St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-05-04
ST. JoHNsBURY OF oLDEN TINES.


Kimball Snow, nee Mary Bagley-has
carried me backward into the land Of old
memories, sixty-six years ago, and
brought very wildly before me the St.
Johnsbury Of that distant day.
"Ramseys village" as it was called
afterwards Paddock village, then con
tanned Just three dwelling houses, and
saw.miIl. The three resident families
were Capt. James Ramsey, Hiram Jones
and Sargent Bagley. The mill was own
ed and run by the two former.
Ramsey was a character. large
bony Scotchman, with a fund OF droH
stories, which he delighted to tell TO the
neighbors. aud over which he would .
shake with honest laughter. Jones was /
a little man. industrious, taciturn and /.
obsequious. under a very rigorous con- P
iugal regime Bagley was a tall staiel, +
man. solemn and homogeneous 8 ~
s-.ent ard -.-s..5, ii.z,aber oi the church.
His wife, a mild. tidy, woman, with a
lace cap and an immaculate lnen
kerchiet over her shoulders-so she comes
before NE now. Dear. blessed woman
how vr bows rcyerenced and loved her
Beyond this 70 the east was the
school-house al the branch bridge, the
r Thurstou house. further along and up
/ the long hin the Captain Barker house.
4 What is now Summerville then contain
.. ed but these two houses.
A St. Iohnsburv. then called Tie Plain,
consisted OF one street From the head
e OF the street on west side, there were but
+ iour houses until you reach the town
/ where now stands the St ohnsbury
House. Continuing on from he head OF
5 the Plain. there were but ten or twelve
= houses 10 the end o the Plain where
stands William Fairbanks residence,
,e built by his noble and sanity
4. father. J. p Fairbanks Returning on
the other size. there were but ten houses
m that recall along the entire length o
nj the street. Where the court house now
stands was the village burying ground
ds Going over the same ground | recal
N the families. At the head Of the Plain
or above the present park stood the OLE
Arnold house, built by the founder Of tn
he town. His wife. Lady Arnold, was ye
for living. She was, th'ak, the mos
Inc cultured person in town, dehgh
full type as / recall her OF the old-tln
gentry ante-dating the Revolution
From her home in Rhode island, she ha
ith brought her colored servant, "old Ruth
'hc the first negro we Youngsters ever saw
rs recall the curiosity not unminsled wit
,er lear " hich the frst spht of her gave m
r. The next house was the large brC
eph residence Of Capt. Martin, in part
re- which was his saddlcr's shop with q
RS sign IN front, II. Martin, Saddler, al
o. the picture OF a saddle aud bride beneai
La the name He vas a curt sort of a MAJ
we boys didn't lik, him but his wife
ted we did, for she would buy our ras
W. berries OF us. ana not Jew US dow
asst Then came an ashcry, and then a sort
rer, tenement house known rs the De
NJ. house then the school house, then t
NJ. store OF Lowell Moor. with the adv,
tisement on the wooden shutters, "W
Rum. MolasSes, and Tobacco. ! $
the black letters now, on the white bac
'e"' ground. Then came the tavern kc
roy by Abel Rice Then Judge Vests re
'n''' deuce then Marsh the shoemaker tn
u"y Barney. ditto Just on the south side
~ the Danville road
'P Retracing our steps, on The oppos
VI side of the street. was Stiles the hattie
one and where the South church now stan
a building in which the Farmers Hera
the was published and printed the gei
ton' from which has grown the stately Cal
also DOMAIN. Then came the dwellings OF
eN- two Drs. Iewctt, CALVIN and Luther {
efN' burving ground suggestlyey near a
ara. on the other side also Dr. Stevens, th
Alth the NOtal " NOlANt WIN az Nihl
space between, an old tenement hou
and near the site OF the present Museu
the house of Mr Phelps the father
Mrs. GOV F. Fairbanks and next
Dyed long low. wood-colorcd building
q by meeting house" of The North chur,
,.;. then the residences of the Clark brothc
peacons ohm and Luther with Ga
lN'' n Bishop STORE between, where III
pied RAIN lcw,.t "A lad Of seventeen, clerk
lcert And then came the barouial castle. as
IN. seemed t. me. of Judge Ephraim II
dock and last theparsonage occupied
SUI" Rev lanes Johnson late from Audo
hall Stmiuary.a very earnest preachers a ri
1cers Calviuist. and particularly energetic
,u the denunciatory doctrines OF the Bil
This Is general survey OF st. Joh
WIS bury a. IL was sixty ycarsago and me
To tie east as you descend the hill
was the meadows bordering the river, "
a. r. cultivated fields where the Bap
tting church now stands vas a very m
and forbiddiug swamp AS a ho
ha, ve .ted corn aud rlkcd hay wi
the depot now stands and all al,
whcr, th, recent destructive fire has
-n oil its rums The bushes which lined
'oted banks of the river were icstoo
,hing with wild grape vines winch in the