USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Holland > History of the town of Holland, Massachusetts > Part 12
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In spite of difficulties and vicissitudes Holland has never been discouraged and has faithfully guarded its heritage from an ancestry of industrious God-fearing lives imbued with the spirit of local loyalty and patriotic devotion. Town affairs have been conducted with punctilious care even when there have been scarcely anyone of the descendants of the Blodgetts, the Wal- laces, the Webbers and Howletts, who formerly nearly populated the town to fill the town offices; the church has been loyally supported, even when many pews have been vacant; the schools, reduced from four to one, have had excellent instruction, and
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the little collection of books forming its public library was begun by carly taking advantage of the assistance offered by the state. The town has not only shown persistent fortitude in the face of disadvantages; it has also displayed the spirit of enter- prise and progress. The erecting last year by self-taxation for a period of years on a valuation there less than $100,000 of a building to house its library and town offices evinced remark- able courage. Also the fact that the people invited the secretary of the newly-formed Hampden county improvement league to give an old home day address showed their estimation of values and the habit, the forward look. The observance of yesterday seemed to celebrate the new Holland as well as commemorate the old. It is even new in its outward aspect, for the little library building placed between the old colonial church and the town hall and harmonizing with their architecture has made a notable civic group, facing the town common with its classic grove. It was the library building that had long been needed to complete a visible town center. In the new Holland there is to be improved and prosperous farming, whose beginnings are being made under the guidance of the county league; for the soil is good and there are wonderful possibilities in general farming and fruit-growing. The beauty of its scenery and quiet attractions are bringing in new residents. The grove where the exercises were held yesterday is a possession which distinguishes Holland above other towns, for it is a stately grove of native white pine, forming a part of its common. Yes- terday its fragrant wooded aisles, so still save for the notes of birds on other summer days, were resonant with voiced memories of the past and prophecies of the future,-sentiments as noble and important as the utterances in the academic grove of ancient Athens. Seldom is there a more visible manifestation of the classic quality that has been perpetuated in New England democracy and life.
Every effort had been made by the committee in charge to make the day a success and all details had been carefully attended to, and it seemed as if all the inhabitants of the wooded hills and vales had sprung to heroic action on the rallying cry of old home day. Visitors were met by private teams at the trolley line, two miles distant, and conveyed to the stamping
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ground on the common. The dinner tables, at which a large number sat down in the town hall, were laden with substantial and toothsome viands contributed from homes throughout the township. In the intervals of renewing old associations the people visited the library, admiring its artistic interior, fine equipment and choice selection of books, and also went into the historic old church.
At 2:30 o'clock all assembled in the grove to listen to speaking appropriate to the occasion and the excellent music furnished by the American band of Fiskdale. Rev. Martin Lovering presided. Owing to the necessity of an early depart- ure, the first speaker was John A. Scheuerle, secretary of the Hampden county improvement league, who gave a spirited and impressive address on the Holland of the future. Mr. Scheuerle said in part: Old home days should be epoch-making days. They should not only glorify the heroism and fine life of the past, but should lay special emphasis upon the opportunities of the present and the possibilities of the future. Old home day calls for serious attention to the problems of the town- how Holland is to be made more happy, more beautiful, more prosperous. The first condition to be considered in solving these problems is the economic question. These hills and val- leys must produce more than they are producing, and the prod- ucts must bring better returns in money. Upon these returns depend better roads, better homes and surroundings, better schools, a more fully equipped library and a better church. Better roads will contribute to better economic, civil and social conditions and to larger school attendance. Such attendance is from 20 per cent to 30 per cent larger where there are good roads. Towns are to be assisted in this matter by the Hampden county improvement league, which expects to secure a good engineer to confer with the town road commissioners and selectmen, and plans to furnish field commissioners to confer with farmers and suggest in regard to the construction and maintenance of roads. By taking advantage of these oppor- tunities Holland will begin to solve the problem of highways.
