Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-01-19
Correspondence.
WoIcott.

OF town or Nlia5e axe picas4h5 " ~
reader at the time OF publication, and
more entertaining and useful to the read
er in future time. They also aid in Civ
ing an agreeable variety to the newspaper
press, and the press preserves them for
the use of the future historian. There
fore / indite for the Lamoille Newsdealer
and the public brief sketch of the chief
village of Wolcott in Vermont.
The beautiful Iiamoille river, meander-
ing in its narrow valley between the hills
and mountains, in some places impinged
and nearly interrupted by them, in others
adorning spacious intervales, pursues its
westward course through the township of
Wolcott, wherein it receives several Of its
chief afiiuents. WoIcott is six miles
square, and was granted Nov. I, 1880
and chartered to Joshua Stanton and 9TH
ers August 20, 1881, and began to be
settled April 8, 1889.
Hyde Park Is the next township down
the river, and John McDaniels with his
family CAME from Mortified, N. H., and
began the settlement Of it July 4, 1887.
Seth IIubbell and his wife and FIVE
young children, all daughters, came from
Norwalk, CT. in February, with yoke Of
oxen and horse, and, from tho failure Of
one Of the oxen, they had tedious and
toilsome journey, and ultimately arrived
at John McDaniels, and Thomas Taylor
and lis wife and two young children came
with them. The distance to where they
were going in Wolcott, by marked trees,
was eight miles; and thither Mr.. and
Mrs. Taylor went on foot. taking their
children with them, April 8, 1889. The
next day, Mr.. and Mrs. Hubbell went on
snow shoes to the same place, the two
elder Of their daughters walking behind
them on the. snow-shoe tracks. This was
tho first settlement in Wolcott; and ex.
cept McDaniels, the nearest neighbor was
eighteen miles off to the eastward with no
road but marked trees. And for few
years there were times when these adVon-
turous pioneers could take their choice of
only two things: back their meal and
meat eight miles Or starve! These and
other early settlers Of this picturesque
valley submitted to privations and endur-
cd hardship that the present inhabitants,
with their smooth roads, glittering coach
eg, and pictured parlors, cannot appreciate.
The moHotony Of the daily life Of the
early settlers in the profound forest was
sometimes varied by the silent and un-
expected but welcome presence of Joe
and Molly the Indians, who, in the troub-
lous times of The Revolution, were the
friends Of OR government and people, and
who in their wandering life have had
temPoparyabode IN various places in the
valley of the Lamoilc.
The township Of Wolcott contained 80
inhabitants in 1871, At in 1900, and
l16l in ls60. The public cemetery is
between the two river villages and con-
tains about 1863 graves, with 10 inscribed
headstones and pillars, mostly Of marble.
There are oihcr cemeteries and another
village in the township.
The village of Wolcott in April, 1868,
which is tap date of all that follows
consisted Of about forty-four buildings ex-
elusive of bans, standing along the La
noble River nearly mile, three of them
being on the lslt-hand side and the Others
on the right-hand, and they are all made
of wood and nearly all painted. Beside
these, it comprises two river bridges, a
schocl-house, two churches, minister Of
the Gospel, who is a trustee of Vermont
University, two physicians and surgeons,
a lawyer, a post-olficc, hotel, two stores
in general trade, u grocery-storo, two
millinery and dress stores, tin-ware shop
and store, grain-rnill with four runs and
corn-crackcr, a saw-mill with planer, a
cabnctware-shop, a carriage and sleigh
shop, two blacksmith shops, starch-fac-
tory, a boot and shoe-shop, harness
shop, house sign and decorative painter.
About mile up the river is another
village of about thirty buildings, exclud-
ing barns, comprising a river bridge, a
church, the Office and factories of Hone
and Box Manufacturing Company, saw
mill, blaoksmith-shop. This church is
open for public worship every Saturday,
instead of Sunday. The minister Of it be-
longs in town, but is sojourning at n.y.
gienic institute.
OF the natural sources of wealth in the
State, the gritstone of Wolcott, when
manufactured, is Of great value and it
is understood that there are but few
manufactures Of turned wood boxes in
the world, that make SO many as are made
here. The existence Of the stone was
known to the early settlers, who some-