UC-NRLF 
 
 ^B t.3D 2Tfl 
 
 SKETCHES OF 
 
 HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 •«? 
 
 BY 
 JOHN V-D-S'AND CAROLINE R-MERRILL 
 
LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 CALIFORNIA 
 
SKETCHES OF HISTORIC 
 BENNINGTON 
 
 V 
 
 BY 
 
 JOHN V. D. S. AND CAROLINE R. 
 MERRILL 
 
 Mi'''' 
 
 CAMBRIDGE 
 printeD at tlje HitiersiDc prcfig 
 
 1898 
 
Copyright, 1898, 
 Bt JOHN V. D. S. MERRILL and CAROLINE R MERRILL. 
 
 All rights reserved. 
 
 LOAN STACK 
 
ho^f 
 
 These " Sketches of Historic Bennington " have been 
 written to perpetuate the memory of Captain Samuel 
 Robinson, " Bennington's Pioneer Settler," by two of the 
 great grandchildren of Judge Jonathan Robinson, his 
 yoimgest son ; and at the request of friends, who wish to 
 preserve a few facts connected with the town's early 
 history. 
 
 Council Place, Bennington, May 2, 1898. 
 
 ^r^ 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Bennington's Pioneer Settler 1 
 
 In Revolutionary Days 12 
 
 Our Old Homes 29 
 
 The Historic Walloomsac 41 
 
 The Brick Academy 51 
 
 The Sixteenth of August and Training-Days . , .60 
 
 The Old Court-House 66 
 
 Staging Days 72 
 
 Where we went to School 80 
 
 Old-Time Circus Days 85 
 
 Shops by the Wayside 88 
 
 The First Church and its God's Acre . . . .94 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The Battle Monument Frontispiece 
 
 The Catamount Tavern 14 
 
 The Old Home of General David Robinson . . .36 
 
 The Old Red Bridge 44 
 
 The Brick Academy 52 
 
 " Down the Broad Street " 60 
 
 The Old Court-House QG 
 
 The Walloomsac Inn 72 
 
 "Where yrE went to School" 80 
 
 The Old First Church 94 
 
BENNINGTON'S PIONEER SETTLER 
 
 Vermont was known as the " Wilderness," until 
 after the subjugation of Canada by the EngHsh in 
 1749. But when peace haa been restored, Benning 
 Wentworth, Governor of New Hampshire, was com- 
 manded by his Majesty, King George Second, to 
 make grants of unimproved lands within his gov- 
 ernment, and Bennington, named in his honor, was 
 the first township granted in what is now known as 
 the State of Vermont. 
 
 Soldiers serving in the colonial armies were often 
 obliged to march through the " Wilderness," and 
 many of them, attracted by the beauty of the 
 scenery and the fertility of the soil, planned to 
 return some time, and on its beautiful hillsides, or 
 along its peaceful valleys, establish settlements. 
 
 One of these colonial soldiers. Captain Samuel 
 Robinson, returning from Lake George, and mis- 
 taking the Walloomsac River for the Hoosac, came 
 to Bennington, and encamped here with a few of 
 his comrades. He was so delighted with the beauty 
 
2 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 of the place and the goodly soil that he called it 
 the " Promised Land," and determined to come 
 back and make it his home. 
 
 About thu'teen years after the township of Ben- 
 nington was granted by New Hampshire, he had 
 succeeded in persuading some of his friends to join 
 with him in purchasing the rights of the original 
 grantees, and his first party of settlers arrived in 
 Bennington on June 18, 1761. 
 
 This party consisted of the families of Peter Har- 
 wood, Eleazer Harwood, Samuel Pratt, and Timothy 
 Pratt, from Amherst, Massachusetts, Captain Sam- 
 uel Robinson, with the rest of his family and others, 
 arriving later in the summer and fall. 
 
 Captain Samuel Robinson, the pioneer settler of 
 Bennington, was born at Cambridge, Massachusetts, 
 on April 4, 1707. He was descended from some of 
 the oldest families of New England. His father, 
 Samuel Robinson, was born at Bristol, England, 
 on April 20, 1680, and was in all probability a 
 descendant of the Rev. John Robinson, of Leyden. 
 
 He came over to this country and settled at 
 Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he married Sarah 
 Manning, the daughter of Abihaile Wight, on 
 March 23, 1703. 
 
BENNINGTON'S PIONEER SETTLER 3 
 
 Abiliaile Wight was tlie daugliter of John Wight, 
 of Dedham, Massachusetts, and the granddaughter 
 of Thomas Wight, who emigrated to Dedham, and 
 died there on March 17, 1673, thus being the great- 
 great-grandfather of our pioneer settler. 
 
 Captain Samuel Robinson was married to Marcy 
 Leonard in 1730. They had ten children, nine of 
 whom lived to remove to Bennington. 
 
 Mr. Robinson was an active Christian, and a 
 deacon in the old church at Hardwick, where he 
 had resided for twenty-six years before moving to 
 Bennington. 
 
 He brought up his large family of children in the 
 fear of the Lord, and to judge from the worn condi- 
 tion of his copy of Isaac Watts' s " Way of Instruc- 
 tion by Catechisms," the " principles of piety an^ 
 goodness must have been early instilled into their 
 minds. 
 
 The first catechism in this book is written for 
 children from three to four years of age, of whom 
 Watts writes : " Children of ordinary capacity at 
 three years old or a little more, may be informed or 
 made to see that they are sinful Creatures, that 
 they have offended the Great God that made them, 
 that they cannot save themselves from his Anger," 
 
4 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 and the following is an example of the questions 
 and answers : — 
 
 " What must become of you if you are wicked ? " 
 
 " If I am wicked I shall be sent down to everlast- 
 ing Fire in Hell, among wicked and miserable 
 Creatures." 
 
 As I turn over the pages of this timeworn copy, 
 I can almost imagine that the yellow leaves bear 
 traces of tears, dropped by his little children over a 
 century ago. 
 
 Mr. Robinson was not only a good man, esteemed 
 by all who knew him, but a brave and loyal soldier. 
 
 "He was a Captain in Colonel Ruggles' regiment 
 of provincials, and served as such on the frontier in 
 the years 1755 and 1756, and was in the battle of 
 .Lake Georgfe." 
 
 He was also the acknowledged leader in all affairs 
 connected with the Bennington settlement, and 
 " was the first person appointed to a judicial office 
 within the limits of the State." 
 
 Persons wishing to settle in the township of Ben- 
 nington were accustomed to go to Mr. Robinson to 
 purchase lands. He was a strict Congregationalist, 
 and wished only those of the same faith to settle 
 near him. 
 
BENNINGTON'S PIONEER SETTLER 5 
 
 So lie always asked the same question of every 
 newcomer : " To what denomination do you belong, 
 my friend ? " 
 
 If the reply were, " I am a Congregationalist," 
 he was allowed to settle on the Hill; but if he 
 proved to be an Episcopalian, Baptist, or Methodist, 
 while he was permitted to purchase land, it must be 
 in a different part of the township. 
 
 One day a man came to Mr. Robinson, who 
 wished to obtain some land, and to the usual ques- 
 tion, " To what denomination do you belong, my 
 friend ? " answered, " What in h — has that to do 
 with you?" Perhaps mentioning a warmer climate 
 so unexpectedly suggested to Mr. Robinson the 
 thought of sending him further south, for he imme- 
 diately dispatched him to a place which in its early 
 history was more noted for its beautiful scenery 
 than for its religious growth. 
 
 When disputes arose between the governors of 
 New York and New Hampshire concerning the 
 boundaries of their provinces, and the settlers of 
 Bennington were ordered to repurchase their lands 
 under New York grants, they joined with other 
 townships in making a steady resistance, and ap- 
 pointed Captain Samuel Robinson their agent to 
 
6 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 present their grievances to his Majesty, King George 
 Third. 
 
 Mr. Robinson sailed for England on the 25th of 
 December, 1766, and reached London on the 30th 
 of January following. 
 
 The New Hampshire claimants were not able to 
 provide him with sufficient money to make his mis- 
 sion entirely satisfactory ; for in his letters to his 
 family he writes of " the great expense of living in 
 London, of being in want of money," and that " it 
 is hard to make men believe the truth where there 
 is ready money on the other side." 
 
 It must also have been a great trial to have 
 remained away so long from his wife and younger 
 children, and to have left them exposed to all the 
 dangers which surrounded the early settlers at that 
 time in the " Wilderness." 
 
 But he was fortunate in leaving his children in 
 the care of a woman so brave as his wife. The fol- 
 lowing account, written by Mrs. Allen, the grand- 
 daughter of Mrs. Samuel Robinson, whose mother 
 was the little Anna mentioned, will illustrate her 
 bravery : — 
 
 " When living in their log house, while her hus- 
 band was in England, and her children, David, 
 
• BENNINGTON'S PIONEER SETTLER 1 
 
 Jonathan, and Anna, were with her, wolves came 
 at night, and tried to obtain entrance at the doors 
 and windows. She knocked upon the door to 
 frighten them away, then seized firebrands from the 
 fire, opened the door, and waved them and shouted 
 with all her strength." The wolves fled away and 
 were never seen again. 
 
 Mrs. Robinson, like many of the Bennington set- 
 tlers, was of a " superior sort," intellectual in her 
 tastes, and a great reader of history, both ancient 
 and modern. It is said that she wept when leaving 
 a cultivated home for a life in the " Wilderness ; " 
 but she so instilled her own tastes into the minds of 
 her sons that she hved to see her third son, Moses, 
 governor of the new State of Vermont, and her 
 youngest son, Jonathan, the leading lawyer of the 
 county. 
 
 Jonathan Robinson was a great jury lawyer, and 
 in pleading the cause of his client, being very sym- 
 pathetic by nature, would plead with such earnest- 
 ness and feeling, his eyes often suffused with tears, 
 that invariably he would win his case. 
 
 One day in court when he was pleading most 
 earnestly for a client, the lawyer on the opposite 
 side was heard to whisper to a friend, — 
 
8 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 " Jonatlian has begun to cry, — the case has gone 
 to h — ." 
 
 He was a keen judge of character, and would al- 
 ways try to save the life of an innocent man, no mat- 
 ter how strong jDublic feeling might be against the ac- 
 cused. Some relatives of the early settlers had been 
 massacred or captured by the Indians, which caused a 
 very bitter feeling in town against them ; so at one 
 time, when an Indian was arrested for murder and 
 brought to Bennington for trial, there was very lit- 
 tle chance that his life could be saved. Judo;e Jona- 
 than Robinson, however, felt sure that he was unjustly 
 accused, and determined to clear hhn if possible. 
 This he succeeded in doing, and was very thankful 
 that he had been successful in saving the life of an 
 innocent red man when, a few years later, the real 
 murderer confessed that he had committed the 
 crime which had nearly caused the poor Indian to 
 be hanofed. 
 
 Jonathan Robinson was appointed chief judge of 
 the Supreme Court a few years after the death of 
 his mother, and occupied a leading position in the 
 Republican party of the State for many years. 
 
 He was only ten years of age at the time of his 
 father's journey to England in behalf of the New 
 
BENNINGTON'S PIONEER SETTLER 9 
 
 Hampshire claimants ; but four of his brothers were 
 already married, and living in homes of their own. 
 
 With so many dear ones awaiting his return, how 
 anxious must Samuel Robinson have been to speed- 
 ily accompHsh his mission, and take his departure 
 from England. 
 
 When at last he was so far successful that a 
 formal order of the king in council was made, com- 
 manding the Governor of New York, " upon pain of 
 his Majesty's highest displeasure, to make no grant 
 whatever of any part of the lands in dispute, until 
 his Majesty's pleasure should be further known," 
 July 24, 1767, he determined to return and leave 
 his affairs in the hands of Samuel Johnson, an emi- 
 nent lawyer from Connecticut, who had been peti- 
 tioned to assist him in his mission. 
 
 But just as Mr. Robinson was ready to embark, he 
 was unfortunately taken with the smallpox, and al- 
 though, Mr. Samuel Johnson wrote his wife, " no 
 attention, care, or expense was spared for his com- 
 fort," yet he died in London on the 27th of October, 
 1767, and was interred in the burying-ground be- 
 longing to Mr. Whitfield's church, where he usually 
 attended public worship. 
 
 " He was sensible to the last and calmly resigned 
 
10 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 to the will of Heaven " that he should die so far 
 away from the loved ones, and his home on the 
 beautiful Hill which he had called the " Promised 
 Land." 
 
 So strong a faith as this brave soldier's must surely 
 be rewarded, and we no longer wonder at the words 
 written in the little catechism, under his father's 
 name, by his youngest son Jonathan. 
 
 Captain Samuel Robestson- 
 His book, 
 Who now is dead and gone out of 
 this world, in exchange for a better 
 we hope. 
 
 Written by his son Jonathan, 
 March 4, 1770. 
 
 A magnificent shaft on the brow of the Hill stands 
 as a memorial to those brave men who fought in the 
 Bennington battle " that liberty might live." 
 
 A beautiful work of art, a catamount in bronze, 
 marks the site of the " Catamount Tavern." But to 
 honor the name of the man who left home and 
 friends to protect the rights of the early Bennington 
 settlers, no effort, as yet, has been made by the peo- 
 ple in the town which he settled. 
 
 Only a simple slab of white marble in our old 
 
BENNINGTON'S PIONEER SETTLER 11 
 
 churchyard, erected by the thoughtfulness of his 
 grandson, David Robinson, Jr., tells us the story 
 of the settlement of Bennington, and his death 
 abroad. 
 
