New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-08-20
THE DESERTED VILLAGE.
SILENT An CRAss-GROwN STREETS

southwest OF this place, in narrow put FERTILE
valley through which Brook winds on s willow
shaded way to Rartan River. lies the deserted
village OF Fetvie, In the midst OF nearly thousand
acres of meadow orchard and woodland. Twenty
wears ago Fetvile was thriving factory and farming
villa Of three or four hundred inhabitants with busy
MILL busting country store, prosperous school and
well attended church on August the whole place,
with its twenty six decaying houses It's baenanted
mill and iis bramble-choked graveyard, we're sold at
auction for a little more than eleven thousand dollars
Nearly forty years ago David Felt, dealer in sta
tionery in New-York bought this tract OF land. lie
built l one hundred feet long and four stories high,
for the manufacture OF different kinds OF paper Two
large reservoirs constructed and one extended hack
and M the valley 70 connect With a long narrow
natural lake while the other formed pretty little pond
inst below the turn OF the bluff on which the village
stood The land was laid ont IN apple and peach or
chards meadows. groves. and pastures TWO broad
streets were made which met at right angles on the
point overhanging the pond two rows OF iilu douhe
houses were built on bluff taat extended along the
brook and rose above the mill TO height OF seventy
feet: and on the street running pack from the mil
stream and its gorge rose the store, the church,
farmer houses and school building. Wihn the
angle where the streets met the owner OF The VII
lace pulf for himself a stately country hou.e with
broad vcrandas on sides. COMMANDING picturesque
,ieys Of the wooded heights !he gorge,
he mill uoud below and tHe narrow valley extending
l,cs among the green bills. paths borlerud with
trim lockwood hedges wound among howerbe 's about
ornamental evergreen trees and under wdcspr
linden. and maoils N the front OF the mansion. while
ar the SIDE were broad lawns ami weilkepr orchard.
Acro,, tn. street from tie mansion pretty summer
house looked down upon the pond, where light row
boats aoa ed among the reflections green Trees and
blue sky ia tue wafer. Around the houses where the
mil hands aud their families lived We're h)wer-1cds aud
rra--pot- and the back of each little vee-
table garden. Down the nearly perponicular bun ran
zzag paths formed of siep- which led from the
tcutmcnth across Jh- NIL race on ute plank bridges TO
the mill Between the mil and the -wil-runuing stream
was The road 10 Scotch Plains ami Fanwood. three
mics away The brook fretted by messy boulders aud
shaded by overhan -ius eiEs Vas crossed bg rustic
hrd-e from which oath led up INTO deep rocky glen
where clear mountain stTeamlet foamcd IN the cool
depths among gray hchen covered rocks. The whole
village WIS kept by IN tne best Of order The
two -fec.s aud the iold leading down 10 the mill were
as smooth ana hard ~ II they were macldamized.
They were shaded by long rows o, stately Gins and
ua9ie- ard bofd -ci 5 smooth sidewalks 0i hag-toue.
On week days. and especially saturdays. t1, orderly
hamlet was flied with lie and hustle. The miiiwneel
and the machinery rumbad AMI buzled. the factory
girls and the men tall eel and laughed much rs they
dared To their work. the store was crowded with 0uy
1.-The streets were cd with teams the reapers worked
III th, fields aud "a drow-y hum 11l Cd rom the opeu
windows " the school on sunday an quiet and the
ers in their bos, clothes filed the itte church, over
which Mr. Felt always maintained Episcopal clergy
man.
Tie owner Of the vi -e man Of a strong posi-
tive nature cold and reserved and he rul' the village
ran: 81. far - ne cold with a. much mcthoIical srct-
moss As ne applied his boA good hedges and well
trimmed cedar trees. All ~ is employees we're com
poed % trade at nj and those who lived IN hs
TWO large Uourdr gAou-es had ID keep within tae strict
e- bon IDS At seven o'clock In Tho rnIng the bell on
the great barn al Mansion House" or work to
~. I,tl- fer he.
recess. and when sounded a-an tie mAlwLeel stopped
and the Mill hands came To1png out Of tnc biz door
and climbed the winding paths beneath the trees on tn
bluff Tor their supp.r-. When night nd fallen ana nin-
O'Clock had come. the bell rang ont again. ana -irei
the youth and maiden VINO were found stroii the
rocky gen beside the rushing mills reail, for rigid
rule was down that AL in the lage must De within
doc r. when the ast bell echoed through the darkcnei
woods How often yo ing couples La been rudey
surprised by that Uuwecome sound 10 the midst Of some
low whist. sentence, or when gazing silently from
the rus ic bridge the pale evening cleaning low
IN tt4 west through pendant branches % clus For
many years the lie Ot the village hu"rd Oh quietly ana
me mil ami on thr farm and fl.re were entertainment.
