USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Lee > Lee : the centennial celebration and centennial history of the town of Lee, Mass. > Part 8
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Nor has his home parterre engrossed His hard earned leisure solely ; Fondly he helps to dress the scene By kindred dust made holy ; Till mid the verdure and the bloom That veil life's last dark portal, He almost smiles to view the bourne Twixt mortal and immortal.
And lo ! how fair the public taste, To match the general brightness, Has robed the village church near by, In stole of saintly whiteness, Which, thus arrayed, may well beseem To eyes of pensive weepers, The earthly tent of angels sent To guard the silent sleepers-
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RESIDENCE OF WELLINGTON SMITH.
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Thus Grace and Dryad came again, And with them came the Muses, Whose blessed office is to teach That life's true aims and uses, Are not best shown in heaping gold, Or multiplying acres, Nor lending sacrilegious hands To Beauty's image-breakers,
But in the culture of the mind, The soul's divine emotions, Love, faith, peace, sympathy with all Heroic self-devotions ; With reverence for genuine worth, No matter what the station
Of him who lifts a human heart To angel aspiration.
And just as nature's face inproved, Improved her votaries faces, Grown faithful mirrors to reflect Her humanizing graces ; While gentle manners so prevail, They force the fond conviction, That here, at least, the Golden Age Is no poetic fiction !
CONCLUDING EXERCISES IN THE CHURCH.
At the conclusion of Mr. Palmer's poem, the audience were invited to unite with the choir in singing " America," which was rendered with a will. Mr. Wellington Smith, the marshal of the day, then announced the order of pro- cession to the dining tent, and the assembly was dismissed with the benediction pronounced by Rev. Lyman S. Row- land, of Lee. So complete were the arrangements of the marshal and his assistants, that there was no hitch in transferring the large assembly from the church to the tent. Six hundred and seventy-six guests were seated at the well-spread board of Messrs. Hall & Whipple, and were waited upon by seventy of the young ladies and
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gentlemen of Lee, who, with their festive regimentals and polite attentions, added grace to the occasion and honor to the town.
AT AND AFTER THE DINNER.
After the well-filled tables had been pretty thoroughly cleared, and the company put in good humor for the intellectual feast, President Garfield introduced the speak- ing with a few well-chosen words. The responses were nearly all made to formal sentiments, the first of which was as follows :
The United States-May her influence among the nations be equal to her domain ; may her sons remember that righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.
To respond to this, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Pitts- field was called upon. He briefly alluded to the growth of the city during the past hundred years, to its vast increase in territory and population, and laid the founda- tion of this unparalleled development in the " town organ- ization " principle. The town meeting is to liberty, what the primary school is to science. So far as the growth of the city has outstripped the township, it cannot but give alarm to every sincere and candid patriot. "I hope for one," said the speaker, " there will never be another city in the commonwealth." Then turning to national affairs, he spoke of the necessity of reconciling and unit- ing the lately conflicting sections of our common country. In our republic there is no room for conquered states. The demand of the hour is for another great character in history. As Washington was the Father, Lincoln the Pre- server, and Grant the Defender of the country, so now another is needed who shall combine all these elements with Reconcilation. When such a one comes, over his head will be written the grand title, " Pacifiator of States."
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Massachusetts, by birth or adoption our venerable and respected mother-We cherish her memory with heartfelt regard. May she never be disgraced by those of her sons whom she has delighted to honor.
To this Richard Goodman of Lenox responded, in a bright little speech, saying that whoever spoke for Massa- chusetts ought to be a descendant of the "May Flower." Unhappily, the Goodman who came over in that vessel, and who ought to have been his progenitor was eaten by bears while a bachelor, so that he himself was only an adopted son. While Massachusetts was a good mother, she was also an excellent mother-in-law.
The County of Berkshire-May the morals of her sons and daugh- ters be as pure as her mountain streams, their aspirations as lofty as her hill-tops; their integrity as immutable as her rocks. May her pub- lic men, her clergy, her lawyers, her physicians, emulate the bright examples that have gone before.
Gen. William C. Plunkett of Adams, responded in a speech full of pleasant reminiscence of the early days of the county when factories were unknown, and linsey- woolsey was the common wear. He spoke of the great progress the county had made in manufacturing, and of the advance in education as well. Of Williams college in particular he spoke highly. Fewer men, he said, grow up, vegetate and die at this college than at any other of the United States. Gen. Plunkett told several stories of Dr. Hyde and of the early worthies of Lee, and in clos- ing spoke of the " Berkshire Jubilee " in 1844, inviting all present to attend its repetition sixty-seven years hence.