 " To justice, freedom, duty, God, and man forever true, 
 Strong to the end, a man of men, from out the strife he passed." 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 
 
 About two years after the death of Mr. Robinson, 
 Lieutenant-Governor Golden, coming again into 
 power, began making grants of lands already occu- 
 pied under the New Hampshire titles. 
 
 Ejectment suits were now brought against some 
 of the Bennington people, who were just beginning 
 to enjoy the homes which they had labored so hard 
 to establish ; and although the suits were to be tried 
 at Albany, where they had Httle reason to believe 
 that they would obtain justice, yet they determined 
 to go there and defend their rights. 
 
 These suits all went in favor of the plaintiffs ; and 
 after the trials were over, Ethan Allen, then living in 
 Bennington, who had taken an active part in pre- 
 paring these cases for trial, was told by some of the 
 Albany officials to go home and advise his Green 
 Mountain friends to make the best terms they could 
 with their New York landlords. 
 
 Allen replied that " the gods of the valleys were 
 not the gods of the hills;" and when asked to ex- 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 13 
 
 plain the meaning of his words, answered, " If they 
 would come to Bennington, the meaning would be 
 made clear to them." 
 
 If the judgments obtained by the plaintiffs at 
 Albany were carried into effect, great injustice 
 would be shown toward the settlers ; so a town meet- 
 ing was called at Bennington to determine what 
 should be done, and it was decided that " the 
 execution of writs of possession should be resisted 
 by force, if necessary." 
 
 This resolve of the Bennington people, who main- 
 tained the leadership in the opposition to New York, 
 to resist the execution of the Albany judgments 
 met with great approval in other townships settled 
 under the New Hampshire grants. 
 
 At first the settlers were assisted by their friends 
 and neighbors in resisting the attempts of the New 
 York officers to serve writs of ejectment, but as 
 these attempts became more frequent, a mihtary 
 force was organized to resist the wrongful claims of 
 New York. 
 
 This force was under the command of Ethan 
 Allen, with the title of Colonel, and Seth Warner 
 was one of its captains. 
 
 These brave defenders of the New Hampshire 
 
14 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 title were soon known as the " Green Mountain 
 Boys," on account of a threat of Governor Tyron 
 that he " would drive the settlers from their posses- 
 sions into the Green Mountains." 
 
 Committees of Safety were also organized in sev- 
 eral towns of the New Hampshire grants to watch 
 over the affairs of the settlers, "and their decrees in 
 regard to their land-title controversy were received 
 and obeyed as laws." 
 
 At Bennington the Council of Safety was held at 
 the Green Mountain Tavern, kept by Stephen Fay, 
 on whose sign-post was placed about this time a 
 stuffed catamount, looking toward New York and 
 grinning defiance, which later caused its name to be 
 changed to Catamount Tavern. 
 
 Here Ethan Allen, Seth Warner, and others met 
 to judge those who were considered friendly to New 
 Yorkers, or who had dared to accept any office of 
 honor under them, and who, when found guilty, 
 were. in danger of "being viewed." 
 
 When New York ofi&cers were caught serving 
 writs of ejectment, they were punished by the 
 " beech seal," defined by Allen to be " a chastise- 
 ment of the New York claimants with the twigs 
 of the ' Wilderness,' the growth of the land they 
 coveted." 
 
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IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 15 
 
 Sometimes their punishment of offenders was 
 more ridiculous than severe ; for instance, when Dr. 
 Samuel Adams, of Arlington, deserted their cause, 
 they arrested him and carried him to Bennington 
 for trial, where he was sentenced to be tied in 
 an armchau', and to be suspended for two hours 
 beneath the sign of the Catamount Tavern. 
 
 " This mild and exemplary disgrace had a salu- 
 tary effect on the doctor and many others," and 
 thus the New Yorkers learned to fear the displea- 
 sure of the "Green Mountain Boys." 
 
 But at the breaking out of the Revolutionary 
 war, the disputes concerning the provincial bound- 
 aries were forgotten in the anxiety of every loyal 
 American to join in the struggle against a common 
 enemy. 
 
 Upon receiving news of the battle of Lexington, 
 Ethan Allen said, " the men of the New Hampshire 
 grants were almost distracted ; " and the principal 
 of&cers of the Green Mountain Boys, and other 
 prominent men, met at Bennington, and in the 
 council chamber of the Catamount Tavern decided 
 "the cause of the country to be just," and that 
 " resistance to Great Britain had become the indis- 
 pensable duty of a free people." 
 
16 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 They also planned here at this time the capture 
 of Fort Tieonderoga, and when " messengers were 
 sent to Bennington to engage Colonel Ethan Allen 
 and his associates in the expedition against that 
 fort," they found them ready for the enterprise. 
 
 On the evening of May 9, 1775, Ethan Allen, 
 with two hundred and seventy men, all but forty of 
 whom were Green Mountain Boys, and many of 
 them from Bennington, surprised the sentinel on 
 duty, and, entering Fort Tieonderoga, ordered Cap- 
 tain Delaplace, the commandant, to surrender. 
 "By whose authority?" demanded the astonished 
 Delaplace. 
 
 Allen answered, " In the name of the great Je- 
 hovah and the Continental Congress," and Delaplace 
 was obHged to surrender the fort, with its cannon 
 and military stores, to the Green Mountain Boys. 
 
 Ethan Allen was a brave soldier, but a very vain 
 man ; and it is said that at a thanksgiving service in 
 the First Church at Bennington, after the capture of 
 Fort Tieonderoga, the Rev. Jedediah Dewey made 
 a prayer in which he gave to God all the glory of 
 that capture, when Allen called out, in the midst 
 of his prayer, " Parson Dewey ! Parson Dewey ! 
 please mention to the Lord about my being there ! " 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 17 
 
 Parson Dewey had been troubled before by Allen 
 during divine service, for at one time when he was 
 preaching on the character of God, and some re- 
 mark displeased Allen, he arose in his pew and 
 shouted, " It is not so ! " and started to leave the 
 church. But Mr. Dewey, who was equally bold 
 and determined, pointed his finger at Allen and 
 said, " Sit down, thou bold blasphemer, and listen 
 to the Word of God ! " Allen, who admired 
 bravery, immediately sat down, and listened with 
 respect to the remainder of the sermon. 
 
 While the men of the New Hampshire grants, 
 under Ethan Allen, had shown by the caj)ture of 
 Fort Ticonderoga that they were wilhng to do all 
 in their power for a common cause, yet they were 
 not willing to act under the authority of New York, 
 although they were now nominally under its juris- 
 diction. 
 
 So at a convention which met at Dorset, on 
 January 15, 1777, "they unanimously voted for a 
 separate and independent State," to which they gave 
 the name of New Connecticut. This new State 
 was rechristened Vermont at a convention which 
 met at Windsor on June 4, 1777. 
 
 The affairs of the State were managed, for a 
 
18 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 time, by a Council of Safety, with Thomas Chit- 
 tenden as President, and which " assembled at 
 Bennington in July, 1777, where it remained in 
 permanent session throughout the year." 
 
 On July 6 Ticonderoga had fallen into the hands 
 of the enemy, for it had been impossible to hold the 
 fort against the superior army of Burgoyne. 
 
 " Sorrowfully the Green Mountain Boys relin- 
 quished, with almost as little bloodshed as two years 
 before they had gained it, the fortress that guarded 
 the frontier of their country." 
 
 Burgoyne continued to advance toward the Hud- 
 son, where, near Albany, he hoped to meet a part 
 of the army of General Howe, and by uniting these 
 forces the British expected to get the entire control 
 of the State of New York and the Hudson River, 
 thus cutting^ off New Eng'land — " the head of the 
 rebellion " — from the other States. 
 
 Burgoyne had issued a proclamation, threatening 
 ruin to all who should oppose him ; and the thought 
 that he would turn loose the Indian allies upon 
 them created a panic among the settlers of Vermont. 
 
 The Council of Safety, now assembled at Benning- 
 ton, called upon the officers of the militia to raise all 
 the men possible for the defense of their territory. 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 19 
 
 Ira Allen, secretary of tlie Council, sent the 
 alarming news to General Schuyler that Burgoyne 
 was advancing along the western border of Ver- 
 mont ; but Schuyler declined " to notice a four- 
 teenth State, unknown to the Confederacy," and 
 sent only a part of a regiment under Colonel Sim- 
 mons. 
 
 Allen wrote also to the Councils of Safety of 
 Massachusetts and New Hampshire, urging them to 
 come to their assistance in defending the western 
 border of Vermont against Burgoyne. 
 
 New Hampshire sent back the cheering words that 
 her miHtia was forming, and would march at once to 
 their relief. 
 
 Stark's reply soon followed : " I am on the way 
 with all the men I can muster." 
 
 Stark had received his orders from New Hampshire 
 on July 22, while the New Hampshire militia were 
 all in their homes ; on August 7 he was at Man- 
 chester, and on the 9th he was at Bennington, with 
 his own force and the men from Massachusetts, where 
 he found the Vermont men organized and ready for 
 action. 
 
 He encamped near the residence of Colonel Her- 
 rick, where he remained for five days consulting with 
 
20 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Colonel Warner and the Council of Safety, who were 
 awaiting the return of two scouts under their employ, 
 to obtain positive information with regard to the 
 plans of the enemy. 
 
 General Stark had received information that " the 
 British had already left Castleton with an intent to 
 march to Bennington ; " for Burgoyne, wishing to 
 provide his army with horses and provisions, had 
 planned an expedition to that town, to seize the 
 horses and stores which had been collected there. 
 
 This expedition was under the command of Baum, 
 "a Brunswick lieutenant-colonel of dragoons, and 
 composed of more than four hundred Brunswickers, 
 Hanau artillerists with two cannon, the select corps 
 of British marksmen, a party of French Canadians, 
 a more numerous party of provincial royalists, and a 
 horde of about one hundred and fifty Indians." 
 
 On August 14 Baum arrived at Sancoik, on a 
 branch of the Walloomsac, where he took posses- 
 sion of a mill which had been abandoned by Colonel 
 Gregg at the approach of a superior force. 
 
 On the morning of the 14th General Stark, who 
 had received information that a large body of the 
 enemy was approaching, sent word to the remnant 
 of Colonel Warner's regiment at Manchester to 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 21 
 
 march at once to his assistance, then set forward 
 with his brigade to meet the enemy. 
 
 After marching about five miles he was joined by 
 Colonel Gregg, who was retreating from Sancoik 
 closely followed by Baum» 
 
 Stark immediately drew up his " little army " in 
 line of battle, and Baum halted his force on a hill, 
 which gave him great advantage. 
 
 Stark skirmished for a short time, and killed and 
 wounded thirty of the enemy without any loss on his 
 own side, then marched back about two miles, where 
 he found a better position. 
 
 " His force consisted of three regiments of New 
 Hampshire militia, a small body of militia from the 
 east side of the mountain, under Colonel Williams, 
 from Wilmington ; a corps of rangers, formed under 
 the authority of the Vermont Council of Safety, com- 
 manded by Colonel Herrick ; a body of militia from 
 Bennington and its vicinity, Nathaniel Brush, colo- 
 nel, of which there were two companies from Ben- 
 nington, the one commanded by Captain Samuel 
 Robinson, and the other by Captain Elijah Dewey ; 
 and a part of a militia regiment from Berkshire 
 County, under Colonel Simmons, making his whole 
 force amount to about eighteen hundred men." 
 
22 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 On the 15 th it rained in torrents, so Stark decided 
 not to attack the enemy until the next day, although 
 he, with his officers and the Council of Safety, had, 
 the day before, made plans of attack which were 
 "afterward carried out with remarkable complete- 
 ness." 
 
 The morning of the 16th dawned in such splendor 
 that one of Baum's German officers was so impressed 
 with the day and his surroundings that he wrote the 
 following beautiful description : — 
 
 " The storm of the preceding day having expended 
 itself, not a cloud was left to darken the heavens, 
 while the very leaves hung motionless, and the long 
 grass waved not, under the influence of a perfect 
 calm. The fields looked green and refreshed, the 
 river was swollen and tumultuous, and the branches 
 were all loaded with dewdrops, which glistened in 
 the sun's early rays like so many diamonds. Nor 
 would it be possible to imagine any scene more rife 
 with peaceful and pastoral beauty." 
 
 Early in the day. Colonel Nichols with two hun- 
 dred men had, by making a wide circuit through the 
 woods, succeeded in getting at the north of Baum's 
 position, in the rear of his left wing, while Colonel 
 Herrick with three hundred men went southward 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 23 
 
 and secured a position in the rear of his right 
 
 wmg. 
 
 Baum seeing these men in small bands, and carry- 
 ing fowling-pieces without bayonets, stealing behind 
 his intrenchments, thought they were friendly Tories 
 cominof to his assistance, and so Stark was enabled to 
 mass about five hundred men in Baum's rear. He 
 then arrested Baum's attention by a feint and moved 
 two hundred more men to his right, and with the 
 remainder of his force took the front and ordered a 
 general assault. 
 
 "At three o'clock in the afternoon Baum was at- 
 tacked on every side. The Indians dashed between 
 two detachments and fled, leaving their grand chief 
 and others on the field. New England sharpshooters 
 ran up within eight yards of the loaded cannon to 
 pick off the cannoneers." The fight was a very hot 
 one, " the hottest I ever saw in my life," wrote Stark 
 to General Gates. "Had each man been an Alex- 
 ander or a Charles of Sweden, he could not have 
 behaved more gallantly." 
 
 " When, after about two hours, the firing of the 
 Brunswickers slackened from scarcity of powder, the 
 Americans scaled the breastwork and fought them 
 hand to hand. Baum ordered his infantry with the 
 
24 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 bayonet, his dragoons with their sabres, to force a 
 way ; but he fell mortally wounded," and his troops 
 were obliged to surrender. But only just in time, 
 for soon came the alarming news that another 
 British force was advancing, the German veterans 
 under Breyman. 
 
