USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Rowley > The tercentenary celebration of the town of Rowley, 1639-1939 > Part 12
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I am also enclosing our latest Town report in which on pages 58 to 65 inclusive we give a brief summary of the proceedings, in which we recommend a printing of a full and complete detailed account of the happenings of the four days, August 24-27, red letter days as we feel it in the history of Rowley, in which much occurred which should be preserved to pass on to future generations.
Also in the same Town report, pages 20-24, is the report of the preliminary committee appointed in 1938 to consider the advis- ability of the Town celebrating its 300th anniversary.
Again in same book, pages 94-96, is a statement of the financial items paid by the Town on the celebration from the money turned over by Municipal Lighting Plant, while some organizations spon- sored features without cost to the town.
This book is just of the press which I could not have sent you earlier. I am hoping that a full account giving addresses, programs and exercises in full will be authorized at Town Meeting March 4, and if so voted, you will come in for one of those reports, which will make a sizable book.
I am sending you herewith beside the Town report referred to, the official program of the four days, the feature programs were printed separately, a lot of newspaper reports of celebration, and quite a group of pictures, which are marked either on front at bottom, or else in slip attached to back, as well as a long roll picture taken on the Common the afternoon of Aug. 24, after the Pageant was over.
This pageant was equipped with amplifier service so it could be heard a long distance, and also was connected up with one of the broadcasting stations. The Sunday afternoon program was also con- nected with amplifier service for benefit of any who could not get inside the church.
In the group of large pictures which I am sending under separate cover we have:
1. Cannon "Old Nancy" on the Common.
2. Rowley Episode, "The Freeman's Oath."
3. Georgetown Episode, "Leaving for New Rowley."
4. Boxford Episode, Dancing on the Green.
5. Mrs. Cheney at Historical Society Garden Party.
6. Planting Tree on Rowley Common.
7. Dedication of Tree, Center School grounds.
8. Tree planted, Ezekiel Rogers School grounds.
9. Dedication of Tablet, Rowley Common.
10. The same Tablet, unveiled.
11. Unveiled Tablet, Center School grounds, no picture taken of exercises.
12. Unveiled Tablet, Old Burying Ground, Lesslie Road.
13. Group at Linebrook, Parish Church, after exercises, before unveiling Tablet.
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14. View from foot of Common, looking toward Tent.
15. The "Country's Wonder," first prize parade feature.
16. Georgetown Shoe Industry, parade feature, first prize win- ner in Georgetown division.
17. Parade feature, Prime's store.
18. First Congregational Church, Rowley.
19. Same Church immediately following closing church service.
20. Unmounted Pageant feature, by Rowley, "Plotting Streets of the Town.'
21. Lessard, second prize winning parade float.
22. Colonial Ball feature float.
23. Parade, Mutual Benefit Society float.
24. I.O.O.F. float feature.
25. Old One-Horse Shay feature ..
26. Rowley Grange float.
27. Groveland feature, Replica of Paul Revere Bell.
28. Rowley Congregational Church float.
29. First Baptist Church, Rowley, float.
30. Rowley Baptist Church, built 1830.
31. St. Mary's Catholic Church.
32. Town Hall, Rowley.
33. Rowley Center School, near site of first three meeting-houses.
34. Rowley Common and Soldiers' Monument, looking south.
35. P.O. Building at right, Church front in center.
36. Rowley Railroad Station.
37. Rowley Historical House, one of the Town's oldest houses.
38. Last but by no means the least to me, My own Home Sweet Home. (Mrs. Marshall and myself standing on veranda. With deco- rations as placed for celebration, taken Aug. 27, 1939.)
I have tried to give you a picture-story of many of the leading features, feeling that they would convey a more vivid account than any words of mine, and be something to which you could refer in days yet to come.
I am also enclosing a long picture, not numbered, in a roll, show- ing a scene on Rowley Common shortly after close of pageant, August 24, with many participants from Rowley, Georgetown and Boxford shown therein, my own picture in colonial costume shows near the center.
I am sending you as I stated, the official program for the four days, the program for Lesslie Road Burial Ground, the program for our Sunday service, original songs as sung at Banquet, and the prologue by one of our own townspeople, Mrs. Mabel J. Gordon, read by Chairman Haley at opening of Pageant Episodes.
