Friday, February 29, 2008

Sky Watch Friday: Fiske School

Fiske School today

In 1885, there were 11 school districts in Barton. Barton has a total area of 44.9 square miles (116.3 square km), of which 43.7 square miles (113.1 square km) is land and 1.3 square miles (3.3 square km) (2.81%) is water. Within four miles of my house I have been able to find two of these school districts and one of the school houses. Fiske School is still standing on Fiske Road and is now a private home.

Fiske School in 1918
"Floyd Marshall rides his bicycle around the yard in front of the Fiske School in 1918. Viva Potter taught about a dozen students from District 6 at the schoolhouse that year. One of the doors on the front was for boys and the other for girls; wood for the stove was stored in the space between. The addition at left was for the outhouses."

The cupola (I assume this is the original bell)

Only three inhabitants of a town were needed to petition a town for a new school district. And they did. The Fiske School was one such district. It merged with the Devereaux District in 1904. In 1924, this school received the “superior” ranking by the state board of education. The school was still in use in the early 1950s, when the Barton Town school district was overseeing only four remaining one room schoolhouses. In 1958 town voters merged the town district and the Barton Academy and Graded School district, which seems to have been the end of the Fiske School. I have not been able to learn why it was called Fiske School.

The original award from 1924 still hangs over the front door.

Sign outside on the road

A snowy bush behind the road sign

Fiske Road
This post fulfills one requirement of the Historical Buildings
assignment for the digital photography class I am auditing.

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References:
"Barton, Vermont." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 29 Feb 2008, 14:14 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 1 Mar 2008 .
Young, Darlene. A History of Barton Vermont. Barton, Vermont: Crystal Lake Falls Historical Association, 1998.

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Lens Day: Old

Waiting


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Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Bank Block, Barton

Built in 1905 by the Barton Savings Bank and the Barton National Bank. In 1909 the Barton National Bank bought Barton Savings Bank. The bank did not close during the Depression, except for the national bank holiday. Nobody lost any money. The Bank Block is now occupied by Toronto Dominion Banknorth and lawyers.
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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Lens Day: Monochrome

Ridge of Barton Mountain can be seen behind this plant behind my house.
Photographed while it was snowing.
Snow depth varies between 2 to 6 feet (60 - 183 cm) depending on the drifts.

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Sunday, February 24, 2008

One Deep Breath: Ink

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Haiku by Michael; Photo by Andrée

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Hairy Not Downy

This female hairy woodpecker (Picoides villosus) found peanuts that the squirrels had hidden in a knot in the bird feeder tree. I made this collage in Photoshop Elements and I am not happy with the results. The photos go in order from left to right, top to bottom. I took these today.

When my digital photography instructor saw my "downy woodpecker" photos, he told me, and another birder student confirmed, that all of my woodpeckers are hairys and not downys. My woodpeckers are a smidgin bigger than a robin. Downys are apparently the size of nuthatches.

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Sunday Spire: Coventry Congregational Church


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Saturday, February 23, 2008

Barn Shed

Trapezoid 2

Assignment: Shapes
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Friday, February 22, 2008

Stalk in Snow and Crystals

Curve
(assignment: Shapes; natural light, no flash)

Crystals 1

Crystals 2
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Thursday, February 21, 2008

Sky Watch Friday: Thursday's Sunrise

No, not a photo of the eclipse. But if you want to see my eclipse picture, click here and it will pop up in a new window. This is my beaver meadow the morning of the eclipse, something below zero (I don't look anymore) (that's like -18°C or colder). When clicked, this photo will open, full size, in a new window. Just think: just two more months of this and it will begin to thaw and then the blackbirds will return!
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Wednesday, February 20, 2008

The Duquette Barn

This barn can be seen from my house. I took the photos early this morning at dawn. Unless renovated, this beautiful and historic barn may not survive the next ten years. The field to the right in the photo is where the photo below was taken. It is now a hayfield. You can see Barton Mountain in the background. No date on the photo below. The beaver meadows across the road are named Duquette Flats after the three brothers below. They worked the farm as three bachelor farmers when the beaver took over the hayfield. Photo below from A History of Barton Vermont by Darlene Young.

This is the second of my series of historical buildings in Barton, taken for my digital photography class. 


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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Governor Lee Emerson House


Emerson was the 69th governor of Vermont and served from 1952 - 1955. He lived in this house in Barton. It seems that some renovation work was being done when I was there. This is the first of five historic Barton buildings I will be photographing for the digital photography class I am auditing. When clicked, these photos will open, full size, in a new window.

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Saturday, February 16, 2008

Sky Watch Friday: May Pond Mountain

May Pond Mountain, 2100 feet (640 meters), taken from May Pond Road at an elevation of 1640 feet (500 meters) (which is why the mountain looks like a mole hill), this afternoon. You can see a young Christmas tree farm in the foreground. The flat white snowfield on the right is May Pond, Barton Village's source of water. When clicked, this photo will open, full size, in a new window.
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Wednesday, February 13, 2008

One Deep Breath: Found in Wandering

"Found In Wandering"

a wounded bird
a newfound friend
a sighing wind
a rustle of leaves
a taste of cool berries
a place of contentment
the hand of God
the meaning of life
the stillness of death
the roar of the sea
the touch of the sun
the fullness of time
your very last breath

Free haiku by Michael A Serafin. Photo: the woods and the beaver ponds across the road from my house. I find amazing things when I wander in the woods. This poem so powerful that it haunts me. I want to thank Michael for permission to use his poem.

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Lens Day: Wet

The flume on May Brook across the road.

The brook is dammed by the beavers that live across the road. This photo was taken last week when we had a smallish snowfall. We have had below zero temperatures all week, so the brook and ponds are now frozen. We are having a bigger snowfall today (about a foot). When clicked, this photo will open, full size, in a new window.

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Saturday, February 9, 2008

My Carpenter Reed Organ

I bought this antique, working, reed organ at Barton's Memory Lane today. It will be delivered once Catherine and I figure out how to get it here. It is very heavy. I'll be able to play again! Amy found a woman who wants to give away an upright piano. If I can get that delivered, my music room will be nearly complete. Catherine's husband took the first photo.

The Carpenter Organ Company was in Brattleboro in the 1800s. It was bought by the Estey Organ Company, the world's largest manufacturer of reed organs at that time, which was also in Brattleboro. That is about all I know about either company at this time.


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