The Crown Point Road has been in the news lately. Check out Mark Bushnell’s 6-28-09 article on-line by clicking on the Rutland Herald button. Jim Rowe and Jim Moore gave Mark a short tour of a section of the road in Proctor and visited the ruins of the Steven’s home-site in preparation for the article.
Milestones 2009
250th Anniversary of the Construction of the Crown Point Road
New Site Marker
A new Vermont State Historic Site marker has been placed at Camp Plymouth State Park on Echo Lake. It commemorates the use of the site as a campground during the Revolution by New Hampshire troops as they came through on the Crown Point Road. The Plymouth area was the site of several other campgrounds as troops from Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island rested on their way to Ticonderoga and Crown Point. This marker would be designated #32-C.
Outreach
Marita Johnson completed a DVD of Susan Hunter’s August 2005 hike, entitled “Vermont’s First Mile of the CPR from the Connecticut River”. It was shown on SAPA-TV in Springfield and Channel 15 in Rutland.
Both Susan and Marita were the subjects of interesting articles in the Springfield Reporter and the Rutland Herald. We also received publicity in the Weathersfield Historical Society Newsletter thanks to its editor and CPRA secretary Becky Tucker, and in the Mid-Vermont Heritage Guide.
We took part in Vermont History Expo June 21& 22 at Tunbridge. Our exhibit featured photos from the 200th anniversary celebration of the construction of the CPR in Weathersfield. We also had an exhibit calling attention to the 50th anniversary of the CPRA. Our exhibit always seems to garner a lot of interest thanks to our knowledgeable and outgoing hosts: Peggy and Larry Clark, Jim Moore, Jim Rowe and Becky Tucker. Becky and Susan are also overseeing our cooperation with the Miller Art Center in Springfield where we have an ongoing exhibit.
The web site still engenders a lot of favorable comment and brings in many requests for further information.
Hikes 2008
Our hiking season began May 10 with a visit to Fort Ticonderoga. This was the anniversary of the taking of the fort by the Green Mountain Boys. We were treated to a tour which included the new Mars Education Center. Our guide was Rich Strum who gave us a running history along the way. After lunch some members toured Mt. Defiance.
The June 7 hike was led by Becky Tucker and Susan Hunter and was an exploration of the campground near Dix Hill in Plymouth. Fire pits can still be seen here. The property is now owned by Tom Ellis who granted permission for the hike.
We tried something different for our July 12 outing. An auto tour was organized by Jim Moore from Marker 33 to Marker 22. Members familiar with particular markers gave descriptions at each stop. This brought about some interesting discussions. There was a welcoming rest stop at Belle McKnight’s beautiful campground. Other stops included the Twenty-Mile encampment, cattle pen, Morgan and Coffeen Cemeteries, the Ordway Mill and the original 11-mile marker.
On August 17 Susan and Becky again led a hike in the Ludlow/Cavendish area. They walked cross-country between Chapman Road and Twenty-Mile Stream Road connecting with their June hike location. They encountered a great deal of trail destruction caused by horses which made the CPR difficult to distinguish.
Jim Rowe led the September 29 hike in Whiting and Orwell. Hikers visited the site of the old Whiting schoolhouse where children found the skeleton and musket of a Revolutionary War soldier. Turning onto Murray Road and then Fisher Road the hikers came upon the 1780 era Fisher house which is owned and is being restored by Walter Phelps. Mr. Phelps conducted a tour of the building and described the painstaking restoration. A panoramic eastern view from the orchard adjoining the house was enjoyed during the lunch break. Jim then broke out the ortho maps detailing the many roads, old and new, in the area. The tour continued on towards Sudbury and included stops at the Vail House marker and the Smith cellar hole and cemetery.
Our hiking season this year was blessed with good weather and a lot of enthusiasm by those taking part. As usual the hike leaders gave generously of their time and knowledge. The automobile tour was so well received that another one is planned for July 18, 2009.
250th Commemoration
As most Crown Point Road Association members surely realize, 2009 marks the 250th anniversary of the construction of the Crown Point road. The association plans to celebrate enthusiastically but on a scale adapted to our status as a small group scattered by geography but united by history.
Jim Rowe and Jim Moore, assisted by CPRA officers and board members, have completed a tentative schedule for an end-to-end hike of the road in August 2009. The hike, or pilgrimage, will coincide with French and Indian War week-end at Crown Point State Historic Site and recognize General Amherst’s August 8, 1759 order to “cutt and mark” a road. The order of course was carried out by Capt. John Stark. [To see a copy of Amherst’s October 26 letter to John Hawks ordering improvement of the road, just click on the graphic at the top of our home page]. The hike itinerary will include all the towns situated on the 1759 road and will follow the original route as closely as possible. We hope schools, historical societies and other interested parties will join the walk in their area or perhaps greet the participants. It will be an opportunity for them to encourage interest in their early town histories. Anyone interested in taking part is encouraged to contact Jim Moore or Jim Rowe.
The CPRA also plans to take part in the Festival of Nations at Chimney Point Historic Site September 18-20. This will be the culmination of the Quadricentennial celebration of the discovery of Lake Champlain http://www.historicvermont.org/chimneypoint .
In addition, Springfield’s Miller Art Center has invited us to mount an exhibit related to the anniversary this summer.
GPR Research Update
It is possible we may be able to go ahead with our ground penetrating radar exploration despite having been denied assistance by the Lake Champlain Basin Program. Doria Kutrubes of Radar Solutions International http://www.radar-solutions.com has expressed interest and enthusiasm in providing her expertise in GPR plus magnetometry to further our research. She would be able to come to Proctor this spring with several of her colleagues and will need our assistance with transportation, set-up and some operations. This should be an exciting and educational project and we hope members will volunteer to help. Please watch the website or call Jim Moore for updates.
Annual Meeting
US Forest Service Archaeologist David Lacy, speaker at our annual meeting in Belmont, shared his experiences in working on many historic sites and suggested methods we might utilize in our research efforts.
Jim Rowe will once again serve as president, replacing Elaine Purdy. Roma Pulling stepped down from her post as director after many years of service. Roma has been a faithful hiker since the early days of the association. We welcome new director Thomas Hughes, Director of Crown Point State Historic Site. All other officers and directors remain in office.