Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1898-08-20
"REMINISCENCES OF GRAFTON.

Judge Lucius B. Hubbard of High
land Park, Ill, Continues His Rem
iniscences of Grafton and Gives
Some Interesting Information in
Regard to Vermont and Several
of Its Towns.
The Northeastern railway company, i'm
itating your Vermont roads, has adopted
a plan of frequent summer excursions at a
very cheap rate. Saturday it gave one
from about dozen towns on the North
Shore above Chicago, to Madison, Wis
the average distance from those towns to
the beautiful city being about lao miles,
making round trip Of $50 miles for 81 so.
We left Highland Park at s o'clock,
reached Madison at l and returning left
Madison at GAO, arriving home at II
o'clock. The trip was delightful for the
counties through which we passed seemed
so like Vermont; somewhat billy, with
thrifty, prosperous, happy farmers; good
stone mason-work cellars under their barns
and windmills on every farm; so it seemed
very like home most of the way. Madison
itself il one of the beautiful cities of our
country, ranking in this respect with Min
neapolis, Cleveland, o., and few others.
1t is On hills, with large inland lakes on
two OF nearly three sides with magnificent
views from its capitol dome.
Wisconsin has two things it is proud OF !;
its Historical library, the finest in the
Union, save Massachusetts, and its State
University and Agricultural Experiment
station. Of very few hours in the city |
spent three in that library, and after gen.
eral survey of its marvellous collections, its
noted files of newspapers, its priceless
treasure of old Daniel Boone's papers, all
safely put into scrap books; it's series OF
state histories, histories of the slavery con-
test, of the war for the Union, etc., etc.
| found there more histories of Vermont
towns than ever saw in one collection be-
fore, though | can't speak for the state
society at Montpelier. l found three edi-
tions of Zadock Thompson's History OF
Vermont for 1927, stray copy of which
came to my hands few days ago taken
from an old rag mans collection by aitriend
who knew my zeal and that of 1858, for
the sale of which remember the canvas
made that year, during my first term at
school in Fairfax.
was interested and amused in turning
over its pages to learn that Chester was
first named Flamste ad, then November 3,
1861 changed to New Flamstead and
finally July IA, 1866, to Chester; that
Londonderry was known as Kent up to
April 20, 1885, Plymouth as Saltash till
February IS, 1897 Sherburne. Killingtor
till November 4, 1900, ard Brandon
Neshobe till October 20, 1881, and Graf
ton was Tomlinson till October 81, 1891
| also learned from it that Bellows Falls is
225 feet above the ocean level; Chester
$40; Proctorsville S95; Ludlow 9S5; Mt
Holly 1115, while Franklin, my boy Wood
village, is 430; Waterbury, my first parish
1S63-67, is 425, ard Montpelier, the state
capitol, is $40 feet above tide water. Dur
ing my residence in Waterbury, the late
Prof. Arnold Guyot, the distinguished
geographer, had series of levels taken
and his experts figures for Waterbury were
the same as Thompson's, 1926; Waterbury
Centre, where l lived was 712; Mt Mans
field ..Nose," 1896, on Which had my
first We ddiDg in September, 1864, and the
"Cbin," about two miles from the house,
was 1889 feet above the ocean.
| also learned in the Vermont section OF
tt at library, something OF Gov Ezra But
Ter, the second settler in Waterbury, the
first person converted, the organizer of my
old church in 800, and its first and faithful
pastor for 80 years, chief county judge,
state councillor seven years, member of the
legislature, represented in congress, and
finally in 1S26-27 governor of the state,
elected without opposition. He died in
1888. rs years old. He never had any
salary as pastor but one fall a good brother
gave him two bushels of wheat and the
next spring his seed wheat supply being
short he asked Gov. Butler to give it back
to him, which he did.
When he was elected governor, the state
militia was great institution and its pom
pous officers wanted to bring out the
II FOODS, and meeting him outside the
town escort him to the state house
in style. But he said mo, l don't need
any escort. / know the way to Mont
peiier and the state house"-he helped To-
cate the state house-and so he saddled
his horse and rode down from Waterbury,
II miles, to his boarding place, took off
the saddle and bride from his horse, led it
out to pasture, turned it out, went back to
his room and thence to the executive
chamber in the capitol, typical Vermont
er OF that heroic period. l heard this
when was chaplain of the senate in 1873,
from an old citizen OF Montpelier.
| also found Vermont Scrap Book"
in that library with lots OF newspapr
clippings about Vermont and some about
other things. One item greatly interested
me as of historic value respecting the
origin of the first Sunday school in Yer
mont. This item was short letter by
David Root of Connecticut to the effect
that be and Rev. C. G. Lee, while students
in Middlebury college, organized In 1873
Sunday school in the east part If that vii
l.ge and in 1881 Mr.. Lee said to MIR.
Root in substance, "That school which
we orpaniz ID in 1918 was the first one ever
formed in Vermont and probably in Amer
| ica.n | also learned that President John
Wheeler of the University of Vermont,
who died in St. Adams in 1862, was born
| in NV old beloved Grafton March IL,
1898: who was he Also that Rev John
Hibbard OF Royaltou, brother OF my
great grandfather, Jede diah, published a
aLetter on Baptism" to Comfort Seaver in
179s and hope he was comforted. Also.
that me Lewis B. Hibta ard, published a
"Gsrfeld Memorial pamphlet at Ludlow
| In 1881.