St. Johnsbury Caledonian
September, 1890
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Caledonia, Vt., County Fair – 1890
November 24, 2022
Rutland, Vermont, Balloon Ascensions
November 19, 2022
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Middlebury Register (VT.)
July 14, 1858
Middlebury Register
July 14, 1858
Vermont Daily Transcript
(St. Albans, VT.)
September 17, 1868
Portland (Me.) Daily Globe
July 10, 1873
Burlington Weekly Free Press
April 16, 1908, p14
Spirit of the Age
(Woodstock, VT.)
April 18, 1908
Orleans County Monitor
(Barton, VT.)
June 23, 1909, p.6
Orleans County Monitor
(Barton, VT.)
June 23, 1909 p.6
Barre Daily Times
July 28, 1909
Orleans County Monitor
August 18, 1909
Bennington Evening Banner
November 18, 1909
Spirit of the Age
(Woodstock, VT.) December 4, 1909
Spirit of the Age
December 4, 1909
Herald & News
(West Randolph, VT.)
January 27, 1910 pg. 3
Burlington Weekly Free Press
February 22, 1912, p.6
Vermont Phoenix
September 8, 1916
Ada I. Mitchell, Aeronaut, Balloonist – 1894
November 19, 2022
The following article appeared in the defunct Vermont newspaper, The Herald & News, of West Randolph, Vermont, October 11, 1894. It relates the experience of Ada I. Mitchell, (Vandever) (Vandeveer).
Harlow M. Spencer – Aeronaut, Balloonist
November 19, 2022
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The Daily Exchange
(Baltimore, MD.)
September 22, 1858
Worcester Daily Spy
April 2, 1859
Lamoille Newsdealer
(Hyde Park, VT.)
July 17, 1872
Lamoille Newsdealer
(Hyde Park, VT.)
July 17, 1872
Western Connecticut News
August 2, 1872
Connecticut Western News
September 2, 1897
First Vermont Woman To Fly In A Balloon – 1909
January 25, 2017
First Vermont Woman To Fly In A Balloon – 1909
The following newspaper article appeared in The Barre Daily Times, (Barre, Vermont), on August 13, 1909.
LANDED IN BRANDON
**********
Yesterday’s Balloon Ascension
At Rutland Had Lady Passenger
“Rutland, Aug. 13. – Mrs. Edith I. Sawyer, a reporter on the Evening News in this city, has the distinction of being the first woman in Vermont to make a balloon ascension. She was a passenger yesterday afternoon in the big balloon Heart of the Berkshires, piloted by William Van Sleet.
The ascent was made at 3:25 and was witnessed by a large number of people. Ezra Allen of Fowler was the second passenger in the car. Harold F. Keyes of Boston was to have been a passenger, but failed to show up. A place was then offered to Charles S. Fairfield, editor of the Evening news, and he assigned Mrs. Sawyer, who was in the crowd watching the ascension, to make the trip.
The big bag was in sight from this city until after five o’clock and the landing was made near Brandon, on land belonging to Dr. O. A. Gee, shortly after that time. The balloon was seen by many people as it slowly traveled in a southerly direction, and in some instances people on the ground talked with the occupants. At Fowler the balloon had dropped so low this it was necessary to throw out considerable ballast, and they were plainly seen by the operatives in the mill at that point.
The landing was made easily and without mishap and the party returned to this city shortly after 11 o’clock.”
Update January 29, 2017
Mrs. Sawyer may been the first woman born in Vermont to make a balloon ascension, but the following advertisement promoting the 1887 Lyndonville, Vermont, July 4th celebration indicates that the first woman to go aloft in a balloon over Vermont might have been Mary Myers, (1849-1932,) of Mohawk, New York, better known by her professional name of “Carlotta”. She was married to Carl Myers, a famous aeronaut and inventor of the time.
Advertisement from The United Opinion newspaper of Bradford, Vermont, June 17, 1887.
The ad was promoting the Lyndonville, Vt., July 4th Celebration.
Update: November 19, 2022
Click here to read about Ada I. Mitchell, a woman who flew from Rutland, Vermont, in a balloon in October of 1894.
Vermont Balloon Ascension – 1858
January 23, 2017
Vermont Balloon Ascension – 1858
On July 5, 1858, John La Mountain made a balloon ascension from Rutland, Vermont, and reportedly reached an altitude of five miles – a remarkable feat for the day.
The following is an excerpt from The Middlebury Register, of Middlebury, Vermont, dated July 4, 1858.
“Mr. La Mountain in his account of his balloon ascension from Rutland on the 5th estimates that he reached an altitude of five miles. He was able to count 53 villages. The Earth appeared concave and there was no perceptible difference between mountains and valleys. The wet sand in his (ballast) bags was frozen solid. The rarified atmosphere and intense cold caused painful and alarming sensations.”
Mr. La Mountain was quoted as saying:
“At this woeful scene I still retained presence of mind enough to be aware of my condition. I immediately pulled the valve-rope to discharge gas to descend. The Balloon having been continually ascending for about forty minutes, was at a height of at least five miles. In the course of a few minutes the Balloon began gradually to descend, and my suffering began to be somewhat relieved. ”
The trip lasted one hour and twenty-two minutes during which the balloon traveled forty miles before it landed in the town of Windham.
Source:
The Middlebury Register, (Middlebury, VT.), “News Of The Week”. July 14, 1858
St. Johnsbury, VT. – September 11, 1914
September 17, 2016
St. Johnsbury, Vermont – September 11, 1914
Caledonia County Fair
On September 11, 1914, the last day of Vermont’s annual Caledonia County Fair, a hot air balloon unexpectedly landed on the boardwalk in front of the grand stand where several persons happened to be standing. Three ladies were injured when the balloon came down on top of them, the most serious being a 66 – year-old woman who suffered a scalp laceration and bruises to the face. She was transported unconscious to Brightlook Hospital for treatment. It was reported that she was expected to recover.
No further details were given.
Source: The Bennington Evening Banner, “Accident At Caledonia Fair”, September 16, 1914
Updated October 6, 2016
The accident occurred while Harold Cates of Boston was giving a parachute exhibition. He’d ascended in the balloon alone, and at the proper altitude, jumped with his parachute, and landed safely on the field. The unmanned balloon came down upon the boardwalk.
Source:
The Burlington Weekly Free Press, “2:24 Pace Is A Feature Of Fair At St. Johnsbury”, September 17, 1914
