It's official: The Waterford, Vermont, Historical Society!

Photo: Adam Aremburg, presenting his 2014 work on the Waterford Nature Trail as an Eagle Scout project. What a great contribution to both the town and the meeting -- thank you, Adam!

There was also an extensive presentation by Lynn Troy and Roberta Smith on the history of the Copenhagen district of Waterford and of Waterford Springs, now located there. 

Lynn will also present a display of Comerford Dam photos at Town Meeting (March 3, 2015).

On Wednesday February 25, 2015, at 7:45 pm, after ample discussion, the by-laws for the Waterford, Vermont, Historical Society were adopted at the meeting of the Waterford History Group at the Davies Memorial Library. We are on our way to being better able to accept historical items and gifts as part of our preservation and appreciation of the town's history!

The first board is as follows:

Matt Lewis, president
Donna Heath, vice-president
Roberta Smith, secretary/treasurer
Helen Chantal Pike, 2-year director
Charlie MacMahon, 2-year director
Lynn Troy, 1-year director
Beth Kanell, 1-year director

We are also seeking a high school student from Waterford for a nonvoting position on the board.

Here are the by-laws; next steps are state nonprofit registry and application for federal status as a 501(c)3 organization.

BY-LAWS: Waterford, Vermont, Historical Society

 Article 1.      Name.
This society shall be called the “Waterford, Vermont, Historical Society.”
Article 2.      Purpose.
The object of this society shall be to discover and preserve whatever relates to the history of the Town of Waterford and surrounding communities, for the use, education, and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Article 3.      Board of Directors and Officers.
The officers of the society shall be president, vice-president, and secretary/treasurer, who shall be elected for the term of one year; and four directors.  One of these seven people should also be a member of the Board of Directors of the Davies Memorial Library whenever possible. There may also be one nonvoting student officer of the board, of high school age and living in the town of Waterford. In the year of organization, the directors shall be elected: two for a term of one year, and two a term of two years; in addition, the three officers shall be board members for three years. All officers and directors shall have the right of re-election.
Article 4.      Board of Directors
The officers and directors shall constitute the Board of Directors.
Article 5.      Membership and Dues
Any person interested in the history of the Town of Waterford and surrounding communities may become a member of the Society by paying a membership fee of $5.00 per year.
Article 6.      Property
All donations of property are to be under the direction of the officers and the directors.  If the society ceased to exist, all properties would revert to donors or his/her heirs or wherever specified by donor at time of donation. 
Article 7.       Annual Meeting
The annual meeting shall be held in the month of February at such a place and date as the Board of Directors shall designate.  Special meetings may be called by the president or upon written request of five members in good standing.  All meetings shall be called by notice in the Davies Memorial Library newsletter, not later than 7 days before the meeting, setting forth the time and place and the business to be transacted; if this is not possible, the Board shall determine an equivalent method of notice.  Five members, four of whom shall be members of the Board of Directors, shall constitute a quorum.
Article 8.      Elections A nominating committee shall be appointed by the president in October to present at least one name for each office to be filled.  Candidates may be nominated from the floor.  A candidate for elections shall be an active member. The election of officers shall be held at the annual meeting.  The majority of votes cast are required for election.  The Board of Directors shall have the power to fill any vacancies that arise during the calendar year.
Article 9.    Duties of Officers
President – the president shall have executive supervision over the activities of the society within the scope provided by those bylaws.  She or he shall preside at all meetings and shall appoint the members of committees and delegates not otherwise provided for.  The president will also be an ex-officio member of any committee of this organization.
Vice-president – the vice-president shall assume the duties of the president in the event of absence, incapacity, or resignation of the president.  The vice-president will assist the chairman in his/her duties.
Secretary–Treasurer– the secretary-treasurer shall be responsible for the safe keeping of society funds and for maintaining adequate financial records.  Monies shall be paid out by numbered checks signed by the secretary-treasurer, who is authorized, along with the president, to write checks to pay bills. The secretary-treasurer will received dues and will render an annual report at the annual meeting. The secretary-treasurer will also receive any records of monthly history interest-group meetings and will maintain a record of the actions of the Board of Directors.
Board of Directors – the Board of Directors shall have the power to conduct all affairs of the society.  The Board of Directors shall decide questions of policy that for any reason cannot be acted upon at a meeting of the society and perform such other functions as designated in the bylaws or otherwise assigned to it.  At any meeting of the Board of Directors, four members shall constitute a quorum.
Article 10.            Monthly Meeting
The monthly meeting shall be held on the fourth Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise stated, from February through October of each year.
Article 11.            Amendments
These bylaws may be amended at any regular or adjourned meeting by a two-thirds vote of those voting, provided that notice was given at a previous meeting.  Or they may be amended at a special meeting called for that purpose with 7 days of notice and two-thirds vote.

