History of Long Point 2020

Sketches of

Long Point History A Collection of Articles from the Annual Reports of the Long Point Corporation, 2006-2020

Sketches of

Long Point History A Collection of Articles from the Annual Reports of the Long Point Corporation, 2006-2020

By John Leidy

Cover photo: This photo shows the family of Winfield Scott (1853-1920) tenting in about 1911 in the approximate site on which Scott built the family’s cottage in 1914 (242 East Rd.) Scott was the owner of a sawmill on Lewis Creek in Charlotte and is believed to have been the builder of a few of the early cottages on Long Point.

(Photo courtesy of Scott family descendants) Copyright Š 2020 John Leidy

Long Point A Brief Historical Overview In the latter half of the Nineteenth Century social and economic conditions helped to foster the growth of America’s middle class and to allow that middle class the leisure time to take a yearly break from their work. Following the Civil War, many were using their leisure time to get away from urban areas and to enjoy nature in more rustic settings while perhaps fishing, swimming, or enjoying other recreational activities. This was often done through camping out, or “tenting”.

By the 1870’s much of the Lake Champlain shoreline was populated by such tenters during the summer months.

Long Point was one of several camping destinations in the immediate area. Among others were Thompson’s Point, Mile Point, and Cedar Beach.

Long Point was at that time owned by a local farming family, the Ball family, that allowed campers on their

property, allocating spaces by a leasing arrangement and offering services for sale such as transportation to and from the North Ferrisburgh railroad depot, providing milk, providing ice, renting boats, etc. Beginning in the mid 1880’s the Ball family started allowing the building of cottages on leased lots on Long Point. These leases were initially for a period of five years, and the lot and cottage became the property of the farm if the campers failed to make the lease payment or did not wish to renew the lease nor sell the cottage.

Cottages during the early years were often built by partnerships of families or friends, often those who had previously tented together on the lakeshore. While some of these cottage builders were upper middle class, many were tradesmen such as carpenters or plumbers, or they were in businesses that gave them access to lumber, clapboard, shingles, etc. The majority of these tenters and cottage builders were Vermonters, in fact mostly from nearby towns and counties. Even from the

early years, however, there were a few vacationers from further away, frequently from New York or Massachusetts.

Over the years tents increasingly gave way to cottages on the Point, the largest percentage of Long Point’s cottages having been built in the decade of the 1920’s.

In the early 1920’s the farmer who owned Long Point, Artemas Ball, died, and rumors of the possible sale of the property were in the air. In response to concerns over what would happen to their cottages following such a sale, Long Point’s summer residents formed the Long Point Association. When it became clear that the Long Point Farm was not about to be sold, the Association became a vehicle for negotiating with the farm for improved roads, water supply, electricity, etc. and for coordinating social events for Long Point residents. The Long Point Association was dissolved in the early 1960’s after the founding of the Long Point Corporation in 1959.

In the late 1950’s Guy Ball, son of Artemas and then owner of the Long Point farm, died.

The Long Point Realty

Corporation (later renamed simply Long Point Corporation) was formed to purchase the Long Point farm property and work to represent the interests of Long Point residents, who were now eligible to become shareholders in the newly formed corporation. In the following years Long Point’s residents, through their corporation, worked to pay off the original mortgage on the farm property, improve roads, and deal with many other such issues of common concern to Long Pointers.

Since the 1970’s major issues facing Long Point have been: environmentally responsible handling of waste water, rising property values and related issues, providing water to cottages, and developing a common vision of the purpose and future of Long Point.

Currently an annual meeting of the Corporation is held on the first Saturday of each August in order to discuss issues facing Long Point and for shareholders to vote on business before the membership.

Early EuroAmerican History Before there was “Long Point” In 1762 King George III granted the town of Ferrisburgh through his agent, the Governor of the Colony of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. However, it was 21 years after the original grant before settlement actually occurred in what is today Ferrisburgh. During that time, confusion reigned as both New Hampshire and New York claimed the right to grant land for settlement in the disputed area “between” the two colonies.

Just prior to the Revolutionary War, attempts at settlement in the area had begun- in Ferrisburgh, by a Charles Tupper, and at Basin Harbor. Both ventures were abandoned with the outbreak of the war. During the Revolution, Vermont declared itself an independent republic,

which it remained until it was accepted as the fourteenth state in 1791. The official peace that ended the British-American conflict was signed in 1783.

It was in the wake of that peace that families began a more permanent settlement of Ferrisburgh, in the Republic of Vermont. “Families” may not quite convey the proper image.

In a number of instances a father and possibly some of his sons might forge ahead onto the frontier, build a temporary home, and return later with the rest of the family. Indeed, it happened in just this way with Zuriel Tupper, a brother to the Charles Tupper who had attempted settlement before the war broke out. Zuriel is said to have been the first Ferrisburgh settler after the close of the war.

His daughter told Rowland Robinson that Tupper had come to town in the in the fall of 1783, built a bark shanty, and returned the following spring with his wife and three children. Upon his return a log house was constructed.

Another family, the Burroughs (said to be ancestors of Long Point’s Burroughs family), is reported to have lived within the hollow trunk of a large tree until their dwelling could be

erected.

Local historians say that lots near the lake were not the desired locations for building in this first era of settlement.

Inland lots tended to be better areas for farming, were presumably away from the lake’s winds, and were removed from the lake travel route that had been the main thoroughfare for two recent wars. Though most pioneers to the area were farmers, Ferrisburgh was also known in those days for its quality timber.

In the 55 years following Ferrisburgh’s original settlement, the town lots that would one day comprise the approximately 200 acres of the Ball family farm encompassing Long Point were to be broken apart, change hands several times, and become consolidated into a single farm property, the first part of which (about 160 acres) was sold by Charles Adams in 1837 to Alvin Ball for $1,000. This included four of the 40-acre lots from the original survey of the town.

The farmland that includes today’s Long Point would remain in the ownership of the Ball family for 122 years.

Our Name Were we once known as “Camp Meeting Point”?

If you’ve been around Long Point for a while, you may have heard it said that Long Point was the site of religious camp meetings in the “old days” and used to be called “Camp Meeting Point”. Is that true?

Having spent quite a bit of time researching the issue, I can tell you that the answer to this question is… well, it’s complicated.

Camp meetings were a part of Christian religious life in America throughout the nineteenth century, especially among Methodists. They were outdoor gatherings of preaching and prayer that lasted several days, during which the participants usually camped out at the meeting site.

Open areas such as farmland, forests, and lakeshores were all used for such gatherings.

Camp meetings were occurring in Vermont beginning in the first decade of

the 1800’s, usually led by ministers as they traveled around their “circuit”. No evidence has come to light that such camp meetings occurred in the vicinity of Long Point prior to the Civil War, though records giving the locations of camp meetings during that period are uncommon.

Following the Civil War, camp meetings were increasingly held under the auspices of local districts of the Methodist church. In the summer of 1868 the Ball family, owners of the Long Point property, allowed use of the end of the Point for the official camp meeting of the Burlington District of the Methodist church. This meeting reportedly brought in 1,200 to 1,500 people, largely from the area between Burlington and Rutland. The railroad station, that was at that time on today’s Long Point Rd. had opened in the early 1850’s, and Long Point was thus fairly accessible.

One would think that if the Point had been known as “Camp Meeting Point” at that time, the name would have been used to promote the meeting held there in 1868, but that is not the case. All map references, newspaper citations,

and land records that specifically mention the Point during this period always refer to it as “Long Point”. The Ball family, who had owned the land since the 1830’s, also used the name Long Point in existing documents. No connection to a family by the name of Long appears to exist; the name simply seems to refer to a long point of land jutting out into the lake.

The year after Long Point’s only known true camp meeting (though church services for campers were common at various locations around the Point), the New Haven CampMeeting Association was incorporated and purchased Spring Grove, a site along the Burlington-Rutland railroad line in New Haven. That year, and in all subsequent years up to about 1916, the Burlington District’s camp meeting was held at Spring Grove.

In 1871, shortly after the camp meeting on Long Point, F.W. Beers published the Atlas of Addison County Vermont, which included the first known map on which Long Point is actually labeled, and on that map its name is given as “Long Pt.” Also identified on the map is the location of a “camp

grove” out near the end of the Point. A couple of years later, in 1873-1874, the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey was doing a survey of this area of the lake for a map that it published in 1880. Despite all apparent local evidence and custom to the contrary, that government map used the name “Camp Meeting Point”, perhaps basing the name on the “camp grove” shown on the Beers’ map or on the recently held camp meeting. The name was then picked up by another map published on the New York side of the lake by Seneca Ray Stoddard. It appears likely that Stoddard took the designation from the government map.

“Camp Meeting Point” was retained on editions of Stoddard’s map until 1911 and on the government map into at least the 1940’s.

Today, however, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s computers officially list the Point as “Long Point”, giving 1871 as a reference date for the name, probably referencing Beers’ Atlas. Was the name on the government’s 1880 map an error? It appears that it probably was, though no paper trail has been found to explain

the decision to use “Camp Meeting Point”.

It was during the same era in which these maps were published that tenting and cottages became common at Long Point. It was therefore probably the 1880 U.S. government map that became the source of the belief among campers that Long Point had previously been known as “Camp Meeting Point”. Well, in a way it was, … but then again, … it wasn’t.

