Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-02-23

both vocal and instrumental selections. In
deed this promises 10 be the concert Of the
season, aud we hope the hall will he crowd
ed.
SOME HISTORICAL NOTES.
we were reluctantly obliged to omit.
last week, the following notes and reminis.
cences from an esteemed correspondent,
which were called up by the burning OF the
cbildren's carriage factory at East Guilford.
"This shop was on site which was &C.
cupied some sixty years ago by a cotton
factory. The factory did a thriving bust
ness during the war Of 1912 IA against Great
Britain but when, some years subsequent
", after the EMBARGO had been removed by
the declaration OF peace, and low tariff
begun to be the fashion of American poll.
tics, the business declined, and finally
the building look fire and was consumed,
with all its machinery. The coDAagration
occurred on a Sunday when the villagers
we've at church, from the carelessness Of
work man who went in there to attend 10
some business. The alarm being given,
the people poured out of their church.
which at that time held a large c5ngreea-
ton, and did what they could 10 arrest the
fllmes, and save the adjoining shops. The
loss in so small a community was deeply
felt and bee was Immediately formed
for erecting another building on its site by
volunteer contribution of labor and ma
terials. The work was done in a short
time hut factory there could no longer
compete with the cheaper productions
from England for the slave-power was
not disposed to shut on: those productions
in favor OF American manufacturers. Eng
lish cotton yarns could be sold at cheaper
rate in the stores Of Guilford than they could
be manufactured on The spot. The new build
ing was therefore devoted to other uses. AL
most every farmers family then made its
own clolh and the building designed for a
factory was used in part fora embarrassing
and fuller's mill, chiefly the upper story.
Mr.. John Fowler, now an octogenarian OF
this village, carried on that business there
for some time. The lower story was used
as carriage max er's shop. The whole build
ing, or The larger part oft, subsequently be-
came used fora fiourishlng comb factory and
afterwards as a machine shop. The comb
business gradually declined, but fingered
along till the war of the rebellion, at which
period pocket combs were supplied from it
by the last manufacturer, Mr.. William
Boyden, TO some OF our soldiers.
zone OF the results of the war has been
TO restore high tariff, as the consequence
of an immense debt, which enables Amer
lean manufacturers TO compete with the
cheap manufacturers ofEurope. The wheels
of the old shop, that had some time been
vacant, seemed to perceive this fact; and
they began to move again. But this time
ii was for making baby carriages, and We
locipedss, etc. a very considerable bust
ness in this line soon became ceniered in
the village. 1t is a good plant for such
business, healthy, convenient TO the rail-
road, cheap, and pleasant The late stephen
Smith who Invested his capital there, was
man Of excellent business capacity and it
will be sad loss to the village If the inter-
est which he built up shall prove TO have
been destroyed by the confiagration. We
have not heard whether the capitalists there
intend 10 rebuild the shop. 1t is a very
good site for one, but would require some
business capacity TO make a proper use Of
it-a capacity that would aid 10 build up
society as we'll as serve its material inter-
ests. This is the only kind of business
that viii stand in the long run. Such q
kind Of business in Guilford, would prob.
ably pay, and pay well, for many years 10
come"