Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Changing Locations

Some of you may have noticed the "For Sale" sign out front this summer.... Yes, the Miller Art Center has been sold.


What happens when you have the most iconic, three-story, Victorian house in town donated to you to be used as an art and historical center? You get very excited and think it is just the best thing that could ever happen to you. Now fast forward sixty years. The tile roof needs repair, the brick needs to be re-pointed, the wooden trim is rotting, there is a tree growing out of one of the chimneys because we have not been able to afford to run the heat in the winter for several years, one of the walls of the Carriage House is collapsing, and we have no funds to fix any of the above problems or any of the other smaller problems, like plumbing and wiring. After much discussion, last year the trustees voted to put the house on the market and hoped someone would fall in love with it and be able to afford to restore it to all its former beauty. 

In the meantime, we began a search for a place to house three-floors of town history and art in case someone actually made an offer to buy the house. The security of the collection and what the society could afford were our criteria. Accordingly we had to eliminate the very old, wooden buildings on Main Street from our list of possibilities. Other places we visited were either too expensive or needed a lot of structural work that, once again, would leave us with no financial cushion.

Well we did get an offer from a Connecticut couple who love the house and want to turn it back into a home--their home. They are excited that so much of the original interior has remained intact. It is the best thing that could happen to the house. It needs a lot of love and work—we all loved it, but we do not have the money to do the work.



Now fast forward.

We have officially and completely moved out of 9 Elm Hill (The Miller Building) and passed papers to the new owners! We hope everyone will respect the privacy of the new owners now that the Miller House and grounds are no longer open to the general public. We have relocated four floors of possessions in about three weeks time. It was a huge task but we made the deadline!

We negotiated a lease with Cota & Cota and have moved to the former Probate Court Office on Route 106 in North Springfield. The space is smaller than we would like but it is newly renovated and ready to move in. It has good visibility and parking, and we can operate year-round. The rent is closer to what we can afford but we are going to need to raise about $18,000 per year to become an active society and not just a warehouse for Springfield’s artifacts. 


THANK YOU to all those who volunteered their time, we could not have done it with out you. Now we are laying out our new space and working on putting all of these things in their new locations. We have a much smaller space so it is going to take time. 

We don't expect to be officially open until our Annual Meeting, scheduled for Saturday, October 17th. More details will be announced as we work our way to this new and exciting deadline. 

Please note the changes to our contact information. We have a new physical address and phone number.

Our new physical address is

65 Route 106,
North Springfield, VT

Our new telephone number is
802-886-7935

Our mailing address remains the same:
PO Box 313,
Springfield, VT 05156

However, we are currently closed while we relocate into this new space.

Saturday, May 30, 2015

Grand Army of the Republic - Jarvis Post No. 7, Springfield, Vt

Picture of Jarvis Post No. 7, Springfield, Vermont (Photographs courtesy of Heather Fullam)

Back row - left to right
    E. Weatherby, - , Geo. Pearsons, Dave Fairbanks, Oscar Parkhurst, Amos Gould, Joshua ?, A. O. Coburn, H. H. Conger, -, King

Middle row - left to right
    Long, Meacham, A. W. Stickney, O. E. Waite, W. H. H. Putnam, William MCin(tosh?), Charles Whipple

Front row - left to right
    -, -, Charles Herrick, William Sparrow, W. S. Allen, Dexter Lockwood, R. S. Herrick, H. H. Phillips, Merrel Bailey, William Gage, ?
Names on back of photo

Charles Jarvis (1821-186
Jarvis Post No. 7 in Springfield, Vt was "named after Major Charles Jarvis and organized August 21, 1868, the following officers being elected: Commander H.W. Floyd; senior vice-commander, T. R. Proctor; junior vice-commander, Adin H. Whitmore; sergeant-major Edwin D. Hatch; adjutant, J. Wood Hastings; quartermaster, L. A. Pierce; surgeon L. M. Tuttle; chaplain E. N. Dean. The Post was disbanded in 1874, and was re-organized in July 1884, with the following officers: W. H. H. Slack, commander; W. H. H. Putnam, S.V.C.; William Sparrow, J.V.C.; A. O. Coburn, adjutant; William M. Lewis, quartermaster; S. Grow, chaplain. Meetings are held first and third Wednesdays of the month and present membership is seventy-eight. The officers elected in 1888 were: Commander, C. Sparrow; S.V.C., Justus Dart, J.V.C., C. C. Johnson, adjutant, A. W. Stickney, quartermaster, D. B. Lockhart; chaplain, Adelbert Allen." (Aldrich 1888?, 451)

        Major Charles JarvisMajor Charles Jarvis was born in Weathersfield, August 21, 1821. At the age of nine years, he was placed under the tuition of Solomon Foote at Castleton, Vt., and afterwards attended Exeter Academy. He was a student of Vermont University at the age of fourteen years, being the youngest member of his class. Graduating in 1839 he began the study of law in the offices Leverett Saltonstall and Judge Ward of Salem, Mass., but relinquished his studies and returned to Weathersfield on account of the death of his only brother, William. From this time he devoted himself to his parents, relieving his aged father from the weight and care of business, and settled his estate after his death.

        Feeling it his duty to devote himself to the service of his country, he raised a company for the Ninth Vermont Regiment in March, 1862, and he was chosen captain. The regiment was captured at Harpers Ferry and paroled in the strictest manner and ordered to Fort Douglas, Chicago. On account of the absence of his superior officers the command of the camp devolved on Captain Jarvis.

        In June, 1863, the regiment was ordered to Yorktown, Va., and Captain (now Major) Jarvis received a furlough and returned home. He was soon ordered to Boston Harbor to take charge of the Vermont conscripts, but rejoined his regiment at Yorktown early in October, 1863. The regiment removed to New Berne, N.C., and subsequently to Newport Barracks, N.C., and on December 1, 1863, while on an expedition Major Jarvis was mortally wounded. Major Jarvis was never married." - By Mark Felone

        Source: Aldrich, Lewis Cass. "History of Windsor County, Vermont. Syracuse, NY: D. Mason & Co., publishers. 1888?, p 992.

http://suvcw.org/garposts/index.htm

The Grand Army of the Republic Badge. Authorized by Congress to be worn on the uniform by Union veterans - Source
Reverse of the Grand Army of the Republic Badge - Source


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