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Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
The Centennial bell
The Troy Times has the following description of the new bell which is to be cast for Independence Hall, Philadelphia:
Meneely & Kimberley of this city, who are making a bell of 13,000 pounds for the tower of Old Independence Hall in Philadelphia...have received permission to select several cannon from those now in store at the W[?] Arsenal, to be cast in the bell. [A short article follows].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
The Caledonians at Lake Pleasant
There was not the anticipated crowd at the Tournament of the Springfield Caledonian Society at Lake Pleasant on Wed. Special trains were run up from the South and from the east on the Fitchburg road, but many of the cars were nearly empty. The lake has had its attractions for the season, and people are now holding on to the spare coppers for the needs of approaching winter.
But few of the Caledonians were in full costume, yet the advertised programme was carried out, and the day’s sports were by no means a fizzle. The Fitchburg Band and Russell’s orchestra furnished the music, and the following were the successful winners in the principle athletic feats:
In the three-legged race, in which the competitors race in pairs with a leg of each tied to that of his comrade, Richard Harvey of Easthampton and Paul Fitzgerald of Shelburne Falls took the first prize of $6, and Hutchins and Wilson took the second of $3.
In the Hop, Skip and Jump contest, Thomas O’Donald of Northampton proved the best man, clearing 38 feet, and took the first prize of $5; and P. Sullivan of Ftichburg, who cleared 37 1/2 ft. took the 2nd prize of $2."Putting heavy stone" was a trial of strength of throwing a 16 lb. iron ball; John Purcell of Florence threw it 41 1/2 ft.and won the 1st prize of $6; Patrick Purcell of Florence, who threw it 31 ft. 4 inches, had the 2nd prize of $3.
Dancing the Highland Fling in costume was an interesting feature,George Bothwick of Boston taking the 1st prize of $6, and W.G.Smith of Boston the 2nd of $3. Tossing the caber ( a 12 ft. stick of lumber) was won by John Purcell who threw it 30 ft. 1 inch, receiving $5, and E.R. McCormick of Florence came next, and received $3.
In vaulting with a pole, Richard Harvey cleared a perpendicular jump of 8 ft. 7 inches and took the 1st prize of $5, and P. Purcell took the 2nd of $3. In the mile foot race, P. Sullivan of Fitchburg made the best time and took the 1st prize of $10, and E. Wilson was 2nd, and took the prize of $5.
There was a hurdle race, which was quite an exciting affair; R. Harvey took the 1st money, $6, and __ Hitchcock, the 2nd, $3. There were 4 contestants in the swimming match. The course was from the gent’s bath house to the landing. F.M.Sweeney of Worcester took the 1st prize of $15, and G.H. Crocker of Fitchburg the 2nd, of $10.
The single scull race was the great event of the day. There were 4 entries, and the course was the length of the lake and back. It was a close and exciting contest. John E. Brown of Worcester won the race and the 1st money, $40; Daniel McSweeney of Fitchburg came in 2nd, for $30; Jerry Callahan of Springfield came in 3rd and received $15.
Some boys caused no little sport in the tub race, where they were frequently capsized. The games were continued until the departure of the trains at night.
by the Indians of Bloody Brook, occurred on Sat. the 18th, and was celebrated by services of commemoration at S. Deerfield on Fri. the 17th. Held in connection with the celebration was the Sixth Annual Field meeting of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association...We doubt if ever South Deerfield witnessed such an influx of strangers as thronged to her beautiful streets on this pleasant morning. From a radius of many miles they came...
(For a complete account of the event, please see p. 283+ of Google Books 'History and proceedings of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association'].
[The account itself takes up 4 long columns in the paper, so please take advantage of the Google Books account!]
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 20, 1875
Oration of Hon. George B. Loring at Bloody Brook, Sept. 17, 1875
Oration of Hon. George B. Loring at Bloody Brook, Sept. 17, 1875 - Fellow citizens: 200 years ago an event occurred on this spot, which on account of its significance and its touching details, has passed into that long heroic line over which the mind of man is compelled to pause and ponder...At the name of Bloody Brook the men, women, and children of New England started and held their breath in horror, in that primeval time when the sickening tidings were borne on the wings of the wind as it were from hamlet to hamlet...
