Monthly Journal
We first started a blog here at the CPRA in 2009 as part of the End – End Hike which was conducted during the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the building of the Old Military Road. This proved to be quite popular and, accordingly, we decided to transition the blog into an on-going forum for use by members of the CPRA as well as for anyone interested in related history. I have transcribed the postings from the 2009 End – End Hike into a PDF formatted file. Just follow the link shown on this page (“Pages” list at right) and you can read the complete blog diary.
Watch for postings from hike / event leaders if you would like further information on a recent outing, send us posts for upcoming events in the area related to our local history, or just ask a question. Hopefully, we can all learn something from your participation.
Thanks, Jim (Admin)
Tour of Rogers Island with Dr. David Starbuck
On June 22, 2013, noted archaeologist and author Dr. David Starbuck led members and friends of the Crown Point Road Association on a guided tour of historic Rogers Island in Fort Edward, New York. The tour began at the Rogers Island Visitors Center and museum www.rogersisland.org which is housed at a former Mobile Oil barge terminal on the island. Dr. Starbuck provided a summary presentation on the findings from his seven years of archaeological work (1991-1998) on this historic island in the Hudson River during the morning session and, after lunch, led a walking tour of the most significant sites which he has studied.
Aerial View of Rogers Island on the East Bank of the Hudson River, Fort Edward, New York
Rogers Island is located in the Hudson River at Fort Edward, New York. The island and adjacent Fort Edward were settled and heavily fortified during the 18th Century for defense of the major portage between the Hudson River and the headwaters of Lake Champlain. Known earlier as “The Great Carrying Place”, the geography of the area of Rogers Island has long defined this position as a strategic point linking the Champlain Valley with the navigable waters of the Hudson River. The modern day Champlain Canal connects with the Hudson River just south of Rogers Island where the river runs at an elevation of 105 Ft. above sea level. Upstream of Fort Edward, the Hudson River runs up against the foothills of the Adirondacks and the river veers sharply to the west and begins to rise. A short distance upstream at Hudson Falls, the river is at an elevation of 200 Ft. above sea level, and at Glens Falls, the river is at an elevation of 260 Ft. above sea level. The rapids along the section of the Hudson River above Fort Edward (which existed prior to modern dam development) made the portage around this section of river an essential link between the Hudson River, the Champlain Valley, and Canada.
David Starbuck Leads the CPRA Walking Tour of Rogers Island, June 2013
During the French and Indian War the British made extensive improvements to the fortifications at Fort Edward and a massive encampment was developed on Rogers Island. The encampment functioned as a huge supply depot for British and American soldiers in the late 1750’s and, according to David Starbuck, large portions of the island were literally covered with barracks buildings, huts, tents, storehouses, kilns, gardens, and both general hospitals and a dedicated smallpox hospital. In 1757, after Fort William Henry was sacked by the French (and surrendered British troops were murdered by Indian allies of the French after being granted safe passage back to Fort Edward) this military complex became the northernmost defensive fortification held by the British on the continent.
Maj. Robert Rogers Monument on Rogers Island. Rules of Ranging Listed on Attached Bronze Plaques
The island became known as Rogers Island since the encampment here served as the basecamp for the famed company of Provincial frontiersmen led by Major Robert Rogers and known as Rogers Rangers. The Rangers were based on Rogers Island between 1757 – 1759 and it was here that Major Rogers drafted the standing orders for Rangers known as the “Rules of Ranging”. Ranger companies were developed to aid regular British troops who were not accustomed to frontier warfare. Rangers served as scouts and guides, patrolling beyond fixed fortifications in order to supply reconnaissance for early warning against potential enemy raids, and for identification of potential enemy targets. Even in today’s modern military, upon completion of U.S. Army Ranger training, all new members of what has evolved into an elite group of airborne light infantry are presented with Major Rogers Rules of Ranging. Rogers Island is therefore very justifiably referred to as the birthplace of the U.S. Army Rangers. In my mind, the Dept. of the Army would do well to invest in the preservation and further interpretation of this historic site.
