Hello Friends of the Road,
Is it really August already? The summer is flying by, so I recommend you make the time to do the fun stuff you wanted to do while you were avoiding the snowbanks. I made sure I got outside this weekend and darkened up my tan. With all the rain we’ve been getting, things are growing very quickly and need more maintenance. But once the work was done, I moved onto a large and cold maple creamee. Did you think I was going to say cold beer? That may come later, but first I need to write to you about good things to come.
We got lucky last week with the Orwell outing. The rain held off and those who attended enjoyed the cooler weather to do some exploring and extra conversing. This coming week, we’ll be gathering in the other side of the state, in the town of Plymouth. Board member Lonnie Lisai is co-leading the outing and has been working hard to prepare. Normally, outing leaders provide a handout to the attendees. Lonnie is so excited, he’s sharing info early to get everyone else excited too. Attached is a promo for you all. Here is the full write-up for you: August 12: Crown Point Road Association is hosting an informational outing between CPR Markers 28 and 30. Interested people to meet at the Cavendish Historical Society Museum at 10:00 a.m. Plan on a short uphill hike from Marker 29 to the gravesite of ‘Unknown Soldier of the French and Indian War’. Following the hike, we will drive to Coffeen Cemetery, Marker 29A and Marker 30. For more information contact Lonnie Lisai: lonnielisai@gmail.com or Connie DeVere; Cdevere@verizon.net
Not to play 2nd fiddle, I’d also like to promote an upcoming outing that is not officially a CPRA event, but we’re lending our prized historian to work for the Vt historic sites (generously without pay) to lead a car tour. Jim Rowe has done this enough he may be able to do it in his sleep. But let’s hope he’s awake. It will be much safer for those following him. Here is the full write-up for that outing: August 19: On this Saturday at 10am, meet at the Hubbardton Battlefield Museum & Visitors Center. On this 12th annual driving tour, Jim Rowe, CPRA historian, is your leader to look at the Hydeville Branch of the 1776 Mount Independence-Hubbardton Military Road. The tour will travel north from Hydeville through West Castleton to eastern Benson. There will be several stops along the way for discussion. People should bring snacks/lunch. It will take about 3 hours. Admission will be charged at the Hubbardton Battlefield and will allow entrance to Visitor Center and museum. For more info, call Jim at (802) 434-7415.
The last few weeks the CPRA Facebook page has been very active. I know not all of you are Facebook users, and I would not hold that against you if you don’t. So another way to see the discussion and shared content is to visit our website, www.crownpointroad.org and on the homepage you can see the recent Facebook posts.
That is all for now. Enjoy the summer all and I hope to see some of you soon.
Hello Friends of the Road,
I hope none of you have been cheating on our road with another road. I know the Bayley Hazen Road has its appeal, but the CPR is older, much older! It has many more stories to tell. Hopefully some day through archeology, we’ll learn more of those stories. I’m getting this newsletter out a bit late. It was a rare weekend without any rain, and I neglected other duties, not just this one. I hope you haven’t been too impacted by the flooding and other bad weather lately. There was even a tornado in the region and it traveled more than 10 miles before dissipating!
I’d just like to take a minute to do some housekeeping. I’d like to remind you all why I hide all the recipients to this email. Out of respect to you all, I use “BCC” to safeguard your privacy. But feel free to reply anytime. I’m always happy to hear from you.
This Saturday will be an outing in Orwell. The owners of the land are being extremely grateful and opening up their farm to visitors. There will be artifacts displayed and some demonstrations of metal detecting. After that there will be a short hike into the woods to see where some of the artifacts were found. Let’s hope for good weather. There will be limited parking onsite, so if you can carpool with anyone that you know is going, that would be helpful. Here is the official write-up: July 29: The Audet homestead has allowed a talented father/son team of metal detectors to explore the Mount Independence-Hubbardton 1776 Military Road route through their Orwell property. The general public is invited to gather at the 23 Brock Lane on Saturday at 10AM. There will be a demonstration on metal detecting, a display of findings at the site, and an optional hike into the woods to visit the site.
