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A New Look at an Old Cemetery. Meetinghouse Cemetery in Norwich Vermont is one of the oldest graveyards in the town. Norwich was chartered in 1761. This cemetery, located near the intersection of Union Village and Olcott Roads, contains graves of the earliest settlers of Norwich; the folks that moved here when the Upper Valley was mostly wilderness, before the Revolutionary War. Early Headstone Half-Buried. I visited the Meeting House Hill Cemetery on a recent morning, and made the following two-minute video. I hope you'll watch it. Many people drive by this cemetery often. I used to drive by it daily, for years, just catching a glimpse occasionally, sometimes when the light was right, never giving it much thought. But it's worth the thought! It is an amazingly beautiful old cemetery, and worth a peaceful visit. The historic gravestones are really works of art, and there are true local heroes buried here. The last grave shown in the video was that of Peter Olcott's children: Peter Olcott, 1765-1773; Pelatiah Mills Olcott, 1763-1773, and Timothy Olcott, 1766-1799. Peter Olcott was a brigadier general, served in the Vermont House of Representatives, was on the Vermont Supreme Court, and held other notable positions such as Lieutenant Governor. He was born in 1733 and died in 1808. His grave is about a third worn away from time and weather, and is partially seen here: Grave of Peter Olcott
Another of Peter Olcott's sons, Mills Olcott, 1774-1845, was responsible for starting the White River Falls Company, which built the canals and locks on the Connecticut River, starting in 1810. Now there's a story for another time! Thanks for traveling along again, on Old Roads, Rivers and Rails Subscribers and Comments Always Welcome! Narration, and trumpet playing on “Taps”: Bob Totz Sources https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26842655/peter-olcott https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Olcott http://www.vermontgenealogy.com/history/canals_of_the_connecticut_river.htm suggested reading: In Search of the old Four Corners Cemetery in Sharon Vermont The Old Iron Cemetery Gate
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A Nice June Day for a History Hike. After pondering that old, straight stonewall on New Boston Road, at the Thetford and Norwich border, I was invited by a friend to explore the area with him. We were hoping to find some evidence of the old border lines, that I thought must have been surveyed, or marked at some point. My friend lives near to that area, and is familiar with the lay of the land. I was greeted with the above view, as I got out of my Jeep to meet my host, Mike Hebb. It was Wednesday morning, June 12th, 2019, A beautiful sunny day was forecast. I had a feeling this would be a fun hike. We headed out along an old footpath, and eventually were on an old road that was used by the workers on Copperas Hill, many years ago. Early in our walk we passed by a run down shed, leftover from the mine. The township boundaries of the four towns in question all meet at a point, or seem to, by the looks of the older USGS, and other maps I have been looking at. The point we're interested in, is the intersection of the four dashed straight lines seen in the map below. The line that goes from left to right, is also the boundary between Orange county and Windsor county, Vermont, so we hoped we might find some type of clues to old survey markings out there. We were not far from Copperas road, which runs from Copperas Hill to the intersection with the old Strafford Turnpike, and Chapel Hill Road, at the northern base of Gile Mountain, in Sharon. 1896 USGS Map showing Copperas Road and Topography, and Town and County Boundary Lines We started our hike by climbing up into the forest, above and away from the Elizabeth Mine, away from the area where the Environmental Protection Agency has been working for years. We soon came upon an interesting old abandoned foundation. This was turning out to be my kind of hike. If I'm going to battle blackflies, mosquitoes, and ticks, then I prefer to see some neat old artifacts, or some interesting natural features! I was delighted to find a very nice example of one of Strafford's historic stone foundations, left here from some of the early settlers 19th century foundation Rear the road Mike pointed out that an interesting characteristic of the stone foundation was the offset top layers of stones, most likely to help support floor joists Foundation walls still straight after perhaps two centuries. After some walking there was an opportunity to get to the edge of the woods for a photo of the scarred landscape of the old copper miine. Remains of Elizabeth Mine Back in the forest, we alternated between the Strafford Cross Town Trail... Yellow blaze of the Strafford Cross Town Trail and bushwacking... Bushwacking through the woods. Basically, we were west of the mine, traipsing generally southward. Walking along an