Guest post and photos by Gary Irish
Edited and formated by Bernie Paquette
Heritage in Historic Homes: Jericho & Underhill, Vt. Taverns 1784 to late 1900s (Four-part series)
By Gary Irish
I started out with a bit about other taverns in town, and how they morphed into bed and breakfasts and restaurants. Then there is another section on the Pierce Block and Chesmore Block/Post Office fires, then while I was on fires, I threw in a section on the one in Riverside in 1906, and then the 1963 fire that burned Rotunda's store and the old drug store. In several places, there are references to "Underhill", but the Dixon House and the fire in "Underhill" actually were all in Jericho, given where the town line runs. The only thing I did put in was about the Humphrey Homestead, as, while it is in Underhill, was a neat description.
Part I: Jericho taverns
In the days before railroads, travel was either by foot, horse, or stagecoach, all of which limited the distance that one could travel in a day. Thus virtually every town had some accommodation for travelers, where they could get something to eat or a place to stay overnight.
And as both the traveler and his horse would need such accommodations, a livery stable was often a part of the business. We recently described the Barney Tavern, later the Beach House, in Jericho Corners, a very typical representation of such a business. But there were others in town, and I will describe some of them (although details on most are sketchy at best), as well as give the reader some idea of how things have changed over the years.
 |
| The former Bass House in Riverside, probably dating to around 1920. |
One of the first taverns in Jericho was the Bass House, located at what is now 365 Route 15, on the northwest corner of the intersection with the Raceway in Riverside. Little is known about this tavern, other than for a time Nathaniel Bostwick was the owner. He died February 10, 1807, at the age of 50, and as it was already known as the Bass House, he was likely not the original owner.
 |
| What the former Bass House looked like in 2019. |
The old tavern still stands and is now used as apartments.
Vague references have been found to other taverns, but not much is known about them. The town on March 12, 1787, chose David Stanton as tavern keeper and a 1787 diary entry mentions a person coming from Williston and crossing the Onion River into Jericho, then stopping at Stanton’s for breakfast. An almanac mentions Russell’s Tavern in 1801, and a tavern license was issued to Moses Billings in 1821, but the locations of any of these are unknown. Another hotel was operated for a few years in the 1860s in Jericho Corners by Luther Prouty in the brick house at 68 Route 15, now the home of the Miglionicos. It was operating in 1863, but the house was sold four years later, so seems to not have been in business long.
One of the early settlers in Jericho was Abel Castle, who settled in Riverside in 1784 or 1785. Per Volume 1 of the Jericho history, "his cabin stood a little northwest of the Episcopal Church and near a spring of good water in the bank". If you go just a bit northwest of the church, you come to what is today the home of Sharon Damkot, and on the bank behind her house is the spring that for many years supplied the Underhill water system with their water. So I am guessing that is likely where Mr. Castle was located. He had two lots of 100 acres each, and in 1788 sold out to Nathaniel Bostwick and moved to what is now Weed Road in Essex. So depending on the layout of the lots in those days, that certainly could have put this property adjacent to the Bass House property. And an interesting aside: Abel’s wife, Dezier, was the first white person to die in the town of Jericho, so he went searching for a suitable place to bury her, and decided upon the bluff overlooking the river where the big pine trees grow, what we know today as the Castle Cemetery.
And speaking of the Castles, Abel’s brother, Jonathan Castle came to Jericho in 1784, and after his marriage to Charity French in 1787, they settled "on Lot No. 36 at the head of 'Church Street' [what would today be 287 Route 15] and kept tavern there, where the brick house built by Lucius Barney now stands." This brick house was purchased by my grandfather, Elmer Irish, in 1916. When he bought the place, there was an older house out back, presumably where Jonathan had kept a tavern, which, while not in too good shape, was still standing. My grandfather used it for a hen house for a time before taking it down.
By 1802, Nathaniel Bostwick's son Arthur was keeping the Bostwick House that stood a short distance below the Bass House, at 351 VT Rt. 15. Arthur’s son Julius Bostwick also kept the Bostwick House for a short time. Arthur’s daughter Sally married Rufus Brown in the Bostwick House on February 2, 1843, and Rufus took over the operation of the tavern from his father-in-law, purchasing it from him in March 1849 for $4000. The tavern had started out as a two-story building, and Bostwick and Brown enlarged it from time to time, including adding an ell*.
Authors note *Ell, an extension of a building or room that is at right angles to the main part. "1820 brick Federal Colonial featuring clapboard ell".
