The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-06-04

whose business is lumber, but who
loves tne trees and preserves the for
est He it is who keeps up the viii
lage; il house is left uninhabited he
buys it and transforms it into a mod
ern dwelling, and makes 1t an annex
to the hotel. The old Bromley House
has been noted for years, and has
been the halfway place for driving
parties over the mountain from the
valley of the beautiful stream that
flows over through Dorset southwest
ward to the Hudson, to the valley OF
the Connecticut. Ii was conducted for
awhile by that delightful host and
man of the world, George X. Davis,
who lives now in Newfane. 1t fell in
to less renowned hands, and finally
was abandoned. Then Mr.. Hapgood,
in his zeal for the future of Peru,
bought the old hosiery and made it
an ideal country hotel. More than
that,-he made a new departure in ho-
tells He added a dining room of UNI
paralleled attractiveness, with win
dows opening to the sunset. He adj
ded another story to the old house,
and he erected two great chimneys at
the north and south ends. each
containing three fireplaces in the sew
| l.. 40 arly-
able innovation in a great open fire
place on the south porch where in the
1t lights the village green to the end
land renders superfluOus the former
lamps hung on the posts at the end
thereof. The cheer of this campfire
is one of the beauties of the hotel, and
also one of its comforts On mild eve
nings the fire is a picturesque delight
and when the nights grow chilly there
are curtains of heavy canvas drawn
which shelter those who gather round
the hearth. 1t was an inspiration on
the part of this very original man.
And some of those who have taken old
added this feature to their verandas.
Mr.. Hapgood is doing these things
and many others for the sake of Peru
He wants the town to grow by acces-
sions, not of fashion, wealth, and all
that, but of good substantial folk, with
Vermont sentiment, and honest love
OF the rural life. That is his desire
and he owns thousands of acres and
has offered the state large tract Gov
ering the height of Mt Bromley for
public reservation. All his interests
are in his native town where his fore
fathers settled so long ago. He lives
In the house wnere he was born, op.
posite the church and the parsonage,
all built by his father The services
of the church are Congregational and
the parish maintains a minister half
the year. while during the winter
months a very viyacious Christian En-
deayor society keeps interest alive.
In the winter is the society season of
the town. Neighbors visit each other
over miles of SHOWS and by means
of the shunpikes when the regular
roads are drifted 1t is a homogene-
Gus community Altogether It would
be difficult to find a countryside so
well appointed to repose and comfort
as this acre so imperfectly describ-
ed.
Nor should we forget to mention
the lodge. where George Richardson
lives wear il and yea GU, although
he also HIS a house in TIC illage
The Lodge is a very Interesting
pl;ce indeed 1t is an old settlers
place on the edge of the high OBJ
servatory point of Bromley mount
ain. some 500 feet nigher 1t has
been made mountain camp, open
10 the rafters for the chambers above
with the hewh timbers of early days,
and the open spaces between tnem.
In the ceiling of the first story are
very roughly sheathed with burlaps,
and there is a strong stone chimney
and its fireplace to sit beside and
smoke ones pipe when tae season
calls for that. The great dining room
has accommodated many goodly
company and there have been en-