Castleton was holding an agricultural fair on this day in 1819, one of the first in the state. The idea of agricultural fairs was beginning to take hold and the Rutland County Agricultural and Manufacturing Society organized for just such purposes.

The highlight of the Castleton event was a plowing demonstration...not so much for the plowing, but for the claims regarding the man behind the oxen.

Henry Francisco, it was said, “bore arms at the time of Queen Anne’s coronation” back in 1702! Francisco’s age on this day in 1819 was purported to be 137 years old!

Historic image courtesy Vermont Historical Society