The Brattleboro reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1907-1912, 1909-08-06
THE DEAD VILLAGE
OF WHITINGHAM
Once Prosperous Community Now
Group of Cellar Holes.
SETTLEMENT MADE ON A HILL.
Which People Tired of Climbing and
Finally Built a New Road Which
Signed Old Nottingham Death
Warrant-Nehemia Sprague's Part.

The building of road scarcely more
than half mile in length was the = last
e act that brought about the downfall OF
p the Center Village of Nottingham
!, VT. which for many years was practi
cally the town itself. OF course, there
were other causes, but the building OF
that bit of highway which gave easier
communication between Sadawga and
, Jacksonville, two other settlements in
the town, was like affiXing the signature
to death warrant. The residents OF the
center" fought the scheme bitterly, but
to no avail, says the North Adams Tran
, script.
Today single tree marks the site
of the old town. Fragile and wind blown
it is, but its roots hold tenaclously. They
Irvine about the corner stone OF the
town church" that stood for three-quar-
tiers of century on the common.
Abandoned farms are common enough
in New England and even little ham
lets. for one reason or another, deserted
by former occupants are not unknown,
but Nottingham center is singular
case where a whole community has de-
parted one from another. abandoning
churches, schoolhouses, stores, dwellings.
Today its desolation is so complete that,
with a single exception, the trees have re-
fused to grow to cover its nakedness.
| Nottingham was built on one of the
highest hills in the township, rocky and
inhospitable, and this, doubtless, is one
reason why in the later days the people
left it never to return. There were val
leys green and fertile but the early set
tiers for some reason possibly good one,
elected to found their town where every
person who came to the center to pray
or pay wasted energy by climbing a hill
over mile long, with the necessity of
going down again, once the praying or
paying was finished. The town grew and
prospered. however, in spite of the fact
| that it is much easier to go around a hill
than over it., or through it, after the
manner of modern times, than to go over
| it.
Nottingham was incorporated some
| thing over century ago. The exact date
is surrounded by just enough haze to
enable the local historians, of which, by
the way, it has two, to hurl anathemas
at each other, However, in 1880 its CEN
tennial was celebrated which establishes
fact that satisfies the casual observer.
During the first Is years of its existence
the town had history rather unusual in
New England and in its decline it wrote
story unique and pathetic. In its early
days it had great ambitions. The road
that extended from the Deerfield river, by
Lake Sadawga, up over the hill, was
broad, for land was cheap. Year after
year houses were built on the hill and
the center" seemed firmly established.
1t is said of it that during the most
progressive period it was the most cher
ished center for every section of the
town, and not only that, but the most
active. enterpIising business place to be
found in that section of the county. Both
secular and religious interests centered
there, and all classes felt it to be the
common center of attraction. The old
church was the pride of the whole town,
and for many years from 200 to 400 de-
vout worshippers in the summer. season
would assemble within its walls
OF the commercial side it is recorded
that the stores and hotel had all the bust
ness they could attend to, and scarcely.
day passed in the winter when the
weather was favorable but that from 10
to % teams might be seen there during
the business hours of the day. la was no
uncommon occurrence to have an hundred
tierces of lime bought and sold in single
day.
In the course of time came the erection
Of town church" 1t was constructed
OF wood, and was. much of the same type
as the old West church, Boston, where
the late DR.. Bartol preached for so many
years. 1t was built on the highest point
Of the hill. end when in 1884 there We're
added befry. and bell, it was the pride
of the whole community. Nehemiah
ployed ito ring the bell at noon and at
8 p. m. week days, and at the proper
hours for religious services Sundays and |
on funeral occasions" This he did APP
parently to the satisfaction of everybody. |
In fact, in a peculiar way the story |
of the towns greatest prosperity IS closely |
interviewer with the doings of Nehemiah |
Sprague and the church bell. The bell |
was bought when the people looked into |
the future most hopefully, and he rang it |
on every joyful occasion and tolled 1t for |
every mournful event. When, at last. in |
the waning Nehemiah Sprague, grown old |
in service, sounded the bell for the last
time he tolled it in a threefold capacity
the knell of beloved townswoman, the
closing of his own activities and, incident
ally, the passing of the glories of the
village.
Really there were two bells in the
church's history. The first one cracked
and was replaced by a heavier one. The
latter weighed ll05 pounds and its re-
markably rich tone, which under favor,
able conditions could be heard for II
miles, was said to be due to the large
amount of silver in the bell metal, There
were some heart-burnings over its final
disposition. To the outsider, however, it
doesn't make any difference whether 1t
turned up in Sadawga in the belfry OF
church. under an agreement that the
cnuIcH SHOuiu never tltlc W II W
possession" or on the other hand,
whether they (some of the leading citl-
zens of the village) executed their plans
by secretly taking down the bell and re-
moving it to Sadawga, without regard to
the rights of the original proprletors, or
the rights the town had acquired by more,
than 20 years uninterrupted and almost
constant use.
In $780, when the celebration took place.
the church was almost in ruins, and Dc
tober IA, 1883, in the night time, it is
written this house was cut down by L
some vandal, whose soul was stepped in
the dregs of depravity, whose unholy work
was too disgraceful to bear the light OF
day
The academy, which was located OPP
posite the church, was opened in 1912
with 40 pupils. Its promoters had in
mind an educational institution OF no
mean proportions, but it came into exist
cree Just as the town was nearing the I'M
happy period of its history. The resi-
dents of the Center were making a des-
perate struggle to maintain the supremacy
OF their locality, but to no avail. That
short stretch of road around the hill that
gave such easy access to Jacksonville had
had its effect. Jacksonville was growing
and the center was dying. Even the
town church, once the pride of every
body in the community, was neglected.
And so it came that the academy founded
with a noble purpose and auspiciously
opened went down to death in a dying
Its life was comparatively
short. 1t was abandoned in 1861, but for