Windham County VT Archives History - Businesses .....Businesses Of Brattleboro 1891
************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://www.usgwarchives.net/vt/vtfiles.htm
************************************************

File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 May 26, 2008, 10:04 pm

INDUSTRIES AND WEALTH OF BRATTLEBORO.

   BRATTLEBORO, which derived its name from William Brattle, who came from
Massachusetts, and was one of the grantees of the town, is a prominent and
flourishing town, situated near the southeast corner of the state, on the
Connecticut, at the junction of the Vermont Valley, New London Northern and
Brattleboro and Whitehall railroads. It is sixty miles north of Springfield,
Massachusetts, one hundred miles from New York and one hundred and seventeen
from Boston. It is therefore, near the geographical center of New England and
Eastern New York. It is, we believe, generally conceded that the first English
settlement made in Vermont was at Fort Drummer, which was erected in the
southeast corner of the present township of Brattleboro, in 1724.

   Twenty-nine years after this settlement the charter for the village of
Brattleboro was granted: by King George II. It is a manufacturing village, and
in the heart of one of the most beautiful and fertile valleys on the continent.
The village is regularly laid out on uneven: ground, the main street running
parallel with the river, about seventy-five feet above its surface, till it
descends to the bridge across Whetstone Brook, which unites with the Connecticut
here. At right angles with it and running up the valley of the Whetstone, are
Elliot, Green, and High Streets making the principal avenues of the village.
These avenues are lined with ample and substantial business houses and
manufactories. Its streets are over hung by magnificent elms, maples and other
trees, and as one looks down upon and over the town, from some elevation near
it, before the frosty fingers of fall have stripped the trees, it is embowered
in a mass of foliage. Its streets are lighted with electric lights and there are
two gas companies in town. Concrete walks are laid in all the main streets.

RAILWAYS.

   To those entering Brattleboro its people owe a vast proportion of the
prosperity and' wealth they are enjoying. Its railway facilities put the village
in direct and constant communication with all the commercial centers of the
Union, and are competent to all the exigencies of its many manufacturing and
mercantile interests. The number of these lines is sufficiently great to keep
alive a wholesome competitive spirit that results in moderate freight and
passenger rates and to give frequent and rapid transit in every direction.

EDUCATION.

   The people of Brattleboro have made most ample provision for the education of
their sons-and daughters. Brattleboro was the first town in Vermont to adopt the
Massachusetts system of graded schools, and has since adopted every modern
improvement. The High School building is one of the finest in New England. It
accommodates an Intermediate Grammar and High School, the three grades having
ten accomplished teachers besides the principal, and affording ample facilities
for education for business, or for entering college. There are also a number of
primary schools beside the High School. The Glenwood Classical Seminary is
located at West Brattleboro and is under the able management of Mr. H. H. Shaw,
Principal.

BROOKS FREE LIBRARY.

   The Brooks Free Library Building was erected in 1888 by Mr. George Jones
Brooks, now deceased, to accommodate the Brattleboro Free Library and was
donated by him to the town. Since his death, his heirs have generously given a
fund of $15,000 the income of which is to be perpetually devoted to its
maintenance and increase. The library at present contains over six thousand
books. The building contains two commodious reading rooms.

PARKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS.

   Upon the most elevated of the terraces at the north end of the village and
just in front of the Vermont Asylum for the Insane with which it is contiguous,
and from which it is separated only by an almost invisible wire fence following
the outline of the bluff, is the Village Common, which covers an area of about
three acres. This is without doubt the finest point from which to gain a view of
certain geological features which are peculiar to this part of the Connecticut
valley. From the brow of the elevation looking northward, lies immediately in
front the plateau of twenty acres, on which at its farther boundary, stands the
long line of Asylum buildings, beyond which at a level of fifty feet below this,
stretches the broad meadow tract of one hundred and fifty acres to West River.
Trees cover the Common; its walks are graveled, and rustic seats have been
provided at many points. There has been erected upon the point of view most
commanding and beautiful, a soldiers' monument, for the construction of which
Brattleboro appropriated $5000. Highland Park is a beautiful park consisting of
thirty acres of woodland, situated on a plateau overlooking the village and
commands some rich and varied views in every direction. It is about half a mile
distant from Main Street, and was fitted up and opened to the public in 1884 as
the free gift of Mr. Geo. E. Crowell. A roadway has been laid around the
outskirts affording a delightful drive of a mile. There are rustic cross-roads
and walks to every part of the park, "Highland Avenue," "Hazel Avenue," etc.,
over rustic bridges, with driveways above and below, like those in Central Park,
New York- a labyrinth of fine avenues, under bowers of trees, through densely
shaded recesses, fragrant with  the perfume of flowers and made musical by the
notes of wild birds.

   Brattleboro has six churches, viz.: Baptist, Congregational, Methodist,
Episcopal, Unitarian, and Universalist. Many of the edifices are artistic and
elegant specimens of church architecture of which any village in the country
might be proud. Brattleboro has three first-class hotels which are liberally
patronized at all seasons of the year, viz.: the Brooks House, American House,
and Bliss House. Brattleboro numbers among her educational forces, four
newspapers. The Vermont Phenix, and Windham County Reformer are published
weekly, and the Household and Woman's Magazine monthly.

MANUFACTURES.

   A village may be exceedingly beautiful in itself and its surroundings; it,
may stretch its goodly proportions along the luxuriant banks of a river of
surpassing loveliness; may possess unnumbered natural advantages, charming
homes, intelligence, wealth, art, and all the improvements common to a high
order of civilization, but the eminently practical spirit of the age
imperatively demands something other than this. This village is the prosperous
mart and market of the fertile agricultural region adjacent to it and the
products of its many manufactories are known and esteemed all over the world.
Brattleboro is justly celebrated for the variety and prosperity of its skilled
industries.

