iSquangle

Wilmington Historical Society: Preserving our heritage.

2008-02-22T16:27:00.005-05:00

The Wilmington Historical Society is searching for a way to save a historic barn on their Lisle Hill Road property.
Like just about any old barn, the historical society’s barn has seen better days. The mid- to late-nineteenth century barn has rapidly deteriorated since the society purchased the historical Barber House in 2005. Although the historical society has taken some steps to stabilize the structure, they’re concerned the building may be in danger of collapse. The roof, the foundation, and even some of the timbers need repair.
"We’re lucky it didn’t fall in this winter – at least the slate roof still sheds snow," says historical society president Julie Moore.

The barn sits across the lot from the main house, and at an angle that almost seems to welcome visitors to the property. But the toll time has taken shows clearly on the building: the classic red paint is faded and worn, the roof is sagging, and bits of rotted wood and decay are visible along the eaves. The society has posted signs on the building warning would-be trespassers the building is dangerous, and to keep away.
Since the historical society purchased the Barber House, they’ve concentrated their efforts in renovating and restoring the main building. They’ve refurbished two rooms, refinished the kitchen, and have carried out numerous small repairs and improvements. "All things that add up in money," Moore says. "And we still owe money on the house."

Moore says society members applied for a Vermont Preservation Barn Grant, but competition for the grants is fierce and, she says, priority is given to barns that are visible from main roads. Now the historical society has few choices: watch the building collapse, sell or give it to someone for salvage, or find a donor (or donors) who wants to help them save their barn.
"In an ideal world, we’d like to have the barn restored and have it for storage and displays," says Moore. "But we just can’t afford to do that. Right now we’re open to any suggestions or feedback from anyone."
Society member Harriet Maynard says there are no records indicating when the barn was built, but she and other members believe the barn was built sometime between 1850 and 1899. Some hardware in the barn appears to be hand-forged, indicating an early construction date.

"The main house was built first," Maynard says, "and a shed was built behind it. The house and the shed were eventually connected with the addition of the kitchen. The barn may have been added at that time."
The construction date of the house is thought to be 1835, although Maynard says there’s no written evidence of anyone living on the site until 1853. Society member Lenny Chapman says there is some evidence indicating the house was moved to its present location from the site of the original village, at the top of Lisle Hill.
Barber family photos from the early 1900s clearly show the barn.
Maynard says the barn probably wasn’t built for an agricultural enterprise, but for the use of the household. "They would have had horses, and there are stalls in the barn, and storage for hay upstairs," she says. "There may have been a place for chickens in the barn, although later there was a chicken coop near the barn."

In the 1930s, the horses were gone, and the barn was renovated to accommodate an automobile. The original sliding barn door was removed and a spring-loaded garage door was installed in its place. "It was serviceable for many years," Maynard says, "but even when we bought it, I don’t think it had been used in quite a while."
Chapman, who has experience in building and with a barn of his own, says the society is also considering whether it may be in their best interest to sell the barn for salvage before it collapses. Salvaging the barn would be less expensive than cleaning up the debris from a collapse, and would eliminate the danger. "The slate on the roof and some of the beams are worth some money," he says. "We may be able to find someone who will take down the barn and clear the lot for nothing – or even give us a little money."
But Maynard says although the barn may appear ready to collapse, there may be life left in the old building. "It’s still holding together, and we’ve had much more snow some years, even more than this year."For more information or to make a donation to the Wilmington Historical Society, call them at (802) 464-0200, or contact Moore at (802) 464-3004.

Full Moon Rising

2008-01-22T22:33:00.000-05:00

Monday evening's full moon rose early over the West River Valley. These views are from Captain Copeland Road in Dover.

Hoot, Toot & Whistle

2008-01-18T23:02:00.000-05:00

Sorry the blog hasn't been too active lately - it's the time of the year: the natural light is lousy and the snow creates a colorless, contrastless landscape. So here's something a little different.
This article appears in the current issue of The Cracker Barrel.

All photos courtesy of the Wilmington Historical Society.

How 13 miles of railroad track transformed a town

By Mike Eldred
The Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington Railroad is fond but distant memory for only a few Wilmington residents. For younger generations and newcomers to the valley the famed local railroad, known affectionately as the "Hoot, Toot, & Whistle," is a legendary piece of Deerfield Valley history.
But the obscure little railroad was almost wholly responsible for bringing the industrial revolution to the Deerfield Valley and changing Wilmington from an isolated farming town into a vital commercial, manufacturing, and tourist center.
The title of a short article published in the New York Times on November 4, 1891, the day before the railroad’s debut trip to the new Wilmington station, sums up the railroad’s anticipated effect on the town: "Wilmington wakes up." According to the article, the Wilmington of the late 1800s was a "Green Mountain backwoods town."

"Old fashioned people with old-fashioned notions have lived and ruled in the town and have clung to the old fashioned customs. There are 1,300 people in Wilmington, and nearly all are descendants of the sixty-seven settlers who founded the village in 1763. There was not a resident of foreign birth in the town until a couple years ago when a few Swedes were brought to cultivate some abandoned hill farms, and no one now living can remember seeing a negro in the town. There is not a brick or stone building in the town."

The Wilmington railroad depot, now a private home.

