Friday, December 16, 2011

Tribute to a member of the "Greatest Generation" - David Bates Russell

On Monday, December 12, another member of the "Greatest Generation" passed away. David Bates Russell of Springfield, Vt was 98. Dave will be remembered for his quick with and great sense of humor, he was truly a wonderful man. He was always willing a share a story, be it about his farming days, his work at the machine shops in Springfield, or of his family. Stories about the family farm on Parker Hill are among this writer's favorites. Dave used to stand at the bottom of the stairs and play his bugle to wake up his kids. His bugle mysteriously disappeared one day. David Jr., Pat and Peggy have never said what happened to it but several years ago they bought him a new one for Christmas. At the neighborhood Christmas party, Dave could always be counted on to play a few tunes on his accordion or hammer out a lively rhythm on a set of bones.

Our student interns had a chance to interview Dave and his wife of 71 years, Marjorie Blodgett Russell for our WWII exhibit. They talked about life on the home front and what it was like working in the machine shops. Just before WWII began, Dave served briefly in the Army Air Corp. He remembered training with broom sticks because there was a shortage of real guns.

Dave and Marjorie loved farming, horses, and square dancing. They held square dances in the ballroom of their Parker Hill farm house. Together they help to establish the GMHA facility in South Woodstock, VT, often leading trial rides from Springfield to Woodstock, and were very much involved with the local 4-H group. They created a small riding ring, complete with a judges booth, on their property and hosted horse shows for the 4-H kids.

Dave contributed greatly to the town of Springfield and to the surrounding area. He was an inspiration to many will surly be missed.

"SPRINGFIELD - David Bates Russell of Springfield passed away on Dec. 12, 2011, at age 98. Although Dave was born in Erie, Pa., in 1913, and later lived in Syracuse, N.Y., his Vermont roots go back seven generations. In 1923, his family returned to the Russell homestead in Shrewsbury, Vt., realizing a longstanding dream. There, Dave acquired his love of farm life. He graduated from Springfield High School in 1932.
During college, Dave worked summers at Jones and Lamson in Springfield, running the company's last Hartness flat turret lathe. Over the next 51 years, he worked at J&L, Lovejoy's, Bryant's and Bryant Computer Products as a machinist, draftsman, methods man, liaison engineer, cost estimator and personnel administrator.
Dave married Marjorie Blodgett in 1941. In 1944, the Russells bought a farm on Parker Hill in Springfield and raised their family there. Dave farmed full time for five years in the late 1940s and later continued to farm nights and weekends after going back to work in the shop. Over the years, he divided his spare time among dairy farming, raising horses, square dancing with Precision Valley Squares and playing a variety of musical instruments. He retired from Bryant's in 1978.
Writing was always important in his life. A collection of his poems entitled "Verses from a Vermont Hilltop" was published in 2005. In addition to writing poetry and keeping daily journals, he published articles about the history of Shrewsbury, Vt.
Dave is survived by Marjorie, his wife of 71 years; his son, David B. Russell Jr. of Burlington, Mass.; his daughters, Patricia R. Saylor of South Windsor, Conn., and Marjorie R. Raymond of Chardon, Ohio; six grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank the staff at Springfield Hospital Special Care Unit for the wonderful care they have provided. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Springfield Humane Society, 401 Skitchewaug Trail, Springfield, VT 05156; or to the First Congregational Church UCC, 77 Main St., Springfield, VT 05156.
A memorial service will be held at the Congregational Church in Springfield on Saturday, Dec. 17, at 1 p.m. Arrangements are under the direction of the Davis Memorial Chapel in Springfield, Vt."

Friday, December 9, 2011

Closed for the Season - See you in 2012!

The Springfield Art and Historical Society is now closed for the season. We will re-open in the spring. If you would like to visit us or have a research request please contact us at info@millerartcenter.com or 802-885-2415. Please note that during the winter months we don't have a regular person to answer the phone and check emails. As such we will do our best to return your call/email in a timely manner.

The SAHS is already working on exhibits for the 2012 season. We will have our annual Springfield student art show and hope to have a separate show for the high school seniors as well. Our two major exhibits for 2012 at this time will feature Springfield wedding gowns and accessories and the work of Springfield artists Stewart and Marion Eldredge. The dates for all exhibits TBA. 

We hope you had a chance to visit us this year and hope to see you and many new faces in 2012!!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Photos from our Vintage Fashion Show

Textiles on display during "250 Years of Fashion - A Vintage Fashion Show" Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011
Thank you to Lindsay DeBlock, Mimi Stringham, and Jan Page for their help dressing our models; Abby Graffia, Bryne-Marie Sydne, Courtney Page, Jenn Stein, Julia Stein, Katie Stokarski, and Sara Gray. Thank you to our guest models, Cori Santagate, John Swanson, and Anna DeBlock. And to everyone who helped with refreshments. You all made this a successful event! The clothing and accessories used for this fashion show were a combination of reproductions as well as vintage and antique items. Most items are part of the collection here at the historical society. The reproduction pieces and a few of the vintage pieces were on loan from a private collection. 

Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011
Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011
The first outfit shown was a reproduction suit of men’s clothing from the mid 18th century. The coat and breaches are made from burgundy wool broad cloth. Men’s breeches were fitted through the legs but were rather loose in the seat. This allowed for easy of movement, especially for activities such as horse-back riding. 

Women’s clothing in the 18th century underwent a variety of changes. Abby modeled a reproduction silk taffeta gown in the style know as a “saquec” or “robe a l’frances”. This style was popular from the 1740s to the 1770s. The gown is worn over a linen shift, stays that are fully boned, pocket hoops which hold the gown out at the sides, an under petticoat, a silk petticoat, stomacher, and finally the gown itself.

Snuff gloves c.1800 to 1820, SAHS collection. Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011 
A variety of Victorian era women's clothing was shown, ranging in date from the 1850s to the 1890s. 

 Bustle gown from the 1870s.
Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011
Wedding gown of Elinor Price, 1886.
Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011













 
   Leg o' mutton sleeves and wedding bonnet.
Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011
Clothing from the 1920s to modern day was also featured. Including a 1920s wedding gown, prom dresses from the 1950s and 1960s and modern day athletic wear.
1940s dress and fur wrap. Photo by Hannah Lillie, 2011
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A special thank you to intern Hannah Lille for photographing our fashion show. And for allowing us to use her photos. A video of the fashion show is available through SAPA-TV.

Interns and intern coordinators. Photo by Hannah Lille, 2011




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