Rosalvo Howard
I thought I’d give the reader an idea of how much time is spent researching some of these articles you see in this paper. In some cases, I write about a person or event that up to now has not … Continued
Ron Patch
Chester’s Kingsbury brothers
This past April, Susan Allen of Charlestown, N.H. donated a Vermont Civil War record for Daniel Perry Kingsbury to the Chester Historical Society. I was aware of George Washington Kingsbury of Chester and wondered if the two men were related. … Continued
Farrar family reunion
CHESTER, Vt. – Attention all descendants of George and Myrta (Fuller) Farrar of Chester, Vt. Mark your calendars now for Saturday, Aug. 17 for a family reunion and get together at the American Legion Post in Chester, from 11 a.m. … Continued
Timber-frame history
Hand-hewn beams An adz, for those not familiar with them, resembles a grub-hoe but has a curved, very sharp blade and an offset handle. Hand-hewn beams were a labor-intensive process and could be dangerous. First, a scoring ax was used. … Continued
A Jeffrey barn plan
The Chester town-owned property commonly referred to today as the Jeffrey barn needs to be torn down. I have a plan for this property. Here I propose a few things that could be done immediately for very little money using … Continued
The 1889 Merrill Stevens barn
The Chester Select Board has been discussing tearing down the Merrill Stevens/Jeffrey barn. I thought I should record here what I know about the barn and the brick silo before they are lost. Cunrad Merritt and Ted Spaulding helped me … Continued
Salmon pea wiggle
Today, we have refrigerators to keep our food from spoiling. In the old days, keeping foods fresh was difficult. To my knowledge it wasn’t until the 1860s when the first ice-chests appeared. These ice-chests resemble an antique carpenter’s toolbox. Ice … Continued
The old sage
Last week Ted Spaulding and I made a trip to Weston. Ted lived in Weston from 1937 to 1941 with his ancestors living there long before him. The Patches were also early settlers in Weston. Both families would have known … Continued
Vermont State Historic Sites Open for the Season
REGION – On Saturday, May 25, seven Vermont state-owned historic sites will open their doors for the 2019 season. This exceptional collection of sites is comprised of more than 80 historic structures and hundreds of acres of forest and farmland. … Continued
Bea gets married
Bea and Harry Farrar were married in 1916. Below is her account. “Some weekends I spent at the George Farrar farm. This was the home of Harry Farrar. He had been my teacher at Normal School. He had several brothers … Continued