Month: February 2018

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Robert Torrance’s House

In 1883, Henry Sheldon left his home in downtown Middlebury and traveled approximately five miles southeast along Route 7 to retrieve a sample of wood from the first brick house built in Middlebury. (1) The house, built on lot 33 in present-day East Middlebury(2) was constructed by Robert Torrance in 1774 (3). According to Torrance’s daughter, Olive, Robert Torrance emigrated from Ireland to Woodsbury, Connecticut in 1754, at the age of eighteen. He arrived in Middlebury with other original settlers in 1774, descended Otter Creek on a raft, and purchased lot 33 from a man named Joseph Hyde, along with lot 32.(4) Soon thereafter, Torrance built a log cabin on the land, before building the brick house later that year.(5) Torrance served on Middlebury’s grand jury in its early days alongside a fellow resident by the name of Abraham Kirby.(6)

Map drawn by Middlebury College President, Ezra Brainerd in 1886. Red rectangle denotes Robert Torrance’s plots in East Middlebury; blue circle denotes location of Henry Sheldon’s house.

There are several reasons why Henry Sheldon may have regarded a scrap of wood from Robert Torrance’s house as relic-worthy. While Robert Torrance himself was not as significant a figure in early Middlebury as John Chipman, for example, his house was notable for several reasons. First, as mentioned previously, it was the first brick house to be built in Middlebury. Eighteenth-century Vermont was virtually inhospitable for white settlers due to harsh winters and the threat of attacks by the Abenaki Tribe. Most settlers built wood houses, but Robert Torrance’s decision to construct a sturdier brick house would have signified an intention to remain in Middlebury despite the potential complications associated with doing so. Torrance was one of the first permanent residents of Middlebury (others, such as Joseph Hyde had lived in Middlebury temporarily but could not brave the winter in its entirety),(7) and the presence of his brick house would have attracted other settlers to the town. Second, Torrance’s house was one of only four buildings to survive the Revolutionary War after British troops invaded and sacked the town, forcing all residents to flee. The other buildings to survive were Joshua Hyde and Bill Thayer’s houses, which like Torrance’s, were built in East Middlebury, along with a barn built by John Chipman which could not be burnt on account of the wood being wet. (8) Third, the house functioned as one of the first schoolhouses in Middlebury, with Robert Torrance’s daughter, Olive, serving as one of the teachers. (11) It is possible that Henry Sheldon himself was schooled in the house during his early years.

Lot 33 as it appears today

From the significance of Robert Torrance’s house we can deduce that Henry Sheldon’s definition of what constitutes a “relic” encompasses many factors. Included in his chair are relics notable for their national historical significance (USS Constitution, Declaration House, Charter Oak, Andrew Johnson’s Tailor Shop, etc.), or association with a prominent member of the town of Middlebury (Moses Sheldon’s house, Samuel Sheldon’s barn). Robert Torrance’s house seems unique in its “relic-ness” in that its significance isn’t based on its association with a person or event, but rather for its existence: the simple fact that it was the first brick structure to be built in Middlebury, signifying the growth of the town.

Robert Torrance lived on lot 33 in the brick house he had constructed in 1774 until his death in 1816. (10). His family continued to live in the house until its destruction around the time Henry Sheldon procured his wooden specimen in 1883. Although relatively little is known about his life, Robert Torrance almost certainly played an integral role in the early development of the town of Middlebury.

 

-Noah Fine ’20

Footnotes:

1.Henry Sheldon Papers vol. 19, Collections of Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont
2. Ezra Brainerd, “The Early Settlements of Middlebury, Vermont” [Map], 1886. Collections of Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont.
3.Samuel Swift, History of the Town of Middlebury in the Town of Addison, Vermont, a Statistical and Historical Account of the County (Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Company , 1859), 169.
4. Swift, 170; 5. H.P. Smith, ed., History of Addison County, Vermont with Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Some of its Prominent Men and Pioneers (Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co. Publishers, 1886), 245.
5. Swift, 182.
6.Smith, 266.
7. Swift, 170.
8. Swift, 186.
9. Frederick Hall’s Statistical Account of the Town of Middlebury, 1821, Collections of Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont.
10. Smith, 245.