Monument at Rogers Island Dedicated to the British Expeditionary Forces
Campaigns against the French fortifications to the north on Lake Champlain were staged at Fort Edward and Rogers Island. The greatest troop build-up at this base of operations occurred under the command of General Abercrombie when over 16,000 soldiers assembled at Fort Edward in 1758 for the (failed) attack on Fort Ticonderoga. Lt. John Small would most certainly have passed through Fort Edward at that time as his regiment of the Black Watch marched to their demise. General Jeffrey Amherst was in command of Fort Edward by 1759 and at that time over 12,000 troops were garrisoned here in support of Amherst’s campaigns against Fort Ticonderoga and Fort St. Frederic. After Fort St. Frederic was seized by the British, Gen. Amherst moved his command north to Crown Point for obvious strategic reasons, but perhaps in as much to escape the smallpox disease at Fort Edward which had reached epidemic proportions as early on as 1757. In fact, once the major campaigns into the Champlain Valley were completed by the British, the main use of the facilities at Rogers Island may well have been primarily for health care. David Starbuck has focused much of his research on this topic, although to date, a very limited amount of knowledge regarding 18th Century health care has been developed beyond that of the housing for the sick. So much has yet to be learned.
Murray Hill, Orwell Hike – Road Link to Fort Ticonderoga
Posted for Jim Moore by Admin.
Orwell Town Hall
On Sunday May 19, CPRA President Jim Rowe led a large group of participants on an exploration of the Murray Hill area located in the northeastern corner of the Town of Orwell, Vermont. Jim has always expressed a particular interest in the military road branch which connected the Crown Point Military Road to Fort Ticonderoga (formerly Fort Carillon). The two military roads linked in the Town of Sudbury, Vermont. The military road connection to the eastern shore of Lake Champlain begins near CPR Marker 51 in Sudbury. At this location the CPR is only +/- 10 miles from the Lake shore. Also known as the “Ticonderoga Branch” this segment of road had been difficult to document due to both; the fact that the area has been farmed for over 200 years and evidence of the road location on the ground has been much disturbed, as well as, the fact that early documentation is not clear regarding the route of the military road. The route of the Ticonderoga Branch as delineated by early surveyor William Cockburn in 1767 does not correspond well with a later route depicted on a 1775 – 1785 lotting map for the Town of Sudbury.
Jim Rowe Presenting the Pre-hike Briefing, Map Review, and Discussion
This topic was part of the discussion for the day. It is clear, however, that in the Fall of 1759, a Ticonderoga Branch road was made to connect the shore of Lake Champlain near Fort Ticonderoga with the Crown Point Road. A letter from Lt. John Small to General Jeffrey Amherst in 1761 makes specific reference to troops departing from Crown Point and travelling south to Fort Ticonderoga to “draw supplies” and thence marching east to join the Crown Point Road.
Brook & Carol Aldrich “Housekeeping”
The group met on the Village Green in Orwell to organize the hike, review maps, and discuss the significance of the strategic link between the Crown Point Road and Fort Ticonderoga. Once organized, all proceeded to the Murray Hill area which, in general, is located southwest of the Richville Wildlife Management Area, and west of the Lemon Fair River. Brook and Carol Aldrich took some time out to do some housekeeping at Marker 51C along the way.
Farm Lane on Murray Hill, Orwell
Giant Butternut Tree Growing within Cellar Hole Opening
well site were discovered amongst the cellar holes, but of particular interest to all was the living trunk of a massive butternut tree which remains alive within the perimeter of one of the foundations. It is an obviously ancient tree and, although it is in poor health, this tree has managed to survive the widespread “butternut canker” fungus which has obliterated much of this tree species within its native range in New England.
What Lt. John Small Saw April 1761 – CPRA Hike April 2013
Posted for Barry & Barbara Griffith by Admin.
Today’s outing was inspired by the late Al Ransom, CPRA historian who uncovered and provided the CPRA with a copy of Lt. Small’s April 6, 1761 letter to General Jeffrey Amherst. Also Sanborn Partridge, the late CPRA stalwart who identified Saddle Mountain as Small’s 1761 vantage point. Last but not least: British Lieutenant John Small – the first person to make the Crown Point Road his passion.
For a brief biography of Lt. John Small and his involvement in the construction of the Crown Point Road please see the first installment of The Road Builders on the Crown Point Road Association website.
