USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Middleborough > Celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the incorporation of Middleborough, Massachusetts, October 3, 1869 > Part 1
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 01114 8696
:
CELEBRATION
OF THE
TWO-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
INCORPORATION OF MIDDLEBOROUGH, Max. ,
MASSACHUSETTS,
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
OCTOBER 13, 1869.
INCLUDING THE
ORATION OF HON. THOMAS RUSSELL, ADDRESS BY HIS HONOR, MAYOR SHURTLEFF, OF BOSTON, AND THE OTHER EXERCISES OF THE OCCASION.
WITH AN APPENDIX,
Published by request of the Committee of Arrangements.
1
GAZETTE OFFICE, MIDDLEBOROUGH. 1870.
1779101
45
JUL. BUIN BOSTON
"THE OLD MORTON HOUSE."
Middleborough, Mass.
F 844528 . 57 Celebration of the two-hundredth anniversary of the in- corporation of Middleborough. Massachusetts, October 13, 1863. Including the oration of Hon. Thomas Russell, address by His Honor Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston. and the other exer- cises of the occasion. With an appendix. Published by re- quest of the Committee of arrangements. Gazette off., 1870.
Middleborough,
CHELE GARD 51 p., 1 1. front. 23cm.
1. Middleborough, Mass .-- Hist. I. Russell, Thomas, 1825-1887.
Library of Congress
F74.362MG La30d11
1-11520
2654
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CELEBRATION
OF THE
TWO-HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
INCORPORATION OF MIDDLEBOROUGH,
MASSACHUSETTS,
THE NEWBERRY LIBRARY CHICAGO
OCTOBER 13, 1869.
INCLUDING THE
ORATION OF HON. THOMAS RUSSELL, ADDRESS BY HIS HONOR, MAYOR SHURTLEFF, OF BOSTON, AND THE OTHER EXERCISES OF THE OCCASION.
WITH AN APPENDIX,
Published by request of the Committee of Arrangements.
GAZETTE OFFICE, MIDDLEBOROUGH. 1870.
At a meeting of the Committee of Arrangements held this day, it was
Voted, That the thanks of the Committee be presented to HON. THOMAS RUSSELL for his eloquent oration delivered on the Two Hundredth Anni- versary of the incorporation of the town of Middleborough, and that he be respectfully requested to furnish us a copy for publication.
GEORGE SOULE, Chairman. OCT. 19, 1869.
S. H. SYLVESTER, Secretary.
A committee, consisting of William H. Wood, Joseph E. Beals and James M. Coombs, was chosen to communicate the above and superintend the publication of the oration.
JUDGE RUSSELL'S REPLY.
BOSTON, Dec. 21, 1869.
DEAR JUDGE, - I have written from memory a poor sketch of my ad- dress at Middleborough. It contains a few sentences which I have spoken elsewhere, but which were needed to complete my views on the subject discussed. I congratulate you on the great success of your celebration, and am, with great respect,
Yours truly, THOMAS RUSSELL.
HON. WM. H. WOOD.
Mim. 96.
INTRODUCTORY.
OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES.
At a meeting of the citizens of Middleborough held, in pursu- . ance of a public call, at Soule's Hall, on the 10th of September, and continued by adjournment to the 17th, it was determined to have a celebration of the two hundredth anniversary of the incor- poration of the town, by a procession, oration and dinner ; and the following named gentlemen were chosen a Committee of Arrange- ments.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
CHAIRMAN. GEORGE SOULE.
JAMES H. HARLOW,
JOIIN B. LE BARON,
HENRY H. SHAW,
ANDREW L. TINKHAM,
GEORGE H. DOANE,
MARTIN P. STANDISHI,
CALVIN D. KINGMAN,
L. D. MUNROE,
A. B. SANFORD,
JAMES M. COOMBS,
DR. E. W. DRAKE,
B. F. TRIPP,
JAMES E. PEIRCE,
JAMES COLE, JR.,
IVORY H. HARLOW,
GEORGE BRAYTON.
