Springfield, 1636-1886 : history of town and city, including an account of the quarter-millennial celebration at Springfield, Mass., May 25 and 26, 1886, Part 47

Author: Green, Mason Arnold; Springfield (Mass.)
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: [Springfield, Mass.] : C.A. Nichols & Co.
Number of Pages: 740


USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Springfield > Springfield, 1636-1886 : history of town and city, including an account of the quarter-millennial celebration at Springfield, Mass., May 25 and 26, 1886 > Part 47


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JUDGE KNOWLTON. - The governor and his associate executive officers, bring- ing the congratulations and representing the power and protection of this ancient Commonwealth, our mother Springfield greets with profound respect and defer- ential loyalty. For our chief magistrate himself she entertains a warmer feeling. Since his home is in the family of one of her municipal daughters, she calls him her son by adoption, and with parental pride claims a share in the distinguished honor which he has won for himself and conferred upon his kindred. I present you His Excellency the Governor.


GOVERNOR ROBINSON. - Mr. President, Fellow-Inhabitants of Springfield, and all interested in the delights of the present occasion, - So gracious and cordial a welcome as has been extended by the chief magistrate of the city can only be met with the most grateful acceptance; and so, for so much as has been given to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, I do, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, being present, here and now accept it all heartily. (Laugh- ter.) It was a welcome that touched not alone the citizens of the present Spring- field, but as well the residents in the numerons progeny of towns that started out from the impulse of the first settlement and have grown and thriven almost be- yond calculation or belief, and it reached even beyond these to the thousands upon thousands, some of whom may have come back here to-day, and others, who from distant homes are casting their hopes, and their thoughts, and their aspirations, their longings and their loves, back here, to their home, and with you are deeply sympathetic in the aspirations of this joyous occasion. And it goes wider, I think, and it takes in the whole people of our beloved State, from one boundary to the other.


How delightful, indeed, it is to gather with you at this anniversary of your natal day. To run the thought back; to brighten in memory the evidences that reach to the beginning of this settlement: to note the struggle and the contest, the endurance and the patience, the fortitude and courage, that began this town of Springfield ; to note the progress of your development; to stand and watch as generation after generation has come upon and passed from the stage, and now, to-day, with prophetic eye, to look down into the future, and to imagine, as far as we can, what it shall bring to this community, and what the fruitage shall be of the effort that we put forth in her behalf! One may almost wonder, if the little band of early settlers could with mortal eye look in here to-day, what would be their expression, and whether they would, after all, have so generous a welcome for such an assemblage as the mayor has given. What if they were to look you over in your dress ; look at you in your homes ; at these decorations; consider your follies and frivolities, your waywardness and your wickedness and your


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wanderings, as they would appreciate them, would they bid you come to their paternal acres and welcome you with open arms and cordial homes? Did they, the fathers of 1636, anticipate such a representation of human beings as are gathered within this city to-day? Were they to walk up and down these broad and spacious streets, surrounded on every hand by thrift, and luxury, and com- fort, they would say that it was extravagance, without limit, and they would not restrain their voices from feverish and vigorons denunciation. Are we welcomed to the Springfield of the fathers, or only to the Springfield of the sons?


Think you that William Pynchon and his associates of the early days could behold the transfiguration of that little settlement here into the great city that lies along the borders of this river, taking within its embrace the thousands upon thousands of people, administrating to their wants and their comforts and their luxuries, delighting itself with its own development, astonishing the world with its accomplishments, and making it pause to wonder what it has for the future ; could he have seen the schools that have started up innumerable all over the Commonwealth; the colleges, the great institutions of correction, and general beneficence to mankind - could he have thought of all this as the outcome of his efforts on this spot? Possibly not; indeed it is not probable that he could anticipate it all. But yet the chain is complete; cause and effect follow each other in rapid and close succession; and though he with his eye, as prophetic as it might be, could not look down the centuries to the present time, tracing the progress. and binding it link by link, after all we can, as we walk along back and tread our way to the beginning, see the close connection of the one with the other. The little acorn that comes noiselessly down from yon bough and drops at your feet may be taken in your hand, and if you had never seen another acorn or watched the growth of the oak, you would be at a loss to tell what developments were stored within. Now, no acorn of liberty had ever fallen on such soil as America at that time. No one had seen it bursting forth in all its grandeur and magnificence; but the little seed of liberty, germinated in this soil, became a sprout, then a sapling, and then the mighty monarch that over- spreads not only this town but the State, and States upon States, the Union itself, from ocean to ocean. (Applause.)


