The fourth week of August might feel like the slow slide into September, but our region’s past tells a different story. Across Orange and Caledonia Counties in Vermont, and over in Grafton County, New Hampshire, this time of year used to bring everything from political posturing to parade elephants—sometimes all in the same week.

Here’s a look back at some of the stranger, livelier, and unexpectedly meaningful moments from late August in our neck of the woods.

Bog Berries and Blue Stains – Orange County, c. 1900s
Around towns like Chelsea and Randolph, late August meant one thing: berries. The White River Valley Herald often ran short notes advising pickers when and where to hit the bogs. Families picked blueberries and cranberries for pies, preserves, and side money. Children ended the day with stained hands and purple teeth, and adults often turned the outing into an impromptu supper social—with a jug of lemonade and a wagonload of stories.

A Young Lawyer on the Rise – Orange County, August 1900
Hale K. Darling of Corinth had already earned a reputation for sharp legal thinking by the summer of 1900. At just 30 years old, he was on track to climb the political ladder, eventually serving as Vermont’s Lieutenant Governor. In late August of that year, he could be found attending Grange meetings, settling legal disputes, and making quiet rounds to local town halls. His political ascent wasn’t flashy, but it was steady—and it all started in rooms full of hayseed debates and handshakes.

Source: Vermont Historical Society; United Opinion newspaper references

Steam and Steel – Grafton County’s Railroad Pulse
In places like Woodsville and Plymouth, late August was no time to nap. It was high season for the Northern Railroad. Livestock shipments, circus caravans, and politicians alike relied on the steam lines that cut through Grafton County. The Woodsville News and Littleton Courier regularly ran blurbs about extra engine cars or emergency stops. In 1923, one note even described a delayed milk train that left the Wells River station “huffing like a tea kettle.”

Fair Season Teasers – Caledonia County
Even before the gates opened, the Caledonia County Fair dominated local conversation. Late-August editions of the St. Johnsbury Caledonian were filled with exhibitor lists, prize rules (“No artificial coloring in the preserves”), and calls for volunteers. These editions served as both promotion and pressure—if you hadn’t started training your oxen or baking your pies, you were behind. For many townsfolk, late August meant balancing haying and hauling while trying to keep their best rooster clean for judging.

The Circus Rolls In – August’s Traveling Spectacle
While the big tent may have visited Woodsville earlier in August, late-month performances sometimes reached over to Lisbon or Bath. Barnum & Bailey’s famous “elephant baseball team” was the talk of the countryside in 1913. Route schedules from the Circus Historical Society confirm the company’s New England run spanned the whole month. Families came from every direction, catching trains and hitching wagons just to spend a few awe-struck hours under canvas—watching clowns tumble and lions roar.

A Storm Before the Flood – St. Johnsbury, 1927
Though November 1927 brought Vermont’s worst flood, the hints were already coming in late August. On August 26, a violent rainstorm battered St. Johnsbury and the surrounding area. According to the Caledonian-Record, Railroad Street became a river, and several merchants spent the night baling water from their cellars. Crops were flattened in Waterford and washouts closed a section of road near Lyndon Center. Many locals later looked back and called that storm “a warning we didn’t hear.”

Sources
White River Valley Herald – late-summer agricultural notes

Vermont Historical Society – Biographical entry: Hale K. Darling

Woodsville News, Littleton Courier – late-August rail reports

Circus Historical Society – 1913 Barnum & Bailey route details

St. Johnsbury Caledonian, Caledonian-Record – weather and fair coverage, August 1927

United Opinion (Bradford, VT) – regional political and event coverage

Got a Story of Your Own?
Do you have a family photo from a Caledonia County fair? A passed-down story about train delays in Woodsville or berry-picking near Brookfield? I’d love to hear from you. Send your stories, clippings, or questions to joshua@thebridgeweekly.com, and you might just see them featured in a future installment of Then and There: Strange Days in Local History.

Have a story?