Very interesting. Thanks for posting this one.... mas -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 10:27 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [VERMONT] Charles Pitts, North Clarendon Source, Rutland Daily Herald--Fri. Feb. 19, 1932. The following is a news item by Mary Gilbert Smith. Farmers Took No Daily Papers in Pioneer Days of Of The R.F.D. Charles E. Pitts of North Clarendon is one of the original R.F.D. carriers in Rutland county. He did pioneer work at a time when daily mail service to the farmer was still reckoned a precarious experiment. "When I first took the Rural route," said Mr. Pitts, "There were no daily papers taken on the line." Many of the farmers figured on getting their mail once a week, and were satisfied with a weekly paper. In a short time nearly every one took a daily. "My first route ran from North Clarendon through Shippy Hollow to the middle of the town of Shrewsbury, by the office of E. O. Aldrich the Town clerk to Lyman Russell's mill; then through Eastham and Northam over the hill to the Plumley cheese factory, Cold river and through the covered bridge in the woods to North Clarendon. I had to double two and one- half or three miles, where the roads came together in the woods. "When I contracted to give daily service on that route, they said it couldn't be done, that no one could drive over those roads in the wintertime. There were times when I couldn't drive over 'em, but I always made delivery somehow, on horseback or on foot if I couldn't drive. "It wasn't always easy to do it. One winter day my horse couldn't get through the drifts. I took the mailbag on my back and went 14 miles a-foot with it. I had to borrow a lantern after a while, so I could see the mail boxes. It was 10 o'clock at night before I got through. I've made the trip on horseback other times when I couldn't get through with a sleigh or buggy. I didn't miss half a trip in my nine years over that route where they said I couldn't go. "I couldn't do it now. A man has to be young and strong to buck the drifts like that. At that time I wa getting fifty dollars a month and furnishing my own horse and outfit. Pay went up as our work increased with the carrying of the dailies and the Parcel Post. A few farmers began taking the daily as soon as I began on the route, and the Parcel Post law was passed not long afterwards. "My first route was 24 and one-tenth miles long. I'd start over it in a horse and buggy at 7 o'clock in the morning. In good weather when the roads were good I'd get home about half past 2 if nothing happened. But things were always likely to happen. "I tried to keep my buggy and harness in good order, but the roads of those days were hard on both of them. Many a time I've stopped to mend one or the other. Sometimes one of them would go to pieces so badly that I'd have to borrow another to get home with. "My horses didn't last very long, I always kept two and sometimes three, but it was awful steady work for them. I got one horse when he was three and ran him till he was 12; but that was the longest I ever kept a horse. "When I had the route on the Creek road there'd be a time every spring when I couldn't get across because of the flooded meadows. As for snow, well, every Vermonters knows about snow. They didn't plow out roads 25 or 30 years ago the way they do nowadays. "At one crossroad a blacksmith set up a wheel.The farmers near there kept 10 or 12 mail boxes on it all the time. They gave me a gold watch and I still carry it. Here's where they had it inscribed to me. "At first we carriers let folks that wanted to go somewhere on the route ride with us when we made our rounds. We didn't have much to carry in those days, and didn't mind having company. But it often delayed service, for folks who wanted to ride were likely to keep us waiting. After a while the government made a rule forbidding our carrying passengers. "Soon after the inspector had been around and left that rule, the minister's wife wanted me to take her somewhere. I told her I'd be glad enough to do it, but I didn't want to lose my job by breaking the new rule. Such a calling down as that woman gave me ! She wanted to ride and couldn't see why any inspector's ruling should hold her back. But I kept my temper and didn't lay up anything. Folks aren't likely to stay mad at you if you don't talk back to them. " I was never held up, but I was once in danger of being robbed. A good many mills were cutting out lumber and there were some tough people in the woods. One day when it was getting dark and I was driving through the woods near the covered bridge about four miles from home a man jumped out and hailed me. "Let me ride !" "I can't," I told him. "I'm am R.F.D. carrier and we aren't allowed to take passengers.' "I'm a-going to ride!" he yelled and he jumped onto the runner. "Before he could brace himself, I gave him an awful push that sent him sprawling into the snow. Then I let my horse out and put for home, I never said much about it, and no one ever tried that trick again. "When I took the Clarendon route, Burleson was head of the Postoffice department. He said it didn't make any difference when the farmer got his mail. He added four miles to my route. I could never get through before dark when the days were short and I had to drive a horse. When the Clarendon bridge was up I had to go up and down Bump street, and double on that part of my route for a year. "Once in spring flood I had to cross Dorr bridge. The water was so high on the Rutland side that I had to stand up in my mail cart. The cart swayed and I thought for a while that I wasn't going to get through. Some people who were watching the flood from the railroad tracks thought so too. I've got into water lots of times when I had to turn around and go back, but I never got stuck. Somehow or other I always made it through. "I enjoyed covering the route and should like to do it now if my health would let me. Folks on the route were always friendly. R.F.D. service isn't just a matter of collecting and delivering mail. I'd get money orders for the folks, bring them stamps and tend to the mailing of their parcels. It's pleasant business, serving on the R.F.D. I liked to pass the time of day with folks, and miss them now when I don't see them." ps. There is also a photo of Mr.Pitts and his mail cart with this article. Transcribed by, Joan H. Bixby *************************************** List Guidelines: http://home.sprynet.com/~darrellm/list_rules.htm Visit the Gateway to Vermont Web Site: http://www.rootsweb.com/~vermont/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