W. L. BROWN,
C. B. WOOD, Treasurer. S. H. SYLVESTER, Secretary.
At a town meeting held September 6th, 1869, the town voted to choose a committee to cooperate with the committee of the citizens in the proposed celebration, and chose as that committee the select- men, viz. :
JOSEPHI T. WOOD, THOMAS SMITHI, LEWIS LEONARD.
Also the town clerk, C. B. WOOD,
Z. PRATT, STILLMAN BENSON, GEORGE M. LEACII.
The town also voted at the same meeting to extend an invitation to the town of Lakeville to join in thic celebration.
The committee, and especially their chairman, are entitled to much credit for the zeal and energy with which they immediately
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entered on their labor, perfecting their plans, raising money by vol- untary subscriptions, and carrying forward their work to a success- ful issue.
Wednesday, the 13th of October, was fixed as the day for the celebration. Hon. Thomas Russell, of Boston, was invited to give the oration, and accepted the invitation. Gov. Claflin, his council and staff, and other state officials, Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston, and others, to the number of about three hundred, were especially in- vited to be present, very many of whom at once accepted the invi- tation. A circular was also issued by the chairman of the execu- tive committee, calling upon all the sons and daughters of old Mid- dleborough, wherever they might be, to return once more to the old homestead, and join in the festivities of the day. The commit- tee appointed
WILLIAM II. WOOD, President of the day. REV. S. G. DODD, of the C. C. Society, Chaplain. CALVIN D. KINGMAN, EsQ., Toast Master. CAPT. GEORGE H. SHAW, Chief Marshal.
The Marshal selected for his aids
JOSHUA SHERMAN, HENRY H. SHAW,
CHARLES H. TOBEY,
GEORGE W. RICHI, A. B. SANFORD, LOUIS K. HARLOW.
H. W. DURFEE.
Yale's mammoth tent, 205 feet by 85, was engaged, and was located on the vacant lot of Philander Washburn & Brother, on the corner of Centre and Pearl streets. This was divided by a canvas partition, one part of which was devoted to the publie ex- ercises of the day, and in the other the dining tables were spread.
Arrangements were made with Thomas Cook, of Boston, to pro- vide a dinner for one thousand persons, and Mr. Cook performed 4 his contract in a manner very satisfactory to the committee and their guests.
On Tuesday, people from abroad began to gather in town, and on Tuesday evening, the weather being very beautiful, our central village presented a very gay and animated appearance. Col. Beals & Son, the decorators, of Boston, had been in town some days, and many publie and private buildings bore evidence of their taste and skill. The North Bridgewater Band, stationed near the Post Office, attracted erowds of people by its fine music. The hotel '
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was full, and many private houses, of those who had come from abroad to engage in this home gathering.
The morning of Wednesday opened with dark elouds rolling up from the east, with flashes of lightning, and all the portents of a stormy day ; but although the rain was falling copiously around us, only occasional slight showers visited us until afternoon, and the programme for the day was fully and successfully carried out. The exercises commeneed with the firing of guns and the ringing of bells, and soon the military and civie organizations from other towns began to arrive. The Nemasket House, P. E. Penniman, Proprietor, had been designated as the place for receiving our invited guests, which on the arrival of the ears, bringing the orator of the day, His Honor Mayor Shurtleff, and others, was filled to overflowing.
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THE PROCESSION.
The proeession was formed at the firing of the gun, on Sehool and Peiree streets, its right resting on Centre street. It moved promptly at 103 o'clock, in the following order, after receiving the distinguished guests of the day.
ORDER OF PROCESSION.
State Police. Chief Marshal. Aid. Aid. Middleborough Cornet Band, C. M. Vaughn, Drum Major. Company L, Carver, Capt. Griffith. .. Company M, Plymouth, Capt. Drew. President of the day. Orator and Chaplain. Invited Guests.
II DIVISION.
Marshal. . Aid. Aid.
