USA > New Hampshire > Merrimack County > Concord > History of Concord, New Hampshire, from the original grant in seventeen hundred and twenty-five to the opening of the twentieth century, Volume II > Part 43
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I have all along intended to wait on you in person with the Count's proposals, but have hitherto been disappointed, and now despair of having that pleasure this season ; and so much time has elapsed since I received them that I have now only to request that your considera- tion and decision in the premises may be as speedy as their nature and your convenience will admit, and shall wait your advice.
I am with the greatest consideration and respect, gentlemen,
Your most obedient servant, LOAMMI BALDWIN
The Gentlemen, Selectmen of the Town of Concord, N. Hampshire.
To this the selectmen of Concord made the following respectful reply :
CONCORD, N. H. Nov. 17, 1798.
DEAR SIR,-In your obliging letter of the 24th Sept., which we had the honor to receive, we find stated a plan of an Institution, pro- posed by Sir Benjamin Thompson, Count of Rumford, and his daugh- ter, the Countess of Rumford, for establishing a fund of two thousand dollars, 3 per cent stock of the United States, the income of which is to be appropriated to clothe, annually, in the uniform of the House of Industry at Munich, twelve poor, industrious children of the town of Concord, and the same to continue in perpetuam.
Having attentively considered the proposal of the Count and his daughter, we, as a committee, in behalf of the town of Concord, request the favor of you, Sir, to communicate to them the following, viz. : -
That the object under consideration, to wit, the encouragement of industry, appears to us important, and meets the approbation of every good and enlightened citizen ; but that the means proposed to be used for the accomplishment of that object will have the desired effect is with us a doubt. Whether the clothing of these twelve children, which to them will be temporary, or minds well informed in useful knowledge, which will be durable, and of which none can de- prive them, will be most likely to effectuate so noble and benevolent desigu, are questions which we beg leave to submit to their judicious consideration.
That although a spirit of industry may be excited in children by holding up to them the idea of clothing, and that from that clothing a temporary comfort will indeed arise, yet we humbly conceive that by furnishing them the means of acquiring moral and political knowl- edge they might be equally excited, and, should their proficiency be good,-which from observing the general desire after knowledge among our youth we do not doubt,-it would not only afford them present comfort, but will directly tend to meliorate their several con- ditions in this life, will prepare them more fully to enjoy the bless- ings of civil and religious liberty, and induce them, as they rise into active life, more cordially to bless the memory of their munificent benefactress.
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HISTORY OF CONCORD.
Whichsoever may appear most effectual in bringing about the object of the Institution, we beg leave of you, Sir, to inform Sir Ben- jamin Thompson, Count of Rumford, and his daughter, the Countess of Rumford, that we will, with grateful hearts, accept this donation for the stipulated design, and that we shall with the greatest pleasure exert our united influence to aid them in the accomplishment of so important and benevolent a purpose.
We are, Sir, most respectfully yours,
JOHN ODLIN, Selectmen RICHARD AYER of Concord.
Hon. Loammi Baldwin, Woburn, Mass.
In regard to this correspondence, Dr. Ellis remarks: "No further steps were taken during the lifetime of the Count in reference to this proposition. His daughter cherished through her life the pur- pose of substantially carrying into effect the original design of her father, or of establishing some equivalent substitute for it."
In this simple call of an affectionate daughter upon her father on his birthday, is doubtless to be found the origin of the Rolfe and Rumford asylum. In its foundation the Countess has sought to embody the two leading ideas expressed by her father and by the selectmen of Concord, in the correspon- dence above quoted. In accordance withi the first, she has secured to its inmates the pecuniary encouragement afforded by gratuitous support. Agreeably to the second, she has made ample provision for their moral, intellectual, and industrial training.
Rolfe and Rumford Asylum.
The Countess of Rumford died on the 2d of December, 1852, at the age of sev- enty-eight years. By her last will and testament she founded this institution, which bears the surname of her brother, Colonel Paul Rolfe, and her own, upon an endowment consisting of all her real estate and the sum of fifteen thousand dollars. Her mansion was made the seat of it. Its benefi- cence was restricted to needy children born in Concord, particularly those without mothers.
