St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1897-08-20

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infinite Importance in the settlement OF
this town. 1t took the general direction
OF this road through the village and was
very crooked, going where it could be
most quickly and easily made. Remains
OF it are plainly to be seen where it passed
along a little TO the left OF the present
highway below the village northward.
In 1881, says Colonel Elkins, Colonel
Johnson came to Peacham with load of
milstones and the hoy adds, "a barrel
OF rum for my father That night a
band OF Tories and Indians surrounded
the house. Our boy OF the memorandum
was taken prisoner, carried to Canada
and later to England and put in Mill
prison, Plymouth. In Canada he suf.
tered everything but death itself The
British offered him his freedom, if he
would enlist and take an oath to be true
to the king. The boy replied, Il shall
not sign my name to any paper, neither
shall | take an oath to be true to the
king"
The prisoners food was insufficient and
Benjamin Franklin, then minister to
France, gave the prisoners one shilling
apiece per week with which to buy food.
Elkins took his extra shilling and bought
pens, ink, paper and slate, and, with
Others, hired those OF the prisoners who
were educated to teach them He pre-
served large part OF his work in this
odd school. Under the Rule of Three
direct, as he says, he gives this problem
and makes the ans wer 1000 IF 20 dogs
for 80 greats go 40 weeks to grass, how
| N bn1uAc for E0 toe
in that place" | give these incidents to
show what it cost to settle Peacham and
of what material the Caledonia County
Grammar school was made.
In 1777 Harvey Elkins was born, the
first white child On the old records |
find the proprietors voted to give Harvey
fifty acres of good land. This vote
seemed to produce the d, sired effect, tor
we soon read of the ushering in of the
era OF large families. The record, a true
one because written by Father Worcester,
shows many families ranging all the way
from half dozen to fourteen children.
Twenty years after the granting Of the
charter something of boom set in for
Peacham. Few, il any, of the grantees
ever came here. The seventy names, all
thdt TIC Siid' tSI COHldlHs, are HOl idHllildI
to this locality. They are such as Smith,
Warren, Kellogg. Meacham, Hutchins,
Burt, Cook, Montague, and Penhalow.
They were not so anxious to found a
great town and great city as to sell the
land granted by George Ill. for great
price.
The men and women who came here to
subdue the wilderness, to establish
homes, to develop robust manhood
and womanhood, and to build, not for
themselves alone, but for posterity and
for time, bore such honored names as
Bailey. Blanchard, Garter, Chamberlin,
Chandler, Elkins, Foster, Guy, Johnson,
Martin, Mclaughlin, Merrill, Miner,
Skeele, Way, Worcester and the like.
The boom once on, we may suppose
there was much rivalry. generous or
otherwise, for position. This hill on
which we are now assembled seems to
have been the center oil activity. 1t APP
pears strange to us today that this spot,
so difficult of access, should bave been
chosen for the principal village OF the
town, when South Peacham, or East
Peacham or the location beyond Acad.
envy Hill is so much better suited for a
village. Probably these valleys were all
full of water century and az quar- ter ago,
and the early settlers were forced upon
the hills in order to find land suitable for
raising crops. However this may have
been, Dea. Jonathan Elkins pitched" on
what has always been known as the
Elkins place, just below the village;
William Chambern, beyond Academy
Hill on what is now known as the Ashbel
Martin farm, and Abel Blanchard Sc.
lected the farm JUST out OF the village,
north, on the Hazen road
Each wanted to be the center Of the
new city that he might become rich from
the sale of his land. General Chamberlin
saw that he had fine location and felt
sure that the new village would go be.
yond the hill towards him. Abel, feeling
his weakness of locality. with that
shrewdness that always characterized
his race, adopted this policy: he prom
ised every artisan and tradesman who
would locate on this side OF the hill, lot
OF land upon which to erect building.
In 1895, Peacham had reached the
proportions OF thriving community. In
ten years its growth had been something
marvellous. 1t was one of the important
towns Of the state. At this time. William
Chamberlin, town clerk, recorded the
grand list OF the town as returned by the
listers to be f2230.
The leaders now began to look around
for something that would tend to en-
nance the glory OF the town and bring
substantial advantage. In warning
dated Sept. 2, 1875, Tor a town meeting
to be held on the 18th of the same month
find this article: I'D to see il the town
will Authorize Vim. Chamberlin, Esq, to
engage in behalf Of the town to build q
Court House or County Grammar School
House or any other Publick Building
upon the expense Of the Town with what
will be subscribed, il any of the above
privileges are granted by the Legisla
ture."
At the town meeting subsequently held
it was III. Voted That in case grant
OF the County Grammar school can bt
obtained by Act OF assembly and Estab
lished in the town of Peacham That the
Town will Support preceptor for the
term OF three wears from the first day O
January A D 1897 Provided the Person:
who live in the vicinity OF the place where
the Building will probably be built viii
subscribe Sum Sufficient for Erecting
the Buildings that shall be required by
the Trustees and that the Town Clerk bt
Directed to receive subscriptions to the
amount OF three Hundred Pounds" &c
Voted That Jonathan Ware VIM. Cham
berlin and Wm Buckminster be Com
mittee to Draft memorial to be pre-
sented to the Legislature for the Purpose
| OF Obtaining urnnt of the County