The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-07-13
"Hdit Columbia, Happy Land!''

The Fourth of July-the day of the
centennial celebration of our independ-
ence as free and independent States
was ushered in at Hillsboro by the
ringing of bells and firing national sa-
lutte at sunrise.
Thirteen guns were fired in honor of
the original thirteen confederated States
of America, and all the bells of the
town were rung for a period of fifteen
minutes The scene at this early hour
of the morning was quite animated,
indeed. Our town was decked out in
grand holiday 'attire-the fine, large
National flag over the Court House,
and the thousands of lesser ones on
every building, fluttering in the breeze,
in connection with the flying banners,
the joyous shouts and greetings of the
people who at that early hour thronged
the streets, showing that the fire of
our Revolutionary sires had not been
quenched, but burned with patriotic
ardor-all this, with the recollections
of the glorious past, when liberty was
proclaimed to the world by the Incl
dents of Independence Hall and the
signers of the Declaration of Independ-
ence, stirred the hearts of our people,
and its events will long live in their
remembrances as the first grand CEN
tennial day of our glorious country.
At'an early hour the people from the
country came pouring into our streets
on horseback, in buggies, carriages and
wagons in such numbers that the idea
of getting them into one grand process
sion was abandoned. By six o'clock
numerous applications for entrance
were made at the Fair Grounds, and
shortly afterwards the gates were
thrown open to accommodate the thou
sands seeking admittance. By eight
O'Clock our streets were thronged with
conveyances and people, so that, as we
have remarked, the Marshals saw it
would be impossible to get the i'm
mense throngs into one grand process
sion; consequently the numerous cav
alcades were urged to go direct to the
Fair Grounds, and the procession was
afterwards made up of the civic socie-
ties, the military, bands, &c.
The Committee on Decorations were
very successful. In response to their
request our citizens all decorated their
residences and places of business, and
we deem it justice to say that we never
saw a town that presented SO grand
and beautiful an appearance as our
town did on the occasion of our first
Centennial Celebration. The two prin-
cipal streets were spanned by two
mammoth streamers each, on the
north, south, east and west sides of
which was inscribed in flaming letters,
"Hillsboro Welcomes Her Friends ~
On the reverse sides respectively were
these mottoes: '"This Day Hallowed
to the Cause of Freedom" aLet this
Day be Celebrated Forevermore:u "Tbe
Fourth of July Rang the Death-K -Knell
of Despotism; "This Day Makes the
Dividing Line Between Tyranny and
Freedom" Over the entrance to the
Fair Grounds was a fine evergreen
arch decorated with flags, on which
was inