MERCANTILE
The extended space already devoted to this
town precludes the possibility of mentioning more than the leading business
houses of the village, particularly those which are gradually developing
a wholesale trade. The men who are interested in the prominent mercantile
houses of the place are conspicuous for their high character, their judicious
and conservative business methods and the general metropolitan appearance
of their places of business; the latter will compare favorably in many
cases with the prominent stores of cities vastly larger than Rutland.
There is but one distinctly wholesale grocery house in the place
-- that of E. D. KEYES & Co. The business of E. D. KEYES & Co.
was established in 1871, the first of the kind in the place. The firm comprises
E. D. KEYES, C. O. PERKINS and Erwin E. KEYES.
In hardware, FRENCH & KINGSLEY began dealing in this line in
connection with furniture and carpets, on the site now occupied by E. D.
KEYES & Co., in 1857, continuing until 1865; in that year Levi G. KINGSLEY
took the entire business, which had been removed to the present location
on Merchants Row in 1863; there was then but one other hardware store in
the village -- that of James BARRETT & Son, where W. C. LANDON is now
located. Mr. KINGSLEY has an extensive trade, a fair share of which is
in wholesaling. (See biography of L. G. Kingsley in later pages of this
work.)
The hardware business of A. C. BATES & Son was begun in 1862
by Landon & Bates (Albert LANDON), in the Bates House block.
The firm next became Bates & Gibbs (E. W. GIBBS), and again
in 1866, Landon & Bates. In 1871 Harry M. BATES became a member and
the firm took its present style. They are jobbers of saddlery hardware,
harness and wagon woods, belting, etc.
The firm of Dunn & Cramton are successors of the firm of Cramton
& Dunn, which began business in 1858. In 1867 J. C. DUNN purchased
the interest of Mr. CRAMTON and a year later formed a partnership with
H. A. SAWYER, C. C. DUNN and J. W. CRAMTON, under the style of Dunn, Sawyer
& Co. Two years later C. C. DUNN sold to his partners and the next
year Mr. SAWYER also sold to the remaining partners. The firm has remained
as at present since 1871. Their stock is stoves and general hardware.
In the jobbing of paper stock and kindred goods a considerable business
is done. The business in this line now carried on by H. A. SAWYER &
Co. was begun by H. A. SAWYER, J. W. CRAMTON and J. C. DUNN, on the corner
of West street and Merchants Row in 1867. The next year Sawyer & Dunn
purchased Mr. CRAMTON's interest; then Mr. SAWYER purchased DUNN's interest,
and sold it immediately to C. C. DUNN. One year later the business was
consolidated with Dunn & Cramton's hardware trade and the wholesale
part of the business was removed to the Dunn & Cramton store. This
continued for three years, when the firm of Dunn, Sawyer & Co. was
dissolved and H. A. SAWYER took the paper trade into his control in the
south store now occupied by Dunn & Cramton. Two years later he sold
out to the Globe Paper Company, and the business was removed to its present
location. Mr. SAWYER was a member of the company and its treasurer for
three years. In 1873 he, with P. S. SAWYER, purchased the business and
have continued it since. Their stock is wrapping paper, paper bags, wooden-ware,
matches, twines, etc., and they have an extensive trade.
The TUTTLE Company, conducting a similar line of business to the
above, is an incorporated organization and the direct successor of George
A. TUTTLE, former publisher of the Herald, and proprietor of the store.
Printing and blank book manufacturing is also carried on by the company,
and it is the largest wholesale book, stationery, paper and printing house
in the State. H. C. TUTTLE is president; E. C. TUTTLE, treasurer, and F.
G. TUTTLE, secretary.
There is a large business done in wholesaling lumber, both rough
and manufactured. F. CHAFFEE & Son have large mills at several different
points and a yard and office in the village; they are also agents for the
Akron sewer pipe and deal in flour and grain.
Melzar EDSON began the lumber trade about 1850, his being the first
yard in the village. In 1857 he took as a partner G. P. HANNUM, who continued
in the firm until 1864, when H. O. EDSON, a nephew of the senior member,
bought HANNUM's interest.
D.M. WHITE Lumber Company are large manufacturers and dealers in
lumber and sell doors, sash and blinds, feed, etc.; they have steam mills
in the town of Chittenden.
Davis & GOULD began wholesaling flour, feed, etc., in 1878,
succeeding DAVIS & CURTIS in the retail trade. The firm continued until
1883, when Mr. J. A. GOULD retired and W. F. BURDITT came in. In July,
1884, Mr. GOULD again became a partner. In September, 1885, Mr. DAVIS retired,
and the firm took its present style of GOULD & BURDITT.
W.C. LANDON carries on a large trade in hardware, flour, feed, seeds,
etc. The firm was formerly LANDON & HUNTOON.
There is but one wholesale drug store in the place, that of HIGGINS,
GREENE & HYDE. A. W. HIGGINS began this business in February, t 869,
and on the first of January, 1884, formed the present firm. The store was
formerly under the Bates House, and was removed to its present location
April 1, 1885. They have a large wholesale and retail trade and carry a
heavy stock. The firm are A. W. HIGGINS, W. E. GREENE and C. H. HYDE.
The firm of VAN DOOM & TILSON (M. T. VAN DOOM, E. H. VAN
DOOM and J. E. TILSON), have a large stock of crockery, glassware,
lamps, wall paper, etc., in a fine store, and carry on a wholesale and
retail business.
There is little wholesaling of any kind of dry goods in the place;
but several of the retail establishments, notably those of Charles E. ROSS,
Ross Brothers, B. H. BURT and Charles B. HILLIARD, will favorably compare
with those of many large cities.
HOTELS
In a paper upon the old-time taverns of Rutland county read by George
H. BEAMAN before the Historical Society, he makes the following pleasant
allusions; after speaking of the necessary absence of means of literary
culture at an early day, he said:
"Of
course, in the absence of these means of intellectual and moral culture,
and the restricted measure of their social enjoyments, the village tavern
became the point of attraction in the leisure hours of the inhabitants,
and especially upon all holidays and public occasions. The bar-room thus
became ultimately the forum, the field of debate on all matters of general
interest, the general ‘committee room’ for the discussion of grave questions,
and the occasional gathering place for the more genial and convivial members
of the community. As the villages of those days had each its 'wise men'
-- some with ‘convictions’ -- its eccentrics, its 'ne’er-do-wells,' its
wag, its general butt, and a mild infusion of the gay and festive element,
it may well be imagined that these chance assemblies were more or less
animated and exciting -- often interesting, and sometimes profitable; and
though the flip-iron (in its season) was always in readiness, and though
the music of the toddy stock invariably enlivened these occasions, it is
no more than just to our ancestors to say that these scenes in an old-time
Vermont county bar-room were usually decorous, and that marked excesses
were rarely witnessed. The early settlers of Rutland county brought with
them from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island enough Puritanism
to give a natural sobriety to their character, and they were too earnest
in the necessary labor incident to their condition to waste time or money
in trivial amusements or expensive habits. And it may in truth be said
of the old-time keepers of the taverns of Rutland county that they, as
a class, shared fully in the sentiments, feelings and convictions of the
better class of the society around them. Peers of their neighbors and townsmen,
and knowing that the success and reputation of their houses depended mainly
upon the traveling public, they had neither the motive nor the desire to
foster a local patronage disreputable in itself and destructive alike to
the best interests of all concerned.
"From
among the names of this class of old0time landlords, those which most readily
occur are the following: Henry GOULD, Issachar REED, Major CHENEY, Nathan
CUSHMAN, Abner MEAD, Jacob GATES, Samuel MOULTON, Benjamin CARVER, Reuben
MOULTON, John MASON, 2d, Joel BEAMAN, Daniel PARSONS, Pitt HYDE, Daniel
MEEKER, Apollos SMITH, Royal DENNIS, Nathan T. SPRAGUE, James BREWSTER,
Levi FINNEY, Ephraim FITCH and Rufus BUCKLIN.
"Highly
respectable in their characters, these men held prominent positions in
their respective localities. Most of them were intelligent, active and
energetic business men, as agriculturists, mechanics, merchants, stage-men,
etc.; many of them were magistrates and efficient town officers, and some
of them were prominent members of the churches, and yet these men .ire
in modern times held up by over-zealous reformers, and by blatant declaimers
on certain occasions, as moral ogres of a past generation and worthy only
of execration. To the more conservative mind, and to one more conversant
with the facts in the case, these denunciations will appear not only ridiculously
unjust, but impolitic, because of their unreasonableness. Such a one will
remember that in the times referred to the use of spirituous liquors was,
as may be said, universal; that while the inn-keeper dispensed it from
his bar, the merchant passed it over his counter; that it was always to
be found on the sideboard, and in the cupboard of the rich and poor alike,
and that it was not deemed immoral or derogatory to the character even
of the parish clergymen to be seen, on occasion, sitting on the tavern
porch or the store platform (perhaps watching a game of quoits or an interesting
ball play) while sipping his glass of wine, or, perchance, a more potent
beverage. In this state of society it is highly creditable to the keepers
of the respectable public houses of the time that it can in truth be said
that they gave no encouragement to excess in that direction.
"As
before stated, the first and chief aim and purpose of the keepers of these
houses was that they should be kept for the accommodation of the traveling
public, and that their main support should be derived from this source.
No allurements were held out by them to entice the idle or the vicious
of the neighborhood or the surrounding country; cards and the dice were
almost universally tabooed; a billiard table would have been deemed a disreputable
acquisition, and a bowling alley as an adjunct to a reputable old-time
tavern was very rarely or never thought of. Singularly enough, however,
all these taverns had each its ball-room, while the occasion of a ball
or a dance in one of them was an occurrence about as rare as the visitation
of Encke's comet. Of the three of these ball-rooms best known to me, and
with a knowledge of them for half a century, I can say that I never knew
of but one dancing party in each of these halls within this period; though
in my early days there was a tradition to the effect that at an anterior
date there had been in one of them a famous affair of the kind, and that
the music furnished for the occasion was that of the once famous 'black
band' of Rutland.
"In
consideration of the views here given, I think it may well be claimed that
the old-time tavern of our county was a positive necessity of the day,
and while it gave needed accommodation to the traveling and home public,
and aided materially in the advancement of the best interests of the county,
its influence -- though conservative rather than aggressive in its opposition
to the social evil of the day -- was not quite so baneful to society as
it has by some been represented."
|
Perhaps we have already given the old hotels of Rutland sufficient
notice. The old Franklin Hotel, which was the popular "stage house" for
many years, was burned in 1868; it was last kept by Gershom CHENEY. The
Reed House, on Main street, kept in early years by Issacher REED, and later
by his son Willard; this was also burned. The Page House, kept by Abel
PAGE, and afterward by Alanson DYER, was on West street, where Nicholas
DAVIS lives; it was also burned.
The Brock House is the oldest hotel now standing in the place. It
was kept in early years by Eleazer WHEELOCK, who was also interested in
the stage lines; it was then a two-story dwelling. Josiah HUNTOON subsequently
became the owner and added the third story. Later S. A. BROCK purchased
the property and added the piazzas. It is to be kept hereafter partly for
the accommodation of summer boarders.
The Bardwell House was built by Otis BARDWELL and E. Foster COOK
and opened in 1852. John W. CRAMTON purchased it in 1864, and it has remained
in his possession since. H. O. CARPENTER is now associated with Mr. CRAMTON
in the management of the house and it has been made very popular with the
public.
