The Cavendish Historical Society's accepts tax-deductible contributions to help preserve our history. You can reach us at margocaulfield@icloud.com 802-226-7807 or PO Box 472 Cavendish, VT 05142 The CHS Museum is located at 1958 Main Street (Route 131) in Cavendish.
As part of honoring the 100th Anniversary of Solzhenitsyn's birth on December 11, 2018, a letter was sent to the People of Russia from the People of Cavendish. The letter, which was read at the Solzhenitsyn Conference in Moscow, reads as follows:
November
13, 2018
To the People
of Russia:
For 18 of the 20 years he was exiled from Russia, Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn and his family lived with us in Cavendish, Vermont. The
Solzhenitsyns were then, as they are now, good neighbors, respected and valued
members of our community.
While we are sad when residents choose to leave, we were
glad that Solzhenitsyn was able to return to his “motherland,” as he predicted
he would at our 1977 Cavendish Town Meeting. No matter how much our countryside
may have reminded him of Russia, and allowed him the time to write, it would
never compensate for the country he cared so deeply about.
Solzhenitsyn’s values were a good match for our Yankee way
of life-hard work and the ability to speak freely and openly, yet also
respectful of others and their privacy. While he learned from us how
grass-roots democracy works, we in turn were reminded of the importance of
providing sanctuary to those in need and the value of having courage and strong
beliefs.
Upon his departure, Solzhenitsyn left the town not only
autographed copies of his books, but more importantly, a homestead, which
allows his children to remain an integral and important part of our community.
The lessons he instilled in his sons are shared with us as we work together to
resolve the thorny issues of 21st-century life.
Every town needs a secret, such as the one we kept: “No
directions to the Solzhenitsyn’s home,” as it united us for a common good. We
still do not give out directions, but we do welcome visitors from around the
world.
On this the 100th birthday of Solzhenitsyn,the people of Cavendish extend our best
wishes to the people of his homeland.
On behalf of the people of Cavendish,
Margo Caulfield
Director, Cavendish Historical Society
Brendan McNamara
Cavendish Town Manager
On Christmas Eve, the Cavendish Historical Society received the following letter from Anatoly Antonov, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the USA:
December 18, 2018
Dear Ms. Caulfield,
Your letter to the people of Russia on the occasion of Alexander Solzhenitsyn's 100th anniversary has been conveyed to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and is highly appreciated.
On our part, we are grateful to the citizens of Cavendish for supporting the prominent writer, philosopher and patriot of his Motherland for many years that he spent in your town. Taking good care of the Solzhenitsyn family was itself a contribution to preserving and promoting the legacy of the great visionary.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to extend my warm greetings on the occasion of forthcoming Christmas and the New Year, I wish you and to all people of Cavendish sound health, happiness and prosperity.
Sincerely,
Anatoly Antonov
Tuesday, December 11, 2018
Today, December 11th, is the 100th birthday of former Cavendish resident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. A Soviet dissident, Nobel Prize winner for literature, and author, Solzhenitsyn spent 18 of his 20 years exiled from Russia living in Cavendish.
In honor of his birthday, the following letter was sent, on behalf of the people of Cavendish, to the people of Russia, where it will be read at the conference being held in Moscow.
November
13, 2018
To the People
of Russia:
For 18 of the 20 years he was exiled from Russia, Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn and his family lived with us in Cavendish, Vermont. The
Solzhenitsyns were then, as they are now, good neighbors, respected and valued
members of our community.
While we are sad when residents choose to leave, we were
glad that Solzhenitsyn was able to return to his “motherland,” as he predicted
he would at our 1977 Cavendish Town Meeting. No matter how much our countryside
may have reminded him of Russia, and allowed him the time to write, it would never
compensate for the country he cared so deeply about.
Solzhenitsyn’s values were a good match for our Yankee way
of life-hard work and the ability to speak freely and openly, yet also
respectful of others and their privacy. While he learned from us how grass-roots
democracy works, we in turn were reminded of the importance of providing
sanctuary to those in need and the value of having courage and strong beliefs.
Upon his departure, Solzhenitsyn left the town not only
autographed copies of his books, but more importantly, a homestead which allows
his children to remain an integral and important part of our community. The
lessons he instilled in his sons are shared with us as we work together to
resolve the thorny issues of 21st-century life.
