Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-04-23
The Centennials.

From the interest in the Lexington and
Concord Centennials, which our readers feel
at this distance, they can family infer the
intense feeling of those who live on and near
the spots made forever memorable by the
events of hundred years ago, and whose an
cestors stood in the ranks of the minute men
and opened the war of our national indepen-
dence. The Massachusetts, people cannot be
charged with want of preparation for the
celebrations. They seem to have provided
about everything but cars enough to carry
people to Lexington and Concord, and pleas
ant weather for the occasion, which could
not be made to order. We note some of
the more notable features Of the celebrations,
not mentioned in our dispatches.
AT CONCORD
the celebration began ON Sunday, with the
arrival of the Mechanic Blues of Portland,
by special train from Boston, at 80 a.
m With them came General Chamberlain
and the Mayor ana exMayor Of Portland.
The company was escorted from the Fitch
burg depot by Company c. Fifth Regiment
Massachusetts Militia, of Concord, with the
Mediord Band, and the Ransom Guards,
fifty men, Of St. Adams, Vt, with the St.
Adams Band. The St. Adams boys attract
ed much attention by their neat uniform aud
fine marching.
At 10 o'clock the crowd began to collect
about the historic old Unitarian Church,
where the commemorative services were to
be held, the front of which bore the inscrip-
| ton
Old Meeting House. Built. l7I2. Enlarged, 1872
Renodelled and turned half way round, ISL First
Provincial Congress met here, Oct. H. IA, John
Hancock, Pres dent; second Congress met here,
March S1t, l75 and adjourned four days before the
battle Of Old North Bridge.
By 1890 o'clock the square on which the
church fronts was black with people await
ing the arrival of the President and other
distinguished guests, who were escorted
from the mansion of Judge Hoar by the
Concord Company, the Ransom Guards and
the Portland Blues Inside, the old church
(from which Hawthorne and Thoreau were
buried) was densely packed with people,
who filed every inch of standing room.
The interior was deliberately and taste
fully decorated with flags, flowers and bunt-
ing. At 1890 Governor Peck and staff and
the Vermont State officials, with Gen
Chamberlain and staff, Ex-Governor John
Gregory Smith. Hon Worthiugton c. Smith
and G. Il. Hunt, Esq, Of st. Adams, and
Others, entered the church and took the
front pcws with the St Adams military
company They were followed by the Presi-
dent aud his party, who occupied Judge
1loar : pews, in the centre of the church
In the first pew were President Grant
Judge lloar aud Mrs EIoar, and Secretary
Fish in the second pew, Speaker Blaine
Secretary Delano, Secretary Belknap and
Secretary Robson.
The sermon was an elaborate and eloquent
historical discourse by Rev Mr. Reynolds
the pa>io-.
At the conclusion Of his discourse, Mr.
Reynolds offered prayer, and then gave ont
the hymn " America which was sung by
the congregation standing. The entire Assem-
blage joined in the singing with will, and
the walls cf the famous old church seem
ed fairly to rock withythc grand old chorus.
At its conclusion, the pastor pronounced
the benediction, and the immense audience
passed slowly out The President and his
party took carriages and We're driven i'm
mediate.y TO judge lloar'S residence, with
out escort \ large crowd lined the street
to see them pass.
About halt an hour afterwards, tic Pres
ident's party Wen. out fJ- ride, and they
viewed the scene OF the Concord fight, tuc
pavilions and the decorations
Monday morning dawned fair and cold
Unlike the day Of the battle, one hundred
years ago, when the peach trees were iu
bloom, the fields and roads were frozen, the
thermometer registering twenty-five degrees
at six o'clock. The condition Of the roads
for marching was much better than was
ANTICIPATED, however.