USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Litchfield > The history of the town of Litchfield, Connecticut, 1720-1920 > Part 15
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Another occassional event were the serenades. We quote again from Mary L. Wilbor, July 4, 1822: We were sweetly serenaded by B. and S. and L. as we suppose but we were so very unfortunate as not to hear it. When Miss Mary told us of it this morning we were quite astonished that we could be so stupid as not to hear it. It must have been quite romantic, for I never saw a more delightful evening". Fortunately another opportunity came, the very night
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before her school career was over, August 29, 1822: "In the night we were awoke by music which appeared to be very near us. We instantly arose and found it to be Mssrs. Loring Burgess and Sulli- van with flutes which were played with much skill and sweetness. But all the pleasures of Litchfield could not render it possible for me to remain there and in the morning I took my melancholy departure". (Vanderpoel, p. 240).
Catherine Cebra Webb, another scholar, tells an anecdote in point here: "Old Grove Catlin kept the Hotel in Litchfield, and had a daughter Flora, who was quite a belle. The law students used to quiz him about his daughter's popularity, and he said, "Yes, my daughter Flora is assassinated most every night" (meaning sere- naded)". (Vanderpoel, p. 150).
The serenade always involved a flute, whatever other accom- paniment might be provided for the singers. This recalls the flute and flageolet which accompanied the girls on their walks, but we have no clue as to who was the player on these daily excursions. Among the village boys at this time, Reuben Merriman, the silver- smith, had a son who was a great devotee of the flute. Merriman's shop was next the third Congregational Church, which had just been erected. One day his son climbed the steeple and mystified the whole town with his silvery notes floating down from the heavens.
It would be pleasant to recall here some of the many girls who studied at Miss Pierce's. The school catalogs and other lists preserve the names of some hundreds of the three thousand who attended in the forty years of Miss Sally's own direction; but space prevents any extended notices. Here in 1825 studied Lucy M. Wood- ruff, who married Origen S. Seymour. Many indeed are Litchfield names, the Buels, the Wolcotts, the Seymours, the Bacons, the Dem- ings. Here too came from Sharon the two Canfield sisters, about 1814, Julia, whom the law students called the Lily of the Valley, from her fair skin and want of color, and Elizabeth Hannah, who was called the Rose of Sharon, from her beauty and her birthplace. She married Frederick Augustus Tallmadge, the son of Col. Tall- madge. He became one of the foremost citizens of New York, Presi- dent of the State Senate, member of Congress, Recorder of the City, and first Police Commissioner of New York.
One of the most charming of the students must have been Mary Peck, who for a time was instructor in the school and later married E. D. Mansfield. She took a foremost part in the life of the school in the plays written by Miss Pierce. Unfortunately no diary of hers remains, as her reputation for sprightly fun would have insured its interest to us, but she has left us an album full of autographs of the prominent Litchfield people of 1827. We must not forget the daughters of Dr. Sheldon, Charlotte, who has left us a very delightful diary, especially important for its early date, 1796, and Lucy, who also has left us a diary, 1801. There is a pleasant touch
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in one of the latter's letters to her brother, telling of a trip made to Niagara, with her father and Miss Pierce, which will be cherished by all true Litchfielders who feel that travel can show no fairer and better place to live in: "Though we have passed through many pleas- ant towns and villages yet as we entered Litchfield Miss P. and I agreed that we had not seen one that would compare with it-in neatness-and none pleasanter. Father jumped out of the stage and said 'Home is home, if ever so homely!'" (Vanderpoel, p. 64).
Lucy Sheldon married Theron Beach of Goshen. She lived in her father's house on North Street, and attained the great age of 101 years, having been born June 27, 1788, and having died April 7, 1889. There have been many very old people in Litchfield, but the palm is carried away from all competitors by the mother of Judge Andrew Adams, who, as Morris tells (p. 107) : "was born in Strat- ford, in the year 1698; and died in this town in the year 1803; aged 105. She lived in three centuries; and was of a pleasant temper, amiable manners, temperate habits, and regular in all her deport- ment". After considering such cases, one can see that the opinion of Seth P. Beers was well-grounded, when he said, that the critical period in the lives of the Litchfield people was between the ages of ninety nine and one hundred years!
CHAPTER XI.
AMUSEMENTS.
