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This biggest impression I was left with from this day is how a small community can come together.  Fifty firefighters were willing to give up their free time on a Sunday.  These are volunteers, some make a very minimal stipend for hours put in, barely past minimum wage, maybe it covers their gas.  They don’t do it for the money. The scene- a house over 200 years old had to come down, was going to be demolished anyway.  It provided experience in a real house with a real fire but with the added insurance that it was planned, staged, with many helpers there to make sure no one got into trouble. As I got out of my car upon arrival, I walked by a couple of firefighters in full gear who had just come out, red-faced, sweaty on a 19-degree day.  They had just been inside, in the dark (windows had been covered to simulate nighttime), in a smoky house with a goal of finding their way to a certain room for a rescue.  For some of these firefighting trainees it was their first time in this kind of situation.  This is hard to simulate.  But here was a real house with stairs, and hallways and doors. This day took months to plan for Fire Chief Dana Williams, Retired Fire Chief Tim Angell, and Joe Angell- in charge of fire training.  Many others from the Randolph Center Fire Department along with neighboring departments put in time on previous days setting up the house, arranging some rooms with beds and other furniture, boarding up windows, making stairwells safe, blocking off unsafe structures in sections of the house. I put in time on paperwork for the state and sending out certified notices to 56 neighbors (within a half mile) to inform them of the burn. Eric and Lev from Henderson Excavation were there to help manage the fire using their excavator and to push debris into the cellar hole. Another impression from the day was calm, knowledgeable firefighters keeping a fire contained.  No chaos.  But there in the background was a blaze so hot you could feel it from 100’ away.  Firefighters managed hoses from pumper trucks being filled by what looked like a swimming pool sitting at the base of the driveway. Ultimately the house came down very quickly once it caught.  Maybe 2-3 hours and it was gone.  Though I am glad to have a safer situation now (instead of a house whose floors could collapse if someone ventured inside without permission), having it gone makes me want to rebuild sooner rather than later.  I want that white house back on the hill.

I have been fortunate to work with the Randolph Center, Vermont firefighters.  They have been appreciative of the (rare they say) opportunity to have a house donated for fire training. Being volunteers and busy people in their regular lives, I have appreciated their willingness to work with me.  I should go back and count the number of emails we have exchanged when the process started back at the beginning of October 2023. I started by approaching the town of Randolph Fire Department, just because I had seen the fire station in Randolph and assumed that was the one fire department in town.  I went to their door and knocked, then sat in their parking lot and called, leaving a message. I have learned a lot since then. Randolph Center’s fire station is on Furnace Road in Randolph Center, so even though they are set back from the main road, just beyond Floyd’s Store, they are very much a fully-functioning fire department. Read this interesting article from the Randolph Herald newspaper to see how the road got the name Furnace Road: https://www.ourherald.com/articles/ye-olde-langevin-house/ I have worked with Tim Angell, now retired Chief (I’m hoping I wasn’t a contributing factor) and his son Joe Angell who is in charge of fire training, and current chief Dana Williams.  All wonderful, smart, polite, hard-working fire fighters, as their sign above the station says- “We bust ours to save yours.” They invited me up to one of their Monday night regular meetings at the station.  Entering the door at the front, you pass by resting large engines, lockers with firefighter gear, all of the usual stuff I had seen at my son’s station in Greenfield, MA where he is a Captain.  It’s still impressive to those of us in the general public.  It is still awe-inspiring that there are those who will risk their lives with fire to help others. As a little kid, my son looked up to firefighters, now his daughter does the same.  But then again, this is her Daddy.  He’d be a hero no matter what. I received a friendly welcome at that meeting in Randolph.  We exchanged introductions.  Some of the firefighters brought their kids along.  This is real life.  We sat around a big table and had a chance to ask any questions we might have.  How many firefighters will be involved?  Fifty!  There are trainees from (the former) VTC, including women.  Randolph Center, East Randolph, Town of Randolph, and Brookfield will be involved. I provided them with the required paperwork I had filled out for the state agencies thus far, and a floor plan of the house.  I forgot to snap a photo, so I barged back in for that.  They were nice enough to accommodate me, even though I’m sure it isn’t ‘their thing.’ I headed  back down the road towards Massachusetts as they continued on with their general business. In February on a Sunday, I met with a smaller group of the same firefighters to tour the house. I pointed out where the two houses are separating and they agreed that the hidden passageway between the two houses would be off limits. In fact, after discovering a broken beam in the basement under the fireplace room and a floor that can make you seasick, they will make that entire “2nd House” off limits.  As they said, “we don’t want anyone getting hurt.” Whereas I was planning on emptying the house completely, they find it more useful for training if there can be some furniture, so the couch along with some beds and other wooden furniture can stay. I have been traveling up to the house about once a week all winter and now I have the very last items out of the house to be saved.  I have mostly traveled alone. My husband, the real Cooley, has been busy being a full time professor and Assistant Department Head at UMass, Amherst. Two hours up/two hours back.  Stop in Ascutney for decadent treats. I am so excited about these doors having the very same doorknobs on them that many relatives have touched over the years.  They will go in the new house. I am looking for someone who knows how to make windows from scratch.  I want to create a long narrow eyebrow window with the old wavy glass from these windows for a view to the sunset on the west side of the new house. We'll be looking through the same glass that others in the family looked through. Now, tomorrow is the big day. I am excited as one would be when you have put in a lot of effort and planning, but also dreading it.  I don’t want the house to be gone.  I don’t want an empty spot there on that sweet little rise in the yard. I'm sorry.