The first Bates House was built by A. C. BATES and opened by Daniel
KELLOGG, jr., in 1866. There were numerous changes in the proprietorship,
A. C. BATES having kept it two years; M. QUINN a short time; PAIGE &
MARSTON about a year; PAIGE & TOLHURST a short time, and finally W.
F. PAIGE alone, until it was burned in 1876. The house was rebuilt and
opened in 1877, A. C. BATES & Son managing it for four years; they
were followed by J. M. HAVEN; it finally passed into possession of Dr.
John A. MEAD, and was managed by W. H. VALLIQUETTE until October, 1885,
when MORSE & QUINN became the landlords. It is a large and finely equipped
hotel.
The Berwick House was built in 1868, by C. F. RICHARDSON; it is
a large, airy and convenient house and was managed by Mr. RICHARDSON until
1885, when his son F. H. RICHARDSON and D. N. HAYNES assumed the management.
Under their care it is a deservedly popular hotel.
The Central Hotel is kept by J. M. BALLOU to the satisfaction of
his guests, and the Continental, recently opened by S. FRENCH is a well-conducted
house; the Farmers' Hotel is kept by Mrs. J. E. JOHNSON and W. F. KELLEY.
These latter are largely used as boarding-houses for residents of the village.
As a part of the history of the county and on account of its intimate
relations with this village, it is proper to here mention the Killington
House,
near the top of the Killington Mountain, kept by Vincent C. MEYERHOFFER.
The road to the top of this mountain was opened in 1860, upon the general
belief that the magnificent view from the peak would attract many tourists
and perhaps lead to the establishment of a hotel there. When Mr. MEYERHOFFER
opened the house in 1879 it was a rustic cottage twelve by eighteen feet
and intended to shelter himself and wife while camping on the mountain.
He conceived the idea, however, of enlarging the house for the accommodation
of guests and did so in the following summer. In May, 1880 he erected the
present building, which will accommodate forty guests. It is situated about
300 feet below the peak of the mountain and about 4,100 feet above sea
level. A path leads from it to the peak from which is obtained one of the
grandest views imaginable; it cannot be better described than in the following
language from the pen of Mrs. Julia C. R. DORR, the Rutland poetess:
"I
purposely
avoided looking back or around until I had made about half the distance.
Then I dropped upon a flat stone, to take breath, and well-nigh lost it
utterly, such was the sense of isolation, of dizzy height, of infinite
space that overwhelmed me. The house was directly beneath my feet, and
I perched in mid-air above it, while near and afar, even to the wide horizon,
rolled billow after billow, like the waves of the ocean. Not billows of
cloud as you may suppose; but the everlasting hills themselves, all tremulous
with the purple and golden mists of sunset. On either side mountains on
mountains as far as the eye could reach. The valley of the Otter Creek
seemed like a narrow ribbon, through which ran a thread of silver." And
of the sunrise from the summit she says: "The east was aflame with the
glory of the dawn. On the west the huge wedge-shaped shadow of Killington
stretched on and on till it touched the far horizon. The upper air was
crystal clear, while low wreaths of vapor curled upwards from the valleys.
From north to south swept the broad Connecticut, a sheet of silver; and
in the distance Lake Champlain stretched from Whitehall 130 miles to the
northward. Lake George lay like a mist wreath on the horizon. Lake Bomoseen,
Pine Hill Pond, and others of lesser note flashed and sparkled at our feet.
Rutland, Castleton, Pittsford, Woodstock and a host of others were kindling
their morning fires as we gazed. Far to the north Mount Mansfield and Jay
peaks rose up majestically, with banner-like clouds floating from their
summits, exchanging signals with Mount Marcy and all the mighty monarchs
of the Adirondacks. Near at hand, toward the east, the e rounded dome of
Ascutney looked like a hillock, while Mount Kearsage loomed dimly beyond
it, and, clasping hands, as it were, to complete the glorious circle came
proud Monadnock and old Greylock, Mount Anthony, Mount Equinox, and Mount
Dorset. But while we held our breath on this Mount of Transfiguration the
sun rose up, as out of the sea, lighting the whole east with a more than
earthly glory; and lo! a great rose-tinted pearl hung high in the shining
heavens -- Mount Washington startled us like a vision from the other world!