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California Redwood

On the far right side of the Henry Sheldon chair, above the middle crest, sits the California Redwood spindle. The California redwood spindle was donated to Henry Sheldon by Rollin Birchard, a distinguished Middlebury resident, who obtained the spindle from the interior of an Episcopal church in Cottage City, Rhode Island.[1] 

Henry Sheldon’s entry for the specimen of California redwood, from his book of woods used in the Memorial Chair (HL Sheldon papers, vol. 19).
Entry from acqusitions ledger, Henry Sheldon Museum, 18 February 1884

Birchard donated several specimens to the Sheldon Museum and was also  cited in multiple newspaper articles. Besides the spindle, on July 1st, 1884, Birchard donated a facsimile of the first manuscript of the Declaration of Independence.[2] This relates directly to the themes of patriotic values expressed through Birchard’s  donations and contributions to the Middlebury community. Birchard donated a relic from a prominent North American landmark and also contributed a copy of one of the most patriotic and distinguished pieces of American history.

        One specific example of his involvement in the Middlebury community is seen in a patent from the United States Patent Office related to the improvement in articles of food from cider, pictured to the right.[3] Birchard was a witness for the patent application and signed off on Schuyler Mahan’s account. It appears that Birchard was involved in all aspects concerning the town of Middlebury and most definitely had the area’s best interests in mind. He has a collection of papers in the Sheldon Museum archives which contain subject fields ranging from business and entrepreneurship all the way to the pharmaceutical industry.[4] Birchard owned a local drugstore and was a well-known man in the community, so it is somewhat surprising to note that his donation comes from a California Redwood tree. Birchard must have been thinking nationally instead of locally like most of the other spindles on the chair when deciding on what to donate to Sheldon.

       The California Redwood is an extremely awe-inspiring natural beauty and the tallest living tree on earth. California Redwoods can live for over a thousand years and can grow upwards of 300 feet, as illustrated by the massive trees in the Redwood forest pictured to the right.[5] Californians take great pride in the California Redwood, which also stands as a pinnacle of American natural beauty. In a book titled Saving California’s Redwoods, a native Californian stated “to us early Californians Redwood has meant a great deal economically and industrially. We have always looked upon our supply as practically inexhaustible, and it is with a start that we have recently realized that the end of this supply is measurably in sight”.[6] Birchard may have had these exact same ideals in mind when selecting a piece to donate to the Sheldon chair. A vast region of American history was slowly being carved away, and Birchard wanted a way to preserve this natural beauty. It is a piece of American identity that has been saved for over a hundred years of a tree that may have been over a thousand years old.

Turner photo, Stumps of redwood forest, Russian River, California, circa 1900. Sonoma County Photograph Collection.

        The meaning of this spindle has changed slightly as time has progressed, but still holds  its great importance as a true piece of American history. The forest has been tainted by human interference such as the construction of roads and logging practices, as seen in the image on the left. The California Redwood forest was celebrated back in 1884 just as it is respected and adored today. One thing that has plagued this natural beauty has been forest fires and disease. Scott Stephens and Danny Fry’s  article titled “Fire History in Coast Redwood Stands in the Northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains, California” details the devastating  effects of forest fires for the California area, but more specifically its effect on destroying hundreds of acres of trees.[7] This vulnerability of the Redwood Forest places greater significance on relics such as the Redwood spindle. As time progresses and forest fires continue to occur, the abundance of trees will diminish, giving greater value to these pieces of natural history restored for other functions.

           The California redwood spindle also points to an important piece of American identity: tourism. The California Redwood Forest brings in thousands of visitors each year and this site has often become a popular spot for photographs. It is a quintessential destination for families taking road trips across the country and visiting the famed Redwood forest. A piece of this forest has now been transported and reshaped into a spindle found in Middlebury, Vermont. The Sheldon chair is able to contain an actual piece of a national forest while alluding to broader patriotic themes. The spindle does not simply just represent a piece of a national forest, but represents the values of American identity.

-Luke Peterson ’19

 

Footnotes:

1.  Henry Sheldon’s Acquisition Ledger for the Sheldon Museum, Sheldon Archives, Collection of Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont.

2.  Acquisition ledger of the Sheldon Museum, Sheldon Archives, Collection of Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont.

3.  Schuyler Mahan, “Improvement in articles of food from cider,” 21 Oct. 1873. U.S. Patent No. 143,918.

4.  Collection of Rollin Birchard papers in Sheldon Archives, Sheldon Archives, Collection of Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont. Accessed January 17, 2018.

5.  “California Redwood”, The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library.  New York Public Library Digital Collections, Accessed January 25, 2018.

6.  J.D. Grady, Saving California’s Redwoods (Berkeley: University of California/Save the Redwoods League, 1922), 5.

7. Scott L. Stephens and Danny L. Fry. “Fire history in coast redwood stands in the northeastern Santa Cruz Mountains, California.” Fire Ecology 1, no. 1 (2005),  5-6.

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Centennial Building

“Our Centennial- Memorial Hall- President Grant declaring the exhibition open,” 1876 (illustrated in Harper’s Weekly, 27 May 1876). The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

In 1876, Philadelphia hosted the “World’s Fair,” cementing the cultural presence of the United States throughout the world. One hundred years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the 1876 World’s Fair was also a celebration of the Centennial of the United States. The fair lasted from May to November of 1876, drawing international attention throughout its run.(1) Nearly nine million people came to visit and tour the “Great Exhibition,” including one-fifth of the United States population.(1) In Henry Sheldon’s relic chair, the 23rd spindle incorporates a piece of this World’s Fair. Using wood from the Memorial Building of the Centennial Exhibition, Sheldon was able to commemorate one of the largest gatherings of the nineteenth century.(2)

Entries from Sheldon Museum purchase ledger, 1884: Centennial Stairway (50 cents) and Letitia Penn House (25 cents)

Acquisition records show that in 1884, Henry Sheldon purchased a piece of wood from the main staircase of the Memorial Building for 50 cents. This fragment was part of a bundle purchase of Philadelphia “relics” that also included wood from William Penn’s House and the Declaration House, all of which were obtained from a bookseller named William McKay Heath.(3)

Memorial Hall is one of the few structures that still remains from the Centennial Exhibition. Originally purposed as an exhibit of international fine arts, Memorial Hall was one of the smaller exhibits and buildings.(4) Designed by H.J. Schwartzman, Memorial Hall was designed to be an opulent and lavish structure that awed all spectators.(5) Consisting of a main pavilion, a large central dome, and four smaller corner pavilions, the building was also beautifully decorated with statues designed by German sculptor A.J.M. Mueller. Sculpted eagle figures also accompanied the corners of the smaller pavilion.(6) All together the Memorial Hall building cost an estimated 1.5 million dollars to construct, making it one of the more expensive attractions at the fair.(6) Inside the building was an exhibit of international fine arts, keeping with the aesthetic theme of opulence and beauty.(7)

The Centennial International Exhibition was impressive for a multitude of reasons, though primarily for the diversity of exhibits. Seventeen states set up their own individual exhibits displaying cultural symbols from each territory. Eleven foreign countries also erected their own buildings.(8) In total there were thirty-four building structures as well as an array of restaurants, beer gardens, and cigar pavilions sprinkled throughout the fairgrounds.(6) In addition, there were over 180 structures (statues, stands etc.) which spanned more than 450 acres.(6)(7) The World’s Fair in Philadelphia was sprawling and intimidating in size, a purposeful design to symbolize the power and importance of America to the world. All together the Centennial Exposition took ten years of planning and cost over 11 million dollars, making the fair one of the biggest investments for the United States Government in the nineteenth century.(9)

Stereoview by Centennial Photographic Co., Memorial Hall, 1876. Free Library of Philadelphia.

Unfortunately, the very expensive investment did not pay off. In 1877 the Supreme Court ruled that the funds given by Congress for the construction of the Fair were only loans and had to be repaid. With little money, the organizers of the fair resorted to auctioning off goods from the buildings, a possible explanation for why wood from the staircase of the Memorial Building was being sold. In the years that followed, most buildings were ordered to vacate due to billiard games and other forms of entertainment overrunning most of the buildings that had been designed for educational purposes.(9)

 

Centennial Photographic Co., Woman’s Pavilion Interior, 1876. Free Library of Philadelphia.

