The Dark Day
I found an interesting item in an 18th century Boston ledger. All entries are written in ink with quill pen. I have copied it as written including spelling. At this time in New England we were still writing in the … Continued
Ron Patch
Chester’s progress
Below is from an old Chester journal, author unknown. I add information to a few entries. “Dec. 1, 1850. My old book being full, I this day commence defacing the fair pages of this journal. I would that our lives … Continued
Unfinished business
Hunting rattlesnakes Ken Cook called me last month. Ken was my neighbor growing up on High Street. Ken wanted to talk about my father, Arnold, hunting rattlesnakes in the 1950s. Ken urged me to write about it. I do remember … Continued
Happy New Year
I can well recall 65 New Years in my life. But what was it like 65 years ago? I can only address this question based on my own experiences. Some years, our neighbors, John and Florence Pierce came to our … Continued
Schist & Giggles
Of my many interests, Mother Nature ranks at the top. Ever since I was a kid I’ve always picked up bird nests or feathers I found. I have a few feathers I’ve kept, along with a few bird nests. The … Continued
The V-plow
The recent snowstorm got me thinking about snowstorms of years past and how we got around in those days. The photo with this article typifies how back roads were maintained. The Brookside Milk truck has stopped coming up East Hill … Continued
Chester Boot Company
Here is some history of the old Jiffy Mart site in Chester. The earliest business I’m aware of that existed here was the Chester Boot Company. I don’t know much about this business other than it appears on the 1869 … Continued
The Christmas tree
My earliest memory of Christmas is 1955. I was four years old. I have just hazy visions of that day. We always had a tree, although by today’s standard they weren’t much. Today balsam trees are widely available, but in … Continued
Chester railroad history
Below is some Chester Depot railroad history. Robert “Bob” Adams wrote this history for me in 2005. Bob had retired from the Rutland Railroad. He was about to meet Nelson Blount. These two men, with others, including Gov. Tom Salmon, … Continued
Who put the jam in Ed’s boots?
CHESTER, Vt. – Most readers will be aware of high school yearbooks. Yearbooks have not always been around. Here I shed light on what existed before yearbooks. This history would apply to most New England towns. Autograph albums The earliest … Continued