The sad event of the 18th of September 1675, calls upon us still to remember the trials through which our fathers passed and to rejoice over that fraternal spirit which bound them together in their day of sorrow, and watered the soil of this charming valley with the choicest blood of the sons of Essex. I stand on ground made sacred to you by the sacrifices of your hardy and devoted progenitors; but I meet here the names of Lothrop and Stevens and Hobbs and Manning and Dodge and Kimball and Trask and Tufts and Mudge and Pickering, of the three-score braves who died that you might possess this goodly land and these pleasant homes...
How would they who were familiar with the cruel warfare of the savage; whose ears had heard the shrieks of the tortured mother mingling with the groans of her dying child, and whose eyes had beheld her fear, her patience and her despair; whose highway was an Indian trail, and whose home was a frontier block-house - how would they rejoice over these sunny fields, these laughing harvests, these busy towns, these tasteful homes, this cultivated landscape adorned with these institutions of learning and religion; and how would they count their own sufferings but small when compared with the manifold blessings which have descended upon the spot made sacred with their blood?
...Deerfield two centuries ago, was on the very confines of civilization - one of the outposts of a feeble Christian people, who had hardly a foothold on this continent, and between whom and the strongholds of power and wealth and learning, rolled 3000 miles of stormy and almost unknown sea. The fate of a great and wide spread empire rested then in the hands of a few colonists scattered along the Atlantic seaboard, divided in interests and tastes, perishing continually from exposure and want, not all actuated by the highest motives, but all recognizing, as by an unerring instinct, the fundamental principle out of which was to grow the American government, and all in danger of being exterminated at any time by the "pestilence which walketh in darkness and the destruction which wasteth at noonday".
Scattered up and down the great extent of territory stretching from the Passamaquoddy Bay to the capes of Florida were but about 200,000 souls, of whom Massachusetts, with Plymouth and Maine, may have had 44,000; New Hampshire and Rhode Island, with Providence each 6000; Connecticut from 17,000 to 20,000; that is, all New England, 75,000...
These people had come largely from that "Germanic race most famed for the love of personal independence". They were not men of high estate, but they were men who possessed an inherent love of land, with all the individual honor and freedom which go along with it...
Of one colony said "Spotswood, a royalist, a High churchman, a traveler", "I have observed here less swearing and profaneness, less drunkenness and debauchery, less uncharitable feuds and animosities, and less knaverys and villanys than in any part of the world where my lot has been"...
In all their customs they were obliged to exercise the utmost simplicity and they voluntarily regulated their conduct by those formal rules, which, in their day, constituted the Puritan’s guide through the world. We are told, as an illustraton of their character and manners, that by the laws of the Plymouth Colony, in 1651, "dancing at weddings was forbidden". In 1660, one William Walker was imprisoned one month for courting "a maid without the leave of her parents".
In 1675, because "there is manifest pride appearing in our streets", the "wearing of long hair or periwigs", and so "superstitious ribands, used to tie up and decorate the hair were forbidden under severe penalty"; the keeping of Christmas was also forbidden "because it was a popish custom". In 1677 an act was passed "to prevent the profaneness of turning the back upon the public worship before it was finished and the blessing pronounced".
Towns were directed to erect a cage near the meeting house, and in all this all offenders against the sanctity of the Sabbath were confined. At the same time children were directed to be placed in a particular part of the meeting house, apart by themselves, and tything-men were ordered to be chosen, whose duty it shall be to take care of them. So strict were they in their observance of the Sabbath that "John Atherton, a soldier of Col. Tyng’s Company", was fined 40 shillings for wetting a piece of an old hat to put into his shoes, which chafed his feet on the march; and those who neglected to attend meeting for 3 months were publicly whipped.
Even in Harvard College students were whipped for gross offenses in the Chapel, in presence of students and professors, and prayers were had before and after the infliction of the punishment. As the settlers of Deerfield are described as being of "sober and orderly conversation", we may suppose that these laws and customs were here rigidly enforced.
[Here follows a section on "subsistence and diet of your ancestors". Also talks about how they were good farmers, fishermen and readers]...
...Possessed evidently of a common origin, for "between the Indians of Florida and Canada the difference was scarcely perceptible", they were divided into tribes, which differed from each other mainly in their fighting capacity, and the vigor with which they roamed from place to place; and they were liable at any time to be swept off by disease, or exterminated by war, or absorbed by other and more powerful tribes.
