USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Kingston > Report of the proceedings and exercises at the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Kingston, Mass. : June 27, 1876 > Part 1
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1726.
1620. KINGSTON. 1876 1776.
REPORT
of THE
PROCEEDINGS AND EXERCISES
AT THE
150th
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH
ANNIVERSARY
OF THE
INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF KINGSTON, MASS.
JUNE 27, 1876.
BOSTON: E. B. STILLINGS & CO., PRINTERS, 15 SPRING LANE. 1876.
100071
1774459
F
844405
. 5
Kingston, Mass. ... Report of the proceedings and exercises at the one hun- dred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Kingston, Mass., June 27, 1876. Boston. E. B. Stillings & co., printers, 1876.
151, (1) p. pl., maps (part fold.) 25mm.
SHULP CARS F 844405 . 5a
another copy .
1. Kingston, Mass .-- Hist.
Library of Congress
F74.KOK5 1-11454
REPORT
OF THE
Proceedings and Exercises
AT THE
CELEBRATION
OF THE
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY Of THE
Incorporation of the Town of Kingston, Mass.,
June 27, 1876.
BOSTON: 1. BESTILLINGS & CO. POINTERS, 15 Spring Bank. 1876.
OFFICERS OF THE DAY.
President. NATHANIEL ADAMS, ESQ., OF BOSTON.
Vice- Presidents.
HON. JOSEPH R. CHANDLER, Penn.
WILLIAM H. SEVER, ESQ. Mass.
HON. GEORGE B. HOLMES, R. 1.
REV. JOB WASHBURN, Me.
HON. EDWARD S. TOBEY, Mass.
REV. WILLIAM A. DREW, 64
RUFUS R. COOK, ESQ., 66
DR. C. C. HOLMES, Mass.
HON. GEORGE G. LORDELL, Del.
HON. HENRY S. WASHBURN,
HON. FRANCIS M. JOHNSON,
Mass. HENRY R. GLOVER, ESQ.,
DR. FRED. W. BARTLETT,
N. Y. PHILIP HOLMES, ESQ., Me.
66 PROF. ALBERT STETSON,
REV. WINSLOW W. SEVER, THOMAS D. STETSON, ESQ.,
4 4
JAMES B. STETSON, ESQ, Cal.
Chief Marshal
CORNELIUS A. FAUNCE.
CYRUS W. RIPLEY.
LEWIS H. KEITH.
QUINCY A. FAUNCE.
WALTER H. FAUNCE.
Chaplain
REV. JOSEPH PECKHAM.
Toast-Master
Grecatibe Committee. KIMBALL W. STETSON, Chairman. And Chairman of Committee on Invitations and Correspondence.
WALTER H. FAUNCE, Secretary.
HORATIO ADAMS, Treasurer.
HENRY K. KEITH Chairman of Committee on Reception.
JAMES H. DAWES
..
Tents.
CALEB BATES .
Fireworks.
AZEL, H. SAMPSON .
Public Dinner.
WILLIAM H. BURGES
..
Music.
CORNELIUS A. FAUNCE
Music.
LEWIS H. KEITH
Decorations.
CYRUS W. RIPLEY .
Military.
FRANK H. FULLER .
.6
46 Ringing of Bells.
Committee of Publication.
JOSEPH PECKHAM,
WALTER HI. FAUNCE,
HORATIO ADAMS.
.
PHILANDER COBB
6 4
W. R. ELLIS.
Aids. 1
INTRODUCTION.
THE one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorpora- tion of Kingston, coming only one week before the centennial birthday of the nation of which it forms a small but not unim- portant part, the question began frequently to be asked both by present and past citizens, Why not unite in a commemoration of the day ? The desirableness of this appeared all the greater, since nothing of the kind was known ever to have occurred, and since the materials for a town history, even from the landing of the forefathers, when Kingston was a part of Plymouth, had been largely gathered and only needed to be brought before the public to give to the occasion an extraordinary interest. The special appropriateness of a celebration at this time was further evinced by the proclamation of the President of the United States, in accordance with an Act of Congress, inviting the peo- ple throughout the country to assemble in their respective n.uni- cipalities on the 4th of July, to recount their local histories, and then to deposit copies of the same in the public archives at Washington. This centennial year has not only given greater intensity to the passion of antiquarians for collecting every pamphlet and paragraph, every name and date, that pertain in any way to the local annals, but also has awakened a uni- versal curiosity in all matters of the past. From year to year, increasing efforts are bestowed upon historical and genealogical research and greater pains are taken for the preservation of the perishable records and fading traditions of the first settlements.