Saddle Mountain – Lt. John Small’s “height of land” as Described to Gen. Amherst, 1761
The focus of our early spring hike to the summit of Saddle Mountain in the Town of Shrewsbury was to investigate whether or not this 2400 Ft. peak, located just west of the high peaks of the Green Mountains, was the same vantage point from which Lt. John Small identified a more advantageous route for the military road as reported in his letter to General Jeffrey Amherst.
At the conclusion of the 1760 campaign, provincials from New England were sent home over the Crown Point Road. General Amherst again sent John Small to pay the departing troops at Fort No. 4, with orders to return thence to Crown Point. Heavy snows ensued. Small could have headed south and returned to Albany via Massachusetts. Instead Small remained in Charlestown, waiting until he could cross Vermont back to Lake Champlain.
April 2013, Near the Summit of Saddle Mountain (Mendon & Shrewsbury Peaks in Background), Photo Courtesy of Jim Moore
Small finally set out on snowshoes on March 28, 1761, accompanied by “two of the inhabitants at No. 4.” [Who!?] This party arrived at the Black River ponds around April 1, and continued perhaps three miles beyond to the “height of land.” Small then “went up to the summit of one of the highest mountains in order to try discovering from thence the nearest & most accessible passage for the road.” Small later wrote Amherst that from the summit “he could discern an opening or notch between two very high hills, but considerably more to the northward than anyone had attempted to pass before this time — it appear’d to be pretty level in a direct course toward Otter Creek.”
Small’s letter to Amherst advises that he took this new route. “I found with pleasure that this passage even exceeded my expectations. From thence to Otter Creek I met with no sort of interruption, but what could easily be made practicable for a carriage road. I caused the trees to be marked from where I left the former road (at the ponds) to where I struck Otter River & Hawkes Road about three miles above the great falls & seven miles below where the former road passes the Creek. This much I have at least shortened the road….”
Saddle Mountain, April 2013 CPRA Hike, Reenactment of Small’s April 1761 Reconnaissance on Snowshoes (Sort of) Photo Courtesy of Jim Moore
The fact that Saddle Mt. is prominently located at the division between the Connecticut River watershed and the Otter Creek watershed, from which point all water flows north to Lake Champlain, certainly would not have been lost on a skilled planner such as Lt. Small. What better place to assess the route onward to the west? Based on our hike to the summit of Saddle Mt. we are in agreement with Sandy Partridge’s conclusion – that John Small’s vantage point was Saddle Mountain in North Shrewsbury.
Sanborn Partridge, CPRA Historian Emeritus, 1915-2013
Sanborn Partridge
Sanborn Partridge passed away peacefully at Wake Robin Retirement Community in Shelburne, Vermont, on January 13, 2013.
He was born on April 30, 1915, in Proctor, Vermont, to Frank C. Partridge and Sarah Sanborn Partridge.
He graduated from Westminster School, Magna Cum Laude from Amherst College in 1936, and in 1939 he earned one of few combined degrees ever granted by Yale Law School and Harvard Business School.
During the next three years he practiced law in Rutland, was Town Grand Juror and got his private pilot license. From 1942 through 1945, he was in the Army Air Corps and the Army Air Force, becoming a first lieutenant in the intelligence section.
He did graduate work in geology at Yale from 1946 to 1950, and then taught geology first at the University of Kansas and then at Amherst College, and did extensive field work in Utah. He then returned to Vermont and became an expert in oriental rugs and old coins, especially Vermont coins, and was able to give a set of these to the Fleming Museum and another set to the American Numismatic Society.
From 1961 to 1970, he served in the Vermont General Assembly, and 1970 to 1981 in the Senate. (See the State of Vermont, House & Senate Resolution H.C.R. 23 in commemoration to Sanborn Partridge at: 2013 Vermont House & Senate Joint Resolution). He was a part of the “Young Turks,” a group of Republicans and Democrats who worked together on many projects for the good of Vermont including the highway sign bill, and reapportionment. He was a member of the executive board of the University of Vermont, serving as Chairman for one year. He also served on the boards for the Proctor, Rutland and Vermont Historical Societies, several library boards, the Rutland Hospital, the Red Cross and the Union Church of Proctor. He led over 25 canoe trips with the youth groups of the Union Church, and later even two trips from Wake Robin.
He was active with the Boy Scouts, serving as a scoutmaster, as President of the Green Mountain Council, on the Region One Executive Board, and the International Committee of the BSA’s National Board. He attended many international jamborees and was awarded the Silver Beaver, the Silver Antelope and the Order of the Arrow.
