The Pioneer Trail at East Hereford Neil Tillotson
NEIL TILLOTSON
1898-2001
Neil Tillotson was born in 1898 and grew up in Beecher Falls, Vermont. His parents announced their separation when he was 16 years old. He left the family home to work in Boston, at a rubber company called Hood Rubber.
The war was underway, and Neil happened to attend military manoeuvres by the 7th Cavalry Company. He promptly left his job at the factory to sign up, and spent the next two years on horseback fighting Pancho Villa along the Mexican border! When he returned, he resumed his employment at the factory before transferring to the company’s research department. His bosses were thrilled by several of his innovations. In 1931, during the Great Depression, Hood Rubber closed down for two weeks. This period of unemployment proved inspirational for Neil and, with the help of his family, he invented a balloon with cat ears thanks to a latex-dipped cardboard mould. That same year, he sold five million balloons, netting a $5,000 profit.
Five years later, in 1937, he founded his own business in larger facilities. After the Second World War, his range of products expanded to include latex sheets and baby diapers. The Tillotson company devised a number of innovative processes at its facilities.
In 1954 Neil Tillotson acquired the Balsams Grand Resort in Dixville Notch, at an auction.
In 1964 Tillotson had Dixville Notch incorporated so that the town’s residents could vote on site, and introduced midnight voting.
At 92 years old, he invented nitrile medical gloves. At age 100, he was still shuttling back and forth between his headquarters in Boston and his home in Dixville Notch.
He died in 2001, at the age of 102, bequeathing the bulk of his fortune to philanthropic initiatives. Tillotson was dedicated to the development of local communities, here in Coaticook as well as in New-Hampshire, Vermont and Guatemala. Movers and shakers on this side of the Canadian border came together to create the Hereford Community Forest, which oversees the conservation in perpetuity of the 5,600 ha of forest it acquired with Tillotson Farms and Forests (http://forethereford.org/)
GPS : 45.046650 N, -71.534220 O
ADDRESS : 325 chemin des Côtes (corner of Owen Road), East Hereford
The voices of yesteryear at the heart of our landscapes
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The Pioneer Trail is proud to present its latest addition, Neil Tillotson, whose larger-than-life personality and story do not disappoint. When you visit his cutout statue in East Hereford, you can also make your way up Mount Hereford. Tillotson owned the land on which the mountain lies, and donated it to the community upon his death. Tillotson even has a trail named after him: the Neil-Tillotson Hiking Trail.
Hikers can go right up to the summit of mont Hereford . A number of sports are practiced here, including mountain skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and hunting and fishing. No matter your interests, the mountain has something to offer for everyone!
Enjoy a CHARMING and CULTURALLY REWARDING
journey on our lovely roads!