Vermont life. Vol. 52, Iss. 4

116 Pages·1998·117.4 MB·English

by  Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing

........îîf
Bellows Falls
The Amtrak® Brattleboro take off on
Springfield
Vermonter has your own
Hartford.
been such a New Haven to explore.
Stamford
success that Philadelphia Poke around
Wilmin^on
now you can in antique
Baltimore
take in every - Washington D.C. shops. Or
rustic barn and take advan­
scenic hill in tage of the
Vermont along two Amtrak state’s beautiful hiking and
routes. On Amtrak’s Ethan biking trails. So no matter
Allen service you’ll have why you come to Vermont,
a relaxing ride all the way Amtrak gives you one more
to Rutland. And car rentals reason to take the train. For
are now available in most reservations, call your travel
stations, so when you arrive, you can agent or Amtrak at 1-800-USA-RAIL.
A m t r a k ^
Circle Reader Service Number 210
Summer 1998 Volume Ln Number 4
\^rmontLife
f [ A I H E S
Places in this Issue
Farming the Intervale ;
Burlington’s blossoming urban garden
Burlington, p. 34 By Carol Maurer
* Peacham, p./4
Photographed by Natalie Stultz
Ferrisburgh, p. 46
i
* • Bristol, p. 26
Hancock, p. 8 Randolph, p. 112 Where Conservation
• Strafford, p. 70 Was Born : Woodstock’s new page 34
* Woodstock, p. 40 Marsh-Billings National Historical Park
Ludlow, p. 83 * By Marialisa Calta; photographed by Jon Gilbert Fox
I MIDDL8IURY COLLm
A Lakely Story : Told in depth at the
Searsburg, p. 68 Lake Champlain Maritime Museum m 1 4 1998
' Guilford, p. 50 By Maria Blackburn; photographed by Kindra Clineff
LIBRARY
Timber -Framed : And well-connected in the community
By Susan Keese,- photographed by S. Michael Bisceglie
A Summer Riddle : What is that special something!-
A scenic portfolio by contributing photographers
A Real Country Store :
Is more than just a store in the country
By Jack McKnight; photographed by Richard Howard
Meet Justin Morrill :
The courtly Strafford storekeeper who changed America
By Chris Bohjalian
Photographed by Jon Gilbert Fox
page 62
D E P A R T M E N T S
Inside Vermont Life 66 Vermont Scene : A wind-wind situation
Letters to the Editor 63 Inns St Outings : Gad, zukes!
Green Mountain Post Boy 69 Vermont Foods : A full
platter of pasta
0 Made in Vermont :
Bird carver Floyd Scholz 94 Landmarks : Burlington
discovers jazz
14 In A Day : The ghosts of
Peacham 99 Books of Vermont Interest
26 Vermont View : Reading the Calendar of Summer Events
mountains of home
112 Picture Postscript
Cover : Strafford's simple yet elegant Town House, built in 1799, presides over a summer day.
Photograph by Kindra Clineff. Meet Strafford’s most famous citizen, page 70.
