USA > New Hampshire > Hillsborough County > Amherst > Celebration of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of Amherst, New Hampshire June 17, 1910, including the proceedings of the committee, addresses and other exercises of the occasion > Part 2
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THE HILLSBORO BANK
Building erected about 1806, the first bank in all this section of the state. Farmers' Bank from 1825_ 1843
THE CABINET OFFICE
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Here for 91 years the weekly pa- per was is- sued, a large publishing plant car- ried on, and a book-store maintained for part of that time
BRICK EXCHANGE
Built by Joseph Cushing about 1809 for a publishing house, but not so used. Home of many in- dustries, chief among them a large slove business carried on by Har- rison Eaton in connection with the old foundry, part of which still sttands on Foundry street
From post-card
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
STEEPLE VIEW TOWARD "UPPER FLANDERS"
Anniversary Exercises
9.30 SELECTIONS by the Laurel Band
9.45 INTRODUCTION of the President of the Day, Dr. George H. Wilkins, of Newtonville, Mass., by Representative Horace T. Harvell
PRAYER by the Chaplain of the Day, Rev. Charles Ernest White REMARKS by the President of the Day
10.00 HISTORICAL ADDRESS by Col. William B. Rotch, Milford
10.45 SELECTION by the Band
10.50 ADDRESS by Gustavus G. Fletcher, Chattanooga, Tenn., on "Sentimen- tal Reminiscences"
11.25 ADDRESS by George W. Putnam of Lowell, Mass. on "Amherst Men and Amherst Affairs"
11.50
SELECTION by the Band
12.00 ADDRESS by Dr. Warren Upham, St. Paul, Minn., on "Home-Life in Amherst Fifty Years ago"
12.30 DINNER, served by the Page Catering Co., Lowell, at seventy-five cents per plate. During the dinner hour the Band will give a number of se- lections
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
STEEPLE VIEW TOWARD MONT VERNON
Anniversary Exercises
2.00 CONGRATULATORY ADDRESSES
His Excellency the Governor, Henry M. Quinby
Senator Robert P. Bass
Mayor Eugene C. Reed, Manchester
Judge David Cross, Manchester
Ex-Governor John McLane, Milford Rev. Henry P. Peck, Mont Vernon
3.00 SELECTION by the Band
3.05 ADDRESS, Ex-Mayor Jeremiah J. Doyle, Nashua, on "The Town and the State"
3.30 BASE-BALL GAME, Amherst vs. Hollis, on Busyfield
3.30 OCCASIONAL ADDRESSES- Charles P. Spofford, Claremont William G. David, Lyons, N. Y. And others
4.00 DEDICATION of the marker designating the site of the first meeting- house, at the stand
7.30 to 9.30 Band Concert
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This, one of the oldest buildings in Amherst, was a garrison house under King George III., as early as 1772. Afterwards it was the home of Hon. Joshua Atherton
OLD GARRISON HOUSE
In 1771, Amherst being now the shire town of Hillsborough county, not only was a court-house needed, but also a jail. Consequently one was erected near the meeting-house. Soon after, another, a log affair, was built on the plain and in 1810 the stone jail was erected. Within its grim walls many noted criminals were confined, and from it aniel Farmer in 1821 was taken to be hung on the site of Mrs. G. W. Nichols' house. A few years ago the old jail was sold and torn down, many of the stones being built into the bridges and culverts of the town. One large stone with ring attached, to which the specially violent prisoners were chained, is to be seen in the Park near the flag-pole
At its base is also to be seen the stone lintel of the door with the fig- ures "1810" carved on it, indicating the date of its erectlon. It is much to be regretted that the old jail was not pre- served as an historical relic
THE OLD JAIL
From post-card
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
This, the second meeting- house was erected Jan. 19, 1774, but originally stood in the Park facing west. In 1836 the building was purchased by the Congre- gational Society, the town reserving the steeple and front, and moved to ils present ·site
FORMER METHODIST CHURCH
Built in 1840 and used about 40 years, when services were dis- continued
BAPTIST CHURCH
Organized on Chestnut Hill in 1828, continuing there until 1837, the company then moving its meeting-place to the Plain. In 1844 this building, erected originally by the Unitarians, about 1825 was purchased
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
From the very earliest days opportunity for education was granted to children, but not until 1762 was the town dis- tricted for school purposes. About 1800 this school-house was built, and when the brick school was erechd in 1853, half of the building was re- moved to the Lyndeboio road
OLD SCHOOLH-OUSE
THE BRICK SCHOOL-HOUSE
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
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WHERE THEY SLEEP WHO MADE OUR PAST GLORIOUS
Cemeteries at the rear of the court-house, "Cricket. Cor- ncr," Chestnut Hill, and Mea- dow-view.
