Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1916-05-19
VICTORY.
BY GEO. A. APPLETON.

scholars, was taught by Hannah
Bean, in the spring Of 1892 The
first saw-mill was built by Joseph
Woods, about the year 1880, on
Moose river, on the line between
Victory and Bradley's Vale. Soon
after other families moved into that
part of the town, and formed the
neighborhood now known as South
Victory.
There are now in operation three
saw-mills, together with other ma
chinery connected with them, and
two others which are at present out
of repair and not doing business.
The town once contained a large
amount of pine lumber, there being
some 5000 acres covered more or
less thickly. On one lot 1886 pine
trees have been counted, estimated,
Is years ago, at 100000 feet.
There was also an unlimited amount
of spruce, hemlock and cedar; so
that the lumber business, in some
form, has been quite extensively car
ried on from the early settlement of
the town to the present time.
Previous to 1841 most of the lum-
Der cut was run down the Moose
and Passumpsic rivers to the Con-
necticut, or manufactured at mills
along those streams.
About that time Mr.. Willard Read
built a mill in the southern part of
Bradley's Vale(now North Concord)
where he commenced manufacture
ing lumber taken from this town.
This mill was subsequently purchas
ed by Mr.. Dudley P. Hall, now of
East Burke. Another large mill
was built upon the op,
posite side of the river, where
he was extensively engaged for nine
years in the manufacture of lumber
that was taken from this town,
amounting to about 100000 feet;
and other mills were soon after built
upon the Moose river, which have
been more or less extensively en-
gagged in the manufacture of pine
lumber. Probably not less than TO-
100000 of pine, spruce and hemlock
have been cut within the last 80
years from lands in this town.
Large quantities of cedar have
also been taken to adjoining towns
for fencing, and along the line of
the Passumpsic railroad for ties.
Mr.. Nat S. Damon employed 20
hands one winter getting out cedar,
large portion of which was used
for railroad purposes.
Victory has become somewhat
celebrated also for its BURBERRY
fields. Fires, which have been set
designedly and by accident, have run
extensively through those sections
where the timber has been mostly
cut off, and BURBERRY bushes have
come in spontaneously and in such
abundance that during the autumn
months thousands resort to them for
the purpose of gathering the fruit
with which they are often so heavily
loaded. For the last two years, how
ever, there have been no blueberries
of any amount in this section; but
during the fall of 1859 and 1860 they
were so plenty that a pailful could
be picked in very few minutes.
From the time they commenced to
ripen until they were gone, there
was regular rush" to the blue
berry fields. The road side, barns,
and barnyards along the nearest
available points were lined and filled
with horses and carriages while the
fields were inhabited by scores at a
time from adjoining towns, and
sometimes from a distance of 30 or
40 and even so miles, and the most
Of them would come out with their
basket filled.
Previous to 1923 there was no road
leading through the town which
could be travelled by teams, and but
one way of getting out iE any direc.
ton, and that through CRANKY to
Guildhall. There was a line of
marked trees to Lunenburg, and a
foot path over which people some
times walked; but it seemed very
desirable that there should be a
road which would admit of travel
A. c. Cheney was home the past