   The pianos manufactured by the Estey Piano Co. and the organs of the Estey
Organ Co. have given the village a name in every part of the globe. The organs
made by the E. P. Carpenter Co. have a national reputation. Among the many
productions of its mills and factories may be mentioned the following: sewing
machines, washing machines, knitting machine needles,lathes, paper mill
machinery, planing and shingle, machines, drain and sewer pipe, chimney caps,
brass and iron castings, asphalt pavement, news paper, pumps, packing boxes,
cabinet work, doors, sash and blinds, carriages, wagons and sleighs, children's
carriages, furniture, organ reeds, proprietary medicines, extracts, creamery
butter cigars, confectionery, cider jelly, etc.

SOCIETIES AND CLUBS.

   Among the many organizations in which Brattleboro business men actively
participate may be named: the Young Men's Christian Association; the Rural
Improvement Association; the Valley Fair Association; the Vermont Wheel Club;
the Estey Guard; the Fuller Light Battery; the First Regiment Band and
Orchestra; and a camp_ of the Sons of Veterans; while the ladies of the village
have a Woman's Christian Temperance Union; a woman's auxiliary of Y. M. C, A.; a
woman's Indian Mission Society; a woman's Educational and Industrial Union; a
Natural History Society, and a woman's Relief Corps. The Masonic order, The Odd
Fellows, Knights of Honor, Good Templars, and other secret societies are well
represented and supported.

FEATURES OF ENTERPRISE.

   An illustration of the progressive spirit of Brattleboro people is seen in
the quickness with which they seize upon every practical improvement that is
calculated to economize time, labor or money. No sooner had the telephone opened
its ears and lips than it was introduced here, and its use has now become so
general as a medium for business and social purposes, that its ramifications
extend to every section of the county. The adjacent towns on all sides, and
those further away, are included in this invaluable service. Electric lighting
is another salient example of this spirit of enterprise. All public buildings,
prominent business establishments and thoroughfares are provided with electric
lights, and the company having the matter in hand, is continually multiplying
its resources in answer to the popular demand. Improvements are being adopted as
 rapidly as they are introduced, and there are few towns of its size in the
Union where electricity is so universally used for illuminating  purposes.

   As to its Banking institutions, the business men of Brattleboro have every
reason to be proud of their number, strength aud stability. Well officered and
prudently managed, every legitimate accommodation is offered to their patrons.
There are two National Banks, having a combined capital of $250,000: also a
Savings Bank, with over three thousand depositors, and upwards of a million
dollars deposits. This brings us naturally to insurance interests, which are so
largely represented in this village as to form a distinctive feature of the
business operations of the town. The foremost insurance institutions, in the
United States and England, have established agencies here in active operations.
The natural competition for business, in conjunction with a well managed fire
department, and the general immunity of the village from fires has served to
reduce fire insurance rates to the minimum.

    Brattleboro does not boast of the amplitude of its park system, nor has it
need of the light and air spaces so essential to a crowded and densely built up
community. It possesses in itself, throughout its entire length and breadth, all
those beauties and advantages to gain, which parks are laid out in other towns.
It is not, like scores of others covering no larger an area, a mere mass of
stone and brick and mortar. There is nothing cooped up or tenement-like about
it. Light, air and ventilation are everywhere, with many features that are
lovely and attractive.

   As a place of residence Brattleboro offers the advantages, which only a
prosperous and growing town of slow and legitimate growth can give. Brattleboro
has not "boomed" into sudden notice and spurious mushroom prosperity.
Brattleboro is healthy, bracing, invigorating, and in its influences, public
spirited and elevating. Every encouragement is accorded to new enterprises.
Beautiful homes have room and sway and individuality with more or less of the
green earth pertaining to them, and room for the "vine and fig tree."

   VERMONT LOAN AND TRUST COMPANY, No. 125 Main Street.-The Vermont Loan and
Trust Company offers splendid opportunities for investment in western farm
lands. The company was incorporated in 1886, with a paid-in capital of $175,000
and au authorized capital of $250,000. The company's specialty is western farm
investment securities, guaranteeing seven percent, on farm mortgages and six per
cent, on debenture bonds. The company has branch offices at Grand Forks, N.
Dakota and at Spokane Falls, Washington. A competent surveyor goes over the
lands each summer and notes their condition. Loans are then made from $250 up,
along the Red River Valley in Dakota, the Palouse Valley of Washington, and the
Pan Handle of Idaho. Debenture bonds are also issued, secured by $105,000 of
first mortgages for each $100,000 of bonds issued, these bonds being in
denominations of $100, $200, $500 and $1000 of five to ten years' duration each.
The bonds are deposited with the company's trustees: the Hon. C. J. Amidon,
president Hinsdale Savings Bank; Geo. S. Dowley, president Vermont Savings Bank;
and the Hon. B. D. Harris, president Brattleboro Savings Bank. The surplus of
this company now amounts to $20,000. The general agent is Frank I. Holman, of
Brattleboro, a reliable man who has held his office three years. He is a native
of Massachusetts, and a member of the F. and A. M. President H. Mann, Jr., is a
resident of Wilmington, Vt. H. L. Whithed, the vice-president, is a resident of
Grand Forks, North Dakota. R. M. Sherman, the secretary, and F. W. Wilder,
treasurer, reside in North Dakota. The advisers are thus distinguished:
Directors: Hon. J. M. Tyler, Chas. B. Hopkins, S. S. Titus, A. E. Emery, Geo. E.
Holbrook, H. Mann, Jr., F. W. Wilder, H. L. Whithed, R. M. Sherman. Finance
Committee: S. S. Titus, H. L. Whithed, C. B. Hopkins. Trustees: Hon. C. J.
Amidon, Geo. S. Dowley, Hon. B. D. Harris. General Agent: Frank J. Holman.