The next sentiment was a volunteer one, offered by Amos G. Hulbert :
The Orator of the Day-Born a gentleman, happily not spoiled in making up; Excelsior his motto. In youth and early manhood a
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first-class carriage trimmer, later a safe counselor, an able advocate, an honest lawyer, a genial friend. His wife, the better-half. God bless them both !
Mr. Chamberlain acknowledged the compliment very handsomely, speaking of his early life in Lee, and the assistance he got from his employers, the Hulberts. After graduating at Harvard law school, where he was a class- mate with President Hayes, he tried to get Mr. Dawes to open a law office with him in Springfield. But Dawes didn't go, and so their paths in life had diverged. He told several capital stories, and left his hearers wishing for more when he sat down.
The Town of Lee.
Alexander Hyde, introduced as a gentleman who had energy enough to stay in Lee " to strengthen the things that remain," responded that Lee needed no orator to speak her praises. Her sons and daughters assembled to-day are living witnesses of her character. Our chief glory is in the work our churches and schools have done and are doing. He spoke particularly of the High School and the education it afforded to all. He alluded to the late Samuel A. Hulbert, to whom the town was in a great measure indebted for its High School, its Railroad and other public institutions.
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The Judiciary-A necessary and indispensable department of our Government. While a praise to all that do well, yet a terror to all of us.
President Garfield, in a few happy words, introduced Congressman Robinson of Chicopee. Mr. Robinson ex- pressed his gratification at being present on such a pleas- ant occasion. Born at Lexington, he had, in his boyhood days, walked and talked with the men of '75, and the work of the Fathers was therefore of especial interest to him. Massachusetts, he said, was highly favored in the
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character of its judges, who were all honorable and up- right men. Mr. Robinson's speech was attentively lis- tened to, and he made a very favorable impression on his hearers.
Rev. Dr. E. W. Bentley, of Ellenville, N. Y., was the next speaker. He said that though he was not born in Lee, he knew nothing till he came here. He spoke of the changes time had made since he first knew the town, and of some of the old residents and their pecu- liarities.
Emigrants from the old Hive.
Rev. Dr. Ingersoll of Brooklyn, in responding spoke of the feelings of the returning emigrants, and how, wherever they went, they never forgot the old home. To them, as well as to those who stay at home, Lee is the center and all the rest is circumference. Dr. Ingersoll was intro- duced as a great grandson of the second white inhabitant that settled within the limits of this town, long before its incorporation, and of whose descendants, three genera- tions continue here.
Rev. Dr. Edward Taylor, the next speaker, told a lot of funny stories about " Uncle Joe Chadwick," who, to him was " a bigger man than Old Grant," and other old citizens whose names and memory had been recalled. He kept his hearers in a roar of laughter, and made a capital, unreportable speech, which was richly enjoyed.
Our Adopted Fellow Citizens.
To this sentiment, J. W. Ferry of this town made a capital response. He had an advantage, he thought, over the natives of the town, inasmuch as he became a citizen by choice, and they, by accident. He came to Lee more than a score of years ago, and has never been sorry that he stayed here. Nowhere are there better
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associations than in America, nowhere better laws or a better chance to help make them. The adopted citizens of the land can be relied on to do all in their power to maintain the republic. In closing, he said he wanted to impress upon all his hearers that the adopted citizens of the United States were determined to maintain the laws and to do in all respects as well as if born on the soil. Mr. Ferry's speech was received with hearty applause.
The author of the following verses, H. S. Babcock, Esq., of Providence, R. I., was prevented by business engage- ments from being present at the Centennial, and they were read at the dinner table by Prof. E. H.Barlow :
I.
The god of day leaps from his ruddy bed To guide his golden chariot through the sky ; His amber locks he crowns with roses red, Whose blushes stain the East with crimson dye. His watchful eye beholds each woody height, Each mountain peak clad in eternal snow, Each smiling vale in gladsome verdure dight, Each noble river winding still and slow, Each spot of earth where beauty reigns a queen And rules her subjects with imperious sway,- But shows to none more gracious, loving mien, Than where we see his favoring smile to-day.
II.