It’s a fascinating description of a rural town with little direct contact with the rest of the region and few outside influences. "This area was very rural then," says Wilmington historian Peter Morris. "Everything moved by stage coach or buckboard between Brattleboro and Bennington."
Farming was the main economic activity in town, and there were various small cottage industries. But most of the goods produced in Wilmington were consumed within a few miles of their point of origin. Products intended for wider "export," were taken to Brattleboro on what could be a long and treacherous journey. Morris says his father-in-law, Andy Crawford, could remember making the day-long trip to Brattleboro and back by wagon with his father. "It was an all-day trip," Morris says. "You bundled up under a bear-skin blanket and got home after dark."
Goods purchased in Wilmington came in by the same route. It’s often said that people used to "make do" by improvising their own repairs and inventions, but if their ingenuity was part frugality and part poverty, it was also part desperation. Any item that wasn’t already available in town had to be mail-ordered and shipped by rail to the nearest train station, then picked up by horse-drawn wagon. The machinery needed for any large-scale manufacturing business would have been costly and difficult to get over the mountains from Brattleboro to Wilmington

Leaving the station

There were no tourists, and no reason for them to come to Wilmington. Although there was a hotel in town, the Vermont House, it wasn’t a "travel destination." While the town’s economy must have been sufficient to sustain the 1,300 descendents of the 67 original settlers,
There’s little doubt that Wilmington residents looked forward to the economic benefits a railroad would bring. In January 1883, Wilmington voters overwhelmingly authorized the investment of $43,000 in public funds in a "Brattleboro and Bennington Railroad" that would have also served Wilmington. The east-west rail route was never built, but another railroad, the Deerfield Valley Railroad, was built connecting the southern Vermont mountain town of Readsboro to the large manufacturing center of North Adams, MA and points east and west via the Hoosac Tunnel railroad station.
The 11-mile Deerfield River Railroad was completed in 1885. The purpose of the privately owned railroad was to provide hungry Massachusetts factories with the Deerfield Valley’s most abundant raw material: lumber and pulpwood. "
But the railroad also brought an economic boom to the Deerfield River towns. With regular railroad service to bring supplies and equipment in, and finished goods out, it was economically feasible to build factories outside of large cities, closer to the source of the raw materials. Soon, Readsboro boasted a number of industrial facilities, from sawmills and pulpwood processing plants to box and furniture factories.

Wating for the train to come in

Towns along the railroad became affluent communities with better access to goods and services on their own Main Streets, as well as passenger access to North Adams.
Wilmington residents must have watched Readsboro’s good fortunes with envy. When the track was extended another 13 miles to Wilmington in 1891, it was an invitation to the ‘backwoods" town to join the industrial revolution.
The invitation was accepted. The railroad’s chief purpose was still transport logs. According to George Cook, a railroad historian who has been researching the Hoot, Toot & Whistle in its various incarnations, whereas the line to Readsboro was built to feed industry in Massachusetts, the Wilmington extension was built to supply raw materials to new factories in Readsboro. "There was a paper factory in Readsboro that needed to be fed pulpwood," Cook says, "so it sponsored the construction of the railroad."
The ownership and names of the various railroad companies is somewhat convoluted. The "Hoosac Tunnel & Wilmington Railroad existed long before the track to Wilmington was ever laid. The track from the state line to Readsboro was owned privately under another name, and leased to the HT&W. At the completion of the Wilmington line, the three entities merged to become a single HT&W.

But it wasn’t long before industrialization came to Wilmington. The first major construction was a complex of sawmills and other lumber processing operations known as "Mountain Mills." Part village and part factory town, Mountain Mills drew employees from around the valley. But the demand for labor was high enough that foreign workers were also brought in. "The Newton Brothers (of Massachusetts) built the mills in Readsboro, and they had controlling interest in the entire operation," Cook says. "In 1905 they sold it off to Amos Brandin and Martin Brown."
Up until that time, the river was dammed up below Mountain Mills and logs were floated down to the sawmills. Brandin and Brown built a second railroad, the Deerfield River Railroad, from Mountain Mills into Somerset, some 35 miles of track used only to bring logs out of Somerset to feed the growing operation at Mountain Mills. "The railroad also allowed them to bring hardwood out – hardwood doesn’t float," Cook explains. "The mill was rebuilt to handle hardwood."
In 1918, a pulp mill was built at Mountain Mills, and the pulpwood that came out of Somerset was used even closer to home. "They used a sulfite process," Cook says. "Everyone in town knew when the paper mill was running because of the smell, like rotten eggs."

Approaching Wilmington

By 1924, the pulp mill was discontinued and the shores of Harriman Reservoir were lapping at its foundation. "Four quite a few years you could see the smoke stack," Cook says. "The water level came up so fast during a rainstorm in April 1924 that some people were caught with their cars in their garages and still in their homes."
In Wilmington Village, the new economic activity was creating affluence. The train may have come to take away logs, but it brought in new opportunities. After the completion of the railroad terminus in 1891 and 1905, Wilmington became a tourist destination. Large hotels were built catering to affluent urbanites looking for an escape from the summer heat of the city, and a return to the rural enjoyments of their childhood. Raponda Hotel was the first "lakefront" resort in town, built on a peninsula of land that juts out into the lake. The Forest and Stream Club, located in the Chimney Hill area provided fishing and other outdoor recreation opportunities. The Vermont House added a "tea room" to serve the new visitors to town. The Crafts Inn, one of Wilmington’s architectural crown jewels, was designed in 1896 by the famed firm of McKim, Meade, & White, of New York. The inn was completed in 1902.

Luddington Factory, now the site of the DVTA MooVer's headquarters

There’s no doubt that many of the town’s former "cottage industries" grew to take advantage not only of the availability of materials coming in by rail, but also of a new ability to distribute to far away locations with nothing more than at trip to the train station.
In 1914, some of the hardwood and softwood logs coming out of Somerset were diverted to Wilmington, where they were turned into clothespins, spindles, and plywood trays at the newly-built Ludington Woodenware Company factory. Portions of the factory still stand, as part of the former barnboard factory on Mill Street. The Ludington factory sat right next to the railroad tracks.
According to a 1914 newspaper article announcing the completion of the factory, the plant was designed to turn out an incredible 604,800 clothespins in a single day. The factory also produced 400,000 plywood trays per day. The trays were used in the delivery and sale of butter, lard, and "other commodities" at grocery stores. Large yarn bobbins, used in woolen mills, were also produced at the plant.
The new woodenware factory provided 128 jobs in the small town of Wilmington, instantly becoming the town’s largest employer.