Earlier this month, board members represented the CPRA at the annual Hubbardton Battle re-enactment. We had a very active booth most of the day and lots of great conversation. The weekend event seemed well attended and the calendar was full of fun and informative activities. A huge bow and hat tip to Elsa Gilbertson and the rest of the historic sites staff for all their hard work. The volunteers also deserve praise as they had to deal with a lot of people at times, handle parking logistics and much more.
I have a collection of photos I’ve been sitting on for a few months. Longtime contributor to the organization, Jim Moore, loaned me a photo album he has. It is full of photos spanning years of outings. I scanned them all in and am now sharing them with you all. Feel free to download copies of them. You may recognize a few people or may even see yourself! The first link will take you to a page where our Treasurer has been compiling archives on the CPRA website. For those who haven’t visited this page, there is lots of good stuff. It will continue to get material, so check back again in the future. Once you click on the link, click again on “The Archives” at the bottom, then choose “Photos”, and then “1966 through 2000 CPRA Outings…” and here’s the link: https://www.crownpointroad.org/home/archives/ Or, if you want the direct link to the photo album, click here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rr2fOGsumruCqlVQwm3G15HxvRhdJcBM I hope you enjoy them!
That is all I have for you today. It is blueberry season, so try to find some to pick or buy. They sure beat what the supermarket calls fruit! One of many joys of summer.
Hello Friends of the Road,
Is everyone enjoying the first few days of Summer? There’s been days where the smoke was so thick, we could imagine ourselves on a battlefield, just without the booms of the canon and pops of the muskets. The corn is not knee high, but it will probably be fine. It usually is. I hope everyone’s gardens are doing well and you’re getting the first tastes of some local vegetables. It sure beats what we buy in the grocery stores. Some of the strawberries I’ve seen are nearly the size of plums and blueberries the size of strawberries! But they don’t seem to have much flavor compared to locals.
If the weather gets too warm for you and you want a good old book, even if it is a virtual one, I have a recommendation. It is a small book written by Mary E. Baker and reprinted from The Magazine of History. It a very well written early historical assessment of the Crown Point Road. I’d like to believe everyone who receives this newsletter will learn something from this book. You can “flip” the pages by clicking on the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VU-CLW19WdvNYYmAK-6D9RAvMFkyFrQH/view
Coming up quick is our annual visit to Hubbardton. It brings up many good memories of visiting there and also some bad weather. I hope the weather will be good for those camping there and the visitors that attend either day. If you’re in the area, we’d be happy to chat with you. We’ll be under the cover of tents between the British and American sides, hopefully keeping the peace. Here is the official scoop: As part of the annual weekend of events to celebrate the historic battle in Hubbardton, and as one of the event’s regular attendees, the CPRA will have a booth on Saturday to meet visitors. Come attend the event and support your organization at the re-enactment. Admission for the weekend’s events will be charged on a per person, per day fee. For more info, call the Museum & Visitor Center at (802) 273-2282.
Fire up the grills and enjoy the Independence Day celebrations. Hopefully between showers that is. I hope to see some of you on the battlefield this weekend.
Hello Friends of the Road,
We are in the ups and downs of Spring weather. If you don’t like it, wait 5 minutes and it will change. I was thankful for the cooler weather today after some hot days. I’m also looking forward to some rain in the forecast as I’ve got brown sections on my lawn and it seems too early to have to be watering the gardens. Enough complaints about the weather. There isn’t much I can do about it huh? I hope you are all doing well and you had a good Memorial Day. Or for some it is not ever “good” as we are reminded of those who are no longer with us. If you’ll allow me to talk about myself a bit longer, I recently finished the book by James Peterson about Seth Warner. I started a while ago, but finally the stars aligned and I gave myself enough time to finish it. It was quite good and I’d recommend it. Almost the same day as I was reading it, I visited the Bennington Monument. I went through Harwood Hill, which was mentioned in the book. It was great timing and gave more meaning to the area I was passing through.