Its establishment and maintenance were intrusted to a perpetual board of five trustees, who were authorized to fill occurring vacan- cies, subject to the approval of the judge of probate for the county of Merrimack, to whom they are required to make annual reports. Thus was founded the Rolfe and Rumford asylum by the Countess of
,
1089
THE ROLFE AND RUMFORD ASYLUM.
Rumford, who, in " the town of Concord, being the place of her birth, a spot dear to her, was anxious to be remembered with kindness and affec- tion."
The fund left for its support being deemed inadequate by the trus- tees, was allowed to accumulate until January 15, 1880, when the institution was opened for the reception of beneficiaries.
Its first principal was Miss Arabel A. Comins, who continued at its head until 1882, when she resigned the position, and was suc- ceeded by Mrs. Eliza M. Robinson, who has discharged its duties with marked ability for a period of seventeen years. Associated with Mrs. Robinson are Miss Emma J. Dupee, as housekeeper, and Miss Grace Bunker as school teacher. While, as before stated, the general management of the institution is confided to a board of five trustees, its more immediate supervision is intrusted to five lady visitors, selected for their fitness, who visit it at stated periods and keep themselves at all times intimately conversant with its condition and efforts.
The beneficiaries are restricted by its charter to female chil- dren, born in Concord. They are received only at early ages, and upon surrender to the institution, by their parents or guar- dians, for definite periods, usually until they attain the age of eighteen years. Their maintenance is gratuitous. They are instructed in the ordinary common-school branches of learning, in dressmaking, and in the various departments of housework. The Countess Rumford The aptitude of each is carefully noted by the principal, and, Monument. so far as practicable, her training is guided thereby. To pupils leav- ing the institution, such advice and assistance is given as seems judi- cious to aid them in securing places of occupation.
The asylum has at present accommodations for twenty pupils. The whole number received since its opening is thirty-nine, and there are eighteen now in residence. Its graduates may be found in different places pursuing various useful avocations. Some have been married and are discharging the duties of domestic life ; some are in counting- rooms and shops ; some are engaged in household service. Thus far all have made creditable records.
The interest of the asylum in its pupils does not cease upon their leaving it, but follows them wherever they go, and is by them gener- ally reciprocated.
The income of the Rolfe and Rumford asylum has sufficed for its maintenance. Its property consists of the real estate of the founder, including her mansion, which has been twice enlarged since its found- er's death, two small cottages, and the endowment fund before refer- red to, increased in 1893 by a generous legacy of nearly forty thou-
1090
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
sand dollars left to it by the late Mrs. Abigail B. Walker of Con- cord.
Thus far its record has been a creditable one, and it ha's proved itself a worthy associate of its kindred institutions of benevolence in Concord. It is hoped that, as demands upon its beneficence here- after increase, as they are likely to do, additional contributions to its endowment may keep pace therewith. It has nearly attained its first score years of age, and bids fair to keep in lasting remembrance, in the hearts of the people of her native town, the name of its benevo- lent founder.
CHAPTER XXXI.
POLITICAL AND PUBLIC EVENTS AT THE CAPITAL.
CHARLES R. CORNING.
In the time of Governor Wentworth, Concord, lying fifty miles from the sea, was of small importance. Owing, undoubtedly, to its nearness to Boston, Exeter had been the meeting place of public men during the months following the outbreak of the Revolution, but soon after peace had been declared the inconvenience of traveling to Exe- ter several times a year and in all seasons began to suggest to the people a meeting place more centrally located. Immigration had fol- lowed the rivers ; and towns were springing into activity along the Connecticut and Merrimack, around Winnipiseogee and Sunapee, and beyond the forests encircling the base of the White Mountains.
On February 28th, 1778, the assembly at Exeter, after considering the question relating to a constitutional convention, voted that the president of the council issue to every town, parish, and district within the state a precept recommending to them to elect one or more persons to convene at Concord on the tenth day of June for the purpose of considering a new plan of government.
The citizens of Concord, not insensible to the coming honor, voted at an April meeting to repair the meeting-house for the convention, and appointed James Walker, John Bradley, and Amos Abbott as a committee to take the matter in charge. The population of Concord at that time did not probably exceed eleven hundred, and of this number fewer than a third lived within two miles of the meeting- house, yet the members of the convention found abundant hospitality and good cheer among the few taverns and the scattered dwelling- houses stretching from Parson Walker's to the South end. The convention contained men like John Langdon, William Whipple, Nathaniel Folsom, Matthew Thornton, John Bell, Josiah Bartlett, John Dudley, Joseph Badger, and Timothy Walker. The session lasted a month and then adjourned to June, 1779, when the con- stitution was completed and submitted to popular vote only to be emphatically rejected.
