October 2024 4th Quarter Number 80 |
Artifacts
& Fiction The Quarterly Newsletter of the Montgomery Historical Society P.O. Box 47 Montgomery, VT 05471 e-mail pratthall@gmail.com www.montgomeryhistoricalsociety.org Click here for a printer friendly pdf version |
 The head of Ceres II, part of the statue formerly atop the capitol dome, now on display at the VT History Museum. |
| Scott
Perry, Chair/Editor John Kuryloski, Vice Chair Marijke Dollois, Secretary Pat Farmer, Treasurer The MHS Board meets the third Thursday of the month at 5:00 p.m. at Pratt Hall in the Summer, Public Safety Building Conference Room in the Winter, and on Zoom during pandemics! History Quiz:
1. Montgomery
was the first town in our area to have settlers,
1793. Of our seven bordering
towns,
which was the next to have settlers?
a. Richford b. Enosburg c. Bakersfield d. Westfield 2.
In 1975 the
Montgomery Schoolhouse Inc diversified and added two other products to
its
lineup produced in North Hyde Park, VT and Massachusetts.
What
were they? 3.
From 1900 to 2010, the number of Americans living in rural
areas shrunk from 40% of the population to _______%. |
CHAIRMAN'S
CORNER: "For The Love of Vermont"
I had the good fortune recently to visit the Vermont Historical Society's exhibit of Lyman Orton's collection of paintings of Vermont. Titled "For The Love of Vermont", it's a portion of his collection which largely focuses on works of Vermont's landscapes and common activities from the early 1900s through 1970 by many painters. His collection was a labor of love and meant to keep the paintings in, or repatriate them to, Vermont. The show was originally done at the Bennington Museum closer to Lyman's home in Weston where his family has run the Vermont Country Store for many years. This show is reason enough to make a trip to Montpelier where it is being shown at the Vermont Historical Society Museum in the Pavilion Office Building (next to the Supreme Court and Capitol buildings), but the newly renovated other galleries are worth a gander too. One space has been set aside for local historical societies to exhibit. The Pittsford Historical Society has a wonderful exhibit "A Century of Creative Women in Pittsford". We would like to do that someday.
VHS Local Societies Exhibit Gallery Our Society, among others, is acknowledged for making the VHS Local Gallery possible. Current exhibits are open through December. Thanks for your support,Scott |
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BIG EASY JAZZ 
Jon
McBride's Big Easy filled Pratt Hall with a program of New
Orleans style jazz on Friday the 13th in September. He
drew on early Caribbean influences giving a short history of
each composition. You
could tell the band enjoyed the "room" and enjoyed playing
outside
Burlington for a change. The lucky and enthusiastic audience was
treated to a spectacular show.
JAY CRAVEN'S "LOST NATION"
In later
September we
partnered with the Friends of the Library to host film maker Jay Craven
and the area premiere of "Lost Nation" at the Town Hall. The
film was set in Vermont during the tumultuous period of the
Revolutionary War. The film painted a complex story
of conflicting interests and personalities based on real events in the
lives of Ethan Allen and Lucy Terry Prince.
Jay
set the stage and answered questions afterwards.
 REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE
We
received a request from a group interested in converting a local barn
to a youth center. They hoped it might be a historic
structure and thus eligible for preservation grants. While
there has been a barn of some sort there since the 1800s the current
structure dates to 1925 when it was rebuilt after a fire. It
is not within a historic district.
We also received several requests for genealogical research assistance. While we don't have much family information in our archives we were able to pass a few bits along. In one case we had school photos that may help.  2025 HISTORIC CALENDARS GET'EM WHILE THEY'RE HOT!
Our 2025 calendars are selling fast. You
can get
one at the Farmer's Market, the Town office, Lutz's, or online.
We'll also have some at the MES Craft Show and Sale.
They make a great gift!
 2024 FARMERS
MARKET WRAPS UP... SORT OF
Our last regularly scheduled farmers market was September 28th. It was our best year yet and we want to thank all of our vendors and customers for all your support. Several vendors plan on one last date on October 12th so if you get this before then come on down! GENERAL RICHARD MONTGOMERY
The “Friends of
the Library” display on
our town’s namesake still adorns the common area walls of the Public
Safety
Building. This St.
Albans Messenger
article is about the display.
