«The ground is pretty low in this area, don’t you reckon?»
«Your point?»
«My point… it’s a hole!»

That’s the first impression of Sawyerville by its first two founders, Edmund Heard and Josiah Sawyer, as conveyed by actors Don Atkinson and Austin Bailey. It’s in the first act of the Settler Story, a play about the first settlers of Sawyerville after the Abenaki, beginning with the proclamation of 1792 that offered land in the area to American immigrants.

Everyone in the audience who has ever had trouble getting cell phone reception in Sawyerville laughed appreciatively.
That was just one of many humorous moments during the two-act play by Kendra Parnell that had three performances in the Sawyerville Community Centre on February 17 and 18. As were the Sawyerville plays in previous years, Settler Story was a benefit for the Eaton Corner Museum, and was lovingly put on by an amateur cast and crew of some 40 local residents.

Parnell, a 19-year-old student at Bishop’s University and Sawyerville resident, researched, wrote, directed and produced the play. «We thought she did an amazing job,» said Linda Hoy, board member of the Eaton Corner Museum. «She’d done her research – the information was correct. The work she put into it was amazing.»

The play tells how the settlers came north from Canaan, Vermont. They first stopped in what is now the Newport Municipality, but then corrected their destination to near the present-day dam in Sawyerville, within Cookshire-Eaton. The play tells how they formed a community, supported each other, and survived 1816 when winter lasted all year. That entailed a 20-day round trip to Montreal to sell hides and other goods. The play closes with a traditional dance party.

More than 300 persons attended the performances and applauded their appreciation. Some among them were descended from one of the 31 settler families, with names such as Heard, Heyes, Bayley, Powers, Alger or Laberee. A photo and PowerPoint presentation by Linda Hoy was available during intermission, offering more historical information about the settlers and their descendants. Hoy hopes to publish the presentation on CD for sale at the Museum at a later date.

Besides Atkinson and Bailey, the troupe included narrators Kendra Parnell and Alyssa Rothney. Lynn Rothney brought three different roles to life, and Marlene Lowry played a personable Betsy Powers. Some 24 other adults and children played various settlers and family members. Music was by Ronnie Haseltine and Wayne Alden, set design by Denis Palmer, sound and lighting by Steve Coates, and costumes by Serena Wintle and Sharron Rothney.