The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1910-12-15
BUYS MAPLEWOOD HOTEL
COMMITTEE SECURES 1T AND 90
ACRES OF LAND FOR THE
STATE OF VERMONT.
Property in Conjunction With Nor
nal School at Randolph as State
Agricultural SchOol.-COsts About
$4,000, Which Is Regarded as a
Very Moderate Price.


$4,000, Which Is Regarded as
Very Moderate Price.
A short time ago Governor Mead
appointed committee consisting of
| Commissioner of Agriculture o. l..
Martin, and T. G. Bronson of East
Hardwick and II. L. Hatch of STRAIT
ford, members of the present legis-
lature, to purchase property at Ran
dolph on or near the location eof the
old Normal school for the location
of the proposed State Agricultural
school AS a result the committee
has bought 80 acres of land for the
state, including the Maplewood no.
tel, furnished completely for a sum-
mer hostelery and few outbuild
ings. Sixty-five acres of the land is
variable tillage adjoining the Nor
NAL school and hotel sites, the school
and hotel being on adjoining lots,
and the balance of the land is a
% acre pasture, about half of which is
covered with growing timber
The committee has also obtained a
permanent lease of the Normal school
building, which is large and well
arranged structure, built about IL
years ago.
This location is the best and most
desirable and has street frontage
of between 80 and 40 rods. There
are many large shade and fruit trees
and the frounds can easily be made
very attractive with room for the
erection of other buildings as time
goes on.
The committee arranged with Mrs.
Julia A. Stone of Barre, Luke Par
ish of Randolph, George A. Hart of
Boston and Judge Boyden of Ran
dolph, the owners of the property SO
that the State acquired title a a
moderate price, the entire cost
amounting to about $4,000.
The Normal school year does not
close until the month of July but
it is understood the trustees propose
that the agricultural school in readi
ness for the fall term of 1911.
1t is proposed to use the Maple
wood hotel for dormitory and board
ing house purposes and it is practi-
cally furnished and equipped for that
purpose, although some minor re-
pairs may be necessary.
The present Normal school, which
is now in the hands of the State
Board of Education, will pass to the
hands of the trustees of the new
agricultural school on July 1, 1911,
and will be used for instruction pur.
poses. 1t has an excellent and we'll
equipped chemical laboratory and
furnaces and all modern conven-
fences.
The lease of the Normal school
carries no expense to the State ex-
cept for maintenance and repairs,
and includes the income from
school fund of about 100000 The
school is now known as the Gram
mar and Normal school and the fund
cannot be used for any other pur-
post than this school so it naturally
goes with the lease.
1t is generally believed that the
proposed school is only the begin
ming of what will be accomplished in
training the young men of the State
to till the soil. For number of
years the great cry has been that
Vermont was not doing what she
should do to keep the farmers sons
on the farms and prevent them from
going into the cities and the new
school will certainly be step in
the right direction.
Agriculture is one of Vermont's
greatest resources and the opening of
an agricultural schol indicates that
it is not going to be neglected.