USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Marlborough > Historical reminiscences of the early times in Marlborough, Massachusetts : and prominent events from 1860 to 1910, including brief allusions to many individuals and an account of the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town > Part 33
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35
448
whatever injures another; aid us to labor for the common good. Remove from the hearts of men all bitter passion and vain contention, and lead us to the blessed enjoyment of peace with one another now and hereafter. Bless we beseech Thee, O Lord, the President of this our . dear country, the Governor of this state, the Mayor of this city and all who dwell herein. In Thy law alone is safety, in Thy power alone is strength. Humbly we acknowledge Thee as our Eternal King and from our hearts we say-Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen."
At the conclusion of the prayer, Judge James W. McDonald delivered the following stirring address, which was listened to with the closest attention by the large concourse of people :
" Invited Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, and Fellow Citizens :
" The program brings us to the commemorative, literary exercises of the day, which have been auspiciously and appropriately opened by prayer by His Grace, Archbishop O'Connell.
" The brilliancy of the morning sunrise breaking through the clouds which have lowered for nearly a week, filled us with joyous anticipations, which have been more than realized as the well-planned events of the day have passed before us in appropriate, orderly and splendid array.
"Dull, indeed, must be the imagination, and cold the patriotism, which fails to respond to the spirit of the day, and I can assure you that I enter upon the discharge of the simple duties of the time-honored posi- tion of presiding officer of this great gathering deeply impressed with the significance of the occasion.
" Our thoughts turn to the events of two hundred and fifty years ago, when a group of brave men and noble women departed from Sudbury plantation to establish their homes in the wilderness. We can see them from some elevation gazing upon the prospect which abounded in wooded hills, fertile vales and verdant meadows, all crowned with foliage shimmering in the sun, giving fair promise to the explorers of abundant harvests and plentiful timber.
" We are filled with admiration for the enterprise and the courage of those men and women who came here to found a community wherein their dream of civil and religious liberty should be realized-where they
449
could plant the seed which, under their fostering care, fructified into the ideals of American civilization.
" They loved order ; they respected justice ; they were home-build- ers, and fostered everything that made for the home and adorned the fireside.
"Surrounded as we are by modern conveniences, with lines of electrical communication radiating to every distant point, it is difficult for us to fully realize how entirely isolated these people were when they established their homes in the wilderness on the borders of the plantation of the Indians, and almost within an arrow's flight of their wigwams. On this plot where we are assembled they laid out their plantation, and proceeded to level the forests and cultivate the land.
"At the very beginning, the settlers raised on this site a house for divine worship, and around it clustered their simple dwellings, and in yonder cemetery, having fought the good fight, they were laid away. There they sleep undisturbed by the hurry and bustle of modern activity. But the memories of their struggles and sacrifices, and the exemplifica- tion in their lives of the New England spirit of self-reliance and individual initiative will be pointed out to future generations long after the tombstones which mark their graves have crumbled into dust.
" Marlborough continued to be a typical New England farming community of Anglo Saxon lineage until the close of the second century of its existence. Then began the change wrought by immigration which by gradual stages, transformed the old Puritanical hamlet into a cosmo- politan town.
"The arrival of the immigrant was timely. The great staple industry which has contributed more than any other factor to the material growth of Marlborough was in its infancy, and its rapid growth had outrun the native supply of labor. The needs of the manufacturers furnished an opportunity for the new comers, and they soon demonstrated their adaptability and capacity.
" Under the assimilating influences of American institutions, the old distinctions have disappeared, and all, regardless of lineage, are standing side by side as fellow-citizens and neighbors, mutually contributing to the development and prosperity of our city.
"The record for the past fifty years of industrial, material, social and civic achievement has been a notable one. The original factories have been supplanted by mammoth establishments turning out yearly millions of manufactured products for distribution, not only throughout the Union but to every civilized country, and providing employment for additional
450
thousands and correspondingly increasing the circulation and distribution of wealth, and affording opportunity for allied business enterprises.
