Minty Fresh

Pennies are something we see everyday, but once upon a time they didn't exist. But thanks to Reuben Harmon Jr. we do. He was the one minting the pennies for the state of Vermont, the first state to issue copper coinage. On June 15, 1785, at a meeting  of the state legislature in Norwich, Vermont, Reuben was granted the right to coin copper in the state. Up to this time, people traded farm goods for items they need. Reuben's machines could make between 30 to 60 coins per minute using copper from Connecticut as Vermont hadn't started copper mining until 1793.

The 1785 and 1786 issues of pennies had a picture of a rising sun over a wooded mountain with a plow resting in the field below with the words VERMONTIS RES PUBLICA, which is Latin for REPUBLIC OF VERMONT and the date. On the other side was an eye within a circle from which 26 lines radiate (13 long and 13 short) with the words STELLA QUARTA DECIMA, which is Latin for Fourteeth Star. The mountains represent the Green Mountains as they are what the state was named after and the plow represents farming which is our state's number one industry. The other side tells us that while Vermont was an independent republic, it wished to join the original colonies on the flag and be the fourteenth star.

Of course this design isn't what we see today. It was changed into a head in profile with the words VERMON AUCTORI, which is Latin for "by the authority of Vermont" with a seated woman on the other side with the words INDE ETLIBE, which is Latin for Independence and Liberty and the date. This was most likely done to make them look like Connecticut's coins so they could both use the same coin.

In 1782, the United States Mint was established and began minting the country's coins, but Vermont was the start of it all and without Reuben Harmon Jr. minting those pennies for us, it might've been a much longer wait for coins around the country.

Sources: http://vermonthistory.org/images/stories/articles/greenmountaineer/makingamint.pdf

The Year Without Summer

1816-The Year Without A Summer. Sounds a bit like the movie Frozen to me. It didn't snow year-round but the temperatures were quite chilly. 1816 didn't start out cold but there were frosts in May and farmers were getting worried. Farming was what gave Vermonters their food. Farmers weren't the only ones with farming skills as blacksmiths, millers and others depended on farming. Even ministers were given fields to farm as part of their pay. Although there were frosts, some planted anyways thinking it would warm up. On June 5, a heatwave struck and spirits rose. But the heat was short-lived because a northern cold front struck. When the cold, dry air from Canada met the warm, moist air of New England, thunderstorms were created and it rained. The temperature dropped and so did the farmers' hopes. Temperatures in northern Vermont and the mountains dropped to freezing temperatures and the rain changed to heavy flakes of wet snow. On June 8, 1816 six inches of snow fell upon Vermont. By June 10, the town of Craftsbury had a foot of snow.

The snow soon melted but there were many frosts throughout July and August. Vermonters had to buy corn from farmers in New Hampshire and traded maple sugar for fish at Swanton. Some even survived by eating hedgehogs, clover tops and green nettles. The failure of corn didn't just cause starvation for Vermonters for that year but for the next as well because there would be no seed crop for 1817 and seed corn was too expensive for them to buy. Many Vermonters had had enough and left, wanting to try their luck out west. Some did stay though, as they were determined to make it through.

Chilly temperatures didn't just happen in Vermont but all over the country and even in Europe. The memory of "eighteen-hundred-and-froze-to-death" was in many people's minds and whenever there was a late spring or June hailstorm, they were always prepared for the worst.

Sources: http://vermonthistory.org/images/stories/articles/greenmountaineer/theyearwithout.pdf
http://history1800s.about.com/od/crimesanddisasters/a/The-Year-Without-A-Summer.htm

Civialian Conservation Corps Starts Working

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was formed on March 31, 1933 in the time of the Great Depression. President Roosevelt signed the Emergency Conservation Act which authorized the formation of the Corps. The program gave the opportunity for unemployed men aged 18 through 23 to work on projects in the nation's forests and rural areas. The Labor Department, the Army and the National Park Service helped administer different aspects of the program starting with the Labor Department, who helped select potential workers. The Army provided transportation, food, uniforms and recreational and medical facilities. All the work projects given to the workers were developed and supervised by the National Park Service.