   H. W. SARGENT, Manufacturer of Cabinets, Book Cases, Writing Desks and
General Jobbing, Dealer in Rare and Fancy Woods, Contractor for Light Woodwork,
Harmony Block.-The natural facilities for procuring material for the manufacture
of high class cabinet work, are possessed by Brattleboro to as great an extent
as any other city in New England. One of the leading men engaged in the
manufacture of cabinets, book-cases, writing desks, etc., is Mr. H. W. Sargent,
who has been established in business since 1887, and in addition to his
excellent work on writing desks, book-cases, cabinets and general jobbing, he
deals very extensively in rare and fancy woods, from which are made all styles
of bric-a-brac, notions, walking sticks, umbrella handles, ornaments,
work-boxes, powder-boxes, etc. He is a contractor for light woodwork. His
products may be seen in the best homes of this city, his specialty being
repairing and fancy woodwork. He has a fine shop with steam-power and in
addition to being a practical artist in his line, he employs a sufficient force
of skilled artisans to enable him to fill his many orders. Mr. Sargent was for
twelve years in a cigar manufactory. He is a young man, ambitious and energetic,
with most honorable business qualities and an active member of the K. of H.

   E. L. HILDRETH & CO., Printers, Harmony Block.-The art of the printer is
becoming a greater necessity every day. As the educational and business
facilities of the country increase, more books and job printing is needed, which
gives encouragement to to firms like Messrs. E. L. Hildreth & Co., who are among
Brattleboro's foremost printers. They are located in Harmony Block. where they
have fine offices, with a heavy stock of type, composing stones, furniture,
paper cutters, proof presses and all of the modern machinery. This business was
established in 1872, by Mr. D. Leonard; succeeded by Messrs. Hildreth & Fales,
and in April, 1890, by Messrs. E. L. Hildreth & Co. Their place is one of the
most reliable in town. They employ from six to ten persons and guarantee all of
their work at reasonable prices. They do all kinds of printing, including
newspapers, letter and bill heads, legal work, envelopes, cards, circulars, hand
bills, posters, political and commercial work, catalogues, etc. Their work
always gives satisfaction. Mr. Hildreth is a native of New Hampshire. He is a
young man, active and energetic, loyal to integrity, and has the full management
of the business. His partner is Mr. O. L. French, a native of Vermont. He is a
well-read, capable man and the editor and proprietor of the Brattleboro "Phoenix."

   ORTON & HOWE, General Jobbers and Manufacturers of Meat and Vegetable
Choppers, Furniture, Etc.-When it comes to a. question of ingenious inventions,
the historian has but to turn to America, look towards New England and here find
some of the greatest patents of the age. One of these is the celebrated meat and
vegetable chopper, of which Messrs. John Orton and J. C. Howe own the patent,
while they are also manufacturers of, and general jobbers in this great labor
saving invention. They also make and handle furniture, writing cases, cabinets
of every style, and are jobbers and contractors for bank fixtures, gymnasium
apparatus and all kinds of light woodwork, and devote their special attention to
repairing wringers and sweepers. They have steam-power and conduct a most
profitable trade in all of their wares. The meat and vegetable chopper has made
a great impression in Brattleboro, and has proven to be one of the very long
needed articles in markets and places where mince meat, etc., are manufactured.
Messrs. Orton & Howe have a nicely fitted and attractive store and shop in
Harmony Block, and although they have been established in business only since
1889, their labors have met with remuneration. Mr. Orton is a native df
Connecticut, and a member of the F. and A. M., and the K. of H. Mr. Howe was
born in Vermont. He made an enviable war record during three years service with
Co. H, Tenth Vermont Regiment, having fought in twenty sharp engagements. He is
a member of the I. O. O. F., and the G. A. R. These gentlemen are
trustworthy-business men and have hosts of friends.

   G. H. REED, Contractor and Builder, Dealer In All Kinds of Seasoned Lumber
and Shingles, Etc., Flat Street.-Mr. G. H. Reed, contractor and builder and
dealer in all kinds of lumber, is rapidly acquiring a most enviable reputation.
He is a native of New-Hampshire, and at one time was engaged in mercantile life,
and spent two years in the lumber business in Michigan, where he has two
brothers engaged in the business, and is thus enabled to secure his supplies at
lowest figures. About the year 1874 he established himself in his present line
of business in South Vernon, this state, where he developed a very large and
prosperous trade, but, desirous of enlarging his field of labor and enterprise,
he removed the business to this place in 1889, and has met with the most
substantial encouragement and patronage. He occupies spacious and commodious
premises, comprising a large yard for the storage of lumber and building
materials that is amply provided with shedding and other conveniences, while a
large office and workshop is also connected with it, and employment is given to
a force of skilled and experienced workmen. In 1890 he built the fine block
known as Minor's in Brattleboro. His stock is always full and complete, and
embraces all kinds of thoroughly seasoned white and yellow pine lumber, lath,
joints, beams, shingles, etc., for building purposes; also western ash, cherry,
walnut, oak, maple and other choice varieties of hard wood. These are received
direct from producers, and purchased at the most advantageous prices, and are
offered at figures not easily duplicated elsewhere. His comprehensive and
far-reaching knowledge of the building trade qualifies him to furnish plans,
specifications based on extremely low estimates, for all kinds or buildings, and
he is prepared to enter into contracts of any magnitude, and execute the same
promptly and satisfactorily at lowest figures. Stores, offices, residences and
factories are fitted up promptly in the best possible manner, while jobbing of
all kinds receives most careful attention.

