Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-04-22
In AULD LANG SYNE.
THE MlDDLEBURY OF A HALF-CEN-
TURY AGO DESCRIBED.

Oh1 AOO OEOChl6GO.
A Citizen of Fifty Years Ago Writes En-
tertainingly of People and Places in Our
Village in His Daytime Has Wrought
Many Changes.
LAKE GENEVA, WIS, April 13-Dear
Register: With your kind permission, |
will tell your readers something of the
Middlebury of old times as it appears
through a vista of sixty or seventy years
to man thousand miles distant
Middlebury is to me enchanted ground.
The picture of its location, its surround
ings, its building and its people imprinted
on my memory in those old days, and
occasionally retouched, is still vivid and
inspiring after a residence in the West of
nearly fifty-five years. One who stands
on the summit of Chipman Hill (namPd
Mount Nebo by Doctor MerrilD and
uses his eyes, will gain view which is
unsurpassed in all that region. Old
Bald mountain at the east and Snake (Or
Grand View mountain at the west may
question this statement, but let your
readers decide for themselves.
The long range of the Green Mountains
bounds it on the east. Conspicuous
among its peaks are Mount Mansfield,
Camel's Hump and Potato Hill. Further
south appear the Ripton heights and
Moosalamoo overhanging Lake Dunmore.
Before him lies the lovely valley of the
Otter, varied with hills and fading away
at either extremity into blue sky. Its
winding river, its meadows, its pastures,
its patches of forest. its orchards and
its cultivated fields give to it serene
and picturesque beauty. On the west
lie the Cornwall and Weybrldge hills, the
broken chain of the Grand View range
and the distant and majestic Adron-
dacks. An occasional glimmer from
Lake Champlain flashes through some
opening among the hills.
The village (or borough-why not
city y seated in the midst of the valley,
showed many signs of industry, enter
prise, thrift and taste. The roar of the
falls scarcely drowned the hum of the cot
ton factory, the woolen factory, the saw
mill, the grist mills and the marble mills,
all in successful operation in those old
days. But enough of this description of
what you may see every day.
The old elm trees, survivors perhaps
of the primeval forest, hold the pass of
the lower road. Some locations and
some dwellings recall their former oc-
cupants. Here dwelt Hon. Samuel
Swift, the historian of the town and
county, and for many years county
clerk and Judge of probate near by Is
the house of Oliver Wellington, clinging
to the hill side, not more firm and stable
than he; the great gambrel rooted house
of Mr.. Kenworthy, the fat night watch
of the cotton factory; the old brick
schoolhouse, east on Seminary street
the house of Daniel Chapman above it,
alterward owned by Ep. Miller (oi
whom more hereafter) and now by Presi-
dent Brainerd beyond the hill the large
mansion of the large and Jolly doctor
Bill Bass, one of the first physicians
Returning, here are the seminary build
, ings; the house of Joseph Dyar, the
ieweler (now II. Wainwright's) the
house of lra'Stewart, the merchant, VINO
was tall and slim like his son Dugald
who more resembed him than did hi:
younger son, the governor. The Metho
dist church occupies the site of Hasting;
Warren's cabinet shop. Fire destroyed
that and aferward his fine house nortl
of the church. Mr.. Warren was an iu
dustrious, enterprislng and very genia
man. Mrs. julia c. h. Dorr, the gifteC
poetess, is his granddaughter. Eas
from the Warren corner was the houst
and blacksmith shop of Rulufl Lawrence
a tall, brawny man. a brother of hi
carried on the same business on tht
west side of the creek. Still furthe
east was the card mandatory of Mr.
Bent. The ingenious machinery was a
one time run by dog power. Next t.
Mr.. Stewards, in the Sade house, liveC
Doctor Norton, who | think did not re
main long in Middlebury. Next soutl
lived my father, John Simmons, a law
yer, register of probate and for Is year
treasurer of Mddlebury college. Docto
Thomas A. Merrill, classmate of DAME
Webster, at first a tutor in the college
and then for nearly fifty years pastor o
the Congregational church, lived next
and then widow Rebecca Miller in tn,
Beckwith house.
The Congregational church, then a
now most conspicuous object, a splendiC
specimen of the church architecture o
that age and the pride of Lavius Fill
more, its builder, occupied the head o
the hill. A little north of it stood tn
vestry and the horse sheds, then tn
house of Doctor Jonathan A. Allen,
very learned physician, professor in tn
Castleton Medical college and father o
two skilled physicians, Charles L. Allel
and Jonathan A. Allen. Farther dow
towards the north and west was the oil,
academy, since then converted by Mr.
BatteH into dwelling, in which preside,
, at one time Gilbert L. Thompson, fin
linguist, but so impatient of listening t
q poor recitation as to take 1t up and re
cite it himself.
s. The house of ex-senator IIoratio Sey