Adopted by voice vote, all affirmative, on February 25, 2015, at the Davies Memorial Library, Waterford, Vermont.

Creating an Accessible, Useful Archive of Waterford, Vermont, Information

Creating the new archive, Jan 24, 2015.

If you thought archiving was dull or boring, you've never seen the Waterford team in action! What a great session yesterday morning, organized by Helen-Chantal Pike and powered by curiosity and good details from an amazing team.

Sorry you missed this one? Watch for another session ... there's more to explore, and with each "sorting" of those stacks of paper and books that used to be bundled in the cupboard, there's more information about the town and residents to rediscover.

Bell atop the Davies Mem. Library

And if you were there -- thanks! and did you have a good time? I sure did!

Spring!!! Um, Not Really -- But We Can Meet in Waterford, Vermont, Anyway, Right?

Not too springlike yet, hmm?

Calling all Waterford, Vermont, historians! Tomorrow, Sat Jan 24, from 9 a.m. to noon, pitch in at the Davies Memorial Library as we sort, label, and file the wonderful written and photo materials on hand, creating the first organized archive for Waterford history.

A dream archive ... well, everyone needs a goal ...

And consider attending the February "Waterford History Group" meeting on Wed Feb 25, for a packed agenda of excitement: who made the newest nature trail in town and where is it?; a presentation on the history of Waterford Springs and Copenhagen; real butternuts to try cracking; organizing an official Waterford Historical Society; planning a Town Meeting exhibit and presentation; and more. Meet at 6:30 pm at the library -- for about an hour, with "visiting" afterward.

Waterford (Vermont) Sugarhouse: But Which One?

At the Waterford Historical Group meetings (held at the Davies Memorial Library in Lower Waterford), we often find details on the old maps of town that intrigue us. One last summer turned out to be a bit discouraging -- at the time when the 1875 Beers map of the town was drawn, there was an important sugarhouse in the center of Waterford, owned by O. Cushman, on the Duck Pond Road.

It would be great to make a visit to the remains of this sugarhouse, even if it's just a cellar hole or a foundation edge. But, of course, sugarhouses (farm structures!) don't usually have cellars or foundations. And the more we studied the map, the more we all became sure that the location of this old sugarhouse is probably within today's tangle of gravel pits owned by the Town of Waterford and Pike, Inc. In other words, there's probably no trace to find. We'll just have to keep looking in old magazines and newspapers for a possible description of how much maple syrup came from that sugaring operation and whether it was a "destination" for local residents.

Meanwhile, this postcard, clearly labeled "Sugarhouse in Waterford," turned up at a postcard show in New Hampshire last summer. The photo looks recent enough (in full color!) so that this structure might still be standing. Is it the one on County Road North? I think the row of trees is too close to it. What do you think? Can you pinpoint its location? -- UPDATE: Thank you to Dave Morrison, who identified this sugarhouse as the one on the Frank Bullock property -- the landscape has since closed in somewhat around it but it is still standing. SECOND UPDATE: Vermont Life Autumn 1957 cover featured a 1951 photo of the same sugarhouse: click here.

All the details keep adding up to the history of our town.

Rocks, Quarries, and Mines: Digging into Waterford's 19th Century

Yesterday evening's well-attended meeting of the Waterford History group was the last scheduled one for this season; we'll resume in February, weather permitting!