   ARTHUR D. WYATT'S STUDIO.-There is such a widely marked difference between an
artistic and an ordinary photographer, that it is always a pleasure to mention
the one who applies the principles of art to his profession. Such a one may be
found in Mr. Arthur D. Wyatt, whose gallery is located in Brattleboro. His
business was established in 1881, under the firm name of Messrs. Emery & Wyatt;
in 1883 it became Wyatt & Phillips, and in December, 1884, Mr. Wyatt took the
gallery upon his own hands. He has nicely fitted rooms, with a rich display of
his work, including pictures in India ink, crayon, pastel, oil and water colors.
Mr. Wyatt does every kind of artistic photographing, including cabinet, small
and imperial sized photograph. He is a practical photographer, having been four
years an employee in a gallery. He has a modernly appointed operating and
developing room and draws his patronage from the best classes. Mr. Wyatt is a
native of Vermont and a member of the I. O. O. F. He is a man of reliable
business principles and true to his promises, while his work is unsurpassed.

   LUTHER R. PLUMMER, Crockery, Glassware and Tinware, No. 33 Elliot Street.-The
secrets of the old time potters have been transferred to America, until her
manufacturers are capable of turning out wares to compete with the world. An
eminent dealer in pottery, glassware, crockery and tinware is Mr. Luther R.
Plummer, of No. 33 Elliot Street. His business was established by Shaw A Corwin,
in. 1883, followed by F. S. Shaw, then by Russell & Plummer in 1887 and by Mr.
Plummer in 1889. He has a store beautifully fitted, 20 x 70 feet, where he
displays one of the richest lines of goods in town. Since his proprietorship he
has doubled his business, which argues volumes for his popularity. He carries a
large stock of table and pantry crockery, breakfast, luncheon, tea and dinner
services, china ware, imported and domestic, glassware, water jugs, tumblers,
plates, cream pots, etc., tinware, pans, basins and household necessities. Mr.
Plummer has made a name for strict business integrity and is very reliable in
all of his dealings. He is a young man, native of Brattleboro and an active
member of the F. and A. M.

   W. H. HAIGH, Merchant Tailor, Elliot Street.-Among the Artistic custom
tailors in this community there are none more thoroughly capable of cutting and
fitting wearing apparel than Mr. W. H. Haigh, who has been engaged in the
business In this city since 1886. The custom with which he is favored is derived
from a very large class of citizens, together with many patrons throughout this
And several other states. The premises occupied include one large ?and
commodious floor, 25 x 75 feet in area, which is divided into three rooms, most
admirably arranged for the attractive display of the stock, and the prompt and
skillful execution of the work pertaining to this particular line of business. 
 The finest and best products of both foreign and American manufacture are
included in stock in every variety that is fashionable, seasonable and
desirable. Mr. Haigh makes a specialty of first-class work and is always among
the first to bring out the new styles and fashions, and has acquired a
reputation not only as an experienced cutter and merchant tailor, but also for
his excellent judgment as to quality, taste, style and durability of goods when
buying stock. From seven to ten competent and efficient tailors are in constant
employment, and all garments made at this house are guaranteed perfect in every
respect. Mr. Haigh started out in life at the age of twelve to learn the
tailors' trade, with which he has continued to be identified, and is well and
favorably known throughout Brattleboro. He is a native of England, but emigrated
to America in 1881.

   G. F. BARBER, Dentist, Main Street.-G. F. Barber, D. D. S., of Pratt's Block,
established his business in Fitchburg, Mass., in 1881, and removed to
Brattleboro in 1889. He has finely appointed offices on the second floor, where
he gives especial attention to all of the modern modes of dental practice, as
applied to excavating, extracting, preparing, treating and filling teeth, using
crown and other fillings and manufacturing false teeth singly or in sets. His
patients are numbered among the best of the town's people and his practice is
very extensive. Dr. Barber is a graduate of the Philadelphia Dental College. He
has worked hard and faithfully to succeed, and during his year's sojourn in
Brattleboro has won many friends and patrons.

   E. J. CARPENTER, Newspapers, Periodicals, Toys and Fancy Goods, No. 3 Market
Block, Elliot Street.-The extraordinary educational facilities of the New
England States have made the lines of business devoted to intellectual
merchandise, of great profit, particularly in Brattleboro. Here interested in
this branch of industry, one finds Mr. E. J. Carpenter, at No. 3 Market Block,
in Elliott Street. Mr. Carpenter is one of the oldest merchants in Brattleboro,
having been in business since 1849, twenty years of that, time in his present
quarters. He has a heavily stocked store, 20 x 60 feet, where he sells
everything needed in his line. He handles books, entire libraries, sets of
authors' works, histories, biographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, Dickens's,
Hugo's, Thackeray's, Carlyle's, and all of the standard authors' works, both
foreign and domestic school books, newspapers, weekly journals, magazines, note
paper, legal cap, commercial note, envelopes, paper, seals, sealing wax, crests,
initals, engraved plates, toys, children's games, blocks, slates, pencils and a
full complement of notions and Christmas goods, cards, pictures, etc. Mr.
Carpenter is a native of Massachusetts and is regarded as one of the most
honorable merchants in town. His trade is large and his goods first class. He is
a member of the F. and A. M. and of the I. O. O. F.