What wonder if with Peter of old, our hearts, if not our lips, cried out:
Lord it is good for us to be here ! " |
Mr. MEYERHOFFER has recently obtained possession of Pico Pond, about
four miles distant from his mountain lion se; this little lake has a more
than local reputation as a fishing resort. A trip to the top of Mount Killington
is now one of the most important of the many attractive features of a visit
to Rutland, and more than repays the tourist.
SECRET
SOCIETIES OF RUTLAND
There are three lodges, a council, a chapter, and a commandery in
the town of Rutland, in the Order of Free and Accepted Masons. The oldest
of these is the Center Lodge, which was organized as No. 6, on the 15th
of October, 1794. Its charter was given up during the anti Masonic struggle,
and it was reorganized as No. 34 in 1853. The present officers are as follows:
Edward DANA, W. M.; Charles TURNER, S. W.; David H. BARBER, J. W.; Benjamin
W. MARSHALL, treasurer; Justus R. HOADLEY, secretary; Frank P. ROBINSON,
S. D.; Horace G. BATEMAN, J. D.; Charles E. ROSS, chaplain; Thomas C. ROBBINS,
marshal; William METZGAR, F. S. WEATHERHEAD, stewards; George WILLIS, tyler.
The second lodge is Rutland No. 79, which was chartered in 1868.
Its officers are as follows: J. H. MCINTYRE, W. M.; Moses FORD, S. W.;
George D. BABBITT, J. W.; D. M. WHITE, treasurer; C. S. ROBINSON, secretary;
C. M. GLEASON, S. D.; H. R. ADAMS, J. D.; E. W. SHAW, S. S.; H. P. WILKINS,
J. S.; J. C. TEMPLE, marshal; E. W. DAVIS, chaplain; C. E. CAMPBELL, tyler.
Hiram Lodge No. 101 was organized at West Rutland in May, 1879,
the first officers being: Hiram A. SMITH, W M.; Marcellus NEWTON, S. W.;
Will TENNEY, J. W. The present officers are: L. J. HOADLEY, W. M.; E. C.
FISH, jr., S. W.; J. G. CRIPPEN, J. W.
Davenport Council was chartered in June, 1867, under the following
officers: S. D. JENNESS, T. I. M.; J. B. CHANDLER, R. I. M.; W. H. SCHRYVER,
I. M. The present officers are as follows: T. C. ROBBINS, T. C. M.; H.
H. SMITH, R. I. M.; Samuel TERRILL, I. M.; L. G. KINGSLEY, treasurer; A.
S. MARSHALL, recorder; J. H. MCINTYRE, C. of G.; C. E. KENDALL, P. C.;
A. J. HESSELTINE, steward; R. BAKER, sentinel.
Davenport Chapter No. 17 was organized June 17, 1867. Following
are the names of the present officers: S. TERRILL, H. P.; A. J. HESSELTINE,
K.; W. S. TERRILL, S.; L. G. KINGSLEY, treasurer; L. L. PEARSONS, secretary;
Rolla BARKER, C. H.; James EVERSON, P. S.; A. T. TYRRELL, R. A. C.; George
D. BABBIT, master 3d vail: E. V. ROSS, master 2d vail; C. M. GLEASON, master
1 st vail; C. E. Campbell, tyler.
Killington Commandery was organized in July, 1867. Following are
the present officers: Will F. LEWIS, E. C.; J. H. MCINTYRE, Gen.; J. C.
TEMPLE, captain-general; S. TERRILL, prel.; A. T. TYRRELL, S. W.; W. S.
