walking Tour that day starting at 1 pm at the War Memorial, which will include the Cemetery tour. Carmine Guica, one of CHS’s genealogists, will have information about who is buried in this Cemetery. If you don’t know the story of “Fire Bug Fitton,” Carmine will tell you about it when you visit the family grave plot.

Young Historians Program
The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) in conjunction with the Cavendish Town Elementary School, will be offering a Young Historians program for students in grades 3-6 on Wednesday mornings from 11:30 to noon. Our focus this year is the 1940s. For the first half of the school year, we will be doing activities relating to Cavendish’s response to WWII. The second semester will focus on the changes that took place when the veterans came home. Funding in part for this program has come from the Cavendish Community Fund. If you are interested in helping with the program, or have stories or memorabilia from this era, please contact Margo at margoc@tds.net or 226-7807

Russell Family

The following is from Linda Welch, the CHS genealogist.

Rev. John Russell (5) { Noadiah (4), Noadiah (3), Noadiah (2), William (1)}, was born in Chatham, Connecticut, 14 Dec., 1751. He m. in Cavendish, 10 May, 1778 Lucretia Preston of Ashford, Conn. (b. Ashford, Connecticut, 19 Feb., 1762, dau. of Abial & Mehitable (Smith) Preston)

The marriage of Lucretia and John was the second recorded marriage in Cavendish, the first being that of Michael Coffeen on 14 April, 1778

When John was around 24 years old, he came to Cavendish with his brother, Noadiah. This was in 1771. That same year, John was elected the first town clerk and justice of the peace. With self study, he became an "old fashioned Baptist preacher" and was nicknamed, "John the Baptist." This name stuck with him, even in later years. We have no record that he was formally ordained, but he was well respected.

On 28 Oct., 1781, John Russell purchased Proprietor Mesheck Ware's original Right of Cavendish land, lying in the southeasterly corner of the "Mill Lot," so-called, south to the town line, etc. The seller was Daniel Cheney of Union (Windham Co) Connecticut, who was acting as agent for Mr. Ware. This parcel contained 312 acres of land altogether. (Vol. 1, page 107, Cavendish land records)

Lucretia's parents, the Prestons, had come from Ashford, Connecticut to Cavendish very early, but did most of them did not remain long. A deed dated Charlestown, NH, 29 Jan., 1773, shows Abiel Preston, 'then of Rockingham, Cumberland Co. NY, (which was Windsor Co., Vt.), paying John Church of Charlestown, NH, #11 for securing his hold on a 262 acre parcel of Cavendish land when Church went to NY state to receive a New York charter for Cavendish.

From the HENRY B. ATHERTON PAPERS; MEMORIES OF THE RUSSELL FAMILY, by E. E. Orcutt, Taftsville, Vt., 1879: "John Russell was born in Chatham, now Middletown Connecticut. And through all his long and useful life his advent must have been a reminder of "Merry Christmas," since it has been said of him by his children that he never was known to use a more rude or stern expression than: "It beats all that ever I saw, since the day that I was born." But his gentle manners and genial spirit did not make him shrink when duty called from encountering nature in her primitive wildness, or from successfully grappling with all the trials and difficulties attending the settlement of a new country. Accordingly while yet a young man, he left his native state and joined an older brother, Noadiah Russell, who had already as early as 1771, made Cavendish, Vermont his home. Here John Russell was of great service in forming the society of the new town, holding the offices of Town Clerk and Justice of the Peace for many years. Being as I was told by his son, Deacon Bliss Russell, late of Cavendish, the first town clerk and first justice of the peace. Thompson's Gazetteer to the contrary. And I have now a letter from Thompson saying that if he ever revised his Gazetteer, he would correct the mistake. But Thompson has since died and I take this opportunity to make the corrections that the history of the town of Cavendish may stand corrected. John Russell's higher office of Baptist preacher in those early times, was equally faithfully discharged. And it shows the characteristic activity and energy of those times that while he with his hands cleared the wilderness, planted an orchard and built him a home, his intellectual powers were called into requisition for the benefit of his townsmen; and his spiritual nature lacked not food, which he drew from the world of God for himself and distributed to his neighbors. In 1778 he was married to Lucretia. Her family were connected by marriage with John Coffeen "by whom," says Thompson, "the settlement of Cavendish was commenced in June, 1769, and at whose hospitable dwelling, thousands of our Revolutionary soldiers received refreshments." Mrs. Russell, though ten years younger than her husband, proved herself every way worthy the choice of so excellent a man. John Russell often preached at what was then called "Twenty-Mile Stream" as well as in his own neighborhood, and not long since I had the pleasure of hearing his sermons praised by one of his longtime ago hearers, a nephew of his wife. Esquire Russell was, for a short time, engaged in mercantile business in Cavendish and the "Prices Current" in New York in 1795 show that the wants of the times were then as well as now; "nails and tobacco."

But the cards for carding wool and flax are discarded and the generation is fast passing away that even remembers the day when they were the requisites of every household. It was said of Robert Burns that he was "too good a poet to be a good farmer," and it might equally be said of Esquire Russell that he was too much occupied with the welfare of his town to attend to amassing a fortune for himself, though he always, like Melancthon, kept open doors. And later in life he inherited quite a little patrimony from his father's estate in Connecticut. He was often away from home officiating at weddings and funerals or some difficulty between neighbors for which his quiet manners and good judgment eminently fitted him. He was no partisan. Where duty went, there he went and right was right in his eyes wherever found. He had no sympathy with crowned heads. He remarked when Napoleon Bonaparte was bearing sway, "His name is Bone - a - part, but he needed to bone the whole." History shows how such characters terminate their career, and no talents however brilliant, not enlisted in the cause of human rights, will win for their possessors the love of succeeding generations. John Russell was a man eminently beloved in his community as well as in his family. His children were made his equals in companionship, free and familiar in their happy intercourse with each other; they never feared to ask his advice or tell him their troubles, sure of wise counsel and affectionate sympathy.