Vermont House

For the average household, the train brought in foods and goods that weren’t available otherwise. The first banana, or orange, ever seen in the town of Wilmington probably came in on a rail car. But the train also brought a better standard of living. "Think about how you kept your house warm," Cook says. "Before the train, there was no coal, and wood was starting to get scarce. Coal was a big item."
Mail, medicines, specialty goods – nearly all the earmarks of a growing modern and affluent lifestyle depended on the train. "And if the snow blocked the train from getting through, there was real concern," Cook says. "There were times when people were hurting because the coal didn’t come in."

The HT&W continued to serve the community for more than 45 years. But the rise of the automobile, along with improvements in the roads, robbed the railroad of its preeminence as the town’s connection to the rest of the world. A series of natural disasters led to the discontinuation of the track from Readsboro to Wilmington. The railroad company considered discontinuing the track when the reservoir was flooded, but the town convinced the company to build a trestle crossing the lake. In November 1927, the trestle was washed out in a hurricane. While the trestle was under reconstruction, goods were transferred by truck from train’s northernmost passage, and passengers were taken into town by car.
According to a news clipping on file at the Wilmington Historical Society, the train didn’t return to Wilmington until July 8, 1929. The town was so excited at the prospect of renewing its connection with the outside world, the locomotive returned to town with cacophony of factory whistles, train whistles, and fire sirens.

Childs Tavern Porch, now the Crafts Inn

But in 1936 another hurricane struck, this time leaving the trestle and much of the track between Wilmington and Readsboro in ruins. Instead of rebuilding, the track between Wilmington and Readsboro was removed for good. The truncated HT&W continued to serve the valley until 1971, when service between the Hoosac Tunnel station and Readsboro was discontinued.

Raponda Hotel

Condo Fire in West Dover

2008-01-04T11:26:00.000-05:00

It seems incredible, but every year there are deck fires, dumpster fires, and even residential fires like this that are caused by homeowners or their guests placing hot ashes in or on combustable surfaces. This condominium was a complete loss. The cause was determined to be a bag of fireplace ashes that had been left on the front deck.

Fire had just broken through the west side of the building in this photo.

By Mike Eldred
DOVER- No injuries were reported in a New Year’s Eve fire at a condominium unit at Greenspring at Mount Snow.
The fire was reported at about 7:30 on the evening of December 31. Even as the first firefighters were arriving on the scene, dispatchers were reporting that witnesses saw fire engulfing the structure. With fears of the fire spreading to other condominiums in the same unit, or worse, to nearby units, firefighters raised the status of the fire to a second alarm, bringing in units from around southern Vermont.

Looking toward the front of the building

In addition to the West Dover Fire Department, Wilmington, East Dover, Wardsboro, Stratton Mountain, and Brattleboro responded to the scene. Units from a handful of other southern Vermont towns were dispatched to provide cover at stations that had equipment at the scene.
By the time firefighters arrived on the scene, all occupants of the unit were out of the building.
Wilmington assistant fire chief Richard Covey assumed command of the scene, and firefighters from the various towns worked flawlessly together.
According to West Dover Fire Chief Rich Werner, water supply at the large condominium complex isn’t a problem, thanks to a number of fire ponds with dry hydrants scattered around the area. Pumpers from East Dover and Wilmington were able to pump water to firefighters battling the blaze.

West Dover Ladder Truck

It took some time to get water to West Dover’s ladder truck, which was strategically positioned on a hill above the burning unit. Once the water was hooked up, firefighters were able to use the ladder’s aerial hose to knock down the fire from above.
Meanwhile, teams of firefighters attacked the fire from the ground, despite cramped quarters between the building and the nearby hillside.
It wasn’t long before ladder trucks arrived from Brattleboro and Stratton Mountain to join in fighting the fire from above. Brattleboro took up a position near the front of the building, and Stratton set up near the back of the building, and soon the fire, which had been burning brightly, had been knocked down and was under control.

View from atop an embankment behind the building. The roof is burning in this photo.

Werner says the condominium unit was destroyed. "The roof is gone, and a couple of the walls were severely damaged," he says. "There was a lot of smoke and water damage on the main floor and throughout the unit."
Miraculously, however, damage to the adjoining unit was relatively light. "The fire was contained to just the one unit," Werner says. "The unit next door got a little smoke damage."
The good news for the neighbors is a testament not only to the quick action of firefighters, but also to Greensprings’ construction methods. The condominiums were built with fire breaks and firewalls between units to halt the spread of fire. Werner says they worked. "That’s good quality construction," Werner says. "They did everything right, in fact, I think they did more than code required."

Firefighters notified fire marshals from the Vermont Department of Fire Safety about the incident even before the blaze was fully extinguished. The state police and DFS conducted their investigation on Wednesday, January 2, and determined that the fire started on the front porch near a trash receptacle and some trash bags. According to the report, the occupants placed ash from their fireplace in a trash bag and put it on the porch near the other refuse. "Ignition from the ash to surrounding combustible materials in the trash bag and surrounding area caused this fire." No injuries were reported in the blaze, but the family’s pet hamster died in the fire. Damage was estimated to be in excess of $300,000. The fire was ruled accidental and no charges are to be filed.

View from the Mountain

2008-01-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

I was driving along Route 8 on my way to Stamford one recent Friday when I looked up and noticed this strange strip of clouds just in front of the wind turbines.

The tint of the setting sun on the frosty trees almost looked like autumn colors.

There was hoarfrost on the trees all over the mountain. It was a little surreal driving along in a world turned completely white. It reminded me of last year's spectacular ice storm, only without the drooping and broken tree branches and power outages.

