Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-04-12
HALF A CENTURY AGO.
An Old Newspapers Advertisements Tell
Their Own story,


Their Own Story.
A copy of the Green Mountain
Argus and Middlebury Free Press of
Jan. 20, 1S49, recently found in an old
house in town, has a column of advertis-
ing cards, under the head "Business
Directory" a perusal of which will re-
call to the oldest inhabitant names then
familiar, but suggesting to the present
generation only some they have heard
their elders speak of. Heading the list
is that of jonathan Hager, Bookseller
and Stationer." Next "Solomon Parker,
Paper Maker" announces that he manu-
facturers all kinds at the shortest notice
and keeps it constantly on hand. A.
Francis is dealer in dry goods and
groceries, hardware, etc., and locates
himself in the Nichols building. The
next card in the column, no more pre-
tentious in type than the rest but of
magic Significance, Is that of Charles
Linsley, attorney and counselor at law,
office nearly opposite the Episcopal
church. q. Fl. Nichols & Co. and E. II.
Smith dealt In groceries, crockery, dry
goods, ETC., in the Nichols building.
K. ID. Barber simply announced that he
was an 'attorney and counselor at law"
without locating his office. At the
south end of the bridge, 1t was an
nounced, the "Village Hotel" was kept
by j. G. Huntington. "R. L. Fuller,
Draper & Tailor; cutting and making on
short notice." is the next modest pro.
clamation, but here again is no location
designated. 1t was most likely In the
old Stewart block, afterwards occupied
by Chapman & Barber, Chapman & Bros.
and L. M. Chapman & Co., before the fire
of November, 1880, after which the site
was purchased by B. S. Beckwith and
q. A. Wainwright, who built the i'm
posing block now occupied by Beczwith
& Co. There was building known as
mechanics Hail." In it d. Wooster
had law office, No 6, and M. Phinney,
at No l, was a saddle, harness and trunk
maker. Another attorney and counselor
at law and solicitor and master In
chancery was Joel Doolittle, who
practiced successfully at the north end
of the bridge. 1t is not told where the
postOffice then was, but wherever located
it was point from which directions were
taken, as witness: "E. w. Drury, at
torney and counselor at law, office two
doors south of the postoffice." C. w.
Pettis was master builder and had a
carpenter and joiner shop near the pres
ent Methodist church. about where
Geo. K. Marshalrs house now stands.
Horace Crane, blacksmith, said to the
public: "All Jobs done at short notice
shop few rods south of the court house."
I'D. Nichols, Leather Dealer, No 2,
Mechanics Hail." so and only so calls
attention to the largest business in that
line then IN Vermont. John Jackson, no
relative of our artists, by the way, and
wel-remembered in his old age, even
by the boys of today, proclaimed himself,
as was both the fashion and the fact in
those days, maker of hats of every
description, two doors north of the
JAIL The jail was then the stone house
on the corner of Washington and High
streets and now owned by DR.. Yelling
ton. In the days suggested by the date
of the old paper there were no railroads
and freightiDg was done by team to and
from the lake ports, even so far south as
Troy and Whitehall. That fact led the
New Workers to advertise for Vermont
custom, for the card of A. X. Bois, at
torney and counselor at law and solicitor
in chancery, appears in the issue, as well
as ID. S. Wright, druggist, etc. Both of
these were Whitehallers, ~hile l.. p.
Cheney, M. d., physician and surgeon
at Chimney Point, was on the alert for
any wayfarers with wealth who might
need bolus or leeching on their peril
Gus way back over the lake. The people
then seemed to need as many watch
makers and jewellers as nowadays, for
C. E. Turrill and F. c. Fletcher had
cards announcing themselves as such,
while Harry Wilcox proclaimed the
more useful if less ornamental occupa-
ton of dealer in boots and shoes, north
end of bridge. The first and only
doctors card was SD. C. Goodale, NJ. D.,
physician and surgeon, Mechanics Hail."
AS DR.. Bass and w. p. Russell were
then here and lived many years after, it
is safe to presume that this doctors
advertisement did not drive them out of
business. j. NJ. Bishop, Weybridge
Lower Falls, general merchandise;
Bailey & Moody, wagon and sleigh
makers at the same place. And the
printer and publisher of the paper,
j. Cobb, Jr., then afterward Justus
Cobb, long time associated with the
REGISTER and other Addison county
papers.
Rummape Sale