SOLDIERS' MON- UMENT AT TOP ERECTED IN 1871
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
"SQUIRE" ATHERTON'S LAW OFFICE
From post-card HORACE GREELY BIRTHPLACE Born February 3, 1811
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OLD COURT-HOUSE ROAD
Photographs in this program unless otherwise indicated are by C. C. White
The Day's Observance.
The seventeenth of June, 1910, will always be remen- bered in Amherst for two things, first as the day the town observed the 150th anniversary of its incorporation, and secondly as the day it poured all day.
No amount of rain, however, dampened the ardor or lessened the enthusiasm of her returning sons and daugh- ters and notwithstanding that the rain fell steadily all day long, from far and near came throngs of former residents, until enough had gathered to occupy all the available space in the Congregational church, taxing its seating capacity to its limits and even extending into the street.
Just what would have happened had the day been a pleasant one is hard to tell for the stand upon the com- mon would have accommodated but a small portion of those desirous of getting within hearing distance of the speakers of the day.
Amherst was in festal garb. Nearly every home was decorated with bunting, while the Stars and Stripes floated from many vantage points, making the otherwise pretty village appear in gala attire.
The rain which drizzled on Friday morning, and which before noon developed into a down-pour, could not spoil the elaborate outdoor decorations with which Amherst was prepared to welcome her visitors on the occasion of the 150th anniversary. Many of the buildings, both private and public, had been freshly painted, the lawns had been mown, and everything possible done to put the town in full gala attire. Laurel, flags and bunting in profusion draped all the public buildings, and most of the residences were decorated. On the front of the town hall festoons and garlands of laurel with white bunting were draped around the dates 1790-1910 with most charming effect. The school house had streamers, flags and bunting of red, white and blue. The front and sides of the engine house were draped with bunting, the flag was flying at the top of the mast wound with bunting and the fire apparatus was
HOME OF LAWRENCE ENGINE COMPANY
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
shined up for inspection. On the W. R. C. and G. A. R. hall, flags and bunting gave a holiday appearance, and 011 the postoffice building was a p. ofusion of flags. The deco- ration of the private residences was most praiseworthy and a testimonial to the effort made by Amherst people to pre- sent a brave front despite the weather. Among the best of the dwelling decorations were those of Mr. Chilson and Mr. Barnes, wno used flags and streamers to good effect. The old Cabinet office was decorated and bore several old signs, ""The Boylston Printing Office," "The Amherst Herald," one bearing a faded picture of Benjamin Franklin, and a modern one saying that the building was ninety years the home of the weekly paper, a bookstore and a large pub- lishing plant. Mr. Frank Taylor's house was trimmed with flags, as was Mr. George F. Hanson's. Flags and bunting on the Stewart place, and the Ogden, Murphy, Fuller and Bosworth houses made a striking row with their elabo- rate and artistic decorations. The Kent place bore a sign showing that it was built in 1785. The homes of George Walker and W. D. Clark showed the results of work withi pennants and bunting. The Harrison Eaton place, now owned by Mr. Noyes, was hung with flags on all sides and on the Dr. Davis home Mrs. Spalding had an artistic sign, "Built 1757-1787." The Wilson, Dodge and Clark places and many others were hung with flags and it is safe to say that the old town never looked prettier in all its long his- tory.
In addition to the decorations many signs were erect- ed giving interesting historical facts. On the Davis place was one saying "Birthplace of Free Masonry." Here in 1797 the Benevolent lodge was organized, the first lodge in the southern part of the state, and the third in New Hamp- shire in point of age. Near the Town hall was a sign di- recting the reader to the Greely birthplace, and another showing the site of the first schoolhouse. It read as fol- lows: "The old village schoolhouse. Here stood for many years the village schoolhouse, half of which was later re- moved to the old Lyndeboro road." On the hall was one which said, "The third court house. Built about 1825 by the town and given to the county in order that the courts might be retained here. Courts remained here until 1886, after over a century of residence in Amherst." The "Old Brick" bore a sign reading "Old Brick Exchange, built by Joseph Cushing about 1809 for a printing and publishing house but never so used. It has housed many industries, among them an extensive stove business." On the old bank building was a sign saying, "Old Bank Building. Built about 1807 and used by the Hillsboro Bank until its
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
failure in 1809, afterwards by the Farmers' Bank from 1825 to 1843. First bank west of the Merrimack."