, page 8
\^rmoiitDfe
N S D E
MAGAZINE
Is published quarterly by the State of Vermont
Howard Dean, Governor
Published at Montpelier, Vermont, by the Agency
of Commerce and Community Development
William C. Shouldice IV, Secretary
A Summer
Thomas Altemus, Commissioner,
Department of Tourism & Marketing
Mix Jackie Ennis, Director of Sales & Marketing
Editor: Tom Slayton
Managing Editor: Linda Dean Paradee
Assistant Editor: John Lazenby
Art Director: Jan Lowry Hubbard
Assistant to the Editors: Judy Powell
T Proofreader: Helen Benedict
oday 's Vermont is an interesting mix of the old Director of Operations: Andrew Jackson
and the new. And sometimes the newest aspects Business Manager: C. Fred Sullivan
of this amazing little state turn out to be expres­ Accountant: Julie George
Ancillary Products Manager: Marilyn Wood
sions of its oldest values and traditions. Those
Subscriptions Manager: Brenda Greika
are the moments that reassure me that, despite changes, Advertising Traffic Manager: Maude Chater
Vermont remains its own unique place. Assistant to the Accountant: Tammy Duprey
Shipping Manager: Joe Rossi
Take the new Marsh-Billings National Historical Park
Vermont Life Advisory Board:
(page 40), opening this summer in Woodstock. It's new
Pennie Beach, William S. Blair, Paul Bruhn, Laura
— except that it's based on a very old Vermont idea: Carlsmith, Robert Getchell, Hope Green, James
stewardship — taking care of the land. The more con­ Lawrence, Emerson Lynn, Gerald R. Tarrant,
Timothy Volk, and J. Duncan Campbell (emeritus)
temporary term for that is conservation or environmen­
talism, and the land where the new national park will be Advertising Sales Office
Smart Communication, Inc.,
located was the home of George Perkins Marsh, whose at Kennedy Brothers Marketplace,
P.O. Box 283, Vergennes, VT 05491-0283.
book Man and Nature founded the national environ­
Tel. [phone], fax [phone]
mental movement more than a century ago. Frederick E-mail: [email protected]
Billings and Laurance and Mary Rockefeller, who fol­ Advertising Director: Gerianne Smart
Southern Vermont and
lowed Marsh in living at the Woodstock farm/mansion,
Southern Adirondacks - Lake George and
continued his vision of stewardship. And that's the Saratoga, NY Regions: H. Abby Hummel
theme of the new park itself. Northern Vermont and
Adirondacks: Gerianne Smart
You'll find a lot of Vermont tradition in this issue of
Advertising Sales Assistant: Nancy Lindberg
Vermont Life. We visit the Justin Morrill homestead in Intern: April Marble, Vergennes Union H.S. '99
Strafford (page 70) and the Lake Champlain Maritime
Museum (page 46). And though the Maritime Museum is
one of Vermont's newest, it, too, carefully expresses Ver­
Single Issue: $3.95
mont's past — in this case, the long maritime history of
One-Year Subscription Rates: $20.00 in U.S.A.,
the Lake Champlain basin. For another connection to $25.00 Foreign Delivery
Vermont history, listen to the ghosts of Peacham (page For Subscription Inquiries Please Call Toll Free:
[phone]
14).
One of the most encouraging new developments in
Vermont Life Magazine (ISSN 0042-417X) is published four
Burlington is the growth of gardening and farming in the times a year with editorial, business and subscription offices
at 6 Baldwin St., Montpelier, VT 05602, tel. [phone].
Winooski River Intervale (page 34), within the city's lim­
E-mail: [email protected]
its. Yet when we look back some 200 years, we find that Internet address: http://www.vtlife.com
Change of address must be received eight weeks prior to
the Intervale was regarded as prime farmland by none
publication to insure continuous delivery of magazine.
other than Ethan Allen, Vermont's first and greatest Please include your old address as well as your new ad­
dress. Periodicals postage paid at Montpelier, VT, and addi­
hero! And before that, it was farmed by Native Ameri­
tional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send form #3579 to
cans. Today Vermonters are rediscovering the Intervale Vermont Life, 6 Baldwin St., Montpelier, VT. © Copyright
1998 by Vermont Life Magazine. Printed bv The Lane Press,
as a fine place to grow vegetables, make compost, and South Burlington, VT. Published May 19,1998.
pursue a dozen new small-scale enterprises. The editors of Vermont Life will review any submissions;
I expect George Perkins Marsh himself would be however no responsibility is assumed by the State of Ver­
mont or Vermont Life for loss or damage to materials sub­
pleased. mitted. Return postage must accompany all manuscripts,
drawings and photographs, if they are to be returned. All
rights are reser\'ed. No part of Vermont Life may be repro­
duced without permission of the editor. Vermont Life’^” is
a trademark registered with the United States Patent and
EDITOR Trademark Office.
