The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-03-29

5LNNT a representative typ
MSN of the back Countr
N.Y. hill town of Vermont
MOV 1t is not especially ia
EM5J vored in location o
topography. T h
town is distant II miles from th
hust1ing village of Barre, and 1.
miles from Bradford. 1t was OF
the line of the old stage road o
early times, from Burlington viz
Montpelier to Haverhill.
We often wonder at the loca
tion of those old roads right ove1
the tops of the hills and it seems
that the projectors and surveyor:
had failed to notice that a fly
crawling around kettle bal
makes the same distance as wher
it goes over the top. The octo-
genarians of the town solve the
enigma very easily. The early
s4ttlers largely settled on the
high lands where they could raise
that first great necessity, wheat
foA their daily bread. And il
was thought to be much more
costly to make roads in the val
1eys some of them being some
what marshy and not as well
drained as at present.
The surface of Topsham is re-
markably hil1y and diversified
and some of the higher eminences
present scenic pictures of remark
able variety and beauty. A
dwe1ler of prairies would declare
that agricultural operations were
entirely impracticable here. The
Topsham Yankee demonstrates
that "where there's will there's
a way" The soil of the town is
strong and productive and some
of the best farms in town are
located Oil the hills. The ap-
parent isolation of the town from
large trade centers and the 1r-
regu1arities of the surface are
not without substantial compen-
sations.
The town is self centered and
while there are very few rich
men the general average of COM
fort, intelligence and prosperity
is creditable. A large share of
the trade especially on staple ar
tic1es goes to the home merchants
and mechanics and helps build up
the town. Pure and never fail
ing springs are abundant and the
two branches of Waits river fur
nish excellent water power.
We have drawn from every
available source of tradition,
memory and record and hope to
present an authentic and reason
ably comprehensive sketch of the
past and present history of the
town. We enjoyed the pleasure
and advantage of conversing with
several intelligent and we'll pre-
served gentlemen whose memory
easily covers three score and ten
years.
The contrast between former
conditions and prices and the
present is quite marked. VIM.
Rogers remembers cutting wood
for twenty-five cents cord, sell
ing hemlock bark for $1.50 per
cord, working for So per month,
selling good butter for 1Oc per
pound and in 1887 he sent pair
of seven foot oxen to Boston
which brought $37. Debts were
paid principally in grain and
pork. There was distilling on
"Zion's Hill" Pot and pearl
ash and whiskey were the princi-
pal cash products.
1t appears by the land records
in the early history of the town
that Samuel Holland came into
possession of large tract of the
lands of Topsham, and that at
Quebec Sept. %, 1884, he execut-
ed deed of the same to Col. Asa
Porter of Haverhill, n. H., where
in he deeds to said Porter all
trusts, rights or proprietors shares
he owns in Topsham, lying in
what is termed the New Hamp-
shire grants, whereby Col. Por-
ter became large land holder in
town. Subsequently Mr.. Bell,
acting as his agent, was offered
$4,000 in gold for 1000 acres of
land lying in the northwestern
part of the town by ten Scotch
men, but he demanded $4,000, and
the canny, thrifty Scotchmen
went up to Ryegate and located,
and the town lost most valuable
and prolific element of popula-
ton.