"Our streets and highways are not excelled in the State. Within the last thirty years a splendid system of waterworks, and a system of sewer- age have been installed, a City Hall, High School, Public Library, Fire and Police Stations, and other public structures, each of them models of convenience and thorough construction, have been erected at an expendi- ture of millions, every dollar of which was applied to its legitimate object.
"We point to our well-lighted streets, to our churches, schools, comfortable dwellings, happy homes, and orderly and law-respecting community, and mindful of the glorious past, still believe that the record of achievement has been a splendid one, and that its contemplation on this anniversary will bring to the municipality a quickening of public spirit and renewed devotion to her institutions and consecration to her service.
"'Happy the people, ' says the historian, 'who can look upon the work of their fathers, and from within their heart of hearts pronounce it good.' Such is the judgment of posterity for which we hope and will strive to merit. Let us then emulate the energy and courage, and practice the virtues of the founders, and as they bravely discharged the duties of their day, so let us meet the responsibilities of our day, seeking only truth and justice, and devotion to the welfare and prosperity of our beloved city. "
Mayor John J. Shaughnessy being introduced was greeted with loud applause. His address of welcome was as follows :
" The quarter millennium which we celebrate today carries us back 250 years and means much in the history of our city, our state and our nation. When we pause to consider this period of our existence and contrast the past with the present, beginning with the conquest of the wilderness in the birth of our municipality, and when we recall how Marlborough welcomed the first settlers on our virgin soil, and the hard- ships and privations that surrounded that welcome, we have reason to feel elated over the progress she has since made and the distinction of this occasion.
"Anxious as the people of Sudbury were to obtain a grant from our General Court to settle on the fertile fields of Marlborough that were at that time inhabited by the savage Indian, they found many unwelcome obstacles and difficulties that they did not anticipate. Scarcely had they
451
established their church, allotted their lands and launched forth to associ- ate themselves as neighbors to the aborigines, when the uprising of these natives, who were roused by King Philip, soon launched them into a most cruel and terrorizing war with those crafty and treacherous warriors.
' When this uprising was subdued, after many hardships and priva- tions, Marlborough again welcomed peace and prosperity and started again undaunted to restore her destroyed church and dwellings, and prayed to her just Creator for the safe deliverance of her citizens from this wanton destruction, and this prayer with its sincerity and earnest appeal was no doubt heard, and with the exception of an occasional invasion during the French and Indian wars, Marlborough with her picturesque hills, fertile soil, beautiful lakes, verdant meadows and valleys rich with vegetation, pastures filled with herds of fat cattle and her orchards ladened with fruit, enjoyed peace and happiness for some time.
" But before this prosperity had far advanced, the yoke of oppres- sion, which was not welcomed by the people of Marlborough, and which was even more exacting than that suffered in Marlborough of the mother country, from where many of the first settlers migrated to better their condition, had become unbearable, and after a hundred years of the existence of the municipality, its citizens for their necessary protection openly sanctioned new theories of government that afterwards became established laws. The descendants of the original settlers were anxious on account of the exactions of the mother country to welcome any alter- native that would relieve them from such unnecessary burdens and exactions, and it was with this patriotic spirit that Marlborough welcomed the Revolution and the peace and prosperity that came with the Declara- tion of Independence. Therefore, the history of Massachusetts, of New England and of America is the history of Marlborough as she was closely identified with every movement for advancement at that time, and always resented any unreasonable encroachments by the British government, and was ready, with the town of Boston, with Concord and with Lexington to resent the advancement of the foreign foe. No Tory was allowed to be sheltered within her confines, and she with the state and the nation welcomed the dawn of a new government. We delight to recall the deeds and honor the memory of such patriotic people as lived in our town during those years of unrest and anxiety.
