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A brief collection of links to blogs in 2020. As the bloggers from HereCast head out to their new websites and platforms, I thought it might be helpful to condense that information from their recent blogs, so that folks can know where to go to find some of the information we used to get on DailyUV and HereCast. This is not in any particular order, and not complete, though it should probably be helpful. Feel free to copy this info for your own records. Thanks again to everyone in the HereCast community for a fun 5 years. About Norwich: Demo Sofronas https://aboutnorwich.substack.com/ Artful Edge: Susan Apel https://artful.substack.com/ Cancered Plans: Kerry Krieger Clifford https://canceredplans.substack.com Crossroads Academy: Brad Choyt www.crossroadsacademy.org/bradsblog David Celone: https://uppervalleyvtnh.substack.com/ Daybreak: Rob Gurwit go to https://www.facebook.com/daybreakuv and sign up from there. e-ticker news: Phyllis Muzerol https://etickernewsofclaremont.com Gardening Guy: Henry Homeyer email to: [email protected] New Roads: Lisa Ladd https://musingsnmeanders.blogspot.com/ Photos By Nanci: Nancy Nutile-McMenemy https://photosbynanci.blogspot.com Nancy Cardenuto Live Music in the Upper Valley https://www.facebook.com/nancycardenuto Norwich Observer: Chris Katucki http://norwichobserver.com/ Old Roads, Rivers and Rails: Bob Totz https://oldroadsuppervalley.weebly.com/ Vermont News: Eric Francis www.youtube.com/channel/UCIH68FO0YQ3u2VA24aBhqdg Wonderment: Catherine Arcolio https://leafandtwig.wordpress.com/ Happy New Year everyone!
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Lyman Point, White River Junction, Vermont Here it is. The new website for Old Roads, Rivers and Rails! Dear Subscibers, friends and visitors, Were it not for your interest, support, and kind words, the new Old Roads, Rivers and Rails site would not exist. A lot of work has gone into this endeavor in the last several weeks, and I'm excited to bring Old Roads, Rivers and Rails of the Upper Valley to loyal subscribers, and to the general public. Here is the correct link to go directly to the new website: https://oldroadsuppervalley.weebly.com This site is public, and free. The main page is also the blog page. To see the blog posts, simply scroll down, and click on the title of the post you wish to view. On a computer, to the right of the blog, you will see months listed. Postings from those months can be accessed there. (This may not be available on a phone or iPod though, in which case, just scroll down from the home page.) Other pages in the site are as follows, and are listed along the top of the site. Simply click on one of these pages to view them. About Subscribe/Contact Maps and Links (links to other sites with maps and trails and such) Sponsors (Information for potential sponsors) Cemeteries I am hoping the site will evolve and grow, as time goes on. Please share the site with friends you think might also be interested, and help grow our subscriber base. I'm happy to say we are starting out with 103 subscribers. (128 subscribers as of 1/2/2019) I love the upper valley, its history, and its geography. I also love maps, especially old ones that show interesting clues to our past. Hiking to find features found on vintage maps is a favorite pastime. Searching for old schoolhouses, foundations, cemeteries, mill sites, mines, town and county boundaries, abandoned settlements and roads, can be very rewarding. The big push for me was to get this website up and running before December 31st, and to include in it, archival material from 2019 posts. Special thanks to all 101 subscribers I have heard from in recent weeks. Without your kind words, encouragement, and support, this site would not exist. - Bob Totz Dec. 29th, 2019 Upper Valley: 1913 USGS Imagery My Father, and Mentor, Frank Totz, Jr A heartwarming video with two special upper valley seniors. Oral History, the telling of history by those who lived it, holds a particular fascination for me. There's nothing like the personal stories of our senior citizens. We can learn much from them. Kali Mattern did a wonderful interview with my Dad and his friend, Maggie, about Love. The kind folks at CATV in White River Jct. published this 9 minute video with two senior citizens at Quail Hollow Community, about Love. The video stars my father, who is about to turn 90, and his friend Maggie who is older than my dad. Watch the fun as they answer questions about Love: Link to video> Wise Beyond Their Years: Love You can see why my Dad and Maggie were chosen for this second video here: Paddie and Maddie Behind the Scenes -- Paddie and Maddie is a comedy series that my Dad and some friends started at Quail Hollow a few years ago. Here is the third episode in the series: Sit back, pour a cup of your favorite beverage, watch, listen and laugh! Have a Happy Holiday! - Bob Totz, for Old Roads Rivers and Rails With much gratitude to Kali Mattern, who filmed these performances. December 24, 2019. If you'd like to keep up with Old Roads, Rivers and Rails after 12/31/2019, send an email to me at [email protected] We could use a few more subscibers!