Member:
International Regional I i m Printed in
Magazine Association U.S.A.
VERMONT LIFE
-The Termont Gountr; Store*-
"The centerpiece of Weston is the justly famed Vermont Country Store." Vermont Life.
Rochester We’ve Been Part of Vermont Life Since 1946
Many thanks to you and M. Dickey In 1946 my father. Vrest Orton, along with Earle Newton.
Drysdale for his perceptive article Walter Hard Sr. and Arthur Wallace Peach, started work on a
[Spring 1998] on Rochester, one of Ver­ new magazine that would capture the beauty and spirit of the
mont's secret treasure towns, and es­ state. They named this new venture. Vermont Life. For over 50
pecially for his appreciative words for years now. Vermont Life has been a splendid success.
Quarry Hill Community. If it is true, We at The Vermont Country Store are proud of our
connections with Vermont Life, which has for all these years
as Mr. Drysdale kindly states, that
promoted the values of the citizens of our state while depict­
"talent and energy from Quarry Hill
ing its incredible natural beauty.
have seeped into the valley," it seems Lyman Orton
to me that tolerance and much wis­
dom have also risen, like maple sap in
springtime, from Rochester to Quarry
Hill over the last 52 years.
Thank you.
Ladybelle Fiske
Quarry Hill Community
Rochester
Ladybelle Fiske is the daughter of
Quarry Hill founders Irving and Barbara
Fiske. — Editor
Cover Cows 'T find that if it’s not in The Vermont Country Store, you can do without it'.'
Last year we had a failure occur San Francisco, California.
when that New Hampshire church
sneaked undetected into the Fall issue. A Visit You’ll Long Remember
Then we had the Winter issue barn The Vermont Country Store is known in all 50 states through the Voice of the
(pages 62-63), off by one town. Now Mountains mail order catalog. We have two stores: the original store is located in the
picturesque village of Weston. Our second store with the popular bargain attic is
that's an improvement!
conveniently located right off 1-91 in Rockingham. At both stores you'll find products
Now comes this year's Spring issue
you thought had long disappeared such as penny candy. Vermont Common Crackers,
and the cover photograph. Shouldn't
and floursack towels, as well as many other useful and practical items. Interspersed
the location be
with the merchandise are hundreds of artifacts from the past - it's like shopping in a
more specific, say
museum. A visit you'll remember long after you get home.
"located near East
Montpelier Cen­
ter"? And, please,
COME VISIT OCR STORES
"the ladies in the
foreground, 1. to r., Rt. 100 WESTON - Our Original Store.
Sophie and Tiny, Also visit The Bryant House Restaurant
hard at work for serving lunch daily at this location.
Allen Butler." Open Year Around: 9-5pm Mon.-Sat.
After all, they are what makes the Extended Hours; July-October 9-6pm
picture!
Closed Sundays
LeRoy Carlson
Middlesex
Rt. 103 ROCKINGHAM
Sophie, an Ayrshire, and Tiny, a feisey,
Visit our catalog bargain attic.
were indeed hard at work on the Butler
family’s Perfect Maple Farm in East Mont­ Open Year Around: 9-5pm Mon.-Sat.
pelier. Gary Butler, who works the farm Extended Hours: July-October 9-6pm
with his father. Allen, tells us that since
Sundays lO-Spm
the picture was taken last year both cows
have gone to the great pasture in the sky.