The Corps had an immediate impact on the terrible economy of the times as thousands of men left the cities to work in camps across the country. On June 5, 1933 a group was sent to Danby, Vermont to start work and between 40,868 men went to work in Vermont CCC camps until 1942 when the program ended. 11,243 of these men were Vermonters trying to support their families. Enrollees of the CCC were paid a dollar a day and their day began at 5:30 AM. It may seem like a little, but back then during the Depression it was alot. They made 30 dollars a month, getting to send 25 dollars to their family and having 5 dollars for spending money. It was a big deal and the men took a sense of pride knowing they had money they could send.

The CCC crew at the Ranch Camp in Stowe, Vermont. 

The Vermont section of the Corps accomplished quite a lot. They built 105 miles of road and 197 bridges, planted 1,122,000 trees, cleared 1,030,624 acres of insect pests and developed many of the parks and ski areas that we enjoy today. Thanks to the Civilian Conservation Corps, we have those roads, bridges, trees, parks and ski areas to use and enjoy. And the program helped the country through one of its hardest times ever.

Sources: http://vermonthistory.org/images/stories/articles/greenmountaineer/aforestarmy.pdf

John Deere

We've all heard of John Deere the "tractor guy". He was born in Rutland, Vermont to William Rinold Deere and Sarah Yates Deere on February 7, 1804 as their third son. His father left for England in 1808 in hopes of claiming an inheritance and was never heard from again. It was presumed he died at sea. At the age of 17, John apprenticed himself and learned the trade of blacksmiths and entered it himself in 1825. In 1827 he married and during his life had nine children.

 In 1836, trying to provide for his family with depressing business conditions in Vermont, John traveled alone to Grand Detour, Illinois to make a fresh start.  Many pioneer farmers were trying to find a fresh start there but were struggling to turn heavy, sticky prairie soil with cast iron plows made for the light, sandy soil of New England. John had the idea that they needed a plow that was highly polished and properly shaped to scour itself as it cut furrows. In 1837, he made just that with a broken saw blade. By 1841, he was making 100 plows annually and in 1843 he entered a partnership with Leonard Andrus to help produce more because of increasing demand. Unfortunately, John dissolved his partnership with Andrus and moved his business and family to Moline, Illinois because of water power, coal and cheaper transportation.

In 1850, around 1600 plows were made, along with other tools to complement the steel plow. In 1858, John transferred leadership of the company to his son Charles, who served as vice president of the company. John remained president but focused more to civic and political activities. He was active in public life throughout his career in Moline. He was the founder and president of the National Bank of Moline, was an active member of the First Congregational Church, and served as the city's mayor for 2 years. John died at the age of 82 on May 17, 1886 in Moline.

Sources: http://www.deere.com/wps/dcom/en_US/corporate/our_company/about_us/history/past_leaders/john_deere_founder_biography.page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Deere_(inventor)#cite_note-deere.com-1

Fort Ticonderoga Captured

The Green Mountain Boys had a huge victory that would change the course of the Revolutionary War on May 10, 1775. They captured the infamous Fort Ticonderoga. In 1755, French settlers in North America began building a military fortification on the western shore of Lake Champlain and named it Fort Carillon. Because it offered access to both Canada and the Hudson River Valley, the fort saw a lot of fighting during the French and Indian War. The British had to fight twice for the fort but took it over in 1759 and renamed it Fort Ticonderoga, as 'Ticonderoga' was derived from an Iroquois word meaning "between two waters" or "where the waters meet" which was very true.

The morning of the attack the British garrison of 50 men were asleep, while under the joint command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold, fewer than a hundred Green Mountain Boys crossed Lake Champlain at dawn, surprised and captured the British garrison and took over the fort. It was the first rebel victory of the Revolutionary War, a huge morale boost for the troops and supporters of the rebels, and provided key artillery for the Continental Army. Cannons from the fort were used in the Siege of Boston in the spring of 1776 and because of its location, the fort would serve as a staging ground for the Continental troops before their invasion of territory held by the British in Canada.

A print depicting Ethan Allen's Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in May 1775.

Fort Ticonderoga was the biggest turn-around for the rebels, as its shelter and supplies helped them win many more battles. Without it, they might not have won the war. So we owe a lot to those Green Mountain Boys for being clever enough to change the game.

Vermont Welcomes a Hero Home

On May 1, 1898, George Dewey sunk or captured every Spanish ship in Manila Bay. Dewey, a Vermont native born across the street from the Vermont State Capital was born to Julius Dewey and Mary Perrin on December 26, 1837. Julius was a doctor and founder of the National Life Insurance Company of Vermont. When George was 15, he attended Norwich University in Northfield and entered the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1854. In 1897, George was appointed commander of the Pacific Fleet.

On April 23, 1898, the United States and Spain declared war on each other and George was ordered to take his ships to Manila Bay in the Philippine Islands to destroy or capture the Spanish fleet there. On that memorable first day in May, from his flagship the Olympia, George led his squadron into the bay. When the Spanish began firing on them, George said to the captain of the Olympia "You may fire when ready, Gridley." Not only are those words famous, but the fact that he withdrew from the battle at 7:35 for breakfast, attacked again at 11 and by noon had sunk or captured every single Spanish ship. And as for the Americans, there were no serious injuries among them.

When Admiral George Dewey returned to America, he was a naval hero and received many gifts, parades, and thanks. But for Vermonters, the best day was when he returned home. On October 12, 1899 everyone who was anyone came to celebrate. The day was destined Dewey Day and George visited friends and relatives and rode in his railroad car all the way to the State House. Many Montpelier buildings were decorated in red, white and blue, but the finest decorations were on the State House. With 260 red, white and blue lights making up the US flag measuring 8 by 14 feet and a large painting of the Admiral with a big WELCOME HOME sign, George couldn't have been more happy I'm sure. When night fell, the fireworks began and they were made to spell out messages and symbols such as "Vermont Welcomes Her Hero Home", "Manila, May 1, 1898, Montpelier, October 12, 1899", "Good Night" and the Vermont state seal. A gigantic bonfire was also ignited on Capitol Hill behind the State House and could be seen for miles around.

Admiral George Dewey was an American hero, and to Vermonters, the day he returned home was just as important as the day he became a hero.

Women's Suffrage Struggle

On April 21, 1920 in Montpelier, Vermont, four hundred women gathered in the pouring rain to support the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. To show the intensity of the situation, they marched silently down State Street and into the State House where a large room had been set aside for their meeting with the governor. Rain dripping from their clothes, one by one, 14 speakers tried to convince the governor at the time, Percival Clement, to call a special session of the Vermont Legislature to ratify the woman suffrage amendment. There needed to be 36 states to vote in favor of the amendment to make the ratification process complete, and as of then, there were 35. The women of Vermont wanted their state to be the one to make it complete, adorning cards, posters and banners with the slogan "Make Vermont the Perfect 36".

Despite the pressure from the women, important institutions such as the state Supreme Court and the national Republican Party and important figures like ex-President Taft and presidential candidate Warren G. Harding, Governor Clement refused to call the special session. He labeled the amendment an infringement on the rights guaranteed by the State constitution. Although he said this, there were rumors he had refused because of pressure from the liquor interests in Vermont and elsewhere to deny women the vote. Either way, Tennessee ended up being the 36th state to vote in favor for the amendment.

It wasn't until February 1921 that the Vermont Legislature endorsed the woman suffrage amendment. By that time, the women of Vermont had already cast their votes in the presidential election and helped James Hartness become the new governor of the Green Mountain State because if he had been governor in 1920, he would have done anything to aid the suffragists.

The march of the women in 1920 had been planned and carried out by the Vermont Equal Suffrage Association, whose president, Dr. Marion Horton would come to be one of the twelve woman delegates from the National American Woman Suffrage Association to attend the International Woman Suffrage Alliance Congress in Geneva, Switzerland.

Although the march didn't have much of an affect on making Vermont the "Perfect 36", it did show Vermont how persistent and dedicated the women were, and helped them make the decision to vote for James Hartness who helped aid the women's rights movement.