THE FALL 2019 | VOLUME 35, NUMBER 2 PEACHAM PATRIOT PEACHAM HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION into the Peacham Village of 60 years ago, before the upheavals of the Please join us for PHA’s Vietnam War and the arrival of a new population of residents seeking a Annual Meeting on different, rural life. Wednesday, August 7 at 7 pm in the Peacham With your help, we may be able to gain Library. The main feature valuable new information about that era. In many cases, we are not sure who is a talk by William Hosley the people in the photos are. When titled “New England Kalischer died last year, most of the Impressions: Art and prints he left behind in Stockbridge the Making of Regional were not identified except for their locale. And although some of peo- Identity.” Be sure to ple depicted in the prints in our own sample home baked archives are identified, many are not. “historical” pies after the talk. Please visit the exhibition and give your LETTER FROM THE PHA identifications to the docent or contact PRESIDENT us and we will be happy to schedule a (See notice on page 8.) special time to gather your informa- oes anyone know for sure who tion. Contact us by visiting our website these dancing people are? How https://www.peachamhistorical.org/ Dabout the names of the two contact/ or call us at 802-592-3047 and women walking down the street in leave a message. Peacham Corner in the snow? JOHANNA BRANSON Two photos taken in Peacham by Clemens Kalischer. I invite you to contact us if you do! In fact, anyone who was in Peacham during the period 1957-1967 is espe- cially encouraged to visit the exhibition currently on view in the Historical House through Fall Foliage Day. It is called Clemens Kalischer: His Peacham Photographs, and you can read about him and his visits to Peacham elsewhere in this issue of The Patriot. We have nearly 100 of his prints on view. They come from two collections. 27 are photographs on loan from the Kalischer family in Stockbridge, Mas- sachusetts. The other 69, unframed and somewhat worn, are from a group Kalischer left in 1967 to be exhibited informally in the Peacham Town Hall. He hoped the villagers would enjoy them every day, and perhaps order their own copies from him. Taken together, the photos present a marvelous window Foundation. Photos courtesy Family of Kalischer 1 Peacham’s Forgotten Oregon was rugged; it was heavily Hosmer led a swashbuckling life. In “Oregon” wooded as well as rocky. There was 1740, he lived in Charlestown, NH, Part 1 an abundance of wildlife, including and at the age of 16 was with Captain mountain lions, lynx and timber wolves. Noble’s Company when it was attacked The Abenaki hunted and fished this by the Indians. In 1754 he was at Fort ometimes a clue to forgotten history area, and soldiers and explorers passed Dumner, and in 1755 he served in Sis found in just one word. Such is the through as well, using it for portage Captain Thomas Johnson’s Company story of “Oregon,” the colloquial name between the Winooski and Connecticut of Minutemen. He moved to Ryegate given to the remote southwest corner of Rivers. By 1704, it was documented in 1773 when General James Whitelaw Peacham. that Native Americans and the French and David Allen came to inspect and were using routes through Groton and survey local areas for the “Scotch Com- In 2017, PHA’s summer exhibition southwest Peacham to reach Canada pany,” a Scottish land investment group. focused on one-room schoolhouses. As and Massachusetts.1 Colonists settled He served as a scout in Captain John G. part of the research for this exhibit, we this area of Vermont slightly earlier than Bayley’s Company from 1777 to 1779.4 analyzed the District School Records the rest of the state through the accessi- He also served with Captain Barron’s dating from 1811 to 1871. These led- ble network of waterways. Company in 1778. In 1781 he was back gers contained faint handwritten pages in Newbury, and frequently hunted with with detailed financial accounting, One of the earliest adventurers in local Indians. In his hunting excursions assigned trustees for each district, and Peacham’s Oregon region was Aaron with the Indians, he frequently explored the yearly number of students. Hosmer, sometimes spelled Osmore, the ponds in Groton, Cabot and Pea- for whom Osmore Pond and Hosmer cham.5 Kettle Pond near the Groton/ In 1847, a new school district was Lake are named. Early maps record the Peacham town line was so named, formed, likely fractured off from a larger pond as “Little Osmer Pond.” Although according to legend, because he lost his district adjacent to it. It was listed as it is believed that he did not build a camp kettle while attempting to cross District 13 with the word “Oregon” permanent structure in Oregon, he the lake on a log.6 distinctly written next to it. In subse- led extensive hunting, trapping, and quent years, it was alternately spelled as fishing expeditions which resulted in So what was the origin of the name “Orragon” and “Oragan.” The district established trails with numerous pitched “Oregon”, and why was it used in Pea- existed from 1847 to 1856, and the final camps beside the lakes and streams. 