Wow! These things have changed since this photo

Essex Photo History Hike: The J-Walk
2013 Edition
This community activity is a volunteer effort by:
Special thanks to the following individuals and organizations for outstanding contributions to the hikes:
Richard & Lucille Allen
Brownell Library
Chittenden Central Supervisory Union
Damaris Drummond
Essex Free Library
Tim Jerman
Laurie Jordan
Jaye O’Connell
Ken O’Connell
Peter Olson
Susanna Olson
Gabrielle Ratté Smith
Liz Subin
Town of Essex
Vermont Historical Society
Village of Essex Junction
Cover Photo Courtesy of Vermont Historical Society. Photographer: WC Sawyer. c. 1900.
INSTRUCTIONS START at Maplehurst Florist (behind the Brownell Library) in downtown Essex Junc on. BRICKYARD RD. FOLLOW the arrows. 10 11 STAY on the path. DENSMORE DR. STOP at each number. 1 2 3 POLICE STATION READ the booklet’s Viewing EDUCATIONAL DR. Instruc ons for each number to learn how to view each site. 12 COMPARE an old photo of each PLEASANT ST. site with what you see there today. 9 WRITE down the things you no
8 ce. GROVE ST. MAIN ST. ENJOY! 13 14 CHURCH ST. ST. L. 3 LINCOL
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RAL CEN
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4 T. 6 15 16 5 2 . ST
LI N
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IVY LN. RAILRO
AD AVE
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OA
ILR
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BEV TRAL ERA
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STO E RE VILLAGE CEMETERY 17 END START MAPLEHURST FLORIST 1 BROWNELL LIBRARY FIVE CORNERS PLE
MA
ST.
1 Viewing Instructions: Standing at Maplehurst Florist, look at the nearby yellow house that sits between
you and Lincoln Street.
10 Lincoln Street This house was built in the late 19th century. In this picture, owner Irving Perkins and
family pose in the back of the house circa 1900. Perkins (1862-1918) was a merchant in town; a license plate
found in the barn was traced to a 1910 Pierce-Detroit auto he owned, likely one of the early cars in Essex
Junction. The Perkins family members are all buried in the village cemetery.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since this
photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
c. 1900
These things have not changed at all:
2 Viewing Instructions: Standing on the corner of Lincoln Place and Railroad Avenue, you are on the
exact site of the photo below. Look at the building that now houses Murray’s Tavern.
4 Lincoln Place On this spot now stands a turn-of-the-century barn converted to a tavern
and apartments. It replaced an auditorium and large barn which were both destroyed in a
devastating fire around 1900. The auditorium presented train-travelling performers,
including Mrs. Tom Thumb of circus fame. The original barn (see right side of photo)
housed a cemetery monument shop owned by John Bailey. Notice the grave markers in
the photo below; which was taken just after the blaze.
Mrs. Tom Thumb
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
c. 1900
These things have not changed at all:
3 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Railroad Avenue, look across the street at the bus station.
Streetcar Stop Today this CCTA bus station has regular routes to Burlington, Williston and Essex Town.
This busy bus stop has a history. The electric streetcar pictured below ran between Burlington and this Essex
Junction train station until 1929.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1900
4 Viewing Instructions: Standing on the corner of Central Street and Railroad Avenue, you are on
the exact site of the photo below.
Central House/Johnson Hotel This parking lot was the site of one
of Essex Junction’s most historic buildings. First opened in 1882 as the
Central House, and later Johnson’s Hotel, it burned to the ground in 1912.
Its carriage barns and auto barns (see right side of photo) were located
where the Central Beverage convenience store is now. Another livery barn
still stands as part of the 12 Central St. apartment complex.
Advertisement from 1882 Gazetteer
Photo courtesy of Essex Community Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since this
photo was taken:
c. 1910
These things have not changed at all:
5 Viewing Instructions: Standing at the corner of Main Street and Ivy Lane, look northwest, down
the tracks toward the train/bus station.
Train Station This is the heart of Essex Junction from 1850 onward. The train station has had several
looks; the current building replaced a wooden structure in 1962, and it in turn is due for a major facelift soon.
As you can see in the picture, there were once four tracks; now just one. Residents counted 35 trains a day in the
early 1900’s. The uncertain schedules of the early trains inspired the writing of a famous poem called “Lay of
the Lost Traveler”; composed by a waylaid rider stuck here in the 1880’s. It’s most memorable line is “and I
hope in Hell their souls may dwell, who first invented Essex Junction!” A joke popular at the time recalled that
it was good the village cemetery was so close by as many of its residents had died waiting for the train.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
Circa: 1900
About the Village Cemetery The cemetery was active as early as 1795 but it opened officially in 1820,
on land given by founding father Abram Stevens, a Revolutionary War soldier who is buried herein. Also
buried here are many other veterans: four who fought in the Revolutionary War, three from the War of 1812,
twelve from the Civil War, and others from more recent conflicts.
6 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street at the cemetery entrance, look across Main Street
to find the building in the photo below.