In language, the North American Indian was limited by the material world, an abstract idea finding no birthplace in his brain and no expression on his tongue. "In marriage the Indian abhorred restraint, and from Florida to the S. Lawrence polygamy was permitted". Divorce meant merely desertion. The wife was a slave. Domestic government was unknown. The Indian youth grew up a warrior, adorned with vermilion and eagle’s feather, as fleet of foot as the deer, and as tolerant of hunger as the wolf; the Indian girl grew up a squaw, degraded and squalid and servile.
A rude agriculture, resulting in a weedy corn crop, and a few squashes and beans, was the Indian’s, or rather the Indian woman’s occupation; he had neither trade nor manufactures. "There can be no society without government; but among the Indian tribes on the soil of our republic, there was not only no written law - there was no traditionary [sic] expression of law; government rested on opinion and usage and the motives to the usage were never imbodied [sic] in language; they gained utterance only in the fact, and power only from opinion...
The Indian had a government without laws; a State without institutions; a church without faith, or creed, or head; a town without schoohouse or meeting house; a punitive system without jails or gibbets; a history based on tradition; a religion based on superstition; he was ignorant of the ownership of land; and knew nothing of a system of inheritance.
As in peace he was an idler - so in war he was a marauder. An organized army was to him unknown. He fought in small bands, seldom over 50 in number, to surprise and slaughter. He pursued, and killed, and scalped. He had neither commissariat nor hospital. He fought his enemy in the rear and in ambush; and he tortured and roasted and devoured his captives. These were the national characteristics which our fathers found on this continent.
Nor did their attempts to modify and humanize and Christianize them meet with much success. The Indian could be tamed, but he was the Indian still...Neither John Eliot nor Roger Williams was able to change essentially the habits and character of the New England tribes..."They are unspeakably indolent and slothful; they deserve little gratitude; they seem to have no sentiments of generosity, benevolence or goodness".
The Moravian Loskiel could not change their character...In New Hampshire and elsewhere schools for Indian children were established; but as they became fledged they all escaped, refusing to be caged. Harvard College enrolls the name of an Algonquin youth among her pupils; but the college parchment could not close the gulf between the Indian character and the Anglo American.
The copper colored men are characterized by a moral inflexibility, a rigidity of attachment to their hereditary customs and manners. The birds and brooks, as they chime forth their unwearied canticles, chime them ever to the same ancient melodies; and the Indian child, as it grows up, displays a propensity to the habits of its ancestors...
The trouble lay deeper. Year after year the Indian discovered an irreconcilable difference between himself and the stranger...When he entered the home of the settler, he discovered that the joys of the fireside could never be found in the group squatted beneath the shelter of the wigwam. He felt the antagonism - and his soul burned within him. The strife was not for land...It was for supremacy. And as revenge is stronger than ambition, and hate is stronger than avarice, so the war raged with unspeakable fury, and was as cruel as the passions of a desperate savage could make it.
The great contest which grew out of this antagonism, and lasted more than a year, unabated either by the heat of summer or the frosts of winter, threatening destruction to the New England colonies, was known as Philip’s War. With the story of this conflict you are all familiar. The peaceful death of Massasoit at a good old age, after a long life of friendly relations with the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies; the sadder death of his son Alexander, worried out of life by the failure of his intrigues against the colony, and the exposure of his meanness and his crimes; the gradual development of the worst of passions in the breast of Philip, and his passage from treachery to war are all fresh in the memory of all who have traced the hard path which our fathers traveled in the work of settling these shores.
The war which began in Swanzey on the 24th of June, 1675, reached this spot on the 18th of September - three months of murder, and fire, and all the bloody horrors of savage warfare. At the time the war broke out Deerfield had been settled 10 years, or had been deeded for the purposes of settlement to John Pynchon that length of time. It was then, as it is now, one of the most delightful spots in New England...
And here in the luxurience of that natural beauty, and in the wealth of wood and stream, the Indian found his favorite resort. In this town and in the towns of Hadley and Hatfield he mustered a numerous and a powerful tribe. And upon these lands purchased by the settlers, with titles confirmed by the court, the whites and Indians lived together in peace for years. It is amazing with what rapidity the war, once opened, spread from village to village, and from tribe to tribe in this wilderness...
The Pocumtucks had received their orders - and in a day had stepped from the blessings of peace to the misery of war. having promsied to deliver up their arms, on suspicion that they might misuse them, they broke their promise, fled to Sugar loaf Hill, engaged with Captains Beers and Lothrop commanding the English here, lost 26 of their number, and then sought shelter under the standard of King Philip...