The Joys of Camping

Before there were cottages Stepping back in time, perhaps 130 to 145 years, imagine what it might have been like to be among the early campers at Long Point. They truly were campers- of the tenting sort; cottages had not yet come into vogue. The original campers were coming to Long Point at least by the late 1860’s and into the 1870’s, whereas cottages were not being built until the mid 1880’s. From that point until at least the nineteen-teens, cottages and tents existed side by side.

If you lived near to Long Point, you would have come down to the lake by wagon, lugging along your gear. Some families had the use of sheds at the Point and were able to store some of their belongings on site. If you came from a bit further away, you would have taken the train to the station on what is today Long Point Road and arranged for the Ball family to pick you up in their

wagon or surrey. You would probably have come with an extended family or with one or more other families from your town of residence, which was most likely in Addison or Chittenden County. As you got down to the Point, the wagon would have dropped you and your gear off at your lot. Even prior to cottages, Mr. Ball had been granting specific camping locations to particular families or groups of friends. During some of the tenting years this was even done by way of a lease.

Rustic camping had been popularized in the mid 1800’s, particularly in association with the Adirondacks. Guidebooks and pamphlets were being published with all manner of advice for those wanting to give camping a try, hopefully without too many hardships.

However, some abandoned tenting- particularly the ladies (‘My husband calls this having a good time?’)- in favor of staying at a farm that took borders or even at a hotel.

Published advice on camping included all sorts of topics, such as: choosing your companions carefully, how to go about obtaining a good horse and wagon, packing

efficiently, appropriate cooking utensils to bring along, how to cook in camp, reading materials for rainy days, bedding, and even on keeping a diary. The Burlington newspaper gave complete instructions for how to make your own tent from “nine yards of stout yard wide cotton cloth.” Soaking the cloth in water with lime and alum would render it waterproof.

The reader was taught how to erect the tent, making it weatherproof “with boughs of cedar and other trees”, and how to prepare an appropriate site. “Select sloping ground to put your tent on, so that if it rains the water will readily run off; and also dig a little ditch around the tent with an outlet running down the incline. As the front of the tent will be open- unless you choose to provide enough canvas to close it- you had better place it with the front toward the north or northwest.” That last piece of advice may not have worked too well on Long Point!

A camping party might well have had more than one tent.

Harold Stowe’s father, Karl, quoting his father, said that, “My folks and others used to form groups and come to Long

Point with great big tents. Now, they had a dining tent and a kitchen tent, and the ladies all entered into the cooking. …

Some of the tents were up in the maple grove (about where the big parking area is located up toward the top of Long Point) [just north of 256 North Rd.] That was a favorite place, and another place was over in the green in front of Page's cottage [285 East Rd.]” Bertha Ranger, Denise Kipp’s great aunt, gives us the most intimate picture of tenting at Long Point. “In the early '90's my Uncle Fred Dean and his wife, Aunt Holly... from Monkton and my family (Papa, Mama, Tess, Dan and I) came up from Proctor and camped on the level spot just below this ridge. There was a cottage named ‘Bristol Lodge’ close by [256 North, though the cottage name probably dates to about 1903]. We had three tents; one for each family and a dining tent. Grandpa Stilson's storehouse [erected on the Point] was used for our supplies. In it there was a large icebox in which we kept our food cooled with ice from the farm [cut from Long Point Bay and kept in an ice house near the site of today’s 417 Bay Rd.]

Probably our tents and cots were stored in here too during the winter. Beside the tents there was a small shack, which sheltered our stove where the meals were prepared- mostly by the men. Our necessary outhouse was behind the storehouse---a cold, dark place to climb up to at night. I can recall my shudders. Bedtime came early because the only light we had was from a kerosene lantern or two. Our beds were cots, just canvas strung over heavy wooden sticks and supported by crossed pieces of wood. There was always a fear of meeting skunks prowling around looking for food in our waste cans. On rainy nights we had to be very careful not to touch the canvas roof, for if we did a stream of water would start dripping down on our heads. I don't recall that there were any snorers in the group. In the maple grove we had hammocks, swings and comfortable hand-made camp chairs. These chairs my father had made, and they were adjustable from a reclining to an upright position. Uncle Fred's tent had a fly top covering which extended out beyond in front, forming sort of

a roofed piazza where we could also have our chairs [the same style tent of many of the traditional “campmeeting” tents].”

If you made it through all the procedures and inconveniences that went into to getting prepared for your vacation, you would eventually get around to enjoying it. Not all that different from today, enjoyment came in the form of getting away from the work and routines of home, swimming, hunting, fishing, boating (powered by oar or paddle), breathing “rustic air” (considered good for your health), enjoying the scenery, socializing, and playing games.

So, … are you ready to abandon that cottage and go rustic?

Which Camp Is the Oldest?

A difficult question to answer

In relation to Long Point’s history, the question that is certainly asked most frequently is, “Which camp is the oldest?”

That is a question that is difficult to answer, mainly for one reason. Since Long Point was a private farm, its cottages were built on leased lots, and the town did not require the recording of leases. We do not have original lease information for many of our early camps.

Documentary evidence is especially sparse during the initial 35 years of cottage building. Nevertheless, by attempting to fill in the gaps with alternate types of records, we can reconstruct some of the story of Long Point’s earliest summer camps.

It can be stated with a fair degree of certainty that five cottages were built on Long Point during the latter 1880’s.

This does not include any

structures that may have been erected by the owners of the Long Point farm, the Ball family. However, though the Balls did erect some cottages on the Point, it does not appear that any of these were built prior to the 1890’s.

Summer tenting was the original method of vacationing on Long Point, but beginning in the mid-1880’s cottages slowly started to appear, a phenomenon that was increasingly in evidence along shores around the country during the summer months.

On Long Point, many of those who built cottages did so in partnerships, and those partnerships were often among friends from some nearby locale who had already been coming to the Point in groups to vacation in tents. Early cottages were sometimes built on the same sites on which their builders had previously tented, spots that had- at least in some instances- been allotted by lease, even to those who were in tents.

The earliest cottage for which we have clear documentary evidence is the one at 191 North Rd (today owned by the Kileys), the original half-acre lot of which was leased on

August 10, 1886 to ten men based in Rutland. Their partnership was known as the Bay Point Club Co. and the cottage was referred to as the “Bay Point Cottage”, though it was later known for many years as the “Rutland Cottage”.

As was true of many of these early ventures, one of the partners in the club ran a carpentry business and it was probably under his supervision that the cottage was built.

Three cottages were probably constructed in about 1888, though the specifics are unclear; and one of them has an interesting twist in relation to its dating. As in the case of the Bay Point Cottage, the “Middlebury Cottage” at 304 East Rd (Leidy/Wilhite) was erected by a partnership of men. This group of five was from Middlebury, and most or all of them had previously tented at the Point. The oral tradition of some of the members of this group indicates that it was the second cottage built on the Point and that it was under construction in 1888. However, one of the primary builders, Ed Stowe (grandfather of Harold Stowe), was interviewed for an 1898 news item about Long Point

and in that article is identified as being a builder of the first cottage on Long Point, saying further that prior to that cottage the only structure on the Point had been a sugar house.

Nothing further has come to light to sort out this dating puzzle.

Probably also dating to 1888, possibly 1889, is the cottage at 324 North Rd. (Ross, “Pine Tree Lodge”). Two Monkton farmers who were Quakers built this camp, and the cottage was originally named “Friends Home”. Also perhaps built at about the same time was the cottage that formerly stood at 256 North Rd. and which burned down in 1996. The current cottage (Reid) was rebuilt on the same site in 1998/1999. The original cottage was known for many years as “Bristol Lodge”, but the name apparently does not date back before about 1903, for the prior owners lived in the North Ferrisburgh, Monkton, and perhaps Charlotte areas.

Finally, in 1889 a lot to build upon was leased to a group that appears to have been mainly composed of sportsmen, most of whom were from Albany (one from Shoreham). All evidence points

to this lot, described as on the west side of the Point, being the one that is now 380 North Rd. (Koplinka). The cottage seems to have originally been named “Rushmore” and to have had its name changed under new ownership in about 1900 to “The Linden”, after which the name “Rushmore” was picked up by another nearby cottage.

Using the available evidence, these appear to have been the first cottages built on Long Point. Of the five cottages, four were built out on the Point itself. Below is a list of additional cottage sites that can be reliably dated prior to 1900, 70% of them also out on the Point. Some of the original cottages have since been replaced or substantially remodeled.

136 Annex Rd., used by the Ball farm 199 Shore Rd., original cottage replaced 285 East Rd., original cottage torn down; another cottage was later built on the same lot 388 Bay Rd. (?) probably 1890’s 14 South Rd. 137 North Rd. 181 North Rd. 209 North Rd., original dwelling burned

20 Lake View Rd. 26 Lake View Rd. 31 Lake View Rd. 282 North Rd., original cottage replaced Possibly 284 North Rd. (ca.

1899-1903) 286 North Rd. 304 North Rd. 344 North Rd. 392 North Rd. There were also two cottages owned by the Ball farm that were out on today’s North Rd. but which were long ago torn down. These were a bit south of today’s 282 North Rd.

Buildings on the Ball Farm During the time that the Long Point summer community was developing, there were three generations of the Ball family occupying the Long Point farm: Stephen (1819-1889) and his wife Urana, his son Artemas (1846-1922) and his wife Mary, and Artemas’ son Guy (18821958) and his wife Margaret, or “Maggie”.