However, the Fair should not be remembered for its troubled financial legacy. One of the more impressive feats of the fair was the role women played. Ahead of its time, the fair allowed a Women’s Exhibit which showcased various patents and inventions by women since the Declaration of Independence. Led by the great-granddaughter of Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Duane Gillespie, the Women’s Pavilion displayed more than eighty inventions that women had created over the last hundred years. Some of the patents included were the dishwasher, self-heating iron, and the patent for interlocking bricks.(8) Additionally, women’s rights issues such as the dress reform movement were also addressed within the exhibit.(9)

Today the Centennial Memorial Building serves as a children’s exploration museum called the “Please Touch Museum.” Aimed at creating interactive exhibits, the Please Touch Museum still maintains the original purpose of the building: education and learning (9).

Please Touch Museum in Memorial Hall, Philadelphia, March 2010

Akin to Henry Sheldon’s relic chair, the Centennial Exhibition aimed to celebrate and display both American history and contemporary achievements. Although the Centennial Exhibition may have served a broader audience, both projects commemorated various American achievements and in doing so helped preserve US history.

– Spencer Tonies ’20

For further images and readings regarding the Centennial Exhibition please check out the links below:

For more on the architecture of Memorial Hall (including interior views), see:

– Historic American Buildings Survey: https://www.loc.gov/item/pa0944/

Footnotes:

1.”The Centennial Exhibition and Expansion of the Fairmount Park System,” City of Philadelphia Parks Service: https://web.archive.org/web/20180110192339/www.phila.gov/ParksandRecreation/history/departmenthistory/parksystemhistory/Pages/CentennialExhibition.aspx

2. Woods Used in the Memorial Chair, H.L. Sheldon Papers, vol. 19.
3. Sheldon, Henry. 1884. Sheldon Museum Archive. (January 17th, 2018)  Acquisition Ledger
4. Stephanie Grauman Wolfe, “Centennial Exhibition (1876),” Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, 2013: philadelphiaencyclopedia.org/archive/centennial/.
5. Jeffery Howe, “1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia” Digital Archive of American Architecture, Boston College: www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/1876fair.html.
6. “Memorial Hall 1876.” Historic Details: www.historic-details.com/places/pa/phila/fairmount-park-houses/memorial-hall-1876/#identifier_2_697.
7. “Philadelphia Centennial Exposition,” Encyclopædia Britannica (10 Apr. 2008): www.britannica.com/event/Philadelphia-Centennial-Exposition.
8. Free Library of Philadelphia, “Centennial Exhibition: Exhibition Facts.” libwww.freelibrary.org/digital/feature/centennial/exhibition.
9. Sandy Hingston, “10 Things You Might Not Know About the 1876 Centennial Exhibition,”  Philadelphia Magazine (10 May 2016): www.phillymag.com/news/2016/05/10/centennial-exhibition-history/.

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William (Letitia) Penn’s House

Alexander Lawson after J.J. Barralet, portrait of Sir William Penn, 1797. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

Henry Sheldon’s 23rd spindle procured for his Windsor chair allegedly comes from the William Penn house in Pennsylvania. William Penn is an interesting character in American history and had a huge impact on the state of Pennsylvania specifically, which is probably why Sheldon wanted to procure a relic from his home. Though the significance of the spindle lies in William Penn’s legacy, the reality is more complicated.[1]

Born into a high class family in England, Penn was groomed by his father to take his place as the head of the family.[2] After attending Christ Church College in Oxford and having a tough experience there, Penn questioned his religion and eventually converted to become a Quaker.[3] This led to imprisonment along with nineteen other Quakers for attending a meeting in 1667.[4] After being released from prison, Penn was then kicked out of his father’s house before being imprisoned a second time in the Tower of London for denouncing the Holy Trinity.[5] It was his third imprisonment that made him the both polarizing and national figure that he is recognized as today. After multiple more arrests for his Quakerism, Penn concluded that there was little hope for religious tolerance in England and began to play with the idea of sailing for America.

Stereoview of the “Letitia Penn House,” Philadelphia, circa 1863. The Library Company of Philadelphia.

He received land from the crown as a settlement for debts they owed his father and sailed for America in August of 1682.[6] Upon arrival, Penn successfully founded Pennsylvania. The state was focused on creating a highly tolerant and accepting culture that was lacking from his life in England. Most of the significance of the relic lies in William Penn’s historical presence in American history. At the time when Sheldon acquired the relic, the house it was procured from was thought to have been the primary residence of William Penn, built by Penn in 1682 and given to his daughter Letitia in 1701. Originally located in the “Old City” of Philadelphia (on Letitia Street between Market and Chestnut streets), the house was moved in 1883 to the Fairmount Park neighborhood for preservation. By the 1930s, subsequent research indicated the house had been misidentified and had no connection to Penn, but when Sheldon bought the wood, he believed it to be legitimate.[7]

Detroit Publishing Company, postcard of the “William Penn House” in its new location in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia (moved 1883), circa 1913-1918. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library.

