The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-07-31

| the Highest hills III the township
rocky and inhospitable and this doubt
less is one reason why in the later
days the people left 1t never to re
, turn There were valleys green and
| fertile but the early settlers 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 go
ing down again, once the praying and
paying was finisaed The town grew
and prospered however, In spite OF
the fact that II is much easier to &c
around a hill than over il or through
it, after the manner of modern times
than to go over it.
Nottingham was incorporated some
thing over a century ago. The exact
date is surrounded by just enough
haze to enable tne local historians OF
which by the way it has two, to hurl
anathemas at each other. However
in 1880 its centennial was celebrated
which establishes a fact that salts
fies the casual observer During the
first IS years of its existence the town
nad history rather unusual in New
England and in its decline 1t wrote a
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 esta olished.
1t is said of 1t that during the
most progressive period ii was the
most cherished center for every sec
ton of the town and not only that,
but the most active, enterprising bus
mess place to be found in that section
of the county. Both secular and re-
ligious interests centered there, and
all classes felt il 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 sea
son would assemble within its walls"
OF the commercial side ii is re-
corded that the stores and hotel had
all the business they could attend to
and scarcely a day passed in the win
ter when the weather was favorable
but that from 10 to % teams might be
seen there during the business hours
of the day. 1t was no uncommon oc-
currence to have a hundred tierces of
lime bought and sold in a single day
In the course of time came the cree
tion of town church" 1t was con
structed of wood and was much OF
the same type as the old West church
Boston, where tne late DR.. Bartol
preached for so many years 1t was
built on the highest point OF the hill
and when in 1894 there were added
belfry and bell, it was the pride of
the whole community Nehemiah
Sprague so the historian says, was
employed ito ring tne bell at noon
and at 3 p. m, week days and at the
proper hours for religious services
on Sundays and on funeral occasions.
This he did apparently to the satisfac-
ton OF everybody.
In fact in n 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 wnen the
people looked into the future most
hopefully and he rang it on every joy
full occasion and toiled 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 toiled 1t in a threefold ca
pacity--the knell of a beloved towns
woman, the closing of his own 'activ-
tiles and, incidentally. the passing of
the plorips of the village
Really there were two bells in the
churchs history. The first one crack
ed and was replaced by a heavier one.
The latter weighed ll05 pounds and
its remarkably rich tone which under
favorable conditions could be heard
for IL miles, was said to be due to the
large amount of silver in tne bell met
al. There were some heart burnings
over its final disposition. To the out
sider however, it doesn't make any
difference whether it turned up in
Sadawga in the belfry of church,
under an agreement that the church
should never acquire title to 1t by pos
session." or on the other nand wheth
err they (some of the leading citizens
Of the village) executed their plans !
by secretly taking down the-bell and |
removing it to Sadawga, without re- |
gard to the rights of the original pro |
Drietors or the rights the town had |
acquired by more than 20 years unin- |
corrupted and almost constant use"
In 1880 when the celebration took |
place the church was almost in ruins |
and October IA, 1883 in the night time
It is written, this house was cut |
Town by some vandal whose soul was
stepped in the dregs of depravity, |
whose unholy work was too disgrace
'ul to bear the light of day"
The academy which was located OPP |
Dosite tne church, was opened in 1912 |
with 40 pupils. It's promoters had in
mind an educational institution of no |
mean proportions but it came into ex-
silence Just as the town was nearing
he unhappy period of its history. The
residents of the center" were making
4 desperate struggle to maintain the
supremacy of their locality, but to no
wall. That short stretch of road
around the hill that gave suca easy
access to Jacksonville had had its eff
'ect. Jacksonville was growing and
he center" was dying. Even the
town church" once the pride of
everybody in the community, was neg
ected. And so it came that the acad-
,my founded with a noble purpose and
opened went down TO