The Story of Us
I think it was back in May when I wrote an article about a book I wanted to publish this March. It would be a book of other peoples’ stories. I asked readers to write a couple stories for this … Continued
Ron Patch
Deer hunting
Deer hunting today compared to deer hunting 50 years ago has changed. To begin with, 50 years ago you could only shoot one deer each calendar year. If you got a deer in October bow season, you couldn’t shoot a … Continued
Ma’s first deer
Rifle season is right around the corner. I got to thinking about past deer seasons. My mother June loved venison, and we usually had it. My father Arnold, my brother Brian, and I hunted together through most of the 1960s. … Continued
Stratton logging railroad
Here’s a history I’ll just touch on. I found some history in, “The Coming of the Train,” by Brian A. Donelson, and the Green Mountain Long Trail Club. It was about 1975, I met an old man who had lived … Continued
Secrets, mushrooms, and peanuts
I write my articles on weekends. This past weekend I was distracted by the weather. Sunday morning I had a brain cramp and couldn’t think of anything to write about. This is what I came up with. If you asked … Continued
Some Weston history
Here is some interesting Weston history. A few years ago, Ted Spaulding and his brother John “Gramp” Leon donated to the Chester Historical Society countless items that had descended in the Spaulding and Marshall families. From Gramp came 125 diaries. … Continued
Some antiques history
I’ve been dealing in antiques for over 50 years. I wanted to record how the business has changed in that time. The 1970s In the early to mid-1970s, antiques were plentiful. It wasn’t uncommon in those days, when an … Continued
Very personal correspondence
In the past I have written about mourning covers. They are a black-bordered envelope announcing someone close had died. Below are two mourning notecards I found interesting. Ira Colby was an attorney in Claremont. Dec. 29, 1926 postmark … Continued
More soapstone history
Below is more of Ed Kendall’s 1958 Springfield Reporter story about Chester Soapstone. The previous article ended with, “The drivers had many hair raising moments driving down this hill with their heavy loads…” “Two of these drivers stand out in … Continued
Artemas Leonard and Son
In the early to mid-19th century, here in New England, many firearms were individually built by highly skilled craftsmen. Artemas Leonard of Saxtons River was one such craftsman. His shop was on North Street in Saxtons River. He produced percussion … Continued