The Crown Point Road Association Blog

Historic Site Marker for Old Deerfield

On June 30th the non-profit Crown Point Road Association is sponsoring an affordable motor coach daytrip to a western Massachusetts village that is rich in pre-Revolutionary American heritage.

Historic Deerfield is a museum of history, art and architecture located along a mile-long street laid out in 1671 and still lined with 18th- and 19th-century houses on their original sites.  Historic Deerfield’s eleven museum houses range in date from the 1730s to the 1840s and most are shown on the hour during guided tours that last approximately one-half hour each.  Inside visitors find one of the best public collections of art and antiques in America while exploring the lifestyle of early New England in a working village of endless beauty.  An orientation film is shown throughout the day at the Visitor Center at Hall Tavern. For a map of Old Deerfield see: 

http://www.historic-deerfield.org/files/hd/docs/visitor-map.pdf

Mr. Brook Aldrich of Florence, Vermont has agreed to provide his personal insights as an introduction to our day in Deerfield, customized for Vermonters.

Reserving a seat on the motor coach costs $36.00 per person or $70 per couple.  The price of each seat includes round-trip transportation and a general admission ticket to Historic Deerfield. To reserve your seat(s), please send full payment payable to the Crown Point Road Association at the following address:

Jim Rowe, 7926 Main Road, Huntington VT 05462

If you have any questions, please call Jim Rowe at (802)434-7415 or email mtnsidemaple@gmavt.net

Pickup Locations: Rutland Town Municipal Office, 181 Business Rte 4, Center Rutland, VT, Departs 8:00 a.m. (sharp)

Park & Ride, Springfield, VT; US 5 & VT 11, near Exit 7, Interstate 91, Departs 9:05 a.m. to Deerfield 

Water, soda, and light snacks will be available for free on the motor coach.   Lunch is not included, but riders are welcome to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy at Deerfield.  In addition, vending machines for soda and snacks are located behind the Hall Tavern Visitor Center in the Harry Brown Barn.  The charming Deerfield Inn at the center of the village includes Champney’s Restaurant and Tavern where lunch is served from Noon until 2:30 p.m.

The work of the all-volunteer Crown Point Road Association keeps alive the heritage of the military road that was built to connect 18^th century forts on Lake Champlain to New England forts on the Connecticut River.           

A Depiction of the 1704 Raid on Deerfield, Massacusetts (Lippincott)

The Raid on Deerfield occurred during Queen Anne’s War on February 29, 1704, when French and Native American forces under the command of Jean-Baptiste Hertel de Rouville attacked the English settlement just before dawn, burning part of the town and killing 56 villagers.  A portion of the original village of Deerfield has been preserved as a living history museum; among its relics is a door bearing tomahawk marks from the 1704 raid.

The CPRA website is in the process of being updated for 2012 and we should have the new Calendar and Newsletter posted soon. We have already launched a completely new section on the website this year titled  The Road Builders . Featured biographies of the people who played a crucial role in the construction of the Crown Point military road will appear in this new section of our website.

CPRA Vice President Barry Griffith has served as the catalyst for adding this type of “enhanced” content to our website. Barry’s great interest in Lt. John Small and his diligent research on Small’s fascinating military career provided the Association with an expose’ that simply had to be published in some form. Indeed, in posting Barry’s story of John Small as the website admin/editor, I have personally gained a much broader perspective on why the military road was constructed and why the Crown Point Road was of such importance in the military strategy of prominent historical figures such as Lieutenant (later Major General) John Small.

General John Small at the Battle of Bunker Hill - The Death of General Warren (Trumbull, 1786)

John Small’s recommendations for improvements to the initial route of the Crown Point Road were based on his personal, and sometimes laborious, travels along the road. He was evidently a diligent planner and he enlisted those most experienced in road building, including a highly qualified military surveyor, to accompany him as he scouted potential routes in order to improve the Crown Point Road. His observations and recommendations were described in detail to his commanding officer Jeffrey Amherst and, by means of these dispatches which remain as part of the historical record today, John Small’s important role in the construction of the old military road is documented.

For me, John Small’s communique’s lead me on a journey through the hills and woodlands of Vermont where my ancestors settled, and to which I was born. I too have traveled on snowshoes through these same hills in impossibly deep snow and I have felt the cold winter in much the same way.

There is an entire book to be written on the exploits of John Small. He led a seemingly charmed life for a career military officer in the British Army extending way beyond the near total devastation of the Black Watch Regiment of which he was a member during the first Battle of Ticonderoga. His story could well have ended there indeed.

The stories of the many others who played a critical role in the construction of the old military road need to be told as well, and my sense is that we will all gain a greater level of understanding regarding the rich history of the Crown Point Road through the Featured Biographies coming soon to “The Road Builders” at www.crownpointroad.org

Jim Purdy (Admin.)

On 8/28/11 Hurricane Irene altered the landscape of Vermont. The devastating flooding of many of our Towns inflicted by this epic storm has adversely impacted daily life for so many, and in some instances, has permanently changed the way that people will live, work, and travel in our State. This natural disaster is still in the making now 5 days after the storm and recovery efforts will certainly last for a period of years.

News in terms of loss and damage to Vermont’s historical resources continues to trickle in from the Communities hardest hit, and still isolated, by the flood. Reported damage to date includes the tragic loss of priceless documents and artifacts from the Danby Historical Society. Future reports of such irreparable losses from other Communities are almost certain to come.

To end this difficult week on a brighter note, I am glad to advise you that all of the covered bridges in Proctor and Pittsford are still standing on their foundations. Damage has yet to be assessed for those bridges which are still part of our road infrastructure, but as of this date the Gorham Bridge, Cooley Bridge, Depot Bridge, and Hammond Bridge are all intact.

The High Water of Otter Creek Laps at the Base of CPR Marker #45B

The Otter Creek had Already Crested When this Photo of the Hammond Bridge was Taken on 8/29

(Posted by Admin. for Tom Hughes w/ photos Courtesy of the Vermont Magazine)

The July 16th hike, the CPRA’s first along a rarely explored stretch of the 1776 Mount Independence – Hubbardton Military Road (which connects with the old Crown Point Military Road), was well attended on a hot summer day in Vermont. A photo gallery of the hike follows:

Hike organizer Tom Hughes wishes to thank the following for their assistance in coordinating this event:

Jim Rowe & Jim Moore from the CPRA.

Private landowners Marsdon, Cornwell & Friese, Balch, and Anderson.

Mark Bushnell for his great article in the 7/10 Sunday Rutland Herald and Times Argus.

We are grateful to the staff representing the Hubbardton Battlefield Historic Site, to reception hostess Jeanette Hughes and her daughter Susan Curtis, as well as Gordon for helping with the shuttling of hikers.

And finally, we thank the VT Historical Society for their cooperation in supplying the earlier work of Joseph and Mabel Wheeler.

Gallery Photo Credit: Philip R. Jordan, VERMONT Magazine