Sheldon purchased the relic from William McKay Heath around the time of the house’s move to Fairmount Park.[8] Not much information has been historically documented about William Heath as a person or what his life story is. Sheldon does not seem to have known him very well, recording his name incorrectly in the Memorial Chair notebook as “McKay Keith.” What we do know is that he corresponded with Henry Sheldon regarding the potential to trade for the barrel of a specific rifle.[9] According to the letterhead he used in this correspondence, Heath was a rare book and art dealer.[10] Being located in Philadelphia and being employed in such a profession explains his access to the three relics he sold to Sheldon.

Detail from Henry Sheldon’s purchase ledger, 1884, indicating that Sheldon purchased the relic of the Letitia Penn House for 25 cents.

Along with a piece of wood from Letitia Penn’s house, Sheldon also purchased a relic from the the Centennial Building in Philadelphia.[11] Sheldon likely included these three relics because of their patriotic historical relevance even though the three had little to do with Vermont specifically.

Sheldon had written to Heath in pursuit of Philadelphia materials in mid-January of 1884, noting in his diary that he had “sent to Phila for some relics.”

Henry Sheldon’s diary entry for 14 Jan. 1884.

Sheldon seems to have prized these objects, referring to them in a diary entry as his “bundle of old gems from Philadelphia” when they arrived a few weeks later, in early February of 1884.

Henry Sheldon’s diary entry for 6 Feb. 1884.

Of all of the relics featured in the chair, the three relics from Philadelphia are incredibly significant to American history in a greater context. On top of that, they give the chair a more national dimension that would not be there to the extent that it is with them. Unfortunately, it seems as though Sheldon was mislead in believing that the relic actually came from William Penn’s house as aforementioned. The Letitia Penn House actually is not believed to have been built until between 1703-1715, a full 20-30 years after Penn sailed for present-day Pennsylvania.[12] Though this takes away from the relic’s larger significance, it also adds a unique dimension. Relics have been faked and falsely procured for centuries, and this is an example of Sheldon mistaking his relic for one of more significance.

-Grayson W. Ahl ‘19.5

 

Footnotes

[1] Henry Sheldon, “Acquisition Leger,” Sheldon Museum Archive.

[2] Andrew R. Murphy, “From practice to theory to practice: William Penn from prison to the founding of Pennsylvania,” History of European Ideas 43:4 (2017): 317-330.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Fiske Kimball, “The Letitia Street House,” Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Museum vol. 27, no. 149 (May, 1932): 147.

[8] Letter from William McKay Heath to Henry Sheldon, 9 September 1884. Letter 884509, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12]  Kimball,  149.

 

A letter from William McKay Heath to Henry Sheldon requesting the barrel of the “miss. rifle” in return for his choice of three options outlined by Heath. – September 9th, 1884, letter 884509. Henry Sheldon Archive.

 

Works Cited

Kimball, Fiske, “The Letitia Street House,” Bulletin of the Pennsylvania Museum 27:149 (May, 1932): 147-152.

Murphy, Andrew R., “From practice to theory to practice: William Penn from prison to the   founding of Pennsylvania,” History of European Ideas 43:4 (2017): 317-330.

Sheldon, Henry, “Acquisition Leger,” Sheldon Museum Archive.

“Letter from William McKay Heath to Henry Sheldon,” September, 9th 1884. Letter 884509, Sheldon Museum Archive.

Ullman Manufacturing Co, William Penn House, Digital Public Library of America.

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Colonel John Chipman’s Barn

A portrait of John Chipman from Henry Sheldon’s portrait scrapbook.

