News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1894-08-16

lidl ne uld not consider hlmSen so
much in fault as some others did.
In the year 1878 the first church
was erected on the site of the pres
ent Unity church The funds to de-
fray the expense of building it were
raised by subscription, people of diff
terent denominational views Jointly
contributing. Col. Asahel RAYMOND
decided to the town the site. with the
condition that all denominations in
town which supported preaching
should have the use of the house bv
turns. This privilege was enioyed
by the Congregationalists. Method
lists, Unlversalists, Christians and
Baptists for many years. There
was a further condition that the
house should be used for a town
house, and thus save an expense which
facilitated the obtaining of subscrip-
tons.
During the use of the house as a
place of public worship it was occu-
pied almost every Sabbath, summer
and winter, and for about twelve wears
never was warmed, though the attend
ance was excellent and services were
uniformly held forenoon and after
noon. Warm wraps and overshoes
were not much in use then, but COM
plants of suffering from cold were
not more common than now, with all
the modern Improvements and appli-
ances for comfort. In 1862 or '63
this house was moved to its present
location and fitted up for a town hall.
In 1889 the Congregationalists erect
ed the church they now occupy, and
the Methodists erected theirs in
I84I. "The Stowe and Mansfield
Meeting House Society" erected
their church on the West Branch in
1870, the necessary funds being raised
by different denominations. All of
these churches within few years
have been greatly improved, replanned,
rehtted and refurnished, so that they
are now Commodious and delightful
places of public worship. And re-
ligious services are held in them all
every Sabbath in the year. The Uni
ty church was erected in 1863. The
necessary funds were raised by a
sale of the pews. 1t is a large sized,
elegant structure, with a piazza or
portiCo in front with four huted col
umns of Ionic style resting on granite
bases, giving it highly artistic ap-
pearanCe. The audience room is
beautifully frescoed, enclosing sc
pews finely upholstered, and supplied
with an organ which good judges have
pronounced equal to any in the coun-
try of similar size. The basement
room or vestry, is very large and has
been found very convenient for the
accommodation Of very numerous
assemblies.
Before 1864 Gov. Bingham became
the owner of what has since been
called the "Old Mansfield Hotel "
and the Raymond Hotel" By his
adroitness and shrewd management
he succeeded in enlisting wealthy
gentlemen in Boston and elsewhere
in a scheme to build a summer hotel
at this place. A charter of incorpo-
ration for the mount Mansfield
Hotel Company" by the Legislature
of the State was obtained In 1864.
The work of erection thereafter pro-
ceeded with all needed vigor and
means. The hotel as finally COM
pleted had front and main building
of 800 feet by 50, with three stories
and an attic which itself was fronted
by mammouth piazza or portico.
To this main building there we're
three or four ellis, or wings, the larg-
est of which was 90 feet by 50, and
five stories high. 1t was we'll and
richly furnished and fitted up with
modern Improvements. 1t was prob
ably as large as any hotel in the
State, and it was claimed that it
would accommodate 600 guests.
What an immense fire it would make
if burned Some regarded it as a
a terrible menace to the entire village.
On the 4th day of October, 1889,
near midday as the people of the vii
lage had just begun to partake of
their dinner, the cry of Fire Fire i
came to their "affrighted ears"
No fire engines, no considerable
supply of water short of the river
and brook, many rods away. The
fire had commenced at the west end
of the hotel in the third story and
had made such progress that no one
suggested the possibility of extinguiSh-
ing it, and all effort was directed to
saving the furniture, which was main
" in the lower stories, and the village
from a general confagration which
seemed iminent. Every man, woman,
and child who could crawl was aStir.
Two lines, one of men and boys, the
other of women and girls, was formed
from points most exposed to the river
and others to the brook pond, little
nearer. The men and boys passed
the pals of water to the point where
needed and the women and girls
passed back the empty pals. The
wind favored and not a building
or shed was destroyed, though
the fire took in MANY places. The