Two hundred and fifty years marked on the ages of the past are but a span, and yet two hundred and fifty years here designate the whole advance and accomplishment of America. Then, but eight families; now, forty thousand people within your immediate precinets and as many more within the territory that is allied to you from the beginning. Then, in the State of Massachusetts, there was a settlement here and there on the eastern coast; now, nearly two million of people within our border. Then, no States, no Union; now, one grand


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country of us all, proud in her strength and her freedom, with threats for none. and with fear for none. (Applause.)


A quarter of one thousand years have passed. The same oceans bathe our shores on either hand ; the delightful river rolls, as then, noiselessly to the sea ; over us is arched the blue sky; the rain falls; the dew is dispelled; men grow old and die; God's bright constellations are set in the heavens above by night, as then ; and yet in all that man has done in industrial progress and development, how complete the change! Nature's sounds then delighted the ear, nature's decorations then pleased the eye; now, two thousand children are ready to chant the hymn of peace and success. Their sweet notes take the place of the savage ery ; and added to the gems of nature, man's hands wreathe the festoons of beauty, and spread over all the brilliant light of heaven.


Where shall we look for the sources of this development? Touching the springs of their power we shall fail of our duty if we do not represent, as far as may be, the same influences, so that a quarter of a thousand years hence men may rise up and call us blessed. The founders of this community. as of others scattered through our Commonwealth and in New England, had confidence in man. They put their trust in manhood. pure, upright, courageous. enduring. fearless, God-fearing men, and they recognized their duty to contribute in every possible way to the development of. that manhood. As the right of that man- hood, first and foremost, they placed his liberty. and they came to this country that they might have a fair, free field for its exercise. That he might appreciate his freedom, and that he might write out on the pages of history the grandest achievements, they made him an educated man; they cultivated his mind, puri- fied his heart ; they lifted up his soul. And the men of that time hesitated not to put their hands to toil. It was no fashion of that time to be ashamed of man- ual labor. It was then creditable for a man to earn his daily bread. Looking baek we waste our sympathy upon the people of that early day if we carry them condolence, because they were obliged to labor day by day. Why, that very strife against the elements of nature, that fight for life itself. brought out the strength within them, and made them the brighter and better men; gave them families of children that generation upon generation have blessed the people for them. No puny, siekly, sentimental, mawkish specimens we are forced to call humanity, but good, strong, energetic, tough-fibred, moral, upright, religious men and women. But given liberty, given education. given the fruits of toil, there was needed the restraint of law, and that the fathers supplied. Liberty, not license ; freedom. and yet a recognition of the equal rights of others: and that they worked into the foundation of the government, so that it has stood in firm security to the present time.


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What wonder, then, that we observe the accomplishments of to-day? Why, from that class of men and from that character flowed inevitably the current of life that has marked the development of American freedom; just as naturally as the breath in the living human body came the great advance in our history. It would have been impossible that there should have been no Lexington, no Bunker Hill, no Coneord. It would have been impossible that whenever the cry to arms came the people should fail. It could not have been that when the Union itself was endangered and liberty threatened, that the young men, valiant and strong, would skulk in their homes. It is not surprising that yonder monu- ment points to heaven, and points also to the character and inspiration of the men who, true to the deeds of the fathers, were willing to save for the future what had been guaranteed to them. Massachusetts would fail to express the force of her presence if she did not recognize her obligation to be here, and to express her full, cordial, and abundant salutation to Springfield. Wherever the good people of the State come together, to greet each other eye to eye, grasp each other in friendly hand; wherever the town and city and the people are striving and uplifting the whole; wherever human rights are regarded ; wherever the people are vigilant that none, even the humblest and weakest, shall suffer, there is the inspiration of Massachusetts, true to her past, and there should be her presence in full power.