Sanborn Partridge spent his last years happily at Wake Robin, with his siblings. He was predeceased by his sister Frances Coulter and brother Charles, and is survived by his sister Ruth, brother David and sister-in-law Dee, eight nieces and nephews, 15 grandnieces and nephews, and 5 great-grandnieces and nephews.
His family cherishes their memories of his love of camping and the out-of-doors, and of his devotion to Vermont and its history. His family is grateful for the presence of Wake Robin and especially to the staff at Linden for the great care and support he received in his last five years. Donations in his memory may be sent to the Green Mountain Boy Scout Council or the Vermont Historical Society. (From: Rutland Herald Obituary)
Sanborn, always challenging himself even at the age of 92, attended the CPRA 2008 season opening event at Fort Ticonderoga. It was a lovely warm spring day in May and CPRA attendees had the Fort all to themselves. It was a memorable event and we were glad to be able to share this day with him.
Sanborn was a great supporter and friend of the Crown Point Road Association; serving as researcher, hike leader, officer and historian. In 1992, when it became apparent that the old guide book (published 1965) was out-of-date, Sanborn took to the road recording directions and calibrating mileages from marker to marker across the state. He compiled and edited the new marker book, including detailed maps and commentaries from early CPRA historians Flora Weeks and Martin Howe. The guide has since been re-printed three times with only minor revisions.
My Personal Remembrance:
Sanborn Partridge was a well respected geologist who possessed an extensive knowledge of the geology of New England, the Appalachian Mountains, and Atlantic Canada. I recall attending a Vermont Geological Society field trip in the late 1990′s which involved a hike up Mount Philo in Ferrisburgh. My Father Ellery and Sanborn were both along for the trip. I had just returned from a drilling project in Newfoundland the day before and when Sanborn heard of where I had been working (thanks to my Dad) he rolled right into an almost unbelievable story of his experience as a research geologist in Newfoundland (maybe when he was at Amherst College?). I don’t recall all the details, but the long and short of the story was that Sanborn and his colleagues had arrived on the island by ship and while exploring the geology of the highlands near what is now the Gros Morne Provincial Park, they stood on a remote peak high above the sea and watched their ship sink at it’s mooring! How the group got home from what was then, and what still is today, remote and exceedingly rugged terrain in Newfoundland I do not recall. I do, however, recall the smile on Sanborn’s face as he related this experience. The situation likely put his research group into quite a predicament, but my sense was that, for Sanborn, this was exactly the type of challenging experience that served to enrich his life – well lived.
R.I.P. Sanborn
Jim Purdy (Admin)
Bridport Marker #62B Restored
Posted by Admin. for Elaine Purdy & Larry Clark
The Displaced Marker
On the 18th of November, after walking in on a muddy dirt road, four dedicated CPRA members set to work re-setting Marker #62B which is located on Basin Harbor Road. For some time the Association had been aware of the condition of this marker and helpful suggestions, as well as offers to assist with re-setting the marker, had been offered by both local landowner Margaret Sunderland and Town of Bridport Road Foreman Rusty Huestis. The marker had originally been set on a clay embankment and erosion of the unstable soil slope eventually caused the marker to topple over.
Jim and Brook Righting the Stone
Despite the kind offers of equipment for the fix from those mentioned above, Carol & Brook Aldrich, Larry Clark, and Jim Rowe arrived on-site to make the repair using hand tools, manual labor, and a bit of leverage.
The marker (and the substantially constructed base) was wrestled into a new, more stable, position away from the clay embankment in order to resolve what had been a long-standing problem with the old, isolated, marker. Looks great!
Marker #62B in its New Setting on Basin Harbor Road
Thanks Carol, Brook, Larry & Jim for your efforts.
Hubbardton Military Road – CPRA Members Document Wheeler’s “Military Bridge”
Posted by Admin. for Barb Griffith & Dale Christie
“Here the slanting sunshafts light a slate-laid causeway: Bemused, I sit and sense the forest wake with sound, Distant echoes and iron caissons grinding on the ledge, Grim soldiers straining through the swampy ground.” (Excerpt from “Spoke Hollow”, poem by Robert Wheeler, Sept. 1950)
On October 13, 2012 a group of Crown Point Road Association Members set out to explore the route of the 1776, Mount Independence – Hubbardton Military Road in the Town of Benson. The focus of their exploration on this day was to document the location of the “Military Bridge” as previously described by Joseph & Mabel Wheeler in their book titled; ‘The Mount Independence – Hubbardton 1776 Military Road” (1968).