In his later years, Stephen’s primary residence was the house on the northwest corner of today’s Greenbush and Stage Roads (1997 Stage Rd.), which had been the home of his mother’s family, the Siples. The building behind his home, today the house at 50 Long Point Rd., was Stephen’s cider mill.

Land and tax records have not revealed a date for the building of the Long Point farmhouse; we can only state that it was already there, identified as “S. Ball”, when Walling’s map of 1857 was published. In 1873 Stephen Ball turned the Long Point

farmhouse over to two of his sons, Artemas and Emerson, with Artemas having the greater impact on the property.

Artemas put in a coal dock, reportedly in 1879, to act as a distributor of coal. This dock was beside today’s cottage at 164 Annex Rd. (Beauregard/Phillips), and I hear that pieces of coal still occasionally turn up in the vicinity. Nearby, the cottage at 136 Annex Rd. (Curtis) was built for the Ball family’s use and was named Edgmere. It was built sometime before 1898 and was particularly used by their “crippled” son, Jay. Somewhere out on the Point, there existed a sugarhouse.

This was the only building out on the Point itself prior to the building of the first cottages, according to an 1898 quote in the newspaper from Harold Stowe’s grandfather. There was also, however, the small cylindrical structure that now acts as a tool shed next to the cottage at 344 North Rd. (Hunt/Flood). The structure is reported by early owners of the cottage to have originally been a limekiln, which would have been used by the Balls to “burn” limestone to turn it into quicklime for fertilizer or

mortar.

By the 1890’s the Ball family had erected an icehouse, where the cottage at 417 Bay Rd. (Sherwin, circa 1923) now stands. The icehouse was used to store ice cut out of Long Point Bay, which was sold to Long Pointers for refrigeration.

Prior to 1898, Artemas also had two cottages constructed as rental cottages out near the end of Long Point. These were named Pjans and Woodside, and they stood between the cottage at 282 North Rd. (Nunn) and where the road now curves around the end of the Point.

This was near the popular “grove”, which was used by tenters in the early years of vacationing at Long Point. The Ball family removed both of these cottages long ago.

Artemas Ball also had a cottage that he had repossessed in the 1890’s from the cottage’s owner, presumably for nonpayment of the lease. This cottage stood where the current cottage now stands at 285 East Rd. (Roberts). The Balls rented this camp out until it gradually fell into disrepair and was taken down. The lot was vacant for a number of years (though leased briefly for one or two trailers) until the lot was

leased to build the current cottage in 1946.

Sometime between 1898 and 1901 Artemas Ball erected a building where the cottage now stands at 94 North Rd. (Godley/Fehlhaber). This building is first recognizable as an U.S. Post Office, which serviced Long Pointers. It was only officially in operation from August 5, 1901 to April 15, 1903, and I am told that postmarks from this post office are a rare find. The postmistress was Alma J. Cushman, sister of Lynn Cushman who later owned the lot at 5 Lucia Lane (Zeiter).

It is possible that the post office was within a store, because once the post office was closed, the building operated fully as a store, which sold goods to Long Pointers during the summer. This was sometimes done though a lease arrangement, though in later years the Ball family ran the store themselves. At one point during those latter years Foster Nye ran the store and also leased the dock on the shore below from Mrs. Bottom (109 North Rd., now Patterson) in order to dock boats and fill gas tanks. On some maps of this period, the location is identified

The Long Point post office and store as it originally looked.

as “Nye’s Landing”. In its heyday, the store had a gasoline pump out front, a kerosene pump, and Long Point’s only telephone, in a tall wooden box out on the porch.

When the Ball family sold the Long Point property to the Long Point Corporation following Guy’s 1958 death, Guy’s widow retained ownership of the store. She used it as a summer camp and store, eventually turning it over to the Long Point Corporation.

The Corporation then leased it out as a cottage, beginning in 1964.

The central section of the cottage that stands at 46 Annex Rd. (Waldron) was originally constructed as a tenement house for workers on the Ball farm. It was put up in 19371938 for $650. An addition on the back, which housed additional farm workers, was

The rebuilt Long Point store, perhaps in the late 1920’s or 1930’s.

later removed. As with the Long Point store, when the Ball family sold the farm to the Long Point Corporation, they retained ownership of this building as a cottage. In 1967 Guy Ball’s son, Sammie, turned the camp over to his son, Jim. When Jim let go of the cottage in 1970, the Long Point Corporation leased it out as a camp. A subsequent owner put additions on the northwest and southeast sides of the original building.

In addition to these larger structures, an itemization of Guy Ball’s property in the mid 1940’s mentions a few other structures, most standing near the main farmhouse. The largest of these was the old barn, which was across Long Point Rd. from the farmhouse and was burned by the Long Point Corporation in the 1970’s.

On the opposite side of the

road there was a garage and woodhouse, also both gone now. Somewhere, the family apparently still had an icehouse in operation, though it was no

longer on today’s Bay Rd. Lastly, there was the little pump house, which still stands beside the road, northwest of the farmhouse.

The Long Point farmhouse as it appeared around the 1920’s.

Long Point campers attending an outdoor church service in front of the two cottages, Woodside and Pjans, out near the end of Long Point that belonged to the Ball family.

The Development of Long Point A somewhat haphazard plotting of cottage lots over 100 years

As I have written in past articles, Long Point was originally part of a farm that, from 1837, was owned by four generations of the Ball family.

By the 1860’s Stephen Ball was allowing families to picnic and camp out on his property during the summer months. By 1886 cottages slowly began to replace the summer tents, which existed side by side on leased lots at least into the nineteen-teens. The advent of both tenting and summer cottages became national phenomena that seem to have begun along the Atlantic coast.

As with all new fads, tenting and the building of summer cottages began somewhat slowly and eventually picked up steam. The gradual transition from tenting to cottages is probably the origin of the regional term “camp” for

cottage, both those in tents and those in cottages being “at camp”.

The Vermont Department of Agriculture and various venues that catered to tourists fed into the fad by encouraging summer camping in the state in order to boost the economy, and farmers found an extra source of revenue by taking in summer boarders or campers on their properties.

To the best of our knowledge, five cottages (4% of the total) were built during the decade of the 1880’s. Four of those were built by Vermonters, all of whom had probably already been tenting at Long Point. (Historically, the majority of Long Point cottage owners have been Vermonters.)

Four of these original five cottages were built out on the Point itself and one on the south end of Long Point’s bay; two faced east, and three faced west.

About 14% of Long Point’s cottages were built in the decade of the 1890’s. Nearly two thirds of these were built on the Point, with a number of the others appearing along the east shore and one at the intersection of Long Point Bay and the lake (14 South Rd.,

though there was no South Rd. at the time). The opening of a railroad connection to Bristol brought many campers from there to Long Point in the 1890’s.

The early 1900’s saw another 14% of our cottages built. Most of these continued to be built on the Point and extending southward down the “neck” of Long Point. All the cottages on the neck were built in this decade except for the one furthest south at 34 North Rd., which was built in the early 1920’s. The 1910’s contributed only 6% of our cottages, with those distributed throughout the Long Point property.

Nearly a quarter of the cottages on Long Point were built during the decade of the 1920’s. This appears to reflect both the nation’s economic climate as well as circumstances within the Ball family at the time. The largest concentrations of new camps were found in the north section of South Rd., much of Lucia Lane, several camps on Shore Rd., the mid section of East Rd., and the east side of Long Point.

The population density of the Point definitely increased during this period. One camper reflecting back on that

era reminisced years later that, “The cottages are so near together that campers joke about hearing their neighbors eating toast.”

During the Depression era of the 1930’s, about 10% of our cottages were erected, the largest block of which were in the area where East Road meets Lucia Lane. During that decade, the Ball family also began unveiling a plan for the development of cottages in what would become known as the “Annex”. It was during the 1940’s, however, when 11% of Long Point’s cottages were built, that many of the camps in the Annex were actually erected.

In the 1950’s about 11% of Long Point’s camps were built.

These were mainly camps that continued to be built in the Annex, but camps were also being built on what is now the lower section of South Road (going easterly). Prior to this decade, cottages on South Road ended at 108 South Rd. (Lackey), though at least one lease had been issued on the lower portion of South Rd. prior to the 1950’s.

Since the 1950’s, only 6% of our cottage lots have been built upon, the majority of these

continuing to be in the Annex.

The last lot to have a camp erected on it was at 5 Lucia Lane (Zeiter) in 1988, though the family that built that cottage had had a lease to the lot since 1935.

Personal income, and the economy in general, clearly played a role in the pattern of development at Long Point. A great factor, however, was certainly also the inclinations of the Ball family as to where they felt comfortable leasing lots during different time periods as well as the sizes of lots that were leased. When the need for additional income arose, the Balls tended to lease out new lots rather than to raise existing lease rates. A number of the early lots, for example, some of which were as large as half an acre, were subsequently subdivided for multiple cottages.

If our lots and cottages appear as a somewhat haphazard patchwork, the unusual history of our development helps to explain how that came about. We can’t compare to the modern architecturally landscaped developments we pass driving into Burlington!

Our Early Mobile Camps We have, indeed, had a few mobile homes at Long Point over the years. Other than those that may have belonged to visitors, the first longer-term mobile camps seem to have been on the lot at 285 East Rd. in the early 1940’s. An old cottage on this lot and been torn down, and the lot was then vacant. Harold Chamberlain, formerly of 283 East Rd., reported that his brother Gardner Chamberlain of Ferrisburgh had a trailer on the lot, which according to the Vergennes newspaper was there in at least 1944 and 1945.