"The customs and manners of the first settlers of Litchfield were plain and simple. Their clothing was of their own domestic manufacture; and their food of their own raising. Foreign luxu- ries were scarcely made use of till about the year 1750. Their amuse- ments were of the athletic kind. When young people of both sexes assembled together for amusement, they employed themselves prin- cipally in dancing, while one of the company sung. The first use of the violin in this town for a dance was in the year 1748. The whole expense of the amusement, although the young people gener- ally assembled, did not exceed one dollar; out of which the fiddler was paid. When this instance of profusion took place, parents and old people exclaimed, that they should be ruined by the extravagance of the youth. In the year 1798, a ball, with the customary enter- tainment and variety of music, cost about $160., and nothing was said about it. Such has been the difference in the manners of Litch- field, within half a century. It is not inferred from this differ- ence, that our youth are at present more vicious than formerly; but it serves to show a material difference in the wealth and character of the people". (Morris, pp. 97-98).
Naturally the Law School and the Female Academy were prin- cipally responsible for the great increase in dancing, which carried all Litchfield with it, especially around holiday times. As early as 1786, six years before Miss Pierce's School was opened, Mariann Wolcott wrote to her brother, Frederick: "Litchfield, August 23. ... I have been dancing all the forenoon, and my hand trembles so, I can hardly write intelligibly. We dance again, this evening; and we all wish for your company. Mean time, you are poring over some antiquated subject, that is neither instructive nor entertain- ing. You cannot say so of our dancing; it is 'an amusement that profits the mind'." (Wolcott Memoirs, p. 324).
After Miss Pierce's School was in full swing, many so-called balls were given in the schoolroom under her patronage, the invita- tions to attend them being of course highly prized by the law students; they were however much simpler affairs than the Law students gave in return, and probably it was a Law Student dance which cost $160., in 1798. The Students Balls, as they were usually styled on the invitations, were given in Phelps' Assembly Room, the third story of Phelps' Tavern, which was modernized by Rufus King in the 60's and denominated the United States Hotel, but which has now happily regained its old name of Phelps' Tavern, under the
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ownership of Eugene L. Phelps. The Assembly Room was very lofty, the arched ceiling running up under the mansard roof. There was a music balcony at the east end, and around the sides of the room ran a broad and comfortable divan, with red moreen cushions, the seat itself lifting on hinges, in sections of about four feet, the box beneath furnishing a neat and convenient receptacle for head dress, shawls and wraps, the latter usually a cloak, the most favored being a red broadcloth. In this manner, the modern cloakroom was dispensed with.
The invitations to the Students Balls were printed on the backs of playing cards, as can be seen by the curious collection of these which is preserved in the rooms of our Historical Society. The backs of cards were then plain white, and were utilized by printers when needing blanks,for lack of anything better. The faces of these playing cards are printed from the coarsest wood engraving. roughly colored.
The balls were given nominally to commemorate anniversaries, and are so designated on the invitations, as Litchfield Ball, New Year's Ball, Birthnight Ball (Feb. 22), Exhibition Ball (in May, at the closing of the winter term of Miss Pierce's school), Independence Ball, Thanksgiving's Ball, and the like. They were in charge of Committees, the members of which issued the tickets, endorsing their names on them, to make themselves responsible for the bearers. The hour named is invariably Six O'clock, alike in summer and in winter, out of deference doubtless to Miss Pierce's nine o'clock cur- few rule. The scholars under sixteen from the Academy could not attend, but Miss Pierce compensated for this by furnishing a list of 'eligibles' to the Students' Committee at the beginning of each term.
In addition to these Balls, there were frequent Cotillion parties given in private houses. (J. Deming Perkins, in Litchfield Enquirer, April 21, 1904).
No theatricals were ever held in Litchfield till after the Revolu- tion. Puritan principles would have been set too strongly against anything of the kind, even if the experience and talent necessary to carry them out had existed. The only thing at all related were the occasional Exhibitions by the scholars of the many and varied schools which have had their brief existences in the town. Thus, the Monitor for March 30, 1791, has this paragraph: "Yesterday, Mr. Hitchcock's students presented themselves before a public audi- ence, at the meeting house, and exhibited various specimens of improvement in Reading, Writing, and Declamation, to general satisfaction. The lads were from eight to twelve years of age. Select pieces from the purest authors were spoken upon the stage, and with more propriety than the most sanguine could have expected".