old mine road Soon we were under the forest canopy, enjoying the warmth of the day, in the cool of the shade, and walking along a ridge between The old Strafford Turnpike and Copperas Road. The Forest in Strafford Along the trail, Mike showed me where bears had clawed an old beech tree, leaving claw marks years ago, still seen today. Beech tree with bear claw markings, to the left and above the blaze. Eventually, we came down out of the woods to the southern border of the south cut of the old mine... Southern end of the south cut, near Strafford's boundary with Sharon. As we walked down and out of the woods, we crossed the old road that led back to Gile Mountain. The sky was blue and clear, a very welcome weather event most times, but especially this Spring. ************************************************* I had been to this spot about a month ago, when another friend, also named Mike accompanied me from the opposite direction, from Sharon. That was the day we found the Roberts - Sharon cemetery, and we had begun to look for clues to the town boundary lines. Further north from the cemetery, just before that south mine cut, we had come to this spot, and noticed that to the west of the road was a very straight stone wall, which I think may represent the Windsor - Orange boundary, and also the Sharon-Strafford boundary at that spot. I surmised that this could be part of the same straight stone wall I saw at the county and town line on New Boston Road, that started me thinking about all this. Here is what that boundary wall looked like about a month ago. You can see it pretty well, in the photo below, as the trees hadn't leafed out yet at that point. Possible Orange - Windsor County Line, looking west. The problem with these old stone walls is that ,even if left undisturbed by human activity, many segments end up underground centuries later. Sometimes you can see a little moss on top of a rock, just sticking out of the ground, and maybe some tops of a few rocks, but unless you go poking around, it can be hard to see an old wall that is mostly buried. Trees die and fall on them, and rot, and return to the earth. Leaves and plants die and compost. New trees grow up and their roots push rocks out and away. ****************************************************************************************** But back to our most recent reconnaissance trip: Mike Hebb had brought along a portable Garmin GPS unit, and had pre-programmed the four corners point into it, as best he could. The unit displayed both the point where we were, and the point we were looking for, with topography, on a small screen. I followed near Mike as he periodically checked his device to compare our current position to the point on the map, as we descended away from the road, back into the woods, heading south and east. We bushwacked around, getting closer to the point on the map, all the while looking for signs of the boundaries, like very old witness trees, stone walls, and corners, or anything that might still be seen, left by surveyors of many years ago. Soon we were in the right location, given the margin of error, and some discrepancies in source data, so we walked around observing, looking for stone walls, piles of stones, iron pipes, flagging, anything that might look like it was put there by someone to tell a story. We soon came upon a large boulder, with several good sized rocks on top of it, placed in a circle, with a hole in the middle. I doubt anyone moved the big boulder to this spot, but maybe they used it as a "witness" to let folks know that they were near the corner of the four towns, by placing the rocks on top of it. It certainly would stand the test of time. And there may have been a stake in the middle of those stones, at one point. Or, maybe they decided to make the boulder the corner, since it was a prominent, locatable feature in the general area. Some of these county and town boundaries have been changed over time too. There was also another large pile of stones nearby. I don't know if that meant anything or not, but it seemed out of the ordinary. A large pile of rocks nearby There were a couple of small trees chopped down with an axe.. Stake cut with an axe There were a few trees nearby with some modern-type flagging, but I soon spotted something I really had to check out: an old looking tree in the middle of a straight stone wall... Suspicious Looking Tree and Stone Wall I moved closer to get a look at the tree and found that it was in the middle of a stone wall that seemed to possibly run in a line with the wall up above and to the west of Copperas road, which I had surmised might be the county boundary. A Closer Look On that tree, was a neatly fused branch that grew out, and came back into the trunk! What do you suppose caused that? Following this stone wall, from the old fused tree to the east, the wall settled into the ground a bit, then came back out, and eventually formed a corner with another, perpendicular stone wall, in a low spot, beneath