USA > Connecticut > Tolland County > Hebron > Hebron, Connecticut, bicentennial, August 23d to 25th, 1908 : an account of the celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of the town : 1708-1908 > Part 7
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In 1816, John Graves from Stonington, bought real estate in Hebron, built the house where Dr. Pendleton is now living, and carried on for many years the manufacture of furniture.
In 1832, Ezra L. Backus bought the place now occupied by Loren M. Lord and for quite a number of years carried on the business of tanning.
In 1835, Oliver Welles, bought the place now in the possession of Benjamin Dingwell and for 25 years or more manufactured wagons and heavy wheels. He took pride in his work and strove for durability if not beauty.
There was a papermill, operated from the early part of the century till after 1860, located in the west part of the town on the road leading south from the road from Hebron to Marlborough, at an early period, by Socrates Tarbox, and in the later period of its history by James White, Elihu P. Buell, Jared Manley and Wm. P. Cook. The business gradually declined, the mill was finally burned and the location is now a well nigh abandoned section of the town . Early in the century it is said there was a fulling mill on the west side of the highway, a little south of the so-called Collins Bridge. The mill has been standing within the memory of those now about 70 years old, but has not been operated, so far as I can learn, within the memory of any now living.
The historic elm on the Green planted in 1763, standing between the Charles Post place and W. S. Hewitt's was cut down in 1904, as owing to the decay of age it was regarded as unsafe, (though, to my mind, it might otherwise have stood perhaps 50 years longer), and a young elm planted in its place with exercises appropriate to the occasion, in part commemor- ative of the old tree.
Among the leading citizens of the town during the 19th century were the Hon. Sylvester Gilbert who is said to have represented the town in the legislature 30 or more years consecutively, and a member of Congress-
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Governor John S.Peters 1772-1858.
GOV. PETERS RESIDENCE BUILT 1806
SOUTH VIEW FROM HEBRON GREEN. From Painting by ReubenRowley, 1830.
House of Representatives, in 1818 and 1819. It was largely through his influence, it is claimed, that the proceeds of the sale of Connecticut's Western Reserve lands were constituted the Connecticut Common School Fund.
Another prominent citizen and native of Hebron was Dr. John S. Peters, in the early part of the century the town's leading physician. He was for many years town clerk, was prominent in town affairs and always manifested a deep interest in the town's welfare. He was Lieutenant. Governor of the State froni 1827 to 1831 and Governor from 1831 to 1833-
One of our most noted men in some respects, but not a native of Hebron, but for some years a resident, was Lorenzo Dow, a very eccentric widely known and noted traveling Methodist preacher, who preached salvation for all rather than for a select few, as he implied that some denominations were preaching. His travels carried him through nearly all the then settled parts of the country. He also preached in England and Ireland.
The physicians during the century were Dr. Dan. Arnold, I think from the 18th century, but I think not much in practice at the 19th cen- tury's commencement. Dr. John S. Peters, mentioned above, from 1797 to 1834. Dr. Orrin C. White from 1830 to 1866 or 1867, Dr. Elijah A. Woodward from 1844 to 1855, Dr. Adam Craig from 1854 to 1863, from 1863 to April, 1864, Dr. Stephen Pomeroy, and from April, 1864, Dr. Cyrus H. Pendleton. In addition to Pomeroy the physicians who were here for short periods were Dr. Samuel Simons from 1816 to 1821, Dr. Gaylord Welles from 1818 to 1820, Dr. Charles Dowse from 1834 to 1837, Dr. Wm. L. M. Brown a year or two , about 1870.
The decline of the town in population and wealth began probably near 75 years ago. The population by the census of 1800 before the incorpor- ation of Marlborough was 2,256, by that of 1810, after a part of its terri- tory was taken to form Marlborough 2,002, by that of 1820, 2,094. In 1830 its population was 1,937, in 1840, 1,726, in 1850 after a part of the town was taken to form Andover, 1,345, in 1860, 1,425, in 1870, 1,279, in 1880, 1,243, in 1890, 1,039, and in 1900, 1,016. For the last 50 years or more manufacturing has been gradually leaving the town, till now the business of the town is almost entirely agriculture.
