Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1869-02-09
Business n Burlington.

ing "the Railroad hub" of Northern
Vermont, and delights to refer to the
extent of its butter and produce mar
kets. Burlington takes equal pride in
its commerce, trade and manufactures.
No one will deny that 1t. Adams owes
its greatness and chief Importance to
the introduction of Railroads, while on
the other hand, burlington was not
benefited by the extension of the roads
to this place, Notwithstanding the
wealthiest business houses had freely
put in their money 10 accomplish the
object. The northern and north eastern
trade, which had previously sought an
outlet by water at this point, was inter
rupted by the Railroads and became dis
tributed along the line of the roads, in
other parts of the State.
Being disappointed in the influence
which the Railroads were exercising
over Burlington, the business men, es-
pecially the younger pCrtion conceived
the idea of creating manufacturing i'll
terest ut home, which resulted in the
building ofthe "Pioneer shop" in 1857
This shop, as many of your readers are
aware, was built of brick near the Yer
mont Central Railroad track and lake
shore where the present one now stands
was 400 feet in length by 80 wide and
four stories high. 1t cost something
over $50, 900, which stock was subscribed
by the citizens of Burlington, generally,
and the following were the officers ofthc
company II. =. Hickok, President ;
f. r. Fletcher, Nice-President; 7. f.
Wales, Secretary and Treasurer and
with Moirillo Noyes, Ed. w. Peck and
Frederick Smith, tiey were the direc-
tors.
1t would lie difficult to ascertain who
first originated the enterprise, but to
II. p. Hickok and Frederick Smith,
must be given the credit of being its
warmest friends they circulated the
books and procured the subscriptions.
The opening of this shop invited manu-
facturers, and in short time the build
ing was filled with the hum of saws,
buzz of lathes, the noise Of planning
machines and machinery generally,
throughout. The building was burned
on the morning of EAST Day" 1858,
having run about six years, during
which time it had returned nothing to
the stockholders, and the capatal of
$4,000 was consumed ia the conflagra-
ton. This was great loss to Burling-
ton, yet the city owes it present prosper
ity to the building of that shop, more
than to any other cause
The first lumber yard of any conse-
quence, was established in this city in
1850, by l.. G. Bigelow, Esq, which
business was continued by the firm OF
Of Bigelow & Peterson for about six
years afterwards. Messrs. c. Blodgett
l. Son commenced the lumber business
here in 1854, the Hunterstown Lumber
Company in 1872, l.. Barnes e. Co., in
1856, and Flint & Ha at later date.
The most extensive business has been
done by l.. Barnes & Co. Mr.. Barnes
was the first to introduce the planning
and matching of boards lto the lumber
business at this point, and was using a
portion Of the old "Pioneer Shop fol-
that purpose at the time it was burned
down.
When the shop was burned Mr.
Barnes was anything but wealthy
man, yet he proposed to rebuild it, if the
people of Burlington would furnish him
with $4,000 gratuitously, which sum
was raised through great effort, and was
thrown upon the waters in this manner
1t will be remembered that this was
during the revulsion of 1867 and 1858
and nothing but the greatest desire o.
the citizens to encourage business thai
the town might be rewarded, could have
induced them to have raised the money
This is an example which might bt
profitably followed by almost every vii
lage in Vermont.
Messrs. Barnes & Co. continued to oc
cupy the new shops to considerable ex
tent, for the purpose addressing lumber
until last summer, when it was sold b.
them to DIR. s. b. Nichols, and Messrs
Barnes & Co. built them new plan
ing-mill at the foot of College and MaiI
Streets at cost of about 100000. Thi
mill is near the Vermont Central de
pot as most of your readers are aware
and is probably the grandest buildin,
for the purpose, in New England.
The lumber business of burlington i
immense. Mr.. Barnes, among other
connected with it, has been prospered
and he has returned the IS, 900 donate
him to rebuild the shop to the Univei
sity, and has been very munificent il
his gifts to the library of the YOun