a small ledge. The perpendicular wall could be seen heading in a southerly direction. It looked like there was some significant settling here, as both walls were sometimes underground. The lay of the land matched the topography seen on my old USGS map too, so that was also a good sign that we were in the correct area. Stone Wall, heading east, from the Old Fused Tree. The photo above shows the west - east stone wall, heading to the corner. Here is the corner that we found. It appears to be in the proper location. We did not move leaves or try to dig out the stone wall. It's not a great photograph, however I think you can get the idea. I think it would look a lot more dramatic if we had taken the time to remove leaves and debris and did some digging and cleaning. Looking at the corner of the stone walls. At this point I think we found the Point of the Four Corners of the four towns; Thetford and Strafford, in Orange County, and Norwich and Sharon in Windsor County. I think we found the south and west wall, which would represent the border of Sharon with both Strafford and Norwich. But, I'll have to come back, and try to find the east and north walls. Cleaning of debris in order to get better photos would be a good idea too. Maybe we'll come in from New Boston road this time...If it leads us to this spot, then I would say we found the corner. But I wonder...maybe the actual boundary line of the four towns was never marked at all? Maybe these are just stone walls from when the farmers of old cleared their fields? No, I don't think so, though they may have had that dual purpose, both as a political boundary, and the border of a field or property. That wall from New Boston Road was too straight and important looking, and not far away, as the crow flies. We'll need to go back and check just east and north of here, as I suspect that those other boundary segments are represented by two other walls that could be just below the surface, just beyond that corner. View from above the mine. Mt. Moosilauke, and the White Mountains beyond. Storms, blow-downs, low, wet spots, frost heaves, animal activity, and the ravages of time have all conspired to bury parts of these old walls. But the vestiges and remains are still there, though they may be buried. My wife says that when we are certain that we found the point, we should mark it with a big granite post, on which will be placed an orange and a Windsor chair! Thanks for bushwacking along on "Old Roads, River and Rails" < Click on this link, and scroll down for more adventures. A heartfelt thanks to Mike Hebb for help in researching and investigating the boundaries, and for showing me a beautiful region of our Upper Valley. New Subscribers and Comments are always welcome! 1944 USGS Topography, Close-up of the 4 Corners area
- Bob Totz, June 14, 2019 Strafford Trails: http://straffordtrails.yolasite.com/cross-town-trail.php map source: https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/topoview/viewer/#9/43.7552/-72.0744 It was strong, dirty, rusty, old, and well built. Hard to see here, so let's get a close-up... I spotted it from a distance, from the wooded corner of the cemetery, near some of the oldest stones. The gate is in the center, illuminated by sunlight. It was 9:00 in the morning, Monday, June 10th, 2019. I walked closer to the gate to get a better look at this artifact that had been here for who knows how long? Iron cemetery gate, resting in the woods. I presumed it had been placed in that position, years ago, and had not moved since. It was probably cast aside, when no longer wanted, and leaned up against a small tree. It was carefully made, ornate and beautiful, and at one time, no doubt, highly functional. But what I really like is that it is fused into this tree that grew up around, and through it! If you look carefully, the tree growth looks like a nose that grew through the gate. It looks to me like this tree has a face...can you see that? Tree Face, fused into the old iron gate. Trees have been known to fuse to one another, and also to objects placed in, on, or against them. I get a real kick out of seeing interesting fused trees. Here is a sap bucket someone forgot to remove from a sugar maple, back in the 1970's: Sap bucket fused into a maple tree. It was left hanging there about 40 years ago. But back to our subject...the gate: A walk in a local cemetery this morning brought me to this place. I find old headstones to be very beautiful, and I like to look for ornate ones. To me, this old gate was as beautiful as an old headstone. I wonder if there is any maker's mark on it, that may tell the story of who built it. And I wonder when it was installed, and when it was last used as a gate. Above is the view from the gate area. Maybe there used to be an entrance to the cemetery near where the gate is located today. Or maybe it was just a convenient place to stash the gate, when it was retired from use. Like the residents of the cemetery, the gate was left to rest in peace.