The purple mountains rise on either hand, A frontier guard that ever watchful keeps ; A gently flowing stream divides the land, On whose green banks the golden sunshine sleeps ; Far stretch the level meads whose fruitful soil Yields bounteous harvests to the hand of care, Rewards the farmer for his lengthened toil,
Of garnered wealth makes him the worthy heir. There rise the hill-sides crowned with noble trees, Where oft, too oft, the choppers axe resounds, Whose fatal stroke, borne on the tell-tale breeze,
Makes mournful music mid the sweeter sounds.
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And there the busy mill-wheel constant turns, The faithful servant of industrious men ; The swarthy furnace brightly glowing burns And yields a product fit for poet's pen.
III.
Adown the hill-sides glide the murmuring brooks, Whose lapping waters lend a cooling sound And teach far better than old musty books That all the earth is consecrated ground. A siren sings beneath those waters sweet In flute-like tones that win the listening ear ; The wavelets dancing at your weary feet Give back the song in music silvery clear. O'er-arching trees afford you grateful shade, The merry breeze laughs in their waving boughs, The feathered songsters lend their voices' aid, At Nature's shrine you pay your heartfelt vows.
IV.
Your feet now tread the well-kept streets Where reigned the silence of the darkling wood ; Your eyes behold the thrifty homes of men Where once the cruel Indian's wigwam stood ; Your ears drink in the music of the forge, The rattle of the mill, the engine's scream, Where once the savage war-whoop echoed loud, The welcome answer to the red man's dream. Peace smiles upon this highly favored land, And Plenty empties out her bounteous horn, Industry lends to each a helping hand. And Love and Happiness these homes adorn.
V.
And this, to-day, is Lee. A hundred years Have borne a golden harvest large and fair, We reap with smiles what erst was sown in tears, In joy the well-eared sheaves we homeward bear. And this, to-day, is Lee. A hundred years Upon her brow imperial gently rest, The fathers long ago, with many tears, Were laid to sleep upon her loving breast.
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Her sons and daughters live, grow old and die,
But she knows not the meaning of old age; Eternal youth laughs in her glancing eye, And scorns Time's direful threats and powerless rage. And this, to-day, is Lee. A hundred years Our plant has grown in sunshine and in shade, To-day we cull the blossom, freed from fears, The past secure, the future surely made. Let joy prolong this gladsome festal day, The crowning blossom of a century past,
While over all Love sheds his golden ray And makes its memory brighten to the last.
Dr. M. M. Frissell of Kingston, N. Y., spoke pleas- antly of the great benefit he was to the town during his three months' stay some years ago. He disseminated knowledge among the people, he brought them into communication with distant sections, he helped the manu- facturers to large sums of money, he knew he was a public benefactor-for he was deputy postmaster, and all the mail matter of the village passed through his hands. He spoke of the recent celebration at his home, and of how the native Dutchmen had found it necessary to call upon the Yankees to help them through with it.
The following sentiment was then offered by Amos G. Hulbert, who prefaced it by saying: In looking over this interesting audience I see many on whose heads the almond tree has flourished, and to those I offer the fol- lowing :
The Aged who have borne the heat of the day-Inpatience possess ye your souls. Your days are numbered but not finished ; may those that remain be your brightest and best.
Gird up your loins with all your might, And keep your Christian armor bright, And when the Master calls, fear not to launch away ; The dear ones on the other side Are more than are here to-day.
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And now to all, to you I say, As this Centennial Day on earth to us much joy hath given ; With joy unspeakable and pure, May we spend the next in Heaven.
William Hyde, of Ware, was called upon to respond. He spoke of the fathers and mothers of the town, and of the old times and customs. He showed to the company several interesting relics, among others his mother's wedding slippers and a sermon on "Regeneration," preached by his father in 1789.
A vote of thanks to the Lee Band was moved, in be- half of the emigrants, by Rev. Dr. Ingersoll, and, after being seconded in behalf of the citizens by William Taylor, was heartily adopted. The exercises closed at fifteen minutes before six, with a few words from the President of the Day who, for the town, thanked the returning residents for their attendance and trusted they had enjoyed the reunion-and though no formal response was made, it was easy to see in their beaming faces that they had.
The private expression of the returning exiles was unanimous in testifying to the great satisfaction which the occasion had given, and this feeling was fully recipro- cated on the part of the citizens of Lee. Old friendships were revived, new ones formed, family ties were strength- ened, and all felt that it was good once more to meet in the church and around a common table. The old town was universally commended as having made great improvements in her agriculture, architecture, roads, bridges, schools, churches and the comforts of life gene- rally, and as still the abode of peace, plenty and right- eousness.
