2005 Meeting Dates and Events March 20, 1:30 p.m., Members’ Meeting Pittsford Congregational Church; potluck desserts. Speaker: John Peterson, “Sam Slick, Yankee Peddler.” March 29 or April 5, Museum opens. April 17, Members’ Meeting time and place to be announced. May 30, Memorial Day ceremonies and Open House at Eaton Hall. July, Event(s) to be announced. August 6-7, PHS co-hosts first Landon/Loveland/ Howland/ family reunion. August 14, 1:30 p.m., Members’ Meeting & potluck dessert, Walter & Priscilla Jackson’s. October 16, Potluck supper & Annual Meeting Congregational Church November 8, Museum closes for winter. November 13, Eaton Hall Open House and Harvest Celebration. 2005 Board of Trustees Elected Officers and Trustees for 2005 were elected at the Society’s annual meeting on October 17, 2004. They are: Peggy Armitage, president; Anne Pelkey, vice president; Jean Harvie, treasurer; Samantha Britt, recording secretary; Dorothea Parker, corresponding secretary. Trustees: Terri Davis, Edward Keith, Barbara Poljacik, and immediate past president Len Lumsden. They took office on January first this year. Len Lumsden reported on a busy season, beginning with Memorial Day Open House, new postcards of F.E. Church’s 1848 painting of the Otter Creek Inn in the Village, a VT History Expo exhibit with Chittenden, numerous gifts to museum collections, a very successful Tag and Bake Sale and Raffle, dozens of genealogical questions answered by museum volunteers, the August picnic at the Walter Jacksons, Betty Atwood’s weaving demonstration, and a booth at the St. Alphonsus Church Christmas sale. To conserve on heating fuel, the museum closed October 31 until late March or early April. Those present joined nominating committee chair Anne Pelkey in thanking Len Lumsden and his wife Margaret, the outgoing recording secretary, together with retiring trustee Betty Atwood, for all their hard work. After a great potluck supper, we enjoyed Tom Carpenter’s illustrated talk on early Rutland banks, coins, and currency issued in Vermont’s formative years of statehood. Carpenter is the Rutland Historical Society’s treasurer. Old-Time Peddler John Peterson Visits Pittsford March 20 The first membership meeting in 2005 will be held on Sunday afternoon, March 20th, at 1:30 p.m. in the fellowship room of the Pittsford Congregational Church. It is hoped that the new time will be more convenient for those who prefer not to drive after dark. Members are asked to bring a dessert to share, and beverages will be served. Our guest speaker will be John Peterson in his role as Sam Slick, an old-time Yankee peddler. John is president of the Brandon Historical Society and a teacher at Rutland High School. The PHS officers and trustees urge those who are able to drive to give a ride to a member, a neighbor, a friend, or anyone else who would enjoy our programs. We hope to see many more members and guests on March 20th. Call Anne Pelkey at 483-6178 if you need a ride. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A Splendid Memorial Gift Rebecca Davenport of Pittsford recently notified the Society Trustees that she and her relatives intend to make a very generous, unrestricted contribution to the Society in memory of their parents and grandparents, William Chrone and Hila (Mahler) Davenport. The Davenports were Pittsford natives and lifelong residents who owned and operated part of the Elisha Pike Hitchcock farm on Furnace Road, where they built their farmhouse in 1948. Their surviving children are Hila Jeannette (Davenport) Ray, Rebecca, and William A. Davenport. “Bill” Davenport (1912-1982) was a Town deputy sheriff, tax collector, and overseer of the poor. Hila (1914-2004 was a leader in the Congregational Church Woman’s Association for 40 years or more, and was well known for her braided rugs and hand sewn dolls. The family will donate a memorial plaque in their honor.   ********IN MEMORIAM******** We note with sadness the recent death in Rutland on Jan. 3rd of Sophia (Pentkowski) Cecot, widow of Charles Peter Cecot Sr., and mother of Charlene Anne (Cecot) Eddy and Charles P. Cecot Jr. “Sophie” Cecot (1913-2005) was a Society member for a great many years and a valuable contributor to Pittsford’s Second Century 1872-1997, through her tape-recorded recollections of growing up in Florence as a child of Polish immigrants who came here to work in the Vermont marble industry. We will miss her cheerful company. Another true Vermonter, Rollin “Jack” Grace, 104, died in Bennington on Jan. 23rd. Born in 1900, Jack was a World War 1 Army Corps veteran whose photograph and great tales of life in Pittsford are preserved in the pages of Pittsford’s Second Century. His only child, the late Geraldine (Grace) Hasbrouck, was the wife of A. Eltinge Hasbrouck of Pittsford. Recent Acquisitions to the Museum <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Barbara Ketcham donated an 1886 History of Rutland County by Smith & Rann, the 1881-1882 Rutland County Gazetteer & Business Directory with Mrs. Raymond Barnard’s signature in it, and an 1890 Excelsior Diary–Fred D. Barnard diarist. Bob Sird brought in a video of Pittsford taped on 7/15/1989 featuring Jane Belcher, Grace Anderson, Bob Sird, & Earl English, Sr. A hand towel/bureau scarf signed by Mary H. Spooner was donated by Peg Armitage. Mary was a Hendee and married Dr. Whipple Spooner. Also from Peg is an embroidered child’s dress made for Peggy (Willard) by Alice Slosson ca. 1930. Kit Hudson donated a Singer sewing machine in excellent condition used by his mother, Frances (Hampl) to sew bandages during WWII. From Stephen Hitchcock a “broadside” from the Denison Brothers Store (1878-1896) advertising “1-1/4 Barrel 49 lbs. Choice Family Flour.” Lorelle (Anderson) Bernard gave the graduation class photo from Rutland Business College which includes the photo of her grandfather George W. Neil, father of the late Grace (Neil) Anderson. “Heads of Families at the Second Census of the United States in the Year 1800 Vermont,” (originally donated to the Maclure Library by the Macomber family) was given by librarian Bonnie Stewart who thought its home should be in the museum’s genealogical library. A beautiful wood & coal parlor stove made by Pittsford’s Philo Penfield Stewart was given by Jean & Fred Harvie. The stove was in the David Holden house on Rt. 7 in the Village when the Harvies bought it in1974. Ida Flanders Phillips’s wedding dress was given by her heirs. She married Henry Orrin Phillips in 1900. The two-peice winter dress is in dark tones of browns, purples and striped silk with velveteen trim. Several farming implements, horse trappings, equipment for maple sugaring, and a wonderful old traverse(or “travoise,” a long seat for 4 to 8 on 2 single sleds) are from the Davenport heirs.. MEMBERSHIP NEWS The Society proudly welcomes three new life members since January first: Rebecca Davenport, W. Joseph Gagnon, Jr. both from Pittsford, and Katherine Hart from Garden City, Kansas, whose ancestor was Abiel Caverly. Membership committee chair Doris Hoare thanks all those who responded to her January membership renewal letter. Timely renewal of dues supports the annual operating expenses of Eaton Hall; it would be impossible to carry on without your help. If your address label has a red dot this time, your dues for 2005 are due! Please send your check, made payable to the Pittsford Historical Society, to Doris Hoare, P.O. Box 187, Pittsford, Vt. 05763. Single: $15   |   Family: $20  |   Contributing: $25  |   Sponsor: $50   |   Life Member: $200 per person