Thanks for walking along on Old Roads, Rivers and Rails! - Bob Totz, June 10, 2019 New subscribers and comments always welcome! Comments 4
The Clough Cemetery sits on a small hill off of Miller Pond Road in Strafford, Vermont. Burial dates on the graves range from 1812-1921. It's a classic, small rural New England cemetery, half hidden among the stonewalls and towering hardwoods. Clough Cemetery in Strafford, Vermont I almost missed it. I had just turned off of Dodge Road, and glanced to my left, unconsciously, when I noticed the shape of an old gravestone. Quickly, I pulled over to the side of the road, and headed over with my camera. Flag at Entrance to Clough Cemetery The entrance had two granite posts, with the remains of an old wooden gate, and a small american flag Little Remains of an Old Wooden Gate. I don't know why I'm interested in these old cemeteries. I guess I like being in a place that mattered immensely to people of the past, a tranquil spot set aside as the final resting place for their loved ones, long ago. Entrance to Clough Cemtery, June 5, 2019 An old cemetery is a very special place. It was located here for a variety of reasons, not the least being, proximity to the homes of the deceased. Also, it was a nice spot for a long rest. There are family ties, and bonds of friendship here. 1858 Orange County Map. Clough Cemetery would be across from the Sawmill, near the Page Break, but is not shown on the Map. Cloughs and Bacons and others lived nearby. It looks as though a schoolhouse may have been near the cemetery location. 19th Century Gravestone, Epitaph Obscured by Lichen and Moss The people buried here could tell stories of their lives in Strafford and stories of the big events of the days in which they lived: Older Repair on 19th Century Headstone ...stories of the War of 1812, the Civil War, periods of relative peace and prosperity and periods of financial panic; and stories of extreme weather events that came upon the population quickly, with very little warning. John Bacon, d. 1862 age 82 years, 5 months John Bacon was born in 1780, which means that his parents and grandparents could have told him some amazing tales first hand, of the founding of this nation, and of the migration to Vermont, and the early settlement of the Upper Valley. Eliphalet Roberts, d. 1843 (age 93), and his Wife Sarah d. 1840. Eliphalet Roberts was born in 1750, and lived to be 93 years old. I bet he could tell a few tales! Old Headstone: Joseph A, son of J. and R. Clough, d. 1846 Many of these headstones have been repaired in the past. Some have been repaired, and then broke again. Horace Burroughs, b. 1840, d. 1859 Some headstones are half-buried. Some have broken and are lying on the ground. Broken stone: Betsy Bacon The stories I would most want to hear are the stories their grandparents told them. Stories of early settlement, and pioneering in the wilderness. They could also tell the story of how this graveyard came to be located here. A Look at Clough Cemetery The people buried here helped create the foundation for the society in which we live today. Their dreams are reflected in our reality. There could be veterans of the Revolutionary War and the Civil War buried here. There are farmers who cleared the land and built our stone walls, and raised the next generations of citizens that worked to create our Upper Valley community. Josiah Clough d. 1867 In the past, volunteers have groomed and kept these old cemeteries in good shape, so that we can still visit them today. Stones have been broken, repaired, and some, broken again. Hopefully, there will always be strong, committed volunteers to help keep up the tradition in the future, so that we may still visit these graves, and revere, respect, and especially, learn from our past. - Bob Totz June 6, 2019
Thanks for meandering down "Old Roads, Rivers and Rails"....New Subscribers and Comments are always welcome. Sources: Vermont Old Cemetery Association: https://www.voca58.org/cemeteries/resources.php?Town=Strafford https://www.voca58.org/cemeteries/cemetery.php?Town=Strafford&Name=Clough Rootsweb: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~vtcbarne/strafford_cemeteries.htm Findagrave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/112151655/horace-burroughs 1858 Map of Orange County by Walling, Henry Francis 1825-1888 https://www.loc.gov/resource/g3753o.la001188/?r=0.569,0.643,0.103,0.043,0 Have something you'd like to Post? Get started today.Comments 13