This is the same one that ran before .... a couple weeks back.....thanks for thinking of me tho. -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Mary Anne Smith Sent: Friday, March 04, 2011 11:46 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [VERMONT] Charles Pitts, North Clarendon Very interesting. Thanks for posting this one.... mas -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2011 10:27 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: [VERMONT] Charles Pitts, North Clarendon Source, Rutland Daily Herald--Fri. Feb. 19, 1932. The following is a news item by Mary Gilbert Smith. Farmers Took No Daily Papers in Pioneer Days of Of The R.F.D. Charles E. Pitts of North Clarendon is one of the original R.F.D. carriers in Rutland county. He did pioneer work at a time when daily mail service to the farmer was still reckoned a precarious experiment. "When I first took the Rural route," said Mr. Pitts, "There were no daily papers taken on the line." Many of the farmers figured on getting their mail once a week, and were satisfied with a weekly paper. In a short time nearly every one took a daily. "My first route ran from North Clarendon through Shippy Hollow to the middle of the town of Shrewsbury, by the office of E. O. Aldrich the Town clerk to Lyman Russell's mill; then through Eastham and Northam over the hill to the Plumley cheese factory, Cold river and through the covered bridge in the woods to North Clarendon. I had to double two and one- half or three miles, where the roads came together in the woods. "When I contracted to give daily service on that route, they said it couldn't be done, that no one could drive over those roads in the wintertime. There were times when I couldn't drive over 'em, but I always made delivery somehow, on horseback or on foot if I couldn't drive. "It wasn't always easy to do it. One winter day my horse couldn't get through the drifts. I took the mailbag on my back and went 14 miles a-foot with it. I had to borrow a lantern after a while, so I could see the mail boxes. It was 10 o'clock at night before I got through. I've made the trip on horseback other times when I couldn't get through with a sleigh or buggy. I didn't miss half a trip in my nine years over that route where they said I couldn't go. "I couldn't do it now. A man has to be young and strong to buck the drifts like that. At that time I wa getting fifty dollars a month and furnishing my own horse and outfit. Pay went up as our work increased with the carrying of the dailies and the Parcel Post. A few farmers began taking the daily as soon as I began on the route, and the Parcel Post law was passed not long afterwards. "My first route was 24 and one-tenth miles long. I'd start over it in a horse and buggy at 7 o'clock in the morning. In good weather when the roads were good I'd get home about half past 2 if nothing happened. But things were always likely to happen. "I tried to keep my buggy and harness in good order, but the roads of those days were hard on both of them. Many a time I've stopped to mend one or the other. Sometimes one of them would go to pieces so badly that I'd have to borrow another to get home with. "My horses didn't last very long, I always kept two and sometimes three, but it was awful steady work for them. I got one horse when he was three and ran him till he was 12; but that was the longest I ever kept a horse. "When I had the route on the Creek road there'd be a time every spring when I couldn't get across because of the flooded meadows. As for snow, well, every Vermonters knows about snow. They didn't plow out roads 25 or 30 years ago the way they do nowadays. "At one crossroad a blacksmith set up a wheel.The farmers near there kept 10 or 12 mail boxes on it all the time. They gave me a gold watch and I still carry it. Here's where they had it inscribed to me. "At first we carriers let folks that wanted to go somewhere on the route ride with us when we made our rounds. We didn't have much to carry in those days, and didn't mind having company. But it often delayed service, for folks who wanted to ride were likely to keep us waiting. After a while the government made a rule forbidding our carrying passengers. "Soon after the inspector had been around and left that rule, the minister's wife wanted me to take her somewhere. I told her I'd be glad enough to do it, but I didn't want to lose my job by breaking the new rule. Such a calling down as that woman gave me ! She wanted to ride and couldn't see why any inspector's ruling should hold her back. But I kept my temper and didn't lay up anything. Folks aren't likely to stay mad at you if you don't talk back to them. " I was never held up, but I was once in danger of being robbed. A good many mills were cutting out lumber and there were some tough people in the woods. One day when it was getting dark and I was driving through the woods near the covered bridge about four miles from home a man jumped out and hailed me. "Let me ride !" "I can't," I told him. "I'm am R.F.D. carrier and we aren't allowed to take passengers.' "I'm a-going to ride!" he yelled and he jumped onto the runner. "Before he could brace himself, I gave him an awful push that sent him sprawling into the snow. Then I let my horse out and put for home, I never said much about it, and no one ever tried that trick again. "When I took the Clarendon route, Burleson was head of the Postoffice department. He said it didn't make any difference when the farmer got his mail. He added four miles to my route. I could never get through before dark when the days were short and I had to drive a horse. When the Clarendon bridge was up I had to go up and down Bump street, and double on that part of my route for a year. "Once in spring flood I had to cross Dorr bridge. The water was so high on the Rutland side that I had to stand up in my mail cart. The cart swayed and I thought for a while that I wasn't going to get through. Some people who were watching the flood from the railroad tracks thought so too. I've got into water lots of times when I had to turn around and go back, but I never got stuck. Somehow or other I always made it through. "I enjoyed covering the route and should like to do it now if my health would let me. Folks on the route were always friendly. R.F.D. service isn't just a matter of collecting and delivering mail. I'd get money orders for the folks, bring them stamps and tend to the mailing of their parcels. It's pleasant business, serving on the R.F.D. I liked to pass the time of day with folks, and miss them now when I don't see them." ps. There is also a photo of Mr.Pitts and his mail cart with this article. Transcribed by, Joan H. Bixby *************************************** List Guidelines: http://home.sprynet.com/~darrellm/list_rules.htm Visit the Gateway to Vermont Web Site: http://www.rootsweb.com/~vermont/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message *************************************** List Guidelines: http://home.sprynet.com/~darrellm/list_rules.htm Visit the Gateway to Vermont Web Site: http://www.rootsweb.com/~vermont/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message