This past Saturday, Nov. 16, there was a program about Windham’s photographer Harry Chapman. This program was sponsored by the newly established Windham Historical Society. I went.
Windham Historical Society
During the last few months, a small group of Windham residents have been meeting to identify old Windham photographs and research the various homes, churches, industries, and schools in Windham since the town’s founding in 1795. They have applied for a 501(c)(3) status, and are grateful that the school board gave them use of one of the large classrooms at the school on Windham Hill Road.
You will find them there every Wednesday, from 12-3 p.m. Current members are Susan Persa, Paul and Gail Wyman, Ginny Crittenden, Walter Woodruff, Mark and Ben Griffin, Sharon Guizik, and the Gerald Amsden family. Everyone is welcome to visit. Bring your memories and pictures. The members are having so much fun discovering so many treasures. Stop and see them.
Harry Chapman
Harry Chapman was a prolific photographer of real photo postcards, thousands of his views exist. Harry had a good eye for both subject and composition. I have a few of his cards, but am always looking for more. His cards are easy to identify. On the address side of the postcard, vertically on the left side, his cards are marked “HLC, Windham, Vt.,” or sometimes, “Harry L. Chapman, Windham, Vt.”
The slideshow
The Chapman photos were from Charlie Marchant’s collection. There were several dozen views for our enjoyment. The slideshow lasted over an hour. Susan Persa did an excellent job describing different photos. Some of the more than 35 attendees added what they knew about a certain photo. It was interesting to hear from them.
I didn’t have anything to add, but in my collection I have a few cards by Chapman of places not identified. But the slideshow included two I have. Both of those slideshow photos were identified, so I gained a little.
The only slide I can offer any information on was a slide of the Congregational Church in Center Windham, showing a steeplejack atop the steeple. I know from donations from Ted Spaulding to the Chester Historical Society that Louis Marshall was the steeplejack in that slide.
The photo
In the photo with this article, you’ll notice the wooden frame swing is marked in black letters, “STANDARD.” Sitting on the left is Harry Chapman. Opposite Harry is little Margaret Davis Gould, looking into the camera. Margaret was born in 1901. I have from a reliable source that the house in the background is a side view of the Harris place in Windham.
In my years of buying and selling antiques, I have seen odd chairs made of painted slats. These chairs were made in Union, Maine. I’ll stick my neck out and say this swing might be a Union, Maine product.
Whoops
It was 1966 or 1967, I went deer hunting in Cassista’s apple orchard on High Street before going to school. It was after rifle season for buck, during doe season. I had hunted the entire rifle season, but never saw any horns.
I knew where the deer would be in the orchard. Sure enough, I jumped a couple. One ran up the hill toward Whelan’s. I brought it down with one shot. Imagine my surprise to see it was a four-point buck, not exactly legal. I dragged it home, hung it up in the barn, changed my clothes, and went to high school. Dad wasn’t very happy with me.
This week’s old saying: “There’s never a bad time to make a good investment.”