What shall be written of the next two hundred and fifty years? We shall not be here to witness their elose. A few more mounds by the hillside will testify of us. One after another is gathered to the dust of the valley ; but pity, indeed, it is if that is all we leave for testimony. Though we may not be present, Spring- field will be here; Massachusetts assuredly will come, and the great Union of America in benignity and prosperity will regard with glorious benediction the triumphs won. It shall be for you, as far as lies in your power, to write the page of history, and it is your duty to make it now. The present is all we can touch, and doing our duty properly in the present hour, seeing to it that we set as high an appreciation on private and public virtue as our fathers did; regarding per- sonal character as of the highest importance in the estimate of citizenship; remembering that the country will ever set a high value on purity, honesty, cleanness and squareness of demeanor and condnet, and that truthfulness to one's word, fidelity to man and to God, are yet a power, and are yet of saving influence, and constitute the abundant guaranty of the future.


JUDGE KNOWLTON. - Springfield, like many another matron, is proud of her grown-up daughters. This is her day of thanksgiving, and gathered around her hearthstone she sees them all - West Springfield, Westfield, Agawam, South-


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wick, Holyoke, Chicopee, Ludlow, Wilbraham, Hampden, Longmeadow, Somers, Enfield, Suffield. She would hear of their prosperity and their progress, and whether they often think of the days of their childhood, when they sat by her fireside and were folded in her embrace. I call upon Hon. Jolin L. Houston, of Enfield.


Mr. HOUSTON. - Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen, - When the invita- tion of your committee came over the border to me, a few days ago, urging me to come and take part in the literary exercises of this occasion, my first feeling was one of wonder and astonishment that they should request a native and citizen of Connecticut to take a formal part in a local celebration in Massachusetts. But a little reflection satisfied me that there might be method in this seeming mad- ness, and that there were, at least, plausible reasons why the Connecticut town of Enfield should receive such an invitation. For, in recounting the historical events, traditions, and reminiscences of Springfield, the name of Pynchon be a name to "conjure with," as it certainly is, then may we, natives of the river border of Enfield, well lay claim to be " sons of the soil." We were born and have lived upon, and the ashes of our dead are mingled with, the soil once owned and dominated by Pynchons. One of the earliest wonders and mysteries of my childhood was the grist-mill located near my birthplace (where it still stands doing its useful work to-day), the lineal descendant, if I may so speak, of the grist-mill erected by Major Pynchon sometime during the seventeenth century. The extensive manufacturing corporation with which I am officially connected traces the title to its real estate back to the days and the persons of the Pynchons; and the control which it exercises over the stream on whose banks its manufactory is located, and which is essential to its operation, is based upon a grant given by the plantation of Springfield to Major Pynchon more than two centuries ago. Certainly, in all the early historic events and traditions to which Springfield so fondly clings, we natives of the town of Enfield cling as fondly and share as full an interest in as do you.


But I must not forget that my duty here and now is to respond, very briefly, to the warm and generous words of welcome just uttered by his Honor the Mayor, so far as they apply to the thirteen towns that have, first and last, during the past two and a half centuries, been carved from the territory of old Springfield. Springfield has indeed been a bountiful mother, and has given to each one of her children a magnificent dowry; and they, emulating her thrifty example, have each and all made good use of their heritage. Time will not permit, and if it did I am not capable of doing justice to the distinguishing traits of each one of these


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offshoots from the parent stem; but as a group, and especially as associated with the mother town, they together make up one of the noblest garden spots of the world.


