| STAMFORD
AT A GLANCE 2002 |
| Stamford is one of
the oldest towns in Vermont, chartered in 1753 by Benning Wentworth,
Governor of New Hampshire. It is possible that it was named
after Governor Wentworth's friend, the Earl of Stamford of Stamford,
England. For a short time, the town was called New Stamford. |
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| Population 813 as of 2000 census |
Land Area - Six miles square |
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| Form of Government |
Open Town Meeting - March |
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Selectmen (3 member board)
- Meets 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month |
| Tax Rate |
$2.04 per hundred (2001
rate) |
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Due third Thursday of November |
| Schools |
Stamford Elementary School
(K-8) 694-1379
96 children (2001-2002 year)
High School of choice
School Board (5 member board) - Meets 2nd Thursday of
the month
|
| Houses of Worship |
Stamford
Community Church - Protestant St.
John Bosco Church - Catholic |
| Services |
Stamford Volunteer Fire
Dept., Inc. (for fire or medical call 911)
Vermont State Police 694-1511
Library 694-1379
Recycling Center (Permit required)
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| Businesses |
General Store, Hair Dresser,
Golf Course, Saw Mills, Nursery, Christmas Shop and Bed
& Breakfast |
| Town Cemeteries |
Houghton Cemetery, Millard
Cemetery and a few private cemeteries |
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| Dogs must be licensed after January
1st and no later than April 1st. Fee and licensing information
may be obtained at the Town Office. |
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| Voters must register at the Town
Office at least two weeks prior to an election or town meeting
in order to be eligible to participate. |
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| Permits are required prior to
any construction, alteration, addition, land work, change of
use or subdivision. Forms and information may be obtained at
the Town Office. |
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Compiled by Nancy L. Bushika
Town Clerk
January 2002 |
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BRIEF HISTORY
OF STAMFORD
Excerpts from articles written in 1993 by
the Stamford Historical Society
and Anthony Coniglio for the Sesquicentennial Edition of The
Transcript |
| It is stated in the book, "Vermont
the Land of Green Mountains," issued by the Vermont Bureau
of Publicity in 1913, that "The Hoosac Range of mountains
lies on the east and the Taconic Range of mountains on the west
of Stamford, like natural fortification" A dome-shaped
elevation east of the village is called Allen's Peak - local
legend tells that a man by the name of Allen hid in a cave on
this peak so he wouldn't have to fight in the Revolutionary
War. Every generation of young people since that time has tried
to find the cave. Perhaps the next generation will be luckier! |
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| According to an article published
in 1860 in the Heminway Gazetteer, "The first settler in
town is reported to have been a man named Raymond who built
his cabin against a large rock, giving him the name 'Rock Raymond'."
Some of the first settlers came to Stamford from Connecticut
and eastern Massachusetts. The Millard family history tells
us that the family drove their oxen and their belongings from
Rehobeth, MA, which had become "too crowded" and that
Squire had '4his cattle shod so that they could keep their footing
on the icy ground and set out toward the northwest, following
the beds of creeks." They finally settled in a hut on the
North Branch of the Hoosac River in Stamford, eventually building
several family homes still standing in the village today. |
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| Early religious services in Stamford
were held in meetinghouses, similar to log cabins, and services
were held whenever a preacher was available. The Union Church,
built in 1821, was shared by the Baptists, Methodists and Universalists.
It is noted in Barbara Busel's book, "Stamford Churches
through the Years, " that "Church services lasted
most of the morning, then families ate the dinners they had
brought with them, and while women visited and children played,
the men had drill practice as members of the Home Guard Militia.
In late afternoon, they would pile into their wagons and head
for home, some traveling miles through the woods to get home
before dark." |
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Union church
Photo from An Early Vermont Sampler |
Later,
the Baptists built their own church at the comer of Main and
Mill Roads, but this structure burned in 1898 and was rebuilt
on the same site 'within nine months. The bell, saved from the
fire, is still used today. The Methodists completed their own
church in 1870 using concrete in the foundation - a first ever
in this area. At this time the Methodist structure is privately
owned, retaining the beautiflil stained-glass windows, and the
Baptist Church is now the Community
Church. In 1941, the Rev. Charles Delnotaro of Readsboro
bought the Witto Tea Room on Main Road and remodeled the building
into St.
John Bosco Chapel for Catholic families. |
| Stamford Valley Grange
367 was an active and important part of early life in town.
