Dana Smith Family of Barre
No. 9 Papers, 1884-1921
MSA 658-659
Introduction
This collection contains photographs and papers related to the Dana H. Smith
family of Barre, Vermont, and the No. 9 Lonely Hearts Club operated by Mr. Smith in
the 1910s. These papers were donated to the Vermont Historical Society by Velma
Smith, daughter of Ely Smith and granddaughter of Dana Smith. The collection is stored
in two archival flip top boxes and consumes .75 linear foot of shelf space.
Biographical Notes
Dana H. Smith was born in Montpelier, Vermont, ca. 1858, the son of Samuel and
Adeline (Fadden) Smith. He married May Burnham on August 15, 1878 in Montpelier,
Vermont. They had two children: Ely Goddard (1881-1969) and Perley (b. 1887). He and
May lived apart most of their married life and at some point they divorced. He built No.
9, which initially functioned as his home, on Route 302 in East Barre, Vermont. The
structure was distinctive not only because Dana constructed it and nearly all its
furnishings himself, but also because it was built into a hillside (hence its later name, the
"Dugout"). No. 9 functioned as a tourist attraction and according to newspaper coverage
from the time was visited by 26,000 people in the six-year period from 1913-1919. It
later evolved into a "Get acquainted club for those who are lonely" (a lonely hearts club,
equivalent to a singles bar at the time).
Ely Goddard Smith (July 22, 1881 – January 1969) was born in Montpelier,
Vermont, and was the son of Dana H. Smith and May Burnham Smith. He worked as a
machinist and skilled laborer in various capacities throughout Vermont and New
Hampshire. He was married twice, first to Edith Roberts in 1911, by whom he had a
daughter named Velma; and then after being widowed, to Delia Holmes in 1917. There is
no record of any children from his second marriage.
Delia Holmes Smith (March 25, 1895 – July 1987) was born in Worcester,
Vermont, and was the second wife of Ely Smith. She kept extensive scrapbooks of
newspaper clippings (included in this collection).
Scope and Content Note
The materials included in this collection fall into two broad categories: personal
materials related to the Smith family (primarily to Ely Smith and his wife, Delia) and
records related to the operation of the No. 9 tourist attraction and to other business
dealings of Dana and Ely Smith. These materials are grouped accordingly and arranged in
reverse chronological order.
Vermont Historical Society • Barre 05641-4209
Dana Smith Family Records
Page 2
The collection of personal materials encompasses the following: postcards,
including several from Ely Smith to his mother May, another to Delia Holmes Smith
from her mother (prior to Delia's marriage), one to Ely Smith from an unknown sender,
and another to Velma Smith from an unknown sender; a photograph of the Montpelier
Area Guitar and Banjo Club from 1911-12, with Ely and Edith Smith pictured last on the
right in the back row; a scrapbook compiled Delia Holmes Smith consisting of newspaper
clippings (primarily poetry and essays); and invitations for Ely Smith to attend social
events in North Calais, Vermont, and Providence, Rhode Island. The collection also
includes two autograph books, one belonging to Gracie Benjamin, the wife of Ely Smith's
best friend, and the other to a Cora E. Wheeler of Woodbury, Vermont.
The collection of business materials encompasses the following: a license plate
registry for No. 9, detailing the license number, point of origin, and date for automobiles
stopping at the club; two photos of Dana H. Smith with No. 9 in the background; a guest
registry for No. 9 as well as bills, mortgages, IOUs and receipts related to No. 9; Ely
Smith's record book detailing skilled labor he undertook from 1899-1906, which included
work for the Montpelier Railroad Company, the Forest Granite Co., Fletcher Granite Co.,
and Woodbury Granite Co. (at which he worked with granite used for the Pennsylvania
State House); and lastly, a record book kept by Dana Smith of business dealings prior to
No. 9, with newspaper clippings later added by Delia Smith.
Inventory
I. Personal
MSA 658:01
02
03
04
05
06
Ely Smith, Smith Family Postcards
_____, Photo of Montpelier Area Guitar and Banjo Club
Delia Homes Smith, Scrapbook
Ely Smith, Social Invitations
Gracie Benjamin, Autograph Book
Cora E. Wheeler, Autograph Book
II. Business
MSA 659:01
02
03
04
05
Dana Smith, License Plate Registry for No. 9
_____, Photos of No. 9, Dana Smith
_____, No. 9 Guest Registry
Ely Smith, Record Book
Dana Smith, Record Book with Scrapbooking by Delia Smith
Emma Moros
November 2012
Number9.doc
Vermont Historical Society • Barre 05641-4209