Moon over mist.

View from Boyd Hill Road

2007-12-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

On the Horizon

Plowed and Sanded

High Road

All of these photos were taken from Boyd Hill Road in Wilmington.

Fiery Car Crash

2007-12-19T15:39:00.000-05:00

No serious injuries were reported in this fiery car crash in Wilmington Wednesday morning. The accident occurred at the corner of Route 9 and Hall Road. It appeared that that the operator was turning onto Hall Road from Route 9, struck the guard rail, flipped over the guard rail, and into the snow bank. The occupants of the vehicle were already out when these photos were taken.

Nor'easter

2007-12-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

For any snow/ski fans out there who have been disappointed over the last few seasons, this is your year. It has done nothing but snow here for the last month. If you like snow, now's the time to be here.

View from the bridge, downtown Wilmington

Crafts Inn

The snow piled on grave markers at Restland Cemetery

Selective color

State snow plow on Route 9

View of downtown

Parmelee & Howe building

Cleaning the sidewalks

Frosted Jeep

Looking west along Route 9 from the junction with Route 100; White House of Wilmington in the background

A golden age

2007-12-13T18:36:00.000-05:00

I noticed these decorative corner pieces in an unlikely place late this fall.
These winged lions are guarding the four corners of Harriman Station. Despite the power generating station's out-of-the-way location in a remote corner of Whitingham only accessible from Readsboro, when Harriman was built it was the pinnacle of power generating technology, and the gem of the Deerfield and Connecticut River Valley power facilities.
This level of architectural detail isn't only an indication of the station's importance, it's also an example of a late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century movement toward more architecturally significant public and industrial buildings. Many industrial buildings of the period are characterized by neoclassical elements like large rows of tall windows, each separated from the others by a pillar, creating the image of columns, as well as details such as these lions.
Harriman Station was built in the early 1920s, during the era's peak, and not long before its demise during the Great Depression.

Self Serving and Vain

2007-12-08T23:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, this is a completely self-serving and vain post. But a few people have asked where the latest set of wheels came from, so here's the story.

1951 Willys M38

I recently brought this back from my father's house in Maine. My father has always had a fascination with Jeeps, and apparently it's a hereditary condition. He drove this until about 1987. Since then it has been garaged - not running, but in fantastic shape.
After 20 years, it's running again, and waiting for warmer weather to get out and "stretch its legs" once again. (Thanks to John Greene and the rest of the great mechanics at Greene's Servicenter.)

It's in original, unrestored and unmodified condition - still has the 24-volt military electrical system, blackout lights, and a maximum road speed of 60 mph!

-M

Fire

2007-12-07T22:01:00.000-05:00

This was taken at the scene of last Monday evening's fire at Seasons Condominiums - during the middle of a Nor'easter. The red lighting isn't coming from the fire (which was contained in a single unit) but from the emergency lights of the dozens of fire engines.

Snow!

2007-12-06T21:07:00.000-05:00

Yeah, it's here. If you like this kind if thing, it's time to head to Vemont and enjoy it.
Monday and Tuesday we had a Nor'easter that brought about eight inches of new snow.

Monday

For those who haven't seen them yet, this is one of Mount Snow's new fan guns, the way snow is made when Mother Nature isn't so cooperative.

Detroit Airport, 2006

2007-11-15T20:31:00.000-05:00

These photos were taken in Detroit Metro Airport, May 2006. The first two are of a spectacular fountain on the concourse of the McNamara terminal, IIRC. The plane parked directly in front of the fountain was a real bonus.

The second group of photos is of a light and music art installation in the McNamara Terminal Tunnel. Incredible. It was like being on the set of a 1970s sci-fi flick.

Intimidation

Nexus

Out and about

2007-10-29T12:46:00.000-04:00

Sunset over Haystack

Thursday evening I set out to take some photos of October's full harvest moon, which usually rises larger than at most other times of the year. As the harvest moon rises early in the evening, it looks larger than usual because it is magnified by the atmosphere.

Oddly enough, though, the moon rose in fog and clouds - big, but not clear enough for photographs. On the other side of the valley, however, there was this nice post-sunset view. Interestingly, not all of the color was visible to the naked eye. The camera was able to make better light adjustment than the human eye, and captured more color, both in the sky and in the cloud. I think it looks like there might be a volcano just over the horizon.

Route 7 Gorilla

I snapped the next two photos on a trip to Burlington via Route 7. The gorilla is located at a used car lot north of Rutland. A beautiful example of roadside marketing kitsch.

On fire

The foliage along Route 7 was phenomenal last week.

Other side of the fence

By request: more cows.

Around Town: Random images

2007-10-19T20:26:00.000-04:00

These are photographs I've taken around Wilmington, Dover, and Marlboro over the last couple of weeks. This first one was taken just today:

Red Dodge, Whites Road.

Reflecting Pond, Higley Hill

Stone Wall by Ben Bowen, Lower Dover Road

View from above, White's Road

Tiny waterfall, Hunter Brook Road

A closer look

Headed south, Wilmington

Rainy foliage season

2007-10-12T16:48:00.000-04:00

This year's foliage season has been a little off kilter - an early cool spell gave way to a very warm fall, and it seemed to keep the trees green longer than usual. By Columbus day weekend, the colors were just beginning to turn. Now, it has rained for the past week - during peak foliage.

Sometimes rain during foliage season is a disaster - hard rain will knock the leaves right off the tree. Depending on when it rains, it seems to destroy the color, turning all the leaves brown.
So we were lucky that this week's rain fell light and misty. I love rainy, misty days - and that kind of weather is quickly becoming one of my favorite times to take pictures.

It's probably boring to keep taking photos of the same place, the Wheeler Farm here in Wilmington, but I pass by it several times a day - and when you see the picture, or the right combination of colors, or the right light, it's hard not to stop and capture it.