Henry Sheldon’s second spindle in his Windsor chair was procured from the barn of Colonel John Chipman of Middlebury, Vermont. In large part, the significance of the spindle comes from the barn’s owner and his historical impact on the town of Middlebury. Colonel Chipman was born on October 22, 1744 in Salisbury, Connecticut. In the spring of 1766 at age 21, John Chipman set out for Vermont  along with fifteen other men from their homes in Salisbury in search of a homestead.[1] At that point, there wasn’t a single formally constructed house in all of Vermont. When Chipman arrived in the Middlebury area, he decided to stay and begin the process of building a home, while the remaining men pushed on to the area that is Vergennes today. Chipman spent his first summer in Vermont clearing 7-8 acres of land in Middlebury by hand.[2] When the fall of 1766 arrived and Chipman felt underprepared for the harsh Vermont winter, he proceeded to return to his home in Connecticut.[3] Seven years later, Chipman returned to Middlebury in the spring of 1773 to make a permanent home there and formally founded Middlebury, Vermont.[4] Chipman’s role in Middlebury’s history varied over his lifetime. He served as Sheriff of the county from 1789-1801, all the while acting as moderator at town meetings.[5]

At the start of the Revolutionary War, Chipman immediately dropped everything to fight against the British. Colonel Chipman volunteered for the Vermont-centered militia named the “Green Mountain Boys.”[6] The Green Mountain Boys were originally formed in present day Bennington, Vermont as an unofficial militia that was created to protect the property rights of those who were given land grants from New Hampshire.[7] The militia went on to play a significant role in fighting the British in the Revolutionary War. Due to their geographic location, they primarily fought on the Canadian front against British forces penetrating the border.[8] According to Jeremiah Colburn, a Boston-based numismatist, Chipman was designated first lieutenant in a new regiment created by Colonel Seth Warner. The regiment joined the rest of the forces at Ticonderoga in March of 1777.[9]

Chipman’s barn was actually involved in the Revolution as well. When the British came into Middlebury during the war, they attempted to burn down the barn.[10] They failed in their attempt because the wood was so newly-harvested that it was still green and would not combust. On top of the British attempting to burn the barn, a local Native American population tried to burn it down as well and also failed. Though Sheldon documented the Native American attempt in his journal of acquisitions, he gave no indication as to when they tried to destroy the barn. Even after the British and Native American attacks, Chipman’s barn outlived his life as he passed away in 1829 at the age of 85.[11] Henry Sheldon managed to procure a piece of the barn for his chair on January 19th, 1883.[12] Being the second spindle and thus the second relic featured, clearly Chipman’s legacy was very important to Sheldon and the rest of the Middlebury community.

Henry Sheldon was able to compile an impressive history of the town of Middlebury and was able to capture what happened throughout its early existence. It only makes sense that Sheldon would decide to include a relic from one of the town’s first free-standing buildings that was built by the founder of the town itself. Sheldon procured the relic of the barn from Peter Goodrich, who donated the sample on January 19, 1884, as recorded in Sheldon’s ledger.

Goodrich was a Vermont-born carpenter who lived from 1821-1892 when he passed away in Middlebury, VT.[13] The Chipman Barn spindle ties the significance of Sheldon’s relic chair back to the town of Middlebury itself in a profound way. Even though the barn currently does not stand, the inclusion of the spindle in Sheldon’s chair ensures the lasting legacy that Chipman had on Middlebury.

-Grayson W. Ahl ‘19.5

Footnotes

[1] Henry Sheldon, “Chipman Biography in Portrait Scrap Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[2] Jeremiah Colburn, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman,” Flag of our Union, June 13th, 1868.

[3] Henry Sheldon, “Chipman Biography in Face Scrap Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Samuel Swift, History of the town of Middlebury: In the county of Addison, Vermont (A.H. Copeland, 1859): 194.

[6] Jeremiah Colburn, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman,” Flag of our Union 23 (13 June 1868): 375.

[7] Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Green Mountain Boys,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed January 28th, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Mountain-Boys

[8]  Colburn, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman.”

[9] Ibid.

[10] Henry Sheldon, “Sheldon’s Log Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[11] Henry Sheldon, “Chipman Biography in Face Scrap Book,” 1884, Sheldon Museum Archive.

[12] Ibid.

[13] “Peter Foster Goodrich.” Find a Grave, accessed January 23rd, 2018. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/173458006.

Works Cited

“Green Mountain Boys,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed January 28th, 2018. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Green-Mountain-Boys

“Peter Foster Goodrich.” Find a Grave, accessed January 23rd, 2018. https://www.findagra ve.com/memorial/173458006.

Swift, Samuel, “History of the town of Middlebury: In the county of Addison, Vermont.” Page 194. (A.H. Copeland, 1859), Ebook edition.