6
INTRODUCTION.
It was evidently no less the duty than the honest pride of a town, so rich in Pilgrim and Revolutionary memorials as Kings- ton, to contribute its important share to the historic treasures of the country.
In compliance with this awakened interest, several notices were posted in different public places of the town inviting the citizens to meet at the Town Hall on the evening of April 25, 1876, " for the purpose of adopting such measures as they might deem desirable." As the result, it was unanimously voted to celebrate. The business of the preparation was dis- tributed among ten different committees, the chairmen of which were to have the general oversight and were to constitute the Executive Committee. The committees thus organized pro- ceeded at once to their several duties with a zeal and efficiency that meant success. The interest daily increased through the whole community, till those who were indifferent or opposed at first vied with the foremost in contributing to the material aid and to the pleasures of the occasion. Including the expense of the public dinner, more than fifteen hundred dollars were readily raised by voluntary gifts.
The services of a first-class brass band (the South Abington) to discourse the music, and of the oldest military company under the charter of the State (the Halifax Light Infantry) to perform the escort, were secured. This military company was organized in 1792. Under the first call of President Lincoln for troops, after the firing upon Fort Sumter, its captain (Harlow), receiving the summons at midnight, warned every member thereof, though residing in seven different towns, so that without exception they took the earliest train the next morning on their way to the scene of conflict. The last act of this gallant company before being disbanded was the escort duty most acceptably performed at our anniversary.
7
INTRODUCTION.
The Committee on Invitations and Correspondence, after much painstaking, particularly of one of their number, * col- lected and registered in a book for the purpose nearly six hundred names of former residents of the town, and of those otherwise connected with it, belonging to twenty-seven differ- ent States of the Union, to each of whom, by private hand or through the mail, they sent a handsomely printed circular cor- dially inviting them all and severally to revisit on this natal, festal day the old home, and assuring them that it would be an occasion for many pleasant reunions and reminiscences. That none might by any possibility be omitted, notices of the contemplated celebration, and invitations thereto were pub- Jished in various newspapers. The responses of the sons and danghters of Kingston residing in these different portions of the land proved conclusively, that a deep chord had been touched in their hearts, and we were sure of a large gathering. Where there were such numbers of the distinguished sons, worthy of official prominence and well qualified to entertain the audience on such an occasion with speech, it became a some- what delicate and painful duty of the Executive Committee to set narrow limits and to give the positions of honor only to a few representatives of the different families and States.
The place selected for the main services was Thomas's Hill, being a part of the estate of Gen. John Thomas, of Revolu- tionary memory, and commanding a view of the bay where the Mayflower was moored, of the island where the Pilgrims, under the canopy of a wintry sky, "rested the first Sabbath," of the hill at whose base their valiant captain resided, and of the river, winding through our territory, named for the captain of the Mayflower, and on whose borders the Pilgrims " had a great liking to plant." Within a few rods of this hallowed spot, * Mr. Cornelius A. Bartlett.
8
INTRODUCTION.
the last survivor of the Mayflower passengers, Mary Allerton, relict of Elder Thomas Cushman, expired, and from this mount of vision could be easily discovered, within the limits of what is now Kingston, the localities where dwelt the Bradfords, Gov. Thomas Prence, Allerton and Cushman, Fuller, How- land, and Cooke, Paddy and Willett ; also the lands of mimer- ous others who were among the early comers. In 1838 this hill was selected by the artist of Barber's Historical Collec- tions of Massachusetts as presenting the most favorable view of the pleasant village with its churches and surroundings ; and it is certain that the progress of nearly forty years since that date, has been continually adding to the landscape in every direction the charms of trim shrubberies, of graceful lawns, and handsome structures.
Providentially the 27th of June, though sharing somewhat largely in the heats of the summer solstice, was yet one of the loveliest, balmiest, and most comfortable days of that pure, leafy, and rosy month. The echoes of the morning were awakened by the ringing of the church-bells and the firing of cannon and anvils, and there was a repetition of the firing and ringing at sunset. "The Antiques and Horribles" including a goodly number who personated the dusky aborigines, thus carrying the imagination back into the remote and misty past, glided through the streets in the carly morn, and soon were seen 110 more. It is not the province of the prosaic journalist or histo- rian of a day, to record the transactions of the unseen world, ' but he would be regarded as very unimpressible and stupid in- deed, not to allow that, at least on a day like this, the venerable fathers were invisibly present as deeply interested spectators.
