Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1892-12-15
WilIiamStOYn Grows.


This inland Vermonttown furnishes an
object lesson that those men who now
refuse to believe that Vermont has
greater opportunities for advancement
along the line Of prosperity than any OF
her sister states, should study. At
the close of the year 1889 the men who
first put their shoulders to the wheel
aud put Williamstown in the. line OF
progress. looked upon the result Of
their labors and found good reasons for
feeling encouraged and for continuing
the campaign of advancement they had
commenced ; but they then thought and
said, that the town could not go for
ward very fast and that the most they
could hope for was that she would
share, in some small measure, the pros
perity that had come to her neXt-door
neighbor, Barre. This neighbor had
access to all the capital she needed for
the development Of her granite indus
try. Williamstown had granite in
abundance but lacked capital. The
larger number of Williamstown peo-
pie, used TO the quiet times that had
prevailed for long term of years, re-
fused to believe that the town could
make any progress their unbelief open
ly and often expressed did not help the
growth of the town, but in spite of their
unbelief and in spite of all handicaps,
greater progress and greater prosperity
have come to the town than the most
sanguine of her friends dreamed ofthree
years ago.
The granite troubles of the past year
had their effect upon the prosperity of
Williamstown but affected her less than
they did other granite manufacturing
towns. The young men engaged in
business here kept AT work some Of
the union men built sheds and put in
polishing machines upon land beside
the railroad a short distance outside
the village, nearer the quarries. The
many items relative TO the granite
troubles served as an advertisement for
the town and attracted attention from
all parts of the country. Orders be-
gan to flow in and, as soon as a COM
promise was effected between the work.
men and employers, business became
lively and has increased rapidly in the
last few weeks. The pay roll at Grear-
son, Moore & Co. S sheds amounted to
but $500 in the month of August; last
month it amounted to LOO and
will amount to a larger sum this month.
In 1880 the town had but few
more than 900, and in 1887 there
were, probably, but about 900 inhabi-
tants; there is now about twice this
number. In the past three years 48 or
more buildings, large and commodi-
GUS hotel and three large business blocks
included, have been built the founda-
tions for other buildings are being laid
and the prospects of the town are very
bright. During the past year George
Beckett has built three-story brick
block. The basement is being finished
for barber shop. Upon the first floor
are two well-lighted stores, one occu-
pied by NJ. II. Rice, jeweler, and the
other to be occupied by Geo. w Brush,
druggist. The second floor is filed
with large high.posted rooms designed |
for offices, and the third floor is being
fitted up for Masonic hall. Water
will be supplied to every part of the
building. The stores and offices are
equal to those found in the best blocks
of larger towns. The aim has been to
have every part Of the building COM
plete and substantial. j. X. Lynde /
has built large block as an addition
to his store this is three stories high
and is 2jx60 feet upon the foundations.
In the basement Ed. +. Smith has his
large meat market, but the rest of the Il
building is occupied by Mr.. Lynde,
who has his dry goods and clothing de-
partments in this addition, keeping his
boot and shoe, flour and grocery de-
partments in the older part of the block.
North of the Beckett block is the
Beckett q Gale block, the larger part