The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-09-05
Memories of Long Ago Re-
counted to Audience
of Over 200
NATIVES AND OTHERS
SPEAK INFORMALLY
Talks by John Grout. John Cummings,
VIM. Henry Newton, DIR. Abel GrOut
and Frank T.. HOwe-Music by Wards
bOrO Orchestra-Basket Picnic.
Especial to The Reformer.
STRATTON, Sept. ).

toAlAA I'm sept. -.
The Stratton Mountain club was in
charge of Old Home day exercises at
Stratton church Saturday, at which over
200 persons were present. The company
included many natives and former resi-
dents and the affair scored another sue
cess for the Stratton Mountain club.
which is the only active organization in
the little mountain town of Stratton,
which has a population of less than 100
persons.
The outstanding feature of the pro-
gram Saturday were informal talks by
John Grout and John Cummings, both
natives of Stratton and whose memory
of boyhood days extends back to times
when the first settlers of the town were
still living and when the tempestuous
career of Young Vermont was a common
topic of conversation in almost every
home, and when reference could be had
TO some of the actual participants in
those events which made the beginnings
of Vermont historic and unique.
When Mr.. GrOut was a boy, wolves
were a menace to life and property,
bears were skulking around every clear
ing, and panthers made it necessary for
men to go armed in certain localities.
The Blake tragedy, in which a young
married woman lost her life in noun
tain storm to save her baby was re
cent occurrence; local politicians were
still arguing the issues raised by Daniel
Webster when he spoke at the foot of
Strattun mountain and when the set
tied part of the town of Stratton was in
the central part of the town-au area
long since claimed by the wilderness.
Mr.. Cummings told of attending
church in Stratton when the building
was more crowded than for the exercises
Saturday and when a considerable part
of the congregation had to sit outside
when the weather permitted. Nowadays
services are held in Stratton only on very
rare occasions, and almost never in the
church, which is slowly falling into de-
cay.
spoke Interestingly of the early history
of Wardsboro, which was and is to this
day the sister town of Stratton and, in
recent years, the place where many
Stratton people go for their mail. Mr..
Newton'S great-grandfather was Rev.
James Tufts, the first ordained minis
ter in eNVsardsboro and pastor of the old
church at WardsborO common.
The other speakers were DIR. Abel
| Grout of New York, a son of Stratton,
and Frank r. Howe of Bennington. Or.
GrOut spoke of the value of the coun-
| try towns in the formation OF natiohal
character and urged StrattOn people to
| live up to the standards of the past.
Mr.. Howe's address was devoted to the
| present-day problems of the state and
| the towns.
| Miss Ethel \. Eddy, president of the
/ Stratton Mountain club, presided and
| the success of the affair was due to her
efforts. An agreeable feature of the pro-
gram was the music furnished by the
| " Isl Previous
exercises a basket picnic dinner was en-
| joyed.
The oldest person present was Mrs.
| Silas Bailey of Brattleboro, who is ~
wears old. When she was a girl of is
| She had her first ride across the old
Stratton turnpike. At that time there
we're many prosperous farms along the
roadside: the old Torrey Tavern, famous
| for its associations with Daniel Web
ster, was dispensing its hospitality, and
| the stage coach loaded with travellers
| made regular trips.