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INTERESTING INCIDENTS OF CENTENNIAL DAY.
The Congregational Church in which the Centennial exercises were held, was decorated by the ladies with excellent taste. Flowers and evergreens adorned the altar and walls, and over the pulpit was an evergreen scroll with this inscription in large evergreen letters: " 1777 Welcome 1877." On the right of the pulpit hung the portrait of Dr. Alvan Hyde, and on the left that of Dr. Nahum Gale, with the dates of their long pastorates.
Conspicuous among the decorations in the village was a large flag suspended over Main street, and bearing the motto : " Lee Welcomes her Children." Another large banner floated in front of William Taylor's store. F. M. Pease's store and residence were handsomely draped with bunting, as was also the bank. Wellington Smith's resi- dence was noticeable with flags at every projecting point. Exchange block was decked with a profusion of small flags, while E. Wright & Co., B. H. Taintor, and numer- ous others along the street, honored the day with a liberal display.
The Centennial was ushered in at East Lee by a rous- ing salute, fired from the old Jackson cannon, that patriotic old veteran, which, since the days of Old Hick- ory, has rendered such good service, and never failed to belch forth its rejoicings on every anniversary of our inde- pendence. Even if touched by no human hand, the old powder-blackened war-dog would, we almost believe, have blazed away of itself at the Centennial. Thanks to the " boys" who so gallantly manned it.
One pleasant feature of the celebration was the knowl- edge it brought to many of distant and long-parted friends. One case in particular is worthy of notice : A Lee lady had lost all trace of her grandmother, living somewhere in the West, but where she did not know.
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As it happened, one of the visitors to the Centennial came from the very town where this grandmother lived, and brought to the granddaughter the first tidings she had had for many years of her venerable relative.
Among the visitors from a distance was Mrs. Harriet Nesbett, of Elyria, O. Mrs. Nesbett is youngest of the family of Maj. William Ingersoll, Jr., who left Lee in 1816, and secured homes for his seven sons in the un- broken forest, then known as No. 4, in range 16, of the Western Reserve, or "New Connecticut." No other representative of that pioneer family was present. Mrs. Nesbett is also the youngest granddaughter of William Ingersoll, who died in 1815, leaving 149 living descend- ants. Of that large number, only two joined in the festivities of this occasion-Mrs. Nesbett and Jared Inger- soll, of Saratoga, N. Y.
Among the old residents called for, but who were not in the tent, or at least did not respond, were William Howk and Mr. Whiting of Wellington, O., and Marshall Wilcox of Pittsfield.
Though the rush of visitors was somewhat greater than had been expected, yet the Committee had made such ample provisions for any contingency, that many more might have been accommodated if necessary.
The attractiveness of the dinner was greatly enhanced by the white-aproned young men and coquettishly-capped young ladies, sons and daughters of citizens who had volunteered as waiters upon the company. They thus exemplified a favorite maxim of their late pastor, Dr. Gale, " The post of service is the post of honor."
The town appointed a large force of special policemen, but there was little for them to do. The thousands thronging the streets were very orderly and well-behaved, and only one arrest was made, and he a stranger in the town.
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Dr. Andrews and Dr. Bentley, Centennial visitors, re- mained and preached at the Congregational church Sun- day, and in the evening the pastor gave an extra Centen- nial sermon.
It was a good joke on the part of the leader of the band, while the guests were quietly waiting for the first course at the Centennial Dinner, to order the playing of " The Sweet By and By."
Among the returning old residents was Oliver West, of Pittsfield, Ohio, who left Lee in 1832, and in all these forty-five years, had not visited his old home. " O, how changed !" was his exclamation, as he stood at the south door of Memorial Hall and looked at the beautiful gem of a park occupying the site of the old church in which he used to worship, the Hall itself standing near where the church horse-sheds once stood. When he was a lad the name of West was common in Lee ; now, not one is left to bear up the once honored name. He desired to be quartered among the old neighbors of his father, the late Joshua West, and he was assigned by the committee to the care of Mr. J. B. Freeman, and among the farms and families of that vicinity he felt more at home. Moral : Old residents should not stay away so long if they want to find friends, acquaintances and old landmarks.
