Orwell Detective Society, 1862

Orwell, Vermont is most famous for its ownership of Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark, is one of the largest, well preserved, and least disturbed major Revolutionary War archaeological sites in the United States.  

Mount Independence is located on Lake Champlain in Orwell.  It was "the site of extensive fortifications built during the Revolutionary War by the American army to stop a British invasion. Construction began in July 1776, following the American defeat in Canada, and continued through the winter and spring of 1777. 

Map of Orwell, 1857

After the American retreat on July 5 and 6, 1777, British and German troops occupied Mount Independence until November 1777.  After the American Revolution, Mount Independence was farm land, used for grazing sheep and cattle." - wiki

Orwell Detective Society

About a 100 years after the Revolutionary War, Orwell established the Orwell Detective Society in 1862.  

I have read through the By-laws, and can only compare what they formed during that time, to something like today's Neighborhood Watch Program, with an almost "Wild-West" flavor to its formation.

Source:  "A HISTORY of the TOWN of ORWELL, VERMONT", Compiled and Published by The Orwell Historical Society, 1988":

"The inhabitants of the town of Orwell, believing it to be expedient to form an association for the purposes of mutually assisting each other to recover property stolen, also to arrest and bring to justice burglars and thieves - met at J.W. Boynton's Inn and chose O.S. Branch; S.C. Bull; J. B. Cook; D.H.W. Norton and R. F. White as a committee to draft a constitution and a code of by-laws to be presented at a later meeting."  

The foregoing is a copy of the first page of a record book used by this Society, in 1862.  Following are the by-laws presented by the appointed Committee: 

No. 1 - It shall be the duty of two members of the executive board, on request of any member, to make an immediate examination of all premises, etc., that have been entered by thieves or burglars and a diligent inquiry relative to any and all losses sustained by any member of this Association, and to send out a sufficient number of watchmen or runners, as the case may require to accomplish the designs of this society.

No. 2 - All watchmen guarding against, or runners sent in pursuit of, burglars or thieves shall be supplied with the necessary funds, also with a certificate of their appointment - and in the discharge of their duties while absent from home. 

No. 3 - All members of this society are at all times to hold themselves in readiness to act immediately as runners or watchmen, when ordered by the executive board, and on failure thus to do, without reasonable excuse, must forfeit their membership.

No. 4 - All necessary expense of the aforesaid watchmen or runners also a reasonable compensation for their services and for services performed by the executive board, shall be paid by the treasurer, on an allowance by the auditors.

No. 5 - All necessary assessments on the members of this society shall be levied by majority vote of the members present at a regularly warned meeting - the amount of said assessment to be paid equally by each member and to be collected by the treasurer.

No. 6 - The failure of payment of any regular assessment shall debar the delinquent member from all benefits of this society.

No. 7. - The foregoing may be amended or altered by 2/3 vote of the members present at any regular warned meeting."

An appointed member of the Society would carry a certificate of appointment (noted below) to be carried with him during his tour of duty:  

ORWELL DETECTIVE SOCIETY

(Organized according to law, A.D. 1862)

"We, the undersigned, Board of Officers of the ORWELL DETECTIVE SOCIETY, do hereby certify that the bearer, ______(name)______, has been sent out as an agent, or runner by said Society; and as such, is authorized to hire, on the credit of the Society, a reasonable number of men, changes of horses, or amount of money as the necessity of the case may require, for the purpose of arresting the thief (or thieves) and restoring property _______(name of articles)______ which had been stolen from ______(name)______ on ______(date)______."

Orwell, Vt __________________ 186___.

___________________________________ Pres.

___________________________________ Vice Pres.

___________________________________ 

___________________________________ Committee

___________________________________

___________________________________

After forming such a auspicious committee, it seems that only one account can be found pertaining to an effort of the Society to bring forth justice: 

"October 22, 1863 - Cash paid out by Wells, Sanford and Goodell as runners in the case of Sanford's stolen horse - Sect. 7.91.  - Dan Goodell, Treasurer."  

VooDoo

           

"Voodoo is a religion that originated from Africa in the Kongo and Fon regions approximately 6,000 years ago. "Voodoo" means "sacred" or "spirit" in Fon. They believe in a supreme god in Voodoo such as the god Bondye in Haiti. This deity is extremely powerful and intangible of humans. Only with the help of thousands of believers and spirits, can they reach Bondye, known as Ioa or Iwa in Haiti. Voodoo is a spoken tradition, so there is no one book to which a believer can refer." 

"The practitioners of Voodoo, often called Voodooists, believe the real world is intertwined with the spirit world. When we die, we pass over to that unseen realm where we can still observe and even help or harm the living. The spirit world also contains the Lwa, which embody certain characteristics, such as bravery or kindness. There are numerous spirits each possessing different degrees of each characteristic. The Voodooist seeks their counsel and advice through ceremonies and offerings. Voodoo spirits can also take over the bodies of believers, commanding those bodies to do their bidding. There are no unifying sacred writings or scripture in Voodoo."