Joppa Band. Company A, Halifax, Capt. Bonney. Post No. 13, G. A. R., G. W. Leaeh, Commander. Post S, G. A. R., L. D. Monroe, Commander.
III DIVISION.
Marshal. Aid.
Aid. New Bedford Brass Band.
Sutton Encampment, A. II. W. Carpenter, Commander. Mayflower Lodge, A. B. Bosworth, W. M. Miles Standish Company, A. J. Pickens, Captain.
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IV DIVISION.
Marshal. Aid, Aid. North Bridgewater Band. Bay State Engine Co., J. II. Weston, Captain. Indian Company, B. L. Boomer, Chief.
Schools of Ancient and Modern Times. Antiques. Cavalcade of Ladies. Cavalcade of Gentlemen. Town Officers of Middleborough. Town Officers of Lakeville. Citizens in Carriages.
The procession moved down Main street to the Star Mills, through Montello to North street, from North to School, from School to Peiree, to Pearl, to Centre, to Oak, to Courtland, to Main street, thenee around the Morton House to Main, thenee to Centre street, to the tent, where the dinner was spread and the oration was de- livered. The route of the procession was about four miles in length.
The committee desire especially to acknowledge their obligation to B. M. C. Durfee, Esq., of Fall River, for his splendid four-in- hand English carriage, footman and driver, which he so generously tendered for the occasion. This carriage contained the Orator, President, and Chaplain of the day, and Mayor Shurtleff, of Boston. Other invited guests followed in carriages. Many of the carriages were voluntarily furnished by citizens of the town. The military escort was 120 strong.
The Knights Templar, of New Bedford, Sutton Encampment, in full regalia, attracted much attention.
In the Miles Standish company, E. B. Thompson, of Halifax, carried the old gun with which the Indian was shot in King Philip's war. His ancestor of the sixth generation, Lieut. John Thompson, commanded the fort which contained sixteen men and their families, and the gun belonged to him. The piece has a barrel six feet and one inch long, with a curious looking but, and has been fired within a year. The distance at which it shot the Indian was 155 rods, or nearly half a mile, - a chance shot, probably.
The captain of the Miles Standish company, A. J. Pickens, was attired in a costume like that of the renowned Standish, and ear- ried a sword and pistol that belonged to Lieut. John Thompson of
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old. Two ancient halberds were carried by J. D. Drew. and J. Z. T. Thompson, of Halifax.
The Indian company under Mr. Boomer as chief was a marked feature of the procession, their color, costume and attitudes being such, that King Philip himself might have mistaken them for one of his own warlike bands.
That part of the procession put down in the programme as the antiques, excited much interest. Here was the school of olden time, twenty children in ancient costume, with the pedagogue flour- ishing his cudgel, in a wagon drawn by oxen ; and close by, two wagons drawn by horses, containing about twenty pupils each, representing the improved school of modern times ; one with Miss Mary L. Tinkham as teacher of the primary department, the other with Miss Harriet C. Barden as teacher of the higher department. Here also was the ancient and indestructible " one-horse shay,"-the old doctor on horseback, with saddle-bags, - two couples on horse- back, the ladies beliind on pillions, - a cavalcade of ladies, etc., etc . The costumes were very ancient ; some were more than two hundred years old.
The procession, which was about half a mile long, was received with much enthusiasm throughout its entire route, manifested by the crowds of people, men, women and children, lining the streets, the display of flags and other decorations, the waving of handker- chiefs from windows and balconies, and other manifestations of delight.
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DECORATIONS.
The Nemasket House, P. E. Penniman proprietor, the point from which the procession started, was gaily trimmed with tricolors on the large pillars in front and purple hangings on the balcony, and the motto, " 1669. Welcome to Middleborough. 1869."
Flags were suspended across the street to the large edifice occu- pied by Leonard & Barrows, shoe manufacturers, and by the stores . of C. H. Carpenter and A. G. Alden. On the front of this edifice were the inscriptions : "The Day we Celebrate." "Justice."