MAIL ORDER CATALOG
— Editor
The Vermont Country Store®
Ticklcnakcd in Rt/egate
Dept. 2483 P.O. Box 128
1 was amused by the article in your
Weston, Vermont 03161
spring issue entitled "Ripples at
Aldrich's Pork Barrel." 1 like these odd
CALL FOR FREE CATALOG
names for ponds. However, 1 think I
1-802-362-2400
(Continued on page 24)
Circle Reader Service Number 213
SUMMER 1998
G M
R M O U N T A N
Recognition for a Mill Girl
The Return of
Chester A. Arthur
L
ittle Addie Laird is fi­ factory loom, its bobbins commemorate the reform C
nally going to be fa­ ranked behind her. laws that have kept thou­ hester A. Arthur, who
wanted little or noth­
mous — sadly, ironi­ Although Addie Laird sands of other little girls
ing to do with Ver­
cally famous. claimed to be 12 years old, like Addie from working
mont while alive, is being
Her picture will be on a other girls in the mill told their lives away in
symbolically returned to
postage stamp, an honor Lewis Hine that she was drudgery.
the state of his birth.
few Americans have re­ The Pownal Post Of­
A fine portrait of the 21st
ceived. The only fice conducted a small
President will soon be for­
problem is that, for ceremony in March
mally hung in the down­
Addie, it comes 88 and installed a plaque
stairs lobby of the Vermont
years too late. remembering Addie
State House, just across a
In fact, nobody and child labor laws.
hall from the other, much
knows just who Addie School children in
more famous Vermont Pres­
Laird was. In 1910, she the Pownal schools
ident, Calvin Coolidge. The
was photographed by studied the issue of
Arthur portrait will either
the great industrial child labor and
be commissioned, or one
photographer Lewis wrote essays about
may be obtained from the
Hine at her job in a | what it would be
National Portrait Gallery.
North Pownal cotton X like to have to work
It's all a part of the restora­
mill. She was a young, | instead of attend­
tion that began 18 years ago
pretty girl, but there is % ing school and hav­
and has transformed the in­
no smile on Addie ^ ing time to play
terior of the build­
Laird's face. She wears a and be a child.
ing into an his
little smock covered by a actually only 10, and that's As for Addie Laird — ex­
toric showcase
dirty, smudged apron; she the age she looks. She cept for nine's photograph
(VL, Autumn
is barefoot. Her haunting worked as a spinner, for a of her standing in front of
1996), returning
eyes look directly at the few pennies a day. rows and rows of indus­
the dazzling
camera, as if asking just About 12.5 million trial bobbins, looking di­
colors and or­
who it is that is stealing postage stamps bearing the rectly at the camera, not
nate detail of its
her childhood. Her hand image of this thin, serious smiling — little else is
19th century hey­
rests on the frame of the little girl will be printed to known.
day to walls and floors.
The Senate chamber is
next, and although the legis­
Deer Leap
lature has appropriated some
money for the work,
Peace and quiet were self in the bathroom. did not appear to be $325,000 is being raised by
shattered last janu- A state Fish & Wildlife badly hurt. the Friends of the State
ary when a young Department officer even­ Other than the broken House, a private organization
deer smashed through a tually shooed the deer window, motel owner dedicated to the building.
plate glass window at out of the building, and Dorothy DiCarlo said Contributions to help pay for
the Shire Motel in down­ it bounded away. Al­ the main thing she has the Senate chamber, the first-
town Woodstock, leaped though the deer, which had to deal with are the floor lobby, and other pro­
over a bed in which two may have been attracted jokes. Example: "Shire jects should be sent to:
people slept, and some­ by a reflection in the Motel: We charge a Friends of the Vermont State
how managed to lock it­ window, was bleeding, it buck a night!" House, 133 State Street,
"BE OUTINA$EOONI>/"
Montpelier, VT 05602.
4 • VERMONT LIFE
VERMONTERS
ie daily 1 5-minute est of how hard Ross has
^commute from his worked to reach his goals.
tome in South London­ Among his objectives now:
derry to Stratton Moun­ competing at the 2002 Winter
tain School took Ross Games in Salt Lake City.