Family Letters:
Cavendish, 14 Dec., 1831
To: Dr. and Mrs. Gray
From: Lucretia Russell
My children: I seat myself to write to you but feel myself incapable both in body and mind for my health is poor. I have no reason to expect to stay in this world long. This world is not my home. When I awake in the morning I say "bless the Lord O My Soul" for all His benefits that I am yet in the land of the living. I was glad to see a line from you but it is more agreeable to see ones' dear children face to face. Your sister Polly's health is very poor but we are in hopes her health will be better in the spring. Give my love to all your children. I remain your loving and tender mother -Lucretia Russell.

More from MEMORIES OF THE RUSSELL FAMILY, by E. E. Orcutt, 1879: "John and Lucretia were the parents of seven children. The first son that bore his father's name, John Jr. died when an infant of 17 months and though the father lived to be an octogenarian, he did not forget this little son ever. I have heard my mother, his youngest daughter [Eunice Gray] says the very last time she ever saw her father he spoke of "the little boy that died." The other six children, three sons and three daughters, lived to maturity; and all early gave their hearts of Jesus and led consistent Christian lives. Though John Russell has been called a "strict Calvinist" by some, he doubtless was. But nevertheless he was not a bigoted sectarian. When his youngest daughter thought proper to unite with the Congregational Church and first consulted her honored father with regard to the propriety of the step, he made no objects. When his second daughter, the present only survivor of the family, was under religious conviction she arose at midnight and expressed her fears to her parents that she had sinned away the day of grace. His reply is worthy of record for the benefit of others in similar doubts. He said, "no my daughter. If you had you would have no concern for yourself." He and his wife arose at that midnight hour and prayed with their daughter and in about one week she found "peace and joy in believing." The next day was Thanksgiving day and the happiest Thanksgiving day of her life. She lately assured me, and though now in her 83rd year, still looks back with thankfulness to the time when Christ spoke pardon to her soul. This faithful discharge of Christian duty on the part of the parents may have been the means God used to bring their children early to find a saving knowledge of Christ. And it is hoped its record may inspire other Christian parents with like faithfulness.

Their eldest daughter born in 1782, became the wife of Levi Jackman, Esq., who was many times the town's representative from Cavendish. After a life of usefulness, she died in Cavendish at the age of 70 years. The death of the eldest son in 1785, age 17 months was a blow to both John and his beloved wife Lucretia. They carried him to the cemetery and bid goodbye to him in body but vowed never to forget him in spirit. Sally Russell married David G. Perkins and at this date (1879) is the only survivor of her father's family. Bliss Russell, named for his grandmother Russell who was a "Bliss" was born in 1788 and many years was deacon of the Baptist Church in Cavendish. He died at the age of 72 years having perfect consciousness of the near close of life and sending loving farewell messages to his friends and family. Eunice Russell married a physician Dr. Gray. Always cheerful, affectionate and discreet, leaving the record of a well spent life, she died in Hartford at the age of 68 years in 1859. John Russell Jr. graduated at Middlebury College in 1817 and was married in 1818. He went West where his literary labors, identified with the development of his adopted state won for him a worthy renown. He died in Bluffdale, Illinois at the age of 69 in 1863. Elias Russell was born 15 May, 1796 in Cavendish. He was twice married and died in his native town, 12 Feb., 1868, age 62 years, the youngest of the band.

I have a few letters that have come down to me from Grandfather and Grandmother Russell, also some of Grandmother Gray's who was sister to the Rev. Aaron Bancroft, father of the historian and diplomat George Bancroft. Also letters from my Mother containing poetic thought and religious counsel and reflection worthy of publication. Also have quite a long correspondence of Uncle Dr. J. Russell's which are literary gems of rare value. Also many letters from his excellent and accomplished wife, and a few precious letters from Aunt Perkins whose husband was related to the distinguished singers of that name, exhibiting literary merit and religious experience. With some sweet mementos of the other members of that rare hospitable and loving Russell family, but the character of your Magazine forbids that I should lengthen this sketch by even brief quotations from the above mentioned sources. I know that a Genealogical record of the Russell family has been compiled in Middletown, Connecticut, and is now ready for the press."

Lucretia died 19 Jan., 1834 (age 72 years). Rev. John died at Cavendish, 1 Aug., 1836 (age 84).

CHS Newsletter: Scribbler II Summer 2010

More Hawks Mountain Cannon Hikes
In the continuing effort to find out if there is a cannon on Hawks Mountain, dating back to the French and Indian War, Larry Lindbergh and Mitch Benoit recently took a hike and found the plaque and geodetic marker. The plaque reads, “This spot was occupied in 1875 as a station in the primary triangulation of the geodetic survey of the United States. It was reoccupied September 1921 by the Porter Telescope Makers of Springfield Vermont, who erected a tower and dedicated this tablet a year later. Latitude 43 degrees 22.1 minutes N Longitude 72 Degrees 34.8 minutes W.” According to the information we’ve received from Cavendish residents, who are no longer with us, the cannon was near the plaque. Because of summer foliage, it was difficult going. A hike is being planned after the leaves have fallen. If you are interested in participating, please e-mail margoc@tds.net or call 802-226-7807.

