Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1911-02-01
AN OLD ADDRESS FOUND
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE


had been made, all the rest being
dense unbroken wilderness. In Glover,
Aaron Wilson had a sawmill little
northwardly of where Philander
Owen now lives, and a gristmill about
twenty five rods farther up the stream.
The gristmill was a two-story build
ing, the lower story being occupied as
a blacksmith's and joiner's shop and
the upper story containing a single
run of granite stones. Wilson's house
was on the high land east of the grist-
mill, and around the house four or
five acres of land has been cleared.
This was the only clearing on the
part of the town there was settle.
ment of nine families. called Keene
Corner, and in the west part, which
was first settled, a still larger number
of families resided. These settle
ments were connected by road which
crossed the river between the two
mills, by log bridge, then the only
bridge in town.
In Barton more land on the river
had been cleared and improved. Asa
Kimball had made an opening on the
farm now owned by Daniel Smith,
and Col. Ellis Cobb and Joseph Owen
had cleared largely on the intervale
near the present village of Barton.
Owen had about dozen acres sowed
to rye and eight or ten acres in grass.
Near where Joseph Owen, Jr. now lives
James Gould had log house, in which
he lived and kept his stock of carpen-
ter's tools. A little north of where
the road now crosses the river,
northwardly from Barton village
David Blodgett had blacksmith S
shop, and sawmill, the latter of
which was built in 1896, by Gen. VIM.
Barton, the founder of the town.
There were no other buildings near
the river. A bridge crossed the river
near Blodgett's mill, another near Mr..
Ovens clearing, and third about
three miles north of the village.
In Coventry, near where Richard
w. Peabody now lives, Q87O, S. S.
Seaver) a clearing had been made by
Joseph Day, which at this time was
sowed with flax and oats. There
was bridge across the river at this
point, and another forty or fifty rods
south of Isaac Parker's present resi-
dence. Such was the state Of things
in the valley as regards improve
ments. In all other respects nature
held nndisputed sway. The stream
on which Wilson's mills were located
had its source in a pond about four
miles southwardly, and also received
supply from another pond to the
southwest, but both these were in
sufficient to furnish the needful wa
ter during the dry portions of the
year. To remedy this deficiency. it
was suggested that a part of the
waters of Long Pond might be made
available. by digging channel which
should allow them to run into the first
named pond. 1t was about sixty-five
rods between the margins of the two
ponds, and there was a descent of al
least eighty feet from Long Pond tc
the other. Long Pond was about $50
rods and an eighth in length, lying
mainly in Glover but partly in Greens.
boro. and a little more than three.
eighths of mile wide in the widest
part. Nearly three hundred acres OF
land were covered with water to the
mean depth of at least seventy-five
feet, the greatest depth being sup.
posed to be hundred and fifty feet
A civil engineer, who surveyed the
bed of the pond few years since, es.
timated that it must have contained
1888. 600, 900 gallons, or more thar
thirty-One and half millions Of hogs
heads of water. 1t was a beautiful
pond in shape, as anyone may see b,
looking down upon its bed from {
higher point, the outlines being dis
tinctly traceable by a dark border Of
ancient hemlock and spruce which
surrounds the growth of hard wooe
that has since sprung up: The natur
al outlet was at the south end, where
Lamoille River took it's origin.
The project of turning Long Pone
northwardly seemed so feasible tina
it was resolved to make the at
tempt, and the first Wednesday, be
ing the 9th day of June 1910. wa
appointed as the day on which to dc
the work. That day was the day O
the annual election in New Hamp
shire, and it was selected for tn,
present purpose. because the inhabi
tants of 'keene Corner" all of VIII,
came from Keene, N. H., desired t,
observe holiday in memory of thei
former home.
There were however some misgiv
ings as to the consequences of tn
undertaking. John Crane of Glove
forbade his hired boy to attend les
he might become liable to an actor
for trespass. A Mr.. Jenness O
Sheffield refused to participate il
the proceeding, fearing that NOR
might be accomplished than was I'm
dertaken. But these anticipations O
evil were not general. 1t was tn
prevalent belief that the bank
of the pond were a solid ledg
with shallow covering of earth
and that it would be necessar,
to construct the proposed new
channel by partial excavation
of the rock. Accordingly, on the morn
ing of June, about sixty men and boys
sixty-one, to be exact-principall
from Glover, Sheffield, and Wheel
ock, repaired to the north end of tn
pond.
Among these men were the follow
ing: from Barton Joseph Owen, tn
only man from that town from GLOW
err, David Bragg. Asa Brown, JOSEF
Brown, George French, Spence
Chamberlain, Silas Clark, job
Crane, Solomon F. Dorr. Barzilla