Culture

Here’s an interesting story from April 22, 1881. It seems that the F.W. Childs company came through one day and put up telephone poles along High Street on behalf of the Bell Telephone Company. The “boys” doing the work did a lousy job of it, leaving a mess of unfinished (ie, natural growth, not sawed or turned) poles up the street.

This upset residents, but there was a new statute allowing for poles to be placed for private telegraph and telephone lines, and the Selectmen had given the company permission. Asked later, the Selectmen said they didn’t know what they were signing.

Brattleboro, April 20, 1864.

Dearest wife,-

I am well. You must have been alarmed by what I wrote. There has been nothing the matter with me except
some bad boils. I am glad that I wrote to you on Sunday, as you will see by that letter that I was well enough to be on duty. I have not yet been excused from it. I have just lighted my candle to read a letter from Catherine. I wrote her a long time since, but it appears that she did not get my letter. This is the first evening in my new quarters. It seems good to be alone. Wish that you could be here to spend the evening with me. “My heart is in the Highlands, my heart is not here” but the body is. The weather is chilly and gloomy enough. Have had no sun for several days. The making of sugar is over here, but I think it must be pretty good weather for it in the North part of the State. It is cool enough here, but the season is over. I miss the chance of going over to Hinsdale. I have written to Jacob today.

The First Social Security Beneficiary

The first person ever to receive a Social Security benefit check was Ida May Fuller from Brattleboro
Miss Fuller (known as Aunt Ida to her friends and family) was born on September 6, 1874 on a farm outside of Ludlow, Vermont. She attended school in Rutland, Vermont where one of her classmates was Calvin Coolidge. In 1905, after working as a school teacher, she became a legal secretary. One of the partners in the firm, John G. Sargent, would later become Attorney General in the Coolidge Administration.

From April 18, 1902, published in the Brattleboro Phoenix, a discussion of necessary repairs for the fire department:

“Your bailiffs report that during the last year they have thoroughly renovated the engine house on Elliot Street, repainting both its interior and exterior, putting on a new roof, putting in a bath room and improving the accommodations for the men permanently on duty there’ this house had not been painted for six years and the roof had not been renewed for ten, thus making there repairs absolutely necessary. The expense connected with this was about $1400. The repairs from the Estey Organ company’s steamer, which was damaged in the Crosby block fire, was another extra expense in connection with the fire department….

Guard House, April 17^th, 1864.

Dearest Abiah,-

The guard house is my place until tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock. That is the time we change guard now. I have been pretty bad off for some ten days with boils. I was a little better for one day, that was my turn on guard, so I have not missed any duty and have not been on the sick list. I did not want the doctor hold of my boils. I had the management of them myself. I hope that I have had the last one. I did go to the Doctor sometime since and told him I wanted him to tell me whether I had the itch or not. He said that he thought that it was. He says that most of the men in the first company had it. He gave me some sulphur ointment and advised me to get some yellow dock. I have not taken any yet.