The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-11-01


sent a committee, David Robinson,
John S. Robinson and BENJAMIN +.
Fay, to Washington, to lay their
grievances before the proper authori-
ties. That visit resulted in the re.
moval of the office back to the old
town, and the vindicatioH of the
rights of It's people. Then they re-
joiced, and the citizens Of East Ben.
nington. were correspondingly de.
pressed in spirits.
j. C. Haswell the village postmas.
ter, as is well known, was the editor
and publisher Of the Vermont Gazette,
and with the removal of the post-office
also came the removal of the news
paper office as WELL The former he II
was compelled to restore to its proper |
town, but the authorities had no con
troll over TIE paper, which thereafter
became one of the institutions OF the
east village. But the upper towns
people suffered not this indignity to |
pass unnoticed; they at once estab. |
lished another printing office in their
town and christened its issue the |
Vermont Gazette, being the same |
name the other paper carried at its |
head But this led to confusion; Mr.. !
Haswell still remained postmaster, |
and as such had the first handling OF |
all mail matter; how then could he
distinguish whether matter addressed
to the Gazette was intended for his
or his opponents pernsal? This lar
ter complication OF affairs led TO the
appointment of new postmaster fT
Bennington in the person of Henry
Kelloff. Mr.. Haswell was not, charged
with improperly Handling the mails;
but the good of the service demanded
his removal from the position. When
ia permanent post Office WIS estahf
lished at the east village he was air
pointed postmaster, That was in
January, 1S4S The Gazette that u.s.
sued from the Office ION the hill'
proved an Improbable Investment for
its proprietors, Messrs. Aiken and
Lull, who in order to save themselves,
purchased the opposing paper and
published that, letting the other drop.
The struggle for supremacy he
tween the two villages continued for
some time The removal OF the post
Office was but the beginning OF sor
rows for the upper place. On the
2Sth OF October, 1916 the court house
was burned. and following that disas.
ter the East Bennington people made
strenuous effort to obtain the new
building for tAeir town; but the up
per townsmen were rather too sharp
In the proceedings that followed, and
retained the county buildings in their
locality for a score OF years longer
But when the courthouse was again
destroyed by fire in March, 1889, the
laws of necessity and convenience de-
manded that the building be erected
at the east village, which was ac-
cordingly done, and without opp0si-
ton from the people on the hill
But another thing. A noted writer
has said He who steals my purse
steals trash; but he who robs me of
my good name takes from me that
which cannot enrich him, and, only
impoverishes me-. The old saying is
brought again to mind by knowledge
OF the changes that have taken place
| in the names of these rival towns
The name Bennington was given the
little hamlet on the hill more than a
hundred years ago, and long before
the idea was conceived of building
up village such as now enjoys that
name; and the old village tlat was
entitled to the name by every consid.
Grafton of reason and propriety. has
been compelled to yield that also
along with its institutions and indus
tries, In favor of the newcomer.
Remington on the hill was continued
to be so called until the authorities
at Washington. in answer to a gener-
al demand, changed the name of the
post-ofiiee to West Bennington, In
| 1S49; and on the same day, July 18th
of the same year the post name, Ben.
nington, was re-establshed at the
lower village, and Horace 7. White
was made postmaster> Thus has
time Witnessed the downfall of one,
and the uprising of the other Then.
again, West Bennington was subse.
quently dropped and in its place we
now have the present name az ben.
nington Center" But for all this the
town has lost none OF its historic in
terest or value. The loss of its court.
house and name has been partially
compensated for in the erection of a
magnificent monument commemora.
! tive of the famous battle of Benning.
ton; and in front of where once
stood the famous old Catamount Tay-
ern there stands another substantial
stone monument to mark the spot.
And these shall be as enduring as
time. Bennington Center is de-
lightfully situated village around
which clusters a wealth of historic
memories that can never be forgotten
while the monuments stand; and Ben.
nington village, as the name is now
applied, is busy little municipality,
noted for its large industries and the
general progressiveness of its people
| Such, in brief, was the situation of
affairs at Bennington at and i'm.
mediately prior to the time of its in
corporation but the village, whether
under the name of Algiers, or East
Bennington, or Tigertown, or Polly
wogs, or such other appellations as
were applied to it, was in existence
long years before the act of incorpor.
alton was passed. and was thriving
Little hamlet with number Of indus
tries of what was then considered
much Importance. In truth, II well
verified tradition is to be relied upon,
and in This case ii certainly is. within
the limits Of the present village Of