Deerfield too was abandoned; and the attempt to secure a quantity of wheat which had just been partially threshed by the farmers there before their flight, resulted in the massacre which still thrills me with horror, and the anniversary of which we have met to commemorate...From behind hundreds of trees the savages poured their deadily [sic] fire. At the first volley many were killed, and the remainder were panic stricken...Lothrop...was among the first to fall. The savages, numbering nearly 700, "rushed upon the defenceless men, and the work of slaughter was soon complete.
But 6 or 7 Englishmen escaped to tell the tale, of whom one had been shot and tomahawked and left for dead, and another forced his way through the yelling ranks of the savages with the but [sic] of his musket...
While the Indians were employed in mangling, scalping and stripping the dying and the dead, Captain Moseley, who, as has been observed, was ranging the woods, hearing the report of musketry, hastened by a forced march to the relief of his brethren. The Indians, confiding in their superior numbers, taunted him as he advanced, and dared him to the contest. Moseley came on with firmness, repeatedly charged through them, and destroyed a large number with the loss on his side of but 2 killed and 11 wounded...
A quantity of bones lately found in that quarter is very probably the remains of the Indians who fell there at the close of the action. The united English force encamped for the night at Deerfield. They returned in the morning to bury the dead and found a party of the Indians upon the field stripping the bodies of their victims. These they quickly dispatched, and the remains of the brave young men, or some portion of them, were committed to the earth near the spot which we have this day consecrated anew to their memory.
The stream on whose banks they fell, and whose water ran red with their blood, has been called from that day, in memory of the disaster, Bloody Brook...[Two more entire columns follow, but they are quite blurry and unreadable].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, September 13, 1875
The Bloody Brook celebration
The Bloody Brook celebration - Though crippled and discouraged by the disastrous fire, the people of South Deerfield do not propose to "back out" of the Bicentennial Celebration of the Massacre of Bloody Brook which had been arranged for next Fri. With the aid and the cooperation of the residents of Old Deerfield and neighboring towns, they propose to carry out the programme, giving the thousands who may come to participate in the honors and pleasures of the day a cordial and generous welcome.
The services of commemoration are held in connection with the sixth annual field meeting of the Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association. The President of the day is Hon. George T. Davis of Portland, Me., with Hon. George Grennell, Hon. James S. Whitney, Col. David Wells, Rev. C.S. Brooks, James C. Arms, Henry Childs, George W. Jones, Hon. W.B. Washburn, Rev. F.A. Warfield, Rev. J.F. Moors, Col. Austin Rice for Vice Presidents.
A grand procession will be formed at the depot on the arrival of the train from the north at 10 1/2 a.m., Col. J.B. Parsons of Northampton acting as Chief Marshal. Participating in the parade will be 7 companies of Col. Parson's command, the 2nd Regiment, the South Deerfield Band, members of the Grand Army and Veterans of the late war, the officers, speakers and poets of the day, Patrons of Husbandry, aged citizens, invited guests and other civic bodies and citizens generally.
The order of exercises will be as follows: Dirge by the South Deerfield Band; opening address by George Sheldon, Chairman of the Committee; an original ode by E.W.B. Canning, sung by the Quartette Club; prayer by the Chaplain, Rev. C.S. Brooks; music by the Band; oration by Hon. George B. Loring of Salem; collation; music; poem by William Everett of Cambridge; ode by Miss Eliza A. Starr, sung by the Quartette Club; and then will follow short addresses, music, etc.
The collation will be served in the same way as at the Whatelly Centennial - paper napkins being distributed and the provisions then passed around. The Deerfield Guards had invited several companies of their regiment, intending to provide for their entertainment, but as the fire destroyed some $500 or $600 worth of property belonging to the Guards, they are almost in a bankrupt condition, and the citizens of the town have now come forward and guarantee to furnish the military with a collation.
The people who attend are supposed to carry their lunch baskets and are requested to furnish what they can for our guests of the town who come unprovided. As the hotels of the place have been destroyed, all strangers will be dependent upon the citizens for entertainment. Passengers over the Connecticut River Railroad will be transported for half fare. and the same courtesy will be extended from North Adams and stations west of Greenfield on the Vt. & Mass. road.
