In my 50-plus years buying antiques from private homes, I met many old Vermonters. Some of these old Vermonters knew things now long forgotten. Below I give a few examples: Quilts It was probably 45 years ago, I was … Continued
While this isn’t a real local, local history, it is close by, and it is a story of us. Stories like this were repeated countless times in many small Vermont, New Hampshire, and western Massachusetts towns. Remember Iry? Most readers … Continued
This past Saturday, Feb. 11, was an interesting morning here at the Patch Ranch. It was about 7:45 a.m. when I noticed something at the edge of the woods. I watched a deer come out into the field. This isn’t … Continued
As most of you know, I collect old postcards. In Chester our postcard photographer was Charles Wellman. His studio was the small place next to the library. Obviously I look for his cards. Harry Chapman was the Windham photographer. Wellman … Continued
Well here we are in February. When I was a boy, an optimist’s sign of spring was when sap buckets appeared in February. Of course winters were much colder then with mountains of snow. Danny Clemons did some sugaring when … Continued
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
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
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
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
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