" After the Revolution, Marlborough with the state and the nation again welcomed peace and prosperity, and under the independence of the nation, the state and the municipality, her limited water privileges were
452
soon utilized and shoes were manufactured in many places within her borders. Her fertile fields and orchards became dotted with manufactur- ing establishments, and with these industries came men from the British Isles, from Canada and Acadia, who established themselves here and who were made welcome by Marlborough as desirable people to fill the requirements of the busy hives of industry in her midst. Marked advancement was made in these industries between the date of her inde- pendence and the celebration of her bi-centennial, when Marlborough welcomed the 200th birthday of her existence and celebrated with pomp and great display that notable event of her advancement. During all her early life, Marlborough was a farming community, and although the passage of time has established the manufactures, mechanics and the dif- ferent forms of industries, the farming industry has also continued to prosper, and the descendants of the early settlers still continue to till the soil their fathers worked, and Marlborough welcomes this era of success among her farmers and her manufacturers.
" Soon after the celebration of her 200th birthday, Marlborough was called upon to assist the nation in eliminating from our midst another form of oppression under the guise of slavery. Her long list of heroes shows for itself that Marlborough sanctioned this humane step that was necessary to be taken at that time, and she also welcomed the peace and unity of states that prevailed after those of her brave heroes who had survived had returned with honor to Marlborough, to the state and to the nation. She is proud of the part that her heroes took as pioneers in the Revolution and in the Civil War. She is proud of the sons and daughters of Marlborough who are here present to celebrate her 250th birthday.
"To those who have come from without her confines, she extends a hearty welcome and she hopes to be able to show them today that those who have remained in the good city of Marlborough, with those who have come to reside within her bounds, have fostered unsullied the principles, prayers and aspirations of the original settlers. She also welcomes today the citizens of her parent town Sudbury and those of her three children, Westborough, Southborough and Hudson, and her grandchild, North- borough, and wishes them unbounded prosperity.
" To His Excellency Governor Eben S. Draper, of Massachusetts, to His Grace Archbishop William H. O'Connell, of Boston, to the members of our State Legislature, our National, State and County officers, to the chief executives of our sister cities and to all of our invited guests, I, as Mayor of Marlborough, bid you a most cordial welcome.
453
GOVERNOR EBEN S. DRAPER
The president of the day then introduced Governor Eben S. Draper with an appropriate speech, and his excellency for the second time dur- ing the day was greeted with tumultuous applause. He then made his second speech of the day from the same platform. He observed that his audience was not as good looking, nor could it sing as well as the little ones he had spoken to previously, which elicited a hearty laugh. His excellency then said :
"I knew Mr. Hamlin would tell you about the history of Marlbo- rough, and if he didn't, I knew your mayor would. He has done so, but I myself have become interested in investigating Marlborough's his- tory, and find in it some remarkable things. I confess I was surprised to find how distinguished a town it is and has been, and ought to be in the future.
" Its warlike troubles began with King Philip's war. During all the succeeding disturbances of state and national life, it contributed money and blood. This was particularly true in the Revolution, when
454
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR LOUIS A. FROTHINGHAM.
Marlborough gave to the states its best blood for the starting of the new nation. Your Civil War record is equally fine.
" Two things struck me as significant in your history. As governor, I am interested in having our farmers raise better apples, and I found to my surprise that the Indians who preceded the white men in this state, raised apples. When the founders of Marlborough came here, the Indians had apple orchards.
" In 1776 to '77, Marlborough issued paper money, called pound notes, worth twenty shillings, or in modern money, five dollars. In 1781 to '82 the town began to pay its debts. These pound notes had become so common they were worth but six cents each. Can you imagine how many of them would be necessary to pay your debts as a city now?
" A perusal of your history brought me a pen picture of the suffer- ings and trials of your early settlers and the hardships they had to bear in the Revolution.
" I come here as governor of Massachusetts to give my sanction and presence to this occasion in one of our large towns at her two hundred
455
and fiftieth anniversary. Massachusetts means much to me and you. We are not great in territory, in products of the soil which enrich so many other states, but we are great in the care we take of our citizens and children.
" You who live in Massachusetts little realize the gifts you enjoy. You have the best place in which to live there is on God's green earth. You have better advantages for education, and the permission to worship as you desire. Yet law and order are respected in Massachusetts, as indeed they must be if you are to have true liberty anywhere. Marl- borough is a part of Massachusetts, and I am proud of it and for what she represents.
