Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-10-23
THE RUTLAND HERALD
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1873.
THE wALLINGFORD CENrEN-
NAL.

lIn0IOTu. OuG JSoAo ASa
history began, and the intervening time
has been fruitful with interesting events,
and her numerous sons and daughters,
scattered over the entire length and
breadth of this free land, will look back
with longing hearts to this centennial
celebration, to find written down and
preserved the facts and incidents of the
early history of the town, that connect
their ancesry in grateful memories with
the place of their birth and early home.
The fertile valleys and verdure clad
hills of Vermont have been hewed. out
into valuable farms, and busy villages
have been reared from dense wilderness
of giant forest trees. The reclamation
of the land from an original wilderness,
until it has blossomed like a garden, has
required many years of industrious, stur-
dy work. Vermont has a proud record
among the sisterhood of States, for the
industrious, intelligent and honest peo-
pie, she has given to the nation, and
from every quarter of the republic she
is looked at with pride, as having given
the nation some of her most useful cit
liens. The history of Vermont is made
up of the history of the towns that are
the unit of her municipal divisions, and
this Wallingford centennial has made a
mark on the pages of times records that
has an interest and Importance far
broader than the limits of the town,
and all that was said of a historic nature
should be treasured as the common prop
elty of the State and nation.
There were some things omitted from
the programme that might, with propri-
ETY., have been inserted, but two days is
not time enough in which to talk over
the events of an hundred years. The
manufacturing interests of the town did
not have the share that their prominence
and importance demand. The great and
controlling power of the fork mannfac-
turing interest absorbing all or nearly all
that was said upon that subject, leaving
the important marble and mineral inter
ests, and the cunning workers in wood
and fibrcs, who have fiourished more or
less in town, without even a casual men
ton. This was not the fault of any
body, as the time was crowded with in
strnctive recitals and addresses, and
something must necessarily be omitted,
and there is no reason why the manu-
featuring interests should have more
prominent place than other subjects, ex-
cept that it is becoming a necessity to
our State that the questions relating to
her manufacturing capacities should be
agitated, to the end that they be better
developed, that our wealth and pop
ulation may be increased by the estab-
lishment of new manufacturing in
terests.
The early settlement of the town and
her early political and ecclesiastical his
tory was presented in all its details, in
most entertaining and instructive man
ner, by Rev. II. H. Sanderson; for many
years the beloved pastor of the Congre-
gational church in Wallingford. This
labor and research of the learned and
eloquent gentleman will be appreciated,
and the State will treasure up for the
use of future generations, what he found
and presented in reference to the labors
and services of the early and prominent
citizens of Wallingford, who were active
participants in the struggles that made
Vermont free and Independent sover-
eign State, and shaped the policy that
made her people industrious, intelligent
and happy. This celebration has also
added another link in the biography of
one of Vermont's early statesmen, that
the historians of the State have sought
for in vain. Tbs first known of the iden-
LITIGATION with this State of the irresista-
bic, pugnacious and hot headed Irish
statesman of Vermont, Matthew Lyon,
has been supposed to be his being found
laborer on the farm of Governor Chit
tenden, at Arlington, but this celebra-
ton has brought to light, from the rec
ords of Wallingford, indubitable and
conclusive proofs that he was not only
an inhabitant of Wallingford for several
years before he went to Arlington, but
that he was the co-lab0rer Of jackson,
Richmond, Ives and others, in the re-
claiming Of the soil from its native for
est wildness, and, also, that he was large
ly engaged in giving tone and character
TO the early civil and political history
of that town.
Wallingford was considerably behind
many Of her neighboring towns as to
the date of her settlement, so now she is
behind in not having published. town
history, and this centennial should turn
the attention of her people to. that sub
ject. 1t is duty they owe their poster
ity, that they should preser. We the instruc-
tive and interesting add tesses of this oc-
cssion in permanent form. With the ad-
dition of gatherin' together of statis-
tics in reference to manufactures, and a
Typographical d .escription, full report
OF this center .inial would make history
OF the first hundred years of Walling-
ford, lar above the average of local his
tories. and we hope this occasion will be
take n advantage of for this purpose.
the agricultural address of Mr.. Haynes,
the historical address of Mr.. Sanderson,
and the paper on the life of Mr.. Bachei-
Ter and the manufactures he inaugural
ed, by Mr.. Clark, were written out in
full-the others could be written by the
persons who delivered them, if applica-
zion should be made while the subject is
fresh upon their minds, and we hope it
will be done, so that these valuable con-
tributions to the early history of our
State will not be lost. The people of
Wallingford owe to themselves, their pos
terity and the State this duty.
IT is not exactly safe to visit the city
of New York in these latter days-not