   MRS. W. H. PHILLIPS, Millinery, Hair and Fancy Goods, No. 85 Main Street.-The
American people are not alone willing, but anxious to admit that the women of
to-day hold places of equality with men, both in the professional and business
walks of life. One of the number of most exemplary business women in Brattleboro
is Mrs. W. H. Phillips, dealer in millinery and fancy goods, No. 85 Main Street.
She is one of the most reliable merchants in town, having been established in
1876. Mrs. Phillips has a completely stocked and elegantly arranged store, her
plate-glass windows and show cases giving evidence of a very rich array of
ladies wares, bonnets, hats, ribbons, ornaments, laces, artificial flowers,
pompons, feathers, birds, ostrich plumes, hair goods a specialty, corsets,
gloves, fancy stamping and embroidery work, cushions, work baskets, art silks,
belts and brooches. Mrs. Phillips's trade lies among the first families of town,
and her styles, both imported, domestic and of her own origin, are the latest to
be found in the market. The lady has proven herself to be a most expert person
of business and has made a name for strict commercial integrity.

   BRATTLEBORO IRON FOUNDRY, Peter Joyce, Proprietor.-The great increase in the
building industries has been the means of making the iron trade one of the most
important of all callings. This assertion covers the commodities manufactured by
the Brattleboro Iron Foundry, of which Mr. Peter Joyce is the proprietor. This
is a fine building, 40x90 feet. The business was established twenty-five years
ago, by A. R. Gregg and William Stewart, Mr. Joyce having become the proprietor
in 1887. He has steam-power machinery, and manufactures all kinds of organ and
gray iron castings, including mill gearings, pulleys, hangers, sewing machine
work, etc., while he makes a specialty of light bench work and paper mill
machinery. His work is invariably produced on time, even when orders are
received at short notice. Mr. Joyce is a practical iron worker, having all his
life been connected with foundries. He is a conscientious business man, and
gives his personal attention to details, assuring his customers of honest work.
He is a native of Massachusetts, and a member of the C. K. of A.

   AMERICAN HOUSE, Main Street. F. K. Harvey, Proprietor. -The American House in
Main Street, Brattleboro, is considered to be one of the best two dollar per day
houses in the east. It was built and opened before the war, and has had a number
of proprietors, the present one being Mr. F. K. Harvey. The American will
accommodate fifty persons. It is a three-story building, situated near the
railway station and just in the right place to intercept transients. Mr. Harvey
has a very neatly kept house, from the office to the kitchen. His bedrooms are
tidy and his table abounds in the best meats, vegetables, breadstuffs and
deserts that the market affords. His house has telephone connections, call bells
and sample rooms. Everything is done for the accommodation of guests. He knows
how to conduct a hotel and keeps plenty of help to answer to the calls of his
patrons.

   A. V. COX & CO., Stoves, Ranges and Furnaces, Manufacturers of Tin, Brass,
Copper and Sheet Iron Ware, Tin Roofing, Etc., Cox's Block, Main Street.-This
enterprise was founded originally in 1873, by Messrs. A. V. and A. S. Cox, both
natives of this state and residents here for many years, and was conducted by
them with signal success and ability until April, 1890, when, owing to the
lamented decease of the junior partner, the business passed into the control of
Mr. A/V. Cox, who continues the business with his old-time enterprise and
ability under the original firm title. The premises utilized are very spacious
and commodious, comprising an entire five-story building, 37 x 52 feet in
dimensions, admirably arranged and fitted up with special reference to sales and
manufacturing purposes. The workshop is fully equipped with all the necessary
machinery and tools, and employment is furnished to none but • thoroughly
skilled and experienced workmen. The range of products embraces everything in
the line of tin, copper, brass and sheet-iron ware for household and mechanical
purposes, a large assortment of which is kept constantly on sale in the store.
He makes a specialty of tin roofing, spouting, eave conductors, factory work,
smoke stacks, escape pipes and general jobbing, etc. Estimates are freely
furnished and contracts of any size are entered into and executed whether in
town or country, satisfactorily, promptly, and at bottom figures. In his finely
appointed store will be found at all times a full and complete assortment of
parlor, office and cook stoves, ranges, furnaces, suitable for coal and wood,
also oil and gas stoves, all of the very latest improved patterns, and received
direct from the most celebrated manufacturers known to the trade, while the
prices are most reasonable. His stock also includes an excellent assortment of
everything in the line of household necessities, hollow wares, cooking utensils,
patented hardware novelties, etc., etc. Mr. Cox is an active member of the G. A.
R., having served during the late Civil War for one year in the Fifteenth New
Hampshire Regiment Volunteer Infantry, and is also a highly respected member of
the Masonic fraternity.

   A. E. THURBER, Fancy, Domestic and Cracker Baker, No. 57 Main Street.-The
modern system of household cares and the great increase in hotel patronage, has
made the calling of the cracker baker a very important one in the arrangements
of domestic economy. A leading merchant in this line in Brattleboro, is A. E.
Thurber, No. 57 Main Street, fancy, domestic and cracker baker. This business
was established more than forty years ago, by J. Culler, since which time there
have been various changes in the name of the house, the existing proprietor
having succeeded to the business in 1883. He occupies a floor 25 x 100 feet,
with a large basement, and employs ten skillful hands in carrying on his work.
He delivers all purchases which are made to the retail and wholesale trade. He
manufactures everything in the line of bakers' goods; bread, cakes, crullers,
biscuits, pies, crackers, fancy, wedding and plain cakes, pound, fruit, wine and
frosted cakes, etc. Mr. Thurber is noted as being among the most expert bakers
in this part of the country. His trade is very large, lying among the first
families and the best retail grocers, etc. He uses the choicest materials,
fresh, sweet butter, new laid eggs, good lard, and prime sugar and spices. He is
a popular business man, honorable and deserving of patronage, a native of
Vermont, and a member of the I. O. O. F.

