Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-07-21

- wv viz VOMu neeIluB on Ine 0rSJ
tuesday in March, 1869, Israel Field was
CHOSEN an overseer of highways, ''to in
spect and oversee that the road from Ma
thaniel Church's to the Meeting house and
from the aforesaid Road to the Road which
passes by Samuel Knights to Esq. Wells's
to be kept in good order and repair" Ma
thaniel Church lived on the west side of
the road at the Asylum, Esquire Wells just
northwest of the women's retreat, and
Samuel Knight, afterwards Judge Knight,
northwest of him. As they would not be
likely to build a Westinghouse in January
or February, it must have been built in
the year before. 1t stood in the open field
southwest of the southwest corner of the
cemetery. This place is shown by the lay
ing of road there in IVA along the cen
ire line, ION the south side of said line the
north side of the Westinghouse to Will
liam McCune's land" The centre line
runs east and west and is well known there,
and the width of the road south of it be-
tween it and the meeting house would car
AllN W llldl pldtt. he
cemetery, with that part of this open field
including six acres, was conveyed by Judge
Wells to the trustees of the town for a
burying place, the pasturage to be for the
use of the minister, for public buildings,
and 'for training and exercising the inhab-
itants in the use of arms or any other use -
full or entertaining exercise" This meet
ing-house was used for public worship and
town meetings, and the land about it for a
public common and training ground until
1875. .ED
No settlement was made in the valley of
Milestone brook above the Estey saw-mill
till 176S, when William Harris began one
where the old road to Marlboro turns up
the hill at West Brattleboro. John Hough-
ton, afterward Capt. Houghton, settled on
the farm northwest of the Goodenough
mills, where Mr.. Cutting lives, in 1770,
built mills there, and sold them to Aaron
Nash in IVA. Israel Field settled on the
lot next east, on which Samuel Sargent
lives, in the same year, and Simpson Elias
settled where the seminary buildings are
in 1772. All roads led for public business
to the Westinghouse on the hill, and non {
was built along Milestone brook until
1884, when the old road from Marlboro
was laid, which came down the hill where
it now does to William Harris's, then along
the road as it now runs, to the tavern
house, then across where the park is tC
where the seminary buildings are, and ther
turned and ran straight down to near the
brook. From there it ran near where the
road now is to the road leading from North
field to Westminster near Gardner Chand
ler's 'shop," which stood where the vii
liston stone block is in the village of Brat
tleboro. John Houghton lived in front o
where the Dunklee house and store il
| West Brattleboro now are, and owned thu
land between there and the bridge. Ruth
erford Hayes lived at the Hayes place, ant
had blacksmith shop there, and lsrae
Smith near where Mr.. Stockwelrs house
is. across the road to the north.
Meeting houses were at that time, by
law then lately passed, built by the tow n
and paid for by tax. In 1873 the tow
voted to build new Westinghouse on tn
road east of Capt. Houghton's and west o
MILESTONE brook. Captain Houghton deed
ed to the selectmen piece of land to Sc
il on. which was six rods wide at tn
northwest end, little wider further south
east. and extended to a point where tn
road from the bridge begins-to widen. In
northeast side was about where the north
east side of the sidewalk is; the north
west end stopped where the southeast col
ner of the old store lot now is and extend
cd across where the travelled road and par
now are to the road as it then ran. IN
Westinghouse was built on this land whic
was laid open for a common in front
where the eight square house, formerl
used for a parsonage, stands IL was Z
feet long, northwest and southeast, 80 ZEE
wide. fronting southwest, and two storle
high. The northwest corner was IL roc
and, 10 links from the northwest co
nor of the common, and the back side wa
where the ditch on the northeast SIDE
the road is, far enough from that SIDE
the common to make room for drlyin
around it. So it stood lenglhwise alon
and exactly in what is now the travele
road It had a door at each end as we
as a larger one in front, and belfry WI
buit at the northwest end in l795, upo
which a bell, given by Gov. Jonatha
HINT and Gov. Holbrook's father, va
finally hung. Benjamin Wheaton deed'
70 the selectmen a piece of land in froI
of where the old academy STOOD wh'c
added to the common in that direction
Tn 1911. after his death, Dr. Fitch adml
istrator of his estate, decided another ple'
cast Of the Guilford road in front OF u