After the Revolution and the founding of the Law School, man- ners changed so much and the infusion of a new spirit was so strong, that it is no surprise to find theatrical performances beginning almost at once.
THE UNITED STATES HOTEL. FORMERLY AND NOW AGAIN KNOWN AS PHELPS' TAVERN
DR. DANIEL SHELDON
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The first we read of were in May, 1785, when a series of several performances was given, "the principal characters being sustained by students of Yale College". (Kilbourne, p. 163). Of these the Monitor wrote, "Distinguished Merit and literary Ability were so evidently conspicuous and amply displayed on the Occasion, as would have done Honor to a British Theatre".
Miss Pierce's sympathies extending to her scholar's play as well as to their work, she wrote for them not only Histories, as we have already seen, but several plays of a highly religious or moral char- acter. Miss Edgeworth, in her most solemn moments, never per- petrated anything more pointed with stimulating morals. To us it is inconceivable that girls of sixteen could relish depicting the plays of "Ruth", "The Two Cousins", and "Jephthah's Daughter", but they were great events. All lessons and other occupations were given up during the period of preparation. Catherine E. Beecher says of these plays, (Autobiography, Vol. I., pp. 227-229) : "A stage was erected, scenery was painted and hung in true theatre style, while all the wardrobes of the community were ransacked for stage dresses.
"On one occasion of this sort father came in late, and the house being packed, he was admitted by the stage entrance. Either from fun or accident, just as he was passing over the stage, the curtain rose, and the law students spied him and commenced clapping. Father stopped, bowed low, amid renewed clapping and laughter, and then passed on to his seat.
"It was in this way that dramatic writing and acting became one of the 'nothings' about which I contrived to be busy and keep others so. Various little dramas were concocted and acted between the school sessions in wintry weather. And after a while, when nearly grown up, we got up in the family, very privately, quite an affair of this kind. I turned Miss Edgeworth's Unknown Friend into a drama, and for some weeks all the children old enough to take part, and several school-girls boarding with us, were busy as bees preparing for rehearsal. It was kept a profound secret till the appointed evening, when father and mother wondered who built a fire in the large parlor, and then still more how it happened that so many neighbors and students called all at once. Then suddenly the dining-room door was opened, and all invited in, while a mysteri- ous curtain was descried at the farther end. The curtain rose, and forthwith the actors appeared, and completed the whole enter- tainment amid 'thunders of applause'. The next day, however, as we expected, we were told that it was very well done, but we must not do so any more".
The only professional performance that we hear of, was one of 'Shakespeare's Plays' given in Mr. Buel's Ball Room, in November, 1789, by a company of strolling actors. (Kilbourne, p. 164).
If strolling actors were a rare event, it is surprising how many miscellaneous entertainments, or exhibitions, came to Litchfield in
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these days. They do not strictly belong in a History of the town, but they give so curious a light on what was considered amusement in those days, and some of them sound so delightfully absurd in themselves, that a few extracts may be quoted, covering the forty years from 1787 to 1827. They are all taken from advertisements, and whether they all materialized or how they were received is now not to be known.
Monitor, July 16, 1787: "By permission-Mr. Pool, The first American that ever exhibited the following Equestrian Feats of Horsemanship on the Continent, Intends performing on Wednesday next in Mr. Buel's orchard, in Litchfield. The performance to begin at half past four o'clock in the afternoon, if the weather will permit, if not, the first fair day after. A clown will entertain the Ladies and Gentlemen between the feats". Seven events are specified, all growing more and more elaborate and wonderful, "after which Mr. Pool will introduce two extraordinary Horses, who at the word of command, will lay themselves down and groan, apparently through extreme sickness and pain. The entertainment will conclude with the noted droll scene, the Taylor riding to Brentford. Tickets may be had at Mr. Buel's and at the place of performance, price 1s.6d. He beseeches the Ladies and Gentlemen, who honor him with their presence, to bring no dogs to the place of performance".".
Monitor, November 24, 1789: Advertisement of John Brenon: "In the curious and ingenious art of dancing on the Slack-Wire. Begins precisely at 6 o'clock,tickets at 1s.6d. Children 9d. First he bal- ances a straw or a single tobacco pipe on the wire, second balances a sword on the edge of a wine glass, third goes through a hoop on ditto, fourth beats a drum on ditto; the whole of his performance being collected from different parts of the globe where such amuse- ments are in repute would be too long for this advertisement, his ground balancing being past description. Mrs. Brenon walks the Slack-Wire and performs many other feats never before attempted by an American Lady".
