Winter's Back

 I'm sitting in my office watching the snow blow off my roof.  I've done pretty well in spite of the cold weather. During the warmish part of each day, I've been outside doing things - I removed the burlap protection from my tender shrubs yesterday, and I took in all my bird feeders a few days ago. This morning I measured a quarter of an inch of wet messy snow, and even had to shovel it off t he deck - mainly so I could correctly measure how much snow falls in the next 24 hours, because I expect we'll get more overnight. I haven't seen the forecast, but it's only 31 degrees now, and heading down, so whatever falls will be white. And of course the wind is blowing, so it's cold out there.

I've managed to organize more in the basement during some of these gloomy days. I'm not sure I'll ever be absolutely done with that project. There are so many boxes of "stuff" to go through, and I must decide if it stays or goes. I'm finding interesting bits that jog my memory. For instance, I found in one of my collections of junk, some old hairpins. The wire kind that were about four inches long and looked like an "M" on stilts. My mother had really long hair at one point in her life, and wore it in a "pug" or knot at the back of her head. She used those hairpins to hold it in place. I have no idea how I happened to have one, but there it was, along with a smaller version that I think came along when styles changed, and a plain "bobby pin" that I haven't seen any of for quite a while. I know those are still used - and I find it amusing that today they are considered decorative, I guess; but I remember when they came in a variety of shades of brown to black so they wouldn't be as noticeable as they held our locks in place. They were also used to hold pincurls in place at night so our hair had curl in it the next day. They were ok for short hair, but my hair was long when I was in high school, and I wound it up with silk stockings so my "page boy" would be in place the next day. I don't remember, but it must have been uncomfortable to sleep on any of that stuff. 

I had a call yesterday from Dana Robinson, director of Cabot Arts, asking for any photos I might have of the bandstand on the common in Cabot. I didn't recall ever seeing a bandstand in any of the photos I archived for the historical society several years ago, but I went through those I have on my computer and found nothing. I went to the Vermont Historical Gazetteer and also a Cabot history that Rev. Fred Blodgett wrote, and found no  mention of a bandstand. John Dana had deeded an acre of land to the town for a common in 1822, and specified in the deed that it should be kept "free of all encumbrances."  In 1875 a Civil War memorial was erected at the north end of that common. The area that Dana gave the town for a common was described as a "frog pond" around which there were farms. The main street through town was described as being nearly impassable with mud, and one old timer at the Center of town wrote when businesses left the Center and
moved down the hill to where the village is now, by the Winooski River, that they had "moved the town into a swamp." At one time there was a millpond where the soccer field is and the town's recreation field on the road to South Walden. Now, there are no longer mills along the river, and the mill pond was long ago drained. The muddy main street is paved and the common is a lovely green oasis in the middle of town in summer - a fun-filled skating rink in the winter - just as it was all those years ago. No farms in town any longer, but homes and stores, the school and church are still there. The photo above showing skaters was taken from Main Street, and the large white building at the left was the school house at that time. Danville Hill Road is on the right. The bottom photo was in 1907 when the Vermont Guards camped there for several days. Taken from nearly the same location, this clearly shows the Methodist Church, which is still there, but privately owned today.

A little while after I had talked with Dana today, he called me back to say that Peter Dannenberg, treasurer of the Cabot Historical Society and husband of President Bonnie Dannenberg, had located a reference to a bandstand in a Gazetteer.  Peter is an exceptional researcher, and I'm pleased to know the existence of a bandstand in Cabot seems to be proven, however briefly it may have existed. I think it is strange that there are no photographs. We have photos of band members, but they are either marching in a parade or posing in front of the Civil War Memorial. Anyway, it's good to have that information. I hope Peter adds that to the website.

The interest in finding out about the bandstand is because there is interest in Cabot in putting a bandstand on the common. I have no feelings one way or the other. Cabot no longer has a town band, but who knows? Perhaps there will be another formed. Years ago they joined with men from Marshfield and it was quite a large group. What is the saying . . . Everything old is new again!?