Morning journal and courier., 1885-12-23
GUaLFORD GREEN.
An Old-Tine Picture.

The small boy who shins up and down the naples or scuds whooping across the Guilferd Green never dreams that it ever looked diff ferent from now Men we'll past their meri dian remember when the trees, like them selves, were young and sprouting and the fence that has since fallen into crooked ways was new and true. Others, grave and grey, l recall the time when the Green was stocked with churches, schools and town house, with crossroads and gravestones strewn around in l the careful disorder of early settlements. It was the resort of lounging cows, swine ard geese, and at night when the sun set the COWS lowed, the geese screeched and the swine lay off in sonorous sleep. Smartweed | and railkweed had their rights there and the | scraggy sides of poplars and willows were l polished by the scrawny hides of itching cat tle The gouty land rose up in humps and knolls and the water oozing Tt formed nat ural cisterns, partly drained d by those camp followers, the hogs and cow.
 The first plotting of the Green Nas net 8 piece of lady's fancy work nor strictly gov l ernmental. There was then no Uncle Sam nor elegant young men in glazed hats and l roundabouts to sight and chain it off. The l public buildings and the churches being placed within, the graves of the dead made 1 a quiet settlement around and so mapped out l finally the form of the Green. I propose to
 restore it all as it was and preserve memo rial of it's features when Guilford in the | long clothes of infancy We will have back | the town temples, the roofed hay-scales, the whipping post. knolls, crossroads and grave l stones
 1 First, tear away the white fence and re- 1 move the elms and naples; cross out the di- l agonal and other walks and scratch out those l stolen footpaths which independent princi- l palities and powers have laid out meander- | ing to suit themselves; carry off the Soldiers monument and the idle music stand, and
 when all is done undo the doings, far as possible-begging their pardon-of the Pub l lie Works society. Tear up the little boule-
 yards laid out so tightly around the Green
 and carry off the lamp-posts; take the fancy | tints off the houses and leave them staring l white or weather-colored. Then let the viii l lage hoodlums steal away the gates and fences | and throw up instead few stone walls here l and there around.
 l Now bring on chilled ploughs, scrapers and 1 horned cattle and let some strong armed men l with an eye to proportion break up the west
 side and lay the earth back where it came | from, before and below the Third church. l Make g crossroad from Bradleys corner south
 east to the old Parson Fowler place. draw
 one too from the Johnson, now the Bishop corner, to come out against the Ruggles-
 Pynehon, later the Chittenden place. From l the Landon once the Redfeld corner, run a | road northwest to come out above the pres
 ent hay scales against the lower Hale house.
 Stake down whipping post in front of the
 Dutton house, a little north and near the
 fence line. Put up here on the north front
 the old tetering hay scales; you will find the
 roof part in west side dooryard. Take
 next chain gang of oxen and draw down the poor, rheumatic, rickety town house few