What Can We Pass On?
Because of my role as Coordinator with the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS), I’ve been in a unique position to study not only how people responded to the Great Depression in the 1930’s-that was the focus of the Society this past year- but am also collecting stories of how our town is being impacted by the current recession. In compiling the Cavendish Business Directory for May 2010, I couldn’t help but notice how many small home-based businesses are gone. Considering they are the backbone of our economy, that’s a very telling sign.

As co-director of Chronic Conditions Information Network, I spend quite a bit of time helping people deal with their respective health care crisis. The combination of the two roles has made me think a lot about our current situation.

Many are having a rough time. While the economic situation is a major contributing factor, so too is the aging of the “baby boomer” generation. It’s a “perfect storm” for frustration, anger, fear, anxiety and “just what is going to happen next”

I’ve been looking at things through a 1930’s lens. In Cavendish, people didn’t have a lot to begin with. If you worked in the mills, you had the risk of being laid off, but you could still tend a garden, hunt and fish, which certainly made things a bit easier than if you lived in a city. If all else failed, there were the wild blackberries and raspberries of August. I’ve met more than one Vermonter who refuses to eat berries as they constituted a large part of their diet in the 30s.

Life was hardly easy. People did what they could to help each other. Their ideas of renew, reuse and recycle make the best of our green living practices look shabby. Trying to live a 30’s lifestyle today isn’t realistic. However, we can learn from them just as future generations will learn from our experiences.

With that in mind, below is my take on thriving during these difficult times thanks to those people from Depression era Cavendish. What are your ideas? The more we collect, the more helpful it maybe to future generations. E-mail your ideas to margoc@tds.net or mail them to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish VT 05142.

• Turn off the TV and computer and only listen or read the news for about a half hour each day. In the 30’s there was no TV or computer. Most of the folks in our town only had a chance to listen to a little bit of radio in the evening. If you were lucky to have electricity, and not have to hook the radio to a car battery, you could listen to “The Shadow Knows,” and the birth of the Big Band. Keep in mind that our news today has the philosophy of “If it bleeds, it leads.” The more frightening and upsetting the story, the more it will make headlines and the various news programs will devote hours to it. You can make yourself nuts in short order on this stuff.

. • Cook. Avoid the processed foods and enjoy what’s appearing at our local farmer’s markets or from your garden. Share your extra with friends, family, and neighbors.

• Walk or ride a bike. Leave the car at home whenever possible. If you want more exercise you can help the Historical Society with their Cemetery Preservation project by cleaning stones. You’ll get a good workout, learn some interesting history, and help the town at the same time.

• Invest in your friends and neighbors and create social opportunities. When I interviewed Sophie Snarski, a fiddler, who graduated from high school in 1933, she said she played three nights a week. There were “kitchen hops,” dances that rotated among the various farmers, plays, movies, and town dances that took place weekly. Because they weren’t competing with TV, Netflicks and various activities in other towns, people turned out for events. When I first asked Sophie about the 30’s, she talked a great deal about the good times they had and how much better the community was connected than today. It was only when I asked specific questions about the depression did she relate how strapped her family was for money. In this difficult era she created positive memories that have lasted her a lifetime.

• Churches and the Grange played a major role in the lives of people in the 30’s. My take on that is join something. Those that belong to a church, Rotary or any other such group have a built in a strong social network. If there is a problem, people know about it and can help. Having a spiritual belief is very important for most people. It helps to support you through the rough spots.

• Do something enjoyable that engages you. It might be going to Six Loose Ladies on a Thursday night to work on knitting-again that social piece. However, anything that fully engages your mind, and gives your brain a break is going to make things a bit easier. Reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in the brain is a real plus.

• Hang out with people that make you laugh.

• Less is more. Enjoy what you have and don’t obsess about what you don’t have. It’s not “stuff” that makes life worth living. Make time for the important things-a hot cup of tea with a friend on a cold winter morning; a hike up Hawk’s Mountain with your kids; a pot luck at a neighbors; helping an elderly neighbor with snow removal or putting in their garden; and watching for shooting stars on a warm August night.

• We’re all connected. The more we obsess about world issues (the 30’s had the Dust Bowl) and ignore the joys in our own community, the more challenging life becomes. Keep in mind that the joy and happiness we generate in our own lives, spreads among us and beyond.

• Warren Buffett probably said it as well as anyone when he responded to the question about how to measure success, "When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life."

• Be flexible and willing to change. Cavendish had to make a lot of adjustments in the 1930s, not only due to the economy, but also because the town was inundated with men from other parts of the country as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Some of these men stayed, married local women and helped the town grow in new directions.

Cemetery Preservation

Thanks to our volunteers and donations, we are working weekly to restore the stones in the seven Cavendish cemeteries. Memorial Day weekend, CHS held the first of what we hope will be an annual event of cleaning and righting stones. Our focus was the Hillcrest Cemetery in Proctorsville, since the town was holding their Memorial Day activities there. Next year, we will rotate to the Cavendish Cemetery on High Street.

In June, the students in grades 4 and 6 worked hard in the Proctor Cemetery. They raked leaves and scrubbed monuments. Several of the sixth graders are working with us this summer as part of the community service requirements for junior high. We hope to have grades 4-6 work with us in the fall and spring to help restore this cemetery.

While many people visit the various cemeteries, placing flowers on family and friends graves, few take the time to clean the marker. CHS in conjunction with the Cavendish Cemetery Commission held a workshop July 18 and plan more for September, to teach people how to care for the newer monuments. Interestingly, newer stones, with the rough cut areas, can be a lot harder to clean than older stones if left unattended. Recently, two volunteers worked for almost two hour cleaning a stone, which was less than 30 years old. Lichen and algae was growing on the “rough cut” areas and inside the lettering.