   BRATTLEBORO CUSTOM LAUNDRY, No. 16 Elliot Street.-The Custom Laundry, of
which Mrs. Wm. Russell is the enterprising proprietress, has acquired an
enviable reputation for the excellence of its work and reliable management. Mrs.
Russell founded the establishment originally in 1887, and from the start it has
been the recipient of a very large and permanent patronage in this as well as
adjoining towns. The premises occupied are admirably arranged and equipped with
all the latest appliances and machinery run by steam-power for the successful
prosecution of the business, and employment is furnished to a sufficient number
of hands to meet all the requirements of the trade. All classes of work, from
the finest fabrics known, to the coarsest materials, is executed without injury
in a prompt and thoroughly satisfactory manner, and at prices which cannot be
surpassed. Mrs. Russell is a native of Vermont, a woman of large practical
experience in this line of business, and was formerly proprietress of a laundry
in New York, before establishing herself in business in this city.

   A. E. MILLER, Manufacturer of Pure Candies, and Jobber of Fruit, Nuts and
Cigars, Elliot Street.-It is said that the American people are the greatest
consumers of sweets of any nationality of the earth's inhabitants. This
assertion may, to a great extent, be found true in the brisk business that is
done by Mr. A. E. Miller of Elliot Street, Brattleboro, manufacturer of pure
candies and jobber-in fruit, nuts and choice cigars. This business was
established many years ago by Mr. F. L. Bechetter, whom Mr. Miller-succeeded in
business in 1S87. He has a beautiful store and manufactures his wares in the
basement, where he has all of the necessary machinery to turn out fresh, choice
candies, bon-bons, caramels, plain and fancy confectionery. He has a splendid
stock of goods in view, while he wholesales and retails nuts, fruits,
pineapples, bananas, oranges, lemons, citrons, quinces, apricots and all of the
delicacies of the season. His trade is very large, his patrons coming from the
first families of town. Mr. Miller is a native of West Brattleboro and for a
time was a book-keeper in a grocery store, and has a practical and wide
knowledge of business. He is honorable and popular in all of his dealings, and
has a very successful record.

   J. D. ROESS, Manufacturer of Fine Havana and Domestic-Cigars, No. 89 Main
Street.-Not a smoker in Brattleboro but has-been on terms of intimacy with the
old and reliable house at No. 89 Main Street, which was established in 1868, and
until February, 1890, was known under the firm name of Leonard & Roess,
manufacturers. of Havana and domestic cigars. Death stepped in In February.
1890, and claimed the senior partner, since which time Mr. J. D. Roess has
conducted the business in his own name. Mr. Roess came from his. native land,
Germany, when a mere child, and has always been employed and engaged in this
line of business-a talent which he inherits, his father having also been a cigar
maker. Mr. Roess is on the high tide of success. His factory is one of the
largest in this, section of the country, 25 x 70 feet in area, and occupying
three floors and a basement, where he carries as fine a stock of tobacco as one
can find in the market. He has been in his present location since 1884, and
everybody in town recognizes him as a man of reliable business principles. He
has twenty-five skilled cigar makers in his employ, and devotes the second floor
of his place to manufacturing cigars for the New England and New York wholesale
trade. He keeps two commercial travelers busy and also sells large quantities.
of goods through the jobbing houses. He likewise does a large retail trade in
boxes, selling to smokers of this town as they desire it. Mr. Roess not alone
has the largest cigar manufactory in the state but the finest store in town.

   DR. F. A. WOODBURY, Dentist, No. 118 Elliot Street.- Dr. F. A. Woodbury began
his career under the firm name of Bowers & Woodbury, at Springfield and Rutland,
Dr. Woodbury having had charge of the Rutland branch and Dr. Bowers of the
Springfield office. This co-partnership lasted until 1870, when the firm
dissolved, Dr. Woodbury moving to Brattleboro. He is among the foremost dentists
of this place and has accomplished a method for the painless extraction of teeth
which will make his name famous: it is by the means of the dental Electric
Vibrator, and Dr. Woodbury has the honor to be the only dentist in town who
resorts to its most commendable use. He has three nicely furnished rooms on the
second floor of his dwelling and has introduced all of the latest devices in
excavating, treating, crown and cavity filling and the insertion of false teeth,
singly or in set. He makes a specialty of excavating sensitive teeth by the use
of electricity. Dr. Woodbury is a master of his profession. He is a native of
Vermont and a. member of the Golden Cross and the North Star societies.

   J. W. PROUTY'S Famous Portraits, Studio, Main Street.- Mr. Prouty is one of
the very artistic photographers of this section of the country. He established
his business in January, 1889, prior to which he had had ten years of sound
experience. He does everything in the line of work that appertains to his art,
including cabinet, imperial and card size photographs, crayons, pastel, India
ink, water color and oil painting. His gallery, operating room and developing
room are stocked with all the modern inventions. His studio is a neat gallery of
his own productions. His prices are low, his trade large, his work satisfactory,
and he is regarded as a most exemplary business man. Mr. Prouty is a native of
Massachusetts and one of the men of the times, able and energetic.

   W. R. GEDDIS, Bookseller and Stationer, No. 117 Main Street.-The
establishment of Mr. W. R. Geddis is one of the best and most popular in this
section of Brattleboro. The business was originally founded in 1S30 by Mr.
Joseph Steen, who was succeeded in 1880 by the present proprietor, and under his
able management the reputation of the house has been maintained at the highest
point. The premises occupied are large and commodious, comprising a salesroom 20
x 70 feet in area, and a basement for the storage of goods, etc. The fittings
and appointments are all of an attractive character, and the stock of goods
consists of a full and complete assortment of books, including works of history,
travel, fiction, poetry, science, etc., school requsities of all kinds; also
picture frames in great variety, a fine display of all the latest novelties in
wall paper of home and foreign manufacture, and window shades of all the
different grades of material. A specialty is made of stationary of every
description, embracing all kinds of legal and foolscap paper, letter and
commercial note, fancy imported paper, pens, pencils, crayons, etc. One
assistant is employed, and this house is justly celebrated for the prompt and'
satisfactory fulfillment of all orders, at the most reasonable prices. Mr.
Geddis is a native of New York, but has resided in Vermont for the past eighteen
years.