2 cham? In a 2004 article for the Oregon year noted “no returns,” likely meaning Historical Quarterly, it was noted that no returning students. Aaron Hosmer, Sr. was born in July the name first appeared in a 1765 peti- of 1729 in Concord, MA. He married tion to King George III by Robert Rog- Many questions followed. Why was his second wife, Caroline Chamberlain, ers, a New England colonial military this school district called Oregon? Who (daughter of Thomas Chamberlain) in officer.7 He had spent many years as an lived there? Why did it vanish in 1856? Newbury, VT in 1760. They had five officer in New Hampshire, New York More importantly, what part did it play children, including a son, James, who and the Champlain Valley of Vermont in Peacham’s history? married Betsey Carter of Peacham in during the French and Indian War. He about 1792.3 certainly must have had exposure to the This is the first in a short series of Algonquin language, including various articles which will explore the history School District 13, taken from the 1875 Abenaki dialects, through his guides. of Oregon, now called New Discovery Beers Map of Peacham. The Marshfield Rogers sought money from the English town line is to the west, Kettle Pond in State Park. Today this remote area of Groton is to the south. king to finance an expedition in search Peacham is part of the Groton State of the Northwest Passage, and referred Forest, and includes Osmore Pond, to the Ouragon River in his petition, Goslant (aka Spice) Pond, Owl’s Head reporting it to be the Indian name for Mountain and Devil’s Hill. Access to a famed river of the west.8 Historian this area is from Groton and Marsh- Thomas Love and noted Smithsonian field, and interestingly, this was also linguist Ives Goddard, considered the the case as early as the 18th century. world’s foremost authority on Algon- Because of the difficulty in traveling quin languages, have written extensively directly from the village of Peacham to on the origins of the word Oregon.9 this area, early residents aligned them- They postulated that Rogers chose the selves with Groton, Cabot and Marsh- word based on exposure to the Algon- field. They often moved back and forth quian words ouragon or olighin, both across town lines to these neighboring meaning “good and beautiful” or “beau- communities from this remote area. As tiful river.” The name could also be from a result, the inhabitants of Oregon were the Connecticut Pidgin Mohegan word more closely associated with the neigh- wauregan (wureegaun) meaning “beau- boring towns, and their story has largely tiful.” Mohegan was another Algonquin been forgotten as part of Peacham’s dialect.10 Ives Goddard extensively 2 history. documented that all these variations of Algonquin words were in common use Peacham Landings by local Vermont and New Hampshire Cultivating Connections to Our Abenaki tribes.9 Between 1778 and the Community by Asking the Question: 1820s, the word Oregon was increas- “How Did You Land in Peacham?” ingly used in English printed materials referring to western territories.11 unique storytelling project, led by A possible explanation for Peacham’s A the Peacham Library and funded use of this name was that this area was through a grant from the Vermont considered remote and beautiful, and Humanities Council, launched this early colonists in Peacham simply used summer. Conversations within the the local Abenaki or Connecticut- community hatched the idea for the Mohegan “slang” word to describe what Peacham Landings project. Lively dia- would eventually become an isolated logue continues to carry the concept school district. They may have also used into facilitated discussions and docu- the term in a derogatory manner. The mentation. The intent is to share stories Oregon Territory was officially acquired of how residents of Peacham, past and from Britain in 1846, and School Dis- present, came to land in our town. trict 13, formed in 1847, would have What draws people to our community? Photo : Erin Lane. seemed just as wild and far removed How have reasons for landing here Jean Pitman and Peacham Landings display at from Peacham Corner as this US ter- changed over time? Peacham Library.