Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1920-07-22
THE OLD CAMPUS
tssnsiA issas in tisiAiiy sf.BRiseFsify ~
kseniieA w i,ssas Il. Il. Benedict

tss'stiA isAas IN tissiAiiy sl.HRisesAify ~
AseniiaA ~ hss4s b. Il. BtsAsdttf
In S8ansetiaH with the death Ut r.
bhe8ia Behsdlet. VIA WAS faf many
yeafS HR assistant ediiBF OK the fffe
pfess; ana a we'll Known man In 3jie bHB-
lls Affalfs 6f HtAEtlhEtan. Il IL ihfEfcst-
hiE ~ ht,ts siitiie OF his EalBiHlsehhttss of
earlier times III .barllnsstBh. MI. Hehe-
diet, Vino vas a ssh or the iaie Ffef.
6eafge w. Bene4liet. ,.Was srftdAatnd From
TIE thlvetsity VI the class af lREA tie
nen,enibered tiiais AZ the aid sastBnAs af
the eellsse MEN az hls day ann several
seans BefBte. bh4 1T the iasi intervisws
he eSsf gass Was IN eaAHentlah with
THESE hla stpr&n- af u. V. M. waish wni-
ter n. CrutknIt t,ablAhed seHas time ase
In The u. v. NJ Notss4 feftiehs OF this
interview are hero feprinisd.
Mr. Bsnniiet was born IN puhiHstsa
nearly g years ago. ffis father, the
late fruf. George w. Bebeaifi lhaA OH
the west aide NJ the eaineu6 and
here Llneoih Bene4liet sneat his boy
hood. when Ptufsssur pensdet came
hete IN 1aH. after n fire. haa destroyed
the elf eallese es1ifier, thn only bepdiHk
stfanfflhs was An old stnrehense at The
nHrth ena hf the "gteen,," and the IL
arary consisted ut d few heakB ih "A
sushei basket A three=nail fame, paint
ed while, surrounded the prvsspft rfA,npus.
Lake. the fence ras dark hraMa. fwb
large snteH, sasroonded by All arch
ware IN frunt gf what II npw known A.
The oth Mllt," then three separate
tAifldfngs, and similar sAies xrtr ~ thr
head OF Cnllese strict. THESE great gates
were epcned only for the annual conn.,
mencemcnt procession, An eynrt Of dig
NIFTY and Importance. There were turn.
stllns on either side uf thesr gates.
also twu at tho north end Of tho campus.
two at the south end, and others TN the
west aide. Thasr tnrnstitus eerastenai-
ir disappeared and sometimes verr found
In tho belfry There WAS a broad path
across tho campus, frnm the University
buildings To Collage street. and other
paths FOR tho convenience Of pedcs-
trians. There In n tradition that the old
stnFc road from Wilistnn ran dtagonn'ly
across tho campus from the southeast to
tho northwest corner and that houses
onoe stood on the east portion where
trncns OF collar holes may be seen, but
hree arc matters of which Mr.. Benedict
had no personal knowledge.
The campus was never cultivated, and
a poor crop of hay was harvested from
year To year. The snil at the south end
was particularly poor, a portion OF It b.
Ing clay. The students planted trees but
many of them died. Locnsts then were
the principal shade trees In the city. Mr..
BENEDICT remembered when Captain Dan
Lyon planted the elms on College street
be&uw Willard. The little grove OF pines
on the campus where cfassday exercises
are held was set out by Chauncey Good
rich, well known printer and publisher,
who lived opposite the grove In a brick
house, adjoining the Torrey property,
situated on what is now a vacant lot
The back campus WIS a pasture across
which brook flowed. and a pine.g grove
occupied portion of that field. a par.
| OF which is still standing
! On the east side of what is NOW Univer-
s1ty Place, near the site of tho Billings
Library. stood a two-story white house
occupied by President Marsh, and later
used as a residence for many years BY
the late Prof. McKendree Petty. Near
this house was a one-story Office build
Ing, in keeping with the custom of the
times The futile store occupied the
site or the Burnap house on the corner
or Main and South Prospect streets, re-
!cently used az girls dor1nftory Mr.
futile built Grassmount. later occupied
tby one Of Vermont's most DISTINGUISHED
citizens, Gov. Cornelius p. Van Ness
South Prospect, south Of Main, was
known rs Tutt1e street, bat a,
an cartier period vas called Han.
ioock street On tfat street was
ia house. once occupied by viii.
liam Warner, the.cDlicge treasurer AZ
forward President Pease and Professor
Shedd lived farther south On this street
The Warnar house later was occupied by
Matthew Fl. Burkham when he was a
tprofessnr here, prior to his election a
president. Opposite the Cannon uropert,
twas farm house occupied by Docto,
l'Spooner.
On the southwest corner Of Pearl anc
Prospect streets stood a hotel built il
D89 known as the Green Mountain House
and later as the Pearl Street House OF
the site now occupied by the College O
Medicine building were the store anc
residence owned by Harry Bradley, tn,
house being occupied later by Levi I'm
derwood- The house next to the Col
lego of Medicine building, said to be tn,
oldest mousse in Burlington, was built b,
Fred Saxton in 1790. There were no
many houses on North Prospect street
then known, as Con street Severa
houses had been erected on CoIcheste
Avenue. and the Guy Catlin homes te AZ
stood on the elevation now occupied b,
the Mary Fletcher hospital
There were very few houses on Colleg,
and Main streets between what ara nov
known as Prospect and Willard streets
the lhst named being known as Clinton
street President Wheeler owned practi
ca1y the whole square now bounded b,
Prospect. College, Williams and Mail
streets. The Allen house on the presen
SHE of Morrill, Hall was erected by Nose
Catlin- On the corner now occupied b,
the John J. Allen house stood the two
story wooden house of Prof Farrand n
Benedict built by Harvey Boardman Tn
site OF the f. s. Pease house was occu
pied by the residence of Samuel Reed
whose property extended almost to vii
| liams street, and south of the G. w
5 Benedict house was the home of Prof
, Henry CLANCY, and beyond it were tn
; Goodrich and Torrcy residences.
, Among Mr.. Benedict's classmates wer
, Judge Thomas S. Buckham. Rev. c. w
Clark, b. F. ffheld, Rev. Constants l.
Goodell, Rev. Moses p. Parmelee. Judg
n. Henry Powers and Norman williams
MI Benedict was always a true frien,
e Of the University, and retained his activ