The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-02-08
THE Old PAVILION AT MONT
PELIER.
Farewell Suppcr-HistOric Mention
Pleasant "Reminiscences. d..

-FteHsunt "reminiscences.
Montpelier is soon 10 have a new hotel
and to make room for Il that old, familiar
landmark of nearly three quarters of
ccntury's age, known as the Pavilion" is
to be demolished. Wednesday evening
the last supper and dance took place, and
and was largely attended by the old and
young of the capital, and no doubt was
thought Of by some hundreds of others, all
over the state to whom that hostclrie has
afforded slAter. Among those present
were DR.. j. Y. Dewey, Col. +. p. Jewet,
Homer W. lIeaton, james r. Thurston,
Geo. C. Shepard, NJ D. Gilman, Charles
Dewey, joel Foster, and many other lead
ing men of Montpelier, besides nearly all
the young blood and enterprise, like
Theron o. Bailey, j. w. Brock, l.. Bart
Cross, etc., to whom the public are now
locking for the capital and energy to sup
plant the.oll with new. Pavilion that
shall be worthy of the capital of Vermont.
The dancing was in the legislative dining
hall and the supper in the other The hos
ptality of Aldrich IL Coffey, the propri
etors, would have done credit to the palm
lest days of the house and the hilarty of
the occasion lacked nothng--not even the
od-fashOned flip iron and mug-tO make
each guest feel GLORIOUS We dare say
there's many an old solourner who lemenl-
bers how, IN years long past, the worthy
| burghels used to gather about the old fire
place and indulge flip and politics to the
late hours of the night. The way they
made flip was to half fill mug with home
| brewed beer, swceten, pour in an even gill
of Santa Cruz rum, and then thrust in "A red
hot iron from the fireplace until it foamed
to the brm and was ready for drinking. 1t
was less harmful than most other intoxi-
cants and was decidedly social.
| The Pavilion was erected in 1918 by
| Thomas Davis, son of the first settler of
| the town and father of Mr.. Arson Davis,
who NOW resides there 1t stood upon a
lutte knoll, ten feet higher than the street,
which has since been filled in. The legis-
lature had voted, at Danville, in 1906, to
permanently locate the capital at Montpe-
ler, on condition that the town or it's in
hnbitanls should pay the bills, and Mr..
Davis gave the land. The new state house
and Davis tavern, or the Montpelier
tavern, as some called it, were first occu-
pied at the October session in 1903. The
hotel was then very much shorter than now
and had a flat roof Mr.. Davis kept il until
1919 or 1920 and then, for three years,
| owing to his mlsfortunes, the title was in
others than the keepers. 1t was then sold
to Solomon Mann, who kept it short time
and was succeeded by his son George s.
Again its title passed into the hands OF
outsiders, but in 1927 it was sold to the fa-
nous Mahlon Cottrell who came from
Middlebury, and to Ira Day of Barre. They
were partners till 1876, when Cottrell be.
came sole proprietor and kept ii until 1856
Colonel Levi Boutwell, then bought in. re-
moving from Chelsea, kept it until 1866
then leased it to Dunton Brothers (who
were brothers to our noted eating-housC
NAM returned to it after two or three
years, and again leased it foi five years, in
1870, to Aldrich Il Hersey, the former OF
whom is one of the present firm. 1t is still
owned by Col. Boutwells estate, or posi-
bly, the sale to the new cOmpany--of whom
I. o. Bailey is the leading man-has re-
Gently been made.
When Mr.. Cottrell became landlord he
enlarged and improved the house in many
|
place in Vermont Nine stage lines con-
verged at Montpelier aud he was the prn
| cipal proprietor in most of them. rhry
ran elegant six-horsc coaches, and, with
relays of horses each ten or twelve miles,
got over the ground with some speed The
route between Montpelier and Burlington
required 1874 horses. The hotel business
was brisk-as many. as rs beds being occu-
pied nightly at the Pavilion-which, by
the way, was given that name by Mr.. Cot.
trell. Those beds were made up by one
girl, now Mrs Robert llargn of Montpe.
lier, and another girl waited on the
tables. They were paid a dollar each pei
week, and the meat cook a dollar and q
half Board during the session used to be
two dollars a week. The sales of liouoi
were immense. Sometimes, on election
day, nearly IA hogshead of rum would be
swallowed.
Mr.. Cottrell and Col. Boutwell, we're the
most noted landlords the Pavilion ever had
Mrs. Cottrell, in her place. was equal tc
her husband. Two noted clerks, Ira Shat
tuck and Horaio Palmer, are remembered
by hundreds of Vermont's wisdom and
virtue and by thousands of travellers, fol
Their many genial qualities. To now reai,
the incidents and anecdotes associated will
the hotel would prolong this article to un
due length. The most noted of its visitors
were Lafayette, in 1926, Lord Elgin, II
lS43, and many of the leading men of hi,
country, among whom was Stephen A.
Douglass in 1860 and Lieut.. Gen. Phil II
Sheridan in 1865. The house has ever beer
the leading hotel at Montpelier, the head.
quarters of the lobby and generally the
boarding place of most of the prominent
members. There Gov. Mattocks made the
welkin ring; there Hugh Henry's counte
nance beamed above his gigantic neck
stock; there Judge Poland converted night
into day with law and euchre for many
years there 10 ID. Hatch piled his voca
ton; there Rol. Gleason tipped down his
hat and tipped up his cigar there the up.
shot OF manv scheme and the fate OF
many q politician has been decided. Peo
pie think II has been done In the state
house, but it has been done in the Pavilion.
And now the Pavilion is done. Won't
there be scattering of rats and cock
reaches, though sd. Adams Messenger.
tCol. Boutwell, came from Chelsea tc
keep the Union House, which he occupied
| for several wears before he nurchasad thf