"Beliefs in these Voodoo spirits came to the Americas with Africans who were captured as slaves more than 400 years ago. People from different villages lived and worked together in the New World and combined their traditions. Voodoo continues today in Haiti, Cuba, Brazil and New Orleans, but this Voodoo is somewhat different from the traditional African version. In the Americas, slaves often mixed their African religion with their captors' Catholicism and with Native American religious beliefs. They melded Roman Catholic saints with their familiar Voodoo spirits. Voodoo priests, like Catholic priests, are respected members of the community whose intercessions with the spirits are necessary. Priests perform healing rituals as well as provide counseling and practical help. Spirits don't just assist people with their troubles, however. Just like Christianity, Islam and several other large religions, Voodoo features malevolent spiritual figures who can act out to do harm to the living. Part of the tradition of Voodoo is this spiritual struggle between the forces of good and evil." -curiosity.com

  

" Voodoo is based on the belief in the presence of powerful yet invisible forces (les invisibles) that directly affect our lives and behavior. In times of crisis, a believer may invoke the aid of these spirits, also referred to as loa, for support and assistance. (Christians can invoke the so-called Holy Spirit for similar support.) This conception of metaphysical forces that can be both harmful and helpful is found in all religions. The ancient Greeks called them daimones. Other religions refer to them as angels and demons. (Actually, the word demon derives from daimon, but carries only the negative aspect of the daimonic.) In shamanism, they are known as spiritus familiares, "winged ones," supernatural beings not unlike angels but different: If the shaman accepts and cooperates with these spirits, they become helpful. But if he or she rejects or resists them, they turn demonic and destructive." -Psychology today

A simplified explanation of VooDoo:  From WiseGeek.com:

"The widely held image of Voodoo in the Western world is one of wax dolls with pins sticking out of them and black magic. It is, however, one of the world’s most ancient religions. Voodoo arrived in the West during the slave trading days, and the basis of the religion came from Africa. The practice as it is most widely known was structured in Haiti, where a variety of different ethnic groups amalgamated their traditions into this form of the religion.

Voodoo is a West African word meaning "spirit," and comes from term vodun. The basic ethos of the religion is that everything in the universe is connected. Nothing happens by chance in this world, and there are no accidents. Everything that one person does to another, he is doing to himself, because he is that person.

Religious ceremonies contain prayers, dancing, and rituals, as well as animal sacrifices. The figure of the snake plays a major part in the rituals, and the high priest or priestess will embody the serpent’s power. Spirits of wealth, nature, and happiness possess the bodies of believers at the ceremony. Dancing and music are also major elements. In the West, the dancing has often been portrayed as sexual, but that is not its main purpose: it's a way to connect with spirits and the spirit world.

Voodoo is an important part of family life in any community that practices it. The high priest has a great deal of influence and gives spiritual advice when it is asked for. He or she is also seen as a healer and practices with herbs and medicines. The knowledge that the high priestess has gained will have been passed along through prior generations.

Practitioners also use spells, most of which are performed to evoke good, not harm. There are healing spells, love spells, and spells to celebrate joy. The image of black magic and harmful spells was mainly founded by Europeans who had a distrust of anything African.

Voodoo is practiced as a religion in a number of countries around the world. In Brazil, it is called Candomble, and in the Caribbean, it is called Obeah. In 2003, the government of Haiti sanctioned it as an official religion, so believers can be baptized and married within the practice. It has taken centuries for this official action to happen, however, and believers say it will take more than an official show of faith to make up for the persecution that followers have had to contend with. There are millions of people in Haiti alone who share this faith."

SYMBOLS (Called Veve or Vévé ):

In Vodoun (Voodoo) practice, Veves are intricate symbols of the Loas (gods), and are used in rituals. They are similar to the sigils used in ritual magic.  Each Loa has his or her own complex veve, which is traced on the ground with powdered eggshell or a similar substance prior to a ritual. The ability to draw a Veve correctly is considered to be a particular skill of the initiate. A veve is believed to be more powerful if it is drawn with the correct details.

OTHER SOURCES:

http://www.omplace.com/articles/Voodoo_History.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_Vodun

http://www2.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/voodoo/biglist.htm

Looking for an online voodoo spell? Try this link:
 http://www.ancientvoodoo.com/spell.php

Green Mount Cemetery - Montpelier, Vermont

A few weeks ago, I wandered into this cemetery with the sole purpose of taking pictures of a few of the statues, other than John Kellogg's "Black Agnes".  What I didn't know was how incredibly peaceful this site is, and how many wonderful statues there are to behold!  Please forgive some of the photography, as it was a very hazy morning, and the rain had just stopped.  All in all, I am quite pleased with the results.

History

"The thirty-five acres on which the Green Mount Cemetery is located were bought in 1854. Of the purchase price of $2,210, $1,000 was donated by Calvin Keith, a Montpelier lawyer and $1,210 was put up by the town. In 1905, the Chapel-Vault building was erected from a generous bequest of John E. Hubbard. The Vault portion can hold up to 60 entombments and the chapel can accommodate 60 people for funeral services. Since this time, Green Mount Cemetery proudly exhibits many terraced lots, 2.5 miles of curved roads, and many pleasant shade trees and ornamental shrubs. There are many sculptured works which are memorials to the talents of our area's artisans both past and present."  Source:

http://www.montpelier-vt.org/page/279.html

Below this lovely statue are hand-carved stairs (you can see them above the statue), which is an architectural site of interest in this location. 

This monument was originally carved with a wreath on top, though it is difficult to see it now, as the carving is now entombed in moss.

An amazing rendition of La Pieta