The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1908-10-23
DESERTED VILLAGE
ON NEWFANE HILL
Historic Associations Connected With
tho Settlement Prominent Men
Among Its Sons Clearing
Made In 1906.

Pleasant village al Nshldtti INC tuuhla
scat 1T Minlham county, Two mile,
from Newiane. on The SUNNI, Of a eonlra
shapei mountain that commands a NicN
ia every direction, h the site Of an earlier
village, not han.r ii which u now lett
standing, The slightly eminence i New
fame hill The foads by which it, sum
nit Is reached lead pact abandoned farms
where the moving land i turned into las
tuu or l., perhaps, "hayrd over each
season, The buildings ia most eases are
gone, and there Is little TO indicate that
this Nas ono the most populou- part o.
the town. The view irom Newiane hill
u invariably iinr, writes Mn, lila J.,
brown ia the Springfield Republican.
! frnm It's highest polui may hc seen not
h., than 81 townships lying ~ Vermont,
New Hampshire aud Massachusetts,. As'
eulncy mountain ON the north i plainly
L visible, aud On a clear day the White
mountains can hc seen hy the aid of a
| telescope, On the east Monadnoek aud
| Marhusctt are visible 10 the distance, and
on the west NanckHung and llaystack
/ tower above the iidgr ol the Grcn noun
I iains
Historically Ncwianr hill j. an intcr.t
I ing spot, When the large county Of Cum
| bertrand had been divided into the
! present counties at Mindham aud Wind
. u
shire town OF Mindham county. the coun'
1 ~ buildings we've located ia the flourish
I ing village that had grown up on the TOP
/ Of this mountain peak Courts We're held
/ there for ABOUT ~ year, when the county
seat was removed to the, Flats after
ward called Fayetteville aud now New.
/ fame. The old village ui Ncwianr had.
besides court house aud jail, meeting
house, an academy, three stores, two
"taycfns,' a variety OF shops and about
~ private residences. The only buildings
now standing on the site OF this early
village, with the exception of barn that
has been there a great many YEAR, are
some modern summer cottages. \ grim
row of markers Indicate the spot where
the court house, jail and whipping post
once stood threatenngly side 10y side: and
markers indicate the sites of other inter
csting buildings and places. In the quaint
old buping ground. mosscOyercd tomb
stones bearing many curious inscriptions
mark the resting places of the towns
earliest inhabitants
The township of Ncwidnc was granted
by New Hampshire, IN 1853 by the name
OF Fame. There Is a tradition that II was
named in honor OF Thomas Fame, who,
under Sir Thomas Wyatt, was engaged in
an insuTCCtiOuary movement during the
reign Of Queen Mary. for the purpose of
cevating Lady Jane Grey TO the throne.
The town was first settled by jonathan
Park, Nathaniel Stedman and EbcncZcr
Dyer, all OF whom were from Worcester
county. Mass The tiI~t clearing was
made IN the spring OF l1Ui. on Newiane
hill, just north OF the old village common.
The New Hampshire grants coming under
the jurisdiction OF New York, the Cover
nor of that province rcchanercd the
township OF Fame 10y the name OF New
fame, to parties living in New York city;
and. very soon after, the New York par
ties assigned and conveyed their right IN
the township to Luke knowlton and John
Taylor, who like the first settlers, were
from Worcester county.
The earliest inhabitants OF Fame sui
fered all the hardships incident to the |
settlement OF a new country, except thar !
they were never molested by the Indians |
They were under the necessity of convey |
ing their provisions and farming tools |
from Hinsdalc, n. Ia distance OF 90
miles-through an unbroken forest, cross /
ing Wicopee hill in Dummcrston by |
marked trees, for at that early day there |
was no road up the valley of the West |
river. Some of these hardy pioneers lived |
to great age. Mrs. Jane Hazeton, the
first white woman in the town, lived to |
the advanced age of l0i years. 1t is said |
that on her Tooth birthday this venerable
lady spun a full days work, then called
her son and told him to set her wheel
away as she had spun her last thread
At an early date Newiane was noted
for the many educated and cultured peo-
pie among its inhabitants. One of its
tnn ,' mativo of sb rm"r " Mas > Who
sottIod on Nowfann hin in ia uJge
L ua,,,ito U rhon , rnira nan of net
49, ~ oI had so,,,od e a. solJ;or in
th ~ Er rl,1' a,d irJian u,or IJo ,ros
ioVol;st and in cnns"nnencn of Tho greot
Ivy 60 ho 'ado ~ nbaIf % H. hi
;sh govornwe maui he raca;rnd ' wanobe
ism soN ~ lnnd j.; 1nvo re Canad 'aun art
- h mHit" liz ioto, r,o,,o he adhnranoo ~
= bo onnv m ~ Wernn n amd hocono
.he ,ho OF Vermont Fpn da S tecd soG
a ',tiHen y, w ~ N,.f ~ ~
ne replesenIteu ane to"n ~ VI memiane III IL
lne general asetinpy III Neiili9"s, u M
was ,,,gainoef 81 'ne o,u conur ,t ior ,-e se
sedrs o y W f onn to", conrt for
anu luz VI i"unani eounti I ~; a. a.
several seaIs. e. was .ni soi Iis i' tha
en.e 'i'ac NeMi i was ;h',tj Ia ~.
.oun.s f seaIi anu nc conlli ''. la'seil
toward puiloi's '"e llrst court mouse anu
,'t, 49, ,o. ,ooo - .ho a,oo;ol ,o,,,os.
&c I ae igar r1Vo 'I 'mp si Want ie9 EeiJ
u Judge hn VH young Martin rleld
OF LeveretI, Mass cane 10 Fewlahe anu
,nte E up,oi' VIZ P'ac.ioe Vi laT Iiai
!ln flelu, a.er known as General ~, red ID
.1 Gr ne was idue IiaJol eeneiaiiI ~ 'ne llis'
livlslon 0 WINE NE vermont , mllit "a
lteu AZ Nilllaills coiiegG az 20. seven
years iater NE me- received tne honorary r ae'
free Oh "a. M. from DaI fi ftollege'
ne was, elhiiiehliv successful as lawyer,
put was opilged 10 lellnauiSI ms plactlGe