 The Americans were hardly in a condition to meet 
 this fresh foe, and Stark was about to givfe the order 
 to retreat, when Warner, urging him to stand his 
 ground, shouted to the men, " Stand to it, my lads ! 
 you shall have help immediately." 
 
 This brave officer so encouraged Stark that, al- 
 though worn out and jaded from his first fierce 
 engagement, he collected his scattered forces, and 
 once more faced the enemy. 
 
 "Breyman opened an incessant fire from his 
 artillery and small-arms, which was for a while 
 returned by the Americans with much spirit; but 
 exhausted by fatigue and hunger, and overpowered 
 by numbers, they at length began slowly, but in 
 order, to retreat before the enemy, disputing the 
 ground inch by inch." 
 
 But fortunately the remnant of Warner's regi- 
 ment from Manchester just then arrived, and has- 
 tened to give most timely aid. Not enough praise 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 25 
 
 has been accorded to that brave band of men under 
 Lieutenant-Colonel Samuel Safford, one of Bennmg- 
 ton's early settlers, who marched that rainy night 
 to Bennington, arriving on the field of battle the 
 next day, just in time to bring the much-needed 
 assistance to Stark's tired army, where, fighting 
 by Stark's side, was their own beloved colonel, 
 Warner, a Bennington man, and one so esteemed 
 by every Bennington boy that they would have fol- 
 lowed him to the very cannon's mouth. 
 
 Safford and his men fought with great spirit, 
 "being determined," said Allen, "to have ample 
 revenge on account of the quarrel at Hubbar- 
 ton." 
 
 The enemy was now brought to a stand, and 
 although the day had been nearly lost, yet it was 
 largely owing to the brave Warner and the Ben- 
 nington boys that the victory was ours. 
 
 " The combat was maintained with great bravery 
 on both sides till sunset, when the enemy gave way, 
 and were pursued till dark. With one more hour 
 of daylight, says Stark in his official report, he 
 should have captured their whole force." 
 
 A messenger was sent at once to Bennington to 
 announce the result of the battle, and as he rode 
 
26 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 swiftly through the street, he shouted the joyful 
 news, " Victory is ours ! victory is ours ! " 
 
 Great must have been the rejoicing at the Cata- 
 mount Tavern, where the Council of Safety had 
 remained all day in their " low-browed chamber," to 
 hear at last the good tidings that the " God of the 
 hills " had indeed given them the victory. 
 
 The brave landlord, Stephen Fay, when told that 
 his oldest son, John, was among the slain, said, " I 
 thank God I had a son wilhng to give his life for 
 his country." 
 
 We can also imagine the joy of those brave Ben- 
 nington women who had seen husbands and sons 
 march through their beautiful street, on the way to 
 stop the advance of an enemy whose presence 
 meant death and destruction to all that was dear to 
 them. 
 
 The wife of our pioneer settler, Marcy Robinson, 
 saw her second son, Samuel, march as captain of one 
 of the two Bennington companies, and three of her 
 other sons march with him. One of these, her old- 
 est son, Leonard, whose aim was quick and deadly, 
 said after the battle : " Every time I shot I saw a 
 man fall, but I prayed the Lord to have mercy on 
 his soul, and then I took care of his body." 
 
IN REVOLUTIONARY DAYS 27 
 
 She also saw tlie husband of her oldest daughter, 
 Marcy, Lieutenant Joseph Safford, under the com- 
 mand of his brother, march to the bold Warner's 
 relief. Benjamin Fay, the husband of her second 
 daughter, Sarah, was also in the Bennington battle. 
 
 Her third son, Moses, was the first colonel of 
 militia in the State, and had distinguished himself 
 at Ticonderoga in 1776, and had received at that 
 time a letter of commendation from General Gates, 
 which is now in the possession of his granddaughter, 
 Mrs. Edward Swift. But his regiment had been 
 disbanded, and at this time he was one of the most 
 able men in the Council of Safety, where his ser- 
 vices were more needed than on the field. 
 
 His wife Mary, the daughter of Landlord Fay, 
 filled with the same patriotic spirit as her father and 
 brothers, baked bread aU day for Stark's " little 
 army" in her brick oven at the Governor Robin- 
 son farm ; while her young son Aaron, then only 
 nine years of age, cut all the wood necessary for 
 use. 
 
 On Harwood hill the women gathered with their 
 children in the woods, and while the battle was 
 raging in their hearing, spent the day in prayer. 
 One of those little boys, at that time five years of 
 
28 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 age, the grandfather of the Rev. James Harwood, 
 always beheved, even in his old age, that " the vic- 
 tory which came that day, and that turned the tide 
 of American affairs, was due more to the forces 
 controlled by that band of praying ones than to 
 those that marched out into the field. At eighty- 
 five years of age, and in full possession of his 
 powers, the old man used to close his recital of 
 that decisive day with the repetition of the 124th 
 Psalm : " — 
 
 " If it bad not been tbe Lord who was on our side, now may 
 Israel say ; 
 
 " If it bad not been tbe Lord wbo was on our side, when men 
 rose up against us ; 
 
 " Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath 
 was kindled against us." 
 
OUR OLD HOMES 
 
 How fascinating those homes always were to me, 
 even as a child ! I can remember how often, with 
 our dolls in our arms, my little cousin Sarah and 
 myself wandered up and down our village street, 
 wishing that we might be permitted to enter some 
 of those attractive old places. 
 
 The homes were made more exclusive in those 
 days by the high fences which inclosed their 
 grounds ; and I remember standing by a gate at 
 the Catamount Tavern one beautiful afternoon in 
 summer, and looking with longing eyes at that 
 historic house, when suddenly I saw a sweet-faced 
 old lady in the doorway, who beckoned me to 
 enter. We most joyfully obeyed, and when she 
 questioned me whose little girl I was, and I had 
 told her, she did not say like so many others, " Oh, 
 you are Dan's child," which I always resented as 
 not respectful to my father ; for I could not then 
 understand that he was still the boy Dan to his 
 village friends. 
 
30 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 She told me, however, that she was my cousin 
 Euth, and, after talking pleasantly awhile, gave us 
 permission to go into the garden and gather goose- 
 berries ; no others eaten since have ever tasted quite 
 the same. I never saw that dear old lady again, 
 but she will never be forgotten by the Httle child 
 whom she made so happy on that summer after- 
 noon. 
 
 On the corner south of the Catamount Tavern, 
 and next to the court-house, stood the old house 
 where Ethan Allen once Hved. It was occupied 
 when I was a child by Mrs. Truman Squier. It was 
 a large double house, with a hall which ran its 
 entire length, and opened into a beautiful old gar- 
 den. This place was especially attractive to us, 
 for flowers and shrubs which we had never seen 
 before grew there in wild luxuriance, and beyond 
 the flowers were fruit trees of many kinds, with 
 grapevines twining high up in their branches. We 
 were never happier than when we were ]3ermitted to 
 wander in this old-time warden . 
 
 Probably the oldest among our homes is the 
 white house with green blinds, so sunny and plea- 
 sant, which stands two doors south of the First 
 Church, and is now the residence of Mrs. Edward 
 
OUR OLD HOMES 31 
 
 Swift. It was built in 1763 by the Rev. Jedediah 
 Dewey, first pastor of Vermont. He was a true 
 patriot, and preached a famous war sermon to his 
 people the Sunday before the Bennington battle was 
 fouofht and won. 
 
 One door south of Mr. Charles Sanford's resi- 
 dence stood another of our old homes, which was 
 built by Captain John Fasset in 1779. 
 
 Mr. Fasset was chosen captain of the first mili- 
 tary company in Bennington in October, 1761:. It 
 was his lovely daughter Mary that Judge Jonathan 
 Robinson wooed and married ; and to judge from 
 the tenderness and love manifested in his letters to 
 her, found laid away in an old trunk in our attic 
 at home, theirs must have been a lifelong attach- 
 ment. She was a woman of rare loveliness of char- 
 acter, and her goodness made such an impression on 
 the childish mind of my father that I have heard 
 him tell the story that when he was a very little 
 boy, and was frightened in a severe thunder-storm, 
 he would get behind her high wooden rocker, in 
 which she always sat, and, with his little hands on 
 the chair, felt sure that he would be saved, because 
 he was near so good a woman as his grandmothero 
 
 The old wooden rocker always had a place of 
 
32 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 honor in liis home, and is still carefully preserved 
 by his family. 
 
 Captain Fasset died on August 12, 1794, and 
 later his house became the home of the Rev. Job 
 Swift, who was the pastor of the First Church for 
 nine years. He was a graduate of Yale College, 
 and received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from 
 Williams College. Doctor Swift was a man highly 
 esteemed by his congregation, and one whose advice 
 was much sought after in all ecclesiastical councils. 
 " Good men loved him, and delighted in his society, 
 and the worst men acknowledged his worth." At 
 his death he was known as the "Apostle of Ver- 
 mont." Two of his sons, Noadiah and Heman, 
 were leading physicians here in town for many 
 years. 
 
 About a mile south of the house of Captain John 
 Fasset stands the old home, built in 1769, by Peter 
 Harwood, one of the first settlers of Bennington. 
 His son Benjamin was the first male child born in 
 Bennington, and it is from a diary which he kept, 
 and his son Hiram continued, that we have taken 
 the dates of our old homes. The first apple-tree in 
 town was planted by Peter Harwood, near his house, 
 where it Hved and flourished for 109 years. Many 
 
OUR OLD HOMES. . 33 
 
 relics have been turned from the wood of this tree 
 and given away, to be carefully preserved by friends 
 who were interested in the old home, near where it 
 had stood for more than a century. 
 
 On Mt. Anthony Street, west of the Walloomsac 
 Inn, stands the Governor Tichenor house, built in 
 1792. Governor Tichenor first came to town on 
 August 14, 1777, being " Deputy Commissary-Gen- 
 eral of purchases for the Northern Department." 
 He was educated at Princeton College, and after the 
 war received one office of honor after another, until 
 he was elected governor of the State in 1797, which 
 office he filled for eleven years. There is a portrait 
 of the governor, which may be seen in this old 
 home ; he was described as a gentleman of the old 
 school, of graceful manner and address. 
 
 The nails used in building his house were cut in 
 Bennington from hoops taken from imported liquor 
 casks. In the hall of the second story still hangs a 
 memorial wall-paper manufactured at the time of 
 Washino^ton's death in 1799. In the same hall is 
 kept a handsome silk banner, decorated on both 
 sides, and ornamented with silk fringe and tassels. 
 This banner was presented to Governor Tichenor by 
 the Washingtonian Society, of which he was a mem- 
 
34 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 ber. Another interesting relic in this house is the 
 Washington pitcher, manufactured in France. The 
 medaUion of Washington on this pitcher is said to 
 be a perfect likeness of our great Commander-in- 
 Chief. 
 
 About half a mile from the Tichenor place, and 
 opposite the handsome residence built by Mr. Hub- 
 bell Conkhng, who died so suddenly abroad, stands 
 the old home, built in 1769, of Aaron Hubbell, 
 Esquire. He was twenty years of age at the time 
 of the Bennington battle, and a member of Captain 
 Samuel Robinson's company of militia. On August 
 14 he marched with his company as far as the 
 Henry place, where they halted and were ordered 
 to fell trees to stop the artillery of the enemy, and 
 he was the first soldier to bring down a tree. After 
 the first successful engagement, on August 16, he 
 was appointed one of the guards to take the prison- 
 ers captured at that time to Bennington, where 
 they were confined in the First Church. This build- 
 ing was erected about 1764, and was smaller than 
 our present edifice, and stood in the centre of the 
 Green, nearly opposite the Walloomsac Inn. 
 
 In 1782 Mr. Hubbell was married to Sarah 
 Dewey, daughter of Captain Elijah Dewey, and 
 
OUR OLD HOMES ' 35 
 
 granddaugliter of Jedediali Dewey, first pastor of 
 the ehurcli on the Hill. 
 
 They had a large family of children, who inter- 
 married mth the leading families in town. This 
 old home became in time the gathering-place of 
 this large family and their descendants, until finally 
 even the great-grandchildren were gathered within 
 its hospitable walls, where they always received a 
 hearty welcome, and looked with wondering eyes 
 when they were shown the bullet-hole in the old 
 kitchen door, made by a wandering Hessian on the 
 day of the Bennington battle. If those old walls 
 could speak, how many stories they could tell of 
 love and grief ; how, in the " west parlor," many a 
 beautiful bride stood and heard the solemn words 
 that were to send her far from the home she loved ! 
 
 Mr. Hubbell's second wife, the great-grandmother 
 that we remember, was a dear old lady, very bright 
 and entertaining in conversation, and who dearly 
 loved both grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 
 The writer remembers how lovely she looked when 
 she quietly slipped those delicious pink and white 
 peppermint-drops into her warm hands, during ser- 
 vice, on a close Sunday in summer, and how her 
 thoughtful kindness shortened those long and 
 weary hours. 
 
36 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 The familiar faces of those who always gave us 
 such loving welcome have long since left us, but 
 their kindness and hospitality will never be for- 
 gotten, nor the pleasant hours which we have so 
 often passed in that dearest of our old homes. 
 
 At the top of the Academy hill, and opposite the 
 spot where once stood his father's log cabin, stands 
 the only one of the old Kobinson homes which has 
 not been destroyed by fire or negligence. It was 
 built by David Robinson in 1795, who was only 
 seven years of age at the time of the Bennington 
 settlement. He was in the battle of Bennington as 
 a private in his brother's company of militia, and 
 afterward rose, by regular promotion, to the rank 
 of major-general. General Robinson was a man 
 renowned for his courage, and respected by the 
 entire community. 
 