Further on, the residence of Major Tucker and Prof. J. W. P. Jenks was arrayed in bunting, etc., and the store, owned and occu- pied by Peirce Brothers, was well decorated, and bore the motto, " Let Brotherly Love Continue." The commanding residence of the brothers, Messrs. Job C., Thomas S. and William Peirce, oppo- site, was also decorated.
The house of Henry H. Shaw, of Shaw & Co.'s Express, was handsomely decorated. Also the house of Richard B. Holmes.
At this point, at some distance on the right, flags were seen flying on the site of the old garrison house, and on Tispaquin rock. (These points are referred to in Judge Russell's oration.)
Near here, too, is the old Barrows house, the homestead of the Barrows family, now occupied by Miss Lois Barrows. On one end of the building the clapboards have been taken off, and a hole about six inches square appears. The walls of the building are planked with two live-oak boards, each an inch thick. This house has been supposed to be so built with port-holes for defence in the Indian war.
The residence of George Brayton was richly decorated with flags. Many houses in the vicinity of the Star Mills were decorated. The dwelling-house of Mr. Toole, on North street, bore the green flag of Erin and the stars and stripes. The house of W. H. Vaughan attracted marked attention, some four 'cartloads of yellow pump- kins adorning his piazzas. On School street, the school-house bore
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the motto, " Our Common Schools the Basis of New England In- stitutions." The house of Bay State Engine Co., and headquarters of the Middleborough Cornet Band, was elegantly decorated.
On Pearl street, the houses of S. II. Sylvester, George W. Tay- lor, Peter Washburn, J. H. Case, A. G. Alden, and Samuel Will- iams, were very appropriately decorated.
Probably the most elaborate exhibition of the day was gotten up at the house of Mrs. Jane King, on Oak street. On one side of the piazza was represented an ancient family. First sat Mrs. Stro- bridge, 78 years old, spinning flax on an old flax-wheel, the prop- erty of a very old lady of this town, Mrs. Thomas. Next her was a small round table, such as was commonly used in families in those times, on which was displayed several pewter plates, part of a very aneient set of china, tea-eaddy, and a small carthen-ware tea-pot, . just large enough to hold one cup of tea. This tea-pot was brought from England by an aneestor of Mrs. King, a Mr. Peekham, one of the first settlers of Newport, R. I., and is over two hundred years old. Next this table sat Mrs. King, 79 years old, carding wool into rolls for spinning, on hand eards more than a century old. Next beyond her was a very aneient light stand, on which was a large volume of Flavel's Sermons, and a Dietionary, the author unknown, as the title page is gone ; but both books must be at least a hundred and fifty years old. Next sat Miss E. P. King, dressed in the costume of nearly two eenturies ago, weaving tape by hand, as was then customary in all families. Last, running around, was a little grandehild of Mrs. King, three years old, dressed in a child's dress made in England as much as one hundred years ago, of a kind of eloth called rattinet ; over her neek was pinned a linen handkerchief, cheeked blue and white, made of flax spun and woven by some of the King aneestry. The other side of the piazza rep- resented a modern sitting-room, where, in a large niee roeking-chair, sat Miss S. A. King by the side of a marble-topped table, at work on a picee of worsted embroidery, and at the same time entertain- ing several lady eallers. Over the ancient side was placed the name of the Governor of Plymouth Colony, " Prence, 1669." Over the modern side was the name of the present Governor of Massa- chusetts, " Claflin, 1869."
The house of George Soule, Chairman of the Committee of Ar- rangements, on Oak street, was tastefully decorated with flags and
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streamers, with the dates " 1669, 1869." The house of Joseph E. Beals was decorated with flags.
On Courtland street are the Bay State Straw Works of Albert Alden, upon which a lavish hand had been laid. "Loyalty and Industry " were the mottoes. Mr. Alden's house, on Main street, was also decorated, and James Peirce's, W. Bourne Wood's, I. H. Harlow's, J. T. Wood's, J. M. Pickens', and the old Morton House was designated by a flag and motto. The honse of W. S. All- drews was tastefully decorated, with the inscription, " They sowed and we reap," - also the houses of Sidney Theker, Foster Harlow, James II. Harlow, A. B. Sanford. Across the street here were thrown several flags and streamers.
