THE SCRIBBLER II
The Cavendish Historical Society Newsletter
www.cavendishhistoricalsocietynews.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/PhineasGageCavendish
www.pinterest.com/cavendishvt/historical-cavendish/
www.thewriterwhochangedhistory.com
PO Box 472 Cavendish, VT 05142
802-226-7807 margocaulfield@icloud.com
Winter 2023 Vol. 17, Issue 1
UPCOMING EVENTS
May 26 (Friday): Early bird plant sale, 5-7 pm in front of the Museum
May 27 (Saturday): Plant Sale 9-noon in front of the Museum
May 28 (Sunday): Museum opens for the season, 2-4 pm
June 17 (Saturday): Cavendish Village Ghost Walk, Meet at the Museum at 8 pm, wear comfortable shoes and bring a flashlight
July 29 (Saturday): Town Wide Tag Sale. The Cavendish Historical Society (CHS) booth will be at the Gazebo on the Proctorsville Green.
Sept.10 (Sunday): Annual Phineas Gage Walk & Talk, 2pm begins at the Museum with the talk. It’s about ¾ of a mile to the accident site. Please wear comfortable shoes.
Oct. 8 (Sunday): Last day Museum is open
More programs will be added through the season. The CHS Museum is open on Sundays from Memorial Weekend through Indigenous Peoples’ Weekend from 2-4 pm. Other times for visits can be arranged by using the contact information above.
REMEMBERING DAN CHURCHILL
It is with sadness that we report the passing of CHS president and treasurer Daniel (Dan) Churchill.
Born and raised in Proctorsville, at the age of 14 Dan became a “teenage pharmacist.” He worked for the Pollard’s store, until 1964, coming home on weekends from college to fill and compound prescriptions. While he would have liked to make pharmacy his career, the family finances were such that he focused on his second love, electricity.
Dan talked of his fascination as a child, and how he followed the technician from room to room as his parents’ home was being wired for electricity. Like many of his age, he built his first radio-a crystal set. Working for General Radio for four years while studying at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, this led to his being an engineer at RCA for 25 years.
In 1970, he started the business Commercial Radio Company to provide specialized expertise to companies, universities, and individuals in need of service for radio transmitters and other apparatus. Purchasing the old Duttonsville School in Cavendish, he refurbished the building to be his home and business.
Upon returning to Cavendish, Dan became very involved in a variety of civic duties, including being a member of the Cavendish Select Board, Planning Commission, Board of Civil Authorities, as well as the town’s representative on the boards of the Black River Senior Center and the area Agency on Aging. He was one of the founding members of CHS, as well as a member of the Masons.
One of Dan’s great interests was dowsing and spiritual healing. He attended classes at Lily Dale and was a member of the American Society of Dowsers. Dan often did readings for community members and around the state.
A man with many talents and interests, one person described Dan as a “one of a kind eccentric genius and very kind.”
His memorial will be Sunday, June 4 at his home/business. The family requests donations be made to the Cavendish Historical Society, PO Box 472, Cavendish VT 05142.
Our condolences to his daughter Centura, his brother Winston and to his nephews, their children and to his many friends.
NEW FOR WINTER 2023/ Fireside history chats
In response to various people asking if we’d repeat different talks/programs at times that were better suited for them, CHS is introducing “Fireside History Chats” this winter. You pick the topic, the time and the place. Invite up to 10 other people, and CHS will bring the program to you, provided it’s within the Okemo Valley. It can be at someone’s home or a central meeting place.
While we can arrange for a particular topic, some talks you might be interested in include:
• Captive Johnson: The story behind “Calico Captive”
• Reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn: Pick a book, prose poems etc.
• “Columbian Exchange,” refers to the transfer of plants, animals, precious metals, commodities, culture, human populations, technology, disease and ideas between the Americas and Afro-Eurasia after 1492.
• Phineas Gage
• The eerie side of Cavendish
• The first peoples of Cavendish
We’re happy to run these talks year round if there is interest. What’s not to like about bonfire history chats?