A map on Pg. 208 of the Wheeler book identifies the location of what the authors referred to as the “Military Bridge”. The location is, in general, due-south of Sunset Lake in the Town of Benson.
The route of the Mount Independence – Hubbardton 1776 Military Road as it traversed the area of Sunset Lake near the Benson – Orwell town boundary is described in Wheeler’s Book (Pg. 210) as follows:
The slate slabs of Wheeler’s “Military Bridge” as located by CPRA Members. The stones form a bridge across a small swale which, at present, is dry due to beaver dams constructed in the wetlands upstream of the site.
“ …. The road then went along the present camper’s road at the north edge of Walker swamp and crossed the brook between the swamp and Perch Pond, continuing south, then east, to a point at the western foot of the big hill west of Sunset Lake Road. In 1948, Ashton Bosworth painted yellow markers on the trees along this route. At this point, i.e. the west foot of Rabatois hill, the Military Road branches into two routes, one of them swinging around north of this high hill, and coming out to the Sunset Lake Road in the lane a little south of John O’Shea’s recent house, thence east across the meadows. The other runs along the west base southward, coming down and crossing the “Military Bridge,” an unquestioned landmark” ……
A second excerpt from Wheeler’s book (Pg. 210) again mentions the ”Military Bridge”:
“The Howard Family, acquainted with this territory for several generations, feel sure that the main Military Road, after coming south along the west foot of the big hill, and crossing the Military Bridge, a group of large slate slabs and abutments still to be seen, about 75 rods north of the highway and 50 feet west of Harry Howard’s wood road …..”
Large stone slabs form the deck of the “Military Bridge” as identified by Wheeler and as recovered by CPRA Member in October 2012.
The CPRA group found the “Military Bridge” in-place and very much as described by the Wheeler’s from their explorations of the area more than 50 years ago. The group cleared the stone slabs of accumulated leaves and soil, and documented the GPS position of the bridge for future reference.
The state of preservation of this structure is truly remarkable given the extensive agricultural and forestry activities which have occurred within the area over the past 200 plus years since these stones were first lain by the road builders.
September 15th, Cavendish Hike – a Cannon Ball and a Cattle Pen
Posted by Admin. for Becky Tucker
Carmine Guica, CPRA Historian Emeritus Examines the Small Round Shot Discovered in Plymouth
Jim Rowe, CPRA President, was the hike leader for the day’s activities in the Town of Cavendish. The group gathered outside the Cavendish Historical Society before departing on a two mile hike along an original section of the 1759 Crown Point Road. Attendees were very much pleased to visit with Carmine Guica, Historian Emeritus of the CPRA, at the Cavendish Historical Society building.
Additional color was added to the day’s activities by the attendance of two reenactors from Fort No. 4 (also members of the CPRA). The reenactors weighed in on the discussion of the artifacts that were examined before departing on the hike. The small round shot was of particular interest to all as it was recently discovered near Goldmine Brook in Plymouth last year after tropical storm Irene flooding.
Fort No. 4 Reenactors Attend the September 15th CPRA Event in Cavendish.
The reenactors correctly commented that someone would have to measure and weigh the cannon ball in order to determine whether it was French or English ordinance.
The course of the hike brought the group to a very well preserved (19th?) Century stone foundation near the Twenty Mile Stream Road in Cavendish. The stone walls are thought to be the foundation of a shed for farm vehicles. A number of metal artifacts, most likely related to agriculture, were located on-site along with a tea kettle. The area is considered to be a portion of a mill operated by a Mr. Ordway.
Well Preserved Foundation Explored Near the Twenty Mile Stream Road.
After the turn off of the Twenty Mile Stream Road at a bed and breakfast, the group hiked about one half mile up the hill to visit the site of what was thought to be a cattle pen site as determined by former CPRA explorer Al Ransom (R.I.P.).