On the MeKean house was the sign, "The First Post Office, the first known site of a post office in Amherst, kept by Capt. Matthew Prior-1803 to 1808."
On the site of the old jail the sign read : "The old jail formerly stood here, erected in 1810, the successor to the old log jail built on the same spot in 1770. One of the stones with prisoner's ring attached is on the park."
On the Rhoads house a sign read: "Built in the days of King George the Third as early as 1772. Home of Joshua Atherton."
In "Upper Flanders" on the east side of the road was a sign which read as follows: "On a knoll only a few rods east of here stood the house of Daniel Wilkins, 1740-1783, afterwards used by Dr. Nathaniel Henchman."
Between the residence of Mrs. Parsons and George Han- son was a sign which read: "Lead Factory. Here at the rear a plant was maintained by Cyrus Eastman furnishing in part the pipe for the infant city of Manchester."
On the house of W. W. Sloan was a sign denoting it as the second court house, while at Chestnut Hill was a sign upon the school house denoting it as the site of the first Baptist church in Amherst.
At 9.30 o'clock, the hour appointed for the open air concert, the rain had sufficiently subsided to allow that part of the program to proceed, and at different points about the common were gathered groups of teams and upon the ve- randas of many houses were knots of interested listeners. Promptly at ten o'clock the exercises at the church began with a selection by the band stationed in the gallery. Rep- resentative Horace T. Harvell then introduced Dr. George H. Wilkins of Newtonville, Mass., who acted as president of the day. Prayer was offered by the chaplain of the day, Rev. Charles Ernest White.
Address of Dr. George H. Wilkins.
A century and a half ago Governor Wentworth granted the charter creating the town of Amherst.
One hundred and fifty years have come and gone with all their swift vicissitudes of birth and death, of achievement and disappoint-
DR. GEORGE H. WIL KINS.
ment, of joy and sorrow; and we could not, if we would, turn back the dial. Many centuries ago the old Persian seer and poet penned these lines :
"The moving finger writes, and having writ, Moves on : nor all your piety nor wit Shall lure it back to cancel half a line, Nor all your tears wash out a word of it."
And so the record of these years has passed into history.
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
A century and a half is not a long period of time in the develop- ment of this world of ours.
But, when we consider what has been accomplished in this period, we stand in awe as we realize that no previous era, even from the dawn of civilization, has ever witnessed such marvelous development in material things.
In our daily living we have much of the same environment ; but our horizon -how it has broadened ; and the conditions of living- how they have changed almost beyond expression.
When our fathers migrated from their former homes to this they came with their lumbering oxen and their horses just as their progen- itors had travelled from place to place for thousands of years before. But today we come from far and near drawn by the iron horse : or we come in the motor car ; or we come perchance like the winged bird borne on the wings of the wind.
When our fathers wished to communicate with their friends no farther away than Salem, days must elapse ere they could send a message and receive a reply. But today if the fast mail is too slow we utilize the wire and are instantly put in touch with our friends in the uttermost parts of the earth; or if they be beyond the reach of wire we assail the all pervading ether and command it to bear our tidings.
Not less wonderful is the way we have utilized the forces of na- ture. We liberate the latent energies of the coal mine, we tap the subterranean reservoirs of petroleum and gas. We harness the tur- bulent waterfall and transmit its energy hundreds of miles to the workshop and factory. By machinery most ingenious in its concep. tion and construction these various forms of energy are made to min- ister to every material want of man.
In the application of these forces great cities have sprung up in place of the old towns and villages. A polyglot population has dis- placed the old New England stock. Walking the streets of our great and thriving towns one feels as if he were in a foreign land so great is the babel of voices.
From this turmoil of constant change one comes back to the "old home" with great satisfaction. We come here today and breathe the same pure air, we gaze upon the same beautiful hills, and we wan- der beside the same babbling brooks that our fathers loved and christened a century and a half ago. And it affords us infinite de- light that the dear old town still retains its individuality.
