Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-06-09
A LIVING PANORAMA.
SOME FEATURES OF THE SHOW
which Bethuel Ranger Has seen 60 By
for the Past FiNy Years.

which BethucI Ranger Has Seen 60 ny
for the Past Firy Years.
Happening to mention to Bethuel Ran
ger, yesterday morning, the fact that the
10th anniversary of his entrance into busi-
ness in Brattleboro will be passed this
year, Mr.. Ranger said, in answer. that he
climbed the mountain one bright day last
summer, and, lying down in full view of
the village. he made a mental picture of
Brattleboro as it was in 1S43 compared
with Brattleboro as it is today. There are
a good many people who would like pho
tograph, if the science had reached that
degree of development, of what Mr.
Ranger saw. Walnut street, the Terrace,
and all the territory above was a pasture,
and so late as 1852 Van Amburgh's circus
and caravan showed about where the Has
kins. Childs and Cabot houses now stand.
The last house on High street and the ave-
nue., on that side was the Hannibal Had
ley house. Oak street was a cOrnfield
and so was the land now occupied by For
est square. The upper end of Green
street was a place where it wasn't thought
exactly safe for children to go berryng
alone. Prospect hill was forest, save for
the space occupied 10y what is now the old
part of The cemetery on and near the brow
of the hill. Esteyville, too, was forest,
and so the story goes on.
The Ranger and Thompson concern
dates back to 1917, when Isaac Thompson,
the grandfather of II. H. Thompson. set
up business here. He was succeeded by his
son. Deacon ID. b. Thompson, who died in
1876, aged 70. OF him Mr.. Ranger came
to learn the trade in 1886, being then lad
of IA. The store was in a one-story wood
en- building, where the Ranger d ThOmp-
son building now stands. When fire
threatened it in 1912 ii was pulled down
and Mr.. Thompson set up his business in
"Halrs long building" afterward the Fisk
building, where Hooker block now stands.
Oct. l. 1S43, Mr.. Ranger took an interest
in the business. In 1851 the store was
moved to its present location and here it
has ever since remained. Mr. Ranger be-
coming the head of the firm on Deacon
Thompson's death, and H. H. Thompson
succeeding to his fathers interest.
OF all the men who were in business
here 80 years ago Mr.. Ranger knows only
two, beside himself, who are now living
VIM. f. Ryther, then the publisher of The
Phoenix, and John c. Hobrook, brother
of eX-Gov. Holbrook, engaged in the book
publishing business, and now for many
years minister in California. The only
business buildings still standing are the
Thomas Judge building, the American
House, the stone building owned by d. S.
and O. j. Pratt, and the Williston stone
building. Hall IL Townsley were the great
moguls among the merchants, occupying
the whole OF what is now known as the
Steen building. Birge d Dickinson, John
K. Blake Il Co., and John II. Wheeler all
did a general merchandise business. Truth
compels us to say that, with the exception
OF Mr. Wheeler, in this general merchan-
disc wet goods made very prominent item.
1t was simply the way OF the times. 1t was
as much taken for granted that a customer
could buy good New England rum at one
of these stores in any quantity, from a
| drink TO barrel, as that he could buy
| -four, or sugar, or cotton cloth. For those
knowing ones who tell the crowd today
| that there has been no improvement in the
drinking habits of the people Mr.. Ranger
has the advice 10 talk less until they know
more, for he can remember when every
one of the three hotels had public bars Il
or 10 feet long, with a bartender who did
nothing except to serve drinks, and on
"high days he required the services of
two or three assistants. 1t would have
been high links then for the rum cures.
He SAYS that when he looks from the
back windows of his store down on the
railroad track and sees the heavy freight
trains 60 by he cannot help seeing, also,
how it used to look with three or four fat
boats tied up to their wharves, which had
laboriously brought their little loads OF
supplies up the river from Hartford. Hal
II Townsley ran several of these boats
David Goodell, Keith White and Henry
Reed did the rest of the freighting with
their big six-horse teams at their leisurely
pace. For the passenger traffic the stages
came and went from the four quarters o.
the world. and Brattleboro was genera
jumping-on and jumping-off place.
Times have changed indeed, and one car
well imagine that Mr.. Ranger feels a:
though he had stood here for more than 81
years and seen a living panorama go by
and he is not by any means an old mar
either, having left only 70 active and use
ful wears behind him.