Harold says that another trailer had been on the lot prior to his brother’s. The current cottage was built there in 1946, and that was the end of the trailers.

In 1954 Harold and Marion Jimmo of North Ferrisbugh were the first lessees of the lot at 377 Bay Rd., and their son, Robert, put a trailer on the lot.

The Jimmos operated both the Jimmo Motel and the gas

station across the street at the corner of Stage Rd. and Route 7. Harold was also sheriff in Ferrisburgh. Not long after the original lease, Robert built an addition onto the west end of the trailer. By 1957, however, the Jimmos had sold the dwelling to Chester Gallett of Bennington. At the same time, Chester’s brother, Francis, also of Bennington, leased a spot east of this lot, on the opposite side of the road, a bit past the Myer’s garage, and parked a trailer in that location. Francis Gallett’s lease for the trailer’s location reverted to Long Point in 1967 after Gallett bought the camp at 391 Bay Rd. The turquoise trailer remained, fell into disrepair, and was eventually hauled away.

Chester Gallett sold his camp in 1973. Subsequent owners modified the structure extensively until it was torn down and the current camp built by Phil Mozeika and Nancy Zahniser beginning in 2007.

Going back many years, however, there were other “mobile” homes at Long Point, structures that were originally built elsewhere and moved here. While this is rarely done

today, it was not all that uncommon in the 1800’s and early 1900’s. For example, the Catholic church on Spear St. in Charlotte was originally a Quaker meetinghouse … in Starksboro. The Quaker structure, built in 1812, was purchased by the Catholics in 1858 and reportedly moved the 11 miles on skids by a team of oxen (either whole or in sections) in the winter of 18581859.

Long Point has five cottages that were moved here from other locations. The first of these appears to have been the cottage at 48 Lake View, which came to us from Thompson’s Point. In fact, it was the first cottage built on Thompson’s Point, by John Thorp of Charlotte in 1874, and named Pioneer. Thorp was part of a group of sportsmen who had been camping on Thompson’s since about 1870. Thorp sold the cottage in 1900 to a widow, Emma Beckwith of Middlebury, for $1500, and she had a new cottage erected in its place. The supposition is that she may have hired Ferrisburgh carpenter Charles Miller to erect the new cottage, because through some unrecorded

An old photo of the gazebo that Charles Miller added to the cottage that he moved from Thompson’s Point to Long Point

exchange Miller ended up with the original cottage, which he brought over to Long Point across the ice.

Also coming to Long Point on the ice was The Outlook at 168 East Rd. Thomas Fletcher of Bridport brought the structure up to Long Point from Bridport, probably in the winter of 1905-1906. Fletcher was renting at Long Point in 1905, and the Vergennes paper reported that he intended to build a camp within a year.

His daughter’s wedding was held in the relocated cottage at Long Point in 1907. In an oral history interview done with Ted Kimball, whose family had the camp at 88 South Rd. at the time, Ted talks about the cottage being moved to Long Point.

Two cottages are reported by their owners to have come to Long Point from Spring Grove in New Haven in the early 1920’s. In 1869 the New Haven Camp-Meeting Association acquired a site by the railroad in New Haven and created the Spring Grove camp meeting grounds. Campers at Spring Grove originally camped in tents, but in the next couple of decades they were building cottages. The site closed down in 1917, and the property was auctioned off in 1919. Ann McGuire stated that the cottage at 109 Shore Rd. was built by her great grandfather, Samuel Wright, at Spring Grove. In 1918 her grandfather, Alanson Wright moved the building from Spring Grove to Waltham.

Then in the winter of 1920 he moved it again in three sections to Long Point on skids where Mr. Wright reconstructed it with an addition. Similarly, the cottage now at 417 Bay Rd. is

said by the builders, the Burroughs family, to have been moved from Spring Grove in about 1923. James Otis Burroughs of Ferrisburgh and his wife Etta May acquired the Spring Grove cottage, which they had disassembled in New Haven and reassembled at Long Point.

The final cottage to migrate to Long Point has fewer details known about its journey. The camp at 391 Bay Rd. came to Long Point around 1950 when the lot was leased to Myron Taylor of Hancock. Those who knew Mr. Taylor say that the structure had formerly been one of the buildings in a logging camp. It is said to have been cut into three eight-foot sections and them moved to Long Point, which by the 1950’s was probably via truck.

To Long Point

by Train (Almost) the only way to travel Forget about today’s automobiles; you can even largely discount the old steam excursion boats that took tourists up and down the lake.

It was the railroad that probably had the greatest influence in drawing early campers to Long Point.

Even prior to the Civil War, travel by train was fairly easy between New York City, Boston, Montreal, and Albany.

The section of railroad that had the most impact on Long Point was the stretch built by the Rutland & Burlington Railroad Company that ran between those cities. Plans were being made, and land was being acquired, along this route in the late 1840’s, and the section of the line between Rutland and Burlington was opened in December of 1849.

The date for the opening of the station, which stood on today’s Long Point Road in North Ferrisburgh, has not yet

been found, but existing train schedules narrow it down to sometime between 1851 and 1854. Long Point was thus fairly easily accessible from many locations in the northeast by the time vacations were becoming popular with middle class Americans following the Civil War. Of course, to visit Long Point, vacationers would have to be aware of its existence.

Newspaper briefs tell us that Stephen Ball, then owner of Long Point, was allowing the use of the Point by some local groups by the late 1860’s. We know of the existence of a “camp grove” near the end of the Point in this period and of its apparent use for picnics as well as for a Methodist district camp meeting in 1868. The fact that Stephen Ball was a Methodist was one reason for the choice of Long Point as the camp meeting site, but the proximity to a railroad station was also a significant factor.

Through pamphlets and advertisements, we know that as camping came into vogue the railroads and steamer lines were urging local farmers to open up their properties to vacationers. This brought potential income for the

farmers as well as business for the railroad and steamer companies. (Some of the railroad companies also owned steamers on the lake.) In The Green Mountains of Vermont (1955) W. Storrs Lee noted that in 1892 the Central Vermont Railroad sent salesmen out to take a census of accommodations along their lines. In conjunction with this effort they also attempted to convince owners of attractive farms to make their spare bedrooms and dining rooms available to railroad passengers.

Campers in the immediate vicinity came to Long Point using carriages or wagons, but Long Point also had vacationers from Rutland, Proctor, Shoreham, and Middlebury, even Albany in the early years. These campers were coming to Long Point using the trains. Up until at least the year 2000, the town of Bristol was home to the largest number of Long Point cottage owners - at least 68. The flow of vacationers from Bristol began in the early 1890’s and was directly attributable to the opening in 1890 of a section of track that ran into Bristol off of the Rutland-Burlington line.

To accommodate the campers, visitors could arrange with the Ball family at the Long Point farm to meet them with a carriage or wagon at the station, which was a short distance from the farm. The campers and their belongings would then be transported down to their campsite or cottage.

Bertha Stilson Ranger, whose family were early campers at the Point, gives some details about coming to the lake by train in the late 1890’s and early 1900’s. “At first, [our family] came back and forth by train for the weekends. The Rutland Railroad gave us very convenient service. A train known as ‘The Seven O'Clock’ brought them up from Proctor on Saturday morning, and a slow evening milk train took them back on Sunday night. It was nicer for us all when [my father and brother in law’s] two-week vacations came up.

Different kinds of conveyances from the farm met all trains for passengers and luggage, fifty cents per person. Of course, as soon as we owned automobiles the system changed.”

Karl Stowe, Harold’s father, was another early Long Pointer whose family was coming up

from Middlebury and later from Burlington. “The [Long Point] farm would send a twoseated surrey to the railroad station to pick up the passengers,” he recalls. “In the midsummer, even without notice, they met every train. If there were trunks, they had a single-horse delivery wagon that they sent the baggage in.

“When we were kids [late 1890’s early 1900’s] we used to ride our bicycles up to the railroad station and watch the trains come in. Ed Danyow was the station agent.

[Danyow was at various times owner of three cottages on Long Point as well as the Bay View Farm.]

“The station was like the Shelburne Station up at the museum, you went in and smelled the smell and heard the telegraph key clicking. On the south there was a contraption beside the tracks, a hook, which grabbed the mail sacks as the train passed.

“The man that carried the mail (they called it the stage) was … Johnny Mooney. His sister was the postmistress in North Ferrisburgh. One of my sons [probably Dick, who had an early wire recorder] went to the station before the trains

stopped and he recorded. Oh, you could hear the train coming from the south and going on the siding, and then the New York Flyer came through and they had a stop signal against them and they didn't heed it, and they went way up the road and then they had to back-track.”

As Bertha Ranger noted, the advent of automobiles changed the mode of transportation to Long Point. At first it was gradual. Those relatively nearby came by car; those further away continued to use the train. By the 1950’s, however, those coming by train may have disembarked in Albany and perhaps taken a bus north. You could even get the bus to drop you off at the North Ferrisburgh four corners.

Currently, the train is seldom a part of most vacationers’ treks to Long Point. It seems largely a symbol of a bygone era. In fact, the North Ferrisburgh station house was moved from its original location to the Covered Bridge Farm on Route 7 (now Starry Night Café at 5371 Rte 7) in the 1980’s as a tourist attraction.

The North Ferrisburgh station beside the tracks on what is today Long Point Rd.