This was shot right across the street from the Deerfield Valley News. I wanted to fill the frame with color.

The Hot Dog Ranch

2007-10-12T16:19:00.000-04:00

The trip to the Hot Dog Ranch had to be postponed for a week, but we finally made it last week. The Hot Dog Ranch - I'll spare the cowboy references.

As you can see, The Hot Dog Ranch was definitely open. The "ranch" is located at 310 State Street in North Adams. Apparently there's another location in Pittsfield.

Like Jack's, downtown, hot dogs rule the menu at the "ranch." Hamburgers and other sandwiches are available but the specialty are...

these strange tiny hot dogs, about three inches long and about as big around as a finger. They tasted like beef franks, and had a natural casing. I ordered three "with the works." Pretty good dogs, all in all, although I would forego their specialty chili next time - although it wasn't bad, it was strangely spiced - there was a definite taste of clove in it.

Lunch at Jack's

2007-09-22T23:18:00.000-04:00

Jack's Hot Dog Stand, on Eagle Street in North Adams, is one of those rare places - a landmark, an institution, a tradition. The hot dog stand has been in business since 1917, in the same spot, owned and operated by the same family.

I'm a real hot dog afficianado - I could eat hot dogs three meals a day. They are the world's most perfect food. A great hot dog appeals to all of your senses. Taste and smell, obviously, but when you bite into a good hot dog, with a natural casing, you hear a satisfying "crack" as your mouth explodes with flavor. Don't put a good hot dog in those awful top-split hot dog rolls - use the side split 'frankfurter' rolls. They have more crust, and contribute more flavor to your hot dog experience.

Jack's dogs aren't natural casing, so they just can't qualify as the best I've ever had - but that's not why you go to Jack's, anyway. Don't get me wrong, the hot dogs are great, but you're there for the atmosphere and the history.

The place is little more than a hole in the wall - a slot with a counter running down the center, 10 seats on one side, and a galley-sized kitchen on the other. The menu is ultra-uncomplicated: hot dogs, cheese dogs, chili cheese dogs, hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries, cheese fries, chili cheese fries... you get the idea. Fast food.

If you're sitting at the counter, you better not be the kind who can't eat with someone standing behind you - there will be several people standing along the inside wall, waiting for their take-out orders or waiting for a seat to open up. Jack is busy.

The place looks like it hasn't changed much since about 1950. I was there for lunch with my father, who said he hadn't been there in about 55 years. The biggest change, he said, was in the preparation. Apparently, 55 years ago, there was a hot dog cook with a certain flair. The condiments were applied with flat wooden sticks - tongue depressors. This particular cook applied the relish and mustard with one smooth, fast, stroke; dipping into the mustard, and almost throwing it into the bun with a flick of the wrist.

Quite a show. But even without the entertainment, Jack's Hot Dog Stand was a great experience. And I just found out there's another hot dog place in North Adams - the Hot Dog Ranch. Next week, yeehaww!

How about a little digital astrophotography?

2007-09-17T23:06:00.000-04:00

So this is how I spent a chilly Monday evening. After photographing a gory looking Deerfield Valley Rescue training scenario, I kept the camera mounted on the tripod and took a few shots of the night sky. I've been wanting to try some astrophotography, tonight was my first stab at it.
I also shot some B&W film in a few longer shots - several minutes - which should yield some nice star trails when I develop them.

Ursa Major, the Big Dipper. If you look closely you'll see an oscillating line bisecting the Dipper's handle - an airplane was flying overhead while I was taking the shot. If you click on the photo, you'll see a larger version with more detail. This photo was taken with about 30 seconds exposure.

This is a 15-second shot straight overhead. That's an apple tree in the lower left. What I found fascinating about this shot is the color - the sensor picks up each star's color, something the human eye isn't very good at in the dark. Click on the photo and you'll notice some of the stars are blue, others red, and some white.

These were taken in my back yard, right in downtown Wilmington. Imagine how spectacular these shots would be if they were taken away from the lights of Main Street. Next time, a better location. And maybe some more equipment.

Early morning, post rain

2007-09-13T22:14:00.000-04:00

After weeks of dry weather, the recent rain greened things up around the valley. A mist was rising along the Deerfield River and the Wheeler Farm early this morning (well, 7 am is early for me). On this morning's drive, the Deerfield Valley reminded me a little bit of Ireland, my once and future home: cool, damp, and a thousand shades of green.

The fresh green of the field contrasts nicely with the red barn.

The angle of the sun was such that the sun struck the cows, but left the trees in shadow.

Mist rising off the hillside

The sun glinting off the silos.

Mist rising off the Deerfield.

By Request

2007-09-07T15:51:00.000-04:00

This Luna moth was spotted outside our offices in Wilmington. The Luna moth is beautful, but its adult lifespan is tragically short: about 7 days. So, enjoy them when you see them.

Goldenrod

2007-09-07T14:02:00.000-04:00

The goldenrod is in bloom along Route 100, across the Deerfield River from Adams Farm. Goldenrod signals the end of summer and, for many, it also signals the beginning of the fall allergy season. Many allergy sufferers think it is the colorful and copious goldenrod blooms that are responsible for their misery, but few people are actually allergic to goldenrod. The real culprit is ragweed, a non-descript plant that grows along roadsides and in fields. Ragweed blooms at the same time as goldenrod, but its "flowers" are green and blend in with surrounding vegetation.

Ragweed

A new start.

2007-08-13T16:25:00.000-04:00

If anyone is still looking at iSquangle (hey, post a message, and let me know you're out there, would you?) you may notice that I've deleted a few posts. The bears, as wonderful as they are, took up too much of my time. And, as a result, I ended up abandoning iSquangle.
I'm taking iSquangle back to its original purpose - as an outlet for my photography and a showcase for what makes Southern Vermont a great place to live or visit.

