Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1865-12-27
Township Correspondence
VERNON.

Dec. 18th, 1865.
Mr.. EDITOR Agreeable to invitation
in CHRONICLE of the cd ult., I have sat
down to try to give you a faint view of
our Centre Green, of about one acre, and
its surroundings; for there is nothing on
it row but a leaning guide post, just able
to tell by its faded fingers which way the
roads run. On the west centre of the
green stands our Brick Church, built
about forty years ago; for twenty years it
has threatened to fall, as its east end
bulges out about a foot. But all agree,
that have passed its windows, that the
damage was not occasioned by want of
ventilation. Attached to it is a sorry
horse shed, occupied by a few horses,
about twenty-six days in the year, the
rest of the time by street cattle, which
are numerous, and no one for ten years,
has taken the responsibility to clean the
place up. How it looks about the church
in the wet season! Close by, on the
south, lives H. Flowers, a leading man in
town and church. His house was built
about fifty years ago, has been remodled
and altered many times. On the south
west corner lives I. Hooff, our celebrated
horse-shoer, in a neat substantial building,
partaking more of modern than ancient
style. A little east on the south line
stands our school house and as it looks
ike most others 1 shall pass it by. A lit
tie further east is our Town Hall, built by
W. Henry of this place. huff sed"-I
On the south east corner was a hay scale
and and an oil well. Rotton plank and
timber fill the hole of the hay scale now,
the well did not flow to suit, so the COM
pany are sinking an other close by. Close
by, on the north line is a house and barn
that have been rented till they have as
sumed a threatening position. A little
north, and on the centre, is a vacant
store; it is a good building, shows but few
slight marks of decay, except that its
chimney has topled over and the brick
lie where they fell years ago. The owner,
Ia retired merchant,) lives a little east
out of my ring; though the store is emp
ty, his safe is full. Ihave been told, when
a little girl, that when he came to this
place fifty years ago. from Connecticut, he
brought with him a quantity of whet-
stones so large that they admitted of be-
ing split in two.
The entire north side of the green is &C.
cupied by a widow lady and family who
'squatted' there about ten years ago, on a
property that no one has laid claim to for
twenty-five years. The buildings are of
the real tumble-down kind, all agree that
but few repairs have been made on them
since they were built sixty years ago
The old lady considers herself established
and her old rickety loom seems to keep
the wolf at bay. On the green, about six
rods apart, are two cavities where a long
and short pole stood for two years of the
war displaying their handsome flags for a
short time, but the flag of the short pole
has a long tail attached to it and l would
not kindle a fame that seems to slum-
Der now.
On a pleasant afternoon last week, I
took 3 ramble across the fields in search
of material for a different subject, bat
was brought up short in my reverie by
finding a nice bed Of wintergreen ber-
ries, and when 1 had gathered enough
for myself, and all the rest, the sun had
sunk behind a crimson cloud that threw
a faint glow DER my pathway home that
l viii tell you about some time, if per-
mitted to use a little seasoning. H.