A surrey in use at Long Point (Photo courtesy of Dee Kipp)

The Road to Long Point Long Point’s roads might seem like a minor topic for an historical article. There are some interesting details, however, that have turned up, mainly in the oral histories of some our elderly or former residents.

The early roads were, of course, rather different from what we have today. Those roads or trails would have existed for farm use- for the wagons, carriages, or other equipment used on the Ball farm. And when the Ball family realized that opening their lakeside property to vacationers could generate income, carriages and wagons were still the means of transport. A few campers that lived nearby rode their own carriages to Long Point. The majority, however, were met at the train station and brought down to the Point by Ball family members.

At about the turn of the 20th century, automobiles slowly began to appear in Vermont,

The 1907 Pope-Hartford Touring car as shown in an old company advertisement

the first in 1899. In 1905 there were 364 cars in the state, along with 14,910 miles of public highway. The highway speed limit was 15 mph, unless you were going through a village or city, where it decreased to 10 mph. Cars at Long Point are first mentioned in area newspapers in 1907. That year, Will Lawrence of Bristol came to the Point in his “mobile”, and C.E. Henry, of the Henry Family Theater Company, purchased a Pope-Hartford “touring car” while in Burlington.

Alice Grover, whose in-laws owned Bristol Lodge, 256 North Rd., from about 1903 to 1920, reminisced years later about arriving at Long Point in the early years. “To get to the Point one drove straight west from the North Ferrisburg depot about a mile to the Ball farm, through the yard and past the barn. There one was confronted with a gate, a sign on which read ‘Please shut the

gate’. As one drove in and saw the cows the reason for the sign could be understood. In the near distance one would see the lake and two paths, or roads, enclosing a piece of woods.

These paths met just beyond the woods, one to the right going past a few very old, unoccupied cottages and the one on the left going near the lake shore and around the woods.”

In the era of the Ball farm, the Balls generally took responsibility for the maintenance of the roads, and the condition of the roads was often a bone of contention between campers and “The Farm”. In 1936, apparently at Guy Ball’s request, the town took over a right of way from the farm area down to the neck of Long Point. Of course, the roads were dirt, some even partially grass or ledge. The stretch of road going out to the neck of the Point was not paved until sometime after the early 1970’s.

Doris Kimball Gates, whose family in about 1903 built the only cottage that was south of today’s Bay Rd., stated, as Alice Grover implies, that the old road coming down to the Point curved around the woods,

south of today’s road and near the road to the fishing access, and that the path to her cottage at 88 South Rd. forked off of that road. Along that path, the family also had a barn, probably a carriage barn, which stood about where today’s 173 South Rd. is located; in fact, part of that cottage lot was originally leased to Doris Gates’ brother, Ted Kimball.

In the early 1920’s when the upper part of South Rd. was laid out, it originally ran from the Taylor cottage at 14 South Rd. to the Stone-Kimball cottage at 88 South Rd. Then in the late 1940’s or early 1950’s the trail on the lower part of South Rd. appears to have been improved as a road. In addition, rocks were put in the shallows at the end of South Rd. to access the sandy area where the two southernmost camps now stand.

In the woods, between today’s Bay Rd. and East Rd. ran a connecting trail, today a nature trail, which led to the Long Point dump. The old pit can still be seen there, halfway through the woods. As that dump was filling up, another was created off to the west of the road running down to Lewis Creek, a road that was

improved from a “wheel track wagon road” after Guy Ball leased the creek access site to the State in 1957.

The road that is today’s North Rd. used to run somewhat differently than it does today. The old road divided south of the current fork, the western portion branching off between the Patterson and Stowe cottages, and running behind El Nido and northward between the Recupero’s and Wood’s camps, meeting up with the current road near Rock Ledge at 344 North Rd. The steep part of the road, by Tilden’s cottage at 296 North Rd. used to be even steeper than it is today, but Shirley Tilden reported that some of the crest was blasted off, probably in the mid 1930’s, to make the rise less treacherous. There is some evidence that in the early years, the road did not loop all the way around the Point, perhaps having east and west sections that did not connect.

Harold Stowe relates that when the course of North Rd. was changed, which appears to have been sometime between about 1920 and 1927, cars would still attempt to use the old route, going behind their

cottage at 137 North Rd., across ground that they were trying to make part of their lawn. “My grandmother took an old boat that had outlived its seaworthiness and had it placed across the former road near Fiske’s [side] porch [El Nido] It was filled with dirt and used as a flower garden, not to mention a very effective road block.”

At the neck of the Point, according to Bertha Ranger’s (427 Bay Rd.) recollections, a gate once stood in order to keep the farm’s cows from wandering out onto the Point.

That gate was the inspiration for the cottage’s name at 34 North Rd., The Gateway. In fact, a number of the older cottages in certain areas of the Point had fences (or “stump fences”) encircling their yards to keep out the cows, which often came down to the lake for water.

What is now Lake View Rd. was constructed in order to access the cottages at its base, Trail’s End at 57 Lake View, and The Limit at 48 Lake View, both built around 1900. The original 1900 lease to the Kingslands, who built Trail’s End (of the same family that gives its name to Kingsland Bay), included an agreement that the Ball family

put in an access road to the cottage site and remove some existing outbuildings.

According to Karl Stowe, Harold’s father, the portion of East Road that goes along the southeast side of Long Point Bay did not exist until some cottage owners began creating it, probably sometime between 1906 and 1915. Abram Langworthy, one of the partners in The Middlebury Cottage at 304 East Rd., and Thomas Fletcher of the Outlook at 168 East Rd., were cousinsin-law. No road existed between their camps, and, “Langworthy worked away, cutting trees and moving stones until they got a foot path between the two.”

While most of our roads appear to have evolved from farm trails and campers’ paths, a few roads seem to have been deliberately constructed as part of the planned development of certain areas. This would appear to have been the case for the upper section of South Rd., and the Annex seems to have been a similar situation.

A map exists which shows the whole proposed layout of the cottage lots and roads for the

Annex, the Pleasant Bay area east of the farmhouse (formerly “Ball’s Bay”). The map is dated October 1937 and is described as “Plan for a Part of the Ball Farm, Ferrisburgh, VT.” and below is written “Long Point Annex”.

This is about the extent of what has turned up thus far on our various roads. No one probably imagined that future generations of Long Pointers would be interested in such matters.

Post-1903 photo looking south from the neck of the Point showing the only two cottages in the area at that time, the Taylor cottage at 14 South Rd. and the Stone-Kimball cottage at 88 South Rd. Look at that rugged road! (Photo courtesy of Bob and Ruth L’Hommideu)

This map shows a detail from the 1937 plan for the development of the Long Point Annex showing the lots. some already leased, and the road in the northwestern portion of the Annex.

Natives and Strangers Which are we?

When I was growing up, it was deemed very important to be able to claim that you were a born Vermonter. I was the son of a transplanted Vermonter and could only claim that my birth had been reported in the Addison Independent. I recall one Long Pointer, a native Vermonter, who had moved out of state for his job. He was incensed upon returning home for his vacation to find one gas station unwilling to let him use the bathroom because he had an out-of-state license plate!

The value placed on being a native Vermonter is partially traceable to the migrations of 19th century Vermonters out of the state in comparison to those who stayed behind. These migrations happened in successive waves and were caused by the lure of richer (and easier to cultivate) farmland, weather (as in 1819, the “year with no summer”), the opening of the Erie Canal, the rise and popularity of industrial opportunities

elsewhere, etc. Those who leftit is sometimes depicted- may have made more money, but those who stayed behind took pride in being hardy and industrious on the rugged land.

Those who went to the cities may have gotten more “education”, but those left behind had the homegrown wisdom of “common sense”.

The rural farmer, as portrayed in the humorous caricatures of the day, could still best the uppity fellow from down country.

In the latter 19th century, northern New England’s economy was depressed in comparison with that of the states to the south. Vermont’s Board of Agriculture began an Old Home Week each August in an effort to lure those who’d left Vermont back to visit family and friends at the old homestead. The Board also tried to cash in on the growing popularity of camping and vacationing to bring people into the state. Advertisements, brochures, and booklets promoted cottage rentals, land for sale, excursions, boarding houses and hotels- most anything that might bring tourists. This was the era in which Vermont began

marketing itself as a rural paradise, as possessing healthy fresh air- an alternative to the air of the industrial cities, as the “old-fashioned” pastoral home of your youth that you long to return to.

Prior to this, by mid-century, some “outsiders” were coming through Vermont due to a spillover effect from those seeking a rustic vacation in the highly publicized Adirondacks.

But as vacations became increasingly popular following the Civil War, Vermont tended to get fewer out-of-staters than the Adirondacks, the White Mountains, or the Atlantic shore. That is not to say that Vermont did not have a multitude of vacationers during the summer months; it’s just that those travelers tended to be Vermonters.

Which brings us back to Long Point. As in other Vermont vacation spots, over the years Long Pointers have put up with their share of ribbing by those in the local area who point out the perceived deficiencies of “summer people”, though it is certainly true that such “we vs. they” comments were handed out in both directionsvacationers aimed at locals too.

However, lest the generalization be carried too far, it needs to be clarified that it has been Vermonters who have been the primary inhabitants of Long Point right from its beginnings as a vacation destination.

Based on the available data for the period from 1886 to 2000, we can state that 73.3% of the cottage owners at Long Point have been Vermonters.

