Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-08-11
THE COUNTY BUILDINGS.
A Good Bit of History to Put on
Record.

Lived III EhyetteNllIe Ofty Years
Ago.
The repairs to the county buildings at
Newfane are now being made, pursuant to
an act of the legislature of last year. The
principal changes in them since they were
built at Fayetteville in 1925 were made 80
years ago. The land decided for a common
on which they were to be set extended
west only as far as the west end of Union
hall, and 16 feet east of the west end of
the court house as it is now, and the west
end of the oldest part of the tavern barn.
There was no road to Wardsboro but that
turning off from the main street part way
up the hill towards Townshend. The
court house was built square, two stories
high, with four roofs running up to a
point, and with the west side on the west
line of the common as it was then. The
entrance was on the east side and stair
ways turned each way from it and led up
to the second story, the whole of which
was used for a court room. Anthony
Jones owned the land west of it, and set
the old schoolhouse, which he bought
when the present one was built, on that
land near it. He had Asa Pratt teaching
a drumming school in the schoolhouse at
one time when court sat, which was such
an annoyance that the judges had the land
bought by the county and left open for a
common. Then an entrance was made on
the west side like that on the east, which
was the same as now, but without a pOrti-
co. A hall was made through between,
and a cupola with a bell was placed upon
the point of the roofs.
The court room had judges bench on
the west side; boxes for the jury and sher-
if, and a prisoners box in front of the
sheriff's box on the north side; jury box
and a box for a deputy sheriff on the
south side; and the bell rope came down in
front of a raised seat for other deputies,
back of the open space for the bar. The
rest of the room was taken up with boxed
benches for spectators rising towards the
north, east and south sides. On the lower
floor were a clerks room, states attorneys
room, sheritf's room, and jury rooms
opening from the hall. The house was
painted white with green blinds. The
front of the Jail building was not so long
as it is now, but set back, forming an l.;
it had no portico or front gable, and was
painted bright red, but the barn and sheds
were yellow. The cells were situated the
same as now, but were reached by narrow
halls, and there were no wide halls made
secure for prisoners.
Bratteboro was started. which resulted in
an act of the Legislature to improve the
buildings where they were. Judge Cola
mer, as circuit judge, held the April term
of the county court in 1854 with William
Harris of Windham and Emery Wheelock
of Newfane, who was also jailer, as assist
ant judges Royal Tyler was clerk, Jar
Wis Crandall, sheriff, and X. w. Clarke,
states attorney, all of Brattleboro. Will
liam c. Bradley from Westminster, Daniel
and George b. Kellogg from SaXtons Riv-
er, Asa Keyes, J. Dorr Bradley, Edward
Kirkland, Geo. Howe and Edmund NJ.
Forbes of Brattleboro: Alexander S.
Campbell, Henry +. StoughtOn, John n.
Baxter and Jabez d. Brigham of Bellows
Falls John Roberts and Abishai Stoddard
of Townshend; Benjamin W. Dean OF
Grafton, James II. Phelps of West Towns
bend, John E. Butler of Jamaica, Os-
car Shafter and Stephen p. Flagg of vii.
mington, Richard w. Smith of Wards
boro, and VIM. II. Folett and Truman II.
Streeter of Nottingham, were members OF
the bar in active practice. Chas. \. Dav'
export and Benjamin l.. Knowlton, stu
dents from the Office of Mr.. Shafter, were
admitted to the bar. This was the last
term held in the old court room.
In that summer the court house was eX-
tended 10 feet to the west, covering that
entrance; the upper story was raised seven
feet; a new roof was put on: the cupoa
was carried to the front and the pOrtco
was built The court room was arranged
as it is now, with jury room and lawyers
room opening out and gallery over them,
but the judges bench was on the north
side, under the portrait of Mr.. Bradley.
The L part of the Jail building was brought
out square with the front and made a part
of the main building; the pOrtico and ga
BILE were put on; the barred halls for pris-
oners were put in; and the wooden l., just
moved away, was built. The whole was
painted its present color. Joel Billiard did
the work as contractor. Judge Abel I'm
derwood held the first term of county
court in the new court room with the
same assistant judges and county officers,
except that John Y. Baxter was states at
torney.
At that time Charles X. Field, who lived
at the Field homestead on the corner, and
Judge Marshall Miller, who had lately
been clerk and lived in the then last house
in the village towards Townshend, were
practising lawyers in Newfane. DR.. John
p. Warren, who lived next north of the
schOOlhouse, where Shubael Barrett lives
and DIR. p. H. Edminster, who lived on the
corner part way up the hill where the old
road to WardsbOro turns off, were the ply.
: sicians of Fayetteville. Rev. Charles Whit
, ing, who lived on top of the hill toward
Townshend, next south of Judge Miller's
was pastor of the Congregational church
and Rev. Otis Warren, who lived where
: Mrs. Eager does, on the street towards
Wardsboro, was the Universalist minister
and town clerk, but by reason of il
health did not preach regularly. Windhau
county savings bank had just been started
with Austin Birchard as treasurer, anC
was kept in small room built for thai
! purpose on to the back side of his house
The Fayetteville hotel was kept by JOIN
w. Perry and was the same as it is now
except that there was store in the ives
. end and dancing hall where the rooms
are which adjoin the upper piazza, ant
the dining-room and kitchen have changed
places. Jones's Exchange, three stOrie
: high, stood on the corner where Batchel
I der's store is. Franklin Sawyer kept tn
S Birchard store, lately burnt, and Samue
Miller had just succeeded Jacob Dunkle
1 and Fletcher Lamb at the store in the ives
end of the hotel. Jacob Dunklee wa
t postmaster and had just moved the offic
back to his tailor's shop and clothing