So I hope you can all get quite a word picture from these and the newspaper accounts which also show some pictures which I have not included, besides also a newspaper cut of the Colonial Ball, wherein I have on a George Washington costume. (Mrs. Marshall, by the way, is a native of England, born in Manchester and coming to the U.S. when around ten years of age.)
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If I have kept you waiting a long time I hope you will forgive the delay, part of which was necessary in order to get my collec- tion as complete as it is, and I sincerely hope that the mother town in England will have possibly a keener interest and a closer touch with its offspring across the sea by reason of our Tercentenary celebration, wherein due reverence and respect was often referred to as to its founder and first minister, Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, who laid the foundation for this good old New England Town of Rowley, which has been my home for many years, and which has honored me many times with positions of trust and responsibility, in return for which I have tried to be a faithful steward.
With sincerest good wishes to all of our friends in Old Rowley, and to yourself, to whom I have by correspondence, at least, become better acquainted,
I beg to remain cordially and faithfully yours, John A. Marshall, Town Clerk of Rowley, Mass.
P.S. We hope to hear in due time of the safe arrival of my letter and all other enclosures.
Little Weighton Hull, Yorkshire England :5-4-40
My dear Mr. Marshall,
Many, many thanks for the huge budget of news, pictures and comprehensive account of your great Tercentenary Celebration, pleasant memories of which will linger in the minds of you all, espe- cially the rising generation. There is no need to apologize for delay, as we quite understand what such a "mighty mass of matter" must have taken collecting. I do some reporting for the press; but dare not hold myself responsible for the satisfactory solution of such an important problem, and what would we have given to have been present with you !! It is I who ought to apologize for delay in acknowledging such a precious gift, (received some three weeks ago) but must plead ill-health, age (81) and infirmities. And we have had one of the most severe winters for the last half century. For six weeks I was a prisoner and dare not look outside; but, thank God, I am much better and able to go for short walks, when the weather, which is still very, very cold and stormy, is favourable.
Well, I don't remember ever having seen such a splendid collec- tion of photographs. They are so vivid and beautiful that one almost feels he was present. It would take pages to describe each separately, and we shall value them exceedingly - the groups espe- cially. I like that of your beautiful home and trust you may long be spared to enjoy it.
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Our new Rector, the Rev. D. C. Urquhart, M.A., has just called and taken the whole parcel for his mother and friends to study, and I have arranged a public meeting of parishioners to view the pictures and hear a description of your great festival, to which we consider the whole parish is entitled. We are having several of the pictures framed and hung in the Church to remind parishioners of the great tie of Brother and Sisterhood existing between the Two Rowleys. After the public meeting I will send you a full report of the pro- ceedings. There will be no charge for admission, but a collection will be taken just to cover the Custom Duty of 12/6 charged (although fully stamped) on the parcel.
To carry out, as fully as you did, the four days' programme here would have cost hundreds of pounds.
Our Rector has received a letter of inquiry from Mr. I. B. Hazelton, 2 East 23rd St., New York City, whose ancestors, Robt. and Thos. Hazeltine (notice the change of spelling the surname) left Rowley in 1637, sailed from Hull and landed at Ipswich, Mass., U.S.A. He is descended from Robert, the 9th generation and wishes to know whether we have any Birth and Death Records which go back to and beyond that year. I'm afraid we have not, (but, as Parish Clerk, I will search) as the Baptism, Marriage and Death Records during the whole of the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers' incumbency are missing. It is supposed the Rev. gentleman took them with him, and that they were destroyed in the fire when Mr. Rogers' library was burned at Rowley, U.S.A. His two brothers settled at Rowley, U.S.A., and to keep off Indians and wolves destroying their cattle, pastured some ten miles north, moved there and founded the Town of Brad- ford. Very interesting, isn't it? We have a young lady named Heselton living next door!
My son is typing notices of the meeting of Parishioners when the whole programme of your Great Celebration and lovely pictures will be shown and explained, report of which I will send you in due course, and I will name the pictures which have been exhibited in our dear little Church. Some 5 or 6 years ago I gave a paper (40 pages) entitled "The History of Rowley Parish, Past and Present," at a meeting of the "Women's Institute" here. It is in manuscript in an exercise book, and I intend to enlarge the same with a view to publication, and if I live to complete it you shall have a copy.
Please convey our sincere thanks to all our Brothers and Sisters at Rowley and in the district, and accept the same yourself, for a most interesting account and pictures of your great festival, which will be preserved with the greatest care for all time.
We shall always be pleased to hear of Rowley's progress if only a few lines at a time.