Precisely at nine o'clock at the sound of life and drum, a pre- liminary procession, consisting of the children of the public schools and citizens, under the direction of the efficient marshal
-
9
INTRODUCTION.
and his aids, took up the line of march from the Town Hall for the Old Colony Station to receive the invited guests. In a brief time after the arrival of the cars the procession was greatly enlarged, and was re-formed in the following order : -
Bowle's South Abington Band, with twenty pieces.
Halifax Light Infantry under command of Capt. Geo. HI. Bonney, Jr. of this town, with forty-seven muskets.
Governor's staff and Secretary of State. President of the day. Vice-Presidents.
Orator, Historian, and Poet. Other Invited Guests. Aged men and women of the town. Iligh, Grammar, and Primary Schools. Citizens.
Nearly one hundred carriages passed at a given point near the depot, while the number of persons on foot was uncounted. The procession moved first to the estate formerly owned by Gov. Bradford and his almost equally illustrious son, William Bradford, Jr. ; passing the cellar of the house occupied at least by the latter, and also by the last apple-tree of his orchard, a high-top sweeting, set out, it is believed, in 1669, and which in this year of grace 1876 bears a small quantity of fair fruit ; then returning by the depot and Town Hall, it passed through the main street to the Hill. Most of the dwel- lings on the route were handsomely and some even elegantly decorated with flags and streamers, with ensigns and shields, with evergreens and flowers, while the older edifices were marked with mottoes indicative of the times when built and of various historical associations. The national emblem with its stars and stripes floated from mmerous liberty poles,
10
INTRODUCTION.
erected by private enterprise, and at all favorable points was suspended across the streets. The whole village put on a gala- day dress, and seemingly the entire population, with hundreds from the neighboring towns, were gathered to mingle in the festivities. "Upon the lawns and ornameuted spots about the dwellings passed by the procession, the ladies had collected, and saluted it by the waving of handkerchiefs and such dem- onstrations as their enthusiasm prompted, rendering the scene more animated and greatly adding to the prevailing good feel- ing." The occasional hearty hand-shaking, when two aged ones met and recognized in each other the boy or girl of their youthful pastimes and school-days, formed one of the most touching spectacles of the occasion. The ancient town was rejuvenated and the oldest present seemed among the youngest. Notwithstanding the crowds, not an instance of intoxication or disorder occurred to disturb the public ceremonies and exer- cises of the day, nor was there the slightest accident to mar the universal pleasure.
The procession having arrived at the spacious pavilion at the end of the route, the president, other officers, and guests were marshalled to the platform, in the rear of which were the names conspicuously posted of the first four ministers of the town, Stacey, Macearty, Rand, and Willis, with the dates of their pastorates, and also the motto, reaching quite across the tent, "Our Fathers' God hath prospered ns." Directly in frout of the speakers' stand were seated, as the representatives of a former generation, some twenty Kingston octogenarians, while from 1,500 to 2,000 people were either seated under the canvas or stood within hearing distance.
Promptly at eleven o'clock the exercises began with an address of welcome from the president of the day as follows :-
11
INTRODUCTION.
SPEECH OF NATHANIEL ADAMS.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow Town-people, - I have been delegated by your Executive Committee to extend to you, one and all, a sincere, hearty welcome to this the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of this place as the town of Kingston, and to assure you that all the preparations and arrangements have been made for your especial enjoyment.
The occasion is, well calculated to renew in our minds that respect and veneration we owe to our ancestors, who, one hun- dred and fifty years ago, laid the foundation of what we see in Kingston to-day, and to revive in our memories the days of our childhood and of our school-days. The occasion will afford a rare opportunity to exercise that social element of our nature with which our Creator has so liberally endowed us all, and it is hoped that all will avail themselves of this favorable opportu- nity. The causes and reasons which actuated our ancestors in petitioning for the incorporation of the town, and the success of their descendants in maintaining it, down to the present . time, will be related to you by the historian and orator of the
day.
I have been introduced by your marshal in a very happy manner, and yet I am none other than one of those Adams boys who left this ancient town at the age of seventeen, about forty- seven years ago, a little older to be sure, and have been a resi- dent of the city since that time. I am greatly indebted to this town for its many influences for good.
I remember well my senior townsmen, many of whom have
12
INTRODUCTION.
gone to their great reward. I remember their generous and encouraging words intended for my guidance ; words which, if not strictly heeded, have never been forgotten.