All Grangers who attend the Bi-centennial are requested to report at the house of Norman B. Clark, a little south of the monument near the grave of Lathrop, where a committee of the order will be in readiness to receive and wait upon them. The people of Deerfield will be called upon to contribute provisions for the occasion by solicitors in each neighborhood, and they should be prepared to contribute biscuit, cold meats and plain cake.
The Pocumtuck Lodge of Odd Fellows of Greenfield have voted to attend the gathering and parcipate in the parade. The committee of arrangements though not issuing special invitations, desire the attendance of all organizations, including the Grand Army and other secret societies.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 23, 1875
Statue of Prince Arminius
The ceremony unveiling the statue of Herrmann, Prince Arminius, took place at Detmoldt, Germany on Mon. The Journal about a week since gave a brief history of this personage, who was the chief deliverer of Germany from the Roman power over 1800 years ago. The festival commenced on Sun. by the reception of Emperor William and his Princes and other leading men of the nation. There was a fine military display and long processions from all over the country. At least 50,000 people were without beds on Sun. night. The monument and statue were commenced 37 years ago. The great deeds of the chieftain were achieved when the Savior of all men was in his 9th year.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 23, 1875
Prediction
Isaac Fancher of Sandy Hill predicts that the world will be destroyed July 4, 1876. This will spoil the Centennial. He bases his cheerful view on Isaiah, lxv chapter, 17th verse: "For the child shall die a hundred years old". The "child" he considers to be Uncle Sam, and when he dies the rest of the world will give it up too and step out also. Mr. Fancher is patriotic, but a little muddled.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 16, 1875
Black King of Niam Niam
In an account of his adventures in the Upper Nile, Col. Long of the Egyptian Army, says that the black king of Niam Niam decapitated 30 of his subjects in honor of the visitor, who also accepted a girl as a royal gift. Through an interpreter she said "I want very much to go with you, but it must be on condition that you will not eat me". The colonel said he wouldn’t eat her on any consideration.
[This little gem appears to be taken from a book entitled "Centennial skyrockets: a series of flights, fancies and facts" by Rev. Titus Joslin. Wikipedia has an explanatory page about the Azande: "This name is probably of Dinka origin, and means great eaters in that language (as well as being an onomatopoeia), supposedly referring to cannibalistic propensities. This name for the Azande was in use by other tribes in Sudan, and later adopted by westerners. Naturally, today the name Niam-Niam is considered pejorative"].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
Deerfield
William Everett of Cambridge, son of Edward Everett, will write and deliver a poem at the Bloody Brook bicentennial Sept. 17. [See Wikipedia for both father and son].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
Deerfield
The following committee has been appointed to solicit subscriptions to defray the Capt. Lathrop celebration at South Deerfield; A.P. Cooley, Lizzie Abercrombie, George W. Jones, Charles E. Williams, O.S. Arms, A.M. Rice, J.D. Everett, B.Z. Stebbins, P.D. Bridges, H.C. Haskell, Annie Higginson, Martha G. Pratt, Hubert Andrews and Edwin Jewett.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 9, 1875
A big tree for the Centennial
California papers mention the fact that a Mr. Vivian is preparing a large piece of one of the Tulare County big trees to exhibit at the Centennial next year. The piece of timber selected is 16 ft. long and 21 ft. in diameter at one end and 19 at the other. The heart of this will be taken out, leaving only about one ft. of the body of the tree attached to the shell or bark. It is necessary to divide it into a number of parts in order to allow it to pass through the numerous tunnels between California and Philadelphia.
The 8 parts will weigh between 30,000 and 40,000 pounds, and will require 2 cars for transportation. One solid foot of this tree weighs 72 lbs., being 10 lbs. heavier than so much water. The timber was taken out of the "General Lee", a tree 275 ft. high. It contained over 200,000 ft. of lumber, besides, probably, about 200 cords of wood. The "General Grant", a much larger brother tree than the "General Lee", and the largest int he world growing in the same grove, is left standing.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 2, 1875
The Band Convention at Lake Pleasant
The great Band gathering at Lake Pleasant on Fri. attracted an immense crowd of people, one of the largest ever assembled there. Between 75 and 80 car loads of human beings disembarked from the trains, coming from nearly every town within a radius of 40 miles. Best judges estimated the no. of people at about ten thousand [!], which is about as many as should be packed together in one locality, if convenience and comfort are to be consulted.
