Another candidate for the "Most Obscure" title...A bill to strike a half dollar "in commemoration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of Saint Johnsbury, Vermont" was introduced in the House of Representatives in April 1938 by Charles Albert Plumley (R-VT). As per standard procedure, the bill was immediately referred to the House Committee on Coinage, Weights, and Measures.
St. Johnsbury, VT is a small town in northeast Vermont; it is the County Seat of Caledonia County. At the time of the coin proposal, the town's population was ~9,500.
The land upon which the future town of St. Johnsbury would be established was originally part of a grant of 39,000 acres made by the Governor General of the Province of New York in March 1770 - the area was called Bessborough. Later the same year, in August, a second grant was made by the Province of New York. It was also of 39,000 acres and appears to have had some overlap with the Bessborough grant, including portions of the current St. Johnsbury. The grant named the area "Dunmore" in honor of Lord Dunmore (John Murray), the British Earl who was New York's colonial governor in 1770.
(Note: At the time, present-day Vermont was not yet independent and was under the jurisdiction of New York.)The town name of St. Johnsbury was formally established in 1786 when a grant by the State of Vermont was signed by Governor Thomas Chittenden - the grant specified that the tract of land was to be known as the "Township of St. Johnsbury." The grant's name specification was based on the existing, informal use of "St. Johnsbury" by local residents who had assigned the name in honor of Michel Guillaume St. Jean de Crevecoeur. Crevecoeur was French by birth, but became a naturalized American citizen and adopted the American name of "Mr. St. John;" he often prefixed "St. John" with the name "Hector" (i.e., Hector St. John).
Through his position as the French Consul in New York City - post 1783 Treaty of Paris - Crevecoeur became acquainted with George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Ethan Allen, among others. The name "St. John" was considered for the town, at the suggestion of Ethan Allen, but, after being presented to Crevecoeur, was changed to "St. Johnsbury" at his suggestion to avoid confusion with St. John, New Brunswick, Canada.
As with many 19th Century American towns, St. Johnsbury experienced growth and industrialization once it became accessible via a local railroad. In time, the town became a well-known manufacturing center for scales, maple sugar candy and candlepins (for bowling).
As the coin bill's language does not specify the date to appear on it, it's difficult to know for sure the bill's intentions. Was it meant to "catch up" on a 1936 anniversary (i.e., the 150th anniversary of the 1786 Vermont land grant)? Was it in preparation for the 1940 anniversary of the first formal town meeting at which 16 town officials were selected in 1790 (held at the home of Jonathan Arnold)? Some other anniversary - actual or misidentified? (Maybe the coin's design would have clarified things.)
The coin bill was never reported out of Committee or considered by the full House. As no companion bill was introduced in the Senate, the inaction in the House resulted in the bill dying for lack of action when the 75th Congress adjourned in June 1938.
While I'm sure St. Johnsbury is a fine town possessing genuine local pride, IMO it lacks national significance today - or in its past. Considering this, it isn't much of a surprise to learn that its coin proposal did not gain approval.
For more of my topics on commemorative coins and medals, including more What If? stories, see:
Commems Collection.
The historical notes on St. Johnsbury included above were based on original records as presented in:
Fairbanks, E. T. (Edward Taylor)., Daughters of the American Revolution. Vermont State Society. St. John de Crevecoeur Chapter, S. Johnsbury. (1914). The town of St. Johnsbury, Vt.: A Review of One hundred Twenty-five Years to the Anniversary Pageant 1912. St. Johnsbury: The Cowles Press.
The internet has many references to St. Johnsbury history with dates that do not align with official records - be careful!
Posted 12/12/2022 11:39 pm