I am indebted to this town for other circumstances in carly life. I had the honor of graduating at the age of sixteen, from a seminary supported by this town, called Crossman Pond School. The most of my preparation before entering that seminary was obtained from Mrs. Abigail Foster, a lady well calculated to impart her knowledge to the lads and misses of her day. The principal of that seminary at the time I gradu- ated was Samuel Ring, Esq., a gentleman I remember with respect. I well remember his parting address to the graduat- ing class, and some of the possibilities he hoped we might attain unto ; but alas ! the most prominent of them is OLD AGE.
The exercises of the occasion will now commence.
Immediately after this address a selection from the Scriptures was read by Rev. C. Y. DeNormandie, and a prayer was offered by the Chaplain of the day. The following original hymn, composed by Dr. T. B. Drew, was then sung by the andience, accompanied by the band, to the tune of America :-
HYMN. We gather here this hour, On us thy blessings shower, Father divine! And while we mingle here This first " Centennial Year," We feel thy presence near, The glory thine.
A century has gone Since " Freedom's land " was born 'Mid hopes and fears; But ere that glorious day, While Britain hell her sway, Kingston had sped her way Full fifty year -.
INTRODUCTION. 13
And now our thoughts go back O'er Time's well-beaten track, To those old days; And ere it onward runs, We'll think of sires and sous,
Mothers and loving ones, Who trod these ways.
Their pathway on in life Led them to toil and strife And noble deeds, And as their children sec The fruits of liberty,
May we true followers be, Where duty leads.
Our kindred! There they lie Beneath this summer's sky, In yonder ground. Where pain and sorrow cease,
There they at last found peace,
And all had sweet release In rest profound.
And as those paths we tread, The ways our fathers led, Let us arise; Press forward in our might, And battle for the right, Until we see the light Beyond the skies.
The other exercises of the morning were the oration by Rev. Joseph F. Lovering, of Watertown, the poem by George C. Burgess, Esq., of Portland, Me., and the historical sketch by Dr. Thomas B. Drew, of Plymouth, all natives of Kingston. These excellent and interesting productions, which were clo- quently delivered, will be found in their appropriate places in the following pages.
At a quarter before two o'clock there was an adjournment, after half an hour's recess, to the mammoth dining-tent a few
.
14
INTRODUCTION.
rods distant. The children of the schools had been provided with an entertainment in a separate tent, erected for the pur- pose. The seats for eight hundred and twenty-seven guests were all speedily occupied. The blessing of the God of the fathers, in a clear, firm voice, was now invoked by Rev. Job Washburn, of Camden, Me., the oldest person present, and probably the oldest living man, native of the town. Sharpened appetites gave additional relish to the bountiful repast prepared by Caterer Peirce, of Boston Highlands. Over twenty young ladies of Kingston, dressed in patriotic attire, "red, white, and blue," volunteered to wait upon the tables.
" After the battle of knives and forks was concluded," the President introduced the Toast-master. Numerous suggestive sentiments were successively presented, appropriate both to the occasion and to the several gentlemen expected to speak. Much to the regret of all, only a part of the toasts were responded to, for lack of time; but both the speeches that were actually delivered and most of those that would have been, will be found in the subsequent pages.
" The feast of reason," enlivened by many pleasant reminis- cences of boyhood and former days, and by many coruscations of wit and eloquence had to be cut short, since one of the long- est days of the year had sped too quickly in its exuberance of delights. 'It was appropriate that priority in the speaking should be chiefly given to the older men, to those who are the links connecting the town with its original founders, but it will certainly be right at the next centennial to give the first chance to those, if present, who were debarred the privilege at this.
The following hymn composed by Mrs. Caroline B. Burgess of Boston, a native of Kingston, was sung at the table.
15
INTRODUCTION.
.
INVOCATION HYMN.
Tune, " Italian Ilymn."
Father Supreme, above, Ruling in changeless love, Wisdom and power, Thou who didst bow thine car Our fathers' prayer to hear,
Oh, graciously draw near, And bless this hour !
Thou who, with outstretched hand, Didst guide the Pilgrim band Safe o'er the sea, And gav'st them strength to bear Hardship and want and care, All ills content to share In serving thee, -
Their children scattered wide. We pray thee guard and guide Through every ill. On smooth or troubled sea, With cheerful heart may we, Trusting like them in thee, Obey thy will.
In us, O God, renew The strength our fathers knew, And victory won! Their patient courage lend. Like grace and virtue send, And every good descend From sire to son.
KINGSTON, June 27, 1876.