[Believe me, this estimate is much too large!]
There was the usual delay and confusion incident to transporting so many people over the railroad, and it was nearly noon when the 18 bands were on the ground ready for business. The three hundred or more musicians were finally massed, the instruments of each class being placed together. But the concert was hardly satisfactory. Though each band had drilled upon the music selected, placing them together for the first time without any rehearsal was a mistake.
But there was another obstacle to the success of the concert for which the bands were in no was responsible. About 1/2 of the programme was omitted, and the leaders drew lots to decide the order of playing of each from the band stand. The following was the order settled upon and the names of the leaders of each band: Fitchburg, Russell; Mechanics of Orange, Ned Clapp; Haydenville, Henry Smith; Florence, David Shields; South Deerfield, James Clapp; Bernardston, N.S. Cutler; Monson, A.D. Norcross; Greenfield, Samuel Squier; Gardner Serenade, ___; Millers Falls, Henry Colburn; East Templeton, ____; Easthampton, James Smith; Montague City, Fred Bridges; Northampton, A.J. Frank; Southampton, L,L, Walcott; Amherst, E.B. Fitts; Emmett of Turners Falls, Donahue; Westfield, ____.
This portion of the treat was very creditable to the bands of the association, and went far to make amends for any shortcomings of the opening concert. The pieces played by the Fitchburg, Haydenville, Florence, Orange, Greenfield, Bernardston, South Deerfield and perhaps one or two others, were exceedingly fine and enlisted hearty applause from the spectators. The Gardner serenade, which numbered only 6 pieces, attracted a good deal of attention by its excellent playing, and there was not a failure or a poor performance by any.
These selected pieces by the different bands made up a varied programme which continued through the afternoon. The audience filled every available seat in the great amphitheater, and many took a better cushioned place of rest upon the ground, while a vast throng surged about, tramping up hill and down, filling the paths of the grove, or the walks upon the shore of the lake. A number of boats and barges were constantly filled and moving over the Lake, and everybody was disposed to make the most of the day and be happy.
We should not have said everybody, because there were hundreds who got hot and disgusted before they had been on the ground half an hour, and seated themselves in the cars left on the side track, and there waited hour after hour for the time of their departure, fretting and stewing and wishing they had staid [sic] at home; but who will be just as ready to be on hand another year. Hayner’s full orchestra furnished music for the dancers in the pavilion; the day wore away, as such occasions do, and people crowded down upon the track and hustled and jostled to get aboard the cars as the different trains were made up.
The throng, for such a large one, was very orderly. There were a few cases of drunkenness, and one man had his horse stolen, but the police officers found little occasion for their service. The bands will realize a very handsome thing from their share of the day’s profits, and we trust will keep up their organization, giving us a Centennial Festival of this kind next year. Much credit is due Vice President Day and Secretary Squier of Greenfield for the day’s success.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 2, 1875
The English are the first
The English is [i.e. are] the first of foreign nations to break ground at Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, for the erection of the buildings for the use of their commissioners during the centennial. Japan, Sweden and Morocco are preparing to follow suit, and the other commissions will soon be similarly engaged, the whole making a lively and very picturesque scene. Austria’s requisition for space, which has just been received, calls for 32,000 square feet of the main building and over 21,000 in the art gallery, an increase of 1/3 over the original reservation for that nation. [See Centennial Exhibition in Wikipedia].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, August 2, 1875
Pilgrim monument
Enough money has been subscribed to complete, this summer, the pilgrim monument at Plymouth, except the surmounting statue of Faith, the working model of which has been placed into the hands of Batterson & Co. of Hartford, Ct. [Now called National Monument to the Forefathers. Check it out at Wikipedia].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 26, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
The relatives of the late Col. George D. Wells http://www.civilwarhome.com/wellsnewmarket.htm have contributed towards the fund for the Soldiers’ Tablet. Besides the check they also sent to E.E. Day Post a large photograph of Col. Wells’ horse ’Charlie’. He was assigned a place in the recent grand procession at the Bunker Hill Centennial, and his war record, which is printed beneath the photograph, is as follows:
In June 1861, Charlie, then 10 or 12 years old, was in an army wagon in Washington City. From this he was purchased by Lieut. Col. George D. Wells of the 1st Mass. Volunteers. He was first under fire at Blackburn’s Ford, July 18, 1861, and received a flesh wound from a spent cannon ball. With the First Regiment he passed through the seige of Yorktown, the battle of Williamsburg, the camp life in White Oak Swamp, and the great retreat.