Tn.u tn age sold and us orderly ner moved
Wav Iuc mil. wa. clos 81. tue Nate4 iell unused over
fhr Jam ana one Dy one tine operatives 0riited
frJu the village, or found ot4cr employ ment Do the
vicinity. Tho mansion. The church and thc store wcr
closed ana tue -clO dwnIlcd slowly % ghost o. if
former SELF The fsrm work cOntiau htuly for
uIne, and then a large mortgage on the property was
for-cI1s-d. Iue place cHaIged hands again and f'A
fc by fl" into Cine melancholy sa ate OF ruin ~ which
i- to-day. II require strong Hort oi tur IMAGINATION
10 rcazr that the silent and eras-rown streets,
the ruined mill ana me "ino0"r's hon-es were once
nlcd NIth busy ME. Tho hag-onc sidewalk have dis
apreared entirey or are par " Aiae ~ l,e@ sol OF
cuecrm homes nave vanished ana Irtt ohF EaihhS
cellunuic- u-niuu them Inc uruDlc row OF tcntn'hiS
above the -uincd mill -ul standing. Ru-grI
cump- OF t.Ory shrubs before tuem sho" Nhere chni-
ius roses grew and covered open dOorWatr through
wlcn busy housewives w-rc once To oe ca AMI heard
singing al theI folA. Inc mIiI"h O. = gone an ono
lonely l0oFiI hy-wnec OF wood IcDed 20 iron rod
j. all tla, Us lefr Of the whIns machinery Tie tour
empty sior- OF tht mn he uIcd WY. GA pI"l'u ~
lcucc while hyhght streams ~ through tie gaping
ing Of owls when night has settled down upon the de-
serted village Beside tIe NIL stands square building
browu.toue IN lhc cunk- filed by '.p,d pieces OF the
material instead OF mortar. The upper story is of
weatnrr-b.a -.racturc. The bI iI1g B. called d.
Pc gdor- ,iu" and used for making powder b"
rIac -iIirIue - ,r on- IN that pa. OF NeWJcr-ry:
rkrmsn scotch Pains, three miles DIS aui III cod
-prng nat bubbles up the great Douders "a tAe
r'..k, elcn across the NIL brook all let 81 the
fo4ug mountain stream aud ls called the Wnshn -ton
-urng The Wild glen, ncnencov'rcd sides and lts
H. grant that cng Eith their hardy roots TO tie
moss grown rocks, attract many picnic parties father
when ull the silent WOODS "lh he echoes OF I'M
won,cI gai-ty. The store is standing with empty
snclgc- counters. but The wooden steps outside
Were the W4lr gO-,lp- "i the village were "oni 10
ga her evening" have vanished Tie straight
sill remain ia the churcn, uui The dtar
b. par, ana worn-dtrn, and the font where many
infant WAS curls,ened gone. The -chOoi blitng
slauds Druratn the two roads meet and
seems to glzr toward cacn direction in bank despair
from ia open WindDHs II waiting m VAIN 10 the
od troops children come lolteilug WitI DuOas anu
luncheon pals in maud up the roads
Tnc only dRellcr- in the yage now are gentleman
ami nis family from Newark AMI German canccutIer
VINO lnAAblt caying Mansion HDu-e \ man VINO
t- f,I som. wears charge thr village lives 10
ru ned a. house the outskirts Of the place lie
Afiu-ioh Ony mouse m tue village mat I- AL lIl IN
Ia tllablc ANA tna s itst gOlng 20 rum ihc Newark
pntirnl.u \. N. Coz i've the main part ul H. Which
,,.,, M ftlt, wuac ne GA cinc-cuttcf hNts
Win wife and eWo chl en- in the Old mouse dt "nH
bYilt bt the OIgIu. pusse+Ot OF the property, man
named WILCOX. Coo tO the place io ll' UNI
Inrr ana camps Ou., a. he calls H. in the pd hou-e
lrr, are CARPETS the hOOfs ana pictures ou the old