Here are a few photos to get started with. These were taken several weeks ago on Shearer Hill. I was on my way home from an evening meeting of the Halifax and Whitingham school boards. I've been over this road a thousand times and, although this particular farm is always one of the visual highlights, I had never seen it like this, shrouded in mist.

If you look at the photo files closely, you can see a lot of "noise" in them. That's because I had my camera set at ISO 3200, and the mist was quite thick and reflective.

Fire destroys Whitingham barn

2007-05-29T16:26:00.000-04:00

By Mike Eldred
WHITINGHAM- Fire completely destroyed two barns at Clyde Twitchell’s Town Hill Road farm Wednesday morning.
Firefighters from Whitingham, Wilmington, Halifax, and Readsboro rushed to the scene to battle the blaze, but Whitingham Fire Chief Stanley Janovsky said it was already too late to save the structure by the time firefighters arrived. "It was pretty close to fully involved already," he said. "We knew we were going to lose the barn, so we concentrated on defensive action to protect the house and other buildings near the barn."

Twitchell’s property sits at the top of a long hill with a constant rise. Knowing there was no water source on the property, Janovsky instructed the first units at the scene to drop four-inch hose from nearby ponds to the top of the hill. Janovsky says one of the runs was about a half-mile in length. The distance was long enough that Readsboro firefighters had to station a pumper truck in the middle of the run to keep up water pressure.

The strategy worked, and, although the barns were lost, firefighters had enough water to keep the flames under control and protect Twitchell’s house and other outbuildings. "Water wasn’t a problem, once we got it established, we never ran out," Janovsky said. "But there was so much fuel in the barn."

The fire destroyed an older barn, as well as a larger, more modern barn that Twitchell says he built himself, using lumber harvested and cut on the property. Twitchell said the fire was just showing when he called 911, but by the time he got back outside, flames had already advanced halfway down the larger of the two barns.

Janovsky said the new barn was full of the extended family’s belongings, from cars, boats, and snowmobiles to tractors and other farming equipment. Some antique tractors and equipment had been carefully restored. "I think they were able to save one boat," Janovsky noted.
The fire on Town Hill Road is the second barn fire in Whitingham in less than a week, both from the same cause – lightning. A fire damaged a barn at the Corse farm on Thursday night, although firefighters were able to save the main barn from significant damage.

Janovsky says the state fire marshal confirmed that Wednesday morning’s fire was started by a lightning strike from a storm that hit the area during the early morning hours. "It must have struck between 1 and 3 am, which was when a storm came through," Janovsky said. "The fire must have been smoldering all that time waiting to catch some air." A light, but steady wind blew across the hill Wednesday morning, and the fire found its air.

Wilmington and Halifax firefighters assisted at the scene, while Readsboro and Halifax teams kept pumping water from nearby ponds. Whitingham Ambulance also provided assistance at the scene. The Rowe, MA, fire department provided cover at the Whitingham Fire Station, and a Wilmington engine provided cover at the Jacksonville station.

Johnny Angel

2007-05-22T19:23:00.000-04:00

No, Representative John Moran of Wardsboro isn't stumping for votes in the hereafter. He's addressing voters at Readsboro's Town Meeting. Although he appears to be wearing wings, it's only a trick of the camera - the wings belong to an eagle painted on the Readsboro School gymnasium wall.

Blue Moon

2007-05-22T19:17:00.000-04:00

Once again, I'm sharing my addiction for moon photos. This was taken one cool, crisp, clear spring morning. I always find a daytime moon kind of exciting.

Hey Bullwinkle!

2007-05-07T15:44:00.000-04:00

Deerfield Valley News reader Jay Wood spotted this bull moose on Route 100 in Dover, close to the Stratton town line. Moose shed their antlers annually, in the fall, after mating season. After a healing period, new antler buds sprout. If you look closely (click on the photo to enlarge) you can see his antler buds, already about 6 inches long.

Sunset over Hogback

2007-05-07T15:29:00.000-04:00

A series of photos recently taken from Hogback Mountain.

Madame Sherri's Chateau

2007-04-24T16:20:00.000-04:00

Last weekend the iSquangle crew headed off for an out-of-state adventure in nearby New Hampshire. Madame Sherri’s "castle," as these chateau ruins are called, is a well-known, and supposedly haunted, local landmark located in Madame Sherri Forest in Chesterfield, NH. (Directions below)

Gulf Road. A cool diversion on the way to the chateau

The arched stairway, which once led to main floor of the chateau, is the most prominent feature of the ruins.

The chateau was built by Madame Antoinette Berandi Maculuso (Madame Sherri), a costume designer for the Zeigfeld Follies in the 1920s. Madame Sherri spent her summers at her chateau in Chesterfield for more than 30 years.

Madame Sherri was famous around town for her outrageous behavior. She is said to have enjoyed being chauffeured around Keene and Brattleboro during the summer wearing nothing but a fur coat; and rumors circulated around town about her raucous parties and the out-of-town guests that showed up for them.

Another rumor suggests that Madame Sherri ran a brothel out of the chateau. The rumor is probably nothing more than that; the backwoods of New Hampshire isn’t a likely location for a house of ill-repute. Perhaps locals simply confused her old world title with her occupation.

The chateau, which had been long abandoned, burned in 1962. Madame Sherri died three years later at the age of 84.

If you’re interested in exploring the ruins of Mdme Sherri’s chateau, or hiking the loop through Mdme Sherri’s forest, the site is easy to find. From the traffic circle on Putney road, take the Keene/Route 9 East exit. After you cross the green bridge into New Hampshire, take your next right – right by the little market that’s just across the bridge. Take your next left, onto Gulf Road. Mdme Sherri’s Forest is on the right, a couple miles up the road. The sign and parking area are very visible from the main road. The chateau ruins are a across the footbridge and a up a short path.