Our next outing for the CPRA has a connection to the Battle of Bennington. I must digress a bit. Most of you probably know that the Battle of Bennington was not actually fought in Bennington, or Vermont. So maybe we should call it the Battle For Bennington. You agree? Our next outing is going to be in Saratoga and we’ll explore many historic sites there. I’m sorry to say there is no bus available, so everyone is expected to get there on their own accords. If you want to try to carpool with someone, contact the outing leader and if others are looking for the same, he will help connect those people. Here is the official write-up. Let’s hope for good weather!We will visit some sites around Schuylerville,NY to take a look at Burgoyne’s final hours after his defeat at the Battle of Saratoga. Meet at the Welcome Center on Reds Road at 10am. Carpooling is encouraged. For more info or to carpool, call Jim Rowe at (802) 434-7415.
As I often do, I have some “goodies” to share with you. The first one is an old diary I recently came across. It is a Revolutionary War soldier’s record before Boston and with Arnold’s Quebec Expedition. It is very detailed and gives good insight into those periods of time. Here is a link to read the diary: https://archive.org/details/calebdiarymay00haskrich/page/n1/mode/2up
My second offering is a copy of the 1987 CPRA program that was mailed to members. It is a nice flashback in time. Attached is that image. I recently saw this at the CPRA archives at Middlebury College.
The membership forms and merchandise requests have been pouring in lately and we’d like to thank you very much for your generosity! It is refreshing to know that so many of you still find our cause to be worthy of your hard earned cash.
Until we meet again, keep reading your history and if possible, visit a historic site near you!
Hello Friends of the Road,
I am trying to observe today as a day of rest, after a long and laborious day yesterday. The weather here was perfect and it felt so good to be outside. It makes me want to get annuals and plant garden seeds, but it is too early for that still. So today will be a Celtics and bird watching day. This morning we watched a pair of bluebirds “shopping” for a new home. We really hope they choose one of our vacancies.
All the buzz and excitement is for our next outing on the 20th. IMPORTANT NOTE: the meeting location has changed! Due to other local events changing, we have to move out gathering spot to the nearby church. Meet at the Pittsford Congregational Church just off Rt 7 at the scheduled time of 11am. People carpooling from there can leave cars there as well. The full write of the outing is here: May 20: This CPRA outing will recreate (closely) the first official outing ever held by the CPRA, which was held in May 1958. Meet at the Pittsford Congregational Church at 121 Village Green, Pittsford at 11am. There will be some walking and some driving as the outing is throughout the Pittsford area. Sturdy hiking shoes are recommended. For more info, call Jim Rowe at (802) 434-7415.
On the 7th, we co-hosted a ceremony for rededicating a Crown Point Road marker in Pittsford. It was originally placed by a local chapter of the DAR. Representatives of the DAR, along with the Pittsford Historical Society were involved. For anyone looking for Marker 45A, it is now in Florence on the Whipple Hollow Rd. This is more reason to get a new edition of our markers guidebook published huh? I counted 36 people attended and the weather and speakers were great. It may not have been a Hollywood production, but I do have video of the ceremony to share. I recommend watching it because it includes some good history, and background for what led up to this marker move. It is less than 30 minutes long, so I hope you can find the time to enjoy it. Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMemv7KrJ70
We were also lucky enough to have had two reporters in attendance. One article was published in The Reporter, who covers the towns of Brandon, Pittsford, Proctor and other local towns. The other was published in the Mountain Times, who represents Killington and other local towns. The event and the press should help spread awareness of the road and the corresponding history. Here are links to the articles: https://mountaintimes.info/pittsford-celebrates-history-of-sleepy-whipple-hollow-road/ and: https://brandonreporter.com/2023/05/10/course-correction-crown-point-marker-relocated-in-pittsford/ . You might notice I was credited for the photo in the Reporter. That was actually an error. It was taken and shared by Obe Lisai. She takes great photos!
For more of your reading pleasure, I also have a link to share for a book that we recently got a copy of. It was written by Mary A. Baker and reprinted from The Magazine of History. It is a jewel of information about the Crown Point Road! Here is a link to the book: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VU-CLW19WdvNYYmAK-6D9RAvMFkyFrQH/view
I hope to see some of you next weekend. Enjoy the Spring weather!