" May your future be as your past. May Massachusetts and Marl- borough go on in the future and achieve greater place in history than they have even in the past. May we all help to put Massachusetts, our beloved state, in the best place she has ever occupied. 'God save the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.' "
Mayor John T. Coughlin of Fall River, president of the Mayors' Club of Massachusetts, was introduced, and discussed the problems of municipal government in an eloquent address, from which we quote :
"I desire to congratulate the good people of Marlborough on the celebration of the two and half centuries of its growth and prosperity. I am very glad to bring you the greetings of the sister cities of the state, and Fall River, where history is not so replete with years, but whose wonderful growth and activity redounds to the credit and benefit of the whole commonwealth.
" It is but natural that in celebrating the event of the foundation of an ancient town, and a comparatively modern city of our state, our minds should turn to the vital questions which the life of a municipality has to face. There are more demands and a greater variety of different problems facing a modern city than ever were dreamt of in an ancient New Eng- land town. A day would suffice, formerly, to deal with appropriations for highways, schools, public buildings; and new projects, outside of town hall, schools and ways, were rather seldom met.
" In modern cities every day in the year, excluding Sundays and holidays, we are meeting with conditions demanding the closest attention of public officials.
" The local government is the one that is the nearest to the people and in which they have the most direct concern; it is therefore of the utmost interest that there should be in each modern city, as in towns, for
456
that matter, a close relation between business men and the municipal government."
Elmer D. Howe read the following original poem, written for the occasion by Miss Martha Ames of Glen street :
ORIGINAL POEM BY MISS MARTHA L. AMES.
Again the swiftly circling years have brought
Our glorious anniversary. In thought, We of an older generation see, Across the lapse of half a century,
That bright June morning fifty years agone, As fair a day " as e'er the sun shone on,"
When, answering to their honored mother's call,
The vast assemblage came. To one and all
She gave a royal welcome; even as now.
With fifty added years upon her brow,
With all the changes which those years have wrought,
With all the joys and sorrows they have brought,
To those who to her festival have come, Again old Marlborough bids you " Welcome Home!"
Rich in historic memories is she. On many a moss-grown rock and hoary tree ; On her fair lake, upon whose shelving shore The red man's wigwam stood in days of yore ; On whose clear waters, "deeply, darkly blue," Glided, with silent grace, the swift canoe ; On ancient dwellings, wisely built to last, We read the thrilling annals of the past. How, year by year, those hardy sons of toil Wrested a living from the rocky soil, And what was then a competence acquired, By woman's influence aided and inspired.
As time wore on, the fields and gardens tair, The flocks and herds, their simple wants supplied ; And springing up around them, here and there, Churches and schools became their care and pride. But the low mutterings of the distant storm Nearer and nearer came: each shadowy form. Each rumor of a savage people, stirred By real or fancy wrongs, which oft were heard. With a vague terror filled the hearts of men, Which reached their fearful culmination when
457
MISS MARTHA L. AMES
Morning dawned in all its glory, "Like a crowned and sceptered king." Countless voices told the story Of the soon-returning spring. Birds through fields etheral soaring, Brooks from Winter's chains set free, Sang. as if their souls out-pouring, In a joyous melody.
But a strange foreboding chillness Fell on human hearts that day, Mingling with the Sabbath stillness. As they met to praise and pray. But with purpose firm and steady, The familiar paths they trod ;
458
For the hour of conflict ready, Came they to the house of God.
All around them deeds of darkness By the cruel foe were done. " Murdered by ye treacherous Indians," Near them slept brave Hutchinson. Not yet had the crowning horror Fallen on Wadsworth's fated band : But the tones of grief and sorrow Oft were heard throughout the land.
Scarcely had the reverend pastor Asked protection from on high Of their gracious Lord and Master, When there came the warning cry : "Fly ! the Indians are upon us !" Oh! the terror of that hour ! "God in Heaven, have mercy on us ; Save us by thy sovereign power."