More fire photos

2007-04-12T14:51:00.000-04:00

Fully involved.

This photo courtesy of Wilmington firefighter Jake White

The bank building, before renovations sometime between 1885 and 1905.

Photo courtesy Peter Morris

Photo showing the brick wall at the back of the building, and the jewelry store, unscathed. Notice the snow on the roof.

A burned-out skeleton.

The vault alarm box that once topped the front facade lies in the rubble on the sidewalk.

Before the fire

2007-04-11T11:20:00.000-04:00

This photo of the bank building was sent in by Mary Towne.

More fire photos

2007-04-10T09:58:00.000-04:00

These were sent in by downtown resident Jennifer Betit. She says she woke to the sound of a tractor trailer sounding its horn. When she went outside she saw the fire.

Fire at Wilmington's Bank Building

2007-04-08T22:08:00.000-04:00

The burned out building, still standing

Wilmington lost one of its historic buildings in an early morning fire Sunday. According to witnesses at the scene, the fire at the former Vermont National Bank building was reported by passing truck driver at about 4:30 am. Fire was already showing, and the building was quickly consumed.

View from the front of the building

Power was out throughout the valley from 4:30 am until 9:30 and later in some areas. Power, phone, and cable crews worked throughout the morning to restore services. Traffic was halted on Route 9 east and west, and Route 100 north for about 12 hours.

From the east side of the building - Dot's Diner is just visible through the charred studs.

The building was in such precarious condition, local officials called in an excavator to take down the remainder of the building as a safety precaution.

View from the bridge. Note the melted vinyl hanging off the home center wall.

Although fire damaged the vinyl siding on the Wilmington Home Center, peripheral damage was minimal. Fire department officials said a strong northerly wind kept the fire from spreading to a jewelry store and the Village Pub to the south. In addition, the south wall of the old bank building was brick, perhaps protecting the former bank's vault, also located along the south wall.

An excavator begins pulling the structure down

Curiously, the jewelry store building just to the south of the burning building, located a mere foot or two away, suffered almost no damage. Even the snow on the roof wasn't melted.

On the downwind side, however, it was a different story. The plastic housing of the traffic lights at the intersection was melted, and crosswalk signs by the Parmelee & Howe building and the Wilmington Home Center were both melted.

Fire investigators search the debris. The bank vault is still standing. A vault that had been on the second floor is visible to the left of the main vault.

Fire investigators worked closely with demolition teams to examine the ruins as the debris was being pulled away.

A fire investigator emerges from the building's basement

View from the bridge before nightfall

By about 5 pm, much of the building had been removed. Crews remained into the evening, replacing utility lines and working to restore service.

Guest Photographer

2007-03-20T12:13:00.000-04:00

This series of images were taken by local photographer Tiido Tennelo. Tennelo's photography is well known around the valley, and appears on a number of local websites.

Abbot Road & Ames Hill

2007-03-05T17:02:00.000-05:00

I like the contrast between the colorful barn, sided with pieces of scrap metal, and the dull winter countryside. This was taken on a gray, overcast day, so when I processed the photo on my computer I boosted the saturation to enhance the colors on the building.
It's difficult to see clearly, but the end of the barn seems to have collapsed, leaving the little cupola to appear almost suspended out over nothingness.

This photo appeared in the print edition of The Deerfield Valley News, but I thought it was too good not to include here on iSquangle, too.

Somewhere in Marlboro

Brattleboro Churches

2007-03-05T16:31:00.000-05:00

I like the blue face on the clock - it seems like a whimsical splash of color on the otherwise traditional white church.

A trio of Gothic windows

The style of this arch is mirrored in the wndow

Snow

2007-03-05T16:23:00.000-05:00

The entrance of the Old Red Mill in Wilmington, after a recent snowfall

Snowmobile Rescue

2007-03-05T15:55:00.000-05:00

These photos are from a recent snowmobile rescue in Somerset. As snowmobiling continues to gain popularity, local rescue units are called to more off-road winter accidents every year. Crowded trails, inexperienced riders, sudden changes in weather and trail conditions, and a lack of familiarity with the area, may be contributing factors to the increase in snowmobiling accidents. The snowmobile club in the tiny town of Woodford, just to the south and west of Somerset, is the largest such club in the country.

This accident occured on the Glastonbury road, a remote area of an already remote part of the Green Mountain National Forest.

The Wilmington Fire Rescue Sled Team was called in to remove the patient from the scene of the accident to the ambulance waiting on the main Somerset road. Fire rescue EMTs provide patient evaluation and care at the scene.

The sled team gets ready to head out on the trail, with rescue litter in tow.

The rescue litter is covered to protect the patient from snow and cold wind.

Returing from the scene of the accident, patient in tow.

Fire rescue personnel prepare to move the patient to the ambulance for tranpsort to the local hospital.

Searsburg Dam and Power Station

2007-02-12T10:25:00.000-05:00

Many visitors to the valley, at least those who venture west of the light in Wilmington, have seen this pipeline snaking along the side of the mountains and wondered what it is and what runs through it. There may even be a few locals who aren't quite sure what the mysterious pipleline carries. Speculation on the contents of the pipeline runs from the town's drinking water to a fuel supply line.

The pipeline, or penstock, carries water used to operate a small hydroelectric station on the Wilmington/Searsburg town line. This type of system, in which the dam and generation facility are separately located, is known as a "divided fall facility."

The water is concentrated at small reservoir in Searsburg, located on the road to Somerset Reservoir.

Searsburg Reservoir and Dam

Adjacent to the dam is a small pump house that directs water into the penstock when the hydroelectric station is running.

Pump house

The system was originally built in the 1920s. The penstock is constructed of wood staves bound by metal hoops. The assembly is supported in a wooden cradle that rests on a bed of gravel. The penstock is 8-feet in diameter, and stretches 3.5 miles from the reservoir to its terminus above the power plant.

