Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-06-23
lent. The spices of Mr.. Newhalrs preparing
are also of good quality.
For the Worcester Spy.

One HUNDRED YEARS AGo.-The Old South
church began to be erected on June 81, 1868,
one hundred years ago. On the Sth of De-
cember succeeding, it was opened for public
worship, it being the annual colonial thanks
giving and the sixteenth anniversary OF the
settlement of Rev. Thaddeus Maccarty The
reverend pastor on this occasion preached
from LIST Chronicles, 29th, lG, II.
As the church and society will soon have
centennial celebration of this house, the
writer of this will indulge in no historical
Renaissance, except of the raising oil the
house. Tradition has it that all the men oi
Worcester and tile neighboring towns were
invited to the raising, and that two men came
from Boston with set of tackle blocks, and
that they we're one week in raising the
house. The timber is very large, and OF
the best quality, the principal part OF which
came from a large lot of timbor land then
standing on the hill, extending from Washing
ton Square over Union Hill, and extending
east as far as the farm of DIR. Haywood. AL
though some of it came from other lots Simon
Gates, SEN, drought few long sticks from
his pine lot back of New Worcester" and a
load came in on the ''Tatnuck' road, now
Pleasant street. This was small joice. The
road was very much blocked up with old
snow, and had begun to soften under the in
fuence of March sun, when near to ''the
great highway" (Main street, the team came
to a stand still, and could go nofurther. Quite
a large number had collected ''to dig them
out" but at the suggestion of John Chandler,
Jr., (who was chairman of the Selectmen that
year, each man and boy shouldered stick
and marched to the Common in single file,
and in few minutes the load was delivered
Standing as we do, Mr.. Editor, one hun
dred years down the stream of time from
these small beginnings, how natural it is for
the mind to travel back and wonder and strive
to picture out how Worcester looked, and
who were the active men of that day. Some
of their sons are now living, and are among
our oldest citizens. Many of their grandsons
| still live, and are among our business men.
But they, too, have passed the meridian of
life. Who, then, were the active men of
Worcester one hundred years ago? The Sc
lectmen were John Chandler, Jr., Timothy
Paine, Josiah Brown, Ephraim Doottle, and
Samuel Miller; the town clerk was Clark
Chandler; the town treasurer was John Chan
der, Jr.; and the representative to the ''great
and general court was John Chandler. A
few Of the young men will now be mentioned
who were active at the raising of this house.
Timothy Bigelow, Benz. Flagg, Edward Hair.
John Hall, VIM Trowbridge, Jonathan Stone,
Samuel Wesson, Thomas Nichols, Asa Ward,
Simeon Duncan, Simon Gates, William Cur
| It's, Joseph Curtis, Samuel Curtis, Thomas
| Gates, and Philip Donehue colored man,
who was a carpenter, and helped frame the
house. These are some of the men who took
the burden and heat of the day. Tradition
says the old men made pins and brought on
the punch in great profuson, while the boys
ran with the pins. If any person who reads
this article and wonders at its taking so long
to raise this house, let him just take look at
its timber under the roof, and he will be satis-
fed. This old sanctuary has now stood the
rude blasts nf an hnndrad- winters and y.Atvit
from heaven has been directed against this
cOnsecrated temple of God, and long may it
stand as a memento of the men and the age in
which it was built, and rich ornament to
our city, and pleasure and satisfaction to
the worshippers within its sacred walls.
June %, 1868. w.G.H.