 In this home, filled with many relics of great 
 historical value, lived for many years Mr. George 
 Wadsworth Robinson, a man who did more to 
 create an interest in historic matters connected 
 with this town than any other resident. Ajffable 
 and courteous in his manners, a true gentleman of 
 the old school, he was always ready to share with 
 strangers his valuable store of information, and at 
 
5^ 
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 W 
 
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 a 
 
 O 
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OUR OLD HOMES 37 
 
 his death old " Benninoton on the Hill " lost one o£ 
 her most faithful and devoted friends. 
 
 The white house on the corner, near the Battle 
 Monument, now occupied as a parsonage, was the 
 home of Captain David Robinson, General Robin- 
 son's oldest son. The writer can remember how he 
 used to come and call on her grandfather Sunday 
 afternoons, wrapped in a long military cloak with a 
 red linino;. 
 
 Captain David owned a large field opposite the 
 house of Mr. Isaac Robinson, in the centre of which 
 was a beautiful mound, and the story has often been 
 told that, when Captain David lost his first wife, 
 for a time he was inconsolable, nor could he bear 
 the thought of having his dear one put under 
 ground ; so he built this mound, under which he 
 placed the coffin of his wife, where day after day 
 he went and wept most bitterly. But when a 
 young and pretty widow came into town, he fell 
 a sudden victim to her charms, and Betsey was laid 
 peacefully at rest in our village churchyard, and the 
 charming widow soon became his bride. 
 
 This house, however, is more distinctly remem- 
 bered as the home of Mr. Isaac Jennings, who was 
 for so long the beloved pastor of the First Church. 
 
38 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Never was a pastor more trusted by a congregation ; 
 and every little child in the church knew him and 
 loved him. He was a man very modest and retiring 
 in his demeanor, but one who could see the ludi- 
 crous as well as the grave side of any subject. 
 
 He once told the writer that he was appointed by 
 a committee to visit a neighboring hamlet and pray 
 with the farmers and their families. He arrived 
 one warm morning in summer in front of a farm- 
 house, and asked the mother of the family if she 
 and her husband would like to have him pray with 
 them ? She replied that her husband was at work 
 in the field, but she would send for him. He ar- 
 rived presently and stood in front of Mr. Jennings, 
 twirling his hat between his fingers, heated and 
 tired. " My friend, would you like to have me pray 
 with you ? " asked Mr. Jennings. " I would as 
 soon not as tew," said the farmer. This reply was 
 certainly not courteous or encouraging, but Mr. 
 Jennings accepted it with Christian charity, and 
 was extremely amused by the man's simple honesty. 
 
 It was a great privilege to see the beautiful life 
 which he lived so long among his people. 
 
 He had adopted certain rules, which he daily ob- 
 served, and which were as follows : — 
 
OUR OLD HOMES 39 
 
 " (1.) To hear as little as possible to the preju- 
 dice of others. 
 
 " (2.) To beheve nothing of the kind until I am 
 absolutely forced to it. 
 
 " (3.) Never to drink in the spirit of one who 
 circulates an ill report. 
 
 " (4.) Always to moderate, as far as I can, the 
 unkiudness which is expressed towards others. 
 
 " (5.) Always believe that, if the other side were 
 heard, a very different account would be given of 
 the matter." 
 
 We truly believe that the universal adoption of 
 these rules would be the greatest blessing, and 
 would make the world much better. 
 
 A short time ago we came across the following 
 passage, which attracted us by the rare beauty of 
 its thought : — 
 
 " We are told by the marines who sail on the 
 Indian Seas that many tunes they are able to tell 
 their approach to certain islands, long before they 
 can see them, by the sweet fragrance of the sandal- 
 wood that is wafted far out upon the deep. Do 
 you not see how it would serve to have such a soul 
 playing through such a body that, as you go here 
 
40 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 and there, a subtle, silent force goes out from you 
 that all feel and are influenced by; so that you 
 carry with you an inspiration and continually shed 
 a benediction wherever you go ; so that your friends 
 and all people will say, — His coming brings peace 
 and joy into our homes? " As we read those words, 
 so inspiring and helpful, we wondered if, among the 
 many we knew, there might be just one worthy of 
 this description, when suddenly our thoughts went 
 back to our honored pastor, whose " smile was a 
 benediction ; " and when we thought of that beauti- 
 ful life, we no longer wondered. 
 
 i 
 
 1 
 
THE HISTORIC WALLOOMSAC 
 
 The historic Walloomsac, as it glides slowly and 
 then swiftly through the east part of Bennington, 
 is only one among the many little rivers which 
 every New England boy in his own home has 
 learned to love. But to the Bennington hoy, al- 
 though many delightful hours are associated with 
 this beautiful stream, yet the historic association 
 makes it doubly dear, for on its banks that glori- 
 ous 16th of August was fought the battle which 
 brought honor and victory to our brave Bennington 
 men. 
 
 Its name, Walloomsac, originated from a Dutch 
 word, Wallumschaik, the termination " chaik " sig- 
 nifying scrip or patent; the whole word meaning 
 Wallum's patent, the name of a grant of several 
 acres of land in Bennington, alleged to have been 
 granted by New York about ten years before the 
 charter under New Hampshire. The grant bore 
 the date June 15, 1739. 
 
 On its banks, a short distance from where it 
 
42 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 issues from SafPord's Pond, stands the house of Mr. 
 William Morgan, built by his great-grandfather, 
 Colonel Samuel Safford, of Revolutionary fame. 
 It contains many relics of great value, and is one 
 of the few houses of Revolutionary days which has 
 been carefully preserved. On the walls of its sunny 
 library hangs, framed, a letter from General Wash- 
 ington to Colonel Safford, which is highly treasured 
 by his descendants living in this old home, one of 
 the most attractive in our town. 
 
 Below the Soldiers' Home are three bridges, 
 whose names are associated with favorite localities 
 of ours in our younger days. They were in close 
 proximity to each other, and were called " Meach 
 Hole," "Governor Robinson," and "Old Red" 
 Bridgfe. From the dam near the Benningrton 
 and Rutland Railway passenger station, the river 
 winds through the lower part of the village down 
 past the mammoth woolen mill of John S. Holden 
 & Co., and thence through a most picturesque 
 part of the town, until the highway leading to 
 North Bennington is reached. Here, in the olden 
 time, the stream was bridged by an open wooden 
 structure, unpainted, and called the " Meach Hole 
 Bridge." A few feet away, the Roaring Branch 
 
THE HISTORIC WALLOOMSAC 43 
 
 comes in ; and this meeting-place of the waters was 
 once a famous fishing-ground, some of the largest 
 trout ever caught in the river having been taken 
 from this spot. At this point the river takes a 
 westerly course; and but a few yards distant the 
 highway is again bridged, this time by a covered 
 structure painted red, and called the " Governor 
 Robinson Bridge." Inseparably connected with 
 this bridge, and just below where the river bends, 
 are the rocks, once a favorite spot for swimmers, 
 the water being quite deep here, and the high, rocky 
 embankment a good place from which to dive. 
 Nowadays the place is little frequented. 
 
 On the hillside overlooking the river, and where 
 now stands the residence of the late Frederick G. 
 Clark, D. D., once stood the Governor Robinson 
 mansion, a large brick building with a gable roof. 
 Into this house was brought the first foreign carpet 
 in town. It had a black ground, with great bunches 
 of gay-colored flowers tied with blue ribbons, and 
 the paper on the parlor walls matched the carpet. 
 A long broad hall ran through the house east and 
 west. In the old square rooms that opened from 
 this hall were wont to gather the society people of 
 the olden time. It was here that Governor Moses 
 
44 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Robinson entertained two o£ our Presidents, — 
 Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. They re- 
 mained with him over the Sabbath ; and there is 
 a tradition that he was very anxious the day might 
 be pleasant, that his two distinguished visitors might 
 accompany him to church. 
 
 A half mile or so below its neighbors, already 
 mentioned, stands the " Old Red Bridge." Its 
 location is a charming one in summer, and in our 
 younger days it was a favorite place of resort, par- 
 ticularly on Saturday afternoons. The steep north 
 hill leads down to it. Its architecture is of the 
 conventional style of bridges of the olden time. It 
 has a shingled roof, and its sides are clapboarded ; 
 but diamond-shaped holes at intervals, formed by 
 its cross-timbers, permit the sunlight to enter, 
 making cheerful its long passageway. 
 
 The locality is an isolated one ; and we remem- 
 ber how forbidding its dark portal looked as we 
 approached it just as the night set in, and how 
 oppressive seemed the stillness of the surroundings, 
 unbroken save by the muffled sound of hoof and 
 wheel as we passed over the plank flooring, and 
 the noise of the rushing waters under it. There 
 has always been something about this bridge and 
 
o 
 3J 
 
THE HISTORIC WALLOOMSAC 45 
 
 locality especially fascinating to us ; and we rarely 
 miss an opportunity to look upon a scene so plea- 
 santly associated with our boyhood. About a mile 
 below the " Old Red Bridge," on the Walloomsac, 
 stood the old home of Samuel Robinson, captain of 
 one of the two companies of Bennington men in 
 Stark's " little army." It was he who " guarded 
 the house where Baum lingered in his last hours, 
 and watched gently with him as a woman till he 
 died ; " and he often stated that " he had never 
 seen a more intelligent and brave officer than this 
 unfortunate lieutenant." His house was of red 
 brick, with a gable roof, and was known for many 
 years as the " Safford Robinson Place," as it was 
 occupied after his father's death by his son Safford, 
 named in honor of his mother's family. This old 
 home was destroyed by fire a number of years ago. 
 A mile below this house, on the banks of the 
 Walloomsac, is the old home of another Revolu- 
 tionary hero, General Ebenezer Walbridge, built 
 by him in 1786. He first came to Bennington in 
 1765. He was an officer in Colonel Warner's regi- 
 ment of Green Mountain Boys in the winter cam- 
 paign of 1776 in Canada. He served as adjutant 
 in the Bennington battle, and in 1780 succeeded 
 
46 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Colonel Herrick in the command of the Bennington 
 regiment, and afterward became brigadier-general. 
 The Walbridge genealogy is traced back to Suffolk 
 County, England. On a copy of the coat-of-arms 
 of the Suffolk Walbridges are certain armorial 
 bearings to show that " Sir William de Walbridge 
 accompanied King Richard Coeur de Lion to the 
 Holy Land in the fourth crusade, and there greatly 
 distinguished himself." This old home is very 
 attractive, with large, cheerful rooms on both sides 
 of its broad hall, and contains many relics of great 
 interest. A reception was given there on July 27, 
 1897, in honor of the one hundredth bu'thday of 
 Mrs. Sophia Walbridge Winnie, the daughter of 
 Stebbins Walbridge, and granddaughter of General 
 Walbridge. The house was decorated with old- 
 fashioned flowers, and looked very inviting. Mrs. 
 Winnie received her guests with great dignity, 
 assisted by her attractive grandniece. Miss Harriet 
 Walbridge. The guests were each presented with 
 a new cent, which they will long preserve to com- 
 memorate such an eventful occasion. 
 
 Once a main highway running north and south 
 led straight through the " Old Red Bridge " over the 
 hill where now stands the Battle Monument. Just 
 
THE HISTORIC WALLOOMSAC 47 
 
 below this spot, south, once stood the old home of 
 Governor John S. Robinson, who at one time had 
 his law-office in one of the east rooms, where we 
 have watched the dry logs in the old fireplace as 
 they crackled, sending their sparks high up the 
 big chimney. The governor was a delegate to the 
 Convention held in Charleston just before the war. 
 He died there, and his remains were brought to 
 Bennington and buried with imposing ceremonies. 
 Lyman Patchin, generally called Squire Patchin, 
 kept the brick store across the street from Governor 
 Robinson's house, a little farther up. The broad 
 front steps of the store were a popular gathering- 
 place for gentlemen in those summer days, when 
 old Bennington was a business centre. There 
 comes to our mind, as we write, a building, historic 
 in its character, that stood west of Squire Patchings 
 store. It was of a light yellow color ; and painted 
 on its front in large letters were the words " State 
 Arms," so called because it stood near the site of 
 the old Continental Store-House, where were kept 
 those fabulous stores in Revolutionary days. It 
 was built by Jonathan Robinson in 1780, and was 
 one of the most flourishing taverns in Bennington's 
 early history. 
 
48 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Many practical jokes had their origin in the bar- 
 room of this old tavern. The story is told of a 
 man in the neighborhood who always knew when a 
 barrel of sweet cider was carried into the cellar of 
 the State Arms, and who made himself a nuisance 
 by hanging around until they gave him a drink. 
 A young man in the tavern determined to stop this 
 if possible, so procured a mask, inside of which he 
 fastened a candle. .A string was then attached to 
 the mask, and it was ready for use. The new 
 barrel of cider was placed directly under the trap- 
 door in the bar-room, and when the offender made 
 his appearance, he was asked if he would like a 
 drink of sweet cider. He was then given a pitcher 
 and told to go downstairs and fill it. They gave 
 him sufficient time to turn the faucet, and then 
 quietly let down the mask, with the candle lighted, 
 until it rested on top of the cider-barrel. They 
 soon heard a most terrible shriek ; then the man 
 rushed up the stairs, white as a sheet, and, gasping 
 from fright, said : " Your cider is running all over 
 the cellar floor, and the Devil is sitting on the cider- 
 barrel ! " It is needless to say that his cure was 
 complete. 
 
