The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-16

tionary markers by the graves of sol
diers.
In my ignorance l wondered why
all this was on top of hill. have
since learned that the Indians hunted
and fished up and down the river,
planted their corn south in the spring
and returned in the autumn to harvest
it. So the settlers built upon the
heights to keep away from the Red
Men, also it gave them the advantage
of a good lookout in all directions and
consequently they were better able to
avoid surprise,
This shows why the old trails went
up over the hills What a convenience
aeroplanes would have been in those
timesl
In 1857 Fairbanks and Benjamin
Moore, father and son, came from Fort
Dummer and blazed trail over Gene
over terry hill across where Main street
now is, back of where the Chase street
schoolhouse now stands to the spot
where The Retreat farmhouse is They
made clearing and built log house.
Then they brought Mrs. Benjamin
Moore and her three children to the
home
One night in February q band Of In
dams demanded admission. They were
repulsed and a massacre followed. Two
Indians were killed, the door was
broken in and both white men were
shot and scalped. Mrs. Moore was in
bed with a three weeks old infant. She
sprang up, drew on her clothes and fled
with her children through rear win
dow They were all caught and brought
back TO the house. The Indians sought
food: finding beans and tallow they
cooked them together and placed the
mass in the snow to harden for use on
their Journey. This would have pleased
Herbert Hoover could he have seen it.
Snowshoes were put on Mrs. Moore
and she was led and the children car
ried on a long and weary journey OF
10 DAYS through snow and cold over
the mountains TO Fort TicOnderoga.
The captors were kind, however, to their
prisoners. made beds of boughs and
gave them blankets at night. Finally
| thew reached Montreal and Mrs. Moore
| and the children, in spite of all Their
| hardships. found themselves in excel
| lent health.
They were finally ransomed by Gov
| ernor Wentworth and returned to Brat
| tleboro Mrs Moore was given tract
of land near the Meeting House Hill
| cemetery, but eventually she married
a Putney man and ended her days there
| In 1864 excavations were made fol
a barn at the back of the ruins of the
Moore cabin and two skulls were found
| one pierced by bullet They undoubt
edlv were those of the Moores, kilec
bv the Indians over one hundred years
| before.
John Arms and his friend, Samue
/ Wells, of South Hadley. Mass, were
prospecting in 1862 and discovered tn,
remains of the Moore log cabin MIR
| Arms built himself a house on thi
spot and Mr. Wells built himself /
house near by, which is now the whole
main front of Linden Lodge. (Lindel
| Lodge has burned down since this pa
per was read.
Here to Samuel Wells and his wifi,
10 children were born, little Elizabetl
being the first white person who die'
in this community and the first on
buried in the cemetery on Meetn:
| House hill. Col Wells was rank Tor,
and the orders were at one time to shoe
nm II he were 1Ound outside the con
fines of his own acres.
1t was with logs and planks fellct
and shaped by hand that these frs
houses were built. The short clapboard
were split without the aid of sawmil
The beams and rafters of old building
existing now are SCARED with mark
of the axe. This was a wonderful toe
in pioneer hands. They bravely trampe
through the forests and shortly trans
, formed few trees into a comfortabl
} abode.
These early homes were seldom we
finished and the upper rooms were cole
They were square, heavy buildings wit
stone chimneys in the centre. The post
and raftcrs We're immense, and soil
and heavy beams showed across tn
ceilings. Floorings were laid of heav
planks and trapdoors led to the cellar.
2 A line of shelves in the kitchens shove
Furnished rows of pewter The fire
places running deep into the chimney
Tiled with blazing logs defed the rag
ing storms without Old -fashione
comforts are pleasant things to thin
: of! Some houses were built with tw
large rooms 90 feet square on tn
ground floor, the great or compan
room, and the kitchen, with sleepin
apartments above. Windows were few