The Missing Cauldron

In the summer of 2019 I discovered a very decrepit, enormous cast iron cauldron/kettle, or what was left, about half of it, in the woods behind the barn, near the last power pole. It had been covered in forest debris for the ages; early Vermont settlers used these kinds of kettles for boiling sap to make maple syrup.  It was a piece of this land, of the people who came long before us and the lives they led. It had stories to tell. I’m enamored by old things, especially ones which touch my connection with this land that I love. So, as we are a family that repurposes things, I talked with my brothers about using it as a flower pot of sorts. We came to no conclusions…the side would have to be rebuilt - handy to have a metal worker in the family. We’d have to figure out how to lift the beast…surely not by man power alone. A project for another year.  The following spring that project evaporated as the cauldron had disappeared. I wasn't so devastated by the thing itself, although I did feel a part of Squabetty’s history was gone.  The thing that hurt the most was that someone thought it was okay to take it…without asking. And for that there is no excuse. Six years later (2026) and I still think about that kettle…gone but certainly not forgotten. 

In 2021, shortly after we discovered the caldron was missing, we worked on a totally different project - making stair risers into the spines of books leading to the MapRoom/Library/Studio. A fun project for a bunch of us to work on during the summer visit. I put out a call to all Deane descendents for book titles they thought would be fitting for the project. The inbox flooded with titles - classics and books that touched us. The first response was Harry Potter and the Missing Cauldron. BINGO. It was perfect!   We decided on titles and designed the spines to replicate the real ones. If the spine was unappealing or we couldn't find one, we used elements from covers and created our own. That summer talented family members drafted the wood kick plates - two to three books per riser. We all painted them. It was a project that tied together multiple Deane generations, our love of books and creative art projects with a Squabetty mystery thrown in. 

Yesterday, 10/13/26, we got an inquiry from Sean through our website: My family recently stayed at the house. I was looking at the book spines painted on the steps up to the Map Room, which included "Harry Potter and the Missing Cauldron". No such book exists. I was wondering if maybe that was a private in-joke? Or possibly a reference to a piece of fanfiction? :) The fact that it had "HT Deane" at the top made me think it might be a joke. 

So Sean, now you know the rest of the story. *

Clearly someone lifted our kettle with an intent - not to throw it in the trash.  If anyone reading this knows anything about our missing cauldron, please let us know. We hope whomever took it would kindly return this piece of history to its rightful home.  I should have written about this years ago. This I know. But I am now. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Thanks Sean for asking. 

• Paul Harvey, The Rest of the Story