 A club of wild young men, called the Cognac 
 
THE HISTORIC WALLOOMSAC 49 
 
 Club, used to gather here, and one of its members, 
 for a wager, is said to have ridden his spirited 
 young horse up the broad stairway and into the 
 ball-room. Later, this tavern was used as a private 
 dwelling, having been thoroughly overhauled for 
 that purpose. It was, we regret, taken down, to- 
 gether with other buildings, when the erection of 
 the Battle Monument was assured. 
 
 Adjoining the State Arms, on the north, stood a 
 brick building with a gable roof, occupied by an 
 old-time Congressman. It was a pleasant place to 
 visit, and our life was closely interwoven with those 
 that made this home so attractive. Its walls might 
 have told the story of a most touching romance, in 
 which true love never wavered, and which lasted 
 nearly forty years. 
 
 An old-fashioned garden was a feature of the 
 place, just such a garden as one reads about, but 
 rarely sees nowadays, — one where the grapevines 
 twined about the trees until the trunks were cov- 
 ered. We also remember the garden as prolific in 
 fruits and flowers. The flowers seemed to be in 
 endless variety, and their coloring has increased 
 in brightness, and their fragrance in strength, as 
 the long years have passed ; likewise with the fruit. 
 
50 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 How tempting looked the long-necked pears as they 
 hung in bunches, bending low the branches ; and 
 how delicious seemed the German Bow apples, and 
 the big Harvest Sweets, so ripe that they split open 
 as they fell upon the ground ! Plums grew in that 
 garden of all sizes and colors, from the small sweet 
 sugar-plum to the large red and white egg-plums. 
 
 Time has wrought many changes in our circle, 
 but nowhere so marked as around this spot. The 
 tenants of that home have long since left it. 
 Where once it stood, with its old-fashioned garden, 
 a broad lawn now slopes ; but from the hillside near 
 it we look at the same rare landscape ; and, as we 
 turn our steps homeward, our eyes rest upon the 
 " Old Red Bridge," unchanged, still spanning the 
 river at the foot of the steep north hill. 
 
THE BRICK ACADEMY 
 
 Often have we been questioned concerning the 
 brick structure, with a white steeple, standing on 
 the east side of the street, midway between the 
 church and Battle Monument, and have invariably 
 replied that it was the old academy where our 
 fathers and mothers went to school. High up, and 
 imbedded in its red brick front, is a small slab that 
 tells the passer-by when it was erected. 
 
 In a letter from Isaac Robinson to his brother, 
 Jonathan E., in New York, dated November 5, 1821, 
 he wi'ites : " Our academy is about finished ; it is 
 the best building in the county, fire-proof, and will 
 be an honor to the town." In the diary of Hiram 
 Harwood, dated December 13, the same year, we 
 read : "A southeast storm overturned the steeple of 
 the new academy." This was a great disappoint- 
 ment to the people of Bennington, and it is said 
 that the building remained without a steeple for a 
 whole year. In earlier days it was considered an 
 honor here in Bennington for boys to be chosen to 
 
52 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 watch in the belfry of the old academy until mid- 
 night, when they were to ring the bell which was 
 to be the signal for the Fourth of July celebration 
 to begin. Dr. Charles Seymour Robinson, once a 
 Bennington boy, has given a most vivid descrip- 
 tion of a boy's feelings while watching iji the old 
 belfry : — 
 
 " You get hungry, and you get sleepy, and you 
 get superstitious, and you get shivering, before you 
 know it. But do you suppose anybody is going 
 to give in, for all that ? You cuddle down beside 
 the timbers ; you crowd up close together ; you 
 hear the spirit-like whirr of the night-birds as they 
 hurry by the spire ; you listen comfortably to the 
 far-away baying of a house-dog. Then you begin 
 to wonder what time it is. Somebody has a watch, 
 or somebody has borrowed one. You stand up to 
 shake yourself a little ; you peer over the balus- 
 trade into the awful depths beneath ; you start the 
 question whether any fellow could live if he fell 
 down to the sidewalk ; somebody knows of an in- 
 stance of such a thing which occurred somewhere, 
 and that stirs up the horror and suggests impres- 
 sively that you sit down again with your back to a 
 beam. 
 
p 
 
 X 
 
THE BRICK ACADEMY 53 
 
 " Tlien the grand shadows of the latest hours 
 you ever knew since you were alive hang heavily 
 overhead, and you look to see what time it is. 
 The stars march right on through the fleecy clouds, 
 as you imagine the Continental soldiers must have 
 marched throuo;h the ranks of the old British in 
 the Revolution. And the deep sky is wonderfully 
 blue, and perhaps the weird northern lights stream 
 across the zenith, or flashes of heat-lightning play 
 low on the horizon. Down below you slumbers the 
 unsuspicious village; and then you wonder what 
 time it is; and so the beautiful, solemn night 
 passes on." 
 
 Bleak winds have whistled through the belfry of 
 the old academy, and the snows of many an old- 
 time New England winter have drifted at its base, 
 since first its doors were opened as an institution of 
 learning, and our fathers and mothers went there 
 to school. 
 
 It was not, however, the first institution of this 
 kind erected in Bennington. Our first schoolhouse 
 stood not far from the house of Mr. Charles Swift, 
 and was built of tamarack logs obtained in the 
 swamp near by. 
 
 In 1780 CHo Hall was established, anjl was the 
 
64 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 first incorporated academy in the State. It stood 
 on the corner where the First Church now stands, 
 and a part of its foundation may still be seen in the 
 cellar of that church. It was a flourishing school 
 for a long- time, when unfortunately it was destroyed 
 by fire in 1803. 
 
 The people living below the hill missed having 
 a school at that end of the town ; so, when Mt. 
 Anthony Seminary was established in 1829, there 
 was great rejoicing in that district. But the chil- 
 dren who were obliged to attend the " Pioneer," 
 as the new school was called, received very often 
 quite rough treatment from the boys of the " Old 
 Line " (the academy), who considered their school 
 was not treated with proper respect when it was 
 passed by to attend the Mt. Anthony Seminary 
 further down. Its peculiar-sounding bell has often 
 awakened us, as well as our patriotism, during the 
 night preceding the celebration of the Sixteenth of 
 August. On its steps, at one of these celebrations 
 in 1837, stood the late Rev. E. H. Chapin, then a 
 young man about twenty years of age, and recited 
 the following poem, which he had written in honor 
 of the day : — 
 
THE BRICK ACADEMY 65 
 
 BENNINGTON BATTLE. 
 
 They came up at the battle's sound, 
 
 Stern, iron-hearted men; 
 They heard it as it thrilled along 
 
 The stream-side and the glen : 
 The dim old mountains echoed back 
 
 That summons wild and strong, 
 And the far greenwood depths were stirred 
 
 As with a triumph song. 
 
 They came, as brave men ever come, 
 
 To stand, to fight, to die ; 
 No thought of fear was in the heart. 
 
 No quailing in the eye; 
 If the lip faltered, 't was with prayer, 
 
 Amid those gathering bands, 
 For the sure rifle kept its poise 
 
 In strong, untrembling hands. 
 
 They came up at the battle sound 
 
 To old Walloomsac height; 
 Behind them were their fields of toil, 
 
 With harvest promise white; 
 Before them those that sought to wrest 
 
 Their hallowed birthright dear; 
 While through their ranks went fearlessly 
 
 Their leader's words of cheer: — 
 
 " My men, there are our freedom's foe, 
 And shall they stand or fall ? 
 Ye have your weapons in your hands, 
 Ye know your duty all. 
 
66 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 For see, this day we triumph o'er 
 
 The minions of the crown, 
 Or Molly Stark 's a widowed one 
 
 Ere yonder sun goes down." 
 
 One thought of Heaven, one thought of home, 
 . One thought of hearth and shrine. 
 
 Then rock-like stood they in their might 
 
 Before the glittering line. 
 A moment, and each keen eye paused, 
 
 The coming foe to mark, 
 Then downward to his barrel glanced. 
 
 And strife was wild and dark. 
 
 *T is sixty years ago, and where — 
 
 Ay, where — are those brave yeomen now ? 
 The clods are heavy on the breast. 
 
 And dust is on the brow. 
 A few still linger with dimmed eyes. 
 
 And time-bleached locks of gray, 
 But they are passing one by one 
 
 To their deep rest away. 
 
 The triumphs of that conflict hour 
 
 With them will not depart; 
 The memory of that old red field 
 
 Is fresh within the heart. 
 'T will live on every mountain-side, 
 
 'T will breathe in every glen, 
 And linger by the sepulchre 
 
 Where sleep those mighty men. 
 
 It needs no monumental pile 
 To tell each storied name; 
 
THE BRICK ACADEMY bl 
 
 The fair green hills rise proudly up 
 
 To consecrate their fame. 
 True to its trust, VValloomsac long 
 
 The record bright shall bear, 
 Who came up at the battle sound 
 
 And fought for freedom there. 
 
 Dr. Chapin afterwards became one of the most 
 popular of lecturers, and used to say that " he 
 lectured for F. A. M. E.," which he laughmgly 
 explained, for " fifty and my expenses." 
 
 In after years, when the Mt. Anthony Seminary 
 gained in popularity, only the lower room of the 
 old academy was used for school purposes, and in 
 the upper room were held the prayer-meetings of 
 the First Church. Many who first learned to read 
 in the lower room were heard later in life in the 
 services of the upper one ; but they have passed on 
 to that upper sphere towards which we are all fast 
 journeying. Singing-schools and choir rehearsals 
 were also held here, and how enjoyable they were ; 
 for the genial chorister, John Fay, had a happy way 
 of diversifying his instruction with witty remarks, 
 and an evening with him always passed quickly. 
 His pleasant face is often in our mind, and we can 
 hardly realize that nearly one thii-d of a century has 
 passed since he left us in the prime of life on that 
 far-away winter's day. 
 
58 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 The ravages of time and climatic changes weak- 
 ened the once firmly laid foundation of the academy, 
 and for a time it was not considered safe for occu- 
 pancy. As the building was erected for educational 
 purposes, to further its use in that line some of 
 our ladies conceived the idea of utilizing part of it 
 for a pubHc Hbrary. With this end in view, the 
 work of repairing it was begun under the supervi- 
 sion of these ladies, and, as a result of their efforts, 
 the structure has been made secure (1897). The 
 lower room has been substantially fitted up for 
 library purposes ; and its pretty furnishings, to- 
 gether with rare views seen from its windows, make 
 it a most attractive gathering - place. The base- 
 ment, where was once kept the old hand fire-engine, 
 Ethan Allen, has been put in a fine condition, and 
 has many conveniences so essential when entertain- 
 ments are given, — heating apparatus, running 
 water, etc. For all these improvements a consider- 
 able sum of money has been required, the major 
 part of which has been generously and willingly 
 given by Miss Mary Sanford, daughter of the late 
 Samuel B. Sanford. The library has already a 
 fair assortment of books, some of which have been 
 purchased by the committee appointed for that pur- 
 
THE BRICK ACADEMY 59 
 
 pose, and others have been donated by interested 
 friends. 
 
 This was not the first library established in Ben- 
 nington, for one was proposed as early as 1793, and 
 a meeting of subscribers called, which finally re- 
 sulted in the establishment of a public library in 
 April, 1796, for the benefit of those who chose to 
 become proprietors, under the direction of the Rev. 
 Job Swift, Colonel Nathaniel Brush, Dr. Micah J. 
 Lyman, Anthony Haswell,and Captain John Norton. 
 David Russell, one of the first editors of the " Ver- 
 mont Gazette," was secretary. 
 
 Another library was estabhshed later ; for we 
 read in the " Vermont Gazette," published in 1830, 
 that " a valuable hbrary has been attached to the 
 academy, to which any student may have access by 
 contributing to its fund the trifling sum of twelve 
 and a half cents per quarter." 
 
 The old brick academy can no longer boast of 
 being " the finest building in the county ; " but 
 to those who are so closely associated with its past, 
 no other could take its place, so we hope and trust 
 that it will ever be carefully preserved as one of 
 our most precious landmarks, inexpressibly dear to 
 every old resident of " Bennington on the Hill." 
 
THE SIXTEENTH OF AUGUST AND 
 TRAINING-DAYS 
 
 The anniversary of the battle so bravely fought 
 on August 16, 1777, was celebrated always in Ben- 
 nington with joy and thanksgiving. " The morning 
 was ushered in with the firing of a national salute, 
 the same piece of ordnance being used which was 
 captured from the British on the day of the Ben- 
 nington battle." The national flag was raised on 
 the court-house, and very early in the morning the 
 people began to congregate, prepared to enjoy what 
 was a red-letter day in the town's early history. 
 
 Large delegations from the neighboring towns 
 also gathered here to witness or take part in the 
 yearly celebration. A procession was formed near 
 where the Battle Monument now stands, in which 
 the survivors of the battle or their descendants took 
 a prominent part. 
 
 At first these processions were escorted by Cap- 
 tain Robinson's Cavalry and Captain Safford's Light 
 Infantry. They marched down the broad street to 
 
W 
 35 
 
 O 
 
 o 
 
THE SIXTEENTH OF AUGUST, ETC. 61 
 
 the First Church, where they listened to an oration, 
 and then marched back to the State Arms, where a 
 dinner was served, at which toasts were given and 
 responded to with much spirit and grace. 
 
 In the " Vermont Gazette," pubHshed in Au- 
 gust, 1826, an interesting account is given of the 
 celebration on the forty -ninth anniversary of 
 the Bennington battle, when General David Rob- 
 inson was president of the day. Twenty -four 
 young ladies, representing the States of the Union, 
 joined the procession on the brow of the hill, near 
 the residence of General Robinson, and " per- 
 formed the grateful duty of strewing roses in the 
 pathway of the veterans as they entered the sanc- 
 tuary." 
 