Amherst Plain is different from any other "common." The old church is different from any other. Thank God its spire still points heavenward ! And although its crowning glory, the gilded rooster, might not now be chosen as an emblem or the spiritual life, yet we would not have it dethroned.
Into the strenuous competition of modern business life the town has never entered but it has maintained a quiet dignity which gives it a character all its own. It has stood for the best things intellect ually and spiritually. Its churches, schools and library have been po- tent factors in the upbuilding of character, in fostering a love of home and country, in perpetuating a reverence for God and His sanctuary. We love the old town for the hallowed associations of the past. We salute her with hope and anticipation for the future.
He then introduced Col. William B. Rotch, as the historian of the occasion, a man whose ancestry in the town dated a hundred and more years back, and whose interest in the town has been a factor for decades.
Historical Address by W. B. Rotch.
Fifty years ago, when Amherst observed with fitting exer- cises the one hundredth anniversary of its incorporation, among the speakers was Hon. John H. Wilkins of Boston. He began his address by saying: "The history of Amherst appears to be remarkably void of interesting incidents. No Indian wars have occurred in its territory, no massacres saturated its soil with blood - both before and after its incorporation the ordinary course of events seem to have flowed on with scarcely a ripple to vex its quiet surface. The pursuit of peaceful and homely in- dustry seems to have characterized the mass of the people and the bread which has served for their nonrishment has been earned by the sweat of the brow. In a field so little bounding in incidents, I have found it no easy task to select a topie which could profitably engage your attention, even for the brief time appropriated for a frugal entertainment."
That the committee of arrangements who drafted the program for that day took the same view as Mr. Wilkins is evidenced from their having selected no historian for the occasion and no historical address was prepared for the one hundredth anni- versary of the town.
This apparent omission is easily accounted for. Fifty years ago the good people of Amherst were making history. The events following the Revolution (in which many then living had taken part) was hardly history; it was current events, and the people who were then living here were so familiar with Amherst and the part Amherst and its people had taken in Revolutionary times, as well as the days that followed the incorporation of the town, that a rehearsing of them seemed doubtless necessary.
We can only estimate the future by reviewing the past and can safely assume that the events of these days will be of equal inter- est to the citizens interested in Amherst history fifty or one hun- dred years hence.
It is not easy to realize that two hundred years ago the pleas- ant fields and hillsides of this town wore but one dense forest, through which roamed a race of men thoroughly distinct from our own. But so it was. Of these red men but little can be said. The first settlers had rather to contend with than to study them; to shun rather than to court their acquaintance. A howling wil- derness it was, where no white man dwelt. The hideous yells of wolves, the shriek of owls, the gobbling of turkeys and the bark- ing of foxes was all the music the first settlers heard; all a dreary waste and exposed to a thousand difficulties. Against the mon- archs of the forests the early settlers waged a war of extermina- tion. Hnge piles of logs were burned and the ashes manufactured into potash and sold.
As long as fifty years after the first settlers came wolves were
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
so plenty that men and boys turned out in a body to hunt them, and finally succeeded in driving them into a small swamp, where hundreds were killed after being surrounded.
The tribe of the Pennacooks occupied the banks along the Mer- rimack River, Concord and Amoskeag being their chief places of resort. Below these were the Nattacooks in the vicinity of the mouths of the Nashua and Souhegan rivers. They were con- federated with the Pawtuckets and their Great Sachem was Passaconaway. They had planting ground and fishing grounds all along the Merrimack and its tributaries and upon the small lakes of the vicinity. Relies of these Indians have often been found along the banks of the rivers and upon the shores of Babboosic Lake and upon the highlands at the west of the town. There are traditions extant of engagements between the Indians and the early settlers, but they lack substantiation.
That the red men gave the early settlers much trouble and alarm is evdenced from the fact that several garrison or block houses were provided, into which the settlers gathered at night for safety. These have all passed away, although the location of some are well known. It is also reasonably certain that the first settlers carried their firearms to church, lest they should be surprised while unprotected.
In 1686 these tribes disposed of all their lands to Jonathan Tyng and others, for which they considered a fair and just compensation, and nearly all removed from this neighborhood.
