Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-02-17
BETWEEN 1926 AND 1880.
The First Steamboat on the River.
Some of the First Buildings In Bellows
Falls and Several of the Quaint Char
actsrs Recalled by Edward II. Green.

lututt VI NnuICu bbEttb, gave bub WTlbtT
some interesting "reminiscences of his early
recollections of Bellows Falls which have
not appeared elsewhere.
Mr.. Green was born in 1921 in the old
yellow house," known in later years as
the CDR. Wells place." which stood on the
site of the present H. f. Putnam tenement
house on Atkinson street on the south side
of Wells street. The old house was about
20 years ago moved back on Wells street,
to the bank, and is owned by John f.
Brosnahan. This is one of the oldest
houses in the village and is still occupied
by tenants. 1t was built by the Atkinsons
at the time of the building of the canal LOG
years ago. Another one built at the same
time is the old building in the rear of the
Fenton clothing store, now tenantless, but
until recently occupied as a dwelling.
This latter was occupied many of the first
years of its existence as the dwelling of the
agent of the Canal company and near it
stood his Office where all tolls were paid for
boats and lumber passing through the
canal.
Mr.. Green said, among other things of
interest l resided here until / was II
years old, going then to Boston. In 1S47
| went to the East Indies and remained in
Manila the most of the time for Is or 20
years. For 10 years succeeding this
lived in London and Paris, since which |
have resided principally in New York,
with frequent visits to my boyhood home
here. | have watched with much interest
the development and growth of Bellows
Falls since my earliest remembrances of it,
and now it gives me much pleasure to re-
vert to incidents between 1925 and 1880,
still fresh in my mind
As a boy | was one day watching a raft
passing through the canal handled by old
Jack Adams, one of the best known river
men of his day. l stood on the cid wooden
bridge, first built across the canal Just be-
low where the present stone arch is on
Bridge rect. There was a log on each
side of the bridge to keep teams from run
ming off, and in my eagerness leaned over
the log too far and fell into the water 90
feet below, but Jack fished me out safely.
l remember well the Atkinsons of that
day, who owned the canal, descendants of
the man who secured the charter and built
it in 1879. They were all Englishmen, and
nearly all wore queues and knee breeches,
according to the custom of the times. At
one time they had large company of
whom they were giving royal banquet in
where the Chase Furniture company's
building now is. Old John Atkinson of
New York, brother of the originator of
the canal, was acting as toastmaster.
Wishing to pay a marked compliment to a
noted colonel present, he arose, and, with
much dramatic eloquence, said 1--WE will
now drink to the health of our eminent
friend, COL, the last in battle and
the first out, meaning, of course, the oppo-
site. A roar from the assembly added to
his natural discontinue.
Among the old characters of note that |
remember wildly was old Daniel Upton, a
carpenter, who came here from Westmin-
ster West and who built the brick block
just east of Mammoth block, which has in
recent years become part of that block
He occupied it many years as dry goods
store.
little further east on Bridge street.
next to the old Conant building. stood the
old blacksmiths shop of John Rogers. lust
where the Walker block now is. His
quaint old sign that hung in front told his
name and had unique picture of man at
an anvil making horse shoe. He had a
son bill, and the Cab Rogers of more
modern times was also his son, the whole
family being of that class never to be for
gotten when once known
Jabez Hill, who always wore an English
queue, was clerk many years in the old
store of Hall & Green that stood Just where
the Blue store now is. 1t was in earlier
years the only store in the place Nv
father, Henry Atkinson Green, was the
Junior member of the firm. The picture
comes to my mind of an immense poplar
tree which stood exactly in front of the
old building, and which, l should think,
was at least three feet through at the
ground. 1t must have been cut down in
the 30's. This reminds me that in later
years, when my mother and lived in the
house on Henry street, now occupied by C..
Ii. Williams and N. H. Farr, there was a
willow tree growing in the yard that orig
mated from twig that was taken from n
tree which stood over the grave of Napo-
leon on the island of st. Helena 1t was
cut down about 10 years ago, after / sold
the place. recollect well the old balance
scales in the back store which were Sis
pended from above and for which we had
weights to correspond with the weight of
the article to be weighed. AS the scales
were for the heaviest class of articles thew
were built strong and immense iron
weights with rings in them stood on the
hoor beside them marked with their proper
denominations of IDS" "2Ss," f'56s -
'1l2, '224, " to correspond with the vari-
ous decimals of the gross ton of 224O lbs
Many articles of merchandise were in those
days weighed by the "gross hundred |
well remember how quickly these old
weights were called to mind many wears
after, when in the Office of a government
~eigher in large city saw him using the |
exact counterpart of the scales, in princi- |
Die, although of a widely different class of |
All government weighing
designed to be Official is still done b4 |
balance" to prevent tampering with the |
mechanism of the modern scale.
Another old building, familiar to NV
'oyish eyes, and which today shows less
'hange than any other of 20 years AGO
which can remember, is the old Morgan
tavern" one of the most noted hostelTies
4 those days, now known as "Frost,s
lock, and occupied by tenements. lust
orth of the Commercial House. Previous
o the building of the canal, the old road
sading from this tavern to the toll bridge
assed over where the canal was later
uilt just in the rear of my fathers store
ut after the building of the canal the
ridge was put across it near where it now
lands on Bridge street.
l we'll remember the little two-storv
rame building which stood in those old
avs at the head of what is now the SQUARE.
nd which was few years ago rebuilt into
three-story building, now occupied bv the
Ialian confectioner's store. That was the
ID drug store of DR.. Wells, the first drug !
lst OF the village, He earlier had a drug
ore ON the south side of the Square, where
le Fierce pharmacy now is. The doctor ]