Our town has suffered and is still suffering from the emigration of our young people to the west, and to centers of population, and by too many of them preferring almost any other business to agriculture. For the past 50 years we have educated our young people to a greater extent than pre- viously, and to too great an extent for the town's welfare we have edu- cated them away from us. They have been encouraged to think agricul- ture not only a somewhat poor and ignoble business, but also disreputable for one with sufficient education for a business career, or a profession; and as a result those we have lost have been the most enterprising and promising
Many family names more or less numerous in the town's early history are no longer met with on the town's records; the homes they occupied abandoned, or added to the farms of adjoining proprietors, or purchased by those of foreign birth, Irish. Germans, and latterly Hebrews. I can't help regretting to see so many of our young people seeming to think of the place of their nativity in the country, as only a good place to get away from. What the end will be, who knows? But let us hope for the best, There seems to be some indications of better things.
After a band selection Miss Susan B. Pendleton, a graduate of the Willimantic Normal School and a daughter of Dr. C. H.
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Pendleton, the historian of the second hundred years, read the anniversary poem, which she had composed for the occasion. It was one of the most charmingly conceived literary features of the celebration and received repeated applause.
HEBRON.
BY MISS SUSAN B. PENDLETON
The silence lay o'er vale and hill,
The virgin woods were very still;
No sound, no voice of man was heard,
Only the west winds gently stirred The treetops fair, in sunlight steeped,
And circling wild birds screamed and dipped.
Within that forest depth the bear, The timid fawn, the antlered deer,
The wolf and panther found a home,
And furtive through its paths would roam.
And sometimes to its beauteous brooks And ponds, in leaf hid, lonely nooks,
By fragrant shores, the red men came, Seeking their prey of fish and game. Then rose their shrill, exultant yells, As, leaping through the echoing dells, They bore, with wild and savage grace, The hard won trophies of the chase.
Two hundred years-a little more-
'Twas wilderness from shore to shore;
A lonely land of silent dreams,
How very long ago it seems; And yet, the lives of two old men
Could almost span the time since when
The white men came-so runs the tale-
Pushing their way with blazed trail,
To make them in the wilderness Homes which they prayed that God might bless.
"Hebron," they called it, resting here
With thankful hearts and humble prayer.
And so there grew, and so there throve, The little village of their love; Its church spires pointed to the sky,
Its prayers and hymns arose on high, Its youths and maidens grew apace In godly love and pious grace. And it was not unknown to fame;
Learned judges, doctors, gave the name Of Hebron, influence and weight As well through nation as in state.
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Oh! Hebron! still for thee we hold A love as dear as theirs of old, Though progress, in the years that fly, Has seemed to turn and pass thee by. Hebron! how many a heart has stirred, What eyes have moistened at that word; How doth the very name suggest Comfort and kindliness and rest, Home folks and homely, pleasant cheer,
Associations, old and dear. A little, fair, sequestered town, Upon its hill side nestled down- A little town, it sometimes seems, That softly sleeps, and gently dreams, So quiet are its nights and days, So indolent its shaded ways.
A brook there is all children know, Upon whose banks the wild flowers grow; A brook that from its hill runs down, And wanders, wanders, past the town. Delays to turn the miller's wheel, Fretting its rocky banks a deal; And as it glides and gleams along,
Still sings its low, unceasing song, Whose burden seems, now swift, now slow,
"I want to go, I want to go;" Forever murmuring on its way, "I will not stay, I will not stay."
Oh, eager, hurrying, restless brook! Young eyes there are on you that look; Young wistful souls, that sometimes say, "We, too, would fare as far away- To wondrous cities, dim and grand, Which seem a shining fairyland, Where dreams come true, and shadow-free,
The heart's desire is brought to be. You find, oh, brooklet, what you seek;
I know, I know, you find the creek. You find the river and the sea; And should I follow, follow free, Ah! who can tell what waits me there, Of fame, of fortune kind and fair, What dreams, what longing and what hope, What fuller life, what richer scope!" So, following their restless wills, They leave the town among the hills For the wide world that lures away. They want to go. They will not stay.