When visiting our cemeteries, don’t expect to see “bright white” stones. We follow the National Park Service’s guidelines on monument cleaning, whose first principal is do no harm. We do not use bleach. Our goal is to keep the stones preserved for generations to come.

CHS has developed a handout on monument cleaning, which is available from the Town office, the Cavendish Library, and the CHS Museum. It can also be obtained by e-mailing margoc@tds.net and writing “Monument Guidelines” in the subject heading.

Contrary to popular belief, purchasing a perpetual care plan doesn’t ensure the upkeep of the stone. Nationally, many cemeteries find these funds barely cover lawn maintenance, which has ultimately led to the abandonment of many old cemeteries.

Because our cemeteries are a reflection of our history, CHS is working to ensure that this doesn’t happen in our town. You can help us in this effort by volunteering and/or sending donations.

CHS Receives Cavendish Community Fund Grant
CHS is pleased to announce that we have received a Cavendish Community Fund (CCF) grant to help with the Cemetery Preservation Project and for our Young Historian’s Program, which begins in September at the Cavendish Town Elementary School. We will be focusing on the 1940’s this year.

Raffles to Benefit CHS
CHS has two raffles underway to assist with our funding needs. The first is an “instant wine bar.” First prize is a minimum of 25 bottles of wine, 2nd and 3rd prizes are a case of Woodchuck Cider and the 4th prize is a variety of “schwag” from Harpoon Brewery.

A Bargello quilt made by Carolyn Van Tassell, sister of CHS board member Bruce McEnaney, is also being raffled. Van Tassell, a former teacher of Family & Consumer Science at Springfield High School, has been quilting for 30 years. She teaches workshops throughout the state, including Fletcher Farm. She is owner of Fine Line Machine Quilting. Her quilts were recently exhibited at the CHS Quilt Show 4th of July weekend. The quilt is on display at Six Loose Ladies in Proctorsville.

Tickets are $5 a piece or 3 for $10. The drawing for both raffles will be October 17 at the annual meeting. You need not be present to win. Tickets can be purchased by mail by sending a check to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish VT 05142.

Cavendish Grange Hall Curtain Restored
Under the direction of the Vermont’s Painted Theater Curtains, a group of volunteers from the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS), worked with professional conservators to restore the Cavendish Grange Hall curtain on Friday, July 30.

Clyde (Puss) Bailey signed the curtain in 1951. It is believed that the curtain may be an older Crystal Arts curtain, since the central scene is similar to other curtains of this type. The local advertisements that surround the central scene of a pond and trees, include: P.K. Brown, Ludlow Insurance, Paul W. Adams, Mumford Drum Corps, Bixby’s Dairy, Spaulding’s Restaurant, Specialty Press, Tom’s Taxi, Gileris Market, Ludlow Grain & Supply and Windsor National Bank.

The curtain was installed at the CHS Museum in 2007, when the Grange was closed. The curtain can be seen at the Museum on Sundays from 2-4 pm.

Thank you to the CHS volunteers Bob and Cooper Naess, Wendy Regier and Mike Pember for a job well done.

Cavendish Historical Society Board
Dan Churchill
Jen Harper
Cheryl Leiner
Gloria Leven
Bruce McEnaney
Mike Pember
Gail Woods

Upcoming Events
Please note that the Duttonsville Reunion was cancelled for this year but will be part of activities planned for summer 2011.

September 12 (Sunday): Walking tour of historic Proctorsville village. Meet at the Proctorsville Green at 2 pm.

September 22 (Wednesday): Young Historians begins at the Cavendish Elementary School for the 2010-2011

October 10 (Sunday): Walking tour of Proctorsville and Hillcrest Cemetery Tour. Note the walking tour begins at 1 pm on the Proctorsville Green. The Hillcrest Cemetery Tour, led by Carmine Guica, will take place at 2 pm at the Cemetery.

October 17 (Sunday): Annual meeting. More information to follow

November 27 (Saturday): Annual Holiday Fair at the Cavendish


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

___ 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 ___ Young Historians


Donations are always welcome and can be designated as follows:

__ For general purposes __ Educational Programs __Publications
__ Archeological Activities __ Museum & Archival __ Special Events
__ Rankin Fund __ Williams Fund __ Young Historians
__ Other (please specify)
___ Cemetery Restoration

Joshua Parker Green/Loom Restoration

We are currently restoring a loom thought to be made by Joshua Parker Green in the Civil War era. Our goal is to have a "sheep to shawl" demonstration next summer using local sheep, a spinning wheel in the Museum and the loom. You can stop by during Museum hours-2-4 pm on Sunday, to watch our progress.

A great grandfather of board president Dan Churchill, we wanted to learn more about JP Green. To that end, CHS genealogist Linda Welch was kind enough to send us the following information about him.

Joshua Parker Green(6) {Isaac(5), Isaac(4), Isaac(3), Eleazer(2), William(1)}, was born at Plymouth, Vermont 30 Aug., 1822. He was known by all as "Parker" Green. He m. 1st at Ludlow, 26 Jan., 1856 Nancy (Johnson) Green (his brother James' widow). After giving him five children, three of whom died in infancy, Nancy died of 'brain disease', 27 April, 1878. Parker m. 2nd, Widow Phoebe (Gould) Russell (b. Shrewsbury, Vt., 30 Dec., 1826, dau. of Chester & Hannah Gould, and widow of Alonzo Russell of Shrewsbury, who died 18 Oct., 1870). Phoebe died of paralysis in Cavendish, 7 Nov., 1887 (age 59).

