The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1907-09-27
AROIJT BRATTLEBORO ACAD.I
Interesting Historical Sketch Prepared for the Reor
From Old Records Never Before Printed.

The following interesting facts IN re-
u 90 tbe history OF Brattlebofo aeaa,
Inv are taken from book OF iceoi"'
owned by II. L. Weatherhead; = .ho
AN act establishing an academy ia wy
,o,,,n nj Brattleborough, in the county
~ W;ndham state OF Vermont, was
.nad nv Roswell Hopkins, secretary o.
80 the fourth day of November, IooI'
- No,yhnrv VI. from which the follow
~ estrscis are taken: 1T Is hereby
w hv the general assembly OF the
80. ~ Vermont that there be, ana mere
br Il constituted aud established an acau'
INV in The town OF Brattleborough, IA
M county Of Windham, 10 be known ana
des;mated by the name OF Brattleborough
Academy or the Asylum OF YOUTH Anu
!, i hereby further enacted that inc
Reverend William Wells, Mr.. John Moves,
'Iobn ". Blake, Joseph Clark ana Jonh
S,o,yard Es1uires. and Samuel Dekerman'
physician all OF marlborough, the rev
arend Gersham c. Lyman OF Marlboro,
Arad Hunt. Esquire, Of Hinsdaie,. n NJ
William Bgelow, Esquire, OF Guilioru ~ anu
doctor Josiah Goodhue, OF iutney' al VI
aid county Of Windham, and sneh otlers
81 shall be appointed IN manner, anu W
The number herein directed, shah ioilh
and constitute the board OF trustees III
Inc said institution, and be known " tnJ
name and style OF the Corporation VI
Rrattleboro Academy-and the sald Coz.
poration and their successors IA uni
ar, hereby declared, constituted, otuailel
and appointed body corporate anu AM
polite to all intents and purposes, Win
all the rights, powers privileges anu IL
N
ststa i entitled-And II Is hereby iurther
onac,ed tbat the said corporation SHAH
Layc fuII mower TO make and use a com
mon seal. and they shall have full power
~ take by gift. grant, purchase or de-
v;se any estate. either real, personal or
m;yed for the use Of said Academy, pro,
,.;ded that said estate shall not exceed
Me value of the sum Of six thousand
dollars. That all such estate Tor use ana
benefit of said institution shall be Tree
ana forever exempt from all taxes; ana
m, persons Of the instructors and precep
Tors and the students belonging thereto
during their continuance therein be, ana
they are hereby exempted IRON all taXes
and military duties" THAT the hrst
meeting of the board of trustees be holden
AZ the dwelling house Of Rutherford
HAYES" Owned at the present time by
Mrs. Mary Hayes Bigelow, granddaugh
Tar az Rutherford HAYES. Mrs. Blgelow
snends her summers at this historic OLD
place which is splendidly preserved) IN
aid Brattleborough on the 18th day OF
Dec uber at 2 of the clock in the alter
noon at which time and place, or at some
adjournment Of said meeting said board
Of trustees shall proceed to elect such
officers as they may deem necessary Tor
tbe benefit OF said institution II Is
recorded that at that meeting Rev. Ger
sham C. Lyman, Of Marlboro, William
Ripelow. ESQ, of Guilford, John Steward
,Joseph Clark. Esq, DIR. Lemuel DECKER
man and John Moves Of Brattleboro, We're
the members Of the board present. On,
Gers we're elected also a committee OF
two DR.. Lemuel Diekerman and John
Moves. appointed 10 ''draught" a system
of rules and regulations TO be estaollshed
az the laws of the Academy.
Thus il was-the original Academy
(which was afterwards remodelled and
used as a clearinghouse IN connection
with the present school building and call
ed West Hall was built by Joint stock
company in 1902, the charter OF the COM
pany having been granted by the state
NJ Vermont in 1901 Roswell Redheld
sisted in its construction, which was IN
he davs Of wrought nails. pod augers and
flint.lock muskets. The late Captain
Benaiah Dudley Of this village was one
of the pupils under its first preceptor. Rev.
Titus Hutchins of Westmoreland, \. H.,
in 1907, During the 30 years in which
Mr. Roswell Harris was preceptor many
Young men were fitted for college courses,
among whom a few are here mentioned
who later became influential men. Alonzo
Church. president of Georgia college, VIII
liam r. Hayes, attorney, Royal Tyler,
jr.. Rev. Luvis Grout, Stanford r. Clark,
Samuel Elliot. William r. Mead, William
C. Bradley, Wells Goodhue, DR.. John l..
Dickerman. Henry X. Field. +. II. Blge-
low. w II. Bigelow and c. II. Dayen-
port and many others who perhaps are
less familiar to those OF the present gen.
erations. Burnhams history of Brattle-
boro states: I'm by-gone days this Aead-
envy was famous for its exciting, thrilling
exhibitions in the ancient, spacious meet
inghouse" tbuilt in l7s5 and destroyed
! by fire February . lS45), "and thereby
worthy rival of the old Chesterfield
Academy, which at its annual exhibitions,
drew crowds Of visitors from far and near
to see where
"The great heroes of the buried past,
Their mighty shadows Ger the present
cast,
And fight their battles on the tented field,
| Upon the lofty heights of Chesterfield.
| In November 1912. the students of Ches-
terrified "acted" the Emancipation of
Europe, when they were assisted by the
Burdett and Miller Glee club of Brattle-
boro. who received enthusiastic applause
when they sang "Lustow's Wild Hunt -
In 1915 the school closed and remained
closed for two years. During that period
the second story of the building was rent
ed to Anthony Van Doom who was a
cabinet furniture manufacturer. He con-
Quoted this business there for some time,
then built shop where the Baptist
church now stands. After the room was
vacated by Mr.. Van Doom the town ac-
quired the right to its use for town meet
ings and public gatherings until in 1856
the present Town half was built in the
East village The annual June training
sham fights We're invariably on the green
in front Of the Academy and during these
DsnthC