And many find that which they seck, As finds the rivulet the creek, The river and the shining sea; Bright hopes and longings brought to be- . Have gained them joy and wealth and fame
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Have won a proud and honored name. Yet ever, as in rainbow chase, Perhaps have missed some subtle grace, Some secret yearning unattained, Which might be sought, but never gained. And some have toiled through weary years. Have sown in grief and reaped in tears; Perhaps through failure learned to press Toward something better than success. And some among the martyred slain, On bloody battlefields have lain. Yet others listening to the voice That calls away, made milder choice, Listened, and listening, doubtless yearned, But back to the old home have turned. "Homekeeping hearts are happiest." And this is home, and peace and rest.
And here and there, on quiet street, Dwell, unaffectedly and sweet Such lovely, all but sinless souls, Dear saints, who lack but aureoles; Saint Lucy, young at ninety five, Serene, and glad to be alive; Saint Annis, good as beaten gold, Loved and revered by young and old.
And some who listened to the call Of that far world-not all, not all - But some of them-are here to-day, To meet again with us who stay; To wander through the village street, Old paths to tread, old friends to greet; To seek, with mingled joy and pain, Old dear, familiar ways again.
Those lips we touched, those hands we pressed, Our dearest, truest and our best, Whose faces we shall see no more Until we gain another shore,- Those faces that we ne'er forget, Perhaps, unseen, are with us yet; Are looking on, with loving eye- Not from some faint and far off sky, Not from some lonely realm, apart, But mingling with us, heart to heart; And let us think of them again With hallowed joy and not with pain. Take happily our holiday ; Let love and joy and mirth hold sway; It may be Heaven, with all its bliss, Is not so different from this; Perhaps to-day, at least, we see Faint visions of its joys to be.
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Dear, little, good, old Hebron town, Forever keep thy fair renown; Thy quiet charm forever hold, And be thou steadfast as of old In love of God and right-Ah, yes! Better the lonely wilderness,
Better the wild beasts prowling yet,
. Than that thy growing young forget The old time reverence and love For fellow men. For God above.
And welcome, friends from far and near! We're glad to see you, glad you're here; To hear you speak, to see you smile, If only for a little while.
We're glad to see you, very glad, And should the parting make us sad, Why, come again! To the Old Home, Always to hear, "We're glad you've come!"
"Tidings from our Children" were heard, "Marlborough, our elder," by Miss Mary Hall, and "Andover, our younger," by Roger E. Phelps, Esq., each of whom were introduced by the chairman.
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INTRODUCTION OF MISS MARY HALL. of Marlborough.
It now becomes my pleasure to introduce to you the repre- sentative of Hebron's oldest descendant-the Town of Marl- borough, and the one who carried the burdens of the Marlborough Centennial in 1903 principally upon her shoulders and who deserves in a large degree the credit of its success. Her affection for the hills and vales of her native place is best portrayed in her own beautiful words spoken at the Marlborough Centennial,-
"I turn my steps this way, now that life's burdens are upon me, with a delight that is too sacred to be spoken, and when the working days are over I expect to see the sun go down behind the Marlborough hills, and await the resurrection morning from its sacred soil with my ancestors."
I take pleasure in introducing to you Miss Mary Hall, "Apostle of Marlborough" and Manager of the Good Will Club of Hartford.
MISS HALL'S ADDRESS.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen :
The ecclesiastical society of Marlborough was thoroughly aroused over the matter of incorporation as a town 105 years ago this August. For twenty years she had been asking the General Assembly to grant her request for incorporation and had been refused. But the people who had had the persistence to keep at the work of building a meeting house for 54 years, having just finished it, and being about to settle a new minister, were not easily discouraged. They tried again and won.