Every town needs a secret, such as the one we kept: “No
directions to the Solzhenitsyn’s home,” as it united us for a common good. We
still do not give out directions, but we do welcome visitors from around the
world.
On this the 100th birthday of Solzhenitsyn,the people of Cavendish extend our best
wishes to the people of his homeland.
If
you don’t live in Cavendish, you may not be aware that we had quite the
snowstorm at the end of November, where more than half the town was without
power. In some places, it took almost a week for it to be restored.Without belaboring it, a lot of things were
impacted, including getting out the December edition of the Cavendish
Historical Society’s “Briefs.”
We
know with holidays rapidly approaching you have lots going on, so we’ll make
this a “quick read.” We have included both information about our annual appeal
campaign as well as the letter from the people of Cavendish to the people of
Russia in honor of Solzhenitsyn’s 100th birthday.
WHAT
WE’RE DOING
Carmine Guica Young
Historians: As
part of our annual Cavendish Town Elementary School program, where we teach the students about the people
and cultures who helped to shape Cavendish, we will have our day long series of
workshops and “a taste of” on Dec. 19. This year our focus is Scandinavia
(Denmark, Norway and Sweden).
In
order to facilitate discussion by students, teachers, families and community, we have a special “A
Cavendish Christmas,” short story you can read on-line. Lots of resource information is included, and the story itself is based in
fact.
A
special thanks to Stein van Schaik and the McEnaney’s Blueberry Fund for
helping to underwrite these programs.
Watching video at Cavendish Baptist Church
Solzhenitsyn: In spite of incredibly
awful weather, we went ahead with our 100th birthday for Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn on December 2. We showed his farewell address to Cavendish, followed
by discussion and a potluck supper. Thanks to Svetlana Phillips, there was
plenty of wonderful Russian food followed by cake (made by members of the
Solzhenitsyn family) and ice cream.
Sharing wonderful food.
On
Nov. 15, Margo Caulfield of CHS spoke about
Solzhenitsyn’s Life in Cavendish as part of the third Thursday series of the VT
Historical Society (VHS). This was our first experience with Facebook Live. You
can watch the presentation at the VHS Facebook page. Note that you do
not need to be a Facebook subscriber to view the video. You may have to scroll
down a bit to get to the presentation.
Letter to the Russian
People:
This letter will be read at the Russian conference in Moscow in honor of
Solzhenitsyn’s 100th birthday on Dec. 11.
November 13, 2018
To the People
of Russia:
For 18 of the 20 years he was exiled from Russia, Aleksandr
Solzhenitsyn and his family lived with us in Cavendish, Vermont. The
Solzhenitsyns were then, as they are now, good neighbors, respected and valued
members of our community.
While we are sad when residents choose to leave, we were
glad that Solzhenitsyn was able to return to his “motherland,” as he predicted
he would at our 1977 Cavendish Town Meeting. No matter how much our countryside
may have reminded him of Russia, and allowed him the time to write, it would
never compensate for the country he cared so deeply about.
Solzhenitsyn’s values were a good match for our Yankee way
of life-hard work and the ability to speak freely and openly, yet also
respectful of others and their privacy. While he learned from us how
grass-roots democracy works, we in turn were reminded of the importance of
providing sanctuary to those in need and the value of having courage and strong
beliefs.
Upon his departure, Solzhenitsyn left the town not only
autographed copies of his books, but more importantly, a homestead, which
allows his children to remain an integral and important part of our community.
The lessons he instilled in his sons are shared with us as we work together to
resolve the thorny issues of 21st-century life.
Every town needs a secret, such as the one we kept: “No
directions to the Solzhenitsyn’s home,” as it united us for a common good. We
still do not give out directions, but we do welcome visitors from around the
world.
On this the 100th birthday of Solzhenitsyn,the people of Cavendish extend our best
wishes to the people of his homeland.
On behalf of the people of Cavendish,
Margo Caulfield
Director, Cavendish Historical Society
Brendan McNamara
Cavendish Town Manager
ANNUAL APPEAL
November 23, 2018
Dear Friend:
What a year! We have greeted people from all over the
world at the Museum, while at the same time participating in international
conferences and responding to countless e-mails and calls relating to two
important anniversaries- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s100 birthday and 170years
since Phineas Gage’s accident.