The league will assist in developing improved agriculture by furnishing advisers who will visit the town from time to time and who will give demonstrations in agriculture, dairying
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and the care of orchards. With co-operation on the part of the town its resources will be doubled. The league will under- take the education of the young people by organizing the entire county into an association of Hampden county volunteers in which every school pupil should be enrolled. Honors will be given for scholarship, for gardening, agriculture, home beauti- fying, domestic arts and civic improvement. The one obtain- ing the highest number of points in the county will hold the office of president of the association, and those holding the highest in each town will be directors. There will also be town organization. Thus a young person in Holland will stand as good a chance in this association of volunteers as one in a large place like Springfield.
The friends of the town who have come back on old home day can stimulate endeavor by offering prizes to ambitious boys and girls. Holland already has the distinction of having two boys who are competing for the prizes offered by the Massa- chusetts agricultural college extension department and no bet- ter field of corn can be seen than that which yonder represents one of these projects. The new agricultural school in Brimfield for which Holland is furnishing one pupil will be of great ad- vantage to this town and community. It will help make it worth while for boys to stay on the farm.
The Massachusetts agricultural college is planning to fur- nish a landscape architect who will visit towns and give advice on the layout and beautifying of home and public grounds. It is to furnish also a woman in its extension department for the promotion of domestic science and home making, especially workng with the girls. With all these agencies the Hampden county improvement league is co-operating so that Holland, together with other towns, will have the assistance of the league in association with the Massachusetts agricultural college, the state board of agriculture and the federal bureau of agriculture. To obtain the benefit from these combined agencies the town must develop co-operation with them and local co-operation among its citizens.
The next speaker was Maj. John Anderson, a retired army officer, who though not a native was brought up in Holland and whose ancestors for four generations lived on the old farm
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located on the northwest corner of Holland, now owned by Edwin Hall. He spoke in part as follows :-
I am always glad to come back to this dear old town where my ancestors settled nearly 200 years ago. My great, great grandfather, by the name of John Anderson, settled on the old farm located in the northwest corner of Holland adjoining the Brimfield line, now owned by Edwin Hall. Here my father, grandfather and great-grandfather were born, lived and died. The farm was never owned out of the family until after the death of my father in 1864. I was not born in Holland, through no fault of mine as I was not consulted in the matter. If I had been, I would have asked to be born on the dear old farm in Holland. This misfortune has been the means of leading me into a wandering life and becoming the black sheep of the family which went many years without one. At last I filled the bill and saved the family record in that respect, as every well- regulated family needs one black sheep to vary the monotony.
My father brought me to Holland when I was a small boy, which came near being my redemption, and here I lived and learned to love the old town. It was here that I formed those early associations which I love to think of in later years, asso- ciations closely linked with traditions that have come down to me from my ancestors. I left home when only a lad in my teens and went out into the great highway of life, encountering many fierce storms, but receiving more of the sunshine that comes to all who respond to it. The great civil war broke out in all its horrors, and I, like other boys from this town, heard the call, saw the need and enlisted in the 1st Michigan sharp- shooters in which regiment I did not know a soul. The service was severe and arduous, with none of the comforts that the soldiers of our army enjoy today. I was dreadfully homesick and would gladly have crawled into some obscure corner in the attic of the old home and buried myself beneath the cobwebs. I made up my mind that I had missed my calling and was not born to be a soldier, but then I realized that it was all for my country and, inspired by the patriotism that I had inherited and that had been taught me in our district schools, I stuck to it and did my best as a soldier which, in time, brought its reward in the shape of promotion and a transfer to a Massa-
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chusetts regiment in which I served to the credit of this town and had the honor of commanding a company from the Wilder- ness to Petersburg and at the close of the war to be appointed to a lieutenantcy in the regular army in which service I have remained ever since, though not, at the present time, on active duty.
Whenever, at long intervals, I come back to the old home town and look upon the familiar landscape, the old rocks and hills, the old homesteads and the winding roads all seem to speak to me in silent fellowship of times that are long past but of memories that are dear, while the babbling brooks con- tinue to sing the same sweet songs they sang in my boyhood days, saying in the words of Tennyson, "For men may come and men may go, but I go on forever." And the old homes, what memories cluster around them, what stories they could tell of s ones that are past of a life that never comes back. In wandering through the old cemetery, we read the names of those who were brought from the old homestead and laid to rest while the old church bell tolled its solemn requiem. Above those silent graves we read the history of this town, they still speak to us from out of the past, their lives were worthy of emulation.
