EAST CRAFTSBURY – Polly Seddon Allen, a consulting architectural historian, gave a very informative talk about the history of the John Woodruff Simpson Memorial Library in East Craftsbury, entitled “From a General Store to a Community Library,” Monday evening, August 15, at the library.
The library is celebrating its century of existence this year and part of the impetus of this research is to document its significant role in Craftsbury’s commercial and community development, but also to seek nomination for a place in the National Trust Register of Historical Places.
Craftsbury consists of four villages; Craftsbury Common, Mill Village, Craftsbury and East Craftsbury. The first was the Common, settled in the late 18th century by the Crafts and other earlier proprietors for its healthy elevation. The need for water and power encouraged the growth of Craftsbury (The Black River), Mill Village (the outlet from Little Hosmer Pond) and East Craftsbury (The Whetstone Brook) in the first half of the 19th century. A considerable number of small factories were established, and in East Craftsbury there was an oat mill, a sawmill and a blacksmith. The surrounding lands (extending into Greensboro and Glover) were populated by Scottish immigrants (mostly dissenting Covenanters) in the 1830s and ‘40s, with still familiar family names such as Urie, Barr, Calderwood, MacLaren, Gebbie, Barclay, Moodie, Shields, Patterson and Simpson.
John and Janet (Stevens) Simpson came to East Craftsbury in 1831. The original general store that became the present library was built on land owned by David Moodie, and the first person to run it was C.B. French around 1840. It was sold to Josiah Osgood in 1941, and then to James W. Simpson in 1847, who managed it until his death in 1887, when it was taken over by George Wallace Simpson, who owned it until 1914.
The store was then inactive until 1921, when Miss Jean Simpson, the daughter of John Woodruff Simpson, dedicated it to her father, as a library.
In the meantime, another store was opened by R.S. Mason in East Craftsbury in 1893, just east of the Simpson store, later owned by a Mr. Harrimah, that lasted until the 1960s.
A general store at that time would have been a real center of the local community. One needs to remember that until later in the 19th century into the 20th century the only form of transportation (other than boats) was a horse and buggy or walking, so generally people didn’t travel very far from their farms in the surrounding area. It would have had a post office, a nice box wood stove with chairs around it, a cracker barrel, kegs of nails, clothing, shoes, newspapers, books, paper supplies, fresh and canned food, meat, tea and coffee, sugar, toys, medicine, tools and many other useful items. Customers could barter eggs and butter to make purchases. After the railway came to Greensboro Bend and Hardwick in the 1870s, many more factory made goods became available.
The Simpson family has a particularly fascinating history. John Woodruff Simpson was born in 1850 and went to Johnson Normal School, Amherst College and finally to law school at Columbia University. He founded Simpson Thatcher, which is still one of the most prominent law firms in New York City, and became the corporate lawyer to the Vanderbilts and many other major businessmen of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He had a house on 5th Avenue and 74th Street and built an architect-designed home in East Craftsbury, as well as a large cow barn, horse stables and a new Presbyterian Church there. His wife was a patron of the French sculptor August Rodin and collected over two dozen of his works, which she later donated to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. He died in 1920 and Mrs. Simpson lived for some years in Casa Mia, a house across from the rectory of the East Craftsbury church.
Miss Jean Simpson was their only child.
Born in 1897, she grew up in New York City with governesses and tutors, never actually going to school. She spoke five languages, travelled widely and was well read. Some of the souvenirs from her trips can be seen in the library.
She first came to East Craftsbury when she was twelve and immediately fell in love with the place. Active in theatre life in New York City and friends with such artists as photographer Edward Steichen, she summered in East Craftsbury but did not move there permanently until 1939, so the library may not have been open in the winter. Many of the books initially came from her fathers library, and it expanded over the years. Part of a much wider public library movement sponsored by wealthy benefactors such as Andrew Carnegie at the turn of the last century and exemplified by the many beautiful library buildings in towns around Vermont, it provided free access to books to educate yourself, a great blessing for vast numbers of people around the country and fundamental to the growth of a functioning democracy.
Besides the library, Miss Jean was very supportive of the local Girl Scouts from the 1940s to the 1970s, she founded the East Hill Players which gave Shakespeare plays in the summer with widespread local participation and was a Representative from Craftsbury in the Vermont Legislature. She helped keep Craftsbury Academy independent when there was consolidation of many schools in the 1960s and 70s,
. She was very generous philanthropically to individuals for college tuitions, and when people had difficulties, as well as to worthwhile community organizations, including donating to all the churches in Craftsbury. Early on she bought a 16 millimeter movie camera and documented many events in Craftsbury, such as the annual Old Home Day. On top of this she ran a model dairy farm of Jersey cows and made excellent brass knocker maple syrup. She died in 1980 and was definitely a unique person who made a difference in her community, leaving a beautiful legacy that we all continue to enjoy.
David K. Rodgers
David K. Rodgers is a writer, mason and card carrying dilettante, who dabbles and babbles in art. He has lived in East Craftsbury for the past 40 years.