Meanwhile, in January, an archiving group will meet to sort out and catalogue the many intriguing documents that people have generously provided to our files. Count on some surprises as we share images and information.

We also hope to host a professional geologist early in 2015, as we need to learn more about the rocks, sand, and "dirt" of our town. This season's exploration of our copper and gold mining past (no fortunes were made!) kept some of us among the ridges and hilltops, but we also have "history" to explore in farm fields and along the river. This area in the 1800s provided wide-ranging resources and commerce. We're also mapping the industries and businesses from that period, with the help of atlases, business registries, and a gazetteer.

One of the longer lasting "extractive" industries in Waterford involved quarrying slate for roofing. (Have you driven along Slate Ledge Road lately?) Here is a double photo (stereo view) of the nearby slate quarry in Littleton, NH, when it was active -- click on the photo to see it better.

Fifteen Mile Falls and Waterford's Dams: A Fragile but Essential Document

The meeting of the Waterford History group at the Davies Memorial Library on Wed. Aug. 27 (6:30 pm) will focus on how to store and organize the historically interesting items that people bring to the library or keep at home. An example of what we might consider, with our guests Garret Nelson (library director, Lyndon State College) and Marjorie Strong (librarian, Vermont Historical Society) is this four-page document printed on a single sheet of very fragile paper, dating to the years when Comerford Dam was being built. It includes the now-rare map of the "construction camp" and many of the details bring fresh perspective -- like the stables!

The scans shown here were made on a flat-bed scanner, with enormous care, as the document is "tender" at the fold and can't take much handling. How can we best preserve and protect it as information, and as the fragile item it has become?

Hope you'll join the discussion!

Fifteen-Mile Falls and Comerford Dam: Then and Now

The Waterford History group met Matt Lewis at the TransCanada garage parking lot on the Comerford Dam Road (the Barnet end of Lower Waterford Road) this morning to learn about uses of the area during the construction of the famous Connecticut River dam, starting in 1928 and set into action (by President Hoover, via remote switch) in September 1930.

The construction project required its own rail spur from East Barnet to the dam, and two thousand people or more -- of whom about 1700 lived at the construction site during those years -- took part in building the dam. For a few months, it was actually the largest power-generating dam in the United States (until the Hoover Dam went online). Our meeting and walk, planned and supported by Matt with plenty of maps, blueprint copies, and 1930s documents, reviewed where the "camp" of workers had stood.

Thanks to Matt's planning, we also were able to visit and enter the last standing cabin from those days (now a storage shed and home to many bats). Matt pointed out where the concrete works had been, as well as the original site of the high-voltage service segment of the dam that is now located across the river in New Hampshire. He also noted for us the old road toward the now-water-covered Waterford hamlet of Copenhagen; group members who live in the Waterford Springs part of town were already somewhat familiar with this route. Craig B. shared a photo of the Copenhagen district schoolhouse; Dr. C. E. Harris's history of town also says there was a sawmill in Copenhagen.

Other topics during and after the hike included when the planning for the dams that would cover Fifteen-Mile Falls began. Here is a snippet from Electrical World, October 21, 1909 (p. 1009):

LITTLETON, N. H.—Carl A. Ross, promoter of the power project at Fifteen-Mile Falls, on the Connecticut River, is reported to have sold his interests to Massachusetts capitalists, who are already making plans for the development of three large power plants, by which it is estimated that about 5000 hp would be generated. It is understood that work will commence on the plant next spring. Carl A. Ross will have charge of the project.

Plans for upcoming Waterford History meetings: August, guest speakers Garret Nelson (Lyndon State College library director) and Marjorie Strong (Vermont Historical Society librarian). September, pulling together our archives; there are also plans for a display of pre-archaeology materials at the library at the end of September.  October, geology of the region, with possible guest geologist. November-January, winter break. February, consolidating information about Copenhagen.

Comerford Dam Construction, Waterford, Vermont, and Adjacent Towns, Circa 1930

Yes, we've talked about Comerford Dam before in the Waterford History group -- but who can resist wanting to know more about this amazing structure and the complicated project that built it? We'll talk more about these photos in the 2014 meetings of our group, and look at a possible new project: mapping and walking the existing trails and old roads that reveal the dam's construction process.

