Dublin Corner

places
Written By John Freitag

Photo of Dublin Corner

Last week when picking up fresh baked bread from Suzanne Lupien, she asked me if I knew why the corner of Old City Falls Road and the Justin Morrill Highway was called "dublin corner".

I said I had heard the name and thought it might be because some Irish had lived around there. Suzanne, who farms with draft horses, said that it was because the hill heading toward Vershire was so steep, that this was where people needed to put on an extra team of horses; hence doubling up.

After asking around, I found that Strafford Historian Bob Johnston remembers Gile Kendall, whose father's farm was up the hill on Pennock Road, telling him that this corner was indeed where they added extra horses to pull a load up the hill.

For the next five Saturdays I will be working at the Morrill Homestead as the outside guide and greeter. Should anyone want to stop by and talk history, whether Strafford or Vermont, I would love to hear your stories and of course happy to share some of the ones I have picked up over the years as well as apples and pears from my small orchard.

There is no charge for visiting the grounds of the Homestead. House tours ( highly recommended if you have never been inside) cost $6 for adults and will be given by the extremely knowledgeable Mauve Cosgrove, who also happens to be Jody Kifner's girlfriend.

Hope you can stop on by and visit, even if you do not have story as good as the one of how "dublin corner" in Strafford got its name.

John Freitag

I first moved to Strafford in 1971 while doing two years of civilian service as a conscientious objector during the Vietnam War. I was involved primarily in organizing food co-op and NOFA, a farmers co-op. In 1976 I moved back with my wife Lisa and our 3-month-old son to work at Rockbottom Farm. I worked there for the next 6 and a half years. In 1983 I started working at the Newton Elementary School as the custodian/bus driver. I worked there until the summer of 2016. I have been involved in many civic organizations and town government positions over the years, including serving for 14 years as President of the Strafford Historical Society. My over 28 years of covering Strafford news for the White River Valley Herald has also given me insight into our community.

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Gile Kendall and His Four Horse Drawn Snow Plow