Monitor, February 16, 1791: "To the Curious. To be seen at Charles Marsh's stable, a few rods south of the Court -- House, till Thursday evening, Two Camels, Male and Female, from Arabia. These stupendous animals are most deserving the attention of the curious, being the greatest natural curiosities ever exhibited to the public on this continent. They are twenty hands high, have necks four feet long. ... a large high bunch on their backs, and another under their breasts, in the form of a pedestal, on which they support themselves when lying down, they have four joints in their hind legs, ... will travel 12 or 14 days without drink, and carry 15 hundred weight. ... are remarkably harmless and docile, and will lie down and rise at command".
Witness, February 19, 1806: New Museum of Wax Work. "Street respectfully acquaints the ladies and gentlemen of Litchfield and vicinity, that he has opened, at the house of Mr. Charles But-
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ler, a large and elegant collection of wax figures, as large as life". Among the various characters advertised are, "an elegant figure of the grand Bashaw of Tripoli", and a "Likeness of Mr. Ephraim Pratt, aged 120 years. This singular man is represented as giving his property to a stranger in preference to his own family".
The same year, in connection with the Litchfield Festival of the Democrats, there was advertised in the Witness, July 30, 1806: In connection with the Republican Celebration of the 6th of August, a live elephant will be exhibited at the house of Grove Catlin from 7 A. M. till sunset. Among other tricks announced, this animal was trained to draw corks, to the astonishment of the Spectators. Was this the original elephant of the G. O. P .?
Poster in the collection of the Litchfield Historical Society, August 17, 1827: "The Aerial Phaeton. The subscriber intends erecting on Litchfield Hill by the first day of September next an Aerial Phaeton. The design of the machine is to afford an agree- able pastime to ladies and gentlemen. It consists of Four Car- riages each supported by Two Arms, which are attached to an Axle- tree in the centre. They are turned by a Propelling Machine, and will carry eight persons at once, two in each carriage, who will in regular succession be raised to the distance of Fifty Feet in the air, at a rate of velocity equal to ten miles a minute, or slower, as suits the wishes of those occupying the carriages, and all with per- fect ease and safety. This method of recreation and amusement has been highly recommended by the most eminent Physicians in the United States, and will be found the best mode for taking an airing, by those whose lives are sedentary, that can be practised. The place where it is to be erected, is airy, the prospect extending wide, and being relieved by all the variety of hill and dale. Every atten- tion will be paid to company, and all things done 'decently and in order'. John H. Montgomery, Inventor and maker of the Aerial Phaeton. Price 121/2 per mile-children, half price".
There were many outdoor amusements. One of the great events of the year was training day, when the local militia had their chief display. Here is an account from the Monitor, October 3, 1792: "Yesterday, the company of Cavalry, commanded by Capt. Elihu Lewis, well mounted and equipt, and two foot companies, under Capts. Stone and Seymour, principally in uniform, mustered on the parade of this town, and diverted several hundred spectators by a variety of evolutions and firings, much to the honor of their respec- tive corps. Harmony and good conduct pervaded the whole, and no accidents occurred. Tho' a day of apparent glee, yet few, if any, were the disciples of Sir Richard-the head and legs of most were capable of performing their accustomed duties".
We are fortunate in having two glimpses of Training Day, from the diaries respectively of one of the girls and one of the law Stu- dents. Eliza A. Ogden writes on September 24, 1816: "Friday it was general training and there was no school in the morning. I went down
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to the school house and saw them on the parade. In the afternoon I went down to Miss Jones, to see the sham fight. I liked it very well". Younglove Cutler, September 21, 1820, tells the story with his usual more considerable snap: "To begin this great day was powdered. Huzza! here we go, the defenders of our country-but lo my horse has fallen under me & I am with my sword in the dirt & he (care- ful creature) is bounding in his turn over me without harming a hair of my head-now I am appearing to great advantage-now the girls are falling in love with me-now at dinner. Mr. Such a thing whom Lyman & myself saw at the ball & Mr. Law-both from Georgia there-now it is afternoon & and I am bounding about -now running our people-now my horse is fatigued-now it is night-now I am dancing at the ball ... " (Vanderpoel, pp. 165; 200).