View showing staves, hoops, and cradle.

A bridge allows access to both sides of the penstock for maintenance

The penstock ends at a surge tank above the generation facility - visible from Route 9, near the Wilmington town line. The surge tank was new technology at the time the station was built. The tank acts like a shock absorber - equalizing the force of the incoming water and protecting the system from potential damage when the turbine gates were closed rapidly. A much larger surge tank is located at nearby Hariman Station.

The Searsburg Station is at the bottom of the photo. Above the station is the "surge tank."

Searsburg station is a 5 mega-watt facility, completed in 1922. When it was built, the facility was the largest fully-automated plant in the United States. It could be operated without an attendant thanks to a time clock that opened the turbine at a certain time, and shut itself down at a predetermined limit. It also was designed to operate based on water height at the reservoir, using an electric float switch.

Jacksonville Pond Dam

2007-02-11T11:26:00.000-05:00

Jacksonville Pond Dam and Reed Hill Bridge.

The dam's stonework is visible behind the water.

Ice behind the water breaks the flow and creates interesting patterns.

What would Freud say?

2007-02-04T19:44:00.000-05:00

Bennington Battle Monument, Bennington VT

iSquangle took a short trip to the Bennington Battle Monument Friday afternoon, just as the snow started falling. The 306-foot tall obelisk commemorates the Battle of Bennington, which actually took place across the border in New York on August 17, 1777.

"They are ours, or this night Molly Stark sleeps a widow!" -Gen. John Stark.

General John Stark, with 1,400 New Hampshire volunteers as well as volunteers gathered in Vermont towns along what is now known as the Molly Stark Trail (VT Route 9), sucessfully defeated two detachments of British General John Burgoyne's army. The British goal was a store of weapons and supplies kept at the site of the monument.

A study in contrast

2007-02-02T11:51:00.000-05:00

A stone wall meanders over a hill in Wilmington

Stone wall in Wilmington

I like the way snow looks on stone walls. My eye is drawn to the contrast between the snow and the stone. In the top picture, the snow looks almost like it was drizzled over the stones like confectioner's glaze. In the bottom photograph, the snow highlights the shapes of the rocks.
For the contemplative viewer, these scenes offer a chance to muse about other contrasts, beyond light and dark.

Moon over Dover

2007-01-31T18:51:00.000-05:00

Not quite full. 31 January 2007

I'm notorious for taking photographs of the moon. It's a compulsion. A sickness. People laugh at me. I just can't help myself.

Sentry

2007-01-31T09:54:00.000-05:00

A water-worn log protrudes from the ice on Harriman Reservoir

Power of the past

2007-01-30T12:10:00.000-05:00

Rivets adorn the boiler of a turn-of-the-century steam engine.

Route 100 south, Wilmington.

Pssst! That guy over there is taking our picture!

2007-01-29T12:33:00.000-05:00

Dix Road, Wilmington

Ice trails on glass

2007-01-23T12:36:00.000-05:00

Frost on the windshield

SNOW!

2007-01-20T08:55:00.000-05:00

The Red Mill, Wilmington.

Snow finally fell on the valley after one the longest snow droughts in recent memory. The Friday evening "storm" dropped three to four inches on the area.

Skiers and snowmobilers will, no doubt, be relieved at the return to more seasonable weather.

Snow clings to a windowsill

Drift

Snow fills the hollow of a tree.

More photos from this week's ice storm

2007-01-18T08:17:00.000-05:00

This week's ice storm wreaked havoc on the area, causing hardship for many local residents left without power for days. But few could deny a sense of awe when standing in the middle of a landscape transformed into a crystaline wonderland.

Allard Road, Whitingham

Ice coated branch illuminated by the sun. Allard Road

Wilmington Cross Road, Whitingham

State highway department clearing Route 100 of debris. Whitingham

Branches laden with ice along Route 100 in Wilmington.

Breaking news: Twin Valley budget passes

2007-01-17T20:15:00.000-05:00

Wilmington and Whitingham voters passed the Twin Valley budget of $5,193,341 by wide margin Wednesday evening. Unofficial results for Wilmington: 110 in favor, 76 opposed. In Whitingham, 76 voters approved the budget, and 43 were opposed.
The budget vote was the first held under an ammendment to the joint contract approved last year that required an Australian ballot.

Valley struggles to recover from ice storm

2007-01-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

Jacksonville, Halifax, and surrounding areas are still struggling to clear roads and regain electrical service after an ice storm hit the area Monday night. As temperatures dipped below zero early Wednesday morning, some areas had been without power since about 10 pm Monday evening.

Barbed wire on Wilmington Cross Road.

While utility companies work to clear power and phone lines of tree limbs, state and local road crews are scrambling to clear roadways of debris from downed trees.

Trees strain under the weight of the ice on Route 100 Wednesday morning.

By Tuesday evening, 300 to 400 homes were still without power. During the late night and early morning hours, power was regained, lost, and regained again in several areas in the valley.

Apple tree on Wilmington Cross Road.

Whitingham maintained the municipal center in Jacksonville as a shelter throughout the night, but town clerk Almira Aekus says no one sought refuge. Anyone who needs emergency assistance or shelter can call the Red Cross at (800)288-3554 (802) 442-9458, or call their local fire department for more information.

Ice Storm

2007-01-15T14:20:00.000-05:00

It is a drippy, dreary, and icy Martin Luther King Day in the Deerfield Valley. When I went to leave for work I was greeted by
a car completely encased in ice. But, with a little defrosting and a lot of scraping, I managed to slither up Route 100 to get to work.

As the day progresses, we're being taunted by flickering lights - a warning that we probably will, eventually, lose electrical power.

The trees, bushes, and power lines are laden with wet, heavy ice.