Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-09-04
Correspondent
Quechee.


WHAT ONE LITTLE VERMONT TowN HAS rRODucED.
MONTPELIER, W., August TO- 1873
Summering In this grand Green Mountain State,
lately came across some facts which think will
be quite interesting TO many Of your readers.
They are facts concerning men with whose names
they, especially the tourist portion Of them, are
already familiar-A T. and o. T. Barron, Of
Crawford and Twin Mountain House fame These
men are men Of many businesses, doing them all
well and equally well too They and the town
which has the honor not only Of being their old
but also their present home are fair samples Of
many Vermonters and Vermont towns and viii
lagos. It is simply astonishing what this latest
born Of the New England states has done In the
direction Of producing active and gifted men
These Barrons and Quechee, their home, are
say, good samples Ask farmers about them and
they answer, "Yes, we know them well. The
Barrons are perfect farmer-princes; their sheep,
cattle and horses are Of the best blood and their
farms include thousands Of acres in Vermont and
New Hampshire" Turn to the dealers in lumber
and question them II they know the Barrons.
The reply is, "well, we ought TO- Why, about
every organ and piano mandatory from Chick
ring Sons Of Boston to Mclean OF Melbourne,
\lstralia uses their ash, cherry, maple and bass
God lumber. 1t is the best in the market
Next come the traders. As you question them
icy turn upon yon with surprise. "If it is the
eat poultry packers and freezcrs you mean, you
tight Just as reasonably ask sewing machine
gent II he knows of Singer or Howe" They were
epioneers OF that now immense business. From
"a to 1866 they had the monopoly of the poultry
Isiness. During these years no hotel, for the
Tree hot months, had turkey or fowl that didn't
me from the freezers Of Quechee or White
liver junction. They hit upon the business in
is way: In 1852 they were shipping hundred
ms annually; Of course at immense risk o..
;'rron was In Boston, selling A. r. in Vermont
lying. Daring great thaw, which ruined all
rest Of the poultry in the market, o, +. noticed
1t theirs, being packed in a tight warehouse upoI
nth Market street, came out Of the thaw still
izea as hard rock. Seeing that it was onl,
cessary to keep the warm air out and the colo
r in, he invented the system Of packing poultry
tight boxes placed in practically air-tight build
iys-which now gives Us travellers in these ho
ly and August days the delicious bits OF turke,
ID fowl we find at every hotel at which we stop
TEX the poultry in one Of these buildings called
ireezer let the windows be open only one sharI
ght week, for u month in the winter; and yol
We solidity that defes the hottest summer OF
cord. Enter their freezer at the Junction ant
the temperature the massive frost gatherings
VI would suppose yourself in an iceberg cav,
the Polar sea.
But 1t is the travelling public that knows thes
IN best. In 1852 they bought the house an,
lroad restaurant at White River junction, uni
rsally acknowledged to be the model railroa,
'taurant of New England; food just as whole
ne, of as large variety and rs nicely served a
II find in any city hotel Their junction Hous
" burned last Saturday morning, entaing
Of twenty-five thousand dollars; but, n0thin,
Lnted, they propose u go right at work an
Ir another, which shall rival the Pavilion IA
lntpelier and the Weldon ut st. Adams. Eleve
AIRS ago they bought Il cottage where the Twi
)untain House now stands The first perso
10 boarded with them there was Professo
feen of Princeton College This fact was pre-
etic of the immense patronage they have ha
their different mountain houses from mini.
rial, literary and educational circles In 1856
ey built one wing Of the Twin Mountain House
1870 another and in 1871 the main house. /
Y they purchased the Crawford House, tina
ids the key to the whole White Mountain re
IN, and there they sit enthroned, hotel kings
It the kindness and carefulness of their swa
e borne witness to by these facts While otht
ices are complaining Of the =" hard times" tn
| awford from the first Of the season has bee
| iwded, and the Twin has done more bushes
IN it has done for two years. A part of tn
lrvel concerning these men is the faculty the
| we of attaching their employees to them. Fl
stance, Merrill, clerk at the Crawford, starte
| tn them at the junction eating house, sixtee
tlrs ago. farnham, whom all hungry traveller
| the Central Vermont and Passumpsic bless, h.
lnaged the Junction restaurant twelve year
runs in the blood of the Barron family to kee
lOtel o. g. Barron, Asa's son, has been I'll
| puar landlord of the Twin for nine year
| echer and he are sworn allies Vice-Presidei
heeler, having tried the Twin for several Sc,
rs could not be contented till he secured in a
rdance with the true principles of civil servi(
iorm young Oscar to run the Capitol restau
| rant at Washington. So the last year has give
| Barrons national as well as local fame Bl
| echee, where the old homestead of the famil
| lnds, is especially rich in its noted sons TAX
Or instance, those who have been reared und,
| hospitible roof Of that seli-same homestea,
| .et, the Birrons Observation-Disclosures me
| chants, farmers, landlords. Here brons ht up b
| ~ working during childhood for their father wer
, ma Bickford, inventor of the knitting machine
d. Paul, and Oliver Brothers, Jr., who too
ne mule and the jack, wooden and cotton spiI
| ing machines and reyolutionized the whole bus
irss by making them self-openting GOO
| - T., H.. II
| ii the same piece
As you ride up the Woodstock railroad over
right you see modest little white iarm-hous
| i ere lived Mrs. Parsons three of whose sol
awe been mayors of their adopted cities Dewe
| d Qnechee in connection with Daniels Of Woo
tDck, built up the great shoddy trade. Georl
| ". Bissell, the discoverer and owner OF the fir
% well; Jasper Story, the great fort builder o
the United States, which paid him three millio
| 4 liars for building Fort Pickens; both were Gu
lice boys, There, too, in Quechee is the oil
Marsh homestead, from which have come Ho
George F. Marsh, James Marsh, president, an
l'emue Marsh, professor, of the Vermont U"ivel
s,y at Burlington With Dewey is joined ii
| Mackenzie, one of whose boys, Frank, manufa
lures at Bridgewater, Vt, the finest flannel ths
: es into the New York market, while his 9th,
,pn is with one Of the Rays OF Franklin, Mass
successfully carrying on large manufacturin
| business in that town. SO much for the lovely
| good old town of Quechee, Vt. guess every on
will say that it is enough to make the reputatio
| 81 one town. JJL
The Portuguese colonies of Springfield an
| Jacksonville, H., numbering over five hundre
! heads of families Jointly celebrated ON Frida