Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-01-11
BURLINGTON IS YEARS AGO.
"Reminiscences Of Harrison M. Villas The
Business, Leading Men, the University
and Incidents of That Day.


when / came on a visit of few days 10
my brother, William X. villas. One year
later, boy of seventeen, though of course
thought myself a full hedged man, I
entered tho store of Sion II. Howard as
clerk boarding with Mr.. Howard at Ills
house or st. Paul Street, now the Home
for Aged Women. At that time there were
no pavements in the village save on some
of the business portions of Church and
College strce, The sidewalks were most
ly of dirt, occasionally of boards, with
few paved.
There was, think not an underground
sewer in the place and there was no sys-
TEN for lighting the streets. People went
around in the evening with lanterns when
there was no moonlight sufficient 90 re-
/ veal the roughness of the walks. Tho
population of the village was between
$500 and 5000. though | think the first
number more nearly represents the total.
on the site of the present Y. NJ. c. A.
building was kept the Thomas tavern the
largest in the village, the proprietor OF
which everywhere known as Colonel"
was the grand father Of the popular mail
carrier, Harry Thomas. The buildings Of
the hotel extended nearly to Main Street,
a large barn being situated nearest to
Main street, the whole fronting on the
square. col" Thomas was rather.
tall slim man, with the appearance of n
coneunptive, always conspicuous by the
neck. His mouse was the general stage
house of the town. The stage line from
Boston to Burlington. driving six horses
on each coach, made this hotel It's stop
ping place and buzz of excitement al
ways prevailed when the great stage
coach drew up, ever on a swinging trot,
at the old veranda In front of the mouse.
The New York line similarly conduct
cd. also stopped here. taking its route
directly south, while the Boston line pro-
ceeded east to Montpelier and north to
Montreal, the New York line following
the Boston line in the course to Montreal.
Nearly across College street from the
/ Thomas tavern about where Turks
clio hing store now Ia, was the Howard
| Hotel. the proprietor of which was John
Howard. father Of Daniel d, Sion L.. and
John +. Howard, a hotel well patronized
but not so large as the stage house"
Next west where Is now the new quarters
of the Savings Bank on the corner of COL
lege and St. Paul streets, was the Farm
crs and Mechanics Bank, Harry Bradley,
Pi resident.
] East of the Howard hotel stood the
Wholesale house of j. and j. II. Peck.
father and son. dealers in general ner-
chandise. The members of the firm were
respectively the grandfather and uncle
of Gen. 7. s. Peck. Next east came the
Wholesale and retail drug store Of Peck
! and Spear, r. A. Peck of this firm being
]
/ Where 'rafts drug store now stands was
Haear's hardware store kept by L. NJ.
Hagar, father of the late George |.
Hagar; later, John A. Arthur became a
copartner under the firm name Of Hagar
e. Arthur. Next above on Church street.
the Rftnsmaid Bros. kept a well-known
jewelry store.
The general variety store of Sion II.
Howard was the next building of conse-
quence on the west side of Church street
while on the corner of Church and Bank,
on the site of the present opera house
stood the bank which probably did more
business than any other in the State, the
old Bank OF Burlington. E. T. Englesby,
Pres. r. G.. Cole, Cashier.
| A little above the present Howard Bank
was Deacon" Mitchell's tailor shop, the
proprietor later a prominent deacon in
the Congr ltional church, standing whci e
the First church now is. Next north, We're
j. S. Potwin & Co, dealers in Yankee
notions. Above Potwin's store Mrs Corhin
kept q dye house, for silk, cotton and
+ wcollen dying"
/ Between Bank ard Cherry streets there
was but little business and no Building of
impo rtance save the jail on the east side
of the street which remained until about
twenty years ago.
On the west side of Church between
Cherry and Pearl streets was Johonnotts
Hide and Leather store.
! Where the Richardson" now stands
was the low wooden house of the dstln-
Suished scholar. George =. Marsh, whose
Office was on the north side Of the square
| think over the store of j. and j. H.
Peck. His form was familiar one to
4 Burlingtonians at that time and many
stopped him as he moved to and from his
Office, to enjoy for a few moments the i'll
variable charm of his conversation. He
walled with head slightly bent forward
giv!rg the appearance of being absorbed
in thought.
Near the site of the modern Hotel Burl-
ington stood the auc'iCn store OF Nathan
b. Faswell. a well-known establishment
Next above on St. Paul street was the
general merchandise store of Philo Doc
little. one of the directors of the Bank If
burlington and rega rded generally as one
of the staunchcst business men of the viii
lage.
Where is now located the office Of the
| burlington News was the substantial
, brick residence of T.. r. Englesby.
! The office of the Free Press stood where
1t now Is The paper was edited by the
brilliant Henry q, Stacy. afterwards L. S
Consul at Revel. Russia, and several tim s
candidate for Congress Where the post
ONCE and court house are was an unoc-
cupied felS
on the whole the appearance Of Church,
Main and College streets was far from
attractive viewed from the modern stand
point. The bare lots on Church street
were frequent and on Church and Main
streets. pasture land comprised about as
| much street frontage as did space used
! for building lots. The attractivcness con-
sisted in the fact that II was portion of
the principal village of the State and os
such none could critcse.
AT that time considerable of tho husi-
ness of the town centcred on Pearl street
On the south side of the street between
lnoOSIy #
! W m. /. Seymours hat and fur store, the
/ home OF the proprietor being where is
! the residence of the late Dr. Walter Car
pcnter. a little above was the larse brick
house of Col. Archibald Hyde, collector of
the Port Of Vermont. and adjoining which
was the brick office of Col. Hyde and
Asahel Peck, afterward Gov. of Vermont
under the firm name of Hyde & Tcck at
torneys al law. The house next above the
homo OF the late j. +. Leonard on the mort h
side OF the street then looked as II does
now and was occupied by OZlas Buell.. In
the hollow little farther up was the car
riage and sleigh manufactory of John *
Gray. a noted Methodist and father of
Charles b. Gray.
The large old fashioned residence on the
ncl tn side Of Pearl near Willard street,
was occupied by the Widow Deming.
! On the southeast corner of Pearl and
Willard streets was the small two story
house occupied by President John Wheel
er A little above 1t stood the old LOOMS
tannery, built and run for many years by
| Horace LOOMS who did an extensive bust
hs.ts.