Spring Valley – News from the Village
The Athens Reporter and County of Leeds Advertiser
Excerpts have been taken from this paper referencing the following hamlet for the years 1889, 1894 and 1895
Tuesday Oct 30, 1894 issue-
Glen Buell– Monday Oct 29. Much interest was taken in the result of the great squirrel hunt of last week between ye men of the woods who are lovers of the gun and residents of Spring Valley. They issued a challenge to the red men of the glen to go into a friendly competition in order that the fact of superior skills might be made known to the public.
Spring Valley March 4th1889 The Goose Pickers’ Association which was to be organized at Dogtown, will meet here in the gymnasium rooms next door south of the Grand Central Hotel.
We expect to hear the tin wedding bells ring again.
Gideon and his band are making havoc in the bush, both in cordwood and logs.
We are glad to hear that Mrs. Nelson Whitmarsh has recovered from a severe illness.
Mrs. James Emmans, from Cass City Mich., has been visiting her father Mr. John Westlake and other friends. She will leave for home on the sixth, accompanied by her nephew, Mr. Allen Hays.
Rollicking Jake is busily engaged in moving to Addison, where he will settle on the old Hewitt homestead.
There were quite a number from Pious Hollow attended a party at Briar Hill, NY on Friday last. They reported a good time.
Referring to Miss Maude Addison’s appearance in the Charity Concert last Thursday evening, the Recorder says: “She is an exceedingly clever young lady, and is destined to make her mark on the stage. Mr. C.C.Slack as a character singer gave the audience a treat.”
Spring Valley March 18th , 1889– Sugar weather is near at hand.
Mr. Blanchard, from Lombardy, has moved to the farm vacated by Mr. Jacob Hewitt.
Mr. Thomas Atcheson has had a series of law suits in which he suffered defeat, causing him some trouble of mind.
Pig thieves made another raid on Shosiaville [sic], but were met by Jimmy and his 82- calibre. He delivered four shots in succession, and drove the raiders away. I think the authorities should put a stop to such proceedings.
Archie Baldwin, our old bachelor of Noisy Hill, went to market the other day with his first load of produce for the season- his own make of butter, for which he received the highest prices.
A young man from Pratt Valley is ?? Sunday wending his way to the large farm on Charity Island. We expect to hear of a wedding which will cause some excitement.
A protest is lodged against the Dogtown lady who won the prize at the goose picking held here. The deciding contest will be between the said lady and a lady of the centre ward, and the deacon will be a judge.
Spring Valley– Monday May 13, 1889
The hail storm did considerable damage in this art of the country, breaking window glass and causing teams to run away while working in the fields. Some of the hailstones measured six inches in circumference.
There has been another fight at Pious Hollow among two of the Donnybrookers. They went to town and loaded themselves with bug-juice, and when they returned home they found a number of friends awaiting their return, having a supply of whiskey with them. The exhibition went on lively. They buried the King of the Hollow two sods deep. Then a lady and gent got into a fight. They fought hard tearing each other’s clothes Next day the young man was summoned before the Kadi and fined $10. and costs.
The little giant was working on the south side of the pan-handle farm when the hailstorm came up and caused the team to run away with the plough. He says that he would have held them if his hat had not blown off. They did no damage.
The Pratt Valley gent has turned out to be an eye doctor. Here was a lady visitor at Charity Island who was afflicted with sore eyes. The doctor examined her eyes and pronounced it acute inflammation, but said he could cure them if she would consent to use his eye wash according to directions. A bottle of the eye wash was sent and used only once, when the lady’s eyes got so bad that she could hardly see, the wash nearly blinding her. I say to the public that they ought to beware of such quacks; they do more harm than good.
Tuesday Feb. 5, 1895 issue-
Miss. Jennie Thompson of Spring Valley is this week visiting friends in Athens
Tuesday Feb. 12, 1895 issue-
Spring Valley– Monday Feb 11-
On Friday evening last about twenty invited guests partook of the hospitality of Miss. Gertie Hayes. After oysters were served a very enjoyable time was spent in games of all sorts, all being well pleased with the evening’s outing. Where we have the next one ?
Doctor M. is back to this vicinity, seeming to have improved considerably since he went away.
Mr. Thomas Thompson had the misfortune to freeze his face on Wednesday last while coming from the woods.
We understand our pugilist has sent out several challenges during the past two weeks. Look out boys.
Owing to the condition of the roads, the boys are unable to practice their speedy horses.
Our school is progressing favourably under the management of Miss. Tennant of Caintown.
Mr. Joshua Gilroy has refused a handsome sum for his celebrated horse, Doc. L is a hustler.
Tuesday Feb. 19, 1895 issue–
Spring Valley, Monday Feb 18-
Mr. B.H. Brown, son of Anson Brown, a well to do young farmer here, has devised and completed a fine labor-saving device to convey the manure from his dairy stable and dump it on the sleigh or wagon in the shed. A single track is hung high enough to clear the head and far enough back of the drop to be out of the way. On this track plays a truck, or car, 5 feet long; from this car is a trough or box suspended at the desired height and large enough to hold the droppings of 12 cows or more at once. The car is run to the back end of the back end of the line of cows and passes down as fast as the manure can be scooped in, and begins to turn on a quarter circle part of the track as soon as it leaves the cows and at the centre of the shed dumps its load on the sleigh and continues on up to the far end of the other line of cows and returns when filled and dumps in the same manner as before. Two dumps easily discharge all that is deposited in 24 hours from 24 head of cattle. The track is 90 feet long and in form exactly like an old fashion ox-bow and dumps at the middle of the bow. It is a self dumper.
His arrangement for watering stock and this device with some others, prove the B.H. is a practical genius and is of some ?? in his day and generation.