Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1893-11-17
0LD-TIME WARDSBOR0,
A Famous Bear Hunt of 1912,

How the .'NIiddIe Of the Town" Looked
then---Some of the People VINO Lived
there.
Not all of the bear hunts in Wardsboro
got mentioned in last week papers. One
not mentioned was had in about 1872. All
the men round about there took part in it.
A bear was freed Joseph Dix climbed the
tree and shot the bear; it was taken to
Esquire Nathaniel Cheneys tavern on the
east side OF the old common on the hill
and dressed Mrs. Cheney cooked the
meat, tables were set on the common, and
il was eaten.
The old middle of the town there was
a different place then from what it is now
The main road led there directly from
Newfane hill and then westward through
Stratton and across the mountain, and,
like Nnwfane hill, IL was the business cen
tire Of the town The meeting house, two
stories high, stood on the common a little
north of the middle. Parson Tufts lived
on the south side of the common. and had
a farm which he carried on. as most cer-
gymen had then, and his farm shows the
effects of his good cultivation to this day.
Esquire Cheney had store as well as
tavern on the east side of the common;
and there were dwelling houses on the
north and west sides of it. Parson Tufts
was the postmaster, which office he held
~ years, and that was the only post-otfice
for Stratton and Somerset as well as for
Wardsboro. The schoolhousc stood on the
north side Of the road little way down
the hill east, and DR.. Warren, afterwards
of Chesterfield, Newfane and Bratteboro
lived further down on the same side.
Esquire Cheney was not the first mer-
chant or tavern keeper He came from
Orange, Mass, and bought out Josiah
Brown in 1904; and removed to Jamaica
and built the tavern, now the Jamaica
House, in 1914. He was the father of the
late Capt. Nathaniel Cheney and Mai. ;.
I. K. Cheney of Brattleboro. The first mer-
chant of Wardsboro was John Hobrook
father of GOV. Holbrook. who had a store
near the Old Jones place, a little over a
mile southeast OF the old common, in 1859,
after he married a daughter of Judge
knowlton, and before he came to Brattle-
boro. Several relatives of his wife and
neighbors of her father in Massachusetts
then lived in Wardsboro. Roger Biz
chard, brother OF Austin, afterward mer-
chant on Newfane hill and in Dummers-
ton, lived in Wardsboro when the town
was organized in 1856.
Parson Tufts was ordained Nov. f. 1894.
at the house OF Col Daniel Read. where
the large brick house is on the hill IN the
northeast part of the town He married
Submit Hayden Of Grafton. Mass. in Feb
ruary, 1877. and they lived on the south
side OF the old common till he died in 1871.
Their children were Submit. who became
Mrs. Moran of Clinton, y. y: Eliza. who
became Mrs. Hollis T. Robinson late of
Nllliamsvile: Nancy, now the widow of
the late Hon. Marshall Newton of New
fane; Rev. James Tufts of Monson. Mass.
and Hon. John Tufts. who lived with his
mother at the old homestead of his father
I'LL 1850, when he removed to Geneseo. H..
where he died in 1883. His mother lived
till 1879, the latter part of the time with
her daughter at Newfane. ESQUIRE Ma
thaniel Ward, father of ESQUIRE Calvin
Ward, late Of Newfane. and of LAFAYETTE
Ward, the teacher, lived for many years
on the west side of the Old common.
Roosevelt Field, a brother of Charles K
Field, late of Brattleboro. had law Of
nee in the early 3Os three days in each
week on Wardsboro hill. and the other
three at Newfane; and a cavalry company
of militia used TO train there.
Joseph Dix, who then lived in Wards
boro and shot the bear, afterwaTd became
Esquire Dix, longtime resident of DUN
merstou.
Matthew Martin of Brattleboro built a
grst-mill and a saw-mill in 1896 where the
village now called Wardsboro is. A village
grew up about them which was first called
Martins Mills; afterwards it was called
the City, then North Wardsboro, and final
by Wardsboro. Joseph Crosby built
carding machine at the foot of the hill east
of the old centre in 1906: Joseph Sweet
ser soon built tannery there and Joseph
Wilder blacksmith shop. A village grew
up there which was called Wilder Hollow.
Nathaniel Hammond built mills where
West Wardsboro is, and that village and
the post-ofice there were called Ham
mond's Mills
These villages drew heavily on the old
middle of the town. The Westinghouse
and store were moved to Wilder Hollow.
which has become South Wardsboro. the
town business is done elsewhere, and now
nothing remains of the old village on the
hill but the common, the farms and farm
houses. A few years ago a farmer began
to fence in the common, but others found
they could prevent that, and stopped it,
80 that remains open and public to this
day.
Tho state taaahars' agsppiariou pouvau-