Just over 80% of those Vermonters have originated in Addison (59.5%) and Chittenden (21.8%) counties.

The towns that contributed the greatest number of camp owners to Long Point during this period were Bristol (68), Burlington (56), Vergennes (52), North Ferrisburgh (39), Ferrisburgh (38), Middlebury (33), Monkton (17), Shelburne (16), Bennington (16), Charlotte (15), New Haven (15), Rutland (15), and Lincoln (10). Of the 26.4% of cottage owners that have been from other states (22 states and Washington D.C.), 52% of those have come from either New York or Massachusetts. And 45% of those camp owners from states other than Vermont are known to have had ties to Vermont, being either family members of

Vermonters or having lived in Vermont themselves. The percentage may be even higher, but we do not have the documentation to confirm this.

Times and property values have been changing, and this is changing the makeup of Long Point’s population.

Nevertheless, the next time you hear someone refer to Long Point as a community of “flatlanders”, “leaf peepers”, or outsiders from “down country”, feel free to enlighten them on the real story.

The Long Point Corporation Fifty years: 1959-2009

Going back many years, at least to the 1920’s, there had been concern among Long Pointers as to what would happen if the Long Point Farm were to be sold. All residents held leases to the lots on which their cottages stood; would a new owner of the property choose to renew existing leases when they expired? Since the 1920’s the farm’s owner had been Guy Ball. By the 1950’s, as his health began to decline, Long Pointers were again getting edgy about their future. Mr. Ball’s property was under the control of a guardian, and the Long Point Association (founded in the 1920’s) approached the guardian and county probate judge about the possible sale of the property.

They were told in 1950 that if and when the property was sold, Long Point residents would be granted the first opportunity to purchase the land. During 1950 and 1951 efforts were made to legalize all existing leases, and discussions

were taking place in regard to establishing an association, as had been done at Cedar Beach, in which the Long Point land would be owned and operated by the association and leased to the residents. At the time, it was estimated that each leaseholder would need to contribute about $300-$400 in order to purchase the property.

In 1954, under the leadership of Burlington lawyer and Long Pointer Charlie Ross, the Long Point Association was changed to the non-profit Long Point Association, Incorporated. By the next summer it appeared that the Ball farm was not about to be sold, and over the next couple of years it seemed that Guy’s wife and son might be planning to continue on with the Long Point property.

After Guy Ball’s death in the fall of 1958, however, the family must have decided otherwise, because in June of 1959 Long Pointers were advised that the estate of Guy Ball had been granted a license to sell the property and would be accepting initial bids on July 1. The property consisted of about 200 acres and the estimated sale price was $100,000 - $150,000.

The Association scrambled

to notify leaseholders, many of whom were not currently in the area, and to set up meetings to discuss the situation. Mr. Ross headed up the Property Purchase Committee (consisting of Mr. Ross, Dr. William Cardell, Orson Jay, Louis LaFlam, and Mr. Phelps).

He also began laying the groundwork for the Long Point Realty Corporation that would be the purchaser of the property. Those spearheading the effort were still racing to contact all leaseholders, as it appeared the estate wanted to complete the transaction by early August. The committee was hoping to get as many leaseholders as possible to purchase one share of stock at $500, thus raising perhaps $50,000. A local bank had agreed to loan the proposed corporation fifty percent of the appraisal value of the farm. By mid July, 38 residents (of 126 leaseholders) had signed a stock purchase certificate. A committee was formed to make individual contact with all leaseholders who had not signed on with the project. The Point was divided up into sections, with each committee member contacting people in his/her section.

Negotiations on the price of the farm continued through the summer, and by late August Ball family members made it clear that they would not accept any offer less than $85,000 (having turned down a second bid by Long Pointers of $80,000). The Association agreed on August 29 by a vote of 34-4 to work toward raising the $85,000 to offer for the purchase of the property. At that point 79 leaseholders had purchased shares in the venture, and Mr. Ross did not feel the needed amount could be raised without more people on board. Some families purchased additional shares of preferred stock and were thus able to contribute further toward the purchase price. As the deadline loomed, however, the needed amount had not been obtained and in the end Mr. and Mrs. Ross personally put up the final few thousand dollars needed. With that, and a $45,500 loan from the Burlington Savings Bank, a sale was finally agreed upon, and the newly formed Long Point Realty Corporation (later renamed simply Long Point Corporation) purchased the Long Point Farm property in October 1959.

Notable Long Pointers A few stand out in our memories There have been a number of Long Pointers who have been well known in Vermont and in neighboring states: Martin Allen (388 Bay Rd.) was Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor; Chuck Ross (314 & 324 North Rd.) is now serving as Secretary of Agriculture for the State; Alice Landon (199 Shore Rd.) and Clarence Lathrop (34 North Rd.) were in the state legislature; Leon W. Dean (Dean Islands) and Ron Rood (238 North Rd.) were well known Vermont authors; Marilla Haines (217 Shore Rd.) was an opera singer in New York, and the Henry family (renters at 388 Bay Rd.) entertained audiences with musical plays in the Northeast in the early 1900’s. Veterans of the Civil War and both World Wars have lived here, and executives associated with Vermont’s railroads and stone quarries vacationed on Long Point.

Nevertheless, a handful of Long Pointers have found fame beyond the immediate region.

While interviewing some of our long-term residents as background for our history of Long Point, a few such names kept reoccurring. Those are the individuals who are profiled below, listed alphabetically.

Bob Alton (1902-1957) was a stage and film choreographer, originally from Bennington.

His given name was Robert Alton Hart, and his parents were partners in the cottage built at 283 East Rd. in the 1920’s. After success on Broadway and in Hollywood, Bob purchased Gardiner Island in 1940 and built the cottage that presently exists on the island as well as the cement dock access on North Rd. He sold the island in 1944 after signing a contract as dance director with MGM Studios and moving his family to California. Bob studied dance in New York and first appeared on Broadway in 1919 with Mikhail Mordkin’s dance company. He initially managed and directed some groups of dancers, but his fame grew when he started choreographing on Broadway

and in Hollywood, and he became one of the finest and most prolific choreographers of the 1930’s, 1940’s, and 1950’s.

He gave many future stars their first opportunity in show business, among them Mary Martin, June Allyson, Van Johnson, Betty Hutton, Betty Grable, Cyd Charisse, and most notably Gene Kelly. Some of the films that he choreographed were: Showboat, Easter Parade, White Christmas, There’s No Business Like Show Business, and Annie Get Your Gun. His only appearance on film was as a dancing partner to Greta Garbo because she refused to do a scene in Two-Faced Woman unless he was her partner. In the 1950’s Bob spent more time back on Broadway and earned a Tony Award in 1952 for a revival of his 1940 work in Pal Joey. In his era, Alton was considered the best musical comedy choreographer in the business.

Ray Fisher (1887-1982) grew up in Middlebury and became involved in sports as early as high school. He excelled in football, baseball, and basketball. He made a name for himself on the pitchers’ mound at Middlebury College,

striking out 18 Colgate batters in his first appearance on the pitchers’ mound, and from there went into the minor leagues at Hartford in the old Connecticut League in 1908 and 1909. The Yankees purchased his contract, and he began with New York in 1910, pitching for them until he was drafted into the Army in 1918. Early in his career, Ray was cited by power hitters Ty Cobb and Nap Lajoie as one of the twelve best pitchers in the American League. In 1912, while with the Yankees, he married Alice Seeley whose parents owned the cottage at 304 East Rd. Ray was a Long Pointer for the rest of his life, known for his consistent success as a fisherman and his involvement with Long Point baseball and other Vermont baseball teams.

Ray was selected off waivers and went to the Cincinnati Reds in 1919, pitching in the infamous 1919 World Series.

He left the Reds in 1921 to become head baseball coach at the University of Michigan, a position he held until his retirement in 1958. Ray departed the major leagues with 100 wins and a 2.82 ERA, and he left the University of Michigan with a record as the

school’s winningest coach, a record that stood for 70 years.

In 2003 the state of Vermont erected an historical maker along Route 7 in Middlebury near the site of Ray’s birth.

James Gregory (1911- 2002) was a stage, film, and television actor. His family regularly rented at Long Point, beginning in the early 1900’s and in later years particularly at 145 Shore Rd. James was born in the Bronx and grew up in nearby New Rochelle. He had high school drama experience and was also quite a golfer. He began summer acting in 1935 and in 1939 debuted on Broadway in Key Largo with Paul Muni. He continued on Broadway for 18 years in 25 different productions. He began work on television in 1951 and had largely moved from Broadway to television by 1955. His face was a familiar one in TV’s “golden age” appearing in many of the classic shows, including the premiere episode of The Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Star Trek, Colombo, Mission Impossible, Bonanza, All in the Family, and many others. He was known in his later years for playing

Inspector Frank Luger on Barney Miller from 1975 to 1982.

Simultaneous with his television career, Mr. Gregory appeared in many motion pictures including the original Manchurian Candidate, The Sons of Katie Elder, Al Capone, PT-109 (as John F. Kennedy’s commanding officer), and as father to Elvis Presley in Clambake. His wife, Anne Miltner Gregory, commented just prior to her husband’s death that, “We love Lake Champlain!”

Charles Ross (1920-2003) grew up in Middlebury and became a Long Pointer as a youngster when his father purchased the cottage at 242 East Rd. in 1921.