That convention, however, deserves remembrance as being Con- cord's first popular assembly, and the initial step toward making the town the permanent capital of the state. A form of government
.
1092
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
being still necessary, the Exeter law-makers voted, April 6th, 1781, to send out precepts for choosing a second constitutional convention to convene at Concord. There was now more reason for selecting Con- cord than existed in the first instance, for the towns along the Con- necticut were unquiet and manifested a disposition to join their for- tunes with their neiglibors on the west bank ; therefore Concord was shrewdly chosen, not only as more central, but as more neutral and less under the influence of the older towns near the Massachusetts line.
On the appointed day, June 6th, the convention met, holding its meetings, so tradition says, over the store of John Stevens, on the site of the Masonic Temple. The number of members was about sixty. The famous Mother Osgood tavern, standing on the spot now the site of the First National bank, was the headquarters for the mem- bers, and many were the stories afterwards told of lively hospitality and late hours.
Constitution making had not, however, reached an exact science, and the results of this second convention fared no better than those of the first; but by the terms of the law the convention was to con- tinue its existence and go on submitting constitutions to the people until one was adopted. At last, in June, 1783, after several adjourn- ments and seven different sessions, a constitution was prepared, sub- mitted to the people, and accepted.
Concord, in the meanwhile, had become the popular place for pub- lic meetings ; its inhabitants had extended a cordial welcome to the delegates of the several conventions, and now that a state government was created, Concord was favorably regarded as most convenient for the meeting of the legislature. Accordingly, Concord's first session of the legislature convened in March, 1782, holding its sessions in an improvised building belonging to Timothy Walker,-the meeting- house, with its austere denial of comforts, not being suited to the requirements of the law-makers. The following year, however, a cont- mittce of citizens remedied this inconvenience by making the sacred edifice weather-proof and comfortable, and there the legislature held its intermittent sessions for several years.
In June, 1784, the new government established by the late con- vention met for organization at Concord. The venerable Meschech Weare, the first president, attended by the legislature, the public officials, ministers of the gospel, and citizens from Concord and towns near and far, marched with music to the meeting-house, where the oaths were administered and the government was formally inau- gurated, after which the Reverend Samuel Mcclintock of Greenland preached the first election sermon.
1093
POLITICAL AND PUBLIC EVENTS AT THE CAPITAL.
During the early years of the state it was customary to hold ses- sions of the legislature in different towns according to convenience and political considerations, and prior to 1816, when the capital was finally established at Concord, the town had had the following ses- sions :
March 13,
1782
June 7,
1797
June 11,
1782
November 21,
1798
September 10,
1782
June 5,
1799
June 10.
1783
June 4, 1800
October 28,
1783
November 19,
1800
December 17,
1783
June 2,
1802
June 2,
1784
June 1,
1803
February 9,
1785
November 23.
1803
October 19,
1785
June 6,
1804
June 7.
1786
November 21,
1804
June 6,
1787
June 5,
1805
June 4,
1788
June 1,
1808
November 5,
1788
November 23,
1808
June 3,
1789
June 7,
1809
June 2,
1790
June 6,
1810
January 5,
1791
June 5,
1811
June 1,
1791
June 3,
1812
June 5,
1793
November 18,
1812
December 16,
1794
June 2,
1813
December 2,
1795
June 1,
1814
November 23,
1796
June 7,
1815
Scarcely had Concord been agreed upon as a political meeting place when another convention convened which for important results and historical interest has never been surpassed in New Hampshire. It was the convention called to ratify or to reject the constitution of the United States. The first meeting had been held at Exeter in February, 1788, but considerations of various kinds suggested an adjournment to Concord, where, in the old meeting-house, on June 18th, assembled that body of men whose deliberations were to bring honor and fame to their state. There were one hundred and thirteen delegates eleeted, and nearly every one was present. From Wednes- day to Saturday the meeting-house and the adjacent green were crowded with people, for the condition prerequisite to the life of the federal constitution was its adoption by nine states. Eight states had already voted affirmatively, and New Hampshire's vote was all- important.
