Via Community News Service, in partnership with Vermont State University Castleton for the Rutland Herald.
Ray Mooney is a 40-year retired Rutland City firefighter turned collector of Rutland’s history through memorabilia, including photos, articles and scrapbooks. He now runs a Facebook group called “You’re From Rutland If …”, where he posts many of his findings on the city’s history. He spoke recently about his collection, his motivations, and his YouTube documentary series.
Q: What inspired you to make this group on Facebook about Rutland nostalgia?
A: Well, I didn’t create it. The group was created by a gentleman named Joey Garafano, and I think it was created around 2011. … Then I joined in 2013 because my daughter told me about the group. Of course, I had a wealth of pictures and information, so I became kind of the glory hog, I guess you would call it. Then around 2016, Joey contacted me and asked me if I’d like to be an administrator with him in this group, and I said absolutely. … Long story short, probably within six months after me joining, he died suddenly. He died in 2017 and as a result, I had to take the group over. So, I’ve been doing it since then, you know, full-time, for roughly eight years now.
Q: Do you have a favorite photo you’ve shared, and if so, why?
A: Oh good God, off the top of my head, no. I mean, there’s just so many over the years that, you know, there are many favorites. I mean, I was a fireman for 38 years, and so I had a lot of fire photos on it. Then I worked 18 years for funeral homes in the area. I didn’t put any pictures of those on it. It’s really hard to say a favorite.
Q: What was it like being a firefighter in Rutland for nearly four decades, and did that have an impact on you collecting nostalgia?
A: Yes, it actually did. I always wanted to work for the city fire department growing up. My dad was a police officer, so I had interactions with police and firemen when I was younger, and I fulfilled my dream in 1966. … A long story short is that my father wanted me to get a college education. … I got my degree in history (from the University of Vermont), and then I was a full-time fireman in 1969, but I worked from ’66 to ’69. On vacations, I used to cut classes and come down and work. … But anyways, I did what I wanted to do for 38 years. I enjoyed every minute of it. I don’t think I would’ve changed a thing. And then I retired in 2004.
Q: What’s the worst fire you’ve responded to?
A: The Townhouse. It was the Berwick Hotel then and they were remodeling it as the Townhouse Restaurant and Hotel. It caught fire on January 7, 1973. It burned all night into the next morning. Five people died and it was 20 below zero. We worked nonstop from roughly Saturday night into Monday night. I think we worked 48 hours nonstop, so that was probably the worst one.
Q: A lot of locals think they know a lot about Rutland history but tell me something about Rutland that would shock even those people?
A: Well, over the years, I guess I’ve told them a lot of things. I mean, there’s a history of the Rutland railroad, which a lot of younger people don’t even realize was down where Walmart is in the shopping plaza. That was the Rutland rail yard for 100 years, at least, and the Rutland railway was well known throughout New England as a passenger service and freight service. It was in operation until 1961. Then the buildings and the railroad station were torn down and the passenger service stopped. They built a smaller parking lot and then, over the years, the parking lot expanded. Then in 1966, the shopping plaza was built that is still there today, but a lot of people don’t realize that. I think there were 13 tracks, the railroad station, and many buildings. It was a big employer at the time. My grandfather actually worked there for 40 years. That’s probably one of those main things a lot of young people don’t realize.
Q: What does your family think of you hoarding local nostalgia?
A: My family or my wife? Yeah, she’s all right, don’t get me wrong, but I have totes in the garage and downstairs. I must have 10 or 12 totes of scrapbooks of old Rutland Heralds, of Rutland memorabilia, and stuff that I’ve collected over the years. And since I’ve been in the group, you don’t know how many people have sent me stuff. … I had a lady — and this is no exaggeration — call me up one day, probably four years ago, and said, “I have some old Rutland Heralds. Do you want them?” … This is no kidding, and she showed up with a pickup truck with about 10 or 12 bundles of papers. They went from Pearl Harbor, 1941, up to 1950. It was almost every Herald. My wife was ready to kill me because they smelled terrible.
Q: What’s your favorite episode of your YouTube vlog “Raymond Mooney’s Memories: Rutland and Pop Culture,” and why?
A: Long story short, which will be 10 minutes. I joined the (Rutland) Historical Society in 2014 …. I got on the board of directors for two years, and I met a gentleman who is on the board named Ben Burdge. He said to me, “Would you be interested in doing (a) thing about Rutland and growing up?” … What he did was, he put all my descriptions in chronological order with pictures of Rutland, pictures of me that I gave him, blah blah blah. So, then we went into more episodes, and I did a history of the fire department. Then we did a three-part series on dining establishments in Rutland …. We did a Christmas one, too, which is my favorite.
Q: Have you thought of writing a book about Rutland’s history?
A: No, I haven’t, to be honest, and I don’t know with my age if I’d even want to. You know, that’s quite a question. I mean, the history of Rutland, you can more or less find it here on the website. You can find it through the Herald. I really got nothing new to add to it, you know, other than my endeavors here with the group, but to answer your question. No, I never have thought of it. I don’t think I would want to, to be honest.