The newspaper reported of Phoebe: " Mrs. Green was one of a family of ten children- seven boys and three girls- six of whom are now living. her son, A. N. Russell of Hartland and her two daughters, Mrs. W. W. Philbrick of Plymouth Union, and Ella J. Russell of Hartland, were present with her towards the end. She was taken in apoplectic fit on Friday morning, becoming unconscious and remaining in that condition until Monday noon when she died." Her funeral was held at Plymouth Union, with Rev. G. Wright of Shrewsbury officiating. and her remains taken to Shrewsbury for burial. "She was a kind and affectionate wife and a loving mother."

Parker m. 3rd in Chester (at the residence of Mr. Hall Brewer, by Rev. H. B. Tilden), 5 Oct., 1890, Sarah Jane (Hall) Orcutt of Sherburne, Vt. (b. 1825, dau. of James & Rebecca Hall).

Parker had quite a large family himself. He and his first wife, Nancy moved from Plymouth to Twenty-Mile Stream in Cavendish, where they bought a large farm on 5 Dec., 1856. This farm was known as "Green Acres."

-Twenty-Mile Stream, 1 Feb., 1876: "J. P. Green has killed four pigs, the four past years that ranged from nine to nine and one half months old, weighed when dressed, 412, 440, 465, and 404 pounds, respectively. In the year 1873, he killed a heifer two years and 7 months old that weighed when dressed, 765 pounds. He also has a flock of sixty sheep that have averaged to shear nearly six and one-half pounds of good, well, washed wool each year, one half of the number raised lambs each year, and in raising 137 lambs, did not loose a lamb until after they were a year old."

-6 Nov., 1891: "Elwin J. Parker has sold his farm to Parker Green." -4 Aug., 1893: "We saw a horse pitch fork in operation Tues. on the farm of J. P. Green, and were favorably impressed with its work as a labor saving implement. Walton A. Green informed us it would do the work of three or four men in unloading and placing hay in the upper part of the barn." -30 Nov., 1894: "Miss Ellen McCullough, a woman about 65 years of age, and who seemed to be without home or friends, died very suddenly on 19 Oct., at the home of Parker Green." -Proctorsville, 15 March, 1895: "Parker Green, who has been sick for a long time, was able to come to the village last Thursday, the first time for two months. He came to meet his sister at the depot, Mrs. Cheney, from Massachusetts, who had come to visit him." -9 Nov., 1900: "J. P. Green and Mrs. Florence Haven of Proctorsville visited their relatives, Mrs. Randelia Pierce and Mrs. Ruth White at W. R. Simmons in Reading last Tuesday."

Sarah Jane died at Cavendish of a disease of the heart and liver, 1 April, 1899 (age 74).

After his third wife's death, Parker moved in with his son James. -Proctorsville 2 April, 1908: "J. P. Green, who is in his 86th year, who has not for the past years done any active work on his farm, has busied himself making many useful and ornamental articles of wooden ware, such as spoons of various sizes, several sizes of stands, clothes sticks, paper knives, knives and forks, wooden knitting needles, canes with the handles made from the root, showing many odd designs. His latest is cutting out little mustard spoons which are neat and pretty in shape." -3 Sept., 1908: "Mr. Wesley Archer of Rutland came down to visit with James Green for the day and took the old gent for an auto ride on his 86th birthday." - 10 March, 1910: "Parker Green was taken with a dizzy spell last Sunday morning and fell to the floor, bruising himself quite badly, and is now confined to the bed." - 24 March, 1910: "Parker Green has so far recovered from his fall as to have his clothes on Tuesday." -17 Nov., 1910: "Parker Green had a severe attack of heart failure Monday and at his writing is very low."

Parker died at his home on Twenty-Mile Stream, Tuesday afternoon, 10 Jan., 1911 (age 88).

From his obituary; "Mr. Green was a hard working man and after he became too feeble to work out doors he busied himself making wooden implements such as paper knives, knitting needles, spoons, butter ladies, clothes sticks, canes, milking stools, light stands, etc. he has made over thirty different kinds of utensils since he was 80 years old. He had requested that the following hymns be sung at his funeral: 'Shall We Gather At The River", and "Pilgrims' Farewell" which were sung by Miss Nellie Haven Johnson of Proctorsville. For nearly a quarter of a century, Mr. Green had driven the same faithful little mare which seemed to have almost human understanding in being so gentle and good to stand for him to get in and out of the carriage after he became old and feeble It was also his request that if 'Nellie' outlived him, she should draw his remains to their last resting place, which she did. There is not a person now living between Proctorsville and Bridgewater who lived there when he bought the farm in 1856 where he has since lived. Since the first of last May there have been five persons buried in Twenty-Mile Stream Cemetery, all old neighbors an former residents of this place. There were Mrs. Charles Witherell, Mrs. Wm. Smith, Mrs. Ozro Spaulding, Mrs. P. K. Spaulding, and now Joshua Parker Green. They were all over 80 years old. Mr. Green being the oldest."