The long and tedious struggle for incorporation being now over, a town meeting was called and officers elected, and the town started out prosperous and well pleased with its new conditions.
The ecclesiastical society was made up of some of the best blood in the colony. They built for themselves very handsome houses and lived in a style unknown to the town since that time. Among those foremost in all matters pertaining to church and society were Epaphras and Ichabod Lord, sons of Richard Lord, and both graduates of Yale College. Their mother, then the wife of the Rev. Timothy Woodbridge of Hartford, had, with others, made large purchases of lands in what was then a part of Colchester (later set off to Marlborough) and turned these lands over to these two sons with the expectation that some day a flourishing town might materialize.
The Hebron section was represented by William Buell, senior, who was early active in the new society, and was foremost in the activities of town incorporation.
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The Glastonbury section was equally active, but had too many bur- dens imposed upon it by its home town to be of much service to Marl- borough.
The part which Hebron played in giving prompt consent to the sepa- ration from the mother town and church has always commanded my highest regard, Hebron standing first as to an ideal motherhood among the three towns from which the territory of the town of Marlborough was gathered. She was an ideal mother in many ways, having the child's interest at heart; gladly bidding the petitioning taxpayers take up their new duties and try their own wings in the matter of town government.
I must be excused for calling attention to my personal interest in Hebron. My grandfather, Ezra Hall, as well as his wife, were born here, and their homestead sites and those of their fathers are still points of interest with me. They were both residents of Hebron until after the incorporation of Marlborough, and remained so until their marriage in 1808. My grandfather began purchasing land in Marlborough in 1806, three years after the incorporation of the town, and took his bride to the little home he had purchased on the banks of the Ungushet, or Blackledge river. Here he added to his holdings a lumber mill, which these same waters supplied with power. Here my father, Gustavus Ezra Hall, their only child, was born, and here my father took his bride, and here we, his children, were born, all on Joshua's former holdings. Our play days and our work days of childhood were all passed in the valley of the Ungushet. And one of my first lessons in town lines was given me by my father on my first trip to Hebron with him, the heap of stones being pointed out.
I am glad to greet you personally because of this; and may I add that the tory blood in my veins adds a tie and a greeting. For many years Marlborough was a child to be proud of. Her lake Turramuggus was not only a gem in its emerald setting of wooded hills, but its waters were utilized in propelling the machinery of two large cotton mills, the number of operatives exceeding the present population of the town. Upon its principal river-Blackledge-a considerable lumber and grain business was carried on, while on other streams lumber and other mills were in operation. The homes were substantially built, and church and school matters were carefully and conscientiously looked after.
For a century, Marlborough as a society and a town, gave promise of becoming one of the many flourishing towns of the state. Her natural attractions were many. Her soil responded quickly to cultivation, and her altitude made long life possible.
Marlborough greets you to-day from its ancient cemetery where rests the sacred dust of its founders,-from the silence of the old home- steads, now in ashes, or owned or leveled by the hand of the foreigner, whose utter disregard for our local history is seen on every hand-from her wooded hilltops and once broad sweep of meadows-from her lake Turramuggus, still beautiful, with few marks of age -- from her Ungushet waters, now nearly lost in the tangled growth of briars and weeds-from her picturesque Tuhi rock, which old Tuhi might have difficulty in finding to-day-and from her empty schoolhouses and churches. The names of her founders. have disappeared or are disappearing.
We, the descendants of former residents of Marlborough, though few in number, and with blood diluted, are glad to-day to greet you and rejoice with you on this 200th birthday anniversary.
I cannot resist the temptation to voice the lines of Oliver Wendell Holmes in "Old Ironsides", which have been passing through my mind since entering Marlborough for my vacation this summer as I have looked about the town, as expressing my feeling of despair for dear okl Marl-
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borough-about which all the memories of my childhood cluster:
"Nail to the mast her holy flag, Set every threadbare sail, And give her to the God of storms, The lightning and the gale."
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INTRODUCTION OF ROGER E. PHELPS, Of Andover.
