"Early Town Government in Waterford" by Eugenia Powers

Eugenia Powers (1913-1985) grew up in a Waterford family where everyone contributed to town government in some way. She gave her own historic research and writing to Waterford, Vermont, for decades. We will use her map and description of the Stiles Cemetery on Green-Up Day this year; we treasure the narratives she inserted in town reports (more on this next week with notes about the Stiles farm). And at the time of the town's bicentennial, she contributed longer work, like this essay.

Comerford Dam Construction Display at Town Meeting

Lynn Troy created a terrific display of postcard-size photos of the construction of the Comerford Dam (circa 1930) to share at Town Meeting today. This construction project changed the town in many ways, including where the river would cover the land. What a great way to show how intriguing our town's history is! Thanks, Lynn, for having the images copied, enlarged, and then preparing them this way. People asked about the possibility of a permanent display of these. Let's watch for a good opportunity.

If you're outside Vermont and reading this, you may not be familiar with Town Meeting -- the custom of setting aside the first Tuesday of March each year for all towns to hold meetings to go elect people to needed positions, discuss the management of library, recycling, school, and sometimes roads (this year, we learned Bridge 7 on Route 18 is going to have a 4-week closure for culvert repair), and most especially, to vote on the budget so the town tax rate can be set.

It's "democracy in action" -- and it's also a joyful gathering of community, with salutes and appreciation to volunteers, credit to firefighters, and a bit of fundraising (for, say, the library and the Scouts).

The Waterford Historical Society and the Davies Memorial Library collaborate in keeping a collection of Town Reports from all the many Town Meetings over the years. They are accessible in the library, on one of the "local interest" shelves. This year's Town Report saluted George Bullock for his 60 years of dedicated service to the town.

Waterford's Own Website: Thanks, Mike Barrett and Kevin Fontecha

http://www.waterfordvt.org

What a gorgeous website Mike and Kevin have provided, to kick off a wonderful summer in Waterford, Vermont! Consider this the "soft opening" of the site -- it's live, but more parts will be added, including a link to this Waterford History site.

Terrific to have town resources available this way; a big thank you to all the town employees who are also participating in this.