In Aug. 1862 he changed his regiment, his master having been appointed Colonel of the 34th Mass. The next winter was passed at Fort Lynn, where Charlie learned the cavalry drill. The following year was spent in skirmishing with the rebels in and near Harper’s Ferry. then came a year of hard marching and fighting up and down the Shenandoah Valley, during which the regiment marched over a thousand miles, fought 9 battles besides numerous skirmishes, and lost 661 men and 88 officers.
On the 13th of Oct. 1864, in a reconnaisance near Cedar Creek, Col. Wells was killed. hCarlie was not carrying him at the time, but he was saddled and in reserve. He was himself wounded in two places in this same skirmish, and came back to Boston with a bullet in his hip, in charge of the officers who brought home his master’s body. Under good care he recovered and is now perfectly well, except that his age sometimes shows itself in the wounded leg.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
Bernardston
Week before last was one of picnics, emphatically so, at Sylvan Grove in this town. On Mon. the 5th, the Hibernians from Keene N.H. celebrated the nation’s birthday by a picnic, which was numerously attended, there being several car loads of men, women and children. They brought their favorite beer in great abundance, and their own police to preserve order and guard the festivities of the occasion from all interruption that might ensue from the "working" of the beer. The police were mostly of the Yankee blood, large and powerful looking men.
They brought along with them two fine bands of music, a brass band, and a string band, to stir the soul with harmony. National pride was quite apparent on this occasion, several of the leading ones wearing the green plume and other trappings of Irish nationality. Upon one large and beautiful banner, we saw the name of Emmett, a name dear to every Irish heart, and a name worthy to be revered by every patriot. Upon the whole this picnic appeared to be a very enjoyable affair, and well enjoyed by all concerned, giving no unfavorable impressions of the Irish character.
There were some very sprightly and amusing single jig dancing, both by males and females, which was almost "super" Yankee. [?] There was only one beer fight, and this was soon checked by the long, bony arms of a Yankee policeman. One of those combatants did not belong to the party from Keene. As soon as clear from the grasp of the policeman, he made tracks as fast as his ten toes could carry him, for fear of being handcuffed and tied to a tree, a summary, but very proper and effective way of treating the license loving public when inclined to pugilistic sentiments.
At a seasonable hour the party all left for their homes in sober good nature, all feeling they had had a good time, and honored the birth of their adopted country. The next picnic in order was that of the two Baptist Societies from Springfield, called the Sunday School Picnic, and was the largest gathering of the kind held at Sylvan Grove this season, there being 9 car loads of old and young, and was evidently a gathering of [?] first social rank of the place. They also had two bands of music, a brass band and a string band, and in addition they had a choir of male singers, whose vocal powers can hardly be beat if equaled.
We cannot recall the time when we have been so highly pleased with social music. And we were not a little surprised, but very "agreeably" so, to learn that the Baptist people can "trip it on the light fantastic toe", and call the same an innocent and sinless amusement, as well as other professing Christians. Truly old prejudices are giving way and common sense is gaining ground...
Thurs. July 8, a colored picnic from Springfield occupied Sylvan Grove, numbering 201 grown up persons of both sexes, and 31 children. They called themselves the Pilgrim Baptists, and during their stay here their conduct was very exemplary and seemed perfectly consistent with the Christian name and character. Their sense of Christian propriety forbade them to indulge in dancing exercises, which seems almost an instinct of the African race, consequently they had no music but vocal, some of which was exceedingly charming to the ear. They were scrupulously neat in appearance, well dressed, though not fantastically so, which is considered by many to be an African characteristic.
They were all shades, from a jet black to a light quadroon, many of them having the straight auburn hair and the Saxon blue eye. Many of them gave evidence of a good degree of general intelligence and learning, being able to converse with ease upon various topics, especially religious topics, to which they seemed much inclined. Their demeanor, through the day, was such as to claim the respect of every one present; and we were very willing to admit that they rightfully belonged to the great Christian brotherhood of man.
Several of the first class citizens of the place showed them marks of politeness and courtesy, by carrying them about town in their carriages. "A blessing on him who cheers the downtrodden".