Meanwhile, on the agenda for Wed. Oct. 23 and for our November meeting: Waterford's own farm-to-table project (for an event next summer!); a report from Girl Scout Laura Benoit on her Waterford cemeteries Silver Award project; and more!

First Annual Waterford, Vermont, Barn Tour

Our self-driving barn tour was off to a lovely start today, as a soft mist clung to the hills before a bright sunny day. Here are a few photos as generous barn owners prepared to open their historic structures to visitors.

Donna Heath's display of old tools and "parts":

Donna's photo display, giving visitors a sense of farm history, as well as the less accessible upper floor of her barn:

Mary Florio's welcome to visitors at her 1857 double barn:

Mary's collection of photos shared by the Remick family, who owned the barn before her, over generations:

Sharron Caplan's decorative entryway to the barn at Dream Catcher Farm:

The event room on the main barn floor at Dream Catcher, ready for the next gathering:

In addition to these wonderful opportunities, the Lee family opened its "high drive" (not visible from Route 18) so that 94-year-old Mrs. Geneva Powers Wright could see the interior of the barn, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Visitors at the Davies Memorial Library shared their passion for Waterford's barns and beauty. The Concord Historical Society also hosted a table during the group's open house today, for the barn tour maps and barn documents. Heartfelt thanks to all who collaborated, share resources, visited, smiled.

To see more of the barns in detail, click here:  http://waterford-vt-barn-census.blogspot.com

And one last reminder: If your Vermont town would like to hear about how Waterford's history group (a library interest group) is documenting our barns, simply and effectively, let us know; we can visit and share our experience.

Now, it's your turn: Did you take any photos of Vermont barns that you'd like to share here?

Sat. Sept. 28: First Ever Waterford Barn Tour!

Waterford, Vermont, Self-Driving Barn Tour:

Vermont Archaeology Day, September 28, 2013 – 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Welcome to Waterford, Vermont! You are in the village of Lower Waterford; Upper Waterford is under the waters behind the Moore Dam (1954). Other villages in town were West Waterford and Waterford Hollow (both are now residential and farming – no stores or churches.)

We hope you will want to photograph some of what you see today. If you’d like to share your photos, please e-mail them to the Waterford History Group at BethPoet@gmail.com.

PLEASE NOTE: You are welcome to photograph all the barns, but please do not enter any barn unless it is marked with VISIT in this handout. While all the barns open for visitors are in reasonable condition for farm structures, they are not intended to be “handicap accessible” and your visit is at your own risk.

You are invited to visit three barns where owners will meet you (RED DOTS), described in Driving Directions (below).

After your three-barns drive, you can loop back to the library OR extend your tour in any of these ways:

(a)   See the Lee and Heath barns (BLUE DOTS) in the area that was Waterford Hollow (the Heath barn includes a display of tools). Continue from here to Route 2, and then visit Concord, Vermont, where there is an open house at the Historical Society. OR

(b)  See the Powers Mountain View barn (ORANGE SUN) and savor the view of two states. You can add the Bonus Barns to your drive (see final section) – or just return from here to the Library, OR

(c)   Continue from the Powers Mountain View barn by proceeding to Concord, Vermont, via either highway or scenic route, for the open house there.

MORE DETAILS ON THE BARNS are available in a handout you can purchase (thanks for supporting the library this way!). Mill-site visits are not possible this year, but will follow in 2014.

Driving directions:

From the LIBRARY, turn away from the Rabbit Hill Inn, heading west on Lower Waterford Road. Watch for street numbers (hint: 100 numbers = one-tenth of a mile). At 506 Lower Waterford Rd is Pleasant Valley Farm (parts of the barn date to the 1800s; more of it, 1950s). At 728 Lower Waterford Rd, VISIT the Wajda barn (late 1800s). At 976 Lower Waterford Rd is the Hale barn (late 1800s).

At 1298 Lower Waterford Rd pass the Frank Bullock barn (late 1800s; please do not stop here). At 1640 Lower Waterford Rd is the George Bullock barn (late 1800s).

