Trip 13 - Sheldon And Fairfield

It was a lovely day for biking, but I was more in the mood to hang out with the dog and take a little jaunt--he's been such a good boy since coming home, and between my being busy and the incessant rainfall, he hasn't gotten as much attention as he deserves.  So...

Dude, look at the camera or it doesn't count!

First stop was Sheldon (history, demographics):

About 1789 Colonel Sheldon and his sons, Elisha Jr., George and Samuel, moved to Vermont. Other settlers soon followed and the town's name was changed from Hungerford to Sheldon in 1792. Colonel Sheldon and Elisha Jr. were elected selectmen at the first town meeting, and Samuel was elected town clerk. Later Samuel was to become the town's first justice of the peace and first representative to the Vermont legislature.
...
A railroad stop named Olmstead Falls became known for the recuperative powers of "the waters" of what were known as the Missisquoi Springs in that part of town. In 1884, Olmstead Falls became Sheldon Springs in a move probably designed to draw attention to the town as a resort area. After the largest hotel in town was destroyed by fire (set by a disgruntled employee) the village declined as a tourist spot, but the name remains.

We parked here by a little quasi-park thing next to the river.

Yup, the War Between the States reached this far north, and not just because Vermont sent volunteers to fight.

The Missisquoi is still running pretty high and fast after all the rain.

A little calmer further downstream.

We've been working on 'wait' so when I get out of the car Mex doesn't bolt out behind me.  He did pretty well.

For some reason, the dog thinks if I sit down it's an invitation to wrestle.  Without fail.

We headed south for home via Fairfield (history, demographics):

At the time of the first United States census (taken for Vermont in 1791), Fairfield had 125 residents. By 1850 it had grown to 2,500 people, making it the fourth largest town in the county. Strangely enough, for all its rapid growth and large size, Fairfield never had as many different post offices as other smaller and less populated towns. The first was opened at Fairfield village in 1803, and is still in operation. The second was established at East Fairfield in 1836; it, too, is still in service. The third and last was in the northeast corner of town, called Herrick for the most numerous of the families in that area, and it was in service for only twenty-nine months starting in September, 1899. It is said that a postal official had told the storekeeper, Bayson Dickinson, that a three-month test sampling indicated that there was sufficient mail from the village to warrant a separate office, so the office of Herrick was established, and Dickinson became the postmaster. Unfortunately, there wasn't as much outgoing mail as had been expected. Dickinson encouraged the young men in the area to write their girlfriends every day, and for a time that turned the trick. But, as one of the young men expressed it, after all those letters most of girls married their guys, and the mail fell off again. Finally the Herrick office was discontinued.

The body of water now known as Fairfield Pond was once known as Dream Pond, the name recalling an 1842 incident in which a man was convicted of murder after a woman dreamed she saw him drowning a mother and her baby there.

Turns out that President Chester A. Arthur was born in Fairfield, so we went to have a look at the state historic site dedicated to him.  It's about 5 miles off North Road--mostly paved, with the last mile or so stretch dirt.  I didn't expect the place to be open, and it wasn't, which was cool because nobody was around so I could let Mex run off leash.  Please don't tattle.

Here it is, along with the big stone marker.

The back is a completely different color than the rest of the house.

Looking through a window.

Fairfield schoolkids built a little walking path through the woods back in 2002, so we decided to explore.

Despite all the pollen you can see on the footbridge, my allergies didn't bother me at all.

From a little garden area on the site.

Along the road.

Previously when riding in the car, Mex clearly avoided the windows I had open.  This time he was brave enough to stick his nose out, most likely because there were so many new, interesting smells as we drove past various farms.

There are many roads to take, and we'll explore as many as we can.

And thus concludes another adventure.  Mex is getting good at being a travel companion, although he still hasn't learned to settle down like Cairo used to.  If only he'd stop licking my ear when I'm trying to drive.

ntodd

PS--This marks our 25 town milestone!  10% done.  But the point is the journey, not the destination.

PPS--I added a purple mark for our hometown in the main map on the left, just so people can see how far we range.

Comments

[flory]

You must be the only dog owner with clean car windows, if Mex doesn't always have his nose pressed up against them.

Looks like the boy had a pretty good time.

[Sandy-LA 90034]

Two Boyz in the Hood...you guys crack me up!

What a beautiful area you live in and I envy you for it. Thanks for sharing the beauties of Vermont with us, including the comic adventures of Mexico and NTodd.

[watertiger]

How much do they want for the house? That place has, as they say, fantastic bones.

[NTodd]

flory - still some leftover noseprints from Cairo, and I suspect Mex will now be adding his own.

Sandy - oh, it's lots of fun, so I'm happy to share.

WT - dunno. I'll ask!

[Darryl Pearce]

...mmm, pretty Vermont.

So..., when are you gettin' to Tunbridge?

[NTodd]

DP - I'll endeavor to get there this summer. It's a fair haul from Fletcher, so we'll need to work up to it.

[muddy]

It was common in the old days to paint the back of the house barn red. The red paint was cheaper than the white, so if you can't see it from the road, save a few pence! Yankee thrift.

[NTodd]

muddy - I had no idea! Cool.

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