In the evening various choice pieces of music from the band, which had delighted all through the day, stirred the hearts of the multitude, while a fine display of fire-works gratified every beholder. As the concluding scene, apparently emblazoned
16
INTRODUCTION.
upon a dark thunder-cloud which overhung the western hori- zon, and from which there were frequent flashes of pyrotech- nies more grandly beautiful than those of art below, and as the fitting finale of a day more joyous, more fraternizing, fuller of delightful recollections and of happy anticipations than any other since the organization of the town, if not since its first settlement, there shone for several minutes, in letters of living light, awakening the echoing cheers of the witnessing throng, the royal name of the dear old town, with the dates of its beginning and of its present anniversary :--
1726. KINGSTON. 1876.
TO.
17
ORATION BY REV. JOSEPH F. LOVERING.
ORATION BY REV. JOSEPH F. LOVERING, WATERTOWN.
Mr. President, Fellow-citizens of Kingston, and Friends: -- We celebrate to-day the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of this town. We may do so with profound gratitude and exultation ; for on this day we may take knowledge, not only of the immediate and detailed interests affecting this comuni- nity throughout its history, but of those broader and more com- prehensive relations that embrace the good fame of our noble commonwealth and the dignity and power of the nation. It may be said of every town, however restricted its territorial arca, however small its census list, that it belongs not to itself alone but to the State. The mighty ocean, whose grand expanse stretches far away from these shores, lifts its majestic tides and fills the basins of Massachusetts and Plymouth Bays, sweeps round yonder Gurnet, and bears back the waters and overflows the channel of our Jones River with all its creeks and tributaries. Yet the mighty ocean welcomes not only the con- tributions of the Merrimac and Saco and Penobscot, and a host of larger and lesser rivers, but also the smaller gifts from the liquid veins of mountain torrents and meadow brooks. So, too, while the great life of a State bears up the fortunes of its constituent communities, and feeds with the pulse of its life the simpler and humbler activities of town and village, those communities themselves, however inconsiderable, nourish and sweeten and increase the life of the State. Tacitus in his Annals * very pertinently remarks : "Pleraque corum que ref-
* Lib. IV, 32.
2
18
ORATION BY REV. JJOSEPH F. LOVERING.
eram parva forsitan et levia memoratu videri, non nescius sum. Non tamen sine usu fuerit introspicere ille, primo adspeclu leria, ex quis magnarum sope rerum motus oriuntur.".
"I am aware that many things to which I refer may seem trivial and not worth recording ; yet it is not altogether useless to examine affairs which at first sight appear to be of no great account, since they often give rise to matters of large moment."
There is no need for us to urge any such consideration, how- ever, as we invite attention to our goodly town. We have a direct and immediate interest in that inheritance of worth and influence which was born within the circuit of a half-dozen miles from here, when the vast extent of territory now embraced by this nation was a mighty wilderness. We boast a descent, however we have degenerated in individual instances, for we make no plea for personal desert, - let the next century and a half judge concerning that, - we boast, I repeat, of a descent which for elevation of motive, moral strength, matchless devo- tion to civil and religious principle, puts to shame the vaunted ancestry of kings ; we have royal pedigree. For what better aristocracy can any land boast than the aristocracy of worth and intellect and valiant service ? Such an aristocracy founded Plymouth colony, of which this town was most intimately and from the first a part, and made it forever honorable.
We cannot admire too greatly, we cannot honor too rever- ently our Pilgrim Fathers. Separating themselves from the tender associations of home and from the inheritance of social custom and churchly faith, on a pure question of personal morals and individual conviction, refusing to submit to any wrong which conscience recognized or to any ceremonial which reverence for God forbade, they expatriated themselves, they sought as exiles in a foreign land to cherish their love of virtue and adorn their spiritual faith, and when the way opened before
19
ORATION BY REV. JOSEPH F. LOVERING.
them they did not hesitate under commandment of duty to tempt an untried ocean and an inclement season, that, under another sky and on virgin shores, they might construct a State whose compact should hold them to plain allegiance to simple integrity, personal rectitude, and a prosaic life, and enable them to build an altar, before which a clean conscience and a heartfelt devotion might bow in humble, thoughtful, conse- crated worship. Plymouth Colony claims this high distinction that its enterprise started in the fear of God, and sought to establish itself on principles of righteousness and truth, - principles which, amid the blaze of hate, the whisperings of slander, or the storm of reproach, shall stand firm, enduring, eternal, as under the scorching heats of summer or the wild blasts of winter, and amid the angry surges of the ocean, shall stand that rock which, in 1620, was consecrated by the touch of Pilgrim feet.
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