As wonderful as all of this has been, we’re
particularly pleased to let people know that the Carmine Guica Young Historians
(CGYH) program is having an amazing effect. Not only does Cavendish have little
to no vandalism from teens, but we’re seeing real improvement in areas of town
where we’ve had students working. We’ve added new programs thanks to donors
support and we are now receiving requests for program expansion to match the
new formation of the Green Mountain Unified School District. This will be our goal
for the coming year.
We can’t do this without your help. You can play
an integral part by
• Donating to the annual appeal
campaign, specifying how you want your contribution to be used.
• Renewing your annual
membership.
• Volunteering to help with
our various programs, including CGYH
Wishing you a joyous holiday season, and a happy New
Year.
Sincerely,
Dan Churchill, President
Please send your tax-deductible donations to CHS, PO
Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142.
If
you have questions or wish to volunteer with CHS, please call 802-226-7807,
e-mail margocaulfield@icloud.com
As
part of the Cavendish Historical Society’s (CHS) Carmine Guica Young Historians
Program, on Dec. 21, CHS will spend the day atthe Cavendish Town Elementary School (CTES) teaching students through
workshops and “a taste of,” how Scandinavians (people from Sweden, Denmark and
Norway) helped to shape Cavendish.
Below
is A Cavendish Christmas, which is
based on the mill workers that came to Cavendish. Following the story is historical
information as well as directions to make some of the items described in the
story.
A Cavendish Christmas is dedicated to the memory
of Lillian C Spallone, a proud and active member of VASA and the mother of CTES
6th grade teacher Robin Bebo-Long.
A CAVENDISH CHRISTMASby Margo Caulfield
The falling snow swirled across the frozen
Black River reminding Ingrid of childhood Christmases in Sweden. This was going
to be her first Christmas away from her family, and while she was sad, there
was also the promise of something new and exciting.
As
she tried to catch snowflakes on her tongue, she thought how much her life had
changed in just a year. On Christmas Eve last year she was explaining to her
younger brothers about how the Yule Goat (a man wearing a goat mask) would soon
be coming with special presents for them. She missed her brothers and their
special holiday traditions, but there was now a man in her life and he had
promised to go to church with her.
Though
not a Lutheran Church, Ingrid liked the Cavendish Stone Church, as the locals
called it. It was a Universalist Church, but the minister was kind and
welcoming. Tonight there was to be a special Christmas Eve service.
In
early spring, Ingrid began the long journey from the family farm outside of
Stockholm to a promised job in America. Saying good-bye to her parents and five
younger siblings was very hard but they all believed she had a good future
across the ocean.
Crossing
the Atlantic had moments of exhilaration but more often it was tedious, tainted
with terror. The storms frightened her but by far the worst part was the lack
of food and water. Yes, the ships were suppose to carry seven pounds of food
per passenger per week, but given how meager the rations were, it was more like
seven pounds per four passengers. While she liked being on deck, breathing in the
smell of the ocean and feeling the salty spray on her face, she was very
relieved to step ashore in Canada.
From
there it was a long journey by train. She had planned on going to work in the
mills in Lowell, Ma, but another Swede she met on the train said he was going
to the Spring Mill in Cavendish, Vermont that was in desperate need of workers.
She
had never been bold and daring like her younger brothers and some of her
friends, yet for some reason, which she never could really explain to her
family, she disembarked at the Cavendish Depot and was immediately employed as
a “drawing in girl.”
Fitton Mill just before the Cavendish Gorge
Life
in a boarding house on the Fitton Mill property, so named after the owner, was
quite different than life in Sweden. Not only did she often work six days a
week, 12 hours a day, but she lived in a boarding house. The rooms were small,
just big enough for a double bed and a dresser, and she shared a bed with an
Irish mill worker. Since neither spoke the others language, the first few
months were a bit challenging, but as they learned English they found they had
much in common.
Brigid
was one of ten children, who grew up on a farm in County Cork. Ingrid came from
a farming community outside of Stockholm. Both had started weaving on their
mothers’ looms when they were quite young. They both loved to dance and enjoyed
the parties and gatherings organized by the housekeepers Mr. And Mrs. Barnett.