Ambitious and industrious Grange members built their own "home,"
dedicating it in 1943. Women of today will appreciate knowing
that the National Grange was one of the first organizations
to admit women as members, not just as auxiliary members so
that local women worked right along side of the men in constructing
the building. Former Grange members telling about these days
in the early 1940's generate an excitement and a yearning to
have been a part of the community spirit and effort which made
this building possible - from the digging of the cellar hole
using local teams of draft horses (a different pair each evening),
to the well-attended public suppers, plays, minstrel shows and
dances. It was a time of close community life when everyone
in town was a good friend and many were Grange members. |
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| Prior to the late 1940's, Stamford
residents had to rely on Clarksburg or North Adams, to respond
to a fire in town. A serious barn fire prompted the citizens
to organize their own department. In July 1951, a committee
was formed under the leadership of the late Dr. Robert A. Costine
to form a volunteer fire company. Food sales, suppers, the famous
bazaar and chicken barbecues put on by the firemen and the auxiliary
supported the department and purchase of trucks |
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| At one time, Stamford
had its own post office, which was in the home of Albert B and
Edith Sanford, both of whom served several terms as a state
legislator |
Post office and general store Photo from
Doris Anthony collection |
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1894 School House Photo donated by Clayton
Slade
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The first school
in Stamford was a log structure built in 1784, with the first
teacher being Josiah Tupper who prior to that time had taught
in private homes. By 1880 there were seven school districts,
145 students and 8 female teachers whose total wages were recorded
at $692.96 and the total town and school budget for that year
was $887.
With the evolving of easier travel, a school was built in the
center of the village in 1894 and located directly in front
of the present building. It housed classrooms, the town office,
the library and a town meeting room. A jail was in the cellar
of the school which may have served as an unmentionable threat
for some of the livelier children. Many residents can still
recall the exciting town meetings and the fun-time dances held
in the upstairs rooms. In 1960 a new school was built on the
Main Road site of the old Village School. |
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| The Stamford Public
Library was established December 30, 1895. It was first operated
with books sent by the State of Vermont and a mere $20.00 which
"provided matter needed and suitable for starting the Library."
In 1976, the town library was combined with the school
library, forming the Community Library which is located in the
school, serving adults and children. |
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| A good place for delving into
the town's past is within the local cemeteries. There are many
private cemeteries, now overgrown with trees and weeds, but
two well-tended town cemeteries offer a good place to gather
family names and dates. Several old stones have colorful histories
such as the Roswell Lanfair marker in the Houghton Cemetery
showing that he was a Revolutionary War veteran, serving on
the colonial sailing ship the "Oliver Cromwell" when
he was only 15 years old. Another stone is the memorial to the
Fuller sons, Hiland and James, who both served in the Civil
War, buried where they were killed, but still remembered in
Stamford. The Millard Cemetery, once a private one for the Millard
family who came from Rehobeth, is now used for town burials.
Members of the present Cemetery Commission have compiled extensive
research and mapping of the two town cemeteries into two booklets
on file in the town office, making it easier for out-of-town
relatives to gather genealogical information. As funds permit
the commission resets and repairs many old markers. |
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| There were many cottage industries
to supplement the farming income of the early residents. Trees
were plentiful and were sold for heat and as Christmas trees.
Cramp bark, a medicinal remedy obtained from the bark of a native
shrub, was gathered and sold. Ferning, another large cottage
industry, offered families a way to earn extra money and at
the same time provide "quality time" during the summer
months. The specified ferns had to be handled carefully, bunched
properly tied and packed prior to shipment to New York City.
Families planned overnight campouts in the woods in order to
pick the thousands of ferns needed to earn the three cents for
every 25 they picked. |
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| Sawmills were numerous in early
Stamford, while only two operate today. There was a blacksmith
shop located on the corner of The Lane and Main Road. Brooks
Tannery, at the north end of town, processed approximately 200
sides of leather a week. Only a few foundation stones remain
to mark the river-side location, but bits of leather have been
turned up in the soil. Large coal kilns once dotted the hills
of Stamford, and history tells us that the charcoal made here
was used at the smelters on Furnace Hill in North Adams turning
the iron ore from the Mt. Greylock mines into sheets of iron
to cover the Monitor of Civil War fame. |
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| Stamford's first
major industry, established in 1865, was the A.C. Houghton Company,
later known as the Stamford Chemical Works. The operation produced
four products: charcoal, wood alcohol, wood tar and acetate
of lime. This business, successfull for 60 years, ceased operations
on April 3, 1925.
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Stamford Chemical Works Photo donated by
Ronald Brothers |
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Paradise House Origin
of photo unknown
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The north branch
of the Hoosac River provided a resource which brought forth
many other businesses, including coopering, shingle making,
logging, cider production, a bedstead factory and wagon building.
There were several general stores to provide supplies not produced
at home. The Willmarth Hotel (later known as the Paradise House)
was a popular dining spot for travelers as well as North Adams
residents - only a buckboard ride away. The guest registers
list many well known names with their comments on the good food.
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| On June 4, 1987, in preparation
of VT's Bicentennial Celebration (1991), the Stamford Historical
Society sponsored a celebration to unveil the new Veteran's
Memorial placed on the school wall. The memorial pays tribute
to Veterans from the Revolutionary War to the Vietnam War. Guest
speaker, Senator Harvey Carter, praised Stamford's "sense
of place, sense of tolerance, sense of honor, fairness and commitment...
making it special." |
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| Much of the information has been
given to the Historical Society by both current and former residents
of the town. We are grateful to them for allowing us to copy
and use their pictures and materials. Additional information
is available through the Stamford
Community Library and the Historical Society files. |