In another half mile, TURN RIGHT onto Duck Pond Road. (You are entering West Waterford, which is not a “village” center today, just a district.) In about a mile, see Hale Rd on the left (a mill stood at this intersection in the early 1800s; come back in 2014 to see its “footprint”) – bear right with Duck Pond Rd.

At 4002 Duck Pond Rd VISIT Dream Catcher Farm (ca. 1903) with Sharron Caplan. At 3517 Duck Pond Rd is the Hovey Place (note “high drive”; barn date ca. 1890). Stay with Duck Pond Rd for about 2 miles and turn RIGHT onto Remick Road. At about three-fourths mile, pass Green Road on left, and arrive at 717 Remick Road to VISIT the Florio Barn. Backtrack to Green Road, which in half a mile ends at Route 18.

CHOICES for the rest of your drive are here:

(a)   Turn LEFT on Route 18 and go 3 miles, passing Stiles Pond. (This region once held the village known as Waterford Hollow.)  The Lee Farm is just past the pond (lake), on Lee Road on the left (a National Register of Historic Places site, barn ca. 1860). The Lee Farm included a mill site (more details in 2014).

From Lee Rd, return to Route 18 and turn RIGHT to find Stiles Cemetery on the left, and take the next LEFT turn onto Hudson Road. Pass under the interstate and turn LEFT onto Walsh Road. VISIT the Heath Barn at 271 Walsh Road and see display. Continue half a mile and turn LEFT on East Village Rd; the Adams-Babcock Cemetery (town’s earliest, steep but accessible path) is on the left.  Continue downhill on East Village Rd three-quarters of a mile to Route 2. Turn RIGHT (east) on Route 2 and drive 3.5 miles to Concord, Vermont, for open house at historical society.

(b)  Or, turn RIGHT on Route 18 and drive about 5 miles to Lower Waterford. Turn right at the triangle to return to Library (the Morrison mill was near this corner; come back for our 2014 tour), or continue STRAIGHT on Route 18 (passing Cushing Horse Barn at 7083 Route 18) for about half a mile to Shadow Lake Road and turn LEFT. At 762 Shadow Lake Rd see the Powers Mountain View farm and enjoy the view behind you! Return to Route 18 and turn right to return to Library.

(c)   SCENIC ROUTE TO CONCORD:  From Powers Mountain View farm (in part b): Continue up Shadow Lake Rd approx. 5 miles to the “four corners” (intersection with Long Hill Rd and Mitchell Rd), called Concord Corner; turn LEFT to stay on Shadow Lake Rd another 3 miles, arriving at Route 2 in Concord; turn RIGHT to find historical society open house.

BONUS BARNS (for intrepid explorers): from Route 18, take the LEFT onto Shadow Lake Rd (see option b) and go only three-fourths mile, then turn RIGHT on Old County Road (South). The Gillott goat barn at 4962 Old County Rd (S) dates to 1948.

TURN AROUND and backtrack to the RIGHT TURN onto High Ridge Road, where at 957 High Ridge Rd is the Kevin Powers barn (1962) and at 1011 High Ridge Rd is the Patricia Powers barn, moved in 1945 from Upper Waterford before the waters rose behind the Moore Dam.

Return to Old County Road South and turn RIGHT to find the Boisvert barn at 3200 Old County Rd (at corner of Mad Brook Road), which is from 1902 (barn-raising photos in supplemental booklet). Use Mad Brook Road to return to Route 18 (from here, go LEFT to return to Library, or RIGHT toward Route 2).

Getting the Barns in a Row - for the Barn-A-Palooza!

The Davies Memorial Library is celebrating its 75th birthday, and the Waterford History Group is honoring this with the first-ever Waterford, Vermont, BARN-A-PALOOZA! The event will be Wednesday July 10 at the library, at 7 pm, and includes a showing of the 20 barns already documented by the volunteers and the barn owners, as well as a display of library history.

Today was "craft the PowerPoint show" day, and it began with setting the barns in order, as shown here. We have some great stories to share! Please mark your calendar to spend the evening of July 10 with us.