   F. G. PETTEE, Dentist, No. 43 Main Street.-This establishment was founded
originally a number of years ago by Dr. A. L. Pettee, and in 1880 he sold out
the business to the present proprietor, who is a native of this state and has
had a continuous experience in this profession since 1870, and under his
superior management and treatment of patients his patronage is constantly
increasing. He occupies amply spacious and commodious rooms, suitably arranged
for office and operating purposes, and are fully equipped with the latest
improved methods and appliances known to the profession. The use of anaesthetics
and cocaine for the painless extraction and filling of sensitive teeth have
proved of great success in his hands; and decayed teeth are filled in the very
best manner with gold, silver and other reliable substances, while discolored
teeth and diseased gums are also skillfully treated. A specialty is made of
artificial teeth, which are made singly or in sets on gold, silver, vulcanized
rubber or porcelain bases in the most thoroughly artistic style, and guaranteed
as to fit, comfort, life-like appearance and durability, while his prices are
very reasonable. In a word, all operations known to modern dentistry are
executed in the best manner, promptly and satisfactorily. Dr. Pettee is an
active and popular member of the Vermont State Dental Association; also of the
Masonic fraternity.

   JACOBS' HOME BAKERY, No. 28 Elliot Street.-For purity and quality of goods,
no establishment of the kind in or around this town excels Jacobs' Home Bakery,
which is located at No. 28 Elliot Street. The premises occupied are large and
commodious, including three floors in a building 20 x 50 feet in dimensions, and
fitted up with all the latest appliances and facilities for the transaction of
this particular business. The store is always neat and inviting, and a large and
first-class assortment is constantly kept on hand, comprising delicious and
wholesome bread, rolls, buns, plain and fancy cakes of all kinds, pies, pastry,
fancy goods, etc., all of which are made fresh every day. Employment is given to
nine competent and experienced assistants, and two delivery wagons are run which
supply all orders in a superior and reliable manner, while popular prices
prevail. The business was originally founded by the proprietor at Bellows Falls
in March, 1889, but in November he removed to Brattleboro, where, from its
Inception, the venture has proved a highly gratifying success, an influential
patronage already having been built up. Mr. Jacobs is also engaged in the tea
and coffee business, and enjoys a large and liberal patronage in these prime
staple products. He sells nothing but the very best brands of these goods. He is
a native of Vermont.

   F. E. YOUNG, Choice Groceries and Provisions, Nos. 16-18 South Main
Street.-Mr. F. E. Young established this business in 1888 and has a fine store,
30 x 100 feet, where he carries a full line of teas, coffees, butter, eggs,
sugar, spices, flour, canned, pickled, dried and preserved fruits, condiments,
spices, jellies, flavoring extracts and all kinds of staple and fancy groceries,
nuts, confections, cigars tobacco, etc. Mr. Young's trade is lively and
satisfactory, both to himself and his patrons. He was formerly in the butcher
business. He is a native of Vermont, and an honored member of the I. O. O. F.

   C. F. THOMPSON & CO., Dealers in Heavy and Shelf Hardware, Etc., Sole Agent
E. Frank Coe's Fertilizers, No. 123 Main Street.-Messrs. C. F. Thompson & Co.
are dealers in heavy and shelf hardware, cutlery, iron and steel, nails, glass,
carriage hardware and woodwork, doors, sashes, lime, cement, plaster, paints,
oils, varnishes, brushes, carpenters', builders', lock and blacksmiths' tools,
vices, saws, planes, jacks, rakes, hoes, spades, shovels, brooms, etc. They are
also sole agents for E. Frank Coe's fertilizers. This business was established
in the same store in 1834, by Nathan B. Williston, C. F. Thompson of the present
firm having begun with him in 1846. They have a floor 40 x 170 feet, and two
floors upstairs, with altogether a floor surface of 10,000 square feet. They
keep their paints, oils, etc., in the basement, in addition to which they have
also a large storehouse near the railway station. They sell everything in the
line of hardware. They employ four persons and deliver all orders. Their
business is very extensive. Their store is finely arranged and every article the
best in market. Mr. Thompson is a native of Connecticut, but came to Vermont
when a young man, and is the president of the Brattleboro and Whitehall Railway
Company, and treasurer and manager of the Electric and Gas Light Co.

   P. M. BAKER, Grocer, No. 14 Main Street.-A neat and carefully conducted
grocery store is that of Mr. P. M. Baker. His is a very old business, having
been established in 1861, by AV. S. Newton, Mr. Baker having succeeded to the
good will and trade in 1887. He has a roomy store and basement, where he carries
a complete line of staple and fancy groceries, flour, cornmeal, tea, coffee,
sugar, lard, spices, syrup, molasses, vinegar, kerosene, salted fish, canned,
preserved, pickled and dried fruits, sardines, olives, rice, butter, eggs,
cheese, soda, prunes, currents, citron, pineapples, cranberries, lemons,
oranges, fruits of all kinds, nuts, peanuts, flavoring extracts, mustards, table
sauces, peas, macaroni, rolled oats, bird seed, sage, beans, soaps, perfumes,
toilet articles, confectionery, vegetables, chocolate, etc. Mr. Baker entered
upon his calling with a complete understanding of his duties, having been
fifteen years in a store prior to embarking in business. He is a native of
Brattleboro, a young man with all of the ambition required to meet with success.