They were saved; the Lord remembered All his faithful flock that day. But, alas! the savage warriors, Cheated of their human prey, Burning with revenge and hatred, To their work remorseless fell, Piled destruction on destruction Like a hurricane of hell.
Oh! it was a fearful ending Of the holy Sabbath day, To behold the fires ascending. Homes and houses swept away ; Years of patient, weary labor Rendered futile, vain and void ;
E'en the sacred temple spared not, But by ruthless hands destroyed.
We in homes securely dwelling Scarcely now can realize All the peril, pain and danger Which those distant days comprise. But the Lord was with His people Through the tempest fierce and long ; From that furnace of affliction Came forth heroes brave and strong.
Peace came at last ; the cruel hand of war For a brief time was stayed. Hope's guiding star,
i
459
Though oft by clouds obscured, still bravely shone, For Marlborough's ruined homes were still her own. With tireless energy and faith sublime, These sturdy pioneers of olden time Again their modest dwelling-places reared ; Again the temple of the Lord appeared. They knew in whom they trusted, and His aid In storm and stress a constant refuge made.
Thus Marlborough in strength and wisdom grew. Her fair young daughters, now so widely known As Westborough, Southborough, Northborough, Hudson, too, From the home domicile had not yet flown. Her many farms whose rich and fertile soil With plenteous harvests crowned the laborer's toil Her dark-brown fields, in early spring-time seen Contrasting with the meadows' vivid green ; Her noble elms in all their proud array, Perchance the same that we behold to-day ; And, high among the hills, her matchless lake --- All these a picture of rare beauty make.
But ever and anon, dark rumors came, Of homes destroyed by the devouring flame ; Of children who, from parents rudely torn, Into the far Canadian wilds were borne; Of a lone maiden mercilessly slain By treacherous Indians on the unguarded plain ; Of one who gained his freedom by his skill, Building the first Canadian water-mill, Whose numerous descendants nobly bear His honored name, and in his honors share.
In time the long war closed. Peace settled down, A welcome guest, o'er our beloved town. Her people, weary of the cruel strife, Again took up their customary life ; With hearts undaunted, hastened to restore, As best they inight, their blighted homes once more. And well did they succeed. Even yet we see The many traces of their industry. In the dividing walls of ponderous strength, Of massive masonry and tiresome length ; In the fair orchards where in childhood's hours We gathered fruit and played among the flowers ; In well-built houses, sound and firm to-day, Though near two centuries have passed away Since first they rose, with true colonial pride, Facing the sunny south whate'er betide.
460
No palace hall more pleasant could have been Than the great East room, always found therein.
Then came the conflict with the mother land. After oppressions patiently endured, Upon this truth the people took their stand, That what can't be endured must e'en be cured. In the long, deadly struggle that ensued, Our Marlborough soldiers well their burdens bore ; With earnest faith and conscious rectitude They labored till the weary strife was o'er. We, their descendants, gratefully to-day, Our tribute of respect and honor pay, Forgetting not the deeds of valor done At Concord, Bunker Hill and Lexington, At Crown Point, Bennington and Valley Forge, At Princeton, Saratoga and Lake George. "Conquer or die !" their motto; be it ours, When fighting other more elusive powers, To keep their noble record still in mind, And in its truth our inspiration find.
The long war ended; then a breathing space Gave ample time for needed renovations. The great stone chimneys mostly then gave place To smaller ones of brick. By slow gradations, Rooms, guiltless hitherto of paint ahd plaster, Now in their gala dress resplendent shone. Most noted in this work was Brown, the Master, A skilful mason, well and widely known.
The great East room was still its owner's pride : A " Barber " clock one corner occupied, A wee bird with an eye that never sleeps, High on the dial still its vigil keeps. The yellow painted floor, as well we know, Reflected back the firelight's cheerful glow ; The diamond panes, which once were thought so fine, Had given place to large ones, seven by nine, Through which the welcome sunlight, all the year, In generous measure, came to bless and cheer. Alike in summer's heat, winter's cold, "Grandmother's room " a special charm doth hold.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.