Cool day to start off November!  Cooler night - I just realized it's raining.  I checked the temperature - 39 degrees.  We had a frost last night, and I think tonight may be just as cold or a little colder, which of course means we could wake up to snow on the ground tomorrow.  Mt. Mansfield got an inch of snow a day or so ago, and I bet it didn't melt much today.  We're getting there!
     At our meeting Monday (the West Danville History Committee), Patty Conly reminded me about some fun stories out of a publication done in 1990 to commemorate the Pope Library Centennial, called "A Danville Treasury."  I was amused when I read some of those stories that had to do with West Danville.  One I particularly liked was about some local highschool kids (I won't name them - you'll have to get our book when it's out) skipped school, because they didn't like walking three miles from West Danville to Danville when it was twenty below zero.  That alone is enough to make one smile - how far do kids walk to school today?
     There was a "kicker," to the story, however.  The school principal caught on to what the boys were doing and pointed out to them that one of their classmates, Charlie Patterson, walked seven miles each day from Walden.  But here's the rest of the story:  Charlie not only walked 14 miles every day to and from school, he hadn't missed a day in three years! 
    Things were certainly different back then.  We didn't hear things like the news items we hear about today - terrorist attacks, harassment charges, drug busts and medical fraud.  Perhaps if we'd had the instant news capabilities we have today, it would have been the different, but I really believe people were kinder, more patriotic and, let's face it, saner than today - not so many messed up in drugs or counter-cultures.  Politics is a different story - not a lot has changed there - it's just that now with social media, it's more in-your-face.
     The era we're writing about, the 1800s and 1900s in West Danville, was filled with hardships and hard work.  People lived a simpler lifestyle, but they seemed to be a happy bunch.  Most raised large families and did the best they could by their children.  There were accidents at work and epidemics that took a toll especially before doctoring improved.  It's a miracle they survived.

    Here's a panoramic view of West Danville - perhaps around 1920.  There was a lot going on in town then.  There weren't as many cottages around the pond, but during the summer, especially, it was a lively place, a lot like it is now.  And people loved their village, their cottages and just being at Joe's Pond - just like now.  It's nice to know some things never change.