30 Main Street Today this house is owned and used by the Congregational Church. For many years, it was
the home of the Hildreth sisters (pictured here). They maintained “ten cents” carriage sheds out back which
could be rented for short periods when people rode into the village for church or shopping.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed
since this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1900
7 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street by the cemetery, look across Main Street to find
the church in the photo below.
Congregational Church This is the oldest Village church. Most of the original settlers belonged to it as
the town developed in the early 1800’s. The current building was begun in 1866 as a frame structure, and has
had many modifications over the years. Compare the raised entrance in the photo below with today’s entrance.
Wow! These things have
changed since this photo
was taken:
These things have not
changed at all!:
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Photographer: WC Sawyer
c. 1900
8 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street near Grove Street, look across Main Street to find
the house in the photo below.
57 Main Street. One of the great village homes, this was the Homer Wright house in 1900. It was easier to
photograph then because there were no trees to block the view! The converted barns behind many of these
homes on Main Street are a reminder of a simpler time when there was a lot more land to spread out on, giving
the horses room to roam.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1900
9 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street near Grove Street, look across Main Street to find
the church in the photo below.
61 Main Street Now home to the Calvary Baptist Church, this building was originally the Methodist
Church. This photo was taken just before it’s completion in 1899.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1899
10 Viewing Instructions: Having crossed over Main Street and now standing on Main Street, near
the corner of Densmore Dr. , look southeast over several acres of property.
Drury Brickyard (3 photos) In the 1860’s the flowing water currents of the nearby Indian Brook separated
clay on one side of the river from sand on the other; the perfect combination of ingredients for brick-making.
Several generations of the Drury family, beginning with J.K. and George, built the brickyard into a thriving
business which survived into the 1970’s. Over 500 Million bricks were produced here, and many of the brick
buildings in Chittenden County contain Drury bricks. A railspur which came along Grove Street from Lincoln
Street brought rail cars into the Brickyard to be loaded with bricks.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Photographer: WC Sawyer
c. 1900
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Photographer: WC Sawyer
c. 1900
11 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street past Densmore Drive, look across Main Street to
find the brick house which can be seen in the background of the photo below.
88 Main Street This beautiful brick house was built by J.K. Drury in 1860. It replaced a frame house which
had originally been built for Village founding father Abram Stevens in the 1799. Find this house in the photo
below overlooking the brickyard.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
these three photo were taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
c. 1900
These things have
not changed at all:
12 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street near Pleasant Street, look across Main Street to
find the house in the photo below.
66 Main Street At the turn of the century, this was the home of Daniel Smead and his family. Smead
(seated on the steps) led African-American troops in the Civil War from Ohio. He is buried in the Village
Cemetery. The sign on the house shows that he also rented rooms.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1900
13 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street between Pleasant Street and Church Street, look
across Main Street to find the building in the photo below.
56 Main Street Originally built to be the Baptist Church, this was one of the first three church buildings in
the village. As can be seen in the photo, its missing steeple once rose majestically to the sky. Over the years,
the Protestant churches inside and outside the Village shared facilities with other denominations as numbers
fluctuated within each.
Wow! These things have
changed since this photo
was taken:
These things have
not changed at all:
Photo courtesy of Essex Community Historical Society
c. 1899
14 Viewing Instructions: Standing on Main Street near Church Street, look across Main Street to find
the building in the photo below.
.
50, 52, & 54 Main Street This house (now apartments) was the
home and business of the Sawyers in 1900. Fred Sawyer was a
merchant and undertaker who became one of the first Village Trustees
in 1893. Fred’s son WC (Wilbur Cyrus), was the young photographer
who took most of the photos seen on this walk while he was an
engineering student at UVM (1898-1902).
Fred Sawyer & family at home.
Photos courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1900
15 Viewing Instructions: Standing on the corner of Main Street and Railroad Street, look directly
across Main Street at the site where now sits a Sunoco gas station.
Macomber’s Store This site has seen lots of commercial activity. For over 100 years, Daniel Macomber’s
store was here. A creamery stood behind it, in close proximity to the tracks. Macomber was a very civicminded resident who served as a church Sunday school teacher for over 50 years. Later, the building was
altered and became Sylvester’s Market and then Henry’s Market. The current gas station was built when
Henry’s closed its doors in the 1960’s.
Photo Courtesy of Essex Community Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
c. 1900
These things have
not changed at all:
16 Viewing Instructions: Standing on the corner of Main Street and Railroad Street, look west across
Main Street to find the building in the photo below.
Brownell Building Here is a Sawyer photo taken circa 1900 from here looking toward Five Corners. The
“Brownell Block” was build in 1894 and replaced several wooden structures. It housed a pharmacy and
clothing store among other businesses.
Photo courtesy of Vermont Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
Photographer: WC Sawyer
These things have
not changed at all:
c. 1900
17 Viewing Instructions: Having crossed back over Main Street and now standing on Main Street in
front of Martone’s Market & Cafe, look across Main Street to find the building in the photo below.
11 Main Street Here was located the first fire station in the village. We know who most of these early
firefighters are from this 1910 photo. Thank you for taking the J-Walk! We hope you found it fun and
interesting!
Photo courtesy of Essex Community Historical Society
Wow! These things have changed since
this photo was taken:
c. 1910
These things have
not changed at all: