125 Years Ago The Northfield News

February 2, 1887 3 cents a copy/ $1.50 a year George H. Richmond, Editor

Freight business is still booming on the Central Vermont railroad. A dozen freight trains passed through here Sunday and the regular passenger engines were made to do duty on that day. One engine broke down but no damage was done. It is claimed that the running of these freight trains on Sunday is a necessity just at present.

President Bartlett of Dartmouth College, has decided that students of Unitarian and other liberal faiths may be excused from attendance on the college church in the morning if they attend the church of their own belief in the afternoon. The attempt to bring the students under the religious teachings of a particular denomination was a failure on the part of the president.

It is expected that the new five dollar silver certificates will be ready for issue next week. The new notes contain a vignette of Gen. Grant on the face and facsimiles of five silver dollars in a group on the back.

A Maine minister was recently treed by a bear and kept there for an hour. He says he will never preach a long sermon again in his life.

100 Years Ago The Northfield News

January 30, 1912 3 cents a copy/ $1.50 a year Fred N. Whitney, Editor

Many requests for space have already been received by the management of the Corn, Oats and Potato show to be held at City Hall, Montpelier, February 7th, and there is every indication that the number of exhibitors will surpass last year’s record...Commissioner of Agriculture, O.L. Martin, has decided to bring his entire force of Experts and Specialists to this Show. They are to judge the exhibits and give addresses during the afternoon.

In the latter part of October, Mr. Whitney was ill with pneumonia from which sickness he made a partial recovery but never fully recovered from the effects of that dread disease. At times his condition was apparently improved, but in spite of his determined fight for life and all that medical science and skill could do for him, he was unable to regain his strength and in the past few weeks has gradually grown weaker, until without premonition of the nearness of its approach the end came at twenty minutes past eleven o’clock Saturday night, January the twentyseventh, 1912. Fred Norris Whitney, only child of Sarah Burleigh and Bela Butler Whitney, was born in Canaan Street, N.H., June 16, 1859. He was educated in the public schools of that town and at Canaan Union Academy…In 1884, he came to Northfield and bought the Northfield News, which had recently been started by Mr. Thayer, to take the place of the News, the list of which had been sold to a Montpelier newspaper. With the assistance of Mr. Thayer he purchased the job printing office of G. H. Richmond, and ran it in connection with the newspaper for some time. In 1888, Messers Thayer and Whitney purchased the Burlington Clipper…Mr. Whitney sold his Northfield interests and purchased the interest of Mr. Thayer in the Clipper. In 1894, he returned to Northfield and purchased the Northfield News and continued as Editor and Proprietor until 1908 when he sold an interest of the business. He is survived by his wife, and by two children a daughter Harriet Erval and a son Philip McIlvaine.

75 Years Ago News & Advertiser

February 2, 1938 5 cents a copy/ $2 a year John E. Mazuzan, Editor

At a lady’s night held by the Northfield Rotary Club at the Margaret Holland Inn Tuesday, the program was in charge of T. M. Donahue, who, ably assisted by Ralph Thurston, gave an interesting demonstration showing how various cuts of meat are made. Using a 50-lb premium lamb, they converted it into more than a dozen different cuts, including a mock duck, a crown roast, Saratoga chops, English lamb chops and center steaks… Afterwards the Rotarians fined Mr. Donahue for advertizing.

Discussion of the proposed relocation and improvement of the road between Roxbury and Warren drew 50 or more persons from Northfield, Roxbury and Warren to the State House last week.

50 Years Ago News & Advertiser

February 2, 1962 5 cents a copy/ $2 a year John E. Mazuzan, Editor

Need for a $4 million Central Vermont Hospital to replace the Heaton Hospital in Montpelier, the Barre City Hospital and the Mayo Memorial Hospital in Northfield will be presented to the State Health Department this year…The hospital would be designed to handle the needs of a 55,000 person Central Vermont community. It would have the 190 approved beds designated for this area by the U. S. Public Health Service. The site, which has yet to be designated, will be within easy access of the Interstate Highway. The regional hospital has the unanimous approval of the medical staffs of the three participating hospitals… The Vermont Health Commission recommended a twin-city hospital in a report issued last year…Officials said…a survey of area medical needs would point up the definite need for centralization of hospital facilities in the Central Vermont area. The survey will serve when application is made for Federal Hill-Burton hospital construction funds which are allocated by the state. The survey will also show where the new hospital would be located… The regional hospital would attract more doctors, technicians and nurses to this area, officials said.

25 Years Ago Northfield News

February 5, 1987 25 cents a copy/ $2 a year Erik Nelson, Editor

A Public Service Board hearing is scheduled for Feb. 17 for the Northfield Electric Department’s proposed rate structure change… If the PSB approves the new structure as is, industrial electric rates would climb and average of 17 percent…Residential rates would decrease approximately 19 percent.

Norwich University has awarded the contract for construction of a fieldhouse on its Military College campus to E.F. Wall Associates of Barre. Construction of the pre-engineered concrete and steel building include 25,000 sq. ft. of floor space is expected to get underway March 15 and be complete by Sept. 1.