Fri. July 9, the Unitarian Society from Northampton held a picnic at Sylvan Grove. This party numbered 150, a number highly respectable for the Society, which we understand is quite small. It was quite evident from appearances that this party was composed of people of both sexes from the first circles of refined society in points of politeness and moral culture. They were accompanied by a band of music of 6 pieces, called the Arlan Orchestra, T.S. Billings, leader, a gentleman highly distinguished for musical talents, as also were the others of the band. The music of this band probably cannot be beat by any band in Western Massachusetts. Mr. Billings is, no doubt, an amateur of music from birth.
Of course a dance followed the sweet strains of this music; indeed, they couldn’t help it, so bewitching is the power of music over the head and heels. Among the dancers first up on this occasion we saw an old gentleman, 83 years old; and had you seen nothing of him but the nimble and elastic step of his feet, you certainly would have said those feet were not more than 20 years old; a remarkable instance of green old age. This was no less a man than David Damon, a well known citizen in the first circles of Northampton society. [See the Google book "Early Northampton", 1914],
(Pardon us for calling names). Nothing happened in word or deed to mar the enjoyment of this pleasant occasion. There was no smell of ’license" stronger than good tea and coffee, with plenty of cool lemonade. Joy and social kindness shone in every countenance, showing the unspeakable advantages of refined society. Even the gentle bearing and graceful manners of the little children lent a charm to the occasion. Such a picnic we would gladly see repeated. Scribe.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
J.H. Hollister’s antique watch which has been in his possession and prized as a valuable relic for about 25 years, will probably be sent to the Centennial exhibition at Philadelphia next year. It was made in 1658.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
News about home: Greenfield items
Dr. Meekins of Northampton was here last Tues. eve., instructing the band for the mass concert at Lake Pleasant on the 30th, and the boys are all diligently rehearsing new music for that occasion. Arrangements for the gathering are nearly completed. The following brass bands have been positively secured: Springfield, Holyoke, Northampton, Haydenville, Southampton, Easthampton, Florence, Amherst, South Deerfield, Greenfield, Bernardston, Brattleboro, Fitchburg, East Templeton, Orange, Millers Falls, Turners Falls, Montague City. There will be about 400 musicians, organized as one monster band. The following is the programme selected:
Quickstep, Avenger, Goetz
Quickstep, Alantic
Quickstep, Scipion, Boguarde
Waltz, Musette
Polka, "Ponglikeepsie Veteran", Flockton [Possibly Poughkeepsie?]
Polka, Fountain
American National Airs, Keller
Centennial Hymn, Downing
Bay State Grand March
Overture, Bronze Horse, Auber http://www.rhapsody....the-bronze-horse-etc
[Some of these items look strange to me. But it was the very best I could do at deciphering this particularly dim section of the paper].
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 19, 1875
News of the week
The Philadelphia Centennial people are counting on 10,000,000 visitors next year, at 50 cents a head, and they argue if they can get $5,000,000 from visitors they can return the money paid in for stock. They think that ten million 50 cent pieces http://www.carsoncitymorgans.com/ANACS.html is a moderate estimate of the gate money.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 12, 1875
News of the week
The first celebration of our national birth day ever attempted by American Indians took place at Atoka, Indian territory Mon. Over 3000 Indians participated, who sat down to a bountiful dinner in a beautiful grove near the town. Gov. Allen Wright, an educated Choctaw [and the person who suggested the name "Oklahoma", meaning Red People, for the eventual State], was president of the day, and welcomed the people in an appropriate address. He was followed by the present principal chief, Colonel Coleman [Coleman Nelson], who spoke in Choctaw language. His address was particularly interesting and progressive. Hon. M.W. Reynolds of Kansas was the orator of the day, and speeches were made by Hon. P.W. Perkins of Kansas, Mayor Wright, Col. Kelso, and others.
Gazette & Courier - Monday, July 5, 1875
Bernardston
There was an exceedingly pleasant picnic in the western part of the town on Sat., the occasion being the dedication of Highland Maple Grove, on the premises of S.H. Wright. He has fitted up his grounds in the finest manner, with swings and other appliances for the amusement of the children. S. Sawin of Leyden acted as President of the day and made a patriotic speech, with the "Union" for his subject. There were about 150 present, largely from Bernardston and Leyden, and a few from Greenfield. A sumptuous dinner was served, and there was a glorious time generally. They adjourned to meet at the same place next year.
- Wed, Feb 24, 2010