 In 1840, on the sixty-third anniversary of the 
 battle, the " Vermont Gazette " states that " there was 
 such a congregating of men as were never before 
 known in old Bennington, and is supposed to be, 
 from the best estimate, the largest collection of 
 freemen that ever assembled in the State. The 
 procession that came in from Pownal and Berkshire 
 in carriages was one and a half miles in length ; 
 the procession from Shaftsbury and northern towns 
 formed one of about three miles in length." And 
 
62 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 that "from seven to eight thousand dinners were 
 eaten at the public table on that day." 
 
 This procession was the most grand and imposing 
 that ever had been seen in Bennington. General 
 David Robinson, at this time eighty-six years of age, 
 and Mr. Samuel Safford were the only surviving 
 heroes of the battle present. Colonel Orsamus C. 
 Merrill was president of the day. 
 
 Farther back than we can remember, a regular 
 time was appointed each year for military drill, 
 called " Training - Day," familiarly spoken of as 
 " June Training." Judging from what we are told 
 by those who were present on these interesting 
 occasions, it must have been another red-letter day, 
 not only in the town, but in the neighboring ham- 
 lets, whose residents flocked to our village in great 
 numbers. Hucksters of various kinds temptingly 
 displayed their wares, which generally found a 
 ready sale. Doubtless there are some alive now 
 who remember eating a card of Mrs. Suttle's 
 gingerbread, known far and near as " Mrs. Suttleses' 
 best." This gingerbread, we are told, was light in 
 color as well as weight. 
 
 In those early days martial music consisted largely 
 of fifes and drums, and many interesting anecdotes 
 
THE SIXTEENTH OF AUGUST, ETC. 63 
 
 are told of the expert drummers and fifers of that 
 early period. It is said of one man who excelled 
 as a snare-drummer that he often used three drum- 
 sticks, keeping one in the air while he beat time 
 with the other two. It is also related of James 
 Whittum, called Uncle Jim, that often when he 
 played the fife it could be heard two miles away. 
 Uncle Jim boasted of having once split a fife. 
 
 There was a noted character in our town whose 
 services were indispensable on a " Training-Day " 
 in June ; his name was Joel Gill. He was a gentle- 
 man of color, one of the blackest of his race, and 
 an enthusiast in military matters, believing evi- 
 dently in the strictest discipline. 
 
 While inclined at times to indulge in ardent 
 spirits, he never imbibed until the exercises were 
 over. It is said that his acquaintance with promi- 
 nent people throughout the State was very large, 
 and at his death we lost a valuable encyclopaedia of 
 knowledge concerning the local matters connected 
 with the town. 
 
 His laugh was contagious, and we irresistibly 
 laughed with him. We recall also his figure, still 
 erect, and the martial bearing he could so readily 
 assume. There was a tender side to his nature, and 
 
64 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 when the past and its associations were recalled, the 
 tears would trickle down the dusky face, which 
 generally was wreathed in smiles. 
 
 He was for many years identified with the Ben- 
 nington Cornet Band, and guarded its uniform with 
 the greatest care, proud to wear it on public occa- 
 sions, when he assumed at once a military air. The 
 band was never out save with Joel at his post by 
 the side of the bass-drum ; but it is many years 
 since we have seen him march, for Joel died a 
 quarter of a century ago, and would have been 
 pleased and proud to have known that his beloved 
 band turned out with full ranks to escort his re- 
 mains to the grave, thus carrying out a wish that 
 this faithful servant had so often expressed. 
 
 These celebrations, so much enjoyed by the Ben- 
 nington boys half a century ago, have gone quite 
 out of fashion ; but we are thoroughly in sympathy 
 with the views expressed by ex-President Harrison 
 regarding the old-time Fourth of July celebration. 
 " Its simple parades and musters, the reading of the 
 Declaration, and the oration that more than sup- 
 plied the lack of glitter and color in the parade, 
 once the event of the year, went out of fashion. 
 We allowed ourselves to be laughed out of it. 
 
THE SIXTEENTH OF AUGUST, ETC. 65 
 
 It may be that the speaker was boastful, but a 
 boaster is better than a pessimist. The clay as a 
 patriotic anniversary was ahnost lost, and a family 
 picnic-day or a baseball-day substituted. It is com- 
 ing back, and we ought to aid in reinstating it. 
 The old Declaration has a pulse in it and a ring to 
 it that does the soul good." 
 
THE OLD COURT-HOUSE 
 
 The first court-house in Bennington was built of 
 wood in 1781, and stood east of where the Battle 
 Monument now stands. It was destroyed by fire on 
 May 17, 1809. 
 
 Dramatic entertainments were held in this build- 
 ing as early as 1787, advertised to begin "at six 
 o'clock exactly," showing that Bennington people 
 in those early days kept early hours. 
 
 The second court-house was also of wood, and 
 stood very near the first, — west of the grounds of 
 Mr. George Worthington, whose attractive home, 
 Worthlea, has added much to the beauty of that 
 part of the town. The property adjoining Mr. 
 Worthington' s, north, belongs to Miss Mary San- 
 ford, whose artistic new home, the Priory, is 
 worthy of much admiration. The second court- 
 house was burned on October 28, 1846, "with a 
 loss to the county of about three thousand dollars." 
 
 The third court-house, built of brick, stood near 
 the house where Ethan Allen lived, and, with its 
 
THE OLD COURT-HOUSE 
 
THE OLD COURT-HOUSE 67 
 
 tall white pillars, made quite an imposing structure, 
 dividing honors with its other neighbor, the Old 
 White Church, whose bell was rung to call the court 
 together morning and afternoon. 
 
 The sheriff always escorted the judges to the 
 court-house. To the right, as you entered the 
 building, there was a room occupied as a law-office 
 by S. H. Blackmer. To the left was another room, 
 occupied by the Hon. A. B. Gardner, a leading 
 lawyer, and at one time lieutenant-governor of the 
 State. The back part of the building on the lower 
 floor was used on election day as a voting-place, 
 and the rest of the year as a furniture repository. 
 The upper floor consisted of a court-room, sheriff's 
 room, consultation room, etc. The court-room was 
 a pleasant one in winter, having windows on three 
 sides, which made it sunny and cheerful. 
 
 Concerts and other entertainments were held here 
 for years. The famous Hutchinson Family, Barker 
 Family, and the Peak Bell Ringers always filled the 
 room when they gave a concert. 
 
 The convening of court fifty years ago was quite 
 an event here on the Hill ; and when this third court- 
 house was unfortunately destroyed by fire on March 
 26, 1869, it was a bitter disappointment to the 
 
68 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 people of old Bennington to have the new court 
 house located in the East Village. 
 
 Happening into the court-room one day last win- 
 ter, I was reminded of old times by seeing the 
 venerable H. K. Fowler, of Manchester, Vermont, 
 inside the bar. None of his contemporaries were 
 present; the faces he looked u]3on were those of 
 persons who were children when he was active in 
 his profession, and a few of the younger lawyers 
 were unborn at that time. As I looked at this 
 well-preserved man, familiar to me since my earliest 
 recollection, I wondered if his mind reverted to 
 court days in the old building upon the Hill, when 
 the judges all had gray hair that stood up like 
 bristles, and solemn faces, and bore the names of 
 Kellogg, Pierpont, Williams, and" Redfield; when 
 two large stoves filled with long sticks of wood 
 made the atmosphere of the room endurable those 
 old-fashioned winter days ; when snow was plenty, 
 and people came to court in sleighs ; and when 
 greetings were exchanged with Edgerton, of Rut- 
 land, Miner, Sargeant, and Roberts, of Manchester, 
 Harmon Canfield, of Arlington, John S. Robinson, 
 Tarrent Sibley, Pierpont Isham, A. P. Lyman, J. H. 
 Cushman, G. W. Harmon, and others, of Ben- 
 nington. 
 
THE OLD COURT-HOUSE 69 
 
 111 the old court-house, boys were allowed to sell 
 apples, popcorn, and home-made molasses candy 
 while court was in session ; but they moved noise- 
 lessly about, and were tidy in their appearance, 
 makino' no trouble. 
 
 A gentleman still living tells the remarkable story 
 of one of the side judges consuming a peck of 
 apples a day during session. 
 
 A well-known citizen was sheriff for a long time, 
 who was very fond of playing a joke. One day he 
 met an old friend who lived just outside our village, 
 and asked him why he did not come to court. His 
 friend replied that he would like to come, but, being 
 very bald, he did not dare sit with his hat off in 
 the court-room. The sheriff then assured him that 
 he could keep his hat on. 
 
 Shortly after the conversation, the man appeared 
 in court, and took a seat in a conspicuous place. 
 He wore a beaver hat of unusual height. It was 
 soon time to open court. The sheriff rapped for 
 order, and requested all to remove their hats. The 
 owner of the tall beaver, remembering his conversa- 
 tion with the sheriff, sat happy and serene in his 
 seat. He was the only person in the room who had 
 not uncovered his head. Again the sheriff rapped 
 
70 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 on liis desk and asked that hats be removed at 
 once. By this time all eyes were focused on Mr. 
 
 , who at last began to realize that he was fast 
 
 becoming an object of curiosity. Again the sheriff 
 pounded on his desk, and this time pointed his 
 finger at the man with the tall beaver, who was not 
 Ion Of in removino; his hat. This was an amusincr 
 incident to all who witnessed it ; but the individual 
 who had been made so conspicuous vowed that he 
 would get even with the sheriff some day, which no 
 doubt he did. 
 
 Lawyers were heard in this old court-room who 
 were afterwards famous. We remember the bril- 
 liant Oscar L. Shafter, from Windham County. He 
 became one of the most eminent jurists of Califor- 
 nia. Judge Samuel Phelps was also heard here, 
 and his son, Edward J. Phelps, now recognized as 
 an accomplished scholar, jurist, and diplomat. 
 
 Old Bennington has furnished many able judges 
 to preside over the courts of Vermont. Among 
 them were Hiland HaU and Pierpont Isham, the 
 former being twice elected governor of Vermont. 
 
 Stenographers and pretty tyjiewriters were un- 
 known in those days, when testimony had to be 
 written down by hand. How the old quill-pens 
 
THE OLD COURT-HOUSE 71 
 
 squeaked as they were rushed over the paper ! 
 Fancy-colored blotters were never seen, but in their 
 place sand was used, shaken out of boxes as pepper 
 and salt in seasoning. Many of the inkstands were 
 made of wood, but to our childish eyes looked quite 
 elegant. As we grew older we did copying for 
 lawyers, who were always patient and kind in as- 
 sisting us to decipher hastily written technical 
 terms. Those who employed us have long since 
 passed away, but those early experiences we often 
 recall with great pleasure. 
 
STAGING DAYS 
 
 We can just see how the old stage-coach looked, 
 drawn by four horses, as at full speed they dashed 
 around the corner, the driver cracking his whip 
 as only those old experts could do, and coming to 
 a standstill in front of the Walloomsac Inn, half 
 a century or more ago. All the drivers of that 
 period are dead except one, who is still living in 
 town. 
 
 Landlord Hicks was always on hand to " welcome 
 the coming and speed the parting guest." This 
 old hostelry, built in 1776, and famous since Revo- 
 lutionary days for its excellent table, always had a 
 goodly number of guests, while the State Arms on 
 the brow of the Hill was equally well kept and 
 patronized. The old register of the State Arms 
 could show many distinguished names at that 
 period, and the names of those who were to be- 
 come noted as the years passed. 
 
 Dr. Peckham, of New York, was a regular sum- 
 mer guest at this house. His nephew, Hon. Rufus 
 
z 
 
 ■J 
 
 X 
 
 a 
 
STAGING DAYS 73 
 
 W. Peckliam, now an associate justice of the United 
 States Supreme Court, passed a summer within its 
 hospitable walls when a lad. Dr. Peckham's brother, 
 Rufus W. Peckham, Sr., afterward one of the 
 judges of the New York Court of Appeals, selected 
 the Walloomsac Inn as his summer home. 
 
 In staging days, old " Bennington on the Hill " 
 was a business centre, and the leading village in the 
 county. The Bennington Bank stood just north 
 of the brick academy, and on the same street, fur- 
 ther up, was a printing-house. Here the " Vermont 
 Gazette " was published, the first newspaper printed 
 in the State. Looking over its time-worn files, we 
 are reminded by the various advertisements that 
 several general stores once catered to the wants 
 of the community. One of these old-time stores 
 is now utilized as a woodshed by a prominent 
 Troy lawyer, who has a delightful summer home 
 here. 
 
 John Fay, so long the sweet-voiced chorister of 
 the old First Church, was once a clerk in this store. 
 He was not only an amusing story-teller, but a 
 practical joker as well. One warm summer after- 
 noon he was alone in the store engaged in preparing 
 prescriptions, — for most of the country stores at 
 
74 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 that time carried a stock of drugs, — when there 
 appeared in the doorway a well-known citizen living 
 in the west part of the town, familiarly known as 
 Uncle Hi. 
 
 After an exchange of friendly greetings, Mr. Fay 
 told him he was prejaaring an important prescrip- 
 tion and needed his assistance, but felt it his duty 
 to tell him that he must be very careful not to 
 sneeze, as that would mean almost instant death. 
 
