Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-07-04
NOTES
OF TOWNS HISTORY
Continued from page one

lost his way in the dense forest of hem
lock and found himself again on the
banks of the Creek Then he went
home by the more circuituous path
marked by blazed trees
These men endured all the hardships
of other early settlers, hunger, cold, and
sickness. But at length the forest was
cleared away and town established.
Other settlers came, A grist mill and a
saw mill were built for people must
have grain ground to make bread and
logs sawn to build houses, The fume
of one of these first grist mills is still
in use. 1t was built through the solid
rock on one side of the falls, and power
is conveyed through it today, to the
marble mill across the eddy,
A church was built; schools were es-
tablished, college founded; stores and
other mills and factories were built,
There was a cotton factory with a capa-
city of sixteen hundred yards Of heavy
sheeting daily, and one hundred to
eight hundred pounds of yarn. The
foundations of many of these mills can
be seen today. Many beautiful resi-
dences were also erected, some of which
are still standing.
One of the most romatiC incidents OF
the early history of the town was the
robbery of the State Bank, which stood
where Mr.. Woods meat market now is.
The building was entered by an adroit
robber, Joshua Henshaw, who lived i'll
the house now owned by the Congrega-
tional Society and occupied as a parson-
age. In the summer of 1912, by means
of false key, he entered the bank and
stole large sum of money, 1t is sup
posed that he went to Canada at the
outbreak Of the war with England, No
one suspected Henshaw of the robbery
and it was only after the lapse of many
years that the discovery of the false
key under a rafter in Henshaw's house
revealed the identity of the robber,
Here in 1918 in this town of Middle
bury was established a school for the
higher education of women, the first in
New England Emma Wizards Female
Seminary, in house just across the
way from the college campus,
At this time there were two district
schools in the village, one where the
present High School now stands, and
he other on Seminary street in the
Prick house now owned by Mrs. How
lrd After Mrs. Wizards school was
moved to Troy, Young Ladies Semi
larry was established and for many
ears successfully carried on, in the
erected by Daniel Chapman
or a law school on Seminary street
The street derives its name from this
act.
The village was growing and prosper
ng At the outbreak of the Civil war |
he furnished many brave young men
t her cOuntry's call as she has in the
asst great war, On account of the
blockade of the southern ports, the
rice of cotton was enormously in
reased, but the mill at Mddlebury
to be well supplied with this
aluable product and it was woven into
otton cloth at an immense profit to
he owner.
At the close of the war there were
hree buildings on the College Campus,
he Congregational, Episcopal and
Methodist churches stood where they
o today The Methodist church was
urned in 1891 and rebuilt the follow
lg year The Addison House formerly
ad no west veranda and no addition
II the east The old white Court
louise that is now the first building
II the Fair Grounds-the Exhibition
Iall-stood on the site of the present
rick Court House Its large lower
Dom was used as Town Hall 1t was
loved to its present location in 1882,
l that same year the Town Hall was
rected where once stood Nathan
|ood'S residence with a beautiful gar
en- in the rear.
In the history of the Village of
fire seems to have PLAYED ,
Il important part, especially in its
usiness development. There were
lany small fires, but three stand out as
reater and more disastrous, and vet
lore beneficial, than all the others.
In September 1875 a fire burned the
ltire business section of the village
est OF the river, the mills located there, t
nd part of the old wooden bridge. t
he ford had to be used again. 1t
ad not entirely gone out OF use, and
)day if we look over the south side of
lie bridge, we can still see the flat rocks {
lat mark its place. These buildings
ere rebuilt in much the same way as
efore
Sixteen years afterwards in Novem-
er of 1891 another fire burned all the
usiness section of the town east of the l
yer. The cotton mill, Lavius Fill
lore's gristmill that no freshet could
estroy because its flume had been cut :
| the solid rock, the Allen block where
lie fountain now is, all the stores on
lerchants row, and part of the bridge /
ere destroyed. Many here remember ,
lat fire, how you were Weakened from
our sleep by the changing of the Town
all bell, and your frantic struggles to {
ibdue the flames with an inadequate /
alter supply The pumping system t
liking the water from the river was |
early completed, hut could not be /
5ed at this terrible time. '
Probably many of you also remember !
lie street with its steep hill leading '
own from the railroad bridges to the t
yer level and the five steps in the t
de-walk $50 safe on icy mornings,
lie stores, poverty hall" where the post g.,