Powers all the way to an ■ If you watched Olympic
Olympic medal in snowboarding broadcasts last
Nagano, Japan, last Feb­ winter, you might have spotted
ruary. the Bennington Battle Flag in
Powers, the first to go the crowd with members of George Peorlstein Is on
through the school's four- the Shaw family, in Japan to a quest that few others might have
year snowboarding pro­ see Betsy Shaw of Dorset com­ the stomino for: fle's trying to be
gram, competed in the pete. Others with Vermont the first person to ascend to the
first Olympics to include connections on the Olympic highest point in each of Vermont's
snowboarding. In the team whose names we were 251 towns. So for, the retired indus­
pouring rain, two Ross Poivers defies unable to mention in our last trial engineer from Barre, 64, has
days after his 1 9th gravity en route to issue: Ron Chiodi, snowboard­ climbed to the top of about 225. He
birthday, he became an Olympic bronze ing for Stratton Mountain, and,
plans his trips carefully, then sets off
the first male U.S. medal. Left, Ross and in freestyle skiing, )im Moran,
his mother, Nancy. early in the morning with altimeter,
snowboarder to win Stowe, and Evan Dybvig, Tun­
compass, map and other hiking
an Olympic medal bridge.
gear, and often hos to bushwhack
when he took third Although she had ■ In the 1998 Paralympics at
place in the halfpipe to take time off work Nagano, Vermont native Sarah his way up hills and mountains that
competition. to get a passport, Billmeier, an alpine skier who are so rarely climbed they com­
After welcome- packing was easy lost a leg to cancer as a child, pletely lack trails. He hopes to finish
home celebrations in because Nike had continued her winning ways, the job this summer and autumn.
southern Vermont, where Pow­ winter clothes waiting for her taking gold medals in downhill Odds are he will. George has already
ers was born and raised, he put in Japan. And when it seemed and slalom, a silver in the su­ hiked the Long Trail along Vermont's
his bronze medal in its blue she might miss the competition per C and a bronze in giant highest ridges from Massachusetts to
velvet box in a Londonderry because of trouble getting to slalom. the Canadian border — seven
bank so fans could examine it. the mountain, former ■ Bradford's main street is times, once in winter.
Then he got back to training. Olympian Billy Kidd, a Ver­ neat and pleasant, and to
Hard work seems to be the monter originally from Stowe, Travel & Leisure Magazine, it's
operative word in the Powers helped arrange VIP transporta­ an absolute gem. Travel & because Bradford is willing to
family. Ross's mother, Nancy tion. Leisure recently singled it out be itself. The magazine in­
Powers, has worked in food Through all the attention, as one of the 1 0 best main cluded Times Square and the
services for 20 years at nearby Nancy Powers remains proud­ streets in America, apparently (Continued on page 6)
Bromley Mountain ski area,
where Ross first started snow­ F arev/ell to a S k iin g F a th e r
boarding. For 10 years she
never saw her son compete ickey Cochran, the affable leader of the ski area became a Vermont tradition and a legend
because she worked during his skiing Cochran family of Richmond, died last that still hums along on weekends, introducing kids
weekend races. When Ross, March 14 at 74. to skiing and training young racers.
who rides for Stratton Moun­ His love for skiing and his fam­ Mickey Cochran (his name was
tain resort's pro team and ily’s devotion to the sport sent all really Gordon but few people called
Burlington's Burton Snow­ four of the Cochrans' children to him that) was a mechanical engi­
the Olympics and helped thousands $ neer by trade, and could often be
boards, headed for Japan,
of others — generations of young £ found overseeing the lifts at the ski
Nancy knew she couldn't af­
Vermonters — learn to ski. | area. He had been a three-sport
ford to go with him.