A territory watered by noble streams, covered by a rich and responsive soil, displaying nearly all varieties of scenery to charm and delight the senses, dotted all over with churches, school-houses, and institutions of beneficence ; with numer- ous busy hives of industry whose productions, useful and beautiful, are known as widely as civilization extends ; and more and better than all, a territory abound- ing in the happy homes of an industrious, self-respecting, intelligent, and virtuous people, - truly can we all say that "our lines have fallen to us in pleasant places," and " we have a goodly heritage."


Mr. Mayor, in behalf of these thirteen ontlying towns, I beg to assure you that we all reciprocate the feelings that prompted you to utter your words of hearty and sincere welcome to us, and we here and now join with you and the beautiful city over which it is your high duty to keep watch and ward, in acknowl- edging the debt of gratitude we all owe to those early colonists who, through hardships, the story of which has been but half told, and through great tribula- tion, redeemed this fair heritage of ours from savagery, and dedicated it forever to freedom and the blessings of a Christian civilization.


The relation of the Springfield of to-day to these outlying towns is aptly char- acterized, I think, by the simile you have yourself so happily chosen,- the simile of a queenly mother to her fair and comely daughters; and on this most inter- esting occasion, this two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, we, the daughters, gather from all points on the outer circle at this maternal home to say Hail! and God bless! - not to a venerable and wrinkled dame, stricken in years or by decrepitude, but rather to a stately matron, clothed to-day with more queenly grace and beanty than ever before, and still blooming with virginal charms.


And if continued lack of appreciation at the White House in Washington shall forever debar this good old mother town of ours from becoming a port of delivery; if no stately custom-house is ever to vie in goodly proportions with the great arsenal on youder "heaven kissing hill"; if no dignified col- lector of the port is ever to become a prominent figure in her social circles; yet she will ever have the fuller satisfaction, one that no veto from any quarter can ever deprive her of, that she is surrounded with a galaxy of thirteen beautiful and dutiful daughters, all proud of her honorable history, all jealous of her good name and fair fame, and who will ever affectionately regard her as the peerless queen of the Connecticut valley.


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This anniversary hymn, written by E. Porter Dyer, was then sung by the Orpheus Club : -


O God of our fathers! Their guide and their shield, Who marked out their pathway through forest and field,


We stand where they stood and with anthems of praise, Acknowledge thy gooduess, O Ancient of Days!


Thon leddest thy people of old like a flock; They trusted in thee as their Sheltering Rock;


The centuries pass - thou art ever the same, And children of children still trust in thy name.


'Twas here in the wilderness, silent, untamed, The gospel of freedom and grace they proclaimed, - The gospel of home, of the school, of the plough, - And this City of Homes is their monument now.


O God of our fathers! By river and wood, Where Pynchon, and Holyoke, and Chapin abode, Our heritage blossoms with glory and praise To thee, their defender, O Ancient of Days!


JUDGE KNOWLTON - Fifty years ago Springfield gathered her children about her as she has done to-day, and told them the story of her life, and taught them fitting lessons, by the lips of one whom many of us remember, who was for a long time prominent in the progress of the town, Hon. Oliver B. Morris. The mantle of history, then so worthily worn, has fallen upon the shoulders of his eldest son, who from youth to advanced age has never ceased to reflect honor upon his native town, and in recent times has done more than any other to em- balm in pure English the memory of her early years. I introduce our historian, Judge Henry Morris : -


JUDGE MORRIS. - So far as known, there has been but one attempt before this to celebrate the anniversary of the first settlement of the town of Springfield. Fifty years ago this day its bi-centennial was observed. It was an occasion of great interest to this town, and other towns in this vicinity. People flocked here from far and near. After a long procession through our streets, with a military escort and music, an address was delivered in the ancient First Church, fronting on Court square, and other appropriate services held, including prayer by Rev. Dr. Osgood, anthems by the choir, under the direction of Col. Solomon Warriner, and the singing, as a solo, by a lady still residing here, of the hymn of Mrs.