It is eminently fitting that we now hear from a representative from Andover-which was a part of Hebron until 1848. Mr. Roger E. Phelps, of Andover, is a descendant in the 7th generation from Lieutenant Timothy Phelps, one of the first settlers, and a member of one of the oldest and most highly respected families of Hebron. His great-grandfather was a Lieutenant at the time of the Lexington alarm in the Revolutionary War.
I present to you Mr. Phelps.
ADDRESS OF R. E. PHELPS.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen :
It is a pleasure, and I esteem it a privilege and honor as well, as a native of the town of Hebron and a descendant of one of the early settlers of the town, to participate in the festivities of this occasion.
Four of my forefathers on the paternal side were residents of Hebron, and the earlier years of my life were passed here. My residence now is in the part of Andover which formerly belonged to Hebron.
As I have been requested to give a brief history of Andover since its incorporation as a town, I have collected a few items from records in the town.
I find the Andover Society was incorporated in 1747, and the church was organized Feb., 1749. The first church edifice began to be used in 1752.
Dr. Samuel Lockwood was pastor from 1748 until 1791; Rev. Royal Tyler from 1792-1817 ; Rev. Augustus Collins from 1818-1827 ; Rev. Alpha Miller, 1829-1851; Rev. John R. Freeman was ordained and installed June 24, 1856. His pastorate closed in 1865. Rev Samuel Ingraham supplied from June, 1868 to March, 1871; was ordained in Andover, June, 1869. Rev. S. G. W. Rankin of Glastonbury supplied the pulpit from 1871-1873. For several years the pulpit was supplied by students of theological seminaries and others. Rev. E. W. Merritt was pastor from 1888-1892; Rev. G. A. Curtis from Jan., 1893-1896; Rev. Oliver Brown five years from Sept., 1896; Rev. Wm. N. Noyes from Jan., 1902-July, 1903 Rev. Wm. M. Weeks from July, 1904-Aug., 1907. The present Congre- gational Church was dedicated Oct. 28, 1833.
On March 14, 1826, at a council of Baptist Churches including churches of Lebanon, Mansfield and Manchester, a request was made by the branch of the church in Tolland to be constituted a church of Christ. The council voted to fellowship said branch as a church of Christ.
The Baptist Church in Andover was built in 1831. Pastors of the society and church are Win. Bentley, Simon Shailer, Chester Tilde". Albert G. Palmer, Wm. Bowen, J. B. Ballard, Ebenezer Loomis, John M.
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Hunt, Charles W. Potter, A. A. Robinson, George Mixter, Roswell G. Lamb, Urijah Underwood, Watson A. Worthington, B. F. Chapman, A. J. Harrington, Darius Stoddard, M. Kinne, Alfred Gates, David Avery, D. S. Hawley, Andrew S. Lovell, Thomas Dowling, F. Bestor, Hiram 1. Morgan, J. A. Bailey, John G. Ware, Charles Willett, J. W. Searll, B. J. Savage, Charles N. Nichols, Julius B. Robinson, F. J. Coops and Edgar T. Hatfield, now in charge.
The Andover Library was established in 1888 by donations of Thos. E. Porter, Henry C. Robinson and others, and was made a free public library by vote of the town a few years later. It now contains about 3,000 volumes.
A grange was organized in 1888 and has at this time about 50 mem- bers.
Consolidation of schools was voted Oct. 8, 1888.
The Andover Creamery Association was formed in 1886. On Oct. 10, 1887, cream gathering commenced on three routes that extend into all ad- joining towns.
A paper mill was erected in 1889 by Frederick Case of Manchester. The plant was enlarged during the last year by the addition of another building.
A town hall was built in 1892 and a schoolhouse in 1903, for accom- modation of two schools.
There are three stores in Andover kept respectively, by F. A. Sackett who is town clerk and treasurer and judge of the Andover Probate District, Lucius D. Post, postmaster, and Addison Frink who is also proprietor of the hotel.