A TRIBUTE TO J. P. GREEN (by J. Ashton Spaulding, Amsden, Vt., 23 Jan., 1911): "I have known Mr. Green all my life, having lived within plain sight of his home until I was 37 years old. He was of rugged Revolutionary stock, his grandfather, Issac Green served seven years in the Revolutionary army, losing a finger at Bunker Hill. On his maternal side he was descended from Capt. Joshua Parker of the Continental army. Mr. Green began life as a poor boy and succeeded in making himself a comfortable home. When he bought the farm upon which he died it was a rocky and comparatively rough farm and in many places banks had been plowed up until Mr. Green in plowing them down found old sod trees feet below the ten top of the ground Some of these places one could not drive a cart and oxen on, and now those same places can be mowed with a machine. He made a yoke some 8 feet long especially for plowing in these places, plowing them diagonally, turning the furrows off down the hill and then harrowing them across and down, until now these pieces have a gradual slope. He also at all convenient times dug out and blasted out the numerous stones, until about 1876 he bought a stone puller with which he pulled out stones, blocking them up so when a little snow came he hauled them to the bank of the stream where he placed them on brush and in the bank to keep it from breaking off. Some of these stones were so big it took two yoke of oxen to draw them down hill, while others of these stones taken out with the puller had to be blasted. After a while, he got to using dynamite for blasting many of these big stones, some of them 15 feet long, until now I don't think there are two acres of the mowings but what cane be cut over with a machine and without a stone, but what a machine will pass over. There were also numerous wet places and swailes which he ditched out until now there is but one swale and perhaps one and one-acres of wet untillable land on the mowings. He took down old walls and took the small stones to put into the bank of the stream, and replaced them in these walls by big stones, some of which were eight and ten feet long. All the surplus stones he had ample room for to protect the banks of the treacherous 20-Mile Stream, balding them from either side down hill. I have known him to haul them on an ox sled, taking one half cord a load. Finally he got the banks of the stream so thoroughly protected that it now has to take the straight and narrow path. All of the choice stones suitable for use in ditches or for stone posts of doorsteps he always saved out. In the 1870s, he replaced the old and poor set of buildings with an entirely new set of more convenient buildings. He built a thoroughly substantial set of buildings that in their every part showed his thoroughness in all his farm operations. In the buildings of his barn he had the cellar wall laid in the fall before he built the barn. He himself fitted the place for each bottom stone and he got the most perfect barn cellar wall ever laid in Cavendish. He had never failing water from a spring that is boxed with slabs of soapstone. In my opinion, Mr. Green, taking all things into consideration ,was the best farmer that ever lived in Cavendish, and if many more farms on the hills and in the valleys of dear old Vermont had been peopled by men like Joshua Parker Green, they would not have worn the God-forsaken aspect they do today. Mr. Green was also prominent in the building of the little white schoolhouse on Twenty-Mile Stream in 1861 and he was the last person living in the district that lived there at that time. Mr. Green's farm is one of the few that at the present time are being worked by the sons of the men that spent all their life and strength in improving it."

Children:

1. James Parker, b. 8 Nov., 1857.
2. Waldo Amos, b. 29 Jan., 1863 ....... died of the 'bloody pimples', 28 July, 1863
3. Norris, b. 10 May, 1866 ....... died of typhoid fever, 16 May, 1866
4. Nora, b. 10 May, 1866 [twin] ....... died of typhoid fever, 19 May, 1866
5. Walton Amasa, b. 21 Sept., 1868

Hawks Mountain Cannon

For many years, a rumor has circulated that during the French and Indian War a cannon(s) were left on Hawks Mountain. This summer, various members of CHS have been making hikes up the mountain and talking to various people about any information they have about the cannon. Several people reported that the cannon was near the geodetic marker. Ken Slater forwarded the following information in this regard:

I read with interest your short article on searching for a cannon on Hawks Mountain. I thought I would share with you what I know. As Webmaster for the Springfield Telescope Makers, I'm quite familiar with the plaque, placed in 1921, one year after Russell W. Porter started his Telescope Making classes at J&L in Springfield, and two years before the formal founding of our club on December 7, 1923.

As Porter was the navigator and mapper on several artic explorations in the late 1890's to 1910's, he had a great interest in the geodetic survey work (in fact, he cajoled the geodetic survey people to place a geodetic survey marker in front of our clubhouse on Breezy Hill several years later). So he lead the club member up Hawks, found the geodetic survey site, and they erected a tower on the site so they could triangulate from Breezy Hill and other spots.

There are photos of this group on Hawks Mountain in Bert Willard's biography of Porter. In our archives we a few more photos, and some journals. I am sorry to tell you, if there was a cannon near the plaque (and the photos show that area to be much more open than it is today), there has never been a mention of a cannon, which one would think might get photographed or written about.

I have also been up to visit the plaque, and I have never stumbled across a cannon. Good luck to you, but I suspect if there is a cannon up there, it is not anywhere near the plaque.

Dr. Spafford Cavendish 1879

Linda Welch, the Historical Society's genealogist, submitted the following:

Dr. George Spafford came to Cavendish in 1879. He lived right next to the Universalist Church. He was quite a socialite and often hosted and attended cultural events in the area. This one took place while Glimmerstone was owned by F. W. Ely. (pass it around).

NEWS: --Cavendish, 29 Aug., 1879: "For a quiet little place whose mills are burned, and business gone (as our rival towns tell us), we manage to have some very enjoyable times, quite up to the level, perhaps than most ambitious localities. It is very fortunate for us that Dr. Spafford's family love music and flowers, as well as pills and patients. Thursday night of last week, Mrs. Spafford gave a quiet little entertainment. The inmates of 'the Fourteen Gables,' as your editor has named F. W. Ely's residence, which has that number by actual count, were there as well as others. Of course Mr. & Mrs. G. W. DeLano of NY sang solos and duets, and were heartily encored. Mrs. H. Clay of Boston, sang a solo or two and some pieces with others. Mrs. Stiles Bent rendered a voluntary on the piano with such skill and beauty that an encore called her back when she gave the grand 'Old Oaken Bucket' in a most charming manner and to the delight of all present. The parlor, hall, porch, and door yard were filled with attentive and appreciative listeners, some from Proctorsville. Saturday evening essentially the same company gathered at General Davis' [the Red Brick House] Miss L. M. Kendall played most of the accompaniments and at Dr. Spafford's request, rendered one of the Chopin's waltzes in a manner that compelled the most enthusiastic applause. The DeLanos, Mrs. Clay, and Mrs. Spafford sang, of course, to the delight of all. Mr. DeLano's humorous piece, "Old Grimes Cellar Door" was called for on each occasion. Mrs. DeLano's "Entreat Me Not To Leave Thee" was especially gratifying. Mrs. Dora B. Smith of Boston, gave two specimens of her ability and skill as a reader. Her selections were humorous, but they were recited in a most perfect manner. She is an elocutionist of rare talent and excellent culture and it is too bad that we have not had a public reading from her while on her vacation. As the week waned and the Sabbath drew near, the entertainment broke up, not without a slight feeling of sadness, as several of the artists were to leave town Monday. We cherish a slight felling of pride over these unpretending, but highly enjoyable entertainments."

