1849 Opening of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad

The Vermont Phoenix account of the first train arriving in Brattleboro, from Boston, on February 20, 1849.

Celebration of the Opening of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad

This celebration took place on Tuesday last, the 20th inst., and will be long remembered by those who were present at it. By the arrangements made, the cars from Boston were to arrive about 1 o’clock P.M., but owning to the large train of passengers, they did not arrive until 3 P.M. Our citizens, and guests from the adjacent country, in the mean time were assembled “en masse” – and notwithstanding the long delay, had not the least difficulty in keeping cool.

The booming of the cannon scattered along the track gave notice at length of the approach of the new visitor to our village, with his load from Boston, and warmed up the shivering thousands who lined the road and surrounding hills.

The high banks on the west side of the Depot grounds, presented a long and dense array of citizens, among whom the fair sex were fully and handsomely represented – and when expectation was at its height, the steam car, puffing and blowing with its heavy burden, sailed gracefully and beautifully up to the Depot with its sixteen large passenger cars filled to suffocation with foreign guests. The exhilaration of the moment burst forth from all that immense multitude in such enthusiastic and repeated huzzas as were never before heard in the valley of the Connecticut; and the lofty Chesterfield Mountain, upon the other side of the river, as if partaking and joining in the jubilee of the occasion, caught up the echoes as they floated away, and sent them back to us with doubled volume and spirit from her farthest borders.

One would fancy that every forest tree and rock, stretching out upon the ample breast of the Mountain, were so many living animated spectators of the cheering sight, and with cheer for cheer, testifying their joyful congratulation and welcome for the stranger, whose visit has been so long and so impatiently anticipated.

After the cheers had been given, the guests, stockholders and citizens formed in procession, marched through the village, and then returned to the Depot buildings to partake of the ample refreshments provided for the occasion. The tables were spread with nine hundred covers, and supplied for three times that number, so that although not half of those who had tickets could get to the table at once, yet all in time, were provided for abundantly.

We had no wine of liquor, but something far better, in three hundred gallons of Java Coffee, which, to judge from the mysterious rapidity of its disappearance, was anything but distasteful.

After the inner man was duly cared for, the procession was again formed and preceded as before by our Fire Companies in their neat uniform, and Flagg’s Band of Music from Boston, with its spirit stirring notes, was marched under the direction of the Marshal for the day, to the Congregational Church, for the intellectual part of the entertainment.

The house was densely crowded, and all received from Dr. Wm. H. Rockwell, the President of the day, the following warm and appropriate welcome:

“Gentlemen – We rejoice to meet so many of our friends, to participate in the ceremonies of this occasion, and the hospitality of our citizens.

To those who have had the direction of this great enterprise, and to whose invincible firmness, and indefatigable and indomitable energy and perseverance, we owe its consummation, we give you a hearty welcome.

To the officers of other similar enterprises, who are engaged in these great works of improvement, and have met to rejoice with us this day, we give you sincere and cordial welcome.

To the stockholders, who through an unparalleled pressure of monetary affairs have furnished the means; and to all who by their aid and influence, have sustained the hands and encouraged the hearts of the friends of this enterprise, we give you a heart welcome.

To all invited guests, to the gentlemen of the Press, and to all who have met to rejoice with us this day and on this occasion, we give you a hearty welcome.”

Afterwards the audience were addressed by Col. Alvah Crocker, the President of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad, Rev. Thos. Whittemore of Cambridge, Messrs. Chapman of Greenfield and Dodge of Northampton; and enlivened by a capital song from Mr. Dodge of Boston. As we intend to give the speeches more at length next week, we shall now only say of them, that in general they were able and interesting, and served, we believe, to satisfy the friends of the Road that its construction has been well and skillfully done amid great and perplexing embarrassments, and that the stock of the Road will eventually pay full dividends.

The meeting separated late, in the best feeling, at at 8 P.M. a Convention was held to take measures for the construction of the Road to Bellows Falls. It was also fully attended, and after a free interchange of views, and several addresses, which we will notice more fully hereafter, a resolution was adopted for holding a Convention in this place, on the 5th of March next, so that all the various interests affected by the Road may be present.

In the evening a splendid Ball was given at Wantastiquet Hall, which was tastefully and beautifully fitted up for the occasion – of which, more hereafter.

It was a matter of regret with our citizens, that they were not able to furnish lodgings of all their friends and guests. We did all we could for them. Every house in the village had open doors for all that could be accommodated, but still some two hundred had uncomfortable berths.

To the Committee of Arrangements generally, and especially to those who had charge of the culinary department, great credit is due for the excellence of the arrangements for the dinner and the eatables provided. Nothing the table presented, however, was received with greater favor than the hot and delicious coffee, which elicited the universal commendation of all the guests.

Every thing passed of pleasantly, as far as we could judge, and our guests from abroad seemed highly delighted with our village, and the country through which they passed. The cars brought in some fifteen hundred from Boston and the intermediate places, and from other parts of the country there could not have been less than three or four thousand.

Nothing occurred to mar or dampen the festivities of the day, except the cold and in the afternoon a light flurry of snow; but this could not affect the spirit and enthusiasm of the joyous multitude. Altogether, the Road enters upon its career under happy and flattering auspices, and we predict that the proceeds of one quarter’s business will show that the previous depreciation of the stock, has been the consequence of either ignorance or malice.

….

The following humorous impromptu song, written by Mr. Ossian E. Dodge, of Boston, on the way up, was sung by him at our celebration, and received with great applause, to the tune of “The Cork Leg:”

I’ll sing of a time when we all took a ride
To old Brattleboro, by the Green Mountain side;
February the month, on the twentieth day,
We jumped in the cars, and came whizzing away.

We’re a bold, merry crew who came from the city,
Too many, in fact, to be named in this ditty;
All kinds of traders, to make up the passengers,
With a dog or two that hadn’t been cut up for sas-sengers.

With Doctors, and lawyers, and State street shavers,
With D.C. Hitchcock, the prince of Engravers,
With Ministers, also, to share in our joys.
And shake the warm hands of the Green Mountain Boys.

Of Reporters from Boston, we’ve got a strong host,
From the Olive Branch paper, the Signal, and Post,
With the bright little Bee, which never can fail,
The Pathfinder, Herald, and crank daily mail.

Some raised their objections to building this Road,
For they said the cars could never get half a load;
But the Green Mountain farmers will make these me flutter,
For they’ll crows these cars full of their cheese, pork, and butter.

Objections were raised by some other tracks,
In hopes to throw Green Mountain Boys on their backs;
But a Road to the moon couldn’t be made to fall,
With Bradley, and Townsley, and Gardner C. Hall.

Our colors now hoisted, we’ll nail to the mast,
With the Whittemore “Trumpet” to blow forth the blast;
Dr. Rockwell and Blake, who are both full of glory –
We have now fot the long and the short of the story.

I heard a good story of a wrinkled old maid,
Who thought the Road crooked, and too full of grade;
But now, as it’s finished, I hope it won’t shock her,
For it’s bound to succeed, when managed by Crocker.