Pirates of Dingley Dell by Bret Corbin

The gulls on a small island off the west coast of South Hero pay no heed to the early morning mists reminiscent of smoke flitting and wafting above the waters of the lake. Suddenly, with a crack and a snap the gulls go silent. They line the ridges and crags of the small island, facing south as if to pay homage to the sight they know they are about to see. And there it is, a thin image floating many feet above the water, attached to a massive body with vertical spikes covered with brightly colored cloth. As it finally breaks clear of the secluded bay it lives in, the gulls for the first time get to see what this magical beast is called. The Aladdin and the gulls know that the Pirates of Dingley Dell have set off on yet another voyage of adventure.
That is the image my minds eye drew when I read the part of Bret Corbin's book that is before page 1. Imagine that.

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On July 6 at 7:00PM the South Hero Historical Society Excitedly presented Bret Corbin and the PIRATES OF DINGLEY DELL
- A True Swashbuckling Adventure at a Vermont Boys Camp

In my mind's eye I can just about make out the multi--colored sails of the mighty and magical pirate ship Aladdin, as it heads around Valcour Island and returns from its latest adventure just in time for Bret Corbin to teach us all about the great and wonderful life that existed at DINGLEY DELL in the early 20th century.

The pirates who settled there [albeit just for the summer] accomplished feats that are only dreamed about in today's lore.

Who knows which dignitary is on the ship this time as it heads for its safe harbor. Bret will tell us about those very dignitaries. We could wax poetic about a time when life was simpler and maybe more fun. Or we can hear Bret bring us back to the days of yore when young men could REALLY be pirates and build their own ship and sail into international waters and learn how to manage adversity and grow up to be real men… and so on… and so on.. and…
Sorry about that, I was lost in the mists of nostalgia about an adolescence most of us only think about...

Bret did take us back to those times as only he can do. So watch the video, view the images but better yet, READ THE BOOK.

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Polly McBride’s Legacy Continues with Cemetery Presentation June By Peg Clark (June 1, 2018)

SOUTH HERO- Come join the South Hero Historical Society (SHHS) to learn interesting information and look at pictures of old cemeteries located in South Hero. Ron and Sue Phelps, members of Community Association for the Restoration of Neglected Gravestones (C.A.R.I.N.G), will present this fascinating topic on Friday, June 1 beginning at 7:00 p.m at the Folsom Educational Center. This presentation would not be possible without the amazing insight of lifetime South Hero resident, Elinor “Polly” McBride. Born in 1918, she grew up on Allenholm Farm, one of five older sisters to Ray W. Allen. Polly graduated from Mary Fletcher School of Nursing and received her master’s degree from Columbia University. She married Charlie McBride in 1947 and they raised their two children in South Hero. Polly passed away in early 2018, just one day after turning 100 years old. The idea of C.A.R.I.N.G. came to Polly over three decades ago after one of our infamous island storms. The storm caused a large tree branch to fall and break an extremely old tombstone belonging to a Phelps descendent. Polly was also a Phelps descendent and decided the damaged stone needed to be replaced. While Polly was working on replacing the damaged gravestone, she noticed the “old” part of the cemetery (from the Masonic Lodge to the second gate on South. St.) had many old gravestones in a terrible state of disrepair. The graves in the “old” part of the cemetery date back to the 1700’s. These aging gravestones usually do not have any remaining relatives able to tend to them. This motivated Polly to get a group of people together to help preserve the historic gravestones. Polly founded the non-profit, volunteer organization C.A.R.I.N.G in l984. At first it was mostly cleaning stones and a lot of rubbings. Rubbings, a way of transposing gravestones engravements onto paper using charcoal, were very popular at the time. There are other near forgotten private cemeteries around town. Did you know there is controversy around some historic tombstones in our area? For example, if you examine the rubbing of the tombstone of Lydia Allen, wife of Ebenezer and one of the first settlers on the island, the stone clearly attributes a site in South Hero as her grave. However, a stone located in Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington also claims to be her burial site. Only DNA testing could settle the dispute, but C.A.R.I.N.G. has far too many pressing needs to be able to spend their limited funds digging up remains to confirm. C.A.R.I.N.G. has evolved immensely from when the group began. Members Ron & Susan Phelps are joined by John and Alice Wells. John volunteers his time mowing and installing flags on veterans’ gravestones. The C.A.R.I.N.G. members visit the cemetery and prioritize repair of gravestones by need. The group is funded by donations and receives a small amount requested from the town annually for upkeep. Currently, when someone is buried in the cemetery there is an endowment where relatives of the deceased provide money for the maintenance of the burial site and stone. C.A.R.I.N.G. feels indebted to the many volunteers, past and present, who have helped preserved our heritage. Please come, hear some island history, or share stories of your own family. Everyone is welcome. For easier access, please use the doors in the original brick portion of the school near the library entrance. Location: 75 South St.

May 4, 2018 Bootlegging Through the Islands: Past and Present

On Friday, May 4th at 7PM at the Folsom Ed. Center in South Hero, the SHHS presented a program on smuggling in The Champlain Islands. Cathy Merrihew, along with Doug Tudhope, John Lake, and Sheriff Ray Allen lead a discussion of smuggling through our history to the present day.

Vermont has a somewhat checkered history of smuggling. After all, a favorite ski resort got its name because our ancestors drove cattle through the notch from Canada in violation of the embargo against Great Britain and its colonies. Vermonters turned a blind eye seeing as they were not in sympathy with a president from the south who was trying to avoid the War of 1812.

Then there was the bootlegging of the 30's. Again, Vermonters tolerated the law breakers. After all, how can you keep a man from his booze? We heared some unusual and funny stories of escapades of rum running through the islands.

But how should we feel about the current smuggling of drugs into our state? Should it be considered a serious concern to our citizens?

Many came to share their stories of rumored escapades. Laugh a little about our history. Perhaps we may also have a serious discussion about our present responsibilities.

April 6th, members of our South Hero Historical Society traveled to Montpelier to visit the History Museum. A good time was had by all. Here are some pictures of a few of the wonderful exhibits.