 Uncle Hi at first flatly refused. He said that 
 " life was sweet, and his family were dependent 
 uj^on him." But Mr. Fay continued to urge him, 
 asking if he were in the habit of sneezing, when 
 Uncle Hi was obliged to admit that he seldom 
 sneezed. Mr. Fay then told him there would not be 
 the slightest danger, and all that he wished him to 
 do was to stir the mixture while he added the ingre- 
 dients. Uncle Hi at last consented, and began 
 stirring vigorously, according to instructions, until 
 Mr. Fay saw, as he slowly added the capsicum, that 
 his friend's face was fast becoming scarlet. Suddenly 
 Uncle Hi ceased operations and called out : " John, 
 you said — if I sneezed — it meant death. If I don't 
 — sneeze — it will be my death." Then followed 
 such a succession of sneezes that Mr. Fay laughed 
 
STAGING DAYS 75 
 
 until he thought it might result in his own death, 
 for a more ludicrous sight he had never seen than 
 frightened Uncle Hi, who vowed it would be the 
 last time he would ever assist John Fay in preparing 
 prescriptions. 
 
 Another store comes to mind as we write, that was 
 in existence years before we were born, and con- 
 tinued to do business until we reached manhood. 
 Jars containing liquids of various shades, such as 
 are seen in drug-stores, made the front windows 
 attractive. 
 
 Confectionery and toys were temptingly arranged 
 on the shelves. Pocket-combs, knives, jew's-harps, 
 and Jenny Lind gum were to be seen in the httle 
 show-case on the counter. Bunches of red, white, 
 and blue tippets hung by the door, and many other 
 articles that took the eye of boys now scattered 
 all over the country. The proprietor, Mr. Martin 
 Scott, always our friend, died suddenly one winter 
 morning, just after business had commenced for the 
 day. The building has been moved to another part 
 of the village, extensive repairs have been made to 
 it, and now it is pleasantly spoken of as the " Park 
 and Tilford " of Bennington. 
 
 Nearly opposite the old site of this store, William 
 
76 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Lloyd Garrison issued weekly " The Journal of the 
 Times," from October, 1828, until March, 1829. 
 
 William Lown, in his day a noted carriage-maker 
 of Troy, once carried on business here quite exten- 
 sively ; also Joseph Ogden. 
 
 Bennington has always enjoyed the reputation 
 of having physicians of ability ; three were on the 
 Hill in old times. Dr. William Bigelow lived near 
 the State Arms, and Drs. Noadiah and Heman 
 Swift lived near the Walloomsac Inn. Two grand- 
 sons of Dr. Bigelow — George S. Robinson and 
 John Squires — are now prominent among Troy's 
 business men. A great-grandson of Dr. Noadiah 
 Swift, Dr. Reynolds TiUinghast, is a promising 
 physician and surgeon in New York at the present 
 time. 
 
 From this little town have gone forth into the 
 world at large men who have become widely known 
 in the professions they have chosen. 
 
 The Rev. E. H. Chapin, the famous pulpit orator, 
 went from this village; also the Rev. Charles Sey- 
 mour Robinson, D. D., for so many years the pastor 
 of the Memorial Church in New York. 
 
 Daniel Robinson, for so long president of the old 
 Troy and Boston Railroad Company, was born in 
 
STAGING DAYS 11 
 
 BeDuington and spent his boyhood here. It was 
 his master mind that foresaw the advantages to be 
 gained by tunneling the Hoosac Mountain below 
 North Adams, Massachusetts. He labored for its 
 accomplishment, and lived long enough to ride 
 through its rocky way, and to see the struggling 
 road that he had been the head of consolidated into 
 a grand trunk line, now the popular Boston route, 
 and known as the Fitchburg Railroad line. 
 
 Horace F. Clark, whose father, Daniel Clark, was 
 the pastor of the First Church for five years, went 
 from here when a boy to New York city, where he 
 became eminent as a lawyer. He married a daugh- 
 ter of Commodore Vanderbilt, and was long identi- 
 fied with the Vanderbilt interests. At the time 
 of his death, he was president of the Lake Shore 
 Railway. 
 
 About 1865, railroad business brought Mr. Clark 
 and a party of New York capitalists to Bennington. 
 It was his first visit since his school-days. At the 
 instance of ex-Governor Hiland Hall, a gentleman 
 was selected to receive him who had been intimate 
 with him in boyhood. This gentleman, Mr. Sey- 
 mour Merrill, was quite sure of his ability to pick 
 out Mr. Clark, although nearly forty years had 
 
78 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 passed since they had met. He had hardly entered 
 the car when he recognized his okl-time companion. 
 The recognition was instantaneous on both sides, 
 Augustus Schell remarking to the other gentlemen 
 of the party that he " would wager that Clark had 
 met an old schoolmate." Mr. Clark, while in Ben- 
 nington, renewed his acquaintance with many of 
 the friends of his youth. One of the results of his 
 visit was the purchase of the broad acres that now 
 surround the Clark mansion, known as Fernhurst, a 
 most delightful spot. 
 
 Mr. Seth B. Hunt, another Bennington boy who 
 went to New York, was clerk for a time for Arthur 
 Tappan, of abolition fame. His beautiful summer 
 residence, Maj)le Grove, which boasts of having one 
 of the highest natural fountains in the world, is 
 now occupied as a Soldiers' Home, one of the finest 
 in this country. 
 
 Mr. Hunt's name will longest be remembered in 
 connection with the gift of the Free Library to East 
 Bennington, he and Hon. Trenor W. Park sharing 
 equally in this noble philanthropy. 
 
 Near the Tichenor place may be seen the old 
 homes of two eminent lawyers : the first having 
 been the residence for many years of the Hon. 
 
STAGING DAYS 79 
 
 Pierpont Isham, one of the most distinguished 
 judges of the Vermont Supreme Court, and the 
 other the home of the Hon. Hiland HalL 
 
 Honors came to Mr. Hall without stint. He was 
 twice elected governor of Vermont; was a judge 
 of the Supreme Court ; served eleven years in Con- 
 gress ; was second Comptroller of the United States 
 Treasury ; and went to California as one of the land 
 commissioners under the treaty of Mexico, being 
 appointed by President Fillmore. Mr. Hall filled 
 all of these positions with honor to himself and his 
 native State. His death occurred at the advanced 
 age of ninety years ; he was beloved by every one. 
 
 Back of Governor Hall's old home stands the 
 Mount Anthony Golf Club House, which was once 
 a famous seminary of learning. The names of some 
 of its pupils are chiseled on the stones of our side- 
 walks, also upon the rocks that surround the cave 
 on the side of Mount Anthony. This street, and 
 particularly this locality, now so quiet, was once 
 thronged with boys, whose shouts often made the 
 long winter evenings cheerful as they skated on the 
 frozen overflow waters of Robinson's swamp. 
 
WHERE WE WENT TO SCHOOL 
 
 With its old belfry gone, and a wide veranda on 
 its eastern front, its interior, both below and up- 
 stairs, beautifully fitted up as a club-house, one 
 would hardly recognize the structure where years 
 ago Professor George W. Yates made plain to us, 
 in his original and entertaining manner, knotty 
 problems in arithmetic and algebra. 
 
 At the opening reception (July 4, 1897), given 
 by the charter members of the Mount Anthony 
 Golf Club, we met many old-time schoolmates. 
 
 During an interesting conversation with one most 
 pleasantly associated with our boyhood and later- 
 day life, he pointed out where he sat in school-days 
 forty years ago. 
 
 Doubtless many present remembered the platform 
 at the end of the school-room, called the stage. It 
 took, I think, but two steps to reach it ; but to us 
 it seemed higher than a pulpit when we nervously 
 ascended it, before a room full of people, to go to 
 the big blackboard on examination day, where we 
 
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WHERE WE WENT TO SCHOOL 81 
 
 tried our best to demonstrate, witli clialk in hand, 
 that Professor Yates's painstaking efforts during 
 the Ions: term had not been in vain. 
 
 Boys spoke their pieces Friday afternoons on this 
 same okl stage who are to-day prominent as law- 
 yers, clergymen, physicians, and in the various 
 walks of business. 
 
 An entertainment was generally given on the last 
 evening of the term, called an exhibition. The 
 programme was of a miscellaneous character, and 
 consisted of singing, declamation, dialogues, and 
 reading of compositions. This entertainment was 
 the event of the season. We had studied our parts 
 thoroughly, and from behind the curtains which 
 concealed the stage we peeped to see if a full house 
 were to witness our triumph. There was always a 
 large attendance of the village people, and the 
 audience was sympathetic, which is very desirable 
 on such occasions. It gave courage also to those 
 behind the footlights. Most of the families in 
 town were represented on the stage, which ac- 
 counted, no doubt, for the large number present. 
 
 There were three brothers who attended school 
 at the seminary who little thought, as the days of 
 that happy period passed, that great hardships were 
 
82 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 to be endured, as well as dangers to be faced, when 
 school-days were over. 
 
 The eldest of these brothers fought with the 
 boys in gray, while the two younger followed the 
 stars and stripes, in the War of the Rebellion. The 
 first-mentioned, we believe, was killed at the battle 
 of Nashville, Tennessee, under General Hood ; the 
 other brothers are alive and well, thouofh one 
 stopped a rebel bullet and was dangerously wounded. 
 
 It was at the Mount Anthony Seminary that the 
 Rev. E. H. Chapin, D. D., the great pulpit orator, 
 received his education ; and also Edward Swift 
 Isham, a leading lawyer in Chicago, partner of Hon. 
 Robert Lincoln, son of the martyred President. 
 
 Of those who were companions and acquaintances 
 in those old school-days, we recall Daniel Robinson, 
 who was for many years second vice-president of 
 the great dry-goods house of H. B. Claflin & Co., 
 of New York city ; C. H. Webb, of the house of 
 Dunham, Buckley & Co. ; and S. Waldo Sibley, of 
 John L. Bremer & Co., both of New York city ; 
 also S. B. Hall, cashier of the First National Bank, 
 North Bennington ; Henry Harmon, now a promi- 
 nent lawyer in Rutland, Vermont; and the Rev. 
 David Beach, of MinneapoHs, Minnesota. 
 
WHERE WE WENT TO SCHOOL 83 
 
 As I write these well-remembered names of boys, 
 many of whom were my schoolmates, and whose suc- 
 cess in life has been so marked and honorable, there 
 come vividly to mind others who went in and out of 
 the old school-room, whose lives were cut short 
 when hardly upon the threshold of young man- 
 hood, and when the future seemed so bright with 
 promise. I recall the once familiar face and form 
 of my elder brother, Henry Seymour. Incidents 
 of his love and unselfishness are still fresh in mem- 
 ory, though long and eventful years have passed 
 since he was laid away in the cemetery. 
 
 Far from loved ones, and from the peaceful 
 scenes of their New England homes, amid the 
 roar of battle. Captain Frank Ray and Lieutenant 
 George Hicks fell while fighting for their country 
 in the War of the Rebellion. 
 
 As we left the old seminary (henceforth to bear 
 a new name) on that bright July afternoon, the 
 scene, though pretty, was a novel one. 
 
 Gayly dressed ladies chatted on the piazza with 
 gentlemen in knickerbockers, while stylish turnouts 
 dotted the broad lawn below. 
 
 We thought of the mornings and afternoons we 
 had gathered on the playground, and of the many 
 
84 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 pleasant hours spent in the old boarding-house, now 
 fast going to decay, but once filled with happy boys 
 and girls ; yet, while time in its course has wrought 
 many changes. Nature, always kind, still has the 
 same old reception for us. Mount Anthony, but a 
 short distance away, is unchanged. The cave on 
 the side of one of its slopes, so wonderful to us in 
 boyhood, is yet an object of interest. The old 
 " green road," that we remember so well, winds its 
 way through the dark woods until the summit is 
 reached, but the feet that walk in these old-time 
 places are younger than ours. 
 
OLD-TIME CIRCUS DAYS 
 
 In these days of steam and electric cars, flying- 
 machines, and spectacular entertainments, the aver- 
 age boy of the period would hardly be satisfied with 
 the " Old-Time Circus," with its one ring, and, for 
 a long time, one clown ; but he generally made up 
 in quality what was lacking in quantity ; and, for 
 that matter, some of those bygone sons of Momus 
 were far ahead of some of their later-day brethren. 
 One circus and menagerie that comes to mind 
 had two elephants. They were down on the biUs as 
 " Famous War Elephant Hannibal " and performing 
 elephant " Tippo Saib." Hannibal was a large 
 fellow and headstrong. He ignored his keeper on 
 one of his visits here, and was soon in the garden 
 of one of our residents, where he regaled himself 
 with a breakfast of early vegetables. The owner 
 did not attempt to drive him away. Sometimes we 
 would have an economical turn, and resolve in our 
 mind that we would content ourselves with viewing 
 the parade. But when we saw the big tent gayly 
 
86 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 trimmed with flags, and lieard the band play, our 
 well-formed resolutions to be saving vanished like 
 drops of water on a parched pavement. We were in 
 such a state of excitement that the price of admis- 
 sion would have been very high to have kept us out- 
 side the tent, if the bank was in any sort of condition. 
 The jokes and comic songs of the clown amused us 
 greatly, and we laughed until our sides ached. 
 
 Often the circus would come to town by way of 
 the Hoosac road, and we tossed restlessly on our 
 beds the night preceding their coming ; for we were 
 anxious to be up early to see the preparations that 
 were made prior to entering the village. It was the 
 custom to halt near the Dewey Hubbell homestead. 
 Here the thin, jaded horses would be decked with 
 gaudy plumes, and the elephants partially covered 
 with what we were told were " Oriental trappings." 
 The elephants would quench their thirst from the 
 stream that flowed by the roadside, and then with 
 their long trunks would squirt the water high in the 
 air, greatly to our delight. 
 
