Early days in Windham
County, VT, are recalled through a mix of colorful tales, factual
data and trivia, in this booklet comprised of excerpts from three
rare vintage books: The
Geography and History of Vermont by S.R. Hall (1871); History
and Description of New England - Vermont by A.J. Coolidge and
J.B. Mansfield (1860); and Vermont, a Guide to the Green Mountain
State, written by the Workers of the Federal Writer's Project
of the WPA (1937).
The 68 page booklet is printed single-sided
on 60# opaque paper
with the print size enlarged as needed to fit the 8 1/2 x 11 size.
A vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.
A major part of
the booklet consists of histories of each township (town), which
vary in size depending on the prominence of the town and its historical
significance. The towns and villages include
Athens, Brattleboro (Brattleborough), Brookline, Dover, Dummerston,
Grafton, Guilford, Halifax, Jamaica, Londonderry, Marlboro, Newfane,
Putney, Rockingham, Somerset, Stratton, Townshend, Vernon, Wardsboro,
Westminster, Whitingham, Wilmington and Windham.
Indian alarms, real
and imagined; the rescue of Lt. Leonard Spaulding, charged with
high treason; Political power struggles with New York; Benjamin
Carpenter, John Shepardson, William Bigelow, General Samuel Fletcher,
Stephen Row Bradley, and other early settlers; a Riot at Westminster,
and physical features are some of the many topics in the booklet.
The WPA excerpts
include separate sections on the cities of Brattleboro and Bellows
Falls, with Points of Interest for each. The other WPA excerpts,
while out-of-date as a tour guide, remain a fascinating source of
historical tidbits.
The booklet has
a few illustrations, but their quality is only fair.
Wouldn't this make a unique
gift?
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