The
boarding house was three stories high, with the Barnetts and help living on the
first floor, and the men living on one floor and the women on another. Many of
the female workers came seasonally from surrounding towns, and were much younger
than their male counterparts, The men were almost all immigrants and generally
had “skilled” positions at the mill.
One
of the things that endeared the Barnetts to the boarding house occupants was
their friendly nature, and their encouragement to share the customs and
traditions of their homelands. Just a few weeks earlier, on Dec. 13, Ingrid had
celebrated St. Lucia’s Day.
St.
Lucia feast honors the saint, who, according to legend brought food and aid to Christians hiding in the catacombs using a
candle lit wreath to light her way, thereby leaving her hands free to carry as
much food as possible.
Brigid had helped Ingrid create a
wreath of candles for her to wear and together they baked the traditional
cookies and buns to serve to the other boarders.
Ingrid had shown the women in the
boarding house how to make the traditional red and white heart baskets. Given
the weaving and hand skills of the women, it wasn’t long before elaborate
patterns were being tried. Hearts appeared on the Christmas tree set up in the
common room, as well as on mantle pieces and in many other parts of the house.
The St. Lucia evening of song,
lights and goodies, served the same purpose as it did in Sweden, a bright spot
at the darkest time of the year. And there was more to look forward to as the Barnetts promised the
girls that the Christmas party, which would take place Christmas night, would
be filled with “music, mimickry, and games.”
Ingrid
could tell by the stars starting to appear that it would soon be time for
dinner and then the walk to church. She needed to get back to the boarding
house to complete one very important part of her Swedish Christmas traditions.
She had to take care of the Tomte.
Tomte
are Swedish gnome like creatures who are responsible for the protection and
welfare of the home and farm. Often described as an older, little man about the
size of a young child, he wears ragged clothes, usually gray or navy, and
sports a bright red cap on his head. Tomte require very little of the humans
they work for, only their respect and trust and a bowl of julegrøt (Christmas
porridge) with butter on Christmas Eve. Ingrid’s mother had taught her that the
spirits would not remain in a home where respect is lacking and thus the home
would be reduced to poverty.
As
a young child, Ingrid had lay in her bed on Christmas Eve and heard the Tome
eating his Christmas porridge. When she rushed into the kitchen to catch a
glimpse of him, the kitchen was empty but the porridge bowl was empty.
Ever
since, Ingrid made sure she made the Tomte’s porridge and left it where he
could easily get it. This year, she had talked to the Barnetts about the Tomte,
and while they seemed amused at her need to make the porridge, they suggested she
place the bowl on the dinning room table since people were generally not in
that room except for meals and he could eat undisturbed.
The
night was particularly cold and their breath hung in the air as they walked
down the road to the Stone Church. Jon had seemed very strange at dinner. He
hardly talked and would barely look at her. Had she done something wrong?
What
had started out as a day of such promise, was ending on a sad note for Ingrid. She
thought of Jon as someone more than just a friend from the “old country.”
Clearly she was wrong.
Before
going to bed, she checked to make sure the Christmas porridge was in place for
the Tomte, and then proceeded upstairs to her room, where Brigid was already
sleeping.
She
wanted to just cry but didn’t for fear of waking Brigid. It was with a lump in
her throat and teary eyes that she finally fell asleep.
The
next thing she new, the sun was streaming in her room and Brigid was shaking
her. “Wake up, wake up! You’ve got to go downstairs and see what that Tomte
did.”
“What
are you talking about?” said Ingrid. “An empty bowl is an empty bowl.”
Brigid
wasn’t going to take no for an answer regardless of how Ingrid protested, so it
wasn’t long before Ingrid was dressed and heading downstairs. There on the
dinning room table was the empty porridge bowl. Well it wasn’t exactly empty.
Yes, the porridge was gone but in its place something glittered.
Ingrid
was confused as Tomtes never left anything. In the empty bowl lay a shinning
simple ring, with a note Vill du gifta
dig med mig? (Will you marry me?) “A Tomte wants to marry me?” thought
Ingrid for a moment. Then she realized the note was from Jon.
