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Welcome to Quarry Hill's Blog!

Quarry Hill Creative Center in Rochester, VT, founded 1946 by Barbara and Irving Fiske, is Vermont's oldest alternative community and at one time was probably also its largest. In the 60s -80s, as many as 90 people lived here.
It was and is visited each year, often in summer (but in every season, really) by visitors from all over the world.
We welcome interesting and creative people who are peaceful, bring no weapons, don't believe in hitting children or killing animals, and enjoy the beauty of Vermont and of themselves.

Most of us do not adhere to any particular dogma or religion, though many do find Eastern philosophy closest to our own thought (some of us are also members of the Quakers/Society of Friends).
We value the individual, particularly people who are energetic and have a sense of humor.
Visitors are welcome-- and prospective residents, too. There are some places for rent, others for sale. If interested, get in touch!
And, please follow the Blog and comment whenever you like!

"The symbol is the enemy of the reality, and the reality is ever one's true guide, true friend, true companion, and true self." Irving Fiske, 1908-1990

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

IRVING  FISKE HAD NO NET WORTH!

Some "Celebrity" sites claim that Irving had between $100,000 and $14 MILLION when he died. 
He did not own anything. He never owned the land at Quarry Hill, which first belonged to my mother, Barbara Hall Fiske, and then to a family corporation, Lyman Hall, Inc.

 He had benefits from the government (social security, etc) and managed on almost nothing-- he had learned to do so during the Great Depression and preferred it. 

 He grew up in a very conventional, well-off  family who worked and made a lot of money. Irving did not enjoy this life and became a Boheman in the Village during the 1930s.
He wrote freelance articles and worked for the WPA, writing and editing the WPA Guide to New York City, as it is now called. 

 Irv shopped at thrift stores and wore very simple clothing. He had cloth shoes because he was a vegetarian verging on veganism.
He did observe the stock market and would sometimes invest small sums in commodities trading. This was fun for him, as his father had also been an "armchair investor," but it NEVER made him any dough.

He liked things to be simple.
He was NOT wealthy when he died.
There appears to be no way to correct these places which claim huge sums of mone for Irv. I would not be sorry if they were right-- but they aren't.

Ladybelle

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