The great event had attracted a large crowd to Concord. The sparse accommodations of the period were severely taxed, taverns and private houses were full of guests, and everything was done for their comfort. When the vote that made New Hampshire the ninth state was announced, the quiet town reeled with revelry and good cheer,
1094
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
and Concord went to sleep that night satisfied with the honors of the week.
The sessions of the legislature having become features in the social life of the town, everything was done to make the members feel at home. Few dwelling-houses in the main village were without " court boarders." The meeting-house, notwithstanding its generous proportions, was not a desirable place for the legislature; accord- ingly the town-meeting, in August, 1790, voted to raise one hundred pounds for building a house for the accommodation of the general court, and to locate it on the "land of William Stickney, near Dea. David Hall's."
Private subscriptions became necessary, and citizens contributed five hundred and fifty-five dollars. This building, in reality the town house, with such additions as were called for by the meetings of the legislature, occupied the northeast corner of the present city hall and county court lot. It was one story in height, surmounted by a pretentious cupola whose roof was supported by a circle of slender, fluted columns, and capped by an enormous weather-vane. The entrance in the middle opened into a wide hall, on each side of which was a spacious room,-that on the north for representatives, that on the south for the senate, while in the rear were several com- mittee rooms. This structure, which was the town house and state house in one, after many public uses and business vicissitudes, was finally moved near the railroad on Bridge street, where fire destroyed it in the early eighties. The town house was so completely appro- priated by the legislature that the governor and council held their sit- tings in the northwest parlor of Dr. Samuel Morril's dwelling-house, on the opposite side of Main street.
In September, 1791, another convention assembled in Concord for the purpose of revising the constitution of 1783. There were more than one hundred members, too many for the town house, conse- quently the meeting-house was used for the sessions. The conven- tion held four sessions, lasting in all thirty-six days, finally adjourn- ing in September, 1792, when the result of its deliberations had been favorably received by the people. The constitution as revised, notwithstanding the convention of 1850, was destined to remain almost unchanged for three quarters of a century.
Aside from political gatherings, Concord was also becoming noted as a religious meeting place ; and hither journeyed many a conference in the earlier years of the town. One gathering of this nature, the ordi- nation of the Reverend Asa McFarland in March, 1798, was remem- bered on account of its importance and good cheer. The town paid all expenses, for the minister was as much a part of the official town
1095
POLITICAL AND PUBLIC EVENTS AT THE CAPITAL.
as the board of selectmen. People came from towns near and re- mnote, and booths appeared on the meeting-house green for the sale of drinks and refreshments ; for the occasion had all the features of a public holiday. During the day a long procession marched to the meeting-house headed by a band of music, while in the evening Stickney's Indian Chief tavern was the scene of a brilliant ball.
The Fourth of July seldom passed without a noisy manifestation of patriotism announcing the significance of the day. Great prep- arations were usually made and guests invited from neighboring towns. Concord had one of these Fourths in 1811 which impressed itself deeply on town annals. The celebration was generally under- taken by one or the other of the two political parties, the party not participating retiring into the wilderness for the time being, and leaving the glory and responsibility of the festivities to its rival. At the jollification of 1811, Amherst and Wilton were largely rep- resented, swelling the crowd to proportions greater than Concord had ever known. Cannon shattered sleep at daybreak, and people began to gather. Vehicles of every description raised clouds of dust on every highway ; men on horseback, women in carts and wagons, a few dignitaries in chaises, a concourse on foot, children in ox carts and barges, while scattered in the throng were aged men wearing uniforms that had seen service on more than one battle-field of the Revolution. Militia companies, with fife and drum, paraded Main street and went through their evolutions on the meeting-house com- mon to the delight of the spectators. Firing salutes near the Federal bridge was a representation of the ship President, famous for its recent encounter with the British warship, Little Belt, while on the brow of the hill near Parson Walker's the artillery company made thundering reply. A procession comprising so-called Republicans formed near Pleasant street at 10 o'clock, with Timothy Walker as marshal, and proceeded to the meeting-house, where with prayer and addresses the day was glorified. Then followed feasting, with toasts and fierce invectives against the Federalists. It was a grand celebra- tion, and furnished a theme of conversation for many a winter's even- ing. Successful as it had really been, the opposition newspapers ridiculed it and described with much humor the fight between the President and the Little Belt, as lately witnessed in Concord :
Interesting Interior Ship News .- The United States Frigate Pres- ident, sailing with four wheels on dry land, emblematic of our dry clock policy, and mounting one iron and twelve wooden swivels, while passing Horse Shoe Pond near Concord, N. H., on the 4th inst. fired upon the British Sloop of War, Little Belt (an old canoe or rather a hollow log, cach end being well secured with mud to keep it from
1096
HISTORY OF CONCORD.
sinking) and shocking to tell, made such havoc and confusion among the musquitos, that she struck her colors and surrendered at discretion.