   H. E. BOND, Furnishing Undertaker, and Embalmer, Dealer in Coffins, Caskets,
Robes, Etc., Warerooms, Main Street.-Prior to the present mode of burial in
caskets, the method of disposing of the deceased, although varying in numerous
countries, was chiefly in the direction of embalming, wrapping the bodies in
great bandages and laying them in tombs. The modern method has all of the
advantages of doing away with the former liability to create disease, the body,
as handled by Mr. H. E. Bond, of Main Street, Brattleboro, being usually
embalmed and placed in a hermetically sealed coffin or casket. Mr. Bond is a
professional embalmer and pays every attention to the details of his calling.
The business was established in 1878, by J. G. Smith, Mr. Bond succeeding him in
1882. He employs skilled assistants. He carries a complete line of stock,
everything used in this calling, and gives the utmost satisfaction in all of his
duties. This is a branch in which not every man can succeed, as it requires tact
and a wide knowledge of human nature to cope and contend with the demands of
relatives and friends. Mr. Bond deals in the finest caskets, coffins, robes and
undertakers' goods made, and has the respect of the entire community. He is a
man of upright business principles and fair in all of his dealings. He was born
in Vermont and is an active member of the lodges of the F. and A. M. and the I.
O. O. F.

   HENRY R. BROWN, Livery Stable, No. 80 Elliot Street.- There is without doubt
no more popular livery stable in Brattleboro, than the one conducted by Henry R.
Brown. He established his business in 1888, and has three barns: one 64 x 23
feet; one 30x60 feet, and one 60 x 70 feet. He keeps twenty fine roadsters for
livery purposes, and excellently groomed they are, too, while his harnesses,
bridles, saddles, robes, blankets and rugs and carriages are sent out in spick
and span order. He keeps everything in first-class shape, and employs competent
grooms and drivers. Mr. Brown has been but two years in this business, but he is
fast building up a heavy trade. For eight years, he worked in the carpenter shop
of an organ manufactory, but that did not seem to suit his tastes and
inclinations. His mind was fixed on horses and in that line of business he was
bent upon entering. His choice was wise, as may be seen in his success, and he
is winning his way to permanent prosperity.

   ALVIN KNAPP, Dentist, Hooker Block, Main Street.-There are but few, if any,
among the dental practitioners in this section of the state, who sustain a
higher reputation for skill and reliability than Dr. Alvin Knapp, of
Brattleboro. The doctor is a native of Vermont and at an early age began the
study of this important and interesting profession, and after graduating with
distinctive honors at the Michigan Dental College, and the College of Medicine,
Fort Wayne, he established himself in business in Ohio in 1878, and after
remaining there for four years he went to Indiana and resumed his practice, but
returned to Brattleboro in 1884 and founded his present establishment, and at
once developed a very large and influential patronage derived principally from
among our most influential and refined families. His office and rooms are
located on the second floor, are easy of access, spacious and very neatly and
appropriately appointed. All the latest improved appliances, devises and methods
known to the profession are to be found in actual use in his operating rooms,
and the use of the different anaesthetics, and cocaine have proved of great
success in his hands in the painless extraction of teeth. Discolored teeth and
diseased gums are treated most successfully. We commend Dr. Knapp to all in need
of his services.

   SCOTT & JONES, Groceries, Vegetables, Fruit, Crockery, Glassware, Lamps,
Etc., No. 49 Main Street.-The reliable grocery houses of Brattleboro include the
store of Messrs. F. Scott and C. K. Jones, of No. 49 Main Street. Both are
natives of Vermont. They established their business in 1888 and have a fine
store, 20 x 100 feet, with large basement, and a stock of excellent goods that
fill their rooms, counters, shelves and show-cases from top to bottom. They deal
in groceries, teas, coffees, sugar, spices, flour, butter, eggs, cheese, meal,
rice, canned, pickled, dried and preserved fruits, sauces, flavoring extracts,
prunes, cranberries, sardines, syrup, molasses, vinegar, kerosene, nuts,
confections, soda, tobacco, cigars, fruits, pineapples, citron, lemons, oranges,
bananas, sweet potatoes, cabbage, beets, country produce, crockery, dinner and
tea sets, glassware, lamps, household goods, etc. They deliver all purchases and
enjoy a-high-class patronage. Mr. Scott was engaged with his father in the
grocery business, from 1875 to 1885, and for two years was in Nebraska, in the
milk business. Mr. Jones was formerly in grocery business at West Brattleboro
and also a commercial traveler for the Estey Organ Company. Messrs, Scott and
Jones deal in the choicest commodities in their line and are held in great
respect.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

INDUSTRIES AND WEALTH OF THE PRINCIPAL POINTS IN VERMONT,
BEING
BURLINGTON, WINOOSKI, RUTLAND, WEST RUTLAND, BRANDON, FAIR HAVEN, POULTNEY,
CASTLETON, ST. ALBANS, SWANTON, ENOSBURG FALLS, BRATTLEBORO, BELLOWS FALLS,
MONTPELIER, BARRE, WATERBURY, ST. JOHNSBURY, LYNDONVILLE, LYNDON, HARDWICK,
BENNINGTON, SPRINGFIELD, WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERGENNES, MIDDLEBURY, NORTHFIELD
AND MORRISVILLE.

1891.

PUBLISHED BY
AMERICAN PUBLISHING AND ENGRAVING CO.,
(ELEVATORS.)
Nos. 149 AND 151 CHURCH STREET, NEW YORK.


File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/vt/windham/directories/business/1891/business141gms.txt

This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vtfiles/

File size: 50.9 Kb