If you haven't visited the Dartmouth College Cemetery in Hanover, New Hampshire, you may want to take a stroll around. We had no idea how interesting it was, literally, on many levels. We stopped to take a walk around the beautiful place back in June. On the stone above, carved by Gershom Bartlett of Norwich, Vermont, the epitaph reads: "In Memory of Mrs. Achsah (?) Wife of Mr. Joseph Tilden who died Decr 30th 1776 in her 28th Year. Remember frinds as you pass by as you be now so once was as I. As I be now so You Must be. Prepare for death and Follow Me." I like that little saying To get to the Dartmouth cemetery, we started by finding this building, and we parked near it. Then we walked through this gate: The first grave I noticed was the grave of Dr. Charles Elihu Quimby. Dr. Quimby was educated at Dartmouth College, and finished his medical studies at the University of the City of New York. He was a trustee of the Mary Hitchcock Hospital. Dr. Charles Quimby 1853-1921 Dr. Quimby's father, Elihu Thayer Quimby was sort of a hero of mine, as he was one of the first surveyors to help create topographical maps of New Hampshire. He and his associates climbed the White Mountains, and all over New Hampshire with rudimentary surveying equipment when the U.S. Geological Survey was in its infancy, then known as the U.S. Coast Survey, in the mid and late 1800's. There were some interesting smaller stones, getting covered with moss. One stone had come apart from its base: Below is an impressive stone, for Emily Howe, who was the wife of Hiram Hitchcock in the last months of his life. Hiram Hitchcock, along with Carlton P. Frost established the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, in honor of Hiram Hitchcock's first wife, Mary Hitchcock. The hospital opened it's doors in 1893. Walking around, we noticed in one corner that the land dropped right off. Looking down, I thought I saw more gravestones down there... The land drops off, with a glimpse of the terrace below. We continued to walk around the top level, and saw this unique grouping: Then we turned a 180 degree corner, found some more stones, and a path to the lower levels. This was really getting fun. The first path took us down and around, and looked like this: From there we continued on a rustic path... ...and came upon this hidden valley! We continued to explore this hidden world which exuded a serene sense of solemnity and history. Along the path was a very neat terrace with a clean looking stone wall. LIttle clusters of graves lie alongside mature trees. The path continued on, and began climbing again, to yet another level: Up ahead, my wife spotted this interesting tomb: Just past the Sawyer tomb, there was a concrete retaining wall, that didn't seem to be retaining as well as it used to! I wonder how long ago it was built? Retaining Wall Has Seen Better Days Just past the retaining wall, we ascended to the next level. It was at this point that I finally felt like we were going to find what we were looking for: The oldest section of the cemetery... ...where we would hopefully find some Gershom Bartlett carved gravestones. A classic gravestone carved by Gershom Bartlett. They usually have a chinless face, with stylized wings and a crown. Another example of a Gershom Bartlett stone in the Dartmouth College cemetery. Gershom Bartlett was a native of Bolton Connecticut, but moved to Norwich Vermont in the mid 1700's. He died in 1798, so his gravestones are among the oldest in this area. Another headstone carved by Gershom Bartlett. This one has begun the process of fading back into the earth. A graveyard is a museum of sorts. There's beautiful artwork, and lots of history. There's one difference though: cemeteries are outside, and exposed to the elements over years, decades, and centuries. Therefore, if you want to see the oldest stones, they are the ones that have seen the most wear, and are disappearing before our eyes. Thanks for wandering down "Old Roads, Rivers and Rails".
As many already know, the HereCast platform is disappearing on 12/31/19. At that point some of these stories will also disappear. If you'd like to be added to the list of folks interested in future articles, send me an email to [email protected] and I'll add you to the list. I don't know what the future holds for Old Roads, but hopefully it will be a bright one! Bob Totz December 2, 2019 Sources: Charles Elihu Quimby: https://books.google.com/books?id=vKVIAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR20&lpg=PR20&dq=Charles+Elihu+Quimby&source=bl&ots=Xouj4itEvv&sig=ACfU3U04wu4cqMAGTXP2i5B8nxEkq1e1Tw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjb-pO1spfmAhUQmuAKHbN-AFwQ6AEwBHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Charles%20Elihu%20Quimby&f=false Interesting article on Elihu Thayer Quimby's early surveys of New Hampshire: https://www.concordmonitor.com/quimby-triangulate-nh-16795274 Hiram Hitchcock: https://ead.dartmouth.edu/html/ms242_biohist.html https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46209014/hiram-hitchcock https://www.dartmouth-hitchcock.org/about_dh/history-2.html Gershom Bartlett, 18th century carver of gravestones: http://ctgravestones.org/carvers/gershom-bartlett-1723-1798/ Comments 7
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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 |