The War of 1812 made a lively town of Concord, for Concord was selected as the rendezvous of soldiers intended for the sea-coast de- fense and for the protection of the northern frontiers. Two large barracks were established, one at the north, the other at the south end of Main street, the former being the present residence of Dr. William G. Carter. Soldiers were frequently arriving and departing, commissary stores were collected and dispatched to the seat of war, ammunition trains rumbled through Main street, while now and then drums and fifes and the music of regimental bands broke the wonted quiet of the smart New England village, and unconsciously furnished a picture of the greater conflict of half a century later. During the war, many soldiers made their temporary home in Concord, and, as might be supposed, the order of the town was more than once threatened and sometimes seriously disturbed. Party animosities were, however, quieted in the hour of the country's peril, and at a meeting held at Stickney's tavern Federalists and Republicans pledged them- selves to this resolution :
WHEREAS, in defense of our altars and firesides, our property and our country, Americans can have but one opinion ;
Resolved, That it is expedient to form a military association in the town of Concord, of such persons as are not enrolled in the militia, to be in readiness at a moment's warning to act under the direction of the commander-in-chief for the defense of the state.
To the credit of the town such a company was formed and stood ready for service. The close of the war found Concord more active and influential in the affairs of the state. Population had increased to about fifteen hundred, new stores had opened, industries had grown, and Concord began to be seriously considered as the seat of the state capital.
In pursuance of that sentiment the legislature voted that the town of Concord, or its inhabitants, should convey to the state a suitable piece of ground and properly prepare it for a state house, besides fur- nishing all the stone necessary to its construction, free of all expense to the state. Immediately there broke out a local rivalry, peppered with sharp retort and uncharitable insinuations. The North end claimed a superior location for the proposed capitol ; the South end ridiculed and opposed the site and submitted one of its own. Both sides tried in every way to influence the governor and his council, for to them had been left the selection of the location. One side was strenuous for placing the state house just north of the present city hall lot, while the other side insisted on placing it farther south. In
1097
POLITICAL AND PUBLIC EVENTS AT THE CAPITAL.
this contest the influence of Isaac Hill, who had recently moved to Concord, was shown, for it was through him and the Kents and Lows that the present site was finally selected. These men were among the leading citizens of the time, their acquaintance was extensive, their dispositions liberal, and their hospitality well known.
The state house was begun but not finished when Concord was honored by a distinguished visitor in the person of President James Monroe. It was during the summer of 1817, while on a tour through- out the eastern parts of the country, that he became a guest of the people of Concord. Mounted escorts accompanied the president from town to town and the journey partook of continuous ovations. Leav- ing Dover early in the morning of Friday, July 18th, the president rode through Nottingham and Epsom to Chichester, where the select- men of Concord and the citizens' committee of reception were await- ing him. The procession then moved on across the dusty plains, approaching Concord over the lower bridge. On Butters's hill, where the artillery fired a salute, were gathered a large concourse of citizens and strangers to do their part in welcoming the chief magistrate. Other committees, with several militia companies, now joined the party, and all marched up Main street to Barker's Washington tav- ern, near Fisk's store, which had been selected as the place of enter- tainment. The tavern and vicinity were decorated with flags and flowers, and a platform tastefully trimmed and roofed with boughs wound with festoons of roses had been built for the exercises. Around this bower crowded the people and the infantry companies. Thomas W. Thompson, a distinguished citizen of Concord and an ex-senator in congress, was chairman. He addressed the president, bidding him hearty welcome to the town, and congratulating him on the peaceful condition of the country. The president acknowledged the greeting, and at the banquet later in the day he offered this toast, "The town of Concord-may its inhabitants continue to flourish and prosper."
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