The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1921-11-01
In 1854, With the
Coming Of the
Knitting Bust
ness, Present
Industry Had
Its Start
SOME LOCAL HISTORY
FROM WRITINGS OF
HENRY D. HALL

Lyman and others had a wadding-mill
ON the privilege, and still later, about
1858, fire bricke were made here by the
proprietors of the old pottery. After
TINS occupancy ceased nothing seems
TO save been done here until 1854, at
which time Colonel Scott bought the
land and built a machine shop.
The upper or foundry building
stands on a site that was granted In
1911, and after that was used as a
chair shop There was also In opera
ton here, but subsequently. the old
old Allen Stafford woolen-mill that
burned in 1927 1t was rebuilt, but
burned again in 1887. After the SCI
ond burning Mr.. Crossett built i
cooper shop on the privilege, nut
when the proprietor vacated, the PRIV
ilege remained unused until Colonel
Scott made his purchase in 1864, aud
erected the foundry building.
The center building, or that now
used as the office, has also been put
to use asa manufactory at various
times. Here II. T. CHshfnaf1 has q
cork factory on the upper floor, and
after his retirement George Millard
carried on the same business, but
eventually moved to New York State.
The business conducted by Colonel
Scott at his extensive works is that
usually done in we'll appointed foun-
deries and machine shops making
general castings and machines, but
his speciality is the manufacture OF
gun-powder machinery, also paper
and marble mill machines. In the
special production of powder mill
machinery Colonel SCOTS works
stand alone in this country. This
forms busy little community on
Pleasant street, and gives steady EN-.
ployment to about sixty men.
The Old Booth Mill--About a quar-.
ter of mile west from the central
part of the village, on the road lead.
ing to Bennington Center, is large
and delapidated brick building, an
eyesore to the community, that has
been idle for a number OF years; but
there is hardly building in the viii
lage that has experienced the vicis-
STUDIES of this old structure. The
sorry appearance of this mill is not
i due so much to the rayages of time
as to the persistent efforts of the
average small boy of the town, each
one apparently striving to Guido his
mates in the destruction Of the win
dows, with the result OF not leaving
an unbroken pane in the whole build
ing.
I The use to which this mill was
originally put by Asahel Booth, the
builder and owner, was the manufac-
ture OF wadding, but the precise time
of its erection, or how long Mr.. Booth
made wadding here is not definitely
known to present residents, but 1t
was about 1885 to 1910. In 1886 the
/ building was supplied with machin.
cry for the production of "chintz",
which business was carried on by
Harrington, Robinson and othc IS, but
the policy of President Polk elating
to the tariff worked disassfc Isy to
the proprietors whoh were Q liged to
suspend operations. The machinery
was taken out and stored in build.
ing on the west side OF the street,
near the twin houses on tle hill,
where it remained for long time.
but was finally sold to Colonel Scott
and by him melted and run into cast
ings and now probably forms part Of
some powder-mill machinery
After the decline of the ''ch' IL" in.
dustry the building was put II opera
tion by Asahel Booth as grist-mill,
and was managed, so 1t is said by
William b., and Henry Booth. This
occupancy gave it the name OF
Booths grist-mill. About 1854 or '55
the grist-mill machinery was purchas-
ed by Major Brown and transferred
to his stone-mill on North street.
There, after a term OF idleness and a
brief use as a cork factory, the prop
erty passed, by purchase to Seth B.
Hunt. Among the early tenants un.
der Mr.. Hunt were lockwood & Co.,
and George s. Bradford & Sons, each
Of whom made knit goods here, but
only for a short time.
Mr.. Hunt died, and in closing his
estate this mill and other property
was bought by s. S. and M. Fisher,
who put it to use as shoddy.mill In
connection with their other business
in the larger factory further north;
but using water to run this mill les.
sened the power OF the larger factory,