Out
of the corner of her eye, she could see Jon standing in the doorway looking at
her. She immediately turned and said, “Yes!” He told her later that he didn’t
know how to ask her to marry him and it was really bothering him. When he saw
her leaving the bowl of porridge he had an idea,“I thought the Tomte could do the asking for
me,” he said.
There
was never a Christmas before or after, that was filled with such excitement,
sadness and ultimately joy.
Jon
and Ingrid were married in Cavendish in late winter. In the early summer, they boarded
a train and moved to Minnesota, where they would raise a family and every
Christmas, when they set out the bowl of Christmas porridge for the Totme, they
would retell their engagement story.
About this Story
Jon Larson/Lauren: While this is a work of
fiction, it is based on the life of Jon Larson who came to Cavendish to work in
the mills. His descendants contacted the Cavendish Historical Society the
summer of 2018 looking for information.
He
was part of a Swedish mill family and it appears he came to work in the Fitton
Mill most likely as a skilled operator. He was only in Cavendish a short while, just long
enough to meet and marry another Swedish mill worker. They left Cavendish and
moved to Minnesota. Larson’s name was Americanized along the way to Lauren.
Spring Mill, also called
Fitton’s Mill, started operation in 1867. Located on the Black River near the
Cavendish Gorge, it was the largest mill in the area, employing farmers and
their families, along with immigrants from England, Ireland, Sweden and Norway.
The Mill complex included tenement houses as well as a boarding house.
A short lived operation, the mill burned in 1875 and when two other Fitton
buildings burned later, it was suspected that the mill owner, Robert Fitton,
had committed arson to collect the insurance. According to the New York Times,
Oct. 23, 1875, “The failure of Robert Fitton, woolen manufacturer, proprietor
of the Spring Mills at Cavendish, Vt., is occasioning no little excitement in
the wool trade of this city. His Boston indebtedness is quite large, the result
mainly of purchases of wool in this market. The total liabilities are about
$140,000.”
Cavendish Stone Church: Built in
1844, the abolitionist Rev. Warren Skinner, laid the corner stone and preached
the first sermon at the Cavendish Universalist Church. The church was
decommissioned in 1966 and was leased to CHS in 1971. In 2013 the church was
deeded to the town of Cavendish, and leased to CHS. It is the future home of
the Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn permanent exhibit and is currently being renovated.
Boarding Houses: In order
to attract workers, particularly farm girls, mills would operate boarding
houses that were run by housekeepers. As noted in the story, the single girls
would live on one floor, single men on another, while the first floor, would
include a common area, kitchen dinning room, and living quarters for the
housekeepers and other help. It was in the mill owner’s best interest to run a
good boarding house so farmers would trust that their daughters would be safe.
According to the Cavendish registry from the 1870s, there was more than one
marriage between mill workers, including one between a Norwegian “mill
operator” and a local Cavendish woman.
Woven Heart Baskets: The classic red and white
woven heart baskets are very popular throughout Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The
origins of the heart basket are unknown but by 1860, the famous Danish writer,
Hans Christian Anderson, was making them and it wasn’t long before they spread
throughout Scandinavia. This is a good website for template and directions for
making a woven heart.
Yule Goat: To celebrate the winter
solstice, for hundreds of years, people in
northern Europe had big festivals called Yule. Those traditions became part of
Christmas celebrations in places like Sweden. One of those traditions was the
Yule goat. In Sweden, as part of an ancient midwinter celebration called the
juleoffer (“Yule sacrifice”), a man dressed in goatskins and carrying a
goat-head effigy portrayed one of Thor’s goats. He was symbolically killed but
returned to life exactly as the sun does at Yule. Through the years, the Yule
goat became a benevolent being, and people dressed as the Christmas julbock
traveled door-to-door distributing small gifts to the families they visited.
Today throughout Scandinavia, the Yule goat is made of straw and adorns many
Christmas trees. There is even one town in Sweden, Gavle, where a town
celebrates the start of the Christmas season by putting up a giant straw statue
of a goat. Then they wait—and sometimes even bet—on whether the goat will make
it to Christmas, since every year someone tries to burn down the goat. In the
past 50 years, the Gävle Yule goat has been destroyed 35 times!
