The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1893-09-22

were especially interesting to me be-
cause of the childhood memories that
were called to mind by them. The lady
IN charge was native of New Hamp.
shire. She said the cabin here was a re-
production of the one at the Philadel-
phia Centennial of 1876. l asked her
how many articles were the same as were
on exhibition there, anu she said she
wa not certain Ct cCy hit the spinning
wheel, which is l12 years old. l tried to
realize the genuineness of I'VE olden
time welcome" as it was expressed in
friendly characters ever the entrance. |
took a seat in quaint old chair at
centre table of like antiquity, and with
note book on the table before me, looked
about. The lady kindly brought to me, or
called to my attention the articles of
greatest antiquity or note, and will re-
produce few of my random pencilings
The oldest book / noticed was dis
cussions on the Catechism," $50 years
old. There were pewter spoons once
owned by Paul Revere OF Revolutionary
fame Shutters in their tray, and finder
box that had stood since 1918 on man
tel in Bloomington, VT; a clock that
had been 100 years in one family was
quite familiar to me, being tall like my
WHICH WAS buG 6dIllGSJ anu
only one L knew for years when a child.
There were good many similar ones in
the State buildings that represented col
onial civilization. There were fire buck
cts that had come down from family in
Concord, Mass, who had owned them in
1894. There was cradle made of bar
rel, or at least like one, with few slaves
sawed out in the middle to admit some
baby who flourished in Revolutionary
times. There was greaser and tallow
lamp said to be step in advance of the
tallOw dip; a quaint old china plate was
completely covered with Inscriptions all
of which breathed orth the spirit of the
Boys of 70"
noticed an iron skillet and wooden
spoon, the latter was six or eight inches
long; there was wooden plate or
trencher 200 years old, which once be-
longed to the Spear family of Lexington,
Mass, and was used on the table daily i'll
Revolutionary times. The Revolutionary
cabin kept me nearly two hours.
In the California building is horse
and rider made of prunes produced in
Santa Clara county. In 1891 that county
produced 2O,000,000 pounds, while all
the rest of us produced only 9,000,000
pounds. There was an exhibition from
Leland Stanford's vineyard in Vina; it
is the largest in the world, comprising
$500 acres.
In the South Dakota building they had
a Bible published in 1851. They also had
the mounted skin of the horse Ca
manche, THE only survivor of the Gus
ter massacre. He was wounded seven
times, and died at Fort Riley, Kan,
Nov. It'll, 1891, at the age of 81 years.
The skin was mounted at the University
for the Government.
From Pipestone, Mimi, was an orna-
mental mantcl upon which was carved
an image of LOngfellow's BOOB, Hia-
watha, all in the stone, which the poets
writing has made famous.
The Louisiana building contains many
interesting antiquities, among them Gen.
Taylor's hat and gripsack, used by him
during the Mexican war. There was
John Adams's cream jug, cup and sau-
Ger brought from Peru over 100 years
ago. There was battler used by an
Arcadian woman for forty years in
washing. 1t was u broad wooden pad
die used by her in pounding the dirty
clothes on II stump or table. 1t is Gus
tom that am familiar with among the
darkey women where | WAS. There was
a lounge formerly belonging to Span
ish ruler of Louisiana. But am afraid
l will tire you out with my antiquarian
ramble, so will quit the subject now
and come again, if we feel like it.
Yours truly, e. L. BRECKENRIDGE.