A Short Trip Through Area History

After a rainy day yesterday, we have our sunshine back - however, lots of the trees are bare and the daytime temperature is lower than it has been - right now I'm showing 55 degrees in the shade - but it is still very comfortable outside, especially for working.

Sunday was a beautiful day, and we went with friends to the Danville Inn for breakfast.  It was a treat to see the Halloween decorations owner Steve Cobb had; and in addition, the food was wonderful.  After lingering over coffee, we took some back roads on the way home.  To say we took "the long way home" would be an understatement.  We went first to Greenbank Hollow, then to Peacham, South Cabot, and finally over Last Road (a stretch timid drivers would not want to attempt) to Danville Hill Road to Cabot where I showed them one of my favorite spots, the Center of Town Cemetery.  We spend some time at Greenbanks Hollow where the big five-story woolen mill had been.  Foundation remnants are clearly visible on the west side of the covered bridge that spans Joe's Brook.

According to historical records, John Bolton, who I believe was my great, great grandfather, built a small mill there in 1802, which he sold to Mr. Greenbank some 40 years later.  The area was known as "Bolton's Hollow" before becoming "Greenbank's Hollow."  I'm trying to find the connection to Harrison Bolton, referred to in a pamphlet about the area as the person Greenbank bought from.  There were many John Boltons, also William Boltons, but I haven't found Harrison.  I could be mistaken and the John who built the first mill might not have been part of my father's direct line - but a trip to the Danville Town Offices may help clear that up. 

From there we found our way to East Hill Road in Peacham where we went past the farm where author, Bill Lederer, lived when I worked for him (it hasn't changed much, but looks less "lived in" than when he owned it), and then through Peacham Village and along the back road leading to East Cabot -  but we took a side road so our friends could see the Covenant Hills Camp in South Cabot.  That's how we happened to take Last Road, which is almost directly opposite where the Covenant Hills Road intersects Route 2.  

Fred and I had not been on any of those roads for some time, but there was no problem - all were very navigable, although some quite narrow and a bit rough, and there were spots where the foliage and views were very nice.  It was especially pretty at the Center of Town Cemetery (picture on right).  Some of the old markers were tipped, and some have broken off and I found parts of them on the stone wall surrounding the graveyard.  I expect it would be nearly impossible to effectively repair those 200 year old markers.  It's still a nice, quiet spot to visit and remember that the founding fathers of Cabot once trod there, for instance, William Osgood, who donated land for the cemetery and was first to be buried there; the first school master, Joseph Smith, is buried there; also at least nine Revolutionary War soldiers, and familiar family names such as Lyford, Morse, Stone, Durgin, Marsh, Colburn, Perry, Adams and Walbridge.  The last burial there was in 1846.

 

None of us remembered that the Hastings Store celebration was going on Sunday, so we missed that.  We just thought of it yesterday, and were sorry we didn't get to stop in.  I'm sure they had plenty of well wishers without us, but it would have been nice to have joined the fun.

Here is a notice I received this morning that may be of interest to Cabot residents. Click to make the poster large enough to read.