Grain, flour, etc., is sold at the mill known as Bingham's Mill, where custom grinding is done, Fred Olds, proprietor.
Mr. E. H. Cook has recently erected a new building for better accom- modation in his printing business.
Mail is taken from the Andover post office for distribution, on two routes that extend into adjoining towns.
The old cemetery known as the Townsend Burying Ground has lately been enlarged by addition of 2 1-2 acres
Andover has been represented in the legislature by Gurley Phelps, Adonijah White, Wm. Dorrance, Horace Jones, John Perkins, Alfred N. Fitch, Eleazar White, Wm. W. Strong, Benjamin Sprague, Daniel P. Sprague, Norman Loomis, Edwin C. Bolles, Thomas R. Jones, Milo N. Loomis, Orrin A. Lincoln, Wm. B. Kingsbury, Alfred Bishop, James HI. Marsh, Geo. W. Webster, Andrew Phelps, John S. Topliff, Jasper A. Fitch, Walter Abbey, Walter Bishop, Daniel M. Burnap, Myron P. Yeomans, Eli H. Perkins, Bissell E. Post, Roger E. Phelps, Wm. C. Walker, Elliot P. Skinner, Erastus D. Post, S. Henry Daggett, Asahel P. Lathrop, Charles F. Lincoln, Charles B. Perkins, Wm. A. Brown, Wm. C. White, Henry G. Dorrance, Charles L. Backus, Albert H. Lyman, Edgar D. White, Henry F. Standish, Edwin L. Hutchinson, Wm. S. Bishop, Selah A. Burnham.
Daniel P. Sprague, Wm. Dorrance and Wm. B. Sprague of Andover have been members of the senate.
Gurley Phelps, Wm. W. Strong, Andrew Phelps, Wm. B. Sprague and Fred A. Sackett have held the office of Probate Judge for the district of Andover.
My recollection goes back to what may be termed the business days of Hebron; when the furnace and factories in the lower part of the town were in operation; when we had the tanner, the tailor, the hatter, the cooper, the cabinet maker; the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, and none of them gone to the fair. There were not many fairs in those
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days, but I remember there was a cattle show on this very spot, more than sixty years ago it must have been. There were some fine oxen, a few shoats, and some South Down sheep. Bissell E. Post of Gilead was one of the exhibitors. Mr. Post is now a resident of Andover, but I see him here to-day bearing easily the weight of ninety years.
In that building on the corner just across the street, where Major Post kept store, my first boots were made . They were of oak tan leather and there was no shoddy in them. In those days boys remembered their first pair of boots if they had any. Some of them poked snow out of their shoes until grown to manhood. I speak of those boots in order to introduce the name of the maker Henry H. Fiteh, uncle of J. A. Fitch of Manchester and Asa Fitch of Hartford. Mr. Fitch removed to Hartford and there filled positions of honor and responsibility.
I would mention also John M. Way, father of our worthy chairman; Flavius A. Brown, Lucius J. Hendee, Alonzo W. Birge of Andover and Ezra Hall of Marlborough. These and many others from Hebron and adjoining towns have been prominent as business men of Hartford and other cities; many of them went from the shop or the farm and were not equipped with what might be called a liberal education. They had no extra letters affixed to their names, but they did have a good share of natural ability and common sense, something not furnished at Hunt- singer's or Yale. The country has ever been making contributions to the cities by furnishing men of brains and brawn.
As of the Irish there are more in this country than in Ireland, so of the Hebronites and their descendants, there are more outside the town than in the town. Her sons and daughters have gone forth into wider fields of labor. They may be found in all parts from coast to coast, from Alaska to the Philippines. (I notice one of our Alaska boys, Chester Tenant here to-day.) Were they all to be gathered together there would be a number sufficient to form a city. From their ranks could be filled offices of every profession. They could furnish artisans of every trade, children to fill school houses and a governor from either party.
Of the descendants of my grandfather Phelps, but two are living in Hebron, while there are more than a hundred and forty outside the town, some on the Pacific coast and others scattered through the country from Michigan to the Carolinas.