TERRILL, J. W.; L. G. KINGSLEY, treasurer; L. L. PEARSONS, Rec.; F. H.
CHAPMAN, St. Br.; E. A. FULLER, Sw. Br.; Charles CLARK, warder; G. D. BABBITT,
F. J. WADE, C. A. GALE, captains of guard; C. E. CAMPBELL, tyler.
For a more
complete and detailed account of Masonry in the county, as well as of the
other secret societies of this town, the reader is referred to the chapter
devoted to the subject in earlier pages of this work. |
GRAND
ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
There are two posts of this organization in the town. Roberts Post
No. 14, was chartered November 11, 1868, with the following as the first
officers: William Y. W. RIPLEY, P. C.; W. G. VEAZEY, S. V. C.; John A.
SHELDON, J. V. C.; C. H. FORTIES, adjutant; E. A. MORSE, Q. M. The first
meeting was held in the carpet room of Major L. G. KINGSLEY's store. The
present officers of the post are: L. G. KINGSLEY, P. C.; E. H. Webster;
S. V. C.; O. P. MURDICK, J. V. C.; W. B. THRALL, adjutant; Oscar ROBINSON,
Q. M.; C. L. ALLEN, surgeon; John FAYLES, chaplain; C. N. CHAMBERLAIN,
O. D; I. H. BLACK, O. G.; William CRONAN, S. M.; James E. POST, Q. M. S.
There are now about 180 members in this post.
Sennot Post No. 12, of West Rutland, has the following officers:
George BROWN, com.; S. B. ARNOLD, adjutant; C. H. SHERMAN, Q. M.; and is
in a prosperous condition.
YOUNG
MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION, RUTLAND
This association was first organized in the winter of 1857-58, but
lived only about three years, occupying rooms in what is now J. B. REYNOLDS's
residence, opposite the post-office. In 1867 a new association was formed,
which continued its work for about seven years, occupying at different
periods rooms in the Nickwackett Hall, Morse's block, the National Bank
building and the Billings block.
The present association is the result of the labor of the International
Committee, and was formed in December, 1882, with a membership of thirty-six;
this was increased by January, 1883, to one hundred and sixty, and the
present membership is about two hundred and seventy-five. The first officers
were: President, J. M. HAVEN; vice-presidents, (C. V. Railroad),
L. L. PEARSONS; (B. & R. Railroad), F. C. WHITE; (D. &
H. Railroad), _______; recording secretary, John F. MERRILL; treasurer,
D. L. MORGAN; assistant treasurer, S. H. KELLOGG; railroad secretary, W.
A. GUERNSEY; representatives of the churches, Charles P. HARRIS, E. W.
HORNER, W. C. WALKER, George W. KENNEY, W. O. BIBBINS.
The present officers are as follows: President, George K. MONTGOMERY;
vice-presidents, (C. V. Railroad), W. P. Horton; (D. & H.
C. Co.'s Railroad), D. C. Pierce; (B. & R. Railroad), H.
W. SPAFFORD; recording secretary, L. G. BROWN; treasurer, W. R. KINSMAN;
assistant treasurer, George B. SPENCER; representatives of the churches,
T. L. DRURY, H. A. HALL, E. W. HORNER, W. B. CLAUSON, Charles W. PENNINGTON;
railroad secretary, W. A. GUERNSEY.
The association furnishes a reading-room and a library with more
than two hundred and fifty volumes; a boys' branch room, gymnasium, a young
men's lyceum, etc. An immense amount of work is performed annually, and
the good done in the community by the association is inestimable. It was
incorporated in February, 1885.
History
of Rutland County Vermont with Illustrations and Biographical
Sketches
of Some of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers
Edited
by H. Y. Smith & W. S. Rann
Syracuse,
N. Y.
D.
Mason & Co., Publishers 1886
History
of the Town of Rutland
Chapter
XIX.
(pages
437-445)
Transcribed
by Karima, 2002
|