My feet have wandered many a weary mile since boyhood days with golden dreams of the great outer world, but how often in my wanderings have my thoughts turned back to the dear old home in Holland, how often as I have been lying upon the cold ground often in a beating storm or under the drifting snow, too cold for sleep, have my thoughts traveled back to the sheltering roof of the old home and the scenes of my boy- hood. The love of home, friends and country has an abiding place in the heart of every true man. In all my wanderings I have never seen a country more beautiful than the United States of America, no town that I love more than this old town of Holland, and no spot dearer to me than the old farm of my boyhood. My father loved it and so do I.
The last speaker was Shepard Parsons of East Hadley, a native and former resident of Holland, who is 89 years old. He spoke feelingly of his associations with the town and said
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that he realized his age when he looked upon the tall pines of the grove which were small trees when he was a boy.
Rev. Martin Lovering stated that he was preparing a history of Holland, and subscriptions were needed in advance in order to insure its publication. Letters were received from Mrs. Charles Blair of Warren, Mary L. Charles of Melrose and Rev. and Mrs. J. G. Willis of Wilbraham. A group photograph was taken of the former teachers in the Holland schools present. It included Mrs. Mary Webber Church of Windsor, Ct., Mrs. Carrie E. Colburn of Stafford, Mrs. Harriet Robbins Back of Southbridge, Mrs. Caroline Howlett Macallister of East Brim- field, Mrs. Nancy Shumway Webber of Holland, Mrs. Olivia Parker Kinney of Rochester, N. Y., Miss Martha Cutting of Southbridge, Mrs. Ada Blodgett Hebard of Holland, Mrs. Mary Wallace Thresher of Stafford, Ct., Mrs. Fannie Butterworth Parker, Miss Mabel Fuller of Monson, Mrs. A. L. Roper of Palmer, Miss Louisa Howlett of Holland, John H. Noyes of Brimfield, Frederick Bissell of Brimfield. A photograph was also taken of some of the old residents, those living in town and visitors present. It included Dwight E. Webber, J. T. S. Par- sons, Roscius Back, Merritt A. Towne, Edwin Wright, Rev. W. B. Graves, Hollowill Marcy and Rev. Martin Lovering.
The committees who arranged the celebration were: Rev. Martin Lovering, president of the association; secretaries, Mrs. Ella Webber and Miss Louisa Howlett; treasurer, Oliver How- lett. Dinner committee, Emory Hebard, Oliver Howlett, Her- bert Bagley. Program committee, Rev. Martin Lovering, Lor- ing C. Howlett, Baxter Bennett, Fred Blodgett, A. J. Bagley. Music committee, Andrew Bagley, Mrs. C. F. Adams, James Roberts. Sports committee, Emory Hebard, Herbert Bagley, James Roberts. Transportation committee, Arthur Morse, Oli- ver Howlett, Otis Williams.
Sunday, Aug. 25, was Old Home Day for the church. Rev. Martin Lovering gave a talk upon the early families of Hol- land, dwelling especially upon the history of Benjamin Church as a Life Guardsman to General Washington, for which see his biography. The text for his talk was taken from Joel II-
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21. "Fear not, O land; be glad and rejoice; for the Lord will do great things."
More hearts than the ancient Jews yearn over their native land. We, as a people, are and ought to be solicitous for our country. It was bought with a price; that price being the self- sacrifice of her citizens. Our country was started as a land of homes. Its territory was settled by people fond of home life, and had grown and had achieved its independence of the mother country by reason of its love of home and home ideals. Holland had sent a large quota of her men into the struggle for freedom. Their record proved their worth as soldiers. But Holland had been honored as the residence for twenty-seven years of a man, Benjamin Church, who made his home there as one of them, whom the records proved had been a member of General Washington's Life Guard. Mr. Lovering then gave the proof of his membership as a life guardsman, his pro- motion to that body, etc., etc. See his biography.