Hello Friends of the Road,
We have an early outing this year, and it has snuck up on me. It is a good thing I didn’t plan anything for Sunday, because I was hoping to attend this when the schedule was finalized. It will give me a chance to visit markers I have never been to! I have not been in that area since our Annual Meeting at the Fort @ no. 4 last fall. For those that are interested, here’s a video of our featured presentation during that meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPa5-FWUDog
I feel a bit distracted right now as I’m watching the Celtics game. I’m being torn in three directions. One is the past (CPR discussion), the present (Celtics), and the future (Sunday’s outing). I wonder if I’ll be haunted in my dreams tonight by three ghosts. I hope you’re all doing well and the sounds and smells of Spring have brightened your spirits. The smell of cut grass has returned to my neighborhood.
Back in February, I shared an excerpt of a diary by David Holden. As you know, diaries and journals are a great way to experience the past. I wasn’t holding out on you when I shared that part, as I didn’t have the complete journal. Shortly after that, Mike Barbieri, one of our prized, unofficial historians, shared with me the complete journal. You can read it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPa5-FWUDog
Sunday’s event will kick off at 1pm, rain or shine. Parts of it will be outside, so hopefully it won’t be rain! Here is the complete write-up: May 5: Sunday at 1 PM we will meet at Charlestown Historical Society’s “Bakery Building’” 216 South Main Street, Charlestown NH — a stone’s throw from the location of the original Fort at No. 4, where the Crown Point Road began. We will start with a car tour of markers and historic sites along its route through Charlestown, narrated by knowledgeable CHS members. Those interested can then hike a trail to NH Marker 7, to observe where Wentworth’s Ferry crossed the Connecticut River to the blockhouse built by Goffe’s troops to guard it in 1760. For more info, contact Barry at (802) 492-3573 or bgriffithvt@gmail.com
In case you are watching the game now, I’ll let you get back to that now. Take care, and hopefully see you soon.
Hello Friends of the Road,
Hopefully none of you are traveling here in the Northeast today. It is late in the season, but I’m excited to see the snow fall. I’m glad it is a day off so I can enjoy it and clean it up at my convenience. The kids are deprived of a snow day, but they also have been deprived of playing in the snow much this season, so they should be happy anyway. And for those kids who don’t like to play in the snow, they have their game consoles and history books!
I have received the beloved magnet calendars for 2024. As soon as we finalize the rest of the content for the mailing, the elves will begin their work. The year’s schedule has good diversity in it and everyone should find something of interest I hope. If any of you do not receive the annual mailing and want to be included, provide me with your mailing address. We only mail to those who have paid for a membership recently, so if you have not, we do ask that you have intensions to contribute to our organization this year. Memberships start at only $5 per year. I can’t remember who it was, but one member said we should raise our dues as they aren’t even enough to buy a good beer.
I’d like to enlist you all for a mission. It won’t involve any bloodshed, I hope. The President of the Clarendon Historical Society, Bob Underhill, is looking for information about a possible settlement in the vicinity of Clarendon, in 1760 or 1761. Attached is a great historical document about Daniel Walker (1706 – ), who stayed over the winter in 1760 or 1761 on his way back from Canada. It sounds like the company was following the Crown Point Road and that he couldn’t complete the journey until the spring. He did come back to what is now Clarendon in 1768 just like the story says, and his son Daniel Jr. (1736 – 1795) was one of our Tories who fled to Canada and had his property confiscated. The article was written by a Dr. H.C. Burleigh for the Lennox & Addington Historical Society (Ontario) which regretfully closed last autumn. Their archives would have been passed on to other organizations but it might take a bit to find where this article went. Bob is totally unaware of any settlement prior to 1768, and he knows Clarendon history really well! So your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to offer information or theories about where Daniel Walker may have stayed that winter on his return from Canada.
I have info about an historical gathering you might be interested in. The CPRA is not involved with this, but am certainly interested in it as there’s a possible connection to the CPR in Pittsford. Phil Mandalere, who is deeply involved with the Clarendon Historical Society and a few of you may remember the CPRA outing he led recently at the former Dean Farm in Brandon, will be presenting information about the Stevens cellar hole and the White’s Crossing area. It will be a presentation as part of a meeting of the Pittsford Historical Society. The meeting will be downstairs at the Pittsford Congregational Church on April 7th. Potluck meal at 5:30 followed by a brief PHS meeting, then Phil’s presentation. I hope to see a few of you there.