As I have said the cities are deeply indebted to the country, but we must give them some credit if only once in two hundred years they give back some of our boys and girls to help out on such an occasion as this. I believe the great rush to the cities is over, at least in this part of the country. Our cities will undoubtedly grow, but I cannot believe it will be at the expense of the country, as in the past.
As the cities become more and more congested, there will be a corresponding overflow from them to the country. Even now residents of New York and other cities are buying farms and residences in this vicinity.
I believe in time these acres will all be utilized and beautified, and that city and country will so blend, that one will hardly know where one begins and the other ends.
Hebron may become a suburb of some city. Perhaps of Hartford coming via Manchester, or of Willimantic via Columbia.
We are going at a fast pace. This old fashioned lightning is pretty slow for our use, but I suppose we will have to jog along with it unless our neighbors over in Mars send us something that will serve our purpose better.
This is a great day for Hebron! The cloudless sky, the large number
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present, the enlivening music, the distinguished visitors who have taken part in the interesting exercises to which we have listened, conspire to make it a day long to be remembered.
Never before was such a throng assembled on this Green! Never before did the people of the town, meet so many friends and acquaintances from distant and neighboring towns.
To-day as we listen to the historians of the town, and as we meet and greet our friends of bygone days, our thoughts are of those who have acted their part upon the stage of life and passed from earthly scenes away.
Those forms once animate that moved upon these streets and in the dwellings of this town are gone from view. Their dust is enshrined in these hills and valleys; and in contemplation of their silent abodes we may say with the poet:
"Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest; Some Cromwell, guiltless of his country's blood".
"Full many a gem, of purest ray serene, The dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear;
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air".
If their names are not inscribed upon the scroll of fame, from their worthy deeds their self-sacrificing lives and parental care, comes the inspiration that prompts us to gather here to-day to honor and reverence their names, and to preserve and perpetuate the memory of their lives.
Five minute speeches from our sons abroad were then called for and responses were made by Bissell E. Post, Mrs. Anna E. Marsh and Edgar D. White of Andover, Clair S. Hutchinson of Hartford, Dr. Charles J. Douglas and Mrs. Ida A. Douglas of Boston, Mrs. Kate T. Way, Mrs. Minnie Sumner Preston, of Lincoln, Neb. and others.
The audience then joined in singing "My Country "Tis of Thee" and the benediction was pronounced by the Rev. Samuel Hart, in the absence of Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald, who was assigned to that duty.
During the entire day opportunity was taken for a renewal of old friendships by many who had not met for years, and es- pecially during the closing hours of the exercises and while the visitors were preparing to depart. As the sun declined, the Committee on Transportation was again taxed to its utmost to provide conveyance to the railroad for the parting guests, but all were safely deposited at the station in time for the last train.
In the evening a reception was held at the old Arnold home-
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stead, now owned by a descendant, Miss Caroline E. Kellogg, who kindly opened her home to the public. The hostess and her brother, Mr. D. Arnold Kellogg, were assisted in receiving by first selectman Edwin T. Smith and Mrs. Smith, and Chairman Way. The old mansion was quaintly decorated with antique furnishings and the occasion was one of the most pleasant occurrences of the week. A large number partook of the hos- pitalities, many old acquaintances were renewed and new ones made, an orchestra was in attendance and a collation served by the ladies. The charm of this reception, practically closing the festivities of the week, made all the participants feel that the second century of the old town had closed in a satisfactory manner, and the third had begun most propitiously.
A heavy rain accompanied with a high wind prevailed on Wednesday, spoiling many plans for the enjoyment of the day, but in the evening the young people presented the drama "Valley Farm" at the town hall, which was very much enjoyed.
On Thursday, owing to the storm of the day previous and the cool weather following, the proposed picnic at the North Pond was omitted and in the evening the young people repeated the entertainment of the evening previous.
AND NOW
"The Bicentennial observances being over, we turn from rehearsing the history of the past 1.0 the making of the history of the future."
F 846308.39
TC
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