The original part of the building ran parallel to the road, and the addition on the back was, as the definition says, at right angles to that. The part nearest the road had a third story added as well and was later extended to the south.
 |
| The Bostwick House, probably dating from the 1860s. |
The tavern was on the direct route from Canada to Burlington and Lake Champlain, and south to Troy, N.Y., and points beyond, and in the early days was much frequented by teamsters. They traveled up and down with their big covered wagons, drawn by four, six, or more horses, coming in at dark and out again as early as three or four o’clock in the morning, loaded with such things as grain, pork, lumber, furs, and dry goods. During the 1840s and 1850s, there was a strong temperance movement in this area, and it is interesting to note that as a result, in at least 1851, Mr. Brown was licensed by the town to sell small beer and cider in the hotel, but not wines, strong beer or spirituous liquors.
 |
| The Bostwick House, probably dating from the 1860s. |
In February 1866 the tavern was purchased by Leonard Dixon and was soon renamed the Dixon House.
 |
| Mr. & Mrs. Dixon |
Mr. Dixon expanded the building, even more, adding a large three-story addition and a dance hall. From its large three-story porch on the east side, patrons had a spectacular view of Mt. Mansfield, and the Adirondacks could be viewed from the porches on the west side.
 |
| View from the Bostwick House porch looking at Mt. Mansfield. The barns in the left-center of the picture were located on River Road just west of the intersection of Park Street. The fields surrounding the house on the right are where Brown's River Middle School is located today. |
There were also croquet grounds adjacent to the hotel. An advertisement appeared in 1896 for a photographer temporarily setting up shop in “the old Dixon House bowling alley”, so apparently at one time bowling was also offered at the hotel. By the early 1870s, they were advertising that stages connected with both morning and evening trains at Essex Junction. With the coming of the B&L railroad in 1877, which passed just south of the hotel, special trains brought patrons from Burlington to dances and other events held there. Dixon’s was a flag stop on the B&L, and a platform was built so passengers could debark right at the hotel.
 |
| The Dixon House |
It was said that 300 guests could be accommodated, although this may be an exaggeration, as the hotel register records only 45 rooms. It became a popular summer resort, with several hundred visitors coming to the hotel each summer, attracted by the popularity of the management and the scenic surroundings, with many hiking on Mt. Mansfield, taking carriage rides, or fishing. Mr. & Mrs. Dixon were genial hosts and their hospitality was well known, as was the good cooking. My great-grandmother, Catherine Gill, worked in the kitchen there for a time before she was married. The Chittenden Reporter did mention in August 1886 that “the Dixon House had about 25 boarders, the smallest number for many years” and the June 22, 1887 paper said that “Mr. C.W. Thurber, proprietor of the Dixon House, has 10 boarders.” That same paper reported that the railroad company had made nearly a new platform at the Dixon House.
An ad on February 2, 1887, Chittenden Reporter stated that “The Underhill Citizens Band are to give a concert and dance at the Dixon House, Friday evening February 11th. The concert will consist of music by the band and male quartette. Solos, songs, etc., will be rendered and fine entertainment is looked for.” The next week, the paper expanded on the upcoming dance, saying “Vocal and Instrumental Concert by the Underhill Citizens Band, at Dixon House, Underhill, Vt. Friday evening, February 11, 1887”. The program included 16 songs, with intermission, including 2 songs by the Male Quartette, a song by Homer Rockwood, with pianist Miss Minnie Eastman. Admission was 25¢ for adults and 15¢ for children under 12 years of age. Doors opened at 7 pm, with the concert commencing at 8 pm. After the concert, music for dancing would be furnished by Lessor’s Orchestra from 10 to 2 o’clock. Tickets to the dance were 50¢ per couple, and supper was 35¢ each.
The same newspaper also advertised that “There will be an ‘Old Folks Social Party’ at the Dixon House, Underhill, February 22, 1887. The friends of the family, patrons of the House, and the public are cordially invited.”
On January 9, 1889, the Green Mountain Press reported that 40 couples attended the New Year’s Ball at the Dixon House, although on February 13, it was reported that there would be no more dances there, and it was reported that trains no longer stopped there. On February 9, the largely attended G.A.R. banquet was held at the Dixon House included various kinds of meats, oysters served in different styles, a nice variety of pastry, and all fruits of the season. The Vermont Holiness Association held a state holiness convention at the Methodist Church in Riverside in September 1889, and on August 20, the Dixon House announced that those wishing to attend the Holiness meetings could obtain board at Dixon’s for $1.00 per day.
Mr. Dixon died in the hotel on December 23, 1886, at the age of 77 (the B&L ran a special train to bring mourners from Burlington to his funeral), and the hotel was carried on by C.W. Thurber and S.M. Barney. Apparently business had been declining, as in November 1885 Mr. Dixon had mortgaged the hotel, Dr. Arthur Burdick holding the mortgage (besides being a doctor, Dr. Burdick advertised that he was a dealer in real estate, and that money was loaned on first-class real estate security). In January 1889, Dr. Burdick purchased the hotel from the Dixon estate, and that spring made considerable improvements to the property, including painting the outside and installing a new floor and a new marble top counter in the office. The newspapers were reporting that the doctor was evidently the right man to own the hotel, as he intended to fix it up until it became a credit to the place. By July 1st, the hotel was thoroughly repaired and refurnished, and ready to open, with Dr. Burdick as the proprietor and Capt. P.T. Hollenbeck as manager.
Gary Irish
Next, coming soon, Part II Heritage in Historic Homes: Jericho & Underhill, Vt.
Accommodations 1900s to present.
Also, mark your calendars: Chittenden County Historical Society on December 5th, 3 pm, at the Community Center. Gary Irish will talk a bit about how Riverside and Underhill Flats grew up as one village in two towns.
No comments:
Post a Comment