The building occupied by George Soule, furniture dealer, with a hall overhead occupied by the Sons of Temperance and the St. Crispins, among its decorations bore the inscriptions, "'Love, Purity, Fidelity," " K. O. S. C. 191." Masonie IIall adjoin- ing, in which are Judge W. H. Wood's law office, G. II. Doane's hardware and cutlery store, and J. B. & J. Shaw, apothecaries and fancy goods dealers, was elegantly trimmed with purple velvet hangings and tricolors, and bore the words, "Hope, Faith, and Charity," and the insignia of Freemasonry.
American Hall Building, ocenpied by the millinery rooms of S. F. Barrows, by George Waterman, grocer, and by Dr. Leach, D. D. s., was finely trimmed, with the words, " Middleborough, 1669. Bi-Centennial."
M. Toole's store, and Bennett & Thompson's grocery, corner of Main and Water streets, were decorated.
On Centre street, the building which contains the headquarters of Post 8, G. A. R., up stairs, and the store of A. II. W. Carpenter, merchant tailor, was handsomely decorated, and flags were sus- pended over the street to the decorated edifice occupied by the store of B. F. Tripp, and by A. L. Tinkham, the postmaster of Middle- borough.
S. H. Sylvester, the hair-dresser, Secretary of the Committee, had his saloon finely decorated, and npon the front was the inscrip- tion, " Patient in labor, submissive to law, regardful of right, faith- ful to liberty."
The spacious residence of George Waterman, opposite the high school, was neatly decorated.
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HON. W. H. WOOD'S ADDRESS.
The procession reached the tent soon after twelve o'clock, and after the large audience had become seated, and music by one of the bands, the President of the day delivered his address of wel- come.
FELLOW CITIZENS :
Ladies and Gentlemen, - Assembled as we are to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of our existence as a town, in the name and in behalf of the town of Middleborough I extend to you all a cor- dial welcome to the festivities of the occasion. To our fellow-citi- zens, ladies and gentlemen, who have left their accustomed avoca- tions to come up to this gathering, we give a welcome. To the sons and daughters of Middleborough, who, having gone out from us in other years, to-day return to join us in this family gathering, to re- visit the scenes of their earlier days, we extend our hand in con- gratulation and fraternal regard. We trust that as you have again visited these old familiar streets, which bring up visions of the past, that though your thoughts will be tinged with sadness as you notice the changes which time has wrought, as memory brings up " the distant and the dead," yet you rejoice with us to-day at the manifest signs of prosperity which still attend our native town. And to those who, not natives or descendants of Middleborough, have come to aid us by their presence and sympathy, we give a cor- dial welcome. Particularly do we gratefully acknowledge our obli- gations to those military and civic organizations who by their presence are contributing so much to the pleasures of the day.
Our thoughts today revert to the past. In imagination we roll back the centuries, and stand here at Nemasket as it existed two hundred years ago. Indeed, we get a slight glimpse of this town two hundred and fifty years ago, before even the Mayflower had cast anchor in yonder bay, when upon that afternoon in spring, or early summer, Captain Dermer and his guide Squanto entered this
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Indian settlement. With the exception of the French captive whom they found here, his was the first white man's foot which ever trod this soil. Here was the Indians' home. Here in the simplicity of forest life, they had lived and died for centuries. Here the great Massasoit, the early and constant friend of the pilgrims, was acens- tomed to resort in Summer, and here appear to have been the royal hunting and fishing grounds. Since that day how great the change. Our little lakes were glittering in the sunlight then as now ; our Ne- masket, through pathless deserts, was flowing on towards the sea. The same skies were overhead, but all else how changed !
Who have wrought these changes? It is very little that our own hands have wrought. Our fathers labored, and we have entered into their labors. They opened up the forests, they cleared and cultivated these fields, they planted the church, the school-house, our free institutions. The immediate descendants of the pilgrims ; theirs were the stern, heroie virtues which enabled them to re- move all obstacles however formidable, and to lay the foundations of towns and states. They sowed in darkness and in tears, we reap in light and joy. Theirs was a faith that could remove monn- tains, because it led to heroic action.
It is well, then, on stated occasions, to commemorate the virtues of our fathers ; their heroic, manly courage, their persistent adher- · ence to truth, following wherever that might lead them ; for it was an adopted principle of action with them that they would not be " tied on Tuesday morning to maintain the tenets of Monday night, if a new discovery intervened."
Nor should we altogether overlook their errors ; for their charac- ters were such as can endure serutiny, and it is from the failures of men as well as from their success that we learn wisdom. But be careful how you censure them ; for it is a maxim of our free institu- tions that a man shall be judged by his peers, and perchance many that cavil, when tried by this standard, have no right to sit in judg- ment upon them. They walked by an inner light, and only those who are in some measure favored by such a light can appreciate their character.
Once more, ladies and gentlemen, I bid you welcome. Let this day be sacred to the memory of the past, and may its associations link us more strongly with our native town. To most of us this is consecrated ground ; a father's, a mother's dust is mingled with the
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soil. How often has it been moistened by the tears of affection ! May we all unite in the aspiration, that as "God was with our fathers so may he be with us," and with those who come after us through all future time.
The President then introduced Rev. S. G. Dodd, of the Central Congregational church, the Chaplain of the day, who offered prayer, a band of children from Miss M. L. Tinkham's school joining with him at the close in repeating the Lord's prayer. The centennial hymn was then sung by a selcet choir, under the leadership of A. J. Pickens. At its conclusion, the Star Spangled Banner was per- formed by the Middleborough Cornet Band, and then Judge Russell, being introduced, delivered the following oration.
ORATION OF HON. THOMAS RUSSELL.
The sons and daughters of old Middleborough have done well to leave their pleasant homes around this spot, and those distant homes to which New England enterprise has borne them, gathering here to repeat the names and traditions of their fathers, and to traee the steps by which they reared this goodly town and helped to build this fair state and this noble country. Descended from your anecstors, with the same blood in my veins that flows in yours, I could not refuse to join in this great holiday of my kinsmen.
Although the incorporation of this town was delayed till June 1, 1669, the spot had long been known to Europeans. Here eame Captain Dermer in 1619, and ransomed a captive Frenehman, who some years since had been shipwrecked on Cape Cod. And here he left Squanto or Tisquantum, kid- napped years before by the treacherous Capt. Hunt, sold into slavery to Spaniards, and set free by a Spanish monk. Won- derful are the ways of Providenec. Had our pilgrim fathers asked one earthly blessing, it would have been that they should find here a friendly Indian able to interpret between them and his race. This great need was supplied by the erime of Hunt- the wrath of man praising God; by the humanity of the Spanish monk, who little knew what church he was helping to build up; by the kindness of Ferdinando Gorges, who ordered the restoration of the exile, and by the energy of Captain Dermer, who carried out that order.
In 1621, Plymouth Colony sent an embassy to Massasoit, - Edward Winslow and Stephen Hopkins, who were plentifully fed at Nemasket, and who spent the night at Titicut, where they ate abundance of bass ; for then, as now, Taunton Great
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River and its head waters were prolific of fish, although not as yet fruitful of legislation. On their return, weary and hungry, the messengers were once more refreshed at Titicut and Nemasket. Later still, Winslow and Hampden visiting Massasoit in his illness, and ministering to his needs, found food and comfort in their old resting places. You can show us the old wading-place below the mill, the Indian weir, the fording-place at Raynham, where two venerable Indians, armed with bows and arrows, made a show of opposing the passage of the stream. These spots are memorable in his- tory. The journeys were short, their events were simple, but when we think of the first as confirming the friendship of Massasoit, and of the second as prolonging his life, we know of no embassy in ancient or modern times that has had more influence on the destinies of the world.
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