As we recall the oft-repeated story of injustice done the red men, it is a fact of munch interest, that needs no verification, that the territory we occupy as a town was mostly, if not wholly, honorably purchased, which is more valuable from a moral point than the grant any English prince could convey. It is also pleasant to recall that possibly Elliott, the great apostle to the Indians, may have stood upon the banks of our river and upon the shore of our beautiful lake and dispensed the Word of Life to a people almost utterly extinct.
The close of the French war in 1760 filled the hearts of the people with joy, for they saw ahead of them a period of peace and prosperity. The apprehensions from the French and Indi- ans were much greater on the frontier than on the towns border- ing the seacoast. Hence the joy of the frontier settlements. Greater attention was paid to agricutlure; manufactures in many places received new impetus; commerce again revived and new settlements wore multiplied. In this and the following year twenty-three townships were incorporated in New Hamp- shire and among these was Amherst. The charter of the town was signed by Benning Wentworth, governor of the province of New Hampshire, the 19th of January, 1760.
The first meeting under the charter was called by Col. John Goffe of Bedford, and without a contrary vote being cast, Col. John Goffe was chosen moderator of the first town meeting and Solomon Hutchinson was chosen town clerk, and the charter accepted.
The following towu officers were elected (in this connection the retention of the family names through the successive gen- erations to the present time is interesting ) : Solomon Hutchin- son, William Bradford, Renbou Mussey, Joseph Gould and Thomas Clark were elected selectmen; Ebenezer Weston and Joseph Abbott, constables; David Hartshorn and Nathan Ken-
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COL. WILLIAM BOYLSTON ROTCH HISTORIAN OF THE DAY
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ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY
dall, tythingmen; Benjamin Taylor, William Lancey, assessors; Thomas Wakefield as clerk of the market; Nathan Fuller, Eben- ezer Weston, Jr., James Seeton, James Rollins, as field drivers; Joseph Steele, Joseph Prince, William Lancey, deer keepers; James Seetown, Ephraim Abbott, Samuel Starrett, William Laney, Andrew Bradford, surveyors of highways; John Shepard, surveyor of lumber.
How many of the descendants of these men have held town offices since? The town records will show a very frequent re- enrrence of the same family names.
Several of these offices are unknown to the people of the pres- ent day. Tythingmen were officers annually elected by the town to preserve good order in the church during divine service and to make complaints against any persons who were there found disorderly. Deer keepers were officers whose duties were to see that the laws of the province for the preservation of deer were duly observed and executed. The right to hold a market or fair on certain days of the week and year was included, although not specified in the town charter. We can find no record that such fairs as were privileged were held, although Thomas Wakefield was annually elected "clerk of the market" until 1774.
A first consideration in the establishment of a town privilege was to provide for the preaching of the gospel. Amherst people assumed their responsibility at once and the carly ecclesi- astical and municipal history of this locality so commingle as 10 render it most convenient and pleasant to give them in their connection.
Previous to the incorporation of the town the Rev. Daniel Wilkins had been established as pastor of the church for a period of more than ten years. April 2, 1760, a town meeting was called, to see if the town would make choice of the Rev. Daniel Wilkins as town pastor and see if they would vote to settle him as pastor, the salary to be based upon the price of corn and pork, eorn to be two shillings a bushel and pork at two pence a pound, sterling money of Great Britain. This meeting. the first town meeting after the incorporation and acceptance of the charter, was warned by a constable going from house to house. At this meeting Joseph Gould was moderator, and it was voted to give Rev. Daniel Wilkins forty-seven pounds aud ten shillings, sterling money, based upon the current price of corn and pork, so long as he shall remain a pastor of the church. The provision regulating the amount of salary according to the fluctuations of the price of corn and pork occasioned Pastor Wilkins so much annoyance that at a subsequent meeting of the town that part of the vote was rescinded.
At this time, the time of the incorporation of the town, Ani- herst had a population of about eight hundred people. The number of dwelling houses was a little less than a hundred. It had a meeting house, although a crude affair, possessing little of the comforts that the present houses possess, yet it was better filled each Sunday than now. The early settlers of Amherst were a God-fearing people, and they were very loyal to their first pastor. the Rev. Daniel Wilkins.
The first meeting house was built by the proprietors of Sou- hegan West. The frame was probably raised May 16. 1739, twenty-one years before the incorporation of the town. "The
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