 We don't remember much about three-card monte 
 men or shell men, but there were plenty of peddlers 
 of various wares ; and we can hear their metallic 
 voices, as first one would cry out : " Apple-pie that 
 
OLD-TIME CIRCUS DAYS 87 
 
 "will make you cry, -with Danby cheese that will 
 make you sneeze." Then another would sing- out : 
 " This way, gentlemen, for a cake of radgical, 
 pradgical, sadgical soap, dug out of the ' Mammoth 
 Cave ' in Kentucky ; it purifies the conscience and 
 cleanses the shirt-collar." Still another called out : 
 " Chinese vegetable salve ; cures corns, warts, and 
 moles." Tked, heated, and surfeited with peanuts, 
 lemonade, and candy, we wended our way home 
 satisfied. But when again the bright-colored bills 
 were seen on the outer walls of barns and other 
 places, we were ready to receive the show as of old. 
 
 Advertising a circus was not as thoroughly done 
 as in these days, but the advertising by word of 
 mouth must have been just as effectual ; for on the 
 day of exhibition there were to be seen on our 
 streets forms and faces of those not only forgotten, 
 but in some cases the " carved faces " of people that 
 we had supposed had been gathered to their fathers 
 for a long time. 
 
 Speaking of circuses reminds me of the "Min- 
 strel Backus " story about the boy who said to his 
 mother: "I want to go to the circus, I do." "My 
 son," said the fond mother, " I can't let you go 
 this time ; but if you will be a good boy, I will take 
 you some day to see your grandfather's grave." 
 
SHOPS BY THE WAYSIDE 
 
 Mammoth factories, equipped with the latest im- 
 proved machinery and filled with skilled workmen, 
 turning out daily thousands of pairs of shoes in 
 almost endless variety of styles, have driven out of 
 business the old-time shops which once were indis- 
 pensable in a country village. We have particularly 
 in mind two of the latter, and the simple story 
 we have to tell about them may perhaps bring to 
 the mind of some reader experiences similar to ours. 
 Boss Stearns's shoe-shop stood on one of the pretty 
 side streets in our village, a short distance from 
 where the Battle Monument now stands. The pro- 
 prietor lived in a little white house just below the 
 shop. He was quite a dignified-looking man, was 
 of a musical turn, and sang in the choir of the Old 
 First Church. We have a picture of that choir, 
 and the once familiar face of Boss Stearns is easily 
 recognized. The old shop was a low, two-story 
 building. There were two rooms on the lower 
 floor, the first, upon entering, being a sort of wait- 
 
SHOPS BY THE WAYSIDE 89 
 
 ing-room. Here your feet were measured. A short 
 counter with a desk at the end was on one side, and 
 against one of the walls stood a case with glass in 
 the doors, where finished work was kept. From 
 this room you entered the one where we lingered 
 long whenever we were permitted to visit the shop. 
 As we remember it, the room was full of sunshine. 
 A long window was on the side fronting the street. 
 It slid back, and the air that came into the little 
 room in those summer days of childhood seemed 
 sweeter than summer air nowadays. Men living in 
 the neighborhood frequented the place, and their 
 voices, pitched high, were often heard debating 
 some political question. It was a cozy room in 
 winter. The old wood-stove gave out a good heat, 
 and during this time of the year the sitters were 
 many. Boss Stearns was an expert drummer in his 
 day, and often he has amused us, keeping good time 
 with his hammer as he pounded the leather soles on 
 his old lap-stone. We have had boots made in 
 New York city, and shoes made in Paris ; but the 
 boots made for us by Boss Stearns, with the little 
 nick at the top of the boot-leg, called the " Boss's 
 mark," gave us the most pleasure. The old shop 
 was long since taken down, its proprietor has 
 
90 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 been at rest for many years, but tbe pleasant hours 
 passed in the little square room come often to 
 mind. 
 
 Away from the village, on a hill, stands another 
 shoe-shop of the olden time. It is a quaint little 
 building, and once, no doubt, looked bright in its 
 coat of red paint ; but the storms of many years, 
 and the burning sun of countless summer days, 
 have faded its timeworn clapboards, and age has 
 plainly put its stamp on the structure that has 
 always stood in the same old spot, and is unchanged 
 in every way since first our eyes looked upon it, far 
 back in boyhood days. Below it lies the valley of 
 the Hoosac ; the location is pretty and inviting ; old 
 trees skirt the narrow roadway that further on joins 
 the main highway leading to Troy. Here for a 
 lifetime (and a long one) " Uncle Ebon " phed his 
 trade. There was a small wooden sign over the 
 low, narrow door. On its white background, black 
 figures rudely painted of a boot and shoe could be 
 seen, emblematic of the owner's business calling. 
 Year after year the old man sat on his bench by 
 the window and pegged and pegged, and stitched 
 and stitched, until his life's record counted over 
 fourscore years; yet he always seemed happy and 
 
SHOPS BY THE WAYSIDE 91 
 
 contented, until she who had started early on life's 
 journey with him, in those years that seemed so 
 far away, tired of life's burdens, left him for a 
 while : then we noticed that the rugged form weak- 
 ened under its load of sorrows and cares; and as 
 time grew apace, we came to see that our old friend 
 of a lifetime, like the waving grain in the fields 
 near by, was fast ripening for the harvest. The 
 reaper came at last ; and now, as we journey over 
 the oft-traveled road, we see the little low building, 
 with its rudely painted sign, but we miss the salu- 
 tations we were wont to receive, for our friend, the 
 old shoemaker, has left us forever. 
 
 A long two-story building that stood west of his 
 house was used by Uncle Hiram as a carpenter- 
 shop. How delighted we were if we could visit 
 him here and watch him as he worked ! Fresh 
 and sweet was the odor of the long curly shavings 
 that fell to the floor, and later found their way into 
 our basket. How interested we were in the stories 
 that he would tell us, for Uncle Hiram was very 
 amusing in a way peculiar to himself. Children 
 instinctively gathered about him. He was fond 
 of them, and they seemed to know it. He was 
 never harsh or impatient, but, on the contrary, was 
 
92 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 always gentle and cheerful. Uncle Hiram once 
 told the writer that at one time a school was held 
 near his house. One day, as the girls were playing 
 at recess, he for amusement offered a two-shilling 
 piece to the girl who was the fastest runner of 
 the group, and a York shilling to the one who 
 was the slowest. The children were to start at 
 the same time, each to do her best to touch a cer- 
 tain part of a building that stood near. A short, 
 thick-set little girl was the last to touch the spot 
 selected by Uncle Hiram. She received her shil- 
 ling, the prize offered to assuage the feelings of the 
 one less fleet than the rest. Many were the years 
 that passed after this incident. The little chubby 
 girl grew to womanhood, was married, and moved 
 away. Uncle Hiram, always industrious, worked at 
 his trade as the seasons came and went. One day, 
 when he had reached the age of perhaps three- 
 score and ten, he received a call from a lady, 
 whom he soon recognized as the once slowest 
 runner of the little group of schoolgirls. Uncle 
 Hiram was delighted to see the lady, now the wife 
 of a millionaire. She reminded him of the inci- 
 dent of which we have written, and, after bidding 
 him good-by, left for him a substantial sum of 
 
SHOPS BY THE WAYSIDE 93 
 
 money. The act was characteristic of the lady, 
 whose tenderness of heart and generous nature were 
 well known in Bennington. She has long since 
 passed to her reward. The old shop, long unused, 
 is still standing, and looks the same as when Uncle 
 Hiram went at the call of the messenger to join 
 those not lost, but gone before. 
 
THE FIRST CHURCH AND ITS "GOD'S 
 
 ACRE" 
 
 The Old White Church standing on the corner is 
 of the Christopher Wren style of architecture, and 
 was erected in 1805. 
 
 This church was organized in 1763, and is the 
 oldest church in Vermont. Its first buildino^ was 
 erected about 1765, and stood in the centre of the 
 Green, opposite the Walloomsac Inn. It was much 
 smaller than the present edifice, so this larger build- 
 ing was considered necessary for the fast-increas- 
 ing congregation, and was dedicated on New Year's 
 Day, 1806, — the dedicatory sermon being preached 
 by the Rev. Daniel Marsh, who was then pastor 
 of the church. The bell was given by Governor 
 Tichenor, and has the name of the donor inscribed 
 upon it. In 1849 the square pews were removed, 
 and in 1865 the church was thoroughly repaired. 
 
 At this time, Mr. Seth B. Hunt, of New York, 
 and Mr. Daniel Robinson, of Troy, both Benning- 
 ton boys, presented the church with two beautiful 
 
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THE FIRST CHURCH AND ITS " GOD'S ACRE " 95 
 
 stained-glass windows. The one given by Mr. Hunt 
 became badly broken in time, and was replaced by 
 Mr. Samuel B. Sanford in loving memory of his 
 wife. The one given by Mr. Robinson was placed 
 at the other end of the church, and is still in good 
 condition. While the church was being repaired, 
 services were held in the old court-house, where two 
 young ladies, who had considered themselves fortu- 
 nate in always being able to secure such a good 
 seat, discovered afterwards, to their mortification, 
 that they had been sitting all summer in the 
 prisoners' box, which had been carefully avoided 
 by the residents of the village. 
 
 In 1890 this building, so dear to the Bennington 
 people, was once more repaired ; and we hope that 
 it will ever be carefully preserved where it stands, 
 on the corner, like a sentinel guarding the sleepers 
 who rest in its shadow. 
 
 Many of these sleepers were heroes who fell in 
 the Revolution, while others gave up their lives on 
 Southern battlefields in the War of the Rebellion. 
 In this modest " God's Acre " rest many who have 
 made history for the State and nation. Simple 
 tombstones mark the resting-place of four governors 
 of Vermont, — Moses Robinson, John S. Robinson, 
 
96 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 Hiland Hall, and Isaac Ticlienor. A short distance 
 from the Tichenor monument sleeps his neighbor 
 and life-long friend, John Van Der Spiegel, one 
 of the pioneers in the manufacture of stoves. 
 
 We also read the names of Hon. Jonathan Robin- 
 son, United States Senator during Madison's term ; 
 and that of his son-in-law. Colonel 0. C. Merrill, 
 member of Congress when Henry Clay was Speaker 
 of the House. 
 
 On the opposite side of the driveway rests An- 
 thony Haswell ; and, reading the inscription on his 
 tombstone, we learn that he was "a patriot of the 
 Revolution, printer, and founder of the ' Vermont 
 Gazette,' the first newspaper printed in the State." 
 
 Many quaint tombstones may be seen in this old 
 churchyard with curious epitaphs. 
 
 This is also the last resting-place of the Rev. 
 Jedediah Dewey, first pastor of Vermont, who was 
 a scholar and a great admirer of Shakespeare ; so at 
 his request the following lines from " Richard the 
 Second " were carved on his tombstone : — 
 
 " Let 's talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs ; 
 Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes 
 Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth." 
 
 We have often been amused by the ignorance of 
 
THE FIRST CHURCH AND ITS " GOD'S ACRE" 97 
 
 our summer visitors, whom we have seen reading 
 this epitaph, and remarking on the " original ideas 
 of the early settlers." 
 
 Farther down the driveway we come to a shaft 
 that marks the spot where lies all that is mortal of 
 one of the bravest officers who fell in the Mexican 
 war, — Colonel Martin Scott. He was killed at 
 the battle of Molino del Rey. Scott was educated 
 at West Point, and was stationed for a long time on 
 the Western frontier. He was a noted shot, and his 
 name is associated with the famous coon story which 
 was so often told here years ago. 
 
 Scott was out hunting one day, and saw a coon 
 perched on the limb of a tree. He prepared to 
 shoot, when the coon, seeing him, called out, " Don't 
 shoot, colonel ; I '11 come down ! " 
 
 While writing these last few lines, there fell upon 
 my ear the strong, steady tick, tick of the tall old 
 clock that stands just outside my library door. It 
 takes but a trifling thing to stir the memory ; but 
 when its flood-gates are once opened, scenes and 
 associations, unthought of perhaps for years, pass 
 like a panorama before one. The old clock, fresh 
 from the hands of its makers, was placed in the 
 northeast corner of the front room, where grand- 
 
98 SKETCHES OF HISTORIC BENNINGTON 
 
 father and grandmother were to pass their lives. 
 As the years rolled by, it became an object of great 
 interest to us children, for it had a musical attach- 
 ment, and at certain hours it would sing sweetly 
 quaint old tunes, rarely heard by children of the 
 present day. 
 
 We grew to know the hours it would sing ; and, 
 passing through the large hall into the room where 
 it stood, we would listen with childish delight until 
 the last note had died away. Faithfully the old 
 timepiece performed its duty. It ticked and ticked 
 until nearly all the representatives of two genera- 
 tions had passed on to where time is not reckoned. 
 As I bore the name of my grandfather, the clock 
 was then given to me. It was tenderly and care- 
 fully transferred to its new home. The spot for 
 this valued heirloom to stand was a corner in the 
 hall near the stairway. Just now, as I heard it 
 sinof one of its old sweet tunes, the memories of 
 the past were awakened, and the old clock stood 
 once more over at grandmother's ; the dear ones 
 were there as of yore ; the syringa bush that stood 
 near the window was in bloom, and the sweet 
 perfume of its blossoms scented the air. A pic- 
 ture was before me of our old-fashioned Sabbath 
 
THE FIRST CHURCH AND ITS "GOD'S ACRE" 99 
 
 morning of nearly half a century ago. Time has 
 wrought many changes ; but those Sabbath morn- 
 ings will never be forgotten when our mothers led 
 us to the Old White Church, the tone of whose 
 bell, as it comes from its quaint but artistic belfry, 
 is as mellow as ever ; but the kindly greetings of 
 loved ones we miss, for the circle that was once so 
 large is now fast growing small. 
 
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