Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-09-29
If YOU would &c.,

ky-,xr h0
INer stretch of swamnv o,-o,,..S
sereIcnlng from the river bank 70 o +ho
l1ao, which followed closely the linz sn ,s
the present Main street. and -, - "a
near TINS road few story and So.
SSno-a-naH houses from the old Dan;s,
HAinner place at the corner Of Az
laSDurg road to the sawmill On th;s
sas OF the bridge, which was woodan
sucsure and narrower and several
teeS lower than the present iron
Se' one would first come to q
1921 1uliolng which was built in
1000 ano used successfully as q sboa
shop by William and Josanb co Suou
and Noah Dean. This BUILDING stooS
where the postoffice is now located
ano T sI, 1 was boy was occupied
Dy Ellis Stafford's store vbosa
strange sign, "W. I. Goods hnno
above the ridge aroused INV wondaS
until some one told me that w
stood for west India"
furtner north on the river bank one
would come to the Cyrus Eaton store
Mhere Wilder Parker and later Henry
rarher did business, and the Enos
NIT Wnicn had again changed hands
ana IN 1889 became a 'spuddinp milf,
under the management of John Little
The grist mill came next. and a LITTLE
further on log cabin was still stand
ing. Across what is now the Park
on the site of the Valley House. the
lutte old tavern, and north of that
the WEBSTER store, where in 1912
Harris Smith, then hotel keeper.
tbuilt and engaged in business with
Albert Eaton. Nearby We're hon
yards, and somewhere hereabouts a
tannery mentioned in q deed of 1871
as belonging TO Philander Reed. South
4 no n+nl 3
the river was the brick yard where
the Congregational church now.
stands, and little farther up the
road the DR.. Stevens house, with a
similar structure opposite, and an
other where the Baird house stands.
Probably there Were several log cab
ms. A brook crossed the square and
ran beside the road in the open ditch
entering the river near the brick ward.
turning toward the Willoughby at
the DIR. Stevens place, one would then
have come to Josiah Deans and TO the
W p. Virgins place. This is now
owned by Mrs. Glenn Dodge. 1t is
the house occupied for many wears by
Lewis Stimson after ne removed from
his farm 20 the Landing. Further on
stood the Durham place, south of the
road, and over at the river the lime
kilns.
The old Indian and pioneer landing
had lost its Importance and the old
road thither began TO fall into disuse.
The outlines of the present village
were but scarcely sketched in the lit
tie settlement of the 1S50's; but in the
substantial little houses that had been
built home life struck it's roots. While
the settlers at the Landing did not
rear the enormous families that char
acterized many frontier communities
they evidently did not practice race
suicide. In 1852 there were 10 hous-
es accommodating los persons. In
1855 the second schoolhouse was
built. Romance gave color to the
joys of the neighborhood and mar
riages added new homes to the old
Deaths brought their unacceptable
sorrow, and the little cemetery OF
Maple street began to show its quaint
lheadstones. The stones marking tbs
graves of Jesse Cook and Paul Nc
Neal still stand in the little cemetery
ON Maple street, in a good state OF
preservation.
IL YOU have had a mental picture
of the houses that i have named, you
must have been struck by the SINH
larity of their architectural design
With hardly an exception, even to q
later date, they were of type com
mon to northern New England, single
story, or story -and-a-haf, with slant
ing rooted chambers, and an ell al
one end running longitudinally IN
stead of transversely TO the mair
building. In the ell were situated
J the kitchen and not infrequently the
shed. When the frame houses at the
Landing were built stoves had come
into use sufficiently to debar them
from one of the most interesting
features of pioneer homes, the 'great
/ fireplaces. The first cabins were
made with a single fireplace, how
ever.
| In such a hamlet industry went on
lapace in the SOS and COS. Joseph
Colley was the first shoemaker, ped
died tinware, and later ran the tavern
before retiring to his farm The first
blacksmith shop was conducted Dy
Amasa Bigelow. Eben Wilson main
tanned a woodworking and carpentry
shop. Judge Samuel Willard was
first post master, keeping the ofilce III
what is now Hugh Buchanan's house
His official duties must have been
light in comparison with those OF the
present office. Mails came by stage
Madison Dean, son of Josiah, came
to the Landing in 1872 and ran tne
sawnnill. Lewis Stimson turned ms
knowledge of brickmaking TO goo6
account on his new farm where clay
and sand of excellent quality Were
abundant. This yard begun aDou
1889 was run for many years, al
though no residences of brick Were
constructed in this vicinity. Partie'
of young people in my time used .
90 up to the yard to see the burning O
the kilns. After living on the nom
farm fer half a century Mr.. Stimsoi
came to the Landing to reside, am
was still a very active and GENIAL maj
in nv youth. His son, Nathan Sum
son. is the oldest living native OF In
Handing. and has lived practically a.
his life here. Another son, Lorenzo
was one of the first to go to colleg
from this place !.
Religious meetings were held !
the schoolhouse previous to the bulid
mo of the first Methodist church ]
1858. The present Methodist, churc
was built in 1874, and shortly ate
the Congregationalists secured
SIMPLY, and in 1876 remodelled an
ENLARGED the old Methodist cnurci
which they had acquired.
The hotel was kept by various mei
Harris Smith, Jesse Cook, AlDel
Eaton. John Colby, Lewis Fora, M