Colburn, Jeremiah, “Biographical Portfolio: Colonel John Chipman.” Flag of Our Union 23, no. 24 (13 Jun. 1868): 375.

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Daniel Foot’s Chest

On October 6, 1883, Allen Foot presented Henry Sheldon with a piece of a chest buried by his grandfather Daniel Foot, along with several other “relics.”[1] Below is a photograph from Sheldon’s diary on the day he procured the specimen:

The diary reads, “Warmer partly clear + pleasant AM, I hung some pictures in upper rooms, PM I went to Allen Foots and got several old relics.” As his acquisition ledger indicated, Foot donated several objects, including two spools, a churn, a knife, and a candle rod.

Although little is known about the function of the chest, Sheldon’s log book entry of the woods used in the relic chair suggests that it stored sentimental heirlooms and was buried when the British drove the Foot family out of their home during the Revolutionary War. A copy of the entry is displayed below:

HL Sheldon Papers, Vol 19, Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont

Sheldon’s records suggest that the specimen was procured from Daniel Foot’s plot of land. As the map below indicates, Foot’s property was located in southeast Middlebury roughly half a mile away from Middlebury College’s campus today.

Map of Addison County c. 1790, Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum.

-Harry Rich ‘17.5

Footnotes

[1] H.L. Sheldon Diary entry, 6 Oct. 1883. Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, VT.

See also the entry on the relic from Daniel Foot’s barn, also donated by Allen Foot: https://sites.middlebury.edu/sheldonrelicchair/2018/02/01/daniel-foots-barn/

 

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Daniel Foot’s Barn

Daniel Foot was a pioneer and an original settler of Middlebury. Born in Simsbury, Connecticut on April 27, 1724, Foot lived in Washington, MA and Dalton, MA before permanently relocating to Middlebury, VT, in 1788.[1] In Middlebury, Foot purchased and developed 600 acres of land, building mills, houses, and barns and felling forests.[2] In 1801, Foot bequeathed his entire plot of land to his children and their spouses and moved on to develop unchartered territory in what is now Canton, NY.[3] Shortly after his arrival in Canton, Daniel Foot died of smallpox.[4] He was said to have embodied a spirit of industriousness and contagious energy; in his book, History of the Town of Middlebury, Samuel Swift describes Foot as a man who “could never be contented on a well cultivated farm.” Swift goes even further writing, “There must be forests to subdue, and new dwellings to erect, or it was no place for him; and at last he died in the woods, and for lack of boards for a coffin was laid in bark from an elm tree.”[5]

This piece of oak, from Daniel Foot’s Barn, was donated by Foot’s grandson, Allen Foot.[6] The large barn, built nearly a century earlier, in 1790, was situated on the Foot family farm (located on the west side of Foot Street, two miles southeast of the Middlebury village).[7] At this point in his life, Foot wanted nothing more than to establish both the business and religious centers of Middlebury on his plot of land.[8] The barn initially served as the center for religious and organizational meetings in Middlebury, but as the town grew in population, all business, governmental, and spiritual spaces were moved to the village. Foot vehemently opposed this change but was still regarded as a respectable, conscientious man in the midst of this heated controversy.[9]

Below is a map of Daniel Foot’s property drawn by William Bott in 1791. The photograph clearly shows foot’s Barn off of what appears to be Main Road.

William Bott, Map of Middlebury, 1791. Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

Allen Foot donated the barn relic on June 7th, 1884, as indicated by Sheldon’s ledger. Sheldon wrote an especially lengthy diary entry that day, stating, “Warm Day, shower with hail at 3/Pm…  I rode out to see Allen Foot an early settler of Midd, who is palsied, he told me of old matters.”[10] In addition to Foot’s donation of several objects in October 1883, this entry suggests that Henry Sheldon and Allen Foot were close acquaintances. The entry also insinuates that Allen Foot was in poor health at the time of procurement of this relic and that this may have been a final visit between old friends. This relic is both symbolic in that its origins are deeply rooted in the founding and development of Middlebury and that it serves as a physical token, representative of a fruitful friendship.

Detail from Henry Sheldon’s Acquisition Ledger, June 1884. Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

-Harry Rich ‘17.5

Footnotes

[1] Swift, History of the Town of Middlebury: In the Country of Addison, Vermont (A. H. Copeland, 1859), 198.

