Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1897-09-11
Bellows Falls In lSl7.27.

4
Bellows Falls In lSl7.27
The following very interesting tory rs
cleaned from rather lengthy paper read |
by G. l.. Wheeler some five years ago,
before an Epworth League convention held
in SIP ingfeld, VT.
In 1917 Bellows Falls was small ham
let with population OF $50. 1t supported
two taverns, the American and Union, two
grocery stores, three dry goods stores and
one little red school where now stands the
Granger block
Upon further investigation we find
that disputed questiors were settled
by Stoughton & Wentworth, attorneys, A
grst mil was run by Billings e. Co., and
there was one paper mi |. This mill was
in operation six days in a week, the re-
pairs bling always made Gu ing those
six days, so that wha' ever other things
may have been neg .cted, the fourth com
m ,ndment was certainly observed In
stead of finishing the paper on the machine
it was carried to the top OF the mill and
hung on poles to dry; then taxi II down
and finished. The freigbting to and from
this small city was accomplished by means
Y If oxen and canal boats, the staple articles
(; being New England rum and brown sugar.
In 1927, there were but five houses on
Atkinson street, one of which is still stand
: ing, and the five were far enough apart so
n that neighbors were not troubles ome. The
first house was what is 1913 now, the second
;, so, the third 81, the fourth on the corner
of Oak and Atkinson, and the fifth where
! now stands the fine residence OF Henry
:, Davis.
=, Green street was a forest of pine and
r. elm trees; Henry street was known only as
COW pasture, while what is our main
thoroughfare could boast of but three
lie houses The island, where is heard the
n hum of as fine machine shop as can be
r found in the country, and the noise of the
mammoth business transacted by the Yer
:" mont Farm Machine company, contained
n then one long yellow house nesting anon.
IS, the oaks.
nv The depot grounds were mass of scru'
~, oak and alders, walled in with large bould
''n ers, until 1912, when Alva Crocker-fres
from Belgium, where he had been to pul
chase iron tor the Fitchburg railroad pei
ceived the need of an inlet as well as a
outlet for bis road, and coming to Be)lov
T. Falls called upon the printer, DR.. S. n
Blake, to advertise a railroad talk. Ih
was the first railroad talk in the state, b
ma the subject was at once taken up by t
cid villages along the line of what is now t
the Rutland road and talked through to Blu
Cd lington.
eu In this city of 300, it is told as a f
rk- that you could stand for three hours in
five square at any time in the day and not S
we'd a person moving The dry goods M
i chants were Wentworth & Bingham, N
20 man Harris and Henry Baxter, with W
de- liam Hall in charge of the groceries a
OF provisions, and the postaffice.
and Mr.. Halls clerk, Jabez Hill, was W
uoh eccentric parsonage, well TODD as tar
"s this worlds goods was concerned but lib
CT al to none but himself, charity with him
o a ginning and ending at home. He lived
ke, s a good old age, occupying quarters
ness rentable, sleeping in an cid bakers o
:. and gathering drift wool upon the ba
hihs of the river to keep himself from treez'
de- He never married and therefore EMO.
ear. perfect liberty with regard to his hol
this keeping arrangements.
The special delivery system was In OF
SCI alton then for if a letter happened
vas' chance to left out here the postmaster t.
seer it and went in search of the owner.
nber The water supply was from the 2
u called the Old Terrace at the present d
ne and was conveyed in soapstone pipes
sub the village until roots of trees or g
.oom filled it up or it became leaky; then !
an / pipe was put in and used until 1852, W
fonr it became apparent that to meet the gr
'u log demands OF the village more water n
ldlng be had, and Minard's pond was SUI
J and quently purchased. e,
tions In 1857 the Vermont Valley rail:
;. &c ran train to Bellows Falls and was S
I, y after followed by the Rutland, Ches
ooine and Sullivan roads.
will A sudden cry of fire woke the echoes
a de- night and every man rushed to the re
s,,,,. pail in hand. A double line was tor
from the canal to the engine, where
I'M Is men turned the crank and ted the fla
to of the old Union House with water-al
ticle not commonly ed there until
,m;nq house burned down.
ID 70 The village continued to grow ste'
Gu !" from that time until in 1892 the popula
airy Is had reached 4C00.