In connection with the "Old Home Day" celebration of 1913, we received the following kindly note, which for its hearty good will, and kindly rememberance of Holland, and especially for the incident mentioned, which came very near being a drowning accident, we deem worthy of a place in Holland's history. It reads as follows :
203 Fairmount Avenue, Hyde Park, Mass.,, Jan. 1, 1914. Dear Mr. Lovering,
I have just learned that you are writing the history of the town of Holland, Mass. I am only too glad to subscribe for a copy. I hope you remember me at the celebration last August, which was one of the most enjoyable of my life, and if I never have another holiday I shall remember it as long as I live. I lived in Holland for two years, so the Holland people are very dear to me and the recollections of those days are the happiest of my life.
I have always wanted to go to some of the celebrations each year, but have been prevented until this year. Some of the people I have kept up with, but some of them I had not
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seen until this reunion. I was much pleased to think I was so specially remembered and think it was because when a boy of thirteen I saved Nellie M. Alexander, sister of Warren Alex- ander of Worcester, from drowning in Holland pond. It would now be considered a very brave act and would probably be given a medal. I have never mentioned it here until recently. I have always wondered how I came to do it. Although at the age of adolescence I had to remove my clothes and swim to the drowning girl. I never thought of my person, but rather that a life was to be saved. At the reunion I met two that were in the boat, Fred Blodgett (and it is not a pleasant recollection to him) and his sister, Mrs. Ada (Blodgett) Hebard, and Mary (Wallis) Spencer.
Mrs. Hebard confirms the statements above given in regard to Nellie Alexander's danger and thinks that but for the effort of her brave companion she would have lost her life. They were on the way home from school and found a boat loose on the west shore of the pond and concluded to save distance by its use. Landing near Mr. Bagley's house they all got out but Nellie, while she drifted away from shore. Finding herself removed from her companions and unable to return, she lost her presence of mind and leaped overboard, followed by the rescue as stated.
WATER ON TO THE PLAIN.
The matter of securing a supply of water on the plain oc- cupied the attention of the people of Holland soon after the church was moved there in 1793. When the parsonage was built in 1821, a well was begun. In 1822 it was voted that Capt. Leonard M. Morris and Lt. John Wallis be a committee to circulate a subscription paper to complete the parsonage well. To this committee Luther Brown was added. Digging this well must have been expensive and laborious. Mr. Dwight E. Webber declares that after digging down nearly one hundred feet they came upon a bed of quicksand which rendered futile all the expense and labor, for when they tried to stone it up the stone work kept sinking, and they were compelled
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to abandon the plan. In 1834, an article was in the town war- rant to see if the town would appropriate money for piping water on to the plain, but nothing was done. In 1839, Sept. 30, it was voted to take the avails from the sale of the old meeting house materials to build a cistern to accommodate the parsonage. Ezra Allen, Adolphus Webber, John Wallis, Harris Cutler, and Grosvenor May were chosen committee to build the cistern. This was sure to be unsatisfactory for the cistern would leak. It must have been very inconvenient for the pastor to get water in those days. Hauling water from Stevens' Brook for washing, and fetching it for cooking and drinking from the well where Mrs. Henry Brown now lives, must have been a task of such serious proportions as would make the question come up again. The cistern served for a while, but was sure to fail and be a source of vexation in time. In 1896 it was voted to choose an agent to ascertain the cost to drive a well, or bring running water to the common. Mr. Win. L. Webber was chosen agent. Nothing was done. In 1897, it was voted to leave the question of water on the com- mon in the hands of the selectmen, to report at an adjourned meeting. They evidently reported in favor of cleaning out the well at the foot of Sand Hill in Francis Wight's pasture, and put in a chain pump. An agreement was made, under condi- tions recorded, whereby the town was permitted to use the well. But the water was found or believed to be unwholesome for the scholars to drink. Finally the dissatisfaction led to an article being inserted in the town warrant, April 4, 1904, con- taining this question, "Shall running water be put into our town hall, into such part known as the school department," the expense of same to be paid from unappropriated money in the treasury ? The vote was by ballot, yes or no, and when taken it was found that the vote stood, Yes, 18; No, 16. A. F. Blodgett, Wallace P. Moore, and Wm. L. Webber were chosen
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committee to put the water into a tub, piping it down from a spring in Mr. William Lilley's field, he giving the town right to do so, in perpetuo, a very public-spirited gift and one that will prove a blessing as long as the need exists. The water was put into the school entry by piping as well as to a trough on the common.