With kindest regards to Mrs. Marshall and yourself and all friends from myself and all Rowley here, and best wishes
Yours sincerely,
Chas: Lacey, Parish Clerk (since 1882)
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Copy of recent letter from the Parish Clerk of Rowley, Eng- land :
Little Weighton, Hull, Yorkshire, England 5-9-41
My Dear Mr. Marshall, Brothers and Sisters of Rowley, across the Sea.
Owing to the dreadful war and the anxious time through which we are passing, coupled with a long illness I must apologize for a long silence. And enemy bombers are overhead while I write making it doubly difficult to concentrate one's thoughts, and anti-aircraft guns thundering all around. Through your local press I dare say you will be conversant with the destruction to life and homes in the Old Country as well as the courageous manner in which the people are facing the onslaught.
And here and now I would like on behalf of the country generally and Rowley Parish in particular to express our eternal heartfelt gratitude to our American Cousins, from your Noble President down- wards, lovers of freedom and justice, for the great help you are giving us in our endeavor to set the world free from aggression and slavery, without which we should have to face an almost hopeless struggle, and that God may bless our united efforts is the prayer of all peace-loving people throughout the world.
"V", Cheerio, until we shall assuredly tread underfoot Hitlerism.
I am requested by parishioners throughout Rowley Parish, which includes the hamlets of Little Weighton, Riplingham, High and Low Hunsley, Risby and Bentley, to again thank you for those forty lovely photos, which together with the official programmes and report, press clippings &c. proved so interesting and gave a vivid picture of your great Tercentenary Celebration. They will be scrupulously preserved for perusal by future generations of the "Mother Town of England" practically, everyone of whom is now well acquainted with the history of your Rowley, (I have seen to this) from its foundation by the Rev. Ezekiel Rogers in 1639 to the present day, through those won- derful pictures and reports sent us by Mr. J. A. Marshall. The interest of neighboring parishes has also been aroused, especially South Cave, five miles away, claimed as the birthplace of George Washington or one of his ancestors.
During the past two years our dear little Church has undergone extensive internal. renovation at a cost of about 300 pounds, and as urgent external repairs are required to preserve the fabric, a meet- ing was held this week to consider ways and means of raising the estimated cost of 150 pounds.
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It was also reported that the organ, pulpit, windows, and other furnishings and the priceless plate, which includes the Silver Com- munion Cup, dated 1630, and used by Rev. Ezekiel Rogers, must be further insured gainst War Damage at an additional cost of 21 pounds per annum.
At 82 years of age I have not during the past year enjoyed very good health, and owing to increasing deafness and other infirmities have had to relinquish my post as Organist, and now only retain that of Parish Clerk, which I have filled for 60 years.
It is difficult to collect one's thoughts with the enemy in the vicinity (another air raid warning just received), but hope I have made myself clear, and in conclusion may I convey the greetings and best wishes of each of the 600 parishioners of Rowley, England, to our Brethren across the sea.
We shall be delighted to hear occasionally of your welfare, and more so, (in more peaceable times) to welcome and show visitors from Rowley, Mass., and District over the Church of your ancestors, and the ancient cottages most probably occupied by members of your dear pastor's and founder's congregation during his incumbency at Rowley Yorkshire.
That God may bless, prosper, preserve and keep you all is the prayer of
Yours sincerely Chas: Lacey, Parish Clerk of Rowley, Little Weighton, Hull, Yorkshire, England.
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REPORT OF THE ROWLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
By RUTH LAMBERT CHENEY
The part played by the Rowley Historical Society during the four days of the Town's Tercentenary celebration might well be compared to that of a gracious, hostess at a county ball; standing in line she extended hospitality to all.
The. Platts-Bradstreet House was the headquarters for regis- tration of all visitors to the town during the celebration.
It was interesting to note in connection with the registration how many visitors wrote after their own name, the name of their Rowley ancestor.
There were four special exhibitions during the week.
Mrs. Arthur Ewell loaned about fifty dolls from her charm- ing and valuable collection.
In the exhibit of old deeds and manuscripts was a deed signed by Mr. Ezekiel Rogers in 1650; this deed loaned by Mrs. Elizabeth Todd Hale brought very appropriately to mind the man who ruled and guided the community in the early days of Rowley.
Mr. Amos E. Jewett had many interesting and valuable ma- terial in the exhibition.
