We hope that many of you were able to enjoy our celebration of “Ryegate Celebrates America’s 250th” held on May 23. What a grand day with wonderful history exhibits, demonstrations of candle making, rug braiding, spinning, butter making & wood turning, fabulous food, a reading of the Declaration of Independence, children’s games, a lovely cantata, entertainment by Fifth Business, fire department displays, a Memorial Day commemoration, the Bayley Hazen driving tour with historical markers, a quilt exhibit, a town wide photo and more!! The day was a big success because of the hard work of SO MANY people!
Finally, the orders for reprints of both of our history books arrived. The hardback of Miller and Wells History of Ryegate 1774-1912, now with a wonderful red cover, is in; the reprint is excellent with very clear photos, priced @ $60. Dwight White’s softcover of The Down of the Thistle (twentieth century Ryegate) is $35. They are available at Whitelaw Hall and the Town Clerk’s office, or by emailing us at: ryegatehistoricalsociety@gmail.com. We can mail them for a small additional fee.
We’ve held our regular summer Open House events the 3rd Saturday of each month, highlighting our exhibits from the 250th event. Our next (and last one of the season) will be on Saturday, October 17th from 10-12:00.
Within the next two weeks, (date TBA), we will hold our Annual Meeting, with election of officers and 3-year terms of our Board of Directors. Please let me know if there are any nominations for our Board or for Officers. (doverford@gmail.com). Those up for election on the Board this year are: Linda Libuda, Marsha Nelson, Karen Hatch Rathburn, & Jill Mason. Officers up for election are: Dover Ford, president, Melvin Nelson, vice-president, Marsha Nelson, secretary and Tim Wilson, treasurer.
CALENDARS !!
As a fundraiser this year, we have printed 2027 Calendars with wonderful photos from our collection. They are priced at $20 and are available at the Town Clerk’s office and at our Open House. Plan ahead. Our calendars will make wonderful Christmas gifts!
A very successful “Cellar/Yard Sale” at our last Open House raised over $1,600! Thanks to Linda Libuda and Karen Hatch and all who worked on this project! The profits of this will be used to repair our windows and secure the chimney at Whitelaw Hall.
The Whitehill Home & Library Association is making great progress on the restoration of the home and barn at the site of the original Whitehill Homestead (the old stone house). This property is important to the early history of Ryegate: James & Mary Whitehill came to Ryegate in 1798, followed by his brother Abraham and wife Elizabeth in 1800. They settled on land originally owned by James Witherspoon in the northernmost section of Ryegate. The stone house, built in 1806, is part of the restoration being done by the Association. Website: whitehillstonehouse.org
In mid-September, along with the Newbury Historical Society, we co-hosted a lecture on Cemetery Sleuthing by Erin Moulton. It was a fun afternoon that was both entertaining and informative. There was a good crowd and lots of fabulous cookies!
Another important announcement is that we finally have a website for the historical society. Many thanks to Gaelan Murphy of South Ryegate who has volunteered his time and expertise with this project. He’s been incredibly patient with us! We will be posting more photos and information. Although it’s a work in progress, you can now access the website at: ryegatehistorical.org
Jill Mason, our newest Board member, has brought to the Board her background in research, cataloging and archiving collections. In her research in the Edward Miller journals, she has been uncovering some amusing stories that we’ll pass on!
An Unexpected Wedding Guest
The first recorded wedding in Ryegate took place on January 9, 1777. The groom was local carpenter and town representative James Henderson. The bride was Agnes Symes, the daughter of Alexander Symes, the first man to bring a family to Ryegate from Scotland. It was likely a very cold day, as January tends to be, but Agnes and James went on to live a very happy life together, by all accounts. They had six children, a sizable farm, and were very active in the local church. Though their wedding day seems to have been largely uneventful, the same couldn’t exactly be said for another happy couple.
In a story recounted by a narrator known only as “Sulham,” a wedding taking place in 1830 took a very stinky turn. Lorammie Holt, a blacksmith, was getting married to Maria Hooker on November 18, 1830, and our narrator, Sulham, was a wedding guest. After the ceremony, the wedding party moved to a home in Ryegate Corner where the newlyweds were to stay until construction of their home was completed. A wedding guest soon noticed that a skunk had taken up residence in a back room, and Sulham decided he would remove the animal for the couple. Sulham “soon charged it, so furiously that the animal returned his attack with such a horrid stench as nearly to break up the company and spoil a fine wedding supper.”
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES:
Annual Membership: Individual: $15/yr. Family: $25/yr.
Dues are payable for a membership year of Jan. 1st-Dec. 31st.
Please make checks payable to:
Ryegate Historical Society, c/o Tim Wilson, Treasurer/ 979 Boltonville Rd./ Wells River, VT. 05081
Board Members: Dover Ford (802-247-0180), Melvin Nelson (802-249-4943), Tim Wilson (802-584-3333), Marsha Nelson (802-584-3667), Linda Libuda (802-584-3362), Molly Fisher (802-584-4292), Ginny Ross (802-584-3675), George Murphy (802-584-3893), Peter Sinclair (802-584-3280), Karen Hatch Rathburn (802-222-1802), Jill Mason (603-991-3974)
Ryegate Historical Society c/o. 3158 North Bayley Hazen Rd. East Ryegate, VT. 05042
