Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1858-12-31
MORNING LEADER.
JUNIUs, JR., IN NEW ENGLAND,

teIS VI passing luteIest Ou4yJ VIII AO" Oe Ou0
of place in a letter about New England; and !
will therefore, confne myself to those matters
which cannot fail to enlist the attention of the
most careless render at all times, in what fur
ther shall have TO say of the land of the Puri-
tans.
Brooklyn, Ct., is the shire town of the old
and historic County of Windham. 1t stands
upon the slope OF hill, and is very pleasantly
embowered in shade 1t contains an ordinary
looking Court House, two Meeting Houses, a
Bank, Store or two, Grocery, two Taverns
and small cluster of dwelling houses, most of
which betoken wealth and comfort. 1t is sur
rounded by an excellent farming country-with
farms under good state of improvement, and
miles of solid stone fence, while the farm houses
look comfortable, pleasant, and indicate taste
and refinement.
The village is mostly upon single street,
either side of which is lined with shade trees,
among which are the ash, elm and maple which
seem to grow with much vigOr and in the per-
fection of beauty. 1 was informed that these
SHdue Ile0s d0 SiShUy ySoiS O4N' NOlHO VI
them are very large and will cover with their
broad spreading branches, seventy-fve feet, or
more. The dwellings are also surrounded with
trees-many of them wholly covered with the
protecting boughs of the beautiful trees of the
forest; and they all look pleasant, and in sum-
mer must be cool and comfortable.
This village and vicinity was the birth place
of many men known upon the Western Reserve.
Here were the Spapldings born; Thomas D.
Webb, of Warren, was a Brooklyn boy and
Moses Cleveland, the first agent of the Connec-
ticutt Land Company, and for whom was the
beautiful Forest City named, lived near here,
and died within three miles of Windham Court
House.
To get here I left the Railway at station
called Moosup, on the FishkiIl, Hartford and
Providence R. R. and rode up to Brooklyn in
a hackney coach. The distance is eight miles,
and in that short ride we passed through two
manufacturing villages-CentralV Village, on the
Norwak & Worcester Il. r. and Wauregan.-
The latter is spanking new town, and looks
as if it had been built II order and but recently
dismissed from the hands of the architect
DanielsOnviIe, or KilIingly, another manufac-
turing village, is in full view from the top of
the hill to the north of Brooklyn.
To the left as we passed up the hill into the
village, and as we approached the small square,
OF green, as these open pIats of open ground
are called in New EnPland-stood large three
story frame house with yard towards the sUreet
full of trees and shrubbery, from the corner Of
which, suspended from tree, swung a large
sign on which long ago had been painted, "The
Putnam House" The north side Of the house
| fronted upon the Green, and as the driver came
up to the door, he careIessly remarked "this is
the place to stop" The building looked an
cient; time had made sad havoc with what was
once a coat of white paint, and the general ap-
pearance of things did not seem to augur well
for comfortable entertainment but on getting
inside was agreeably surprised and found ev-
erything right;-good fare, an obliging host
and pleasant and agreeable company. 1t was
the aristocratc quarters of the town
/ came to this town on Saturday forenoon
My business would detain me until Monday and
began to fear that time would 'drag its slow
length aleng' and seem very tedious, bat while
warming by an air-tght. fed by wood from the
stunted birch of the hills, l made some remarks
about the name upon the sign Of the hotel, and
spoke Of its being revolutionary name; wher
pleasant and atfable old gentleman sitting by
remarked, "This village is where Gen. Putnam
lived; over there, (pointing to an arabic field,
is where he was ploughing when the horsemar
rode through the village and aroused the peo
pie by the tap of the drum announcing the bat
tie OF Lexington, and calling them to arms
that field is where he stopped his plough wher
he started to Boston to enter in to the con
test; only five miles to the north of this is Put
: nam's cave where he killed the wolfH Or
hearing this became much interested, my bloot
! began to start, my heart beat faster, and ny
: patriotism swelled up to fourth of July heat
!. l found myself unawares-for I had forgotten
i if had ever known the "local habitation" 0
e Gen Putnam-upon historic ground, and fel
: then that could spend sometime in this quie
o retired place, and that it would be an interest
ing season.
afterward learned that the grave ofGenera
: Putnam was in the village cemetery, only abou
y half mile distant, and that the gentleman
: who had SO kindly given me the interesting in
formation was his great grandson. after
Il wards made his acquaintance; his name is Dan
n ielP. Tyler. found him a genial and pleas
ant man, courteous and kind to strangers, hu
# morous and agreeable in conversation, as wei
as witty and intelligent, and witLal something
: of politician. He was boarding at the Put
: nam House with his family, and was owner @
|, the Hotel.
l. Sunday morning was cold The earth wa
J. frozen solid upon the surface, and no mud o
e moisture was in the way to make walking disa
greeable; the atmosphere was clear and bracing
while thick black snow clouCs spanned the hoI
y izon, and broOded over the distant hill tops.
L seemed an excellent morning for a walk anon
J. the habitations of the dead; and an app-opriat
Of time tc spend an hour in silent contemplation
3. and sweet communion with the spirits of de
II parted worth and greatness; and resolved tina
!. morning to worship at the shrine of patriotism
A few minutes walk brought me to the vi
. lage grave yard. 1t is situated upon the mai
/ road running south from the village; has a
area of about fifteen acres and is laid out in th
e form of an oblong square. There are a fey
y second growth White Birch trees, natives of th
IN soil, scattered here and there. and Silver FIJI
M and now and then an Arbor Vita, which hav
been planted by the hand of affection, as a re
y membrance of departed loved ones, and to kee
10 their virtues forever green in the memories Q
'e surrounding friends. A ravine starts off fror
is the south side, and from the place where
leaves the cemetery, takes its course along it
south side and east end. This ravine, and tn
= bluff upon which stands the stone fence of th
,e cemetery, has a thick growth of native forea
- trees, which have been ages growing there; an
u which stand with out-stretched bouphs hover
D. ing over the lonely habtations Of the dead, lik
guardian Angels with wings spread ready t.
convey the spirit of each new tenant to its celes
i'll tial mansion. The new part of the cemetery
" in good condition; its lots are laid off with car
), and some of them ornamented with taste, Will
:, few have monuments of much expense an
:, great beauty. walked up the avenue runnin
~ from the inner gate in front to the west enc
DC with monuments lining either side-mie stone
I'll upon life's ftful journey-and my feelings wer