The Misses Sornborger loaned family heirlooms, among them a lovely wedding gown of 1835.
There was a collection of arrow heads found in Rowley, loaned by Winthrop Kent. The collection of unusual and charming patch- work quilts owned by the Society was on view.
During the garden party on Thursday afternoon, the Sunken Well garden at the back of the Historical House, was gay with visitors.
The costumes worn that day by old and young represented periods of fashion during the past three hundred years, the effect produced in the garden was colorful and unusual.
Thoughts of old England came to mind as old familiar tunes played by the girls who comprised "Delma's" Band of Grove- land, came through the open windows of the house, and the lovely
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Sunken Well garden at Hovingham Hall in Yorkshire was re- membered, for from it came the inspiration for the design of our garden in Rowley, Massachusetts.
On Saturday in the "big" parade, the Rowley Historical So- ciety's contribution represented the three centuries, in four separate vehicles.
1639 was represented by a small one-horse hay cart. Sitting beside Mr. Herman Worthley, who drove the cart, was Miss Bar- bara Hale; eight little girls and one boy wearing the costume of the period, sat on the hay which filled the cart. The children, who made the Historical Society's exhibit outstanding, were Barbara Newell, Phyllis Maker, Ann Barrett, Evelyn Seaver, Madelyn Ricker, Helen Barrett, Delberta Leavitt, Joanna Janvrin and John Worthley.
An old farm wagon driven by Mr. and Mrs. John Bradstreet represented a 1739 room with Mrs. Carleton Brown, Miss Betty Hale and Mrs. Jack Beauvais dressed in the Puritan dress.
In the costumes of 1839, Mrs. Knight Dexter Cheney and Mr. Reginald Kent rode in the Lambert chaise owned by Mrs. Cheney.
1939 was represented by Miss Alice Smith driving her own automobile.
The leaflet gotten out by the Society, describing points of interest in Rowley, proved both useful and interesting to out-of- town visitors.
On Sunday, following the services in the Congregational Church, there was an informal reception in the home of the Row- ley Historical Society, the Platts-Bradstreet House.
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FIRE S ATION
M683
M682
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FIRE STATION, HAMMOND STREET
Home of Rowley Volunteer Fire Protection Association, Inc. Contains two large motor pumpers and other appliances of a well-equipped Fire Station.
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ROWLEY FIRE STATION
The Rowley Volunteer Fire Protection Association, Incorpo- rated, originally organized as a voluntary association in 1924, in- corporated December 19, 1927, the certificate therefor being issued to the following petitioners :
Ralph E. Mehaffey, Daniel R. Minchin, Stanley C. McCor- mick, Chester E. Warden, Irving P. Johnson, William Dummer, Harold E. Blaisdell, Wendell S. Pace, Elmer H. Brown, Winfield J. Haley, Cornelius F. Haley and John A. Marshall.
This is one of the institutions of the Town that is not only a credit to the community and fills a long felt need, but is also a monument to the hard work of many loyal members, who by their zeal and efforts, encouraged and aided to some extent by the town's people, have established an efficient fire department, that is a great protection to property owners and an asset to the Town, as well as being the means of reduced fire insurance rates.
The building purchased in 1934 and remodelled by the Asso- ciation, in which it has installed two modern motor pumpers and hose truck, is an up-to-date station equipped with many conveniences such as are found in larger communities, which go to make up an efficient country fire department. (Cut on opposite page.)
The members of this Association are ever ready and willing to cooperate and help along any movement in the interests of their home town, furnishing in this celebration, as herein before men- tioned, a somewhat unique demonstration of old and modern methods of fire fighting in connection with the program of August 26.
We congratulate them upon their achievements, and wish them all success in future undertakings, so unselfishly carried out for betterment of their equipment, which will thereby enable them to cope more successfully in the handling of fires and preservation of property.
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THE ELECTRIC ILLUMINATED CLOCK IN ROWLEY TOWN HALL TOWER CONSTRUCTED AND INSTALLED BY MR. ALDEN J. KENT 1932
This clock was made entirely by hand. Its wheels are made of rock maple and mahogany set with bronze teeth. The tiny motor that drives it weighs six ounces and its armature is less than one- half inch in diameter and one-sixteenth inch thick. A fly lighting directly on the armature would stop it and yet when the power reaches the hands it has a pull of over 200 pounds.