Hiking to the Cavendish Cattle Pen Site
Today, the area has been naturally reclaimed as woodlands, but the general consensus of the group was that this location would have been flat enough to hold cattle overnight as they were driven north to feed the troops at Crown Point.
September is Vermont Archaeology Month!
This fall the CPRA will join the Vermont Archaeological Society and the Archaeological Society of America in calling attention to the various aspects of archaeological research.
Our event will take place Saturday, September 15, and will be a narrated hike in Cavendish. The hike will follow the route of the 1759 CPR and, if time permits, visit the cattle pens where droves of livestock rested en-route to the forts on Lake Champlain. CPRA President Jim Rowe will lead the tour, beginning at 10:30 AM and leaving from the Cavendish Historical Society on VT Route 131. Participants should bring a lunch.
The Archaeological Institute of America has designated October 20 as National Archaeology Day. However; events will be held all during the month. As a collaborating organization, the CPRA’s offering will be Barry Griffith’s presentation of his research of the contributions of British officer John Small to the construction of the Crown Point Road in 1759-60.
Griffith’s lecture will take place following the CPRA’s annual meeting and potluck dinner on Oct. 21 at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 117 West Street, in Rutland. The dinner and meeting will begin at 1:00 PM. The public is welcome to the dinner, meeting and/or just the lecture.
For a complete listing of all the great events planned click on this link: http://historicsites.vermont.gov/documents/VT%20Archaeology%20Month%20Events%208_22_2012pdf.pdf
Split Rock Cave and Tavern Hike, 8-19-12
Posted by Admin. for Becky Tucker
Almost 30 Hikers Head off Eastham Road into the Woods of Shrewsbury on their way to Split Rock cave.
CPRA researchers Barbara & Barry Griffith were the leaders of a well attended exploration of Split Rock cave and tavern in Shrewsbury on Sunday August 19. Hikers gathered at the Shrewsbury Town office and set off on the afternoon hike.
According to Russell Perry in 1980, “the old house, said by Charles P. Russell to have been a tavern on the Crown Point Road, was about 100 yards east of a great boulder which had split at a slant to make a cave”. The family story is that Russell lived in the cave while building the tavern. The CPR is known to have been in this vicinity, however the Woodstock, or County Road, was also nearby.
Barry Griffith Leads the Hikers across a Stone Wall adjacent to the Split Rock site. The Large Boulder from which the Cave Formed is in the Background.
A large cellar hole with a subtantailly constructed center chimney exists at the location. While on-site, CPRA members measured the old stone foundation dimensions and found the interior area to be +/- 26 Ft. x 24 Ft.. The stone base for the center chimney was measured at +/- 8 Ft. x 8 Ft..
The general consensus amongst hike attendees was that the Split Rock cave (or boulder) would have served well as a shelter for early settlers, be they Russells or others. A small ring of stones was observed near the entry of the Split Rock which may have served as a hearth.
Split Rock is likely a large glacial erratic type boulder which was rent into two perfectly placed slabs over the course of millennia to form an ideal locale for human habitation.
A Place for Secure Shelter is Provided at Split Rock by Two Massive Slabs formed from the Fractured Boulder.
The close proximity of the Split Rock cave (+/- 100 Yds.) relative to the foundation ruins of what has been reported to be an early tavern is hard to ignore in terms of the Russell Family history.
The old cellar hole is relatively large in size and the measured size of the interior stone base, constructed as a support for what would have been a center hearth, is much more substantial in size than that which would have been constructed for a typical single family dwelling for the period .
Herb Ogden & Barb Griffith Measure the Center Hearth Foundation at the Tavern site adjacent to the Split Rock cave.
If you are interested in this topic and want to read more, then please click on the following link for hike leader Barry Griffith’s complete hike notes: Split Rock Cave
Champlain Bridge Celebration Weekend
Although the new Champlain Bridge was opened for traffic in the Fall of 2011, the official Grand Celebration took place on May 19 – 20, 2012. This Celebration also included the re-opening of the State of Vermont, Chimney Point Historic Site which had been closed since the bridge construction commenced. The Crown Point Road Association set-up at Chimney Point in order to take part in this historic event.
Crown Point Road Association President Jim Rowe Mans the Association Booth Set-up at the Chimney Point, Vermont State Historic Site
The Replica Canal Boat Schooner Lois McClure Under Full Sail Passes Beneath the new Crown Point Bridge