Thus the old question (agitated for 100 years, says Mr. A. F. Blodgett) of water on the common that came up not long after the church was moved on to the plain in 1793, was finally settled. It must have been a grievous burden to the pastors of the church to get an adequate water supply, and it is little wonder that the pastor, Rev. Josiah G. Willis, felt it a duty to cast his ballot in favor of the plan, in order that his successors might be relieved of the burden, it being the only vote he ever cast in Holland on a local question and needed to avoid a tie. The parsonage is now supplied with the best of spring water; a comfort to the occupants.
CHAPTER X.
THE CHURCHES OF HOLLAND. THE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
The complete separation of church and state as we now see it was not contemplated by the early settlers of our state. The Pilgrim Fathers that settled at Plymouth were out and out Separatists from the Church of England. But the Puri- tans who settled Boston and Salem were not separatists. They wished to purify its customs, its laws, its worship. They had - no intention of withdrawing from it. The greater freedom inevitable, due to distance from the source of civil and ecclesi- astical authority, made the difference between Pilgrim and Puritan soon to disappear, which was also aided greatly by the successes of Cromwell and the founding of the common- wealth in England according to his idea, which was that of a religious commonwealth, the church being supported by the power of civil law. How tenaciously the idea that the church would fall to decay unless supported by legal enactment and legal process is shown by its duration. Nor was the church of "the standing order" alone in it. We have seen how Joseph Blodgett was distreined of goods to meet a Baptist church tax to which he had conditionally subscribed. How the Congrega- tional church of Holland (sometimes called Presbyterian Church in the records) came into being we have already shown. Its formation as a church was so closely allied with the early civil formation of So. Brimfield into a district that it seemed the wiser plan to put its formative history there. The need of a church to accommodate the inhabitants east of South Meadow Road and the dispute growing out of it led to forming the church, Sept. 12, 1765. It was a product of the east faction. The west faction formed a church organiza- tion, but after the removal of the church on South Meadow
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HOLLAND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
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Road, to Westford village in Ashford, Conn., it never owned a building so far as known. The Wales' records show that Con- gregationalists had an organization, and had an interest in the new church built there in 1803. Sce Biography of Enoch Burt.
As before stated Rev. Benjamin Conchelin was the first pastor, hired by vote of Oct. 19, 1762. Mr. Conchelin minis- tered to two groups of worshipers. One meeting at the house of James Lawrence, the other at the house of Isaac Forster, Oct. 19, 1762. This group changed their place of worship for the east part to the house of Joseph Blodgett, March 14, 1763. The dispute arising over a site upon which to erect a church was probably the cause of his short pastorate. We have no record of his resignation or dismissal.
In February, 1763, Rev. Ezra Reeve was invited to preach in South Brimfield (probably as a candidate) coming from Long Island. He preached for a time on probation, and his work being satisfactory, the church under his direction was duly organized, Sept. 12, 1765, and the next day (13) he was installed over it. The church records state that "the Congre- gational Church of Christ in Holland was embodied Sept. 12, A. D. 1765." We give the confession of faith adopted by the church at that time, which we presume, is largely, if not wholly, a product of his mind.
Confession of Faith, used as the fundamental doctrine of the church.
"We believe there is one God, the Creator, uphelder, gov- ernor, and disposer of all things and that he is a being self- existent without beginning of days or end of life, also that he is perfectly possessed of all other divine attributes and excellencies ascribed to Him in the holy scriptures. We like- wise believe the existence of three persons in the being of this one God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and that these three are united in the essence of this one God. We believe the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of
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