Beautiful Natural Light, Spring Morning.The morning dawned crystal clear and sunny on Monday, perfect for photography. I headed out quickly with my camera, before having coffee. The sun had risen about a half hour earlier, and I headed out to see what I could capture in that precious, glorious, natural morning sunlight. First I looked on my property to see where the light and shadows played nicely. Ahh...the birch... BIrch Bark in Early Morning Light Birch bark can be amazingly beautiful, when looked at closely, in the rays of early morning sunlight. I then hopped in my Jeep and headed over to one of the sections of Dutton HIll Road that is no longer maintained. It's amazing that it ever was maintained! Beautiful spot, old farmland, lots of history here. Dutton Hill Road, Norwich VT While there, I took a short stroll into a nearby field for a few photos. Field near Dutton Hill Road The early morning light in June is very precious, especially since from one day to the next, it may be foggy, or cloudy, or raining....or hopefully not snowing like it was a week or two ago! Let's hope we don't get a summer like 1821! While I was in the field, I took a long-range view and brought it in closer, so I could see my old friend Kit Griggs' former home, an old cape cod style house. It is one of the oldest houses in Norwich. Historic Home and Barn on Dutton HIll Road Back on the road, I found some fresh young beech leaves in the solar powered spotlight: Early Morning Beech Leaves And some beautiful ferns: Can Someone Help Identify these Ferns? Also, there were some fine old maple trees that had fused rusting old barbed wire in them. Rusting Barbed Wire Fused Into a Maple Tree And the offspring of those mighty maples...how many of them will live to maturity? Baby Maple Trees Then I headed back up to the Jeep, and climbed up Bragg Hill for this early morning vista: something Dr. Bragg would have seen many a morning, so long ago, though with much fewer trees. View from Bragg Hill From Bragg Hill, I headed over to Cossingham Road, and the Cossingham Trail. Here's a shot of the trailhead. Beautiful stone work to start the trail, created easy steps for climbing. Cossingham Trailhead After a very short hike on Cossingham, I headed up old Happy Hill Road, and caught this vista: Top of Happy Hill Road I had been hoping to see some wildlife, but didn't really see much. I then headed back home for my coffee and breakfast. Later in the day, I spied this fat toad hopping in our backyard. A Surprised Toad
I had gone out to find wildlife in the morning, and found nothing, but later in the day, the wildlife came and found me! Thanks for traveling along on Old Roads, Rivers and Rails. If you like this post, remember: Comments and new subscribers always welcome! - Bob Totz, Jun 3rd, 2019 Comments 1
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AuthorI'm Bob Totz, retired VT postmaster, and historical geographer ARCHIVES:
October 2021
EXPANDED ARCHIVES: AUGUST 2021 1858 Johnson Map of North America MAY 2021 1795 - "Road Over the Mountain" - Part Two Historic Toll House For Sale 1795 - "Road Over the Mountain" Part One OCTOBER 2020 Finding That Special Peaceful Place AUGUST 2020 Kayaking on the Pompy JULY 2020 Pt. 2: What the Heck Are These Things? JUNE 2020 Bob's Bio... What the Heck Are These Things? Pt. 1 MAY 2020 Stone Walls and Spirits The View APRIL 2020 Sunny Brook Farm Relics: Pt 2. Sunny Brook Farm Relics: Pt 1. MARCH 2020 Signs of Norwich Pt. 2 COVID-19 Tracking Map Centertown and Valleyquest Signs of Norwich Pt. 1 "Imperfect Union" - Book Review Historic Centertown FEBRUARY 2020 King's Hwy Pt. 2 WRJ Museum at Post Mills Airport Chatauguay Vermont The Independent Farmer poem Traveling Along the King's Highway - Lebanon NH JANUARY 2020 Finding Parkhurst Cemetery In Search of Parkhurst Cemetery Affordable Housing The Old Stone Grill Two Rivers Trail-Kmart License and Registration, Please! Prohibition, Murder and Dr. Seuss Peace, Paris, & P.O. DECEMBER 2019 BLOGGER'S LINKS Welcome to Old Roads Love-Quail Hollow fun Dartmouth Cemetery SEPTEMBER 2019 E. Thetford Cemetery JUNE 2019
Taps: Meetinghouse Cemetery 4-Corners Borders Quest Old Iron Gate Stumbling Upon History Sunrise Walk MAY 2019 4 Corners Cemetery Strafford's Abandoned Foundations Art in Old Stonework APRIL 2019 Strafford Tpke Pt 2 Strafford Tpke Pt 1 White River Valley FEBRUARY 2019 Learning from Historic Maps of the Upper Valley Change in Lewiston VT JANUARY 2019 A Vermont Ski Waltz John Ledyard 1773 What is the Upper Valley? DECEMBER 2018 Dartmouth Green Music Video: Sometimes Music Video: Montreal Express Railway Disaster of 1887 |