Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-07-07
The Sr. JoHsspuRY HIsroRIcAL MEET


within 81 miles of lake Willoughby, and
"A miles Of Newport, at the head of lake
Memphramagog, The Connecticut and
Passumpsic railroad extends to Newport,
and steamboat daily runs down and
up the lake, distance of 80 miles, more |
than two thirds OF which is in Canada.
st. Johnsbury, with population of |
1000 has several villages, the chief of |
which contains about 1000 persons, and
has an unusual variety of surface, offer
ing well-improved facilities for the grad
ing and ornamentation Of hill, slope and
terrace. The cedar tree for arbor and
hedge abounds, but perhaps the tree
most worthy of regard is the Norway
spruce, with its dark hue so indicative
of orthodox responsibility, its dense, i'm
penetrable foliage, and its surprising
uniformity, looking for many length
ening rod like soldiers in single array.
The native double spruce, about equal to
the Norway, is said to flourish there
am not familiar with it in our county.
The earth, all along the route east of
the mountains was suffering from the
drought--the grass often yellowish and
almost always short.
The village has several libraries con-
tanning two or three thousand volumes;
one library belonged to the employees
OF the Scale Factory, one to the Fire
Engine company one to the Ladies's Lii
brary Association. There are one or
two more, Col. Franklin Fairbanks has
an attractive cabinet, not large but val
liable, of minerals, stuffed birds, insects
and miscellaneous curiosities, not for
getting the rosebush plucked from the
walls of the Alhambra.
The village has, what is rare in Yer
, mont village of its size, two Congrega-
tional churches and no Episcopal church.
The chief business of the place is fur
nished by the Scale Factory of Messrs.
Erastus and Thaddeus Fairbanks, the
first of whom is said to take care of the
| financial affairs and the latter to furnish
the mechanical genius of the concern
Nearly 400 persons are employed in and
about the works, and for the last six
months, nearly twelve tons of iron are
melted daily; they also making their
own brass from copper and zinc.
But as our excuse for visiting the
place was to attend the Summer meeting
! - In lItp+nrinal Gnaiatu wa
leave the village, with the parting re-
mark that its buildings and grounds in
general were neat, tidy and fresh in
paint, and some of its residences of
marked beauty and eligibility, and its
| citizens whom we met courteous and
wide awake. almost forgot to mention
its spacious, tasteful new Court House,
costing S23, 900, of which the town paid
$4,000 for very good Town Hall there
in The Court House / think, all in all,
the best in the state.
| The session of the Historical Society
was held in the North church-began
Wednesday forenoon, Goth June,-Gov,
Fairbanks greeting the Society with APP
propriate and courteous welcome. Gov
Hall replying in behalf of the Society
briefly and pertinently, then read pa
per sketching the objects and history OF
the Society, with cursory notices of the
Vermont historians. and the Importance
of preserving our state history. The
; Rev. Pliny II. White of Coventry, fol
lowed with a biographical notice Of Mr.
Arnold, the first white settler in St
f Johnsbury, who drafted in the Rhode
Island legislature the act separating
that colony from Great Britain, two
months before the Declaration of indie
pendence by Congress.
The afternoon exercises consisted o.
the reading of two papers by Messrs
Henry Hall of Rutland, and - butcher
of St. Adams. The former read from 6
paper called "The Advent of the Anglo
, Saxon" describing the more noticeable
} events in the colonization of this portion
of the country, and the scouting parties
, and Indian captives passing through
Rutland previous to the issuing of it,
charter. Mr. butcher read his paper OF
"June training and militia musters,
which has caused much jollity wherevel
read.
In the evening. DR.. Taylor of Andover
Mass, read lengthy but very attractiv,
paper, descriptive of his late brother-in
, law, Joseph R. Fairbanks of st. Johns
bury, who, if correctly portrayed b.
him, must have been rare christian
r philanthropist and gentleman.
Thursdays exercises were as follows
. in the afternoon the Rev. Mr.. Hall 0
= Bennington, re-read his biography o
e Gov. Crafts, whom he zealously eulogis
: ed, and the Rev. Mr.. Goodwillie OF Bar
net, read sketch very interesting bu
scarcely complete, of the old ScotchmaI
John Whitelaw, the second Surveys
General of Vermont.
In the evening the Rev, p. III. Whit