BICENTENNIAL JEEP TOUR 1975: Part 1
This winter we’re doing a major inventory and assessment of CHS’s archives. We’re finding all sorts of treasures. One such find is the “Bicentennial Jeep Ride 1975.” According to Sandy Stearns, author of Cavendish Hillside Farm 1939-1957, there was a committee of eight people working on the Jeep Ride. She thought they ended up doing about four or five of the rides, though she had never been on one. These events were often followed by a Chicken Pie Supper at the Cavendish Baptist Church.
We have what appears to be drafts of the tour, with a variety of notations about what should be included or left out. As Sandy noted, there was probably a fair amount of disagreement about certain spots and information being included.
We’ve spent some time trying to learn more about the tour itself, as well as the “spots” listed. Along with the various books and booklets that CHS has published, we were pleased to find that Howard (Speedy) Merritt’s project that built on the information contained in CHS’s “Cavendish Heritage and Homes,” and the 1973 Historical Survey by the State of Vermont, is available on-line.
Below, in bold, are the stops/directions, followed by current information. It appears that there would be a stop and various places would be discussed. For example, the tour would have parked on the Cavendish Gulf Rd and participants would have walked down to see where the Fittonsville Mill once stood and continued on the path to see the Gorge. The tour, as drafted with 51 spots, was a solid afternoon of exploring.
Because of the length of the draft tour, we only have space to do the first page and will include the remainder in the spring edition of the Scribbler II. We will consolidate this into a PDF format for summer bike rides, hikes or “Jeeps.” If it’s of interest, CHS would be happy to hold a “jeep tour” this summer.
If you have information about the tours, please forward to CHS using the contact information on the first page of the newsletter.
Start: Cavendish Museum 1833 1st Baptist Church; Town Hall 1875-1960: The building burned in 1875, just after a major renovation. The Baptist Church relocated and the town purchased the building for $500.
Turn right out of the Museum and head East on 131 where the following were located:
1. First Cavendish Academy 1792-1813: Was a store for many years. Located on the corner of 131 and High St. Currently for sale.
2. Old Stone Mill 1832: Gay’’s Mill 1886 (The Gay Brothers operated a Mill there until 1951 when it was sold to F.C. Hyuck and Sons, which renamed it “Kenwood Mills.” Operational until 1958, the building was purchased by Mack Molding in 1961.
3. Store-George Franklin Davis & Daniel H. Wheeler 1844 Now Health Clinic Located on 131 facing Mill St. The store was built in 1839; became a drug store in 1870; and sold in 1891. By 1902 it was known as the Eliot Hotel, which burned in 1908. A boarding house in 1912, it was purchased by the Gays and used initially for storage. In 1928 Leased as the Cavendish Inn, it operated for the next 20 years catering to Mill workers and teachers. In 1956, Kenwood Mills donated the stone building to create the Black River Health Center. From 1957-1988, Dr. Eugene Bont was the family physician for the area. While various primary care practices were attempted, it has never again served as a health center.
4. Dutton House 1782-was taken to Shelburne Museum in 1950: Marker on town green notes where the house once stood.
5. Store-Robbins & White—on left corner 1815 (Otis Robbins)
6. Store Ava Pierce Alvah Pierce took over Robbins store on the corner of 131 and Mill St.
7. Fittonsville 1869 Woolen Mill: This is accessed by taking the left hand path by the railroad tracks. The area contains stone walls and the cellar hole for the boarding house
8. Cavendish Gorge: Just beyond the old Fittonsville Mill site. This was at one time a popular place to hike and picnic. The land is now owned by Green Mountain Power.
9. Dutton Hill-Green Mountain Turnpike Road. Toll Road from Boston 180: Follows the Cavendish Gulf Rd.
The tour then heads to Proctorsville, most likely via the Proctor/Piper Rd
10. Proctor-Piper Boy Scout Campgrounds: Same area as the old CCC campground, located off the Proctor Piper Rd. There is a parking lot at the Pratt Hill trail head making it possible to hike from Proctorsville to the Cavendish Water Tower and to see the remains of the CCC camps.
11. Gun Shop-where Grace cook lived-Amasa Piper: 145 Depot St. Amasa Piper was the name of the gunsmith.
12. Woolen Mill -Hayward, Taft & Co. 1836 Over the years has had various owners and uses, with the last being Proctor Reel. A fire in 1982 resulted in part of the area becoming the Proctorsville Green, (Svec Park), Murdock’s Restaurant and Outer Limits Brewery.
13. Eagle Hotel: Located on 131 facing Depot St., the building has been modified for many uses over the years. The main building still stands and is home to the Village Clipper and multiple apartments.
14. Store-Abel Gilson & William Smith 1844—later Pollard Bros.: On the corner of Depot St. and Rt 131, the Pollard Store closed in 1964. It was the home of various bakeries-Baba Lou’s and Crows Corner. Today it is the site of DG Body Works
15. First Proctorsville School 1830 Mary Parker Emerson Benoit: A number of homes and the old school were removed to build the current Cavendish Town Elementary School on Rt 131
16. Proctor House-Donald Goodrich ca 1790: The first home built by Capt. Leonard Proctor. The house stood where the present highway runs. Part of the house was moved, and then torn down to make way for the elementary school. The remaining part of the house was moved to the current location and became known as the Page House. CHS “Heritage and Homes.”
17. Methodist Church Parsonage-First Jail Kept there: This became a private home, which was destroyed by fire in 2014. The grounds were turned into a school parking lot and park. It’s home to the Gene Bont Memorial Garden
18. Jenne House 1787: Next to the school park on 131, the “Sunset Tavern” as it was fist called, later the “Town House” or the “Jenne House,” this Georgian style home was built in 1787 by Capt. Proctor. He spent the last 30 years of his life and died there in 1827. CHS “Heritage and Homes.”
19. Zaccheus Blood Saddlery shop-brick house on High Street Corner: High St. is now called Maple St. The brick house still stands and is a private home.
20. Old Brick Steamer Coffin Shop: Located on Route 131, the house is one of the few with no yard. It is currently a family home.
21. Store-William Smith-early 1840 Grange Hall Corner Twenty Mile Stream: No longer the Grange Hall, the building has been converted into apartments.
The tour turns on to Twenty Mile Stream (TMS) with various locations either on Twenty Mile Stream or just off of it.
22. Marble Quarry Verde Antique Green-Boston Post Office: Located off of Quarry Rd., this quarry has provided the marble for various buildings, including the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
23. Stone House built by Zephanish Ordway in 1850s (on left) & 24. Stone House built by David Ordway in __. He had a grist mill and Otis Spaulding had a blacksmith shop on this road. To the left was an old road that came out by the Ludlow Fairgrounds. Interestingly, number 24 was marked as “leave out.” Located at 1902 Twenty Mile Stream. CHS “Heritage and Homes.”
25. The next place was a Tavern 1811-known as the Haven Place. Then Parker Green built the next house. An old cheese factory was up soon: This would be in the area near the TMS Cemetery.
26. TMS Cemetery—David Ordway Monument.—had funeral sermon preached ten years before he died.
BECOME A MEMBER, RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP, DONATE
If you have not joined the Cavendish Historical Society, need to renew your membership, and/or would like to be a volunteer, please complete the form below and sending a check, payable to CHS, to CHS, PO Box 472, Cavendish, VT 05142. All contributions are tax deductible.
Name: _______________________________________
Address: _______________________________________________
Phone Number: _____________________ E-Mail: ____________________________
Membership Level
__ Individual Member $10 __ Senior Member 65+ $5 __ Sustaining Member $500
__ Household Member $15 ___ Contributing Member $250
Volunteer
___ I would be interested in serving, as a volunteer .I would be interested in serving on the following committee(s):__ Program Planning __ Fundraising __ Building (Museum)
__Archives _ Budget –– Cemetery __ Carmine Guica Young Historians
Donations are always welcome and can be designated as follows:
__ For general purposes __ Young Historians __Publications
__ Archaeological Activities _ Museum & Archival __ Special Events
__ Rankin Fund __ Williams Fund __ Solzhenitsyn Project
__ Other (please specify) __ Cemetery Restoration __ Preservation Projects
No comments:
Post a Comment