Henderson Excavation & Hauling is taking the metal roof off. Before: During: Done with the back side: I am fascinated with the work that an excavator is able to do...it is weirdly fine-motor type of work and yet powerful in its reach and the weight it can handle.

Our son is a firefighter so we know how important training and experience is for firefighters to stay safe, for firefighters to save structures.  In most of Vermont, firefighters are volunteers who are willing to put their lives on the line for your house. We have donated the Ridge Road house to the local fire department for fire training.  Since the house has to be demolished, this will help give something positive to the community with the loss of the house. Randolph Center, East Randolph, Randolph Village and Brookfield firefighters will conduct a fire training exercise on Sunday, February 25th. I know this will be hard for family.  But even though it is more dramatic than a typical demolition, the end result is the same.  Even though the original house will be gone, the memories will still be there.  A house as close to the original as possible will be rebuilt. Volunteer firefighters in Randolph will have the opportunity to train at the Ridge Road house. Our son was trained at the Massachusetts Fire Academy. Here is the process I went through to donate the house for fire training: Contact your local fire department to see if they are interested in a donation of your building for firefighter training Read about regulations- Agency of Natural Resources, Department of Environmental Conservation.  All forms needed are also available at this link: https://dec.vermont.gov/air-quality/compliance/fire-training Before a training can take place: Asbestos Testing & Removal A few months prior to the controlled burn This was done by former owners Megan & Peter in June 2023 Assess the building for presence of asbestos by an asbestos consultant with an official inspection. You can find a list of available asbestos contractors or consultants via the link above under “licensed asbestos contractor.” This project used: K-D Associates, Inc. 41 IDX Drive, Suite 209 South Burlington, VT 05403 802 862-7490 They did comprehensive evaluation and testing of many surfaces, inside and out in the house (any possible asbestos-containing surfaces). Any surface found to contain a certain concentration of asbestos they will recommend be removed. This project used Henderson Excavation as the project monitor to submit paperwork documenting the removal. (The project monitor cannot be the contractor removing the asbestos.) Contact a licensed asbestos abatement or removal contractor.  A list of licensed contractors can be found in the link above. This project used: Mid-State Asbestos PO Box 77 Roxbury, VT 05669 802 485-4892 Plan for removal of as many items as possible from the building.  The Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation, Air Quality and Climate Division in Montpelier, VT prefers that “asphalt materials, vinyl, rubber, plastic, materials containing asbestos, pressure treated wood, carpeting, linoleum, and other synthetic materials, siding or trim coated with lead paint and any mercury containing fluorescent bulbs, thermostats and switches must be removed to the greatest extent possible from any structure to be burned to reduce the generation of toxic air pollutants and heavy smoke.” As long as you attempt to move as much as is practical and check with the fire department, the VT Dept. of Environmental Conservation relies on the firefighters to determine what works best for them. We are removing the metal roof before the fire training so it doesn’t trap the fire or fall into the building.  The underlying wooden roof can remain.  We are removing all metal objects as much as possible from the house, along with any appliances. The firefighters we worked with prefer some typical household items remain in the house so that training mimics real life situations, so we are leaving some (minimal) furniture. About a month prior to the demolition: Get a town demolition permit Fill out application with fee payment, $50, in the town of Randolph, via the Zoning Administrator, Town Hall Post the permit so it can be seen from the road Wait the required 16 days before the permit is valid 21- 14 days prior to controlled burn (notices must arrive at the correct addresses 14 days prior): Send fire training notices to any residents within a ½ mile of the location of the controlled burn. The Fire Chief signed a short memo that announced the fire training location and date.  I made copies of this memo to send out. I used GIS maps to determine which neighbors were within ½ mile radius of our house and get appropriate addresses. (NOTE- a surprising 56 residences were found to be within a ½ mile of the house so this can be a big project) Suggestion- use certified mail to document the mailing notices (~ $6.00/address) 14 days prior to controlled burn: Send a Fire Training Notification Form to Department of Environmental Conservation Air Quality and Climate Division Davis Building – 4th Floor One National Life Drive Montpelier, VT  05620-3802 Telephone: (802) 338-2047 email: brian.monroe@vermont.gov 10 days prior to the controlled burn: The testing report (or pre-demolition inspection report) and a copy of the asbestos removal documentation via a form called Notification of Demolition (from the Vermont Department of Health, Environmental Health, Asbestos and Lead Regulatory Program, 108 Cherry Street, P.O. Box 70, Burlington, VT 05402) a copy must be submitted to the VT Dept of Health.  Special NOTE:  Under section II. Type of Operation check off Fire Training. Send the original Notification of Demolition to: Demo/Reno Notifications U.S. EPA, Region 1 5 Post Office Square, Suite 100 (OES05-4) Boston, MA 02109-3912 At least a week before the controlled burn: Contact the local Fire Warden to acquire a burn permit. https://anrweb.vt.gov/FPR/vtFPR/FireWardenDirectory.aspx This was handled by the local firefighters for our project. Make sure you don’t have any insurance on the house structure. Meet with firefighters to tour the house, I also provided them with floor plans of the house. Since the house is not all-natural wood, the firefighters will use self-contained breathing apparatus. The day of the training, the firefighters plan on being at the site from 7 AM until 5 PM.  They will not leave the site until it is cold.  They will work with Eric Henderson, excavator, to use his help to direct objects into the fire. Eric Henderson, after the fire, will dispose of all ash and residues properly as solid waste. He estimates this will take him about a week or two after the fire training demolition.  Our demolition permit allows two months for cleanup.  The cellar hole must be filled in properly for safety reasons.