Long Point neighbor Ray Fisher assisted Charlie in getting into the University of Michigan where Charlie excelled in baseball, hockey, and football prior to entering the military in World War II. He graduated from Michigan’s Law School in 1948 and married Charlotte Hoyt, daughter of Michigan’s track coach. After teaching a year in Oregon and working for his brother’s construction company in Kentucky, Charlie returned to Vermont to practice law in Burlington in 1953. He

served on the Board of Alderman and was then appointed to Vermont’s Public Service Commission by the governor. In 1961 he was elected President of the New England Public Utility Commissioners, and that same year he was appointed by President Kennedy to the Federal Power Commission, a position he held through Lyndon Johnson’s presidency.

Mr. Ross’s dissenting opinion in one case brought before the Commission was to become the legal grounding for the environmental movement in America. He served on the International Joint Commission from 1962 to 1981, and in that capacity helped protect the interests of Lake Champlain and its shores. Charlie returned to Vermont in 1968 and, with his wife, established the Taproot Morgan Horse Farm. He was a key figure in the purchase of the Long Point Farm property and in the establishment of the Long Point Corporation in 1959, serving as its first President.

The Islands In the immediate vicinity of Long Point, we have four islands that have been more or less associated with the Point over the years. Two of these are part of Long Point’s property, and the other two have the option of access via Long Point.

The small island in Long Point Bay has been given various names over the years, none of which seem to be official. Looking back at photos taken for over 100 years, the island has changed very little other than the growth and recent demise of its lone tree.

This island has been a destination for many children, swimming or boating over from the shore, sometimes even for picnics or perhaps to fish.

Of somewhat more substance is the island jutting off from the far end of South Road. In high water it is, indeed, an island, but in low water it is attached to the mainland (similar to its smaller neighbor coming off the corner of South Rd. where the road turns toward the east).

This lot was leased in 1934 to Charles Novak of Rutland who

used the spot for a duck blind, reportedly built in about 1937.

In fact, many Long Pointers referred to the island as “Duck Blind Island”.

In 1939, Mr. Novak’s estate sold the right to the island lot to Ed Danyow of North Ferrisburgh. Mr. Danyow was for a long time the owner of the Bayview Farm, the builder and operator of the small store beside the railroad station on today’s Long Point Road, and he was for about 30 years the railroad agent at the station. At various times, Ed was also the owner of two other camps on Long Point in addition to the island.

In 1942 Mr. Danyow tore down the duck blind and erected the cottage that is currently on the island and still occupied by Danyow descendants. Danyow family members say that the north end of the island used to be higher than it is currently, but that rock was blasted off that end of the island for use in building a mansion further south along the eastern shore of the lake.

Dean Islands are not a part of Long Point and are within the boundaries of Charlotte.

However, the lot at 56 Lake View Road is used for access to

the islands.

In 1895 these islands were known as Thorp Islands, for the family whose farm was on the nearby north shore. They were described at the time as being near “Ball’s Bay, Thorp Bay, and Thorp Cove”. That year the islands were sold by the State of Vermont to Frank Fish, who in turn sold them that same month to William Gove Bixby of Vergennes. In addition to his main cottage, Bixby had a smaller cottage on stilts on the smallest of the islands. That cottage was gone by 1921.

During the years that William Bixby had the islands, the main island used to have a bridge that went about half way over to the “boat house” island, joining up with an older, sunken, dock.

Upon Mr. Bixby’s death in 1907, the bulk of his estate went to establish the free library in Vergennes. In 1909 the estate sold the islands, now known as Bixby Islands, to John M. Thomas who was President of Middlebury College from 1908 to 1921.

In 1921 President Thomas took a job with State College in Pennsylvania and sold the islands to Leon W. Dean (18891982) then of Lake Placid, New

York but originally from Bristol. Dean was at the time editor and part owner of the Lake Placid Tribune. He was later a professor of English at the University of Vermont and was also known as the author of numerous works of historical fiction, some set in the vicinity of Long Point. It was under Dean’s ownership that the set of islands gained their current name of Dean Islands (not Dean’s Islands, as is often heard).

Dean descendants still own the Dean Islands, and since 1979 they have used the lot on Lake View Rd. for access. Prior to that, the Deans had used a leased site on Bayview Farm or the Point Bay Marina to get to the islands.

As with Dean Islands, Gardiner Island is not part of Long Point property, but the island has a leased access site on the neck of Long Point. The source of Gardiner Island’s name has not been located as of this writing.* The island is listed as part of the property sold by Ferrisburgh Ball family members to Jesse Ball Jr. of Charlotte in 1852. Local newspapers note the presence of vacation tenters on the island in the 1870’s, prior to the

erection of cottages in the vicinity.

At some point, the island was transferred to the ownership of the State of Vermont, because in 1894 the State conferred ownership to Wilber Field of Charlotte, and Field was taxed for the property up to 1920. In 1904 the Vergennes paper mentions people from Brandon visiting relatives on the island.

It is unclear, however, whether or not a cottage had been erected by this time.

In 1921 the island is recorded as under the ownership of Mr. and Mrs. C.R. Roberts of Rutland, who worked for the railroad. The Roberts are said to have built a structure on the island that was used for duck hunting, but it appears that more than a blind was on the island at this point, because a 1924 news item refers to the Roberts returning to their “camp” on “Gardners Island” (the usual local pronunciation of the island’s name).

In 1940 a Mrs. Della Roberts sold the property to Bernard Pearce and Robert A. Hart of New York City, who leased a half lot on Long Point for access to the island that same year.

The access was reportedly given from the lot of the Myers

at 66 North Rd. Robert Hart was a well-known choreographer in the entertainment industry and went by the stage name of Bob Alton. His parents had been partners in a cottage that they owned at 283 East Rd. Mr. Hart had the existing structure on the island taken down, and he built the current home and the cement access dock on Long Point in about 1943. When Mr. Hart’s base of operations switched to Hollywood, he sold the island in 1944 to Harry A. Weibel of Brooklyn, New York, later of Burlington. The Weibels sold the island to Admiral George Russell in 1963. Admiral Russell was then in Chevy Chase, Maryland, but his parent’s home was on Route 7 between New Haven and Middlebury. Admiral Russell and his children eventually sold the island to Mr. and Mrs. Walt Simindinger of Burlington in 1978. * Esther Swift’s book Vermont PlaceNames does say (p. 37) that Gardiner Island’s name is derived from “the Gardiner family who once owned it,” but the town records list no land owners by the name of Gardiner. It is possible the name could go back to the French era, but no connection has been found there either.

One of the Bixby Islands (now Dean Islands), circa 1895-1905, showing the old bridge. (Courtesy of Bixby Library)

The small island in the bay, circa 1910-1920, showing the old boathouse that used to be on the cement dock at 109 North Rd. in the background.

Robert Hart (“Bob Alton�), left, a previous owner of Gardiner Island, with Fred Astaire. (Photo courtesy of the Simindingers)

Photo taken from one of the Bixby (Dean) Islands looking west toward the cottage that used to exist on the westernmost, smaller island. (Photo courtesy of the Bixby Library)

Plus or Minus 6 Degrees Interconnections at Long Point

You’ve doubtless heard about the “six degrees of separation”.

Our Long Point community has had no lack of interconnections between families and cottages over the years, and I was curious how far those connections could be taken. A long way, I found out, further than the time I could devote to this article. There is no end of twists, turns, and double connections; but perhaps I’m getting a bit ahead of myself…

Historically, a nice place to start this venture might be with Martin Allen. He had been a member of a group of sportsmen who were early campers and cottage builders on Lake Champlain, on Thompson’s Point, in the 1870’s. Allen, a prominent citizen of North Ferrisburgh, was also Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, and in about 1904 he purchased a cottage on Long

Point (388 Bay Rd.) For a number of years, the Martins rented their cottage to the regionally well-known Henry Family Theater Company. The Allen estate sold the cottage to Fred Edwards who at one time operated the Ball farm. In 1963 the Edwards’ estate transferred the camp to Pat Danyow, wife of Rupert Danyow, who was the brother of Ed Danyow.

Now, Ed Danyow is known as the long-time owner of Bay View Farm, but Ed also owned three cottages at Long Point over the years, one of which was at 256 North Rd. The Danyows had purchased the camp from the estate of Clinton Hanks of Bristol in 1944. The Hanks had previously owned the cottage at 31 Lake View, which they sold to sisters Josephine and Alice Brown of Starksboro in 1925. The Brown sisters eventually also owned three cottages on Long Point, one of which was 282 North Rd., which remained in the Brown family for many years.

In 2007, the Brown cottage was sold to the Nunns, Katy Nunn being the daughter of George and Peg Koplinka of 380 North Rd. From 1901 to

1919 the Koplinka’s cottage had belonged to the families of brothers-in-law George Porter and Noble Ball, the latter a cousin to Artemas Ball, owner of the Long Point Farm.

George Porter was a relative of Helen Porter Gregory, whose daughter, Dona Burroughs, bought “East View” (220 North Rd.) in 1927. Mrs. Burroughs was the aunt of Otis Burroughs who moved a cottage to 417 Bay Rd. (previously the site of the Ball farm’s ice house) from Spring Grove Campground in New Haven in about 1924. The old camp meeting grounds had closed, and the property was auctioned off in 1919. Alanson Wright also moved a cottage from Spring Grove to Long Point. He originally moved his camp to Waltham, and from there, in three sections via sled, to Long Point (109 Shore Rd.) about 1920. His grandson-inlaw is Bernie McGuire who, in 1999, also purchased 200 East Rd. Bernie’s East Rd. cottage had once belonged to the Adams, owners of a hardware store in Vergennes. The Adam’s lease at that time included both the cottage and a “barn”. The Adams conveyed the “barn” to fellow Vergennes merchants

the Dalrymples who, sometime between 1929 and 1936, turned the barn into a cottage (131 East Rd.) now owned by Rolf Trinkner. Prior to the Adams, the Langworthys of Middlebury had owned the cottage at 200 East Rd., as well as a few others at Long Point between the 1880’s and 1940’s.

