The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1895-01-04

vEF lW% n ic town o.
<eNAA] fhE~sN Thetford. lie
.l4y .s S4Hse" us visit each O.
sssGSa~p% sssssG~Sa~p%.. it's six 1itt 1t
villages. Let us climb its hills
clad in the rich mosaic of autumn
al foliage, and revel in the pictur
esque glories of its varied and de
1ig htfu1 scenery, the trim home
stead, the placid lake, the smil
ing valley of the blue Connect
cut. Let us inhale the bracine
air; fragrant with the odors O.
the pine, the maple, and the or
chard. Let us listen to the music
of the church bells, vibrating
among the hills. Let us step III
to its stores, its mills, its facto
ries, it's barns, filled with fragrant
hay and golden corn. Let us
visit schools and churches, anC
the old Academy on the Hill
Let us chat with the people or
the whole range of topics, the
weather, the markets, matrimony
politics, religion, the past histo-
ry, the present condition, the fu
ture prospects of the town. Let
us open the ancestral archives,
and take a brief glance at those
sta1wart figures, the hunter, the
pioneer, the soldier of the Revo.
luton, whose bodies mouldered
to native dust a hundred years
ago, but whose "souls are march
ing on" Perhaps we can pass a
pleasant hour and gain a lesson
of wisdom to help us on Our way.
Good citizen pray excuse us il
we hold you by the sleeve little
too familiarly while we apply the
pump. he end justifes the
means" Facts we nffiftaast have, we
are working for the public. We
are not writing a history nor a
record. Do not look for complete
ness or detail, we are only draw
ing a series of free-hand sketches.
Thetford is typical New Eng
land town, rich in educational
and historical associations. We
are embarrassed by the abundance
of the material. MAN proposes,
but God disposes." The growth
of the town into it's six little vii
lagos, is but in conformity to ma
ture's laws.
In the topography of the town,
we shall find the key that unlocks
its history. On the banks of the
Connecticut, the rich alluvial
table land and meadow was the
choice of the first settler. John
Chamberlain Quail John" was
the man and he came in May, 1864
from Hebron, Conn. The next
year he was joined by Howard,
Downer, Gillett, Smith and the
Hosfords, each progenitors of a
numerous family. A little settle
ment with its log church, was soon
scattered along the river. The
land for the most part carried a
sturdy growth of pine timber, and
it was a herculean task to clear
it, remove the stumps and fit it
for the plow.
The valley was the natural
war path for the dreaded inva-
sionS of Indians.
Back from the river valley
there is a series of broken, pre-
cipitous ridges, that towards the
center of the town spreads out
into a plateau of arabic wheat
land. This region was soon oc-
cupied with settlers, who formed
the nucleus of Thetford Hill. !
Here was erected the first frame
in town, aud Rev. Asa
Burton spent pastorate of near
ly half century, and was a pow
er in unifying and crystalizing
the public sentiment of the grow
ing town. Here in 1919, the fer
tile conception of an academy in
the mind of lawyer Simeon Short
ripened into fact, The Hill was
for many years the literary, legal
and commercial center of this
section.
Still to the westward, the Om-
oompanoosuc fed by the crystal
waters of Fairlee Lake, and its
wo branches winding down from
he Vershire and Strafford hills
,isect the town from north to
outh. This rich valley with its
plendid water power, and its
background of rounded and
hills, soon attracted set