Caring for Grave Stones/CHS Quilt Raffle

Carolyn Van Tassell Quilt Raffle to Benefit the Cavendish Historical Society
A Bargello quilt designed and quilted by Carolyn Van Tassell is being raffled to benefit the Cavendish Historical Society (CHS). Van Tassell, a former teacher of Family & Consumer Science at Springfield High School, has been quilting for 30 years. She teaches workshops throughout the state, including Fletcher Farm. She is owner of Fine Line Machine Quilting. Her quilts were recently exhibited at the CHS Quilt Show 4th of July weekend. The quilt is on display at Six Loose Ladies in Proctorsville. Tickets are $5 a piece or 3 for $10. FMI: margoc@tds.net or 226-7807

More Than Flowers-Caring for Grave Stones
Around Memorial Day, many people leave flowers on the graves of families and friends for the summer season. Unfortunately, a number of the stone markers are showing signs of weathering that could easily be cleaned. Clean water, a soft scrub brush and some elbow grease is all that’s needed to preserve these stones. An additional 10 minutes of time, when leaving flowers, and a little bit of cleaning, can help preserve the stone marker for many generations to come.

While many people pay for “perpetual care,” this is often limited to just caring for the grounds of the cemetery and not necessarily the individual grave. Perpetual care only works if there are continual numbers of people being buried at a cemetery so there is a regular influx of money. This is a growing problem throughout the United States, as more people are opting for alternatives to burial in a cemetery.

To help people care for their family and friend’s memorial markers, the Cavendish Historical Society and the Cavendish Cemetery Commission are offering a workshop on cleaning stones on July 18 (Sunday) from noon to 3 pm at the High Street Cemetery in Cavendish. All materials will be supplied. The focus of this workshop is on newer stones. This workshop is part of the Cavendish Historical Society’s Cemetery Preservation Project, supported in part by a grant from the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA). For more information call 802-226-7807 or e-mail margoc@tds.net

Cavendish Old Home Day is Almost Here

Cavendish Old Home Day gets underway on July 3 (Saturday) with the annual plant sale at the Cavendish Historical Society Museum at 8:30 am. This plant sale was started back in the 1970s by Craig Rankin and continues in his memory. Rankin, a landscaper architect, believed that everyone should be able to afford good healthy plants. These truly are the lowest prices for a hosta short of “free.”

Since the 1940’s is the CHS theme for this year, stop in the Museum, after plant shopping, and see some of the interesting WWII memorabilia members of the community have donated for the season.

The weekend long activities continue at 10 am when the Cavendish Green opens with a number of different vendors, including area artist’s organizations, businesses, food vendors, and churches. There will be a chicken BBQ provided by the Cavendish Fire Department and a lot of activities for kids, among them a “bounce house” provided by the Cavendish Baptist Church.

In keeping with the 1940s theme, the Young Historian’s program of Cavendish Town Elementary School will be hosting a “1940s candy shop.” You can learn a lot of history through candy. Named after the surnames of the company founders Forrest Mars and Bruce Murrie, M & M’s were first produced in 1941 in Newark, New Jersey. During WWII, the candies were exclusively sold to the military. They had the distinct advantage of “melting in your mouth and not in your hand.” In 1948, the original cardboard packaging was replaced by the black cellophane packaging many are so familiar with.

Tootsie rolls were another favorite of the military and were standard issue in WWII field rations. This “hard to melt chocolate,” first introduced in 1896 was named for Clara “Tootsie” Hirshfield, the daughter of the manufacturer.

Rounding out the weekend is a Cavendish Quilt show at the Old Stone Church in Cavendish; opening July 3 at noon and going until 4 pm. Quilts featured are those from the Museums collection as well as ones that have been made in Cavendish. If you were in the first grade in 1976, you can see the bicentennial quilt you made that year. There are current quilters, such as Jackie Blanchard, Paulette Martel and Diane McNamara, who will have items in the exhibit as well as examples of community quilts made for weddings and babies. Several of the quilts date back to the 1800s. The Quilt Show can also be seen on July 4 from noon to 4 pm.

One of the highlights this year will be the announcing of the winners of the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association (CCCA) Cavendish Calendar Photography Contest. You can pre order your calendars at this time.

What Can We Pass On?

Because of my role with the Cavendish Historical Society, I’ve been in a unique position to study not only how people responded to the Great Depression in the 1930’s-that was the focus of the Society this past year- but am also collecting stories of how our town is being impacted by the current recession. In compiling the Business Directory for May 2010, I couldn’t help but notice how many small home based businesses are gone. Considering they are the backbone of our economy, that’s a very telling sign.

As co-director of Chronic Conditions Information Network, I spend quite a bit of time helping people deal with their respective health care crisis. The combination of the two roles has made me think a lot about our current situation.