Their daughter and son-in-law, Olita and John Fuller, were the owners of the cottage across the road (197 East Rd.) until their son was killed in the Battle of Normandy in WWII. He had loved Long Point, and his parents no longer had the heart to come to the lake after his death. The Fullers sold the camp to brothers-in-law Henry Langeway and Howard Larrow. Mr. Langeway sold out to Mr. Larrow in 1953 when he purchased the cottage at 292 East Rd. Mr. Larrow eventually sold the cottage to Lawrence and Helen Lathrop of Bristol, Lawrence being a nephew of Clarence Lathrop of 34 North Rd. as well as both half brother and first cousin to Thad Lathrop of 48 South Rd. The South Rd. Lathrops sold their camp to the Rice family (of Rice Lumber Co.), whose daughter, Marian, married Earl Colvin, father of Long Point

Corporation’s current President, Larry, and whose family later purchased the cottage next door. The RiceColvin family sold the cottage at 48 South Rd. to Clossen Collins of Shelburne, brother of Roger Collins of 107 Shore Rd., and father of Nancy Hinsdale who owned the cottage for many years. Clossen Collin’s father, L. Erle Collins, already owned a cottage at 286 North Rd. and was the brother of the “Collins Sisters”, Helen and Bertha, who owned the cottage at 395 North Rd. Erle obtained the cottage at 286 North Rd. from the family of the original 1898 builder, Fred Dean of Monkton, who was brother-inlaw to Henry Stilson, also of Monkton, who built a cottage at 427 Bay Rd. in 1912. Much of the lumber, including the staircase, which went into the 1903 incarnation of the cottage at 199 Shore Rd. (“The Rocks”), came from a dismantled home in Monkton formerly owned by Henry Stilson. Mr. Stilson is the great grandfather of Denise Kipp who still owns the (recently rebuilt) cottage on Bay Rd. as well as the cottage at 388 Bay Rd. that was once owned

by Martin Allen.

Martin Allen’s brother,

Stoddard Allen, was the builder of the cottage at 344 North Rd. in about 1899. In 1912, the estate of Mrs. Allen sold the cottage to the owner of the adjoining cottage to the south (360 North Rd.), Lucia Manchester. The Allen cottage eventually went to Lucia’s brother, George, who had previously built a cottage at 22 Pleasant Bay Rd. and was the father of “Vi” Davis of 220 North Rd. and 301 Shore Rd. Lucia Manchester’s original cottage eventually went to her other brother, Robert, whose son, Arnold, had it for many years. Robert and Arnold both taught school in Mamaroneck, New York where they were friends to fellow teachers George and Laurette Ayers, who bought the camp at 296 North Rd. in 1932. The Ayers hired local boat builder, Homer Chase, to make alterations to the interior of the cottage, and Red Myers (of 66 North Rd., father of Fred) to push out the front of the camp and add an upstairs sleeping porch.

George Ayers had gone to Middlebury College (the President of which, John Thomas, then owned Dean Islands), and his basketball instructor there was the

Physical Director, Ray Fisher, husband of Alice Seeley, whose family owned the camp at 304 East Rd., my grandparents…

We’ve come more than full circle in this particular exercise and barely scratched the surface. I’ve not even gotten to the interconnections between the Bennings, Carpenters, the Rosses, Brooks, Pattersons, Kimballs, Tudhopes, Fiskes, Stowes, Curtises, Jimmos, Mayhews, Kirsches, Zeiters, Nelsons, Shortsleeves, Hurds, Graves, Pidgeons, Chamberlains, Havens, Nyes, Cushmans, Browes, Bottums, Prestons, Footes, Rikers, Watermans, Brambleys, Chamberlains, Estes, Roberts, Bristols, Taylors, Hinmans, ad infinitum…

Extracts from Local Newspapers

picnic was very much of a success, Wednesday, despite the rain of the morning. A large crowd spent the day at Long Point. A steam yacht was in attendance to give the children a ride, which was much appreciated by them.”

8/21/1891

From the 1800’s up to the early 1960’s area newspapers carried regular sections with brief local items from area towns. The excerpts below are a sampling of such items relating mainly to Long Point and largely taken from the Vergennes newspaper.

“M.F. Allen [388 Bay Rd.] killed a rattlesnake on Split Rock Mountain last Thursday morning. He brought the snake home. It was 3 feet and 5 inches long and carried six rattles.” 8/31/1894

“The picnic of the No. Ferrisburgh Sabbath School at Long Point last week was quite largely attended. The exercises consisted of singing, declamation &c. Brief and pithy addresses were delivered

by Rev. Mr. Colburn and Rev. W.L. Smith. Excellent music was furnished by the Charlotte Cornet Band.” 9/3/1869

“J.J. Rhodes [304 North Rd.] returned Saturday from Long Point. He reports the fishing good there. Saturday morning there were 101 persons in camp at the point, and two or three cottages were unoccupied.

Long Point is a very popular resort and is inhabited by a patriotic class, as all the houses display the United States flag.”

7/28/1898

Area papers: 1869-1929

“Camping at Thompson’s Point and Long Point is now at high tide. Fishing is good and campers are having a pleasant time.” 7/29/1887 “The M.E. Sunday School

“Frank Taylor [14 South Rd.] caught the best string of fish of the season last Saturday. He caught three pickerel which weighed twenty-two pounds.

The largest pickerel was three feet three and one half inches

long and weighed twelve pounds. ...The gasoline launch, ‘The Kid’, has worn out part of her engine. She will be out of service about a week.”

9/3/1903 “The old Veterans of ’61 are spending their annual camp at Judge Gove’s cottage [82 North Rd.] and Camper’s Inn [location unknown]. Long may their banner wave at Long Point.” 9/15/1904 “Fire was discovered in the E.A. Preston store at Long Point [94 North Rd.] last Thursday afternoon about five minutes after Mr. Preston and Caleb Harrington had left the building and started for the village. Everything was seemingly all right when Mr. Preston locked up and no reason for the fire can be given unless a match from the box that was sold to the last customer dropped on some waste paper and in some way became ignited as the men were leaving the store. A tank of gasoline, also one of kerosene, standing near were rolled into the water to get them away from the fire. Some of the kerosene leaked from the can and burned on the top of

the water, causing quite a spectacular scene.” 9/19/1912 Headline: “Cottage Looters Caught. Had Robbed Summer Homes at Long Point. Brothers Coming From Far-Off New Orleans Adopt Criminal Methods To Make Life EasierNow In Chittenden County Jail” 10/27/1921 “Mr. and Mrs. Roberts of Rutland have returned to their camp on Gardners Island. ...Mr. and Mrs. Carlyle Langworthy, who have been operating the Long Point store [94 North Rd.], have closed after a very successful season and are spending some time in camp at ‘Hill Nestle’ [197 East Rd.].”

10/2/1924 “School closed last week in the Greenbush district with a picnic at Long Point. The teacher, Miss Curry, has returned to her home in Burlington.” 6/18/1925 “Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Fletcher [168 East Rd.] entertained for Philip Stevens and Norman Fletcher last Thursday evening a porch dance. The wide piazzas were decorated with colored lanterns. Music was

furnished by A.W. Henry and Mr. Brown of Bristol. Dancing was enjoyed until one o’ clock and refreshments were served.

Among those present were Mr. and Mrs. A.H. Long, Miss Marjorie Long, Miss Eleanor Long, Miss Marion Sargent, Miss Mabel Goodwin, Miss Julia Waterman, Miss Marjory Riker, Miss Alice Riker, Miss Mary Cheney, W.H. Riker, Richard Borther, Mr. O’Lais, Mr. Bender, Alexander Huntsman, Mr. Workmaster, George Goodwin, Donald Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Homer Babcock, Dr. and Mrs. G.S. Norton, Mr. and Mrs. F. A. Dole, Mrs. Clara Stevens, Mr. and Mrs. David Jackson, Mr. and Mrs. William Hoffman, Mr. and Mrs. Stewart, Miss Brown. ...Miss Mabel Goodwin entertained Friday evening with a bonfire, marshmallow roast and porch dance.”

9/3/1925 “OUR LITTLE SUMMER GUESTS Fresh Air Children Will Be Here Next Friday.

The so-called fresh air children from the tenement districts of New York, who will be sent to Vergennes for two weeks of country air, are expected to

arrive Friday, July 29. Mrs. Fred LeBeau, chairman of the local committee, reports a fairly generous response to the requests for accommodations, but would be glad if a few more householders would come forward with an offer to care for these little ones for a couple of weeks.... A number have expressed a preference for colored children, and these will be accommodated in this way if possible.” 7/21/1927 “Little Helen Ross has entertained seventeen little friends and some of their mothers at their summer home ‘Whatoquit’ [242 East Rd.] last Thursday afternoon, it being her seventh birthday. Games were played and dainty refreshments served. Miss Helen received several pretty gifts.” 8/16/1929