Milestones 2010
Mission
Accomplished
The highlight of the Crown Point Road Association’s celebration of the
250th Anniversary of construction of the old military road,
the long- anticipated end-to-end hike, took place in August of 2009.
From all reports, the undertaking was a great success and was a source
of great pleasure and accomplishment to all who took part.
President Jim Rowe and Treasurer Jim Moore, who planned the route and difficult logistics, are to be congratulated for providing a trouble-free adventure and a wonderful public relations event. Jim Moore walked every step of the seventy-plus mile journey and the two stalwarts, Eileen Klymn and Jim Rowe, plagued by minor injuries, lost only a few miles. Barbara and Barry Griffith, Brook Aldrich, Becky Tucker and George and Nancy Smith also hiked a major portion of the route.
Another enthusiastic participant was Marita Johnson, our designated videographer, who recorded a major part of the journey and has provided comprehensive DVD’s for showing on local public access stations. She also put together a short version which received much acclaim when it was shown at our annual meeting in October. In fact the association has ordered a number of copies of this version to be distributed for promotional purposes.
According to the hikers, the response from landowners and the general public encountered along the way was universally warm and welcoming. The Shrewsbury and Weathersfield Historical Societies even provided welcoming parties and refreshments. Special thanks are due to members who hosted the overnight campouts, providing genial hospitality and delicious meals. Hosts were: Tom Hughes, Crown Point Historic Site; Paul and Renee Saenger, Shoreham; Walter Phelps, Orwell; Chuck Smid, Sudbury; Jon and Cynthia Readnour, Clarendon; Julanne Sharrow, Pine Valley Farm, Shrewsbury; Barbara and Barry Griffith, Shrewsbury; Kyle Perry, Mt. Holly; Tom and Holly Ellis, Plymouth; Belle McKnight, Meadowbrook Farm Campground, Cavendish; Zimmer Family, Cavendish; Crown Point Camping Area, Weathersfield; Bob and Mabel Barlow, Springfield.
Webmaster Jim Purdy was in contact with hikers and provided a daily blog on our website. This was a wonderful way for stay-at-homes to keep in touch with the hikers and see pictures of their adventures. The End-End Hike Blog drew a large following to the website with hundreds of page views generated each day. Due to the continued popularity of this portion of our website we have made the blog a permanent addition. You can still view the entire archive of the 2009 End - End Hike Blog at http:/crownpointroad.org/cprblog. Once there, just click on the menu bar to download the archive as a PDF file.
When the hikers arrived at the Connecticut River they paused at the lonely cemetery where some early settlers and soldiers who died while working on construction of the road are buried. Brook and Jim Rowe then fired a salute with their muskets in tribute to these unsung heroes. A joyous welcome then followed at Fort No. 4.
All those who participated came away with a great sense of accomplishment and a deep appreciation for those who walked the road before them.
The hike
also had an additional benefit
in that a GPS track was recorded
all along the route which will insure greater accuracy in any future
mapmaking.
Ground
Penetrating Radar
Our association with Doria Kutrubes
of Radar Solutions International
has proved to be both happy and beneficial. Doria and her associate,
Washington Kilpatrick,
have visited the Proctor-Pittsford area
several times to conduct GPR and magnetometer surveys.
Doria plans a spring visit to
Proctor to discuss her
findings.
Watch our website for a report of the
meeting.
Outreach
The end-to-end hike generated a
flurry
of publicity - both print and video.
As mentioned earlier, Marita Johnson’s contribution of beautifully
edited DVDs has already appeared on local public access TV stations.
Anyone interested in borrowing a copy for showing or personal viewing
may contact one of the staff members listed on Page One of the
Newsletter.
There were also a number of excellent articles and photos published in local newspapers including: The Rutland Herald, Springfield Reporter, Sam’s Good News, Times of Shrewsbury and the Weathersfield and VOCA Newsletters. Especially appreciated were the stories written by Rutland Herald columnists Kendall Wild and Mark Bushnell.
Becky Tucker and Susan Hunter have been updating our slide program with a view to having it available on DVDs. In the meantime, they presented a program for the Black River Museum in Ludlow and Becky also brought the slides to Ludlow elementary students.
Our web site continues to be very active thanks to our volunteer webmaster Jim Purdy. The hike blog which Jim kept updated daily with input from the hikers drew a lot of attention and can still be viewed on the website.
The association was disappointed to be
somewhat “overlooked” during the Champlain Quadricentennial celebration
, however, President
Jim Rowe and Eileen Klymn represented us when the festivities finally
arrived at Crown Point in the fall. Jim and his wife Gayle were also
present at the dedication of a commemorative sculpture presented by the
Province of Quebec July 10 in Burlington.
Gifts
A beautiful 1860 wall map was given to the
association by Dave Allen
of
Old Maps (see Links on our website).
The map shows an early route of
the Crown Point Road.
An extensive collection of CPR
information gathered by long-time member and enthusiast John Russell was
given to us by John’s son ,John Russell, Jr. John Sr., his wife, Mary,
and sister, Ellen,
were members for many years. All the
gifts will be entered in
our archives at Middlebury College
for public use.
Hikes
2009
The hike season went well beginning with Barbara and Barry Griffith’s
May 17 Shrewsbury hike in the Lincoln Hill area. Barry presented
detailed research and old maps. Hikers explored the cattle pen site and
enjoyed an educational stop at the Smith/Sharrow farm, site of the early
White’s Tavern on the CPR.
The June 13 outing was a fun boat ride on
Lake Champlain, starting at Mt Independence and passing by Mt. Defiance
and Fort Ti. Jim Rowe made the arrangements and narration was provided
by the captain who showed us sonar images of Baldwin’s 1776 bridge and
the later railroad trestle.
July 18 brought another popular
auto tour, from Charlestown, NH, to the Weathersfield area. Susan and
Becky were leaders and were assisted by local members who provided
additional history. August,
of course, was
dedicated to the commemorative hike.
The
September hike was in Brandon from Marker 48 to the Dean Farm and was
led by Jim Rowe. A small but enthusiastic group braved rain and
brambles but discovered the foundation of an early tavern on the CPR.
The October annual meeting was held at
the Community Hall in Bridport and featured a discussion and
recollections of the end-to-end hike. Officers and board members
remained in place with Susan Hunter accepting another three year term as
director.