St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-08-20

THE DECLINE OF DANVILIE AND pI>E
OF II. J"IIN>BI Rl TIE LAST SCHOOL,
MATE A REMARKABLE NEWSPAPER.

p Move WAS. but bad not been there f,
more than twenty yeaI>. and but veI
little foI more than forty: so after "
had been Splendldly entertained two g
three days at Col. Dickey'S. the Suui,
. proposed Il quiet buggy ride up anon
the hills of his nativity. He wanted t
spend ii day 81 two among the old fl
miliar scenes of his childhood : visit fin
site of the old homestead and the oil
| district school house. and see how man
OF the boys and girls of forty Years 40
he could find. and how they would seen
To him when they came together one
more. He talked lis though, somehow
he WAS going t" see them all again
and that it would be about the same Il
il used to he. Men rarely realize how
lime rnbs ont things. until they lonl
over the old states again
;" we rode of one pleasant morning
down through the bright st. bloomsbury
village, with its handsome DWELLINGS
broad, bright lawns and grateful >had,
trees. and then up among the stee,
hills. the thrifty farming region thai
lies bctwee the TWO places Damvill,
used To he the shire town of CaictIoui;
county. and WAS Il really importaut
/ place. In the early decades of tn,
state the Legislature of Vermont some.
times assembled there: it was il seat Of
much academic learning. and furnished
the commonwealth. about forty wear,
ago. with one OF It's most popular "ov.
errors. In point of size and auricul-
tulal products il is il leading township
-:Ind has been since Vermont WAS :.
state. But little st. j. got planted and
took root down on the Passrrmpsic. ,t
the very feet of Danvile. and in tim,
gained strength. and while thus sittiuu
gained strength and power. and in tim,
came to aspire to the county crown
vi course mere was Il rumpu>. Dan
Elilt WAS Indignant. imperiouS st.
J"ilI>h'IiI daring and impude.t The
contest WAS bitter; but when the stone
Is once started it rolls very readily down
iIlll and SotIc county honurS like many
"i the NIL ialmStcHdS and hill VILLAGES
ana factories and school houses ran
down int" the valley below and Tim.
tht logic of events was vimdicatcd.
But The squire loved his old town all
the same. even the more in her ;,d-
Nrl>ItN. and as we passed the way alone
knew every house every old one. by
lis CIV htr name az il WAS two score. of
Yeas ago. The ride Wa> rNc,t,Iiu"l,
PHEASANT aHd made the more. 50. by the
constant relation of "reminiscences that
We're brought T." mind of the time, So
long gone 10y. How many thinw, en-
llitIN forgotten are remembered again
when time and place ale favorable.
even though many Years have. rolled
hctWrrm. and gray haiI> crowded AVA,
the locks "t rhII'h"ud. The sight of an
old home. an old house on farm. n,
place, "r face N"II used L. know nov,
they bring back memories. troop, OF
mcIdcnt>. things that have been cover
td with the minds moS>c> for Years.
and would have continued covered fn,-
ever. hIlt Tor coming togrrhc again
"Ncll. squire. inquired. as We
drove mt" Dan>Illc village. When are
You gong I" begin Your visiting ," lie
started t" make Il prompt answer rs
though he had been but il year on two
away. but stumbled at his Thoughts and
W"ld> completely rcaliIin. tul the tiI.t
time that he Was an almost perfect
stranger III the land of his birth and
boy hood. "DIivc to The. post there. he.
sdid as we ncalcd the old cnIiI..I Store.
AMI We II get out AMI look around =
llttI'. II" WAS fortunate. The second
man he met WIS Judge Palmer. and
liIch they went together and >av Joe.
Weeks whom the squire had known
Years ag" IN the Vermont Lc4i> latIr,.
i"S''h'r th''-' three -p,-nt Il lively noun
about among old names and
dates; old times and incidents; What
had happened to this one or become of
I nat who had stayed there and yot
men : VIII" had been good fan men and
women and who Iadm't the rood and
the bad The fair and the foul WAS ali
stirred mp again without much time ton
r"mmrmt i'll the busy hour spent at
W eek : store. Accepting TIE kind in
vitatinn of Judge Palmer. we broke
bread with him at the old Dlu\Illc mo-
tel and night good bread it WIS. Al
dinner the Judge and the Squire set
'"ncd their food with MANY memories.
ne Judge was Il son of the late Gov.
'alinci had been in trade there since
ne WAS lit"ch NcaI> of age fortN-ti,c
ears ago: remembered when there,
were eight OF ten stores on DamNill,
'lern; when the staging WAS extensive
md trade extensive: when there Ncr,.
rom 900 I" 700 more people in the
"WnShp than there WAS at that time.
me gravr-.N yard held many of the de
Irlt many had gone West many
more went down into the valleys and
'lScN mere Tor new homes and more ann
DC scope. still there were good farms
'ld good people left. and very many of
hem. ANA men and women were sill
al>rd up VIII" were willing and happy
" abide in the old houses and old
ZONES of the falhcrS | think there
must he some mistake in the decrease.
IT population spoken Of The closer
act Is that Danvillc got its growth
ary. The town was settled in Isl
he next year the first white woman
rived there. and in l7e9 full 200 tami-
les had settled. and in IS2O it cont;tiu
II 2.'F'o people. while twenty Years
iter there were only about three hun
red m"le. and in $50 about one hun
red less. So, if the records he correct.
'anvlllc has gained nor lost but little !
; il township in fifty Years With the
Illhge 1t Is different. 1t has not held
: own nor any ones else. since st.
victory.
Then we drove about bv the WAY of
est Danville. and down to Harvev'> ,
."ll"w. which wa> the >quire'S old ,
ch""l District. But Il sin gle school ,
Iate could he see or hear of within its
nundalicS. All the rest gone away. !
his one and an old man of four score y
nj five. We're the sum total of the peo-
le of his district of forty years ago. =
hen we drove to the old farm. only to :,
nj It's lines and old buildings ef1aced.
aklng tea that evening at Mrs. Yves J.
N :. the Squire heard of his old friends
the HarveyS. living down in Peach
II. and concluded we had better drive
'wn and see them. But he had To
tloduce himself He and Duncan \