When Mickey Cochran and his | athlete at the University of Ver­
But through a series of kind wife, Ginny, put up a small rope < mont, but he was also fascinated
gestures that the Powers family tow on the slopes behind their | by ski technique, and a master at
will never forget, Nancy was house near the Winooski River in » analyzing and explaining it. He
there to see it ail. Without 1961, they did it to give their chil-1- coached local kids, worked with
telling Ross, his coaches con­ dren a place to train for ski racing. the UVM ski team and served as a
tacted Kentucky Fried Chicken But it wasn't long before their backyard became U.S. national team coach.
and CBS, which were organiz­ the neighborhood ski area. The Cochrans’ chil­ “The idea,” said daughter Barbara Ann Cochran
dren, Barbara Ann, Linda, Marilyn and Robert, [VL, Winter 1993), 1972 Olympic gold medalist in
ing a chartered flight. Nancy
went on to become greats in the ski world — na­ the slalom, “was always to concentrate on the skills
had less than an hour to de­
tional champions and Olympians — and the little and let the results take care of themselves.”
cide if she would be part of the
group.
SUMMER 1998
POSTBOY
Continued from page 5
Las Vegas Strip as other admirable
main streets, and said:"Bradford is so
ordinary it's extraordinary ... This is
the genuine article: bedrock, small­
town Main Street."
■ After 2M-year-old Justin Thomas died
suddenly of meningitis, his family de­
cided something positive would come
of the tragedy. So Roy and Michelle
Thomas set out to raise money to equip
a Rutland city park with new play­
ground facilities. With the help of
friends and local businesses, they raised
$30,000 in donations and were to in­
stall the new equipment in Madison
Street Park this spring.
Retire to Wake Robin where you will thrive on cultural opportunities,
intellectual challenges and new friends. Put down roots on a scenic 137
The 201st Bondville Fair
acre wooded site overlooking Lake Champlain. Enjoy the freedom to
W
pursue your special interests while you hen the 1998 Bondville Fair ar­
experience the peace of mind of rives this August 28-30, it will
on-site long-term health care. mark the continuation of an
Discover Wake Robin - a amazing run: The first Bondville Fair
beautiful place to grow. was held more than 200 years ago!
Vermont's Only Life Care
What must be among the longest
h'or information about our I- and 2-hedroom Retirement Community
apartnwntx and cottaf;es, call 1-HQ0-462-0H56. running rural fairs in the country was
200 Wake Robin Dr., Shelburne , VT 05482 first held in 1797 in the hills of the
Circle Reader Service Number 193 town of Winhall, just east of Manches­
ter.
Over the years, the fair has seen the
Introduci^ Timberpeg's full spectrum of events, from horse
races and vegetable judging to girlie
shows. It has expanded, too,- Floral FFall
BARN SERIES. was built in the 1920s, the Dance/Craft
Hall in the 1930s, a new pole barn in
1996 and a sugarhouse in 1997.
Simple elegance for the way
Among events the 1998 fair is likely
to feature: ox pulling, a pet show,
you've always wanted to live.
quilts, fiddlers, square dancers, farm
animals and a midway. This year's
That's the feeling of a Timberpeg schedule: Friday, noon-10 p.m.; Satur­
barn home, created with all the day, 10 a.m.-lO p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m.-
attention to detail and design for 5 p.m. Info: [phone].
which Timberpeg is famous.
You could be living the way Great While It Lasted
you've always wanted to live,
sooner than you think. To Vermonters, Lake Champlain
To find out more call or write has always been a great lake. That's
for our $15 design portfolio. why most were surprised when legisla­
MasterCard™ or VISA™ accepted. tion that officially designated Cham­
plain one of the Great Lakes caused
such a ruckus out in the Midwest.
TIMBERPEG' ^ Barn .Seric.s
It all began when Vermont's U.S.
Sen. Patrick Leahy inserted a single
The .Artisans of Post Beam. line defining Champlain as a Great
Box 1500, VL12, Lake into a bill funding the U.S. Sea
Claremont, NH 03743 [phone] Grant program. Leahy's aim was to
make Vermont organizations eligible
www.timberpeg.com
for federal research money.
But the move sent several Midwest-
6 • VERMONT LIFE
ern congressmen into orbit. They
protested loudly that Lake Champlain
was just too small to he Great. The
smallest of the Great Lakes is Lake
Ontario, with 7,430 square miles of
water. Lake Champlain covers only
490 square miles.
