A Piece of Castleton History
Although Castleton University has much evolved since its inception in 1787, pieces of its history can be spotted throughout campus. The newest addition to the ever-growing Castleton archived collection is an authentic Civil War sword, recently donated to the university by William Leavenworth, a descendant of Abel Leavenworth, a prominent figure in Castleton history.
A Civil War veteran, Abel served as an officer in the 9th Vermont Infantry. In 1865 when the Confederate troops were forced to retreat from Richmond, Abel and his unit advanced to the city. Along the way Abel dropped everything he was carrying to lighten his load, except for his infantry sword, which he kept by his side.
It was not until shortly after in 1881 that Abel purchased Castleton and became Principal of the learning institution. Eventually he passed the sword on to his great, great grandson William Leavenworth, who has now decided to donate the piece of history back to university to be restored.
Andre Fleche, Associate Professor and Chair of the History, Geography, Economics and Politics department, was just one of many pleased to hear of the sword donation, especially knowing the rich history it carries.
“I think it’s really exciting to have this important piece of history back at Castleton. After all, it was one of the first infantry swords into Richmond,” Fleche said.
The sword will be on display in the Calvin Coolidge Library and available for public viewing later this semester. The piece will then be added to the large collection of antique pieces noting Castleton’s years of history.
“It’s a wonderful thing for Castleton to have because it’s an integral part of Castleton history,” said library director Sandra Duling.