That is all I have for you at the moment. Writing this newsletter has given me a break from shoveling and with daylight running low, I better get back to my work.
Hello Friends of the Road,
For those who don’t know me, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Dale Christie and I’ve been recently elected to another term as the Secretary of the Crown Point Road Association. I have enjoyed getting to know many of you and the pursuit of uncovering history has been quite the journey. I have been spending much of the Winter researching the local history of Proctor and other areas of Vermont, but now it is time to shift gears and focus on Vermont’s unofficial road, the Crown Point Road.
I hope you all are doing well and the colder months of this part of the world haven’t broken you. I know seasonal depression is a real thing. Personally, I don’t mind Winter as long as there’s snow and it isn’t too cold. I’ve had half of my desires come true. A benefit of the lack of cold and deep snow is the ability to get out and explore the woods. The folks preparing for the upcoming sugaring season have had it easier too. Those looking for evidence of the past have also had it easier. The ground hasn’t been frozen as much as usual and I find that you can see the geography so much better in these conditions. Not only do you have the lack of leaves blocking your view, a dusting of snow really helps you see old roads and terrain. There is still plenty of time left for you to get some fresh air and take a slow walk through the woods and let your imagination fill your mind.
The CPRA board has had 3 meetings already this “off-season” and final details are being put together for another fun year of historical gatherings. The economy and other factors have led us to pass over any plans for a bus trip this year, but we are going to lead a day trip out of state. We are also planning on making small changes to our bylaws. Some of them are greatly outdated and need to be modernized. We will be sharing more information about this in the future as we are required to hold an official vote at a meeting open to the members and give proper notice to do so. Don’t worry, we still won’t share your contact info and will not be selling advertising space along the old roadway!
Attached is a transcription of an old journal from 1760, written by David Holden during travel on the CPR. It is another glimpse of life in that era, and the conditions of the old road. I was made aware of this by John-Eric Nelson, history wizard.
For those shopping for historical books, the online shop of the Vermont Historical Society offers a great selection of content. My only complaint is the lack of a search function. You may even find a familiar looking book about historical markers: https://vermont-historical-society-museum.square.site/product/historical-markers-on-the-crown-point-road/1084?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=false&category_id=8
The Annual Meeting we had last October included a presentation by an enthusiastic member of the CPRA by the name of John-Eric Nelson. Video was recorded of his presentation, along with our business meeting. I feel bad about not sharing these earlier. I could say I’ve been hibernating like a bear, but as I wrote above, I’ve been busy and still have a day job, so no rest for me! Here is a link to our Business meeting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4Kq6zOPzQA and a link to John-Eric’s presentation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPa5-FWUDog
I’ve rambled on long enough and given you some good reading and viewing content. I consider my duties served. You will be hearing more from me in the near future as we have news about our upcoming calendar of outings. Despite what the groundhog says, Spring will arrive on March 19th. Until then, make a snowman or have sugar on snow, or whatever you enjoy about Winter.
Cheers!
How is everyone’s love for history? Alive and strong I hope. With depressing news flooding the airways, I think history is getting more popular! We are in peak foliage season here in the northern hemisphere on planet Earth, for those receiving this in other parts of the solar system. The warm weather lately has been nice, but I’d trade it for seasonal temps and more daylight. That is the part that is tougher for me to adjust to.
For those who don’t know about it, the archives of the CPRA is housed safely at Middlebury College. You can learn more about it here: https://www.crownpointroad.org/home/archives/. A short time ago, I visited it for my first time. It was like a goldmine and the available time just vanished. I hope to go back someday. Some of the glimpses I saw of the past included old program guides and membership forms. I’ve attached one of each to this email for your pleasure. The dues have gone up a bit, but much less than inflation!