Many are having a rough time. While the economic situation is a major contributing factor, so too is the aging of the “baby boomer” generation. It’s a “perfect storm” for frustration, anger, fear, anxiety and “just what is going to happen next?” You know it’s bad when NH Public Television is continually showing “Living through a Personal Crisis” almost round the clock as part of its current fundraising campaign.

I’ve been looking at things through a 1930’s lens. Interestingly, there was a study released in September 2009 that showed that longevity actually increased during the 1930’s. Why would that be when so many were without jobs and there were few public service agencies compared to today?

While there was no definitive answer, the authors guessed that it was more about the lifestyle of the era: people walked everywhere as they couldn’t afford a car (they got their 30 minutes of exercise every day).; alcohol and cigarettes were a luxury so these health negatives were significantly reduced; people slept in because they didn’t have a job to go to; little money was available for entertainment so people created their own fun; and gardens sprung up in everyone’s back yard, everyone went hunting and fishing, which ultimately resulting in people eating “whole foods” and not relying on “processed” items.

As the depression eased, and people returned to work, life expectancy decreased. Why? Again the authors can only guess. They think it related to the stress of working long hours in a new job.

In Cavendish, people didn’t have a lot to begin with. If you worked in the mills, you had the risk of being laid off, but you could still tend a garden, hunt and fish, which certainly made things a bit easier than if you lived in a city. If all else failed, there were the wild blackberries and raspberries of August. I’ve met more than one Vermonter who refuses to eat them because that constituted a large part of their diet in the 30s.

Life was hardly easy and there was even a “Hooverville,” shanty town, located near the old Fitton Mill area of Cavendish. People did what they could to help each other. Their ideas of renew, reuse and recycle make the best of our green living practices look like beginners. In short, trying to live a 30’s lifestyle today isn’t practical. However, we can learn from them just as future generations will learn from our experiences.

With that in mind, below is my take on thriving during these difficult times thanks to those people from Depression era Cavendish. What are your ideas? The more we collect, the more helpful it maybe to future generations.

1. Turn off the TV and computer and only listen or read the news for about a half hour each day. In the 30’s there was no TV or computer. Most of the folks in our town only had a chance to listen to a little bit of radio in the evening. If you were lucky to have electricity, and not have to hook the radio to a car battery, you could listen to “The Shadow Knows,” and the birth of the Big Band. Keep in mind that our news today has the philosophy of “If it bleeds, it leads.” The more frightening and upsetting the story, the more likely it will make headlines and the various TV programs will devote hours to it. You can make yourself nuts in short order on this stuff.

.2. Cook. Avoid the processed stuff and enjoy what’s appearing at our local farmer’s markets or from your garden. Share your extra with friends, family, and neighbors.

3. Walk or ride a bike. Leave the car at home whenever possible. If you want more exercise you can help the Historical Society with their Cemetery Preservation project by cleaning stones. You’ll get a good workout, learn some interesting history, and help the town at the same time.

4.. Invest in your friends and neighbors and create social opportunities. When I interviewed Sophie Snarski, a fiddler, who graduated from high school in 1933, she said she played three nights a week. There were “kitchen hops,” dances that rotated among the various farmers, plays, movies, and town dances that took place weekly. Because they weren’t competing with TV, Netflicks and various activities in other towns, people turned out for events. When I first asked Sophie about the 30’s, she talked a great deal about the good times they had and how much better the community was connected than today. It was only when I asked specific questions about the depression did she relate how strapped her family was for money. In this difficult era she created positive memories that have lasted her a lifetime.

5. Churches and the Grange played a major role in the lives of people in the 30’s. My take on that is join something. Those that belong to a church, Rotary or any other such group have a built in strong social network. If there is a problem, people know about it and can help. Having a spiritual belief-not necessarily a religion- is very important for most people. It helps to have a bigger picture to support you through the rough spots.

6. Do something enjoyable that engages you. It might be going to Six Loose Ladies on a Thursday night to work on knitting-again that social piece. However, anything that fully engages your mind, and gives your brain a break is going to make things a bit easier. Reducing cortisol (the stress hormone) levels in the brain is a real plus.

7. Hang out with people that make you laugh.

8. Less is more. Enjoy what you have and don’t obsess about what you don’t have. It’s not “stuff” that makes life worth living. Make time for the important things-a hot cup of tea with a friend on a cold winter morning; a hike up Hawk’s Mountain with your kids; a pot luck at a neighbors; helping an elderly neighbor with snow removal or putting in their garden; and watching for shooting stars on a warm August night.

9. We’re all connected. The more we obsess about world hunger, free Tibet, the BP oil spill (the 30’s also had the Dust Bowl), the lack of work or any other cause, and ignore the joys in our own community, the more challenging life becomes. The Buddhist concept of a mindfulness meditation on all centennial beings is a wonderful idea. Do it once a day for whatever time frame you can and let it go. If you can afford to send money or go to help, do it. Keep in mind that the more we work to generate joy and happiness in our own lives, the more it spreads among us and beyond.

10. My final point really comes from working for many years in AIDS and with people who are closing out their lives. Warren Buffett probably said it as well as anyone when he was asked to measure success, "When you get to my age, you'll measure your success in life by how many of the people you want to have love you actually do love you. That's the ultimate test of how you've lived your life."

Since I wrote this initial post, I would add one additional point, Be flexible and willing to change. Cavendish had to make a lot of adjustments in the 1930s, not only due to the economy, but also because the town was inudated with men from other parts of the country as part of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Some of these men stayed, married local women and helped the town grow in new directions.