Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1920-09-29

French was dissolved, Mr.. French en-.
gaging in the lumber business else
where, and E. L. Chandler building
the large mill which is now run by
the E. L. Chandler Co.
DR.. Wright, who came here to live
in 1872, taught school here in the
winter of 1869-70. The third school
house was built in 1878. Two physi-
clans were then practicing in the
Landing, E. o. Ranney, who removed
to Lunenburg in 1878, but returned to
| practice for many years until his
death, and T. T. Dutton, who remov-
ed to Lowell. DR.. Wright has prac-
ticed here continuously for nearly
half century.
My father moved to the Landing
in the early winter of 1873, and NOV
ed into the upper part of the house
then recently completed by. T.. u:
now owned by Mrs. Ranney. The
families living here then included
Daniel Buchanan, father, and two
sons, Daniel and Ed, Joseph Bart
lett, the Drew boys, Ed. and Carl, ia,
nous story tellers, who could rival
Baron Munchausen, Cap: Estey, Lew
is Ford, Mr.. Fletcher, Hiram Bials-
dell, Lewis Stimson, Joseph Colley,
Carlos Merrill, Frank Stafford, DavId
Baldwin, Spencer Howard, VIM. r.
Dodge, Timothy Dudley, Norman VIII
lis, A. C. Parker, Heber Parker, Dea-
con Smith, David ellis, S. Peck, VIM.
Underwood, Philander Guild, Chaqn-
cey Skinner, L. D. Wilson, Levi Hill
E. Joslyn, Orlo III. Austin, Denison
Stafford, E. d. Stafford, Ellis Stat.
ford, and probably few others: III
not here then there came within a
few years, Chas. Gibbs, who cobbled
shoes industriously for many years,
and his helper, John Emmons, the
F'renchman, who complained that MS
temper she too quick motion" Carlos
GAY, who has contributed many OF
the dwellings, Mr.. Brockway, photog-
rapher and jeweler, DR.. Stevens. VINO
could pull more teeth In minute
than any other living man, Cyren ana
Arthur Ordway, Byron Clement, WIN.
Flanders, George Churchill and otn-
ers. -,
Of all these it is not possible to
sneak, nor of all the business changes
and the many improvements.
The lighting of the village began
when I was about twelve or tnlr-
teen, with kerosene lamps placed at
intervals on posts, an Improvement
brought about, believe, in the vain
hope that the county seat, which was
about to be changed from Irasburg TO
some point on the railroad, might be
lured hither by the radiance. Evl-
dences of public spirit were not Whoi-
ly lacking, however. The barton
Landing Library association was
formed in 1872 with II charter MEM
bers, forerunner of the public IL
brary. This association continued its
,,,,T.T x,,awrraI IN mo TpTrll
Library in 1896. The Barton Land
ing Lecture association was formed in
1885 and conducted for two or three
seasons an excellent program of lee
lures and entertainments.
Sidewalks were made of dirt and
broken shale, with occasionally a
board walk. Every improvement was
hotly disputed by the more economi-
cal of the citizens, who told then as
we do now how much better it used
TO be done in the ''good old times"
Living conditions in the "good old
times" were somewhat different than
now When David ellis came in
1867, his wife found there was no
millinery shop in the place and was
compelled to 20 to Bloomington,
more progressive spot, to procure
hats for herself and daughter. The
use of ice, even by meat dealer, was
and George Churchill, who
actually sold an entire beef animal
each week, peddled meat from the
cart on Monday and promptly sailed
what remained unsold. He butchered
each Sunday, about the time people
were returning from church. Farm
ers grew their own wheat, corn, oats,
meat. and potatoes. Eggs were so
plentiful in summer as to sell at from
s cents dozen up, and We're almost
in winter. Butter was stor-
ed in summer and marketed in the
fall. / can remember when my ia
Their drove about the surrounding
towns, buying butter at 10 and u
cents per pound.
Farmers hereabouts made sugar
and were extremely generous in their
treatment of both young and old, men
and maidens, who for some strange
reason took to wandering about in the
slush and snow banks of March and
April, in the vicinity of the sugar
houses. "Carl Farley" and "Henry
Dudley" were names pronounced with
peculiar junction. when the sap was
starting and the wild geese began to
to 8 cents per pound. i well re-
member that after my people moved
into the place now owned by Harry
Dickens, / satisfied my craving for
sweets with a whole pound of maple
sugar, bought with four cents of
hard earned money.
There was only one commercial or
chard in town, so far as I know. This
was on the Goodnough place. The
crop there often reached 100 barrels
season which were sold for about a
dollar a barrel, without the container.
Fish We're plentiful in their season.
In 1878 Clarence Colley, Ed. STAFF
ford and Charles Ford went to May
pond and caught Ga pounds of square
tailed trout. Suckers anybody could
catch. In 1860 the Landing was
known as "Sucker City" the suckers
and shad running up from the lake
so plentifully in June that people
came from as far as Sheffield and
Wheelock, a dozen teams at time,
with nets to take them below the
falls. Setting the net forty feet or
so down stream and leaving four men
with poles at each end. the rest of
the party would 90 below the dam
and drive down the fish with six foot
poles and "half mile wells" some
times recovering two bushels of
suckers besides occasional trout at a
drive. Every sDrinp Ellis Stafford