[2] Ibid. 199.

[3] Ibid. 199.

[4] Ibid. 199.

[5] Ibid. 199.

[6] H.L. Sheldon Papers, Vol. 19, Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont

[7] Swift, History of the Town of Middlebury, 197.

[8] Ibid. 197.

[9] Ibid. 199

[10] H.L. Sheldon Diary, 7 June 1884. Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont

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Middlebury Old Courthouse

“This is a part of the seat used by the criminals and prisoners in Middlebury Court House, driving their trial for the last fifty years, taken out by myself in 1883 when the new Court House was built. – Henry L. Sheldon
Christmas, 1884.”[1]

In 1883, Henry Sheldon removed the seat of the defendant’s chair in the Addison County Courthouse and made it a part of his own Relic Chair. According to Henry Sheldon’s record on the bottom of this piece of wood, the chair had previously been in the courthouse for prisoners and criminals for at least 50 years before its removal.

The history of the first Addison County Courthouse is fascinating and complex (involving relocation of the courthouse; building prisons; and renovating the courthouse). However, it all started when the construction of the First Addison County Courthouse began, when Middlebury became the shire town.

Middlebury as the Shire Town

Addison, located eleven miles northwest of Middlebury, had been the first shire town (1785-1792) but had never had a courthouse.[2] Before Middlebury became the shire town in October 1791, the citizens of Middlebury had to travel to Addison to consult legislation. After Middlebury became the shire town, since there were no courthouses built at that time in Middlebury, the court held its cases at various public and private houses of people who lived in Middlebury.[3]

The First Courthouse

First Addison County Courthouse (1796) on Court Square, ca. 1860s. Henry Sheldon Scrapbook #169, Stewart-Swift Research Center at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

By 1796, the first courthouse in Middlebury had finished its construction. It was built by subscription of the citizens of Middlebury and vicinity.[4] The Courthouse was located at Court Square. It was a two-story wooden structure, painted white on the exterior, that had an a taller three-story tower facing Main street. “One high room arched overhead, with long windows, and seats rising towards the rear, and a gallery over the entrance at the west end, constituted the whole interior of the building.”[5]

The land on which the courthouse was built belonged to Gamaliel Painter, one of two chief founders of Middlebury College. On the 22nd of May 1794, Gamaliel Painter deeded the land that the courthouse rested upon to “Jabez Rogers, Joseph Cook and Eleazer Claghorn, together with all the inhabitants of the County of Addison ‘for the express use and purpose of erecting a courthouse and a jail […], and as a common, never to be divided or put to any other use.’”[7]

After its construction, the courthouse was used for several different purposes. “The General Assembly held its sessions in it in the years 1800 and 1806. The inhabitants of the town having contributed towards its erection, it was used also as a town room. And until the completion of the new church, in 1809, it was occupied by the Congregational Society as a place of worship, and for all meetings of the society.” Since there were no other “suitable rooms in the village, it was used for public meetings of every character.” And lastly, of course, it was used for trials.[8]

View of the First Addison County Courthouse (1796) serving as a harness shop after it was moved to the fairgrounds on Court Street in 1882. Collection, Stewart-Swift Research Center at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

By 1882, plans were afoot to build a new courthouse, and Henry Sheldon eagerly set about documenting the original one, recording plans in his diary for photographing it (12 Feb. 1883) and for removing the prisoner’s seat to form the base for his Relic Chair (8 April 1884). The original courthouse was moved to Court Street and repurposed, serving for a time as a harness shop, as seen above. Ultimately, the historic building was torn down in 1939.

View of the Masonic Hall (1823) at 3 Court Street on the left and the “new” 1883 Courthouse by Clinton Smith on the right, ca. 1910. Gipson Collection, Stewart-Swift Research Center at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History.

– Eric Sun ’20

Footnotes

[1] “Henry Sheldon Chair” Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont
[2] Spencer Pope, “The First Courthouse Of Addison County In Middlebury, Vermont.” Unpublished manuscript (1996), Collection of the Henry Sheldon Museum, Middlebury, Vermont.
[3] Samuel Swift, History of the Town of Middlebury, in the County of Addison, Vermont (Middlebury, VT: A.H. Copeland, 1859).
[4] Ibid., 22.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid., 23.
[7] Ibid., 22.
[8] Ibid., 23.