The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-03-22
The rap of Trades compelling

The rap of Trades compelling
gavel,
And all the road he counted on
Was one a travelling man could
travel.
1t s great to trace them roadways now
Through wern-out field and back
lot moving;
The suller holes and lilac trees
Still show where life was once a.
flowing;
They re smoother now than lots of
"pikes,n
All -dummed up with soft-nose
gravel
often wish we had EN- back,
Them roads the fathers used to
travel.
A few years ago, Mr.. Dunklee and
were wandering about Meeting House
Hill cemetery one day, when it CHANGED
to be our good fortune to meet two of
the older residents of Brattleboro, one
of them at least Civil War veteran,
and brother of the late Ezra Fisher, to
whom we are indebted for what few
uldTkeTS we nave III lHdJ CeIIleIeIy.
These old acquaintance, Roscoe Fish
er of Western avenue and George
Wheeler of Melrose street, were inter
ested in the old roads, markers, and all
landmarks of Brattleboro' early his
tory and all the traditions of its first
settlement During our conversation,
they showed us several points of in
terest and helped us trace the old road
leading west from the cemetery.
This road, as marked by Ezra Fisher,
was a part of the old post road from
Boston to Albany, through West Brat
tleboro, Marlboro, Bennington and Troy.
We have an old family paper among
those belonging to the Dunklee farm
which gives Jonathan Dunklee, Jr., the
free use of this post road from Brattle-
boro to Marlboro, so | suppose this Sec
ton was at that time a toll road. JON
athan Dunklee purchased land and sub
sequently settled in Marlboro.
The section of this road above men
toned turned west at right angles from
the cemetery, in front of the old church,
near the point where the present pump
and tool house now stands, and ran, as
should judge, a little south of west,
first through open land and then down
a gradual slope (wooded at the present
tme) and across a small fiat or mea
dow towards West Brattleboro, where it
crosses the well known road of today,
running north and south down what is
called "The Long Hill, at the foot of
which there are two bridges over Whet-
stone Brook AS the road mentioned
nears these bridges the traces of it are
less distinct, but it must have crossed
the brook near this point not far from
the old mill-site and then past the
Hayes Tavern, where it joined the pres
ent Marlboro highway.
But great many signs of this old
highway, now entirely erased over, are
still very distinct, especially near the
cemetery If | remember correctly, it
was walled in like lane for a distance
at least, and at the time we were there
some of the old stone wall was still
standing. And there are several old
cellar holes that border it, not far from
the cemetery, where there are piles of
old bricks from the ancient chimneys
plainly visible-the only relics left to
tell the story of these once prosperous
and happy homes. These houses. being
so near the church, probably formed a
part of Brattleboro S first community
and it would be very interesting study
to discover from old deeds to whom
these homes once belonged.
Mr.. Dunllee and 1 are making such
study from the original deeds of the
Dunklee farm and we have in that way
| already found out quite a good deal OF
the early history of the occupants OF
the farm, and the location of the early
residents of the town, in fact the ex
act home of one of the great grandpar
ents at the time of her death Thisevi
| dence is corroborated by the old cellar
hole upon the farm, the exact owner
ship of which no living descendant
seemed to know.
Mr.. Fisher also told us that there was
the site of an ancient well, west of tn,
cemetery and south of these old cellar
holes that border this old highway
This well used to supply one or more o
these houses in the days of long ago
Mr.. Fisher said it could still be founC
but had been nearly filled up. He CAV
us careful directions for finding it, Blu
we failed to do so as we didn' It hav
time to search thoroughly, and in tn
woods as it was, looking for such
landmark, unless one is very familia
with the Ground, is like looking for tn
proverbial needle in the hay NOW. w
have always intended going to scare
L e.. -, 1.,% How ha,N