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Hemans, entitled " Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers." After the services at the church, the procession was reformed and marched to the Town Hall, where a collation was served, and brief speeches made by invited guests and others. The late George Bliss presided at the Town Hall. Edward Everett, then governor of the Commonwealth, was present at the celebration with his military staff, and other distinguished citizens from abroad. Robert C. Winthrop was here as one of the governor's aids.


It was my fortune, then a young man, to be present, and to unite in the re- joicings of that time. In the words of the orator of that day, "the occasion was one of deep and joyful interest, one on which to do homage to the memory of our fathers, to examine the record of their history, and to bow in humble gratitude to Heaven that we are descended from a most worthy ancestry." In the same spirit let us enter upon the present occasion. As this day is particularly an anniversary of the original settlement of the town, I propose, in this address, to confine myself to the circumstances attending that settlement, with some notice of the men and women who bore a part in it, without attempting to detail at length the subsequent history of the town through the two centuries and a half that have followed. Any attempt at such a detail would require a volume, and could not fail to try the patience of the hearers and exhaust the strength of the speaker.


The return of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the founding of such a town as ours is an event that will justify us in suspending for the time our ordinary pursuits, that we may recall to mind the origin of the town, and note the contrast between its humble beginning and its condition at the present moment. It must be interesting, and ought to be useful to us as a people, to re- view the circumstances that gave birth to this place, which we call, and are proud to call, our home, - a place to which we are bound by so many ties of interest and affection, and around which so many of our hopes cluster.


We find ourselves to-day the occupants of one of the most delightful spots in the world. No valley fairer than this of the Connecticut can be found any- where, - no soil yielding the cultivator a richer return for his labor, -no streams that contribute more freely their forces to propel the machinery that gives life and activity to the mechanic arts, for which this valley is so famous, and which furnishes so much employment to the capital and industry of its residents.


Two centuries and a half ago this lovely valley was a waste, inhabited only by the savages that roamed through its wilds. It is hard for us to realize that in this valley, and on these charming hillsides, now so rich in the tokens of civilization and culture, the rude wigwams of the red men were once seen, - that


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in these forests, which then covered these plains, they hunted their game, and in these rivers they caught their fish. Their agricultural industry was limited to the gathering of such grains as grew spontaneously or with little cultivation. Their mechanic arts went no further than the manufacture of bows and arrows, or the construction of their canoes and the rude stone vessels in which they cooked or kept their food. Such relics of the Indian as these have been found all through this valley within a few years past, and probably may still be found by any who will search for them.


How changed is the valley now! And how has this great change been effected? By what agencies has this, that was once a wilderness, been con- verted into the abode of civilized man? Let us look back two hundred and fifty years and discover, if we can, the causes and trace the progress of this change from its beginning to the present time.


Two hundred and fifty years ago the Old World, weary of the burden of forms that had been the growth of centuries of ignorance and oppression, began to reach forth toward a new and better state of things. The discoveries of voy- agers had revealed to Europe this continent in the west as an open field for its enterprise, and the Old Workl began at once to seek a better home in the New. Old systems of government began to be distrusted, and old forms of re- ligion began to be discarded. The minds of men craved a change which should give them better and more hopeful conditions of living. The New World opened to the Old just such a field as it aspired to possess. As a consequence of this, everywhere through England a spirit of emigration arose, and men who had chafed under the oppressions of an arbitrary government, and desired greater freedom of conscience in religion, and greater security in their persons and property, determined to seek a new home west of the Atlantic.


With this object in view, several influential gentlemen in England solicited and obtained from King Charles I. a charter which created them a corpora- tion by the name of the " Governor and Company of the Massachusetts Bay in New England." This charter granted all the lands in New England from a line running westerly three miles north of the Merrimac river to a line running westerly three miles south of the Charles river, and three miles south of every part of it. The grant to extend from the Atlantic ocean to the South Sea.




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