Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-12-22
BIC FIRES ANNIVERSARY.
Buildings Destroyed in Confasratiou
of IT Years Ago.

] =
Dec. 18th was the twenty-seventh ami
! versary Of the most destructive IRE tina
ever visited Bethel Many old Landmarks
were destroyed and much financial loss Z
4 business men ensued.
1 The fire was discovered soon after mid
might in the old W hite River House. Tht
I had formerly been a hotel and before tina
was used for business purposes. The lanf
on which il stood was conveyed by Joe
| Marsh, the original proprietor OF thu
aGreat Mill Lot, " 10 Title Parker in 1874
The original building was erected IN lsR
bv Joseph Cummings Of Bethel and Leon.
ard FarWell Of Randolph. IL was bun
for store and Joseph Cummings traded
there. IL was originally a large, square
two-stOry building aud occupied only q
part Of the ground covered at later days
Later, Horace Russell OF Randolph and
Jireh Durkee Of Bethel traded here. In
1912, Russell sold out to Durkee, who soon
failed on account OF the fall in prices after
peace was declared. Daniel Johcnnott
Traded there a spell, selling TO Justin Nor
gHu son OF the owner of the orig nal JUS
tin Morgan horse. Arnold Rabbit traded
there while, bringing stock OF goods
from stock bridge Common. At length
the building went into the hands OF Alex
auder Ralston, who traded there 50 long
"RalstoD's Storen In December, 1888,
BaIston sold it to Chester Baxter Of Sharon,
William q. Dana and George Throop.
lu April, 1885, this firm closed out bust
ness IN this location and moved TO the
brick store (Child block. They sold the
building to ARENAS AInsworth, and a COM
pany was formed Of Mr.. Ainsworth, George
Throop, Scion Cummins and Dr. Alfred
Paige, and they changed the building into
a notel The form Of the building was
changed, and It assumed the general APP
pearance il had when il was burned.
The cause Of opening this new hote is
said to have been a dissatisfaction on the
part Of some OF the people with Simeon
Babbtt, who then kept the Bethel House
( Bascom hotel, One statement is that
Babbitt refused to have dances because
they disturbed his guests and OF course the
average citizen could not live then without
dances any more than now. William Saw
yer was the landlord. He was succeeded
bY Mr.. Bracket, a son OF Capt. Harry
Braekett Of Braintree. The hotel business
was not very profitable and the building
was changed to tenement house and pur-
chased by Alvin McKenstry. At his
death he bequeathed it TO the town OF
Bethel, the rental to be applied under GER
tain conditions to the support OF the poor.
u was claimed that the conditions were
not fulfilled and the town lost the prop
arty and il passed into the hands OF Miss
Hattie Wilson, by whom il was owned at
The time Of the fire
Other buildings destroyed by this fire
we're the Francis brick store, standing
IS here the Kimball store now stands; the
new store block OF G.. +. Graham on the
opposite side of the street; the livery sta
bic Of A. l.. Stearns, Immediately south OF
he White River House; the furniture
store Of Frank Williams, Immediately
north OF the White River House; and the
iWelling and store OF Clark Davis, imme-
lately north OF the Sargent store.
The COURIER will endeavor in an early
ssue to give some of the history Of other
destroyed in this fire.