THIS QUARTER IN
MONTGOMERY & VT HISTORY
October: 1829, Chester Arthur born. November: 1952, Crescent Theater purchased by Montgomery Grange #548 December: 1978, First caroling program held in Pratt Hall HISTORY QUIZ ANSWERS
1. Montgomery
was the first town in our area to have settlers,
1793. Of our seven bordering
towns,
which was the next to have settlers?
2. In 1975 the
Montgomery Schoolhouse Inc diversified and added two other products to
its
lineup produced in North Hyde Park and Massachusetts. What
were they?
3. From 1900 to 2010, the number of
Americans living in rural areas shrunk from 40% of the population
to b. 18%. |
MEMBERSHIP 2024 SO FAR
Looks like our membership numbers are going to
fall short of our end of year goal of 200 but there's still time.
Anyone can
join or renew via our web
site page, or if you prefer, regular mail. Click Membership.
Benefits of membership include our newsletters, savings on our books and gift items, and the satisfaction you are giving to a great local organization making direct contributions to our community, whether programs at Pratt Hall, scholarships, or our archives. THANK
YOU!
REMAINING 2024 EVENTS October 12th: Mini market on the Lawn at Pratt Hall for one last hurrah! Some of the Farmer's Market vendors will gather with some end of season offerings. October 30th: Pratt Hall will host the Friends of the Library's Young Writers presentations and pizza party. December 1st, 2:00 pm at Pratt Hall: Howard Coffin. "Vermont Women and the Civil War." With nearly 35,000 of the state’s able-bodied men at war, the monumental tasks of keeping more than 30,000 farms in operation became very much a female enterprise. Women also took the place of men in factories and worked after hours making items needed by the soldiers. Told in their own words, from letters and diaries. Funded in part by the Vermont Humanities Council, the Friends of the Library and our Society. December 14th, 9:00 - 3:00: Visit the MHS booth at the Montgomery Elementary School craft show and sale. December 21st, Holiday Happiness 11:00 - 2:00 at Pratt Hall. Horse drawn wagon rides and Montgomery FD delivers Santa at noon. December 22nd, 6:00 pm at Pratt Hall. Candles and Carols annual sing along. MEN WITH TOOLS
The tower clock is working again! Kevin
(Quasimodo) Scheffler, Pat Farmer, John Kuryloski, and Scott Perry
modified the weight chase to minimize friction, and lubricated and
cleaned the time mechanism, called a train. It has
been running smoothly since August. Fingers crossed!!
 Pat On A Hot Tin Roof! While in the tower we discovered several leaks in the roof where the posts extended through it to form the crenelated railing. A subsequent visit to the roof with roofing cement was a success.  View From The Top Of The Tower We also made repairs to the entryway threshold and ramp. Our to-do list includes work on the interior and entryway lighting. PRATT HALL'S BELL
While the bell at Pratt Hall has served the
community well for over most of the last 150+ years, it's not the
prettiest. This may have contributed to some well meaning
graffiti by men that have worked on the building over time.
Frank Pratt and Albert (?) Hubert signed it in 1932
after painting. Frank and L.S. Boardman signed it July 15th,1941
while painting the building again. Other signatories
include Bucky Hoss (1985), Dana Kennison 1989) and Tommy
Patras (1994)
NEW ARCHIVAL BUILDING It took Montgomery's Episcopalians 8 years to plan and build their church. It seems like we are on a similar time line. We are making progress though, on a design and plans, and have published a pamphlet which will give you an idea of what we hope to build to safeguard and exhibit Montgomery's growing collection. Our consulting engineer is preparing the documents we will need for reaching out to our neighbors and getting approvals from the Town. Our capital campaign will shift into high gear after we get the green light. You can donate to our building fund anytime online on our "History 4 Sale" page. MYSTERY PHOTO: PLEASANT HOURS ON TROUT RIVER, MONTGOMERY, VT We found this on ebay. Anyone know where it might have been taken? The cancellation on the reverse side is 1908.
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Thanks to the following businesses for their membership and
support. Let them know you appreciate their civic mindedness by your patronage.
Black Lantern Inn
~ Community Bank N.A. ~
David Howe Memorial Library
Ficoceillo Real Estate ~ Lucky Dog Maple ~ Lutz's Automotive Manosh Properties LLC ~ N.A. Manosh Inc. ~ Phineas Swann B&B Sherm D. Potvin Consulting ~ Sunset Motor Inn ~ The Inn Thanks for your support!
Not a member... why not join us?
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