Among the many pleasing incidents of the Centennial were the reunions of families long and widely scattered. At the hospitable home of Mr. H. Garfield, were gathered his sisters, Mrs. Carey from Keokuk, Iowa, and Mrs. Waite from Chicago, with numerous other friends and relatives ; no brother, however, of the originally large number being left to join the happy circle. At Mr. A. G. Hulbert's were congregated, besides his own children and grandchildren, the Ingersolls and Chamberlins, a housefull, and all hearts overflowing with loveand pleas- ant reminiscences. At Mr. William Taylor's, were his
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RESIDENCE OF ALEXANDER HYDE.
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brothers Charles, Horace, Edward and Frank, accom- panied by their wives and one sister, Sophia ; the health of the two other sisters, Mrs. Churchill and Mills, not permitting them to be present. At the old parsonage of Dr. Hyde, now occupied by his youngest son, Alexander, were William Hyde of Ware, and his family, Mrs. Marsh of New York, Dr. Andrews of Marietta, Ohio, Dr. Bentley of Ellenville, N. Y., and others. Here were to be found four generations, reckoning Mrs. Hyde's mother, Mrs. Hull, as one. The latter, a lady of 86 years, entered into the occasion as heartily as any one, ascending " Fern Cliff" to hear Professor Barlow's oration, and after listen- ing to the address of Mr. Chamberlin, spending the afternoon of Centennial Day in the tent, that she might enjoy the flow of soul in the post-prandial feast. At the mansion of the brothers, E. S. and S. S. May, were con- gregated a large circle of friends and relations, including their sons from New York ; the Parkers from Dunbarton, N. H., and the Ingersolls from Ohio. At Mr. Nathan Gibbs', were his son Edward and family from Norwich, Conn., Dr. and Mrs. Flint from Hinsdale, Miss Holder and others.
Much regret was expressed at the non-appearance at the Centennial of the Hon. Asahel Foote, of Williamstown, a septuagenarian descendant of one of the first settlers of Lee. When, during the previous week it was ascertained that Mr. Foote was not expecting to be present, some of his friends wrote, urging him to come. The following letter explains his absence, and contains so many pleasant reminiscences of the Foote family, and so much of his- torical interest, that we publish it entire :
WILLIAMSTOWN, September 20, 1877.
Dear Sir :- On the 8th inst., I took my week's mail from the post office, and not anticipating anything more from that quarter for a few days, and being still under the influence of a slight bilious attack, by
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which my strength had been considerably reduced, I did not again visit the street until Tuesday, the 12th, when I was surprised to find three different communications from Lee, inviting me to a participa- tion in the social feast of the two days immediately to follow. I need not undertake to tell you how many and how strong and immortal are the ties that bind my heart to the place of my birth; for there you, too, can visit the graves of the mother on whose bosom you nestled in infancy, of the father who guarded and guided your childhood, of brothers and sisters who were the participants of all the joys and sor- rows of your early years, and of many others on whose graves you could not help but drop regretful tears when they were laid away from your sight forever. Though 54 years have kept their obliterating fingers busily at work since I was a resident of Lee, my memory still travels back even to the "great total eclipse " of 1806, (of which I have yet a very distinct impression,) and often entertains me with scenes that I witnessed myself in those "former days," and with storied events that had transpired on the same ground previous to my birth ; among which latter I might mention the scene of the bear attacking and destroying a large porker in the highway running east from the village, at a point nearly opposite the burying-place of the first occupant of the Cemetery, no gun being procurable in the neigh- borhood, and the blowing of horns and shells being insufficient to frighten him from his prey. The killing of an infuriated bear with a knot caught up after the attack, on the southern border of the town, by a man of the name of Hewlett; whence the name of " Beartown Mountain." The slaughter of 124 rattlesnakes on the southwest slope of Pixley mountain, on a Sunday morning, by two brothers Ingersoll, who were in quest of their horses to take the family to church. The battle of my uncle David Foote with a moose of the largest dimen- sions (I used to see his immense horns in my early childhood), that attacked him (likewise on a Sunday morning, and while hunting up his horses), at a point about 100 rods east of T. L. Foote's residence, on a stony piece of ground, thick set at the time with large girdled trees. During the contest, the enraged animal repeatedly scaled, with ease, a high log fence, and drove the assailed party from tree to tree, behind which he sought refuge, until at last he caught one of his fore feet fast between two logs that with others had been rolled together for burn- ing. This afforded a good opportunity for the effective employment of the "hard heads " that abounded in the locality, and so vigorously did my uncle hurl them directly at the animal's forehead, (he had previously used the same weapons, but not with such advantage,) that when after a time the foot became disengaged, he turned to the east, and
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