But there could not be balls and trainings every day. In winter we have already read of the sleigh rides. There was the skating also, though nothing is said of the school-girls going on the ice, perhaps because of the reputed danger. Our lakes and the river have claimed their victims indeed at all periods, four drown- ings having occurred prior to 1814, and a relatively large number since. Morris gives an account of these early accidents, pp. 99-100: "The first was John Kilby, a foreigner, who fell out of a small canoe, while crossing the Great Pond alone, on the 10th of September, 1787. The second was a son of James Wickwire, who, on the 11th day of December, 1793, fell through the ice, while playing on the Great Pond with his school-mates. On the evening of the 16th day of December, 1812, William H. Bennett, of South Carolina, aged 16 years, and William Ensign, aged 14, school-mates, then members of Morris Academy, were drowned in the Great Pond. The moon
shone brightly. As others were skating, they ran into a glade. An alarm was immediately given, and every exertion made to find their bodies, but they could not be found till they had been under water about one hour. Attempts were then made to resuscitate them, but in vain. They were amiable youths, fond of each other, and in a very melancholy manner united in death".
In summer, there were walks, occasional driving excursions, trips on Bantam Lake, not to speak of the earlier and more rural Husking parties, Apple-bees, Raisings, Quiltings, Spinning parties, and of course the Weddings.
In the days of the Academy, the walks were principally to Pros- pect Hill, where there was then, as later, an Echo Rock, and to Love's Altar, a shady nook by the stream below the hill back of the Frederick Wolcott house. Mary Peck, of the Pierce School, has left us delightful colored sketches of these in her album, preserved in our Historical Society. They are well worth looking up in the reproductions given in Mrs. E. N. Vanderpoel's Chronicles, pp. 246 and 248.
"Mr. Lord had built a bowling alley on the west side of the Prospect Hill road for the benefit of the pupils of both schools, so we can picture these walks combined with lively bowling matches,
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much like those of later days that were held in the old bowling alley, back of the United States Hotel". (Vanderpoel, p. 32).
Finally Bantam Lake offered its attractions, made available by a few boats to be rented for fishing, and occasionally by more pre- tentious craft for excursions. The following advertisements are reprinted from Vanderpoel's Chronicles, p. 33:
Monitor, August 24, 1795: "This subscriber informs the public, and particularly those who either for health or pleasure are dis- posed to enjoy the water, that he has thoroughly repaired that com- modious, prime sailing Pleasure Boat, the Pond Lily; and that she will ply from the northern to the southern shore every day in the week, (wind and weather permitting). She has good accommoda- tions for Passengers; and Ladies and Gentlemen, wishing to indulge in a few hours of healthy and agreeable pastime, will be cheerfully waited upon. Select companis from the town and country, are solicited to afford themselves this pleasant relaxation from business; and on seasonable notice to the Skipper of the Boat, every required attention is promised them, by their devoted, humble servant. James Lee".
"The new and elegant Horse boat, Bantam, having been recently built for the express purpose of accommodating pleasure parties on the Bantam Lake is now completely prepared to accommodate ladies and gentlemen who may wish to take advantage of this safe and neat mode of taking a trip upon our pleasant waters. Parties wishing to engage the boat for a trip, must give two days notice to the subscriber residing at the north end of the Lake. Harmon Stone, Litchfield, June 27, 1826".
"Bantam Lake, (Great Pond, so-called), being a place of much resort, the subscriber has fitted up a small establishment, located on the shore of the northeast extreme of said Lake, in neat order, for the accommodation of those gentlemen and ladies who may wish to spend a few hours on and about this beautiful sheet of water. Frederick A. Marsh, May 28, 1829".
CHAPTER XII.
INDUSTRIES AND MERCHANTS.
It was not till the close of Litchfield's Golden Age that the cen- tralizing tendency of Connecticut industries became marked. Prior to 1840, all the hill towns of the State had a number and variety of local industries far in excess of what they ever had after that date. In Litchfield this was peculiarly the case, because of the important position occupied by the town at the intersection of several main lines of travel. Elizabeth C. Barney Buel read a most comprehensive paper on the Industries of Litchfield County before the Scientific Association in October 1904, from which the following outlines of some of the more important and interesting activities have been taken.
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