Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1921-04-08
PRESIDENT OF
TRUST co. DIES
A. B. Clapp Succumbs to Heart
and Kidney Disease
Was Large Owner. of Real Estate
President of s. A. Smith Mfg. Co., and
Connected With Other Enterprises.

Was Large Owner of Real Estate
President Of s. A. Smith Mfg Co., and
Connected with Other Enterprises.
Arthur Il. Clapp, 20, lifelong resi-
dent of Brattleboro and one of the
towns foremost citizens and business
men, president Of the Brattleboro
Mfg. Co, and owner of the Park, Wilder
and 1olstein- Fresian buildings and
J other real estate, died at Bis O'Clock !
sunday afternoon i'll his home at 3
futney road. lie had been in failing
health several months with kidney |
u short. time he had reinqushed some
| OF his business cares and had made
| plans to go TO Il sanatorium.
Ills last work was to complete the
preparation of his income tax return,
which he did late in the. afternoon of
sically, to do SO. From that time he
remained IN. his home, where he was
treated by Dr. Fremont Hamilton and
was seen also by a specialist from Bos-
ton. II S condition became decidedly |
worse last Friday night. and from that
time it was known that the end was
near.
Mr.. Clapp was born in Brattleboro
Jan. 90, 1851, son of Asahel and Susan
| (Wilder) tlapp. The house where ne
was born stood on the site of the pres
ent residence of his brother, George II.
Clapp, near the Centre congregat lonal
church, on Main street He later lived
in his brothers home until he went to
the DR.. ID. L. Dearborn place on Putney
road to live with DR.. and Mrs. Dear
born. He continued TO make his home
there after DR.. Dearborns death, and
There were two half sisters in the fam
ily, Miss Jane NJ. Clapp. who died in
Brattleboro in 1874, and Mrs. jeanette
Starr who died about year ago in
Springfield, Mass. The only survivor is
Deacon George H. Clapp..
was clerk in II. +. Houghtons
drygoods store, the present f. w.
kuech store, and later became
a travelling salesman for Cheney
& Clapp, stationers, his brother being a
member of the firm. his firm, which
wholesale and retail business, and when
it sol out last year George II. Clapp
had been in business longer than any
other Brattleboro merchant.
Seeing an opportunity that promised
well in the wholesale iewelry business,
Mr.. Clapp with characteristic good judg
, ment engaged in that business for him
self, travelling as before much of the
time and laying the foundation for his
financial success.
Following the failure of the Waite
bank, next door south of the town hall
tiers and moved his iewelry business
there, establishing a retail store. Know
ing Ovando +. Randall of Woodstock
and being on the road so much Mr..
{ Clapp induced Mr.. Randall to come here
. and go into business with him, and they
, formed the Randall & Capp partner
ship. 81 years ago, which has continued
ever since, although in recent years the
active management has been in the
hands of Mr. Randall because of Mr..
Clapp's various other interests. The
! bold bank vault is still doing service in
: the jewelry store.
l In 1905 Mr.. Clapp formed a partner
= ship with his nephew Bentley {. Starr,
f.. in Springfield, Mass, in the Starr Flee
trical Co., for dealing in electric and gas
work, and that partnership has contin-
: ued ever since He also became a mem
Der of the Wilson Brick Co. of Hart
ford Conn, which has continued until
> now
; When the Brattleboro Trust Co. was
organized late in 1906 through the efforts
of Charles A, Boyden and John r. Ry-
der, Mr.. 'Clapp was elected president,
:. and he has been reelected each year.
: In March. 1907, he bought of DR.. and
t Mrs. G. II. Sholes of Boston the four
;, story Milestone building, now the Park
lDullulllR, vi Mill Sllttl. NuINH nt IuS
;, cont inued to own and which is used for
' mercantile, office and apartment pur-
: poses.
a Mr. Clapp, with other influential res
idents, organized the S. A. Smith Mfg.
$ Co. in December. 1912, with paid in
. been president from that date. The
/ concern succeeded the S. A. Smith Co.,
which was the successor to Smith &
Hunt. For a number of years before
:, reorganization the business led an un
certain existence at its large factory on
Flat street. but since then it has been
one of the towns prosperous wood
, working industries.
In April, 1918, Mr. Clapp bought of
S. b. Emerson the four story Emerson
1 building on Main street, next north of
. Milestone brook. and named it the
modelled at large expense and fitted up
in thoroughly modern fashion for stores,
Offices and apartments.
Two years after acquiring, the Emer-
son building Mr.. Clapn bought the
Stewart tenement property at tn" cor
clearing the lot and erecting thereon the
handsome Holsten- Friesian building. OF
Dutch architecture. which is the head
quarters of the Holstein- Friesian As
ISOLATION of America and is leased by
the association.
Besides the above named pieces OF
real estate Mr.. Clapn owned several
: houses, including some in the rear of the
ABBOTT on Canal street, also the eX-
tensive Wilder farm property two
! miles north of this VILLAGE. running
back from the Connecticut river long
distance. This includes the old Wilder,
Romis and Frost farms. Formerly Mr.,
Clapn owned stock farm near DUN
mcrston station. but in 1907 he sold it
to George T.. GREGORY. The old Wilder
farm Mr.. Clapu inherited from his uncle,
the late George A. Wilder
For some time Mr.. Ctapp was en-
gagged in the breeding of Guernsey cat
Continued on Page g.