"If Lake Champlain ends up as a
Great Lake, I propose we rename it
Lake Plain Sham," declared Rep. Steve
LaTourette, R-Ohio.
After two weeks of outraged howls
from the Midwest, Congress approved
a compromise: Vermont would still he
eligible for the research money, but
Lake Champlain would relinquish its
short-lived moment of Greatness.
That seemed to suit everyone. At
press time, Lake Champlain was, once
again, only a very, very GOOD lake.
A B&B of Your Own
E
ver want a Vermont hed & break­
fast? No, not just a stay at one,
hut the whole thing — the huild-
ing, the business, the beds, the break­
fasts, the guests?
Now is your chance. In a contest
sponsored by Polaner All Fruit spreads,
the prize is the MacAuley House Bed
& Breakfast in the southwestern Ver­
mont town of Arlington — the whole
place.
To enter, complete in 50 words or
less the phrase: "Breakfast with
Polaner All Fruit is better because ..."
Entries due by August 1. For complete
information, call 1-800-544-5680.
After the initial judging, four final­
ists will square off at the inn over one
weekend to demonstrate why they are
the best qualified to win the whole
B&B. Dueling French toast?
<i> U P D A T E S ^
If you have a computer and want to
visit rural Vermont without leaving
your home, try a cyber visit to
www.ruralvermont.com. It received
the 1997 Best of the Web award for
Best Community Web Site.
The price for the newest edition of
the Vermont Old Cemetery Associa­
tion's Burial Grounds of Vermont \VL,
Spring 1998] is $29.95 postpaid, avail­
able from Charles Marchant, P.O. Box ROUTE 2, IK)X 279-28, DANVILLE, \'ER.MONT 05828
132, Townshend, VT 05353.
SUMMER 1998 -7
M a d e i n V e r m d n i
0
Master Bird Carver Floyd Scholz
Makes Wood Take Wing
Floyd Scholz , one of the top bird
sculptors in the world, took his
field research to new heights
when he tried sky diving to better un­
derstand the lives of birds of prey.
But the experience was typical of
the Hancock artist, a former All-Amer­
By Kathleen M. Mangan ican decathlon champion who is pas­
sionate about birds, obsessive about
accuracy and insistent on realism.
"Jumping gave me new insight on
Floyd Scholz in front of the Hancock
the perspective of a migrating hawk,"
schoolhouse that is his studio and the
says Scholz. "With nothing separating home of his Vennont Raptor Academy
you from the atmosphere, you experi­ carving school. Below, a golden eagle,
ence the sheer force of the wind and "Fragile Sovereignty."
gravity, the rush of acceleration and
the feeling of freedom." coast of Maine, counting puffin eggs,
In-depth research has been a hall­ banding birds and observing their
mark of Scholz's career, part of the rea­ habits. "I learned early in my career,
son he is a recognized master at cap­ you can't carve what you don't know,"
turing the intensity and drama of birds he says.
of prey in wood. When he got a pere­ This willingness to go to great
grine falcon commission, he volun­ lengths to better understand his sub­
teered for the Peregrine Fund, working jects is one of the qualities that has
in the hawk barns and assisting with put Scholz at the top of his profession.
autopsies at Cornell University to He is perhaps the most collectible and
learn more about the bird. He was also highest paid bird carver in the world,
among the volunteers who helped commanding up to $110,000 for life-
reintroduce peregrines in Vermont in sized eagles. Collectors pay S20,000 to
the early 1980s. $30,000 for a red-tailed hawk, $5,500
When he landed a commission to to $7,000 for a smaller American
carve a puffin, he volunteered for the kestrel and $2,500 for a black-capped
Puffin Project, spending weeks living chickadee. He is kept busy with nu­
in a lighthouse on an island off the merous commissions, and most of his