Thank you Charles for everything <3 Here is Charles H. Cooley in his 60s at the Ridge Road house.

Thank you to Jim, my niece Myra's husband for working hard and saving items. It's cool because he remembers coming to the barn there with Charles and trimming Charles's Morgans (including what became my horse Lexa). Before windows: After windows: Before windows: After windows: Pine boards saved from upstairs hallway:

Mostly I went up to the house today to rescue all of Charles’s horse tack.  I am hoping it will see more use. I will offer it to anyone who thinks they can use it.  Rachel from my boarding barn in Hatfield may come by.  Two trunks of leather goods and another pile that would fit in more trunks if I had them. Mostly it is harnesses for use with the sleigh or a cart. 14 days and counting for Day 1 of Demolition, so anything that can be saved is a plus.  The house is mostly empty now. I almost filled the truck just with the horse tack and had to place a door teetering a bit on top- it’s the beloved Secret Passageway door.  I left a couple more doors behind for now that I couldn’t fit in the truck. I also tried my hand at more salvaging.  It’s amazing the tasks that I have no problem with, but then one small screw that won’t turn, can throw me into a deep disgruntled state. I have so much respect for those who can handle tools and know how to tackle a job.  Tap, tap, in goes the pry bar neatly under a piece of door jamb that should be lifted.  Looks like butter.  Creak, creak, out pops the wood, exposing the item to be removed.  (That is me imagining how it’s done, not me in real life.) I am glad my niece’s husband Jim will save some windows tomorrow.  Anything from the old place that can live on, that’s a plus.

I have been reading about Maple sugaring on the Cooley Farm back in the 30s. Harry says this, "I have had to empty my filters several times from the sugar sand which seems to be more abundant than usual. I take this to be a sign that it will be a good sugar season. Inside each heavy felt filter bag I have put a handmade bag of heavy cotton flannel, which catches much of the sand and can be emptied and rinsed without disturbing the big filters." This should give you a hint on one of the mystery items displayed. I wonder if one of these actual items survived from the 30s?!

Thank you to Eric Henderson for his work. Didn't it rain today?! Before photos: After photos (thank you Peter Cooley):

Tomorrow the 'garage tree' will come down along with a rotting Maple near the north west side of the house and an Ash tree behind the kitchen. Soon the metal roof will come off. Also, boxes of junk are coming out of the house.

Randolph Center Ridge Road in 1992, taken by Charles H. Cooley The view in the background...did those horses know how lucky they were? Charles's Morgan venture with Suzanne Royalty, aka Suzie, and her 4 year old Fern Hill Alexandra aka Lexa (named after my son and Charles's grandson Alexander Shepard Cooley). Two important things Charles gave us: #1 this tractor now helps us on our mini Cooley Farm in Leverett, MA. In the photo below it was pretty new, ~1989 Randolph Center with Alex ~age 4 getting to try it out. #2 He gave me Lexa <3 Here he is lunging her for me in Amherst, MA ~ 2008, she was about 20 years old at this point. I had so much fun with her for the next 5 years. Truly an exceptional Lippitt Morgan; she taught me so much and Charles gave me a huge compliment when he said "you have done the most with her of anybody with your riding." I was crushed when she died in 2013. Still the best present anyone has ever given me.

This is an undated photo but may be around 1990 based on photos around it in the album (but may be earlier). You can see the house is in better shape ~34 years ago. The two houses appear to be still well attached. Tulips in the garden, a bird feeder, tools next to the front door. The photo below is from 1995. Charles is with his new baby- Haley a colt out of his beloved Morgan Suzie (also in the photo). My son Alex was 10 and is here with his new Lab puppy Meg.