Historic Notes
- A Mystery at the Academy (Hunter Melville, 5/21/2020)
Darren of McCullough Stoneworks was hard at work shoring up the Academy's foundation, chinking, mortaring up the gaps and laying new drip drainage pipes and perimeter stone. He discovered something amazing in the south east inside corner of the building: one of the largest foundation stones had an inscription "C. Pearson's 1833 April 1st", a date fisteen years before the Academy was built! Someone want to do some historical research to help solve the mystery?
Darren pointing to straightened stones. This is a shot before the repair of the drainage.
C. Pearson 1833 April 1.... This image has been straightened. In place it is actually turned clockwise 135 degrees or so. The right side of the image is actually the top of the stone. You can see a joist and some plastering. Darren thought that the stone looked like it had been split in two for use in the foundation.
- Town meetings were first held in 1793 in private homes. When attendance increased, they were held on a field or a green.
- The oldest surviving house in South Woodstock may be a brick house south of the Academy, purportedly built by Warren Cottle in 1796.
- Our Library was established in 1797 as the Woodstock Social Library, and it was stored in local homes (the homeowner could have full access).
- The South Woodstock Post Office was established in 1828.
- In 1873, the North Hartland stage coach route to the rail station was established. It ran six days a week.
- In 1875, the railroad from White River Junction to Woodstock was established. It ran continuously until 1932.
- Until 1898, the Springfield stage coach route ran three times per week.
- The Chapel Society built our community church in 1839 (located across from the Academy on South Road). Ministers were provided and rotated according to the population preferences.
- The Kedron Brook had at least 13 mills on its banks, including a tannery and a distillery.