As the year continues to flyby, we now have about a week to this year’s annual meeting. I know the word “meeting” is often a turnoff and a bore. But our business meetings go pretty fast and lead to good things. Feel free to show up fashionably late if you just want to see the guest speaker. This year we are having it on historic ground, in Charleston NH. This will offer a very historic and engaging environment. We will be meeting on October 15th, at the Fort at No. 4. You can read about it and how to get there on their website: https://www.fortat4.org/. The fort is open from 11-3:30pm. Normally there is an admission fee to visit the fort, but the CPRA will cover the costs to our attendees. You’re welcome to make a donation to the fort as it is certainly a good cause. When you arrive, mention that you’re there for the CPRA and they won’t charge you. Feel free to arrive early and enjoy the theme of the weekend: “Women of the Fort”. Their website explains: “Join us at Fort at No. 4 and explore some of the many roles women had in the 18th century on the frontier.” Our Annual Meeting will commence at the Farnsworth House at 1PM with our traditional potluck dinner — bring your place setting and a dish to share – followed by our business meeting at 1:45 and concluding at 2:15pm with our featured presentation on Col. Nathan Whiting who was Garrison Commander at Fort at No. 4 in 1757 by noted period historian John-Eric Nelson. Guests welcome to attend any part of the schedule. For more info, call Barry at (802) 492-3573 or email bgriffithvt@gmail.com NOTE: our business meeting has been moved up to make sure there is enough time for our presenter as we will have to leave when the Fort closes at 3:30pm.
You may recall from my recent newsletter that there was a presentation to the DAR about Ann Story. Video of that presentation is being edited and soon will be available to watch on the local public access station (PEG TV) and we will also work on getting it available on YouTube. When we have more information about the viewing options, I’ll share them with you all.
I do hope to see some of you at the upcoming meeting. John-Eric is an entertaining speaker and catching up with fellow “roadies” is always fun. Until we meet again, be well and keep history alive!
Hello Friends of the Road,
Are you ready for some football? It is almost time for a big game to start, so I may not be too long in this newsletter. I hope you are all doing well. The daylight is fading quickly, so enjoy this time as soon we’ll be turning the heat back on!
I have a series of announcements to share with you all. First the bad news. I know, I didn’t give you a choice if you want the bad news first or the good news. I like to end on a high note, so bad news first. Our upcoming Plymouth outing on September 30th is cancelled for this year. I know, that’s 2 cancellations this year. We will do our best to make it up to you and have a great year next year. We do still have the Annual Meeting coming up and that is going to have some bonus fun, so stay tuned. So once again, no hike this month. You now have the day available for other activities.
I have THREE events to talk about though. On this Saturday (the 16th) at 10am, meet at the Hubbardton Battlefield Museum & Visitors Center. After a brief lecture about the historic battle fought there and the ultimate retreat by American forces, a tour will leave the Visitor Center and ascend the nearby hillside part way up the ridge. People should bring snacks/lunch, and good hiking shoes. It will take about 3 hours. Admission will be charged at the Hubbardton Battlefield and will allow entrance to visitor center and site. Leaders will be Travis Hart (State & Private Lands Biologist with the VT Dept. of Fish and Wildlife) and Jim Rowe (CPRA Historian). For more info, call Jim at (802) 434-7415.
The second event is going to be held this week in Bridport. I know it is on a workday and short notice, but I hope some can attend. The Ann Story chapter of the DAR will be hosting a meeting in Shrewsbury Thursday the 14th. It will be a great opportunity to get familiar with some very important local history. At 11:30am there will be a business meeting, then a lunch, then a presentation. If you are going, you NEED to RSVP to julanne sharrow julanne@vermontel.net so they can be prepared. Please bring something to add to a salad provided. It’s at the Shrewsbury Meeting House 88 Lottery Rd, Shrewsbury, VT 05738.
The last, but not least event I have to share is coming up later this month. It will feature a presentation by our current CPRA President, Barry Griffith. I’ve attended some of his presentations before and he does a great job. This will be in Bridport, VT and he will offer some local history for the area, along with an overview about the Crown Point Road. Barry will be speaking at the Annual Meeting of the Bridport Historical Society on Sunday, September 24. The meeting is at the Masonic/Community Hall – at the junction of the Middle Road and Crown Point Road (of course). There will be a potluck at 1 PM followed by the presentation at 2 PM or so. Please come if you can.
And finally, I’d like to offer a fun tidbit for you to chew on. It is related to the Bridport event, and offers a really cool glimpse into the past. This was provided by our long time supporter and Historian of all Historians, Elaine Purdy. Attached is that image.
That is all for now. A sporting event of pain and drama awaits me.
Take care and keep studying history!