St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-28

its vicinity. Many of our people had
no means of conveyance by which to
reach the meeting house OH the hill near
the Centre, nor could the house be used
in cold weather, nor be controlled by
the Congregationalists but a part of the
time; while on the Plain, there was a
snug, inviting little house, which was
accessible to all, and could be used at
all seasons, and without money or
price.
That question in regard to another
church, engaged the earnest attention
of the people for some years, and was
the occasion for many meetings to con-
slider upon those grave matters, which
meetings were held in that little old
Clark meeting house, and sometimes
to a late hour in the night. The matter
finally went 10 council after council,
and at last eliminated in 1925, in an
other church. Ishould have stated that
Jacob S. Clark preached there a con-
siderable length of time after Mr.. Elmer
son left. Before the close of 1926, the
new church had secured the permanent
services of minister, and completed
the arrangements for building new
church the next summer, its cost to be
not less than 81 .S00-$600 of which had
been pledged by Luther Clark, and S400
by Ephraim Paddock, and that house
was completed throughout, and paid
for as contemplated.
But am progressing too fast with
this interesting narrative, and must re-
turn to my original starting point of
1910. when Josph Lords and Willard
Carleton's were the only tacO-storied
and the only painted houses i'll the city.
We then had our wheat ground at the
old Arnold mill, which was opposite to
where j. III. Paddock's foundry now
stands. The farmers washed their sheep
i'll the swift running water little be-
low where Fairbanks dam now stands,
on Sleeper's river. Then the two Dr.
Jewetts administered calomel, Carleton
sold toddv. a. ID. Barber sold goods,
II. Lawrence tanned leather, John Clark
made saddles and sold few small no.
tions, and Samuel Crosman shod horses.
VIM. A Palmer, who was then the
Young, budding lawyer, (but afterwards
governor), while living there, planted
those maple trees on the east side of
Main street, and in front of the old
buryin9 ground. In those good old
times there were no travelling agents,
nor canvassing humbuggers, nor sharp
ers for sewing machines, books, light
ming rods, patent rights, and a thousand
swindling devices, which promised inn
mere tritle. There was not one cooking
stove, carpet, nor pleasure carriage, nor
any kind of machine on the Plain; and
vet the people were contented and hap
py. At that time 1SlO,) neither the
stage nor mail coach had arrived, nor
had the shrill blast of VIM. Trescott's
tin horn awakened the the echoes of
those green hills and valleys; but the
mail was carried from Danville to that
place on horseback, by a small boy
once a week; and A. ID. Barber, the
postmaster, earnestly protested against
having the mail coming every Sunday.
Then the way to Lyndon led down the
steep hill to the end of the bridge Pad
dock village which crossed the river,
ash, where we turned to the left, keep
ing near the river all the way to Capt.
Barney's, Henry Flint's afterwards,
now w. b. Johnson'sl. The road north
ward down through the hollow to Capt.
Hastings was later invention. Capt.
Barker then lived Oh the place after
wards owned by Ezra Ide; Silas Cham
berlain lived a few rods south of
Sleeper's river, near the fair grounds.
The turnpike road leading to Danville
had not then been discovered, the only
way being over the Danville ''pumpkin'
hills. Hopkin Rowland lived on the
place afterwards occupied by George
Barker, from which place was thick
woods all the way to within few rods
of the Plain Rowland with several
other young men, came to that town
with Dr. Arnold, and received his land
for his summers work as did also the
others.
The above is portraiture of the state
and condition of matters and things in
1910, between which time and the fall
of 1915 several marked and important
improvements and additions had taken
place on the Plain and i'll its immediate
vicinity. In the forepart of the winter
of 1915, Mr.. Fairbanks's mills were in
operation. The whole number of fami-
lies on the Plain in the fall of 1915 were
Is, an increase of six families since
1910, but remaining very nearly sta
tionary from 1915 to 1920, from which
time to 1880 the growth of the place was
very slow; but its growth was much
accelerated during the latter part OF
the time between 1880 and l945. When
| was there in 1850, was informed that
nearly the whole of the new additions
to the place had been made within the
last five years. Now l inquire what
was the cause of that sudden start, and
of its marvellOusly rapid and continu-
Gus growth Was all that due to its
commercial, agricultural, mineral, OIL
other natural resources Certainly not