The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1885-04-22
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j. X. EGERToN has resigned the office of
justice of the peace.
THE WATCHMAN will hereafter be on sale
by I. A. Wiley at the depot.
ELECTION of officers at the Good Tenn
plars' lodge meeting this week
j. b. SHoRTRIDGE had several hens stolen
last Friday night from his hen house.
r. e. PoRTER" at Concert hall Wednes-
day and Thursday evenings this week.
The annual meeting of the library assoc
citation will be held at the library room on
Wednesday evening of next week.
The Boyden house and lot on Summer
street has been bought by Mrs. John Dona-
hue, the price paid being nearly 500.
TEACHERS examination will be held by
the town superintendent at the graded
school building on Saturday of this week.
THE two marble bases and the shaft of the
soldiers monument are in f. l., Howe q
Co. s yard and work on them is steadily
progressing.
BoYNToN & MosELEY have sold about
fifty tons of baled hay this spring, a large
part of it being sold to farmers. The hay
came from Swanton.
THE annual meeting of the Congrega-
tional society will be held on Thursday at
two o'clock for election of officers and the
transaction of other business.
ARBoR Day will be observed by the pupils
of the graded school by literary exercises
and the setting of trees. The classes in the
high school will set class trees and the exer-
cises will be held in the forenoon.
THOMAS SLADE has rented his grist-mll
at the South Village to Joseph Baker who
will run it the coming season. Mr.. Slade
will work in the mill part of the time, but
intends to be away much of the summer.
LIST of letters uncalled for at Northfield
Vt) postoffce April q, 1885, Ladies-Miss
Elsie e. Ellison, Alma Greenwood Miss
Emma NJ. Jackson. Gentlemen-D. w.
Bartlett, Seaver Howard, Ed n. Thatcher.
Alison n. Wheatey, Edward Wright
j. II. CIRCUIT, Postmaster.
The attendance was small at the meeting
Saturday evening to make arrangements for
the dedication of the soldiers monument
and an adjournment was made for one week.
at which time the Grand Army meeting will
be. "A who are interested in the subject
are invited to meet with the post on Satur-
day evening of this week at Grand Army
hall.
In connection with the change in the office
of postmaster it occurred to us that a few
facts regarding former postmasters and post
offices in town might be of interest to our
readers. As there are no records on the
subject, we have to rely on the recollections
of individuals, but think the sketch given is
substantially correct. Judge Paine used to
have a post-otfice in his house on the we'll
known "old Judge Paine place " in the
edge OF Wllliamstown and, as the first set
tiers in this town located in the south east
part, they got their mail at Judge Paine's
In later years after there was a settlement
at the Center the judge would occasionally
bring the mail to that village and leave it
at the store to be called for. In 1925 or '26
post-office was established at the Center
Colonel Oliver Averill was the first post
master and kept the Office in his house,
which is the one now occupied by Thomas
Averill. Colonel Averill's oldest SON. Vol
ney H., was his assistant. In 1871 after
the election of " Tippecanoe and Tyler
100 E1Jah smith, Jr., commonly called
squire Smith was appointed postmaster
and moved the office down to this village.
George b. Pierce kept store in building
which stood north of the town bridge in front
of j. III. Orcutt's grst-mil and in an addi-
ton, which was used by Governor Paine as
counting-room 1.-THE post Office was located .
Squire smith being the governors chief
clerk. This building was afterwards moved
over to the fiat across the road and is the
east one of the two large houses under the
hill in front of j. G. Gallup's house, the
Kitchen part being the old countng-room in
which the postotfice was j. c. b. Thaver
was clerk for Mr.. Pierce and also acted as
assistant postmaster when required This
was at the time when f.. G.. Pierce and Asa
Strong were driving the stage between
Montpelier and Royalton. In 1915 with the
coming in of the Polk administration John
a. >, White was appointed postmaster and
moved the Office back to the Center where il
was kept IN his store in the building on the
east side OF the Center village, lately occu-
pied by 5. w. Steele as "a store and tin-shop
DIR. Nichols was clerk in Mr.. Whites store
part OF this time. About the time that Mr.
White took the office, letter postage was re-
duced from ten to six and one fourth cents,
and Mr.. White said that he not only sold
goods cheaper than they could be bought at
Mr.. Pierce's store, but he also charged less
for postage. When the wings came into
power again with Taylor and Fillmore
in 1919 William Rogers was made postmas-
ter and brought the office back to this viii
lage, locating it in the hotel. Kittredpe
Watson now of Williamstown was his clerk.
Before his time was out Mr.. Rogers re-
signed and Squire Smith was again an
pointed and moved the office into a small
building just north of the river, standing
where the road now runs, as the road and
bridge were then further east than they now
are. The exact site of this building is not
agreed on some thinking that it was west
OF the road as it then ran and others that il
was east of it, We are informed that the
building Is now part of the one standing
northeast of the iron bridge, which was
used by Governor Paine as a counting-room
after the removal of the Pierce store, The
building had been used as an engine house
Tor the factory engine and also as a store
house by Mr.. Pierce. Squire Smiths sons.
Frederick E., and j. Eliot, assisted him in
the office and had confectionery counter
in the building. The railroad was built
during Squire Smiths term and, the COM
pany hndlng 1t inconvenient TO carry the
mail so lar To deliver under their contract
| offered TO give the use of the room in the de-
pot building now occupied by Il. g. Sanborn,
ana this offer was accepted. Some objection
was made to this move on the ground that
horses would be frightened by the trains,
Dut the office remained there continuously
| Tor nearly twenty-five years. In 1888 under
the Pierce administration f. V. Randall,
afterwards colonel, took the Office and was
assisted by Homer Ruggles and his brother,
Edward III. Randall During Colonel RAN
dall term the office was broken into and a
small amount of stamps taken, but the
burglar was never discovered. James NJ .
! Currler was appointed in 1857 under Blu
! chanan, but died before his term of office
! expired. His wife and daughters COMPLETED
his term. In 1861 Roswell Dewey was an
! pointed under Lincoln and held the office
until 1867, being assisted by his son Roswell.
Jr. George w Soper succeeded Mr.. Dewey
ana held the office two years, at that time re-
signing TO accept position as railway DOS
tai clerk. In July 1869 j III Orcutt followed
Mr.. Soper as postmaster and has held the
Office to the present time G. b. b. Denny
was clerk under Mr.. circuit to 1875, when he
was succeeded by Miss Persis A. Williams,
now Mrs. f. a. Preston. Miss Mary f.
Webb succeeded Mrs. Preston in August
1881. In 1873 the postoffice was removed to
the room now occupied by q. b. b. Denny
remaining there until May, 1878, when il
was removed to a room in the ell part of the
hotel building, which had been swung
! around To face the common. On Wednes