This is done by gear reduction. The motor speed is 3600 revolutions per minute, while the speed of the minute hand is one revolution per hour. While the normal time of the clock is regu- lated from the power station, it is self regulating under subnormal or abnormal conditions.
It contains over 500 parts in its make-up. All the letters and minute marks are of raised wood. The dial alone contains 250 dif- ferent pieces.
It represents nearly a year's work in making it. The speed of driving it is so regulated as to be almost constant, and once the clock is set right it must remain so, and its mean daily variation is only a small fraction of a second.
It automatically lights itself at night.
One interesting fact about this clock is that it will never need oiling, as all the bearings are self-lubricating.
The dial wood is about fifty years old and is four feet in diameter.
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FLOAT "COUNTRY'S WONDER" SHIP AND BOAT BUILDING INDUSTRY, ROWLEY As Compiled by LAWRENCE R. BISHOP
When 1939 came along, which was the Town of Rowley's Tercentenary year, a celebration was the topic of the community. What would Rowley do?
At the annual Town Meeting a committee was appointed and a sum of money appropriated for a Tercentenary Celebration, but there appeared to be little interest shown until one night about ten o'clock in the middle of June, Lawrence R. Bishop, Alden J. Kent, Maynard R. Haley and Curtis F. Haley took "Old Nancy" on its new gun carriage down to the old Plummer field back of the cemetery and fired it with some black powder and fuse wire I had. That brought the townspeople out in large numbers who also brought along more powder and some people from the sur- rounding towns.
Later we took it out to different sections of the town about eight P.M. and fired it several times and from then on there was plenty of talk about the celebration. What would it bring forth ?
With a parade as a probable feature for a celebration and my enthusiasm growing, which I probably inherited, being a descen- dant of the late Daniel N. Prime, so often spoken about in the 1839 Centennial Celebration in Rowley.
My mother, Mary E. Bishop, and I talked about a "Country's Wonder," but it meant a lot of hard work and later James C. Hirtle, Fred J. MacDonald and Maynard R. Haley talked it over with me; then, the Rowley River Boat Club with the above mem- bers, held a meeting (with my sketch of "Country's Wonder") and agreed to go ahead with me and build anything that I thought suitable for a float "Country's Wonder," and Messrs. Hirtle and Haley told me to go ahead.
Following is a brief description of the float "Country's Wonder," for Rowley's 1939 Tercentenary Celebration, by Lawrence Randall Bishop, designer and builder, in rear of the home of Arthur Bishop, Central Street, Rowley, Mass.
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After acquiring a description of the "Country's Wonder," I drafted a plan : length 48'; width 11'9"; sternpost 7'9"; width of stern 7', depth of stern 4', overhang from sternpost 5'; stem 8' plus (1" deck, 7" bowsprit to the top of rail making 10"), over- hang + and depth of hold 6'8".
As I had to set the ship on a dray I made the keel 39' from stem to sternpost, and 5'2" wide in middle, making a long flat oval eye for the keel which kept the ship upright.
The dray or cradle to carry above was made with two 40' long 7"x7" stringers with 21/2" tapered wedge between the two front ends, all bolted together, and underslung on a pair of low ox cart wheels; and the other ends of stringers opened to width of 5'3" inside and underslung on low ox cart wheels with lengthened axle, making a 32' wheelbase with a 15" clearance on the road.
There were eight cross sections of 3"x4" timbers bolted to stringers, the first 5' from the front end of stringers and the others about 5' apart all extending over the sides of the stringers about 16" for the frames or pairs of ribs to be bolted to the keel.
Upon the cross sections on the dray I laid out the keel as above mentioned, and then the stem and sternpost were each set upon two 3"x4" stringers with tapered ends extending inward over two cross sections on the dray making a V, with overhang of 2' at each end for stem and sternpost so that there would be some come and go to relieve jar and jolt upon the highway.
The sternpost had two 12' long 2"x6" planks from the third cross section timber on each side of keel to a point 4' up on the sternpost to carry keel outward for the stern, also making dead wood for the keel.
From the plan I made eight frames or pairs of ribs beginning 2' from the stem on keel and every 5' thereafter to the sternpost with the stern making the ninth rib and the stem with a slight reverse curve making ten pairs of frames or ribs, each rib having the usual curve on the side and bottom as a regular round bottom ship. On each pair of ribs was a deck timber 11/8"x6" and 3"x4" timber on bottom for substitute keel now ready to be bolted to the keel on the cross sections of the dray, thus making the body of the ship's hull.
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