Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1922-09-08
sTRATTON OLD HOME DAY.

H
Memories Of Long Ago Recounted to
Audience Of Over 2OO-Natives and
Others Speak Informally.
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 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 Il 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 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
| Stratton mountain; and when the set
| tied part of the town of Strattop was in
the central part of the town-an area
long since claimed by the wilderness.
(Nttttn linn fold &c tAs III ,.st
church in Stratton when the building
was more crowded than for the exercises
| Saturday and when n 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.
William Henry Newton of Ncwfanc
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..
! Ncwton's greatgrandfather was Rev.
James Tufts. the first ordained minis
| ter in Wardsboro and pastor of the old
church at Wardsboro common.
The other speakers were DR.. Abel
| Grout of New York, n son of Stratton,
and Frank Il. Howe of Bennington. DIR.
Grout spoke of the value of the coun-
| try towns in the formation of national
character and urged Stratton people to
| live up to the standards of the past.
Mr.. IIowe's address was devoted to the
present-day problems of the state and
tie towns.
Miss Ethel A. Eddy. president of the
Stratton Mountain club, presided and
the success of the affair was due to hel
efforts An agreeable feature of the pro
gram was the music furnished by the
| Wardsboro orchestra. Previous to the
EXERCISES a basket picnic dinner was en-
ioycd.
The oldest person present was Mrs
Silas Bailey of Brattlcboro, who is 81
years old. When she was a girl of /:
she had her first ride across the ole
Stratton turnpike. At that time there
were many prosperous farms along thu
roadside; the old Torrey Tavern. famous
for its associations with Daniel Web
ster, was dispensing its hospitality, ant
the stage coach loaded with travellers
made regular trips.