The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1866-12-07
History OF st. Adams.
Uy nm old Resident.
PART III.
THE OLD EASTWOOD JAZZ.


organized, in 1898, the question arose
about the location of the County build
ings. There seems to have been no
controversy in what town they should
be erected. The only question made
by the people of the County was
whether they should be located at the
Bay or in the centre of the town
where they now are. 1t was deter
mined by the Legislature, in accord
ance with the report and recommen-
dation Of committee that the build
ings should be located at the latter
place. The Court House was built ON
/ the spot where it now stands, on lot
Of land granted to the County for that
purpose But for two or three years
previously TO the erection Of the Court
House, the Sessions OF the Courf were
held at the private dwellings of the
inhabitants, or more commonly at n
public Inn. The first Jail was built on
the East side of large house, then
owned and occupied by Col. Holloway
Taylor. He afterwards sold it to
Isaiah Thomas, and it was afterwards
called the Simmons House, after the
name of his Son-in-law, DIR. Simmons
This house stood on the spot where
the Congregational Church now
stands This prison was attached to
the Simmons house, where the jailor
resided. 1t appears to have been a
mere temporary structure, for it was
not long after, before another one was
built Mt the North end Of the Common,
near the spot where the Weldon House
now stands This jail was construct
ed Of Eastwood logs for its exterior,
and for long time it was called the
old basswood jail There are certain
"reminiscences respecting this Jail
which may be as well mentioned here.
1t probably had as many names as
had the famous wooden horse that
was constructed by the willy Greeks to
facilitate the conquest of old Troy. 1t
was called the jail, the prison, the
Eastwood jug, the blockhouse, the
black hole, the castle, according as
men felt disposed to speak respectful
~ or derisively or ironically Of the
structure. BY one very grave person
age, who was supposed to be a lineal
descendant of the Lord ofsome anc ent
castle in Scotland, it was called the
Donion Keep; but whether in good
faith or in irony is not certainly known.
In these latter days when scepticism
assumes all sorts of forms, some very
sage persons, in limitation of certain
German rationalists, who pretend to
believe that Christianity has no better
foundation than myths and fables,
have insinuated that the Eastwood jail
has no historical existence. But we
can assure the reader it was no myth,
but real thing IN Sodium, built by
the skiliful workmen of those DAYS,
out of the noble trees that surrounded
the spot where it stood, and that the
traditionary accounts respecting its
inmates, and all that they did, while
in durance vile, are real historical
events. 1t probably never was a very
secure place for the keeping of prison
ers, and was principally used for the
imprisonment of debtors. Many
strange stories are told about volun-
tary and involuntary escapes from this
Jail, and the voluntary return of the
prisoners to avoluutary Imprisonment.
On one remarkable occasion, when the
prison was somewhat crowded with
debtors, who were on a sudden emer-
gency committed on what was called
close hoie erecui0ns,--a case which of
ten occurred in those days,-a plan
was contrived by the insiders and GER
tain outsiders, to let loose the whole
of the imprisoned multitude. On
certain night agreed on ty the con-
spirators, some formidable implements
were procured by the outsiders, and
among other things, if tradition speaks
true, huge blunderbus These pom.
derous weapons were brought to bear
on the Eastwood structure somewhat
in the fashion adopted by the ancient
Greeks in the use of their battering
rams and catapults against the be-
leagured strong holds of their enemy.
After sundry tremendous and well di-
rected blows on the wooden walls of
this famous fabric, with these formid-
able weapons, which made the struc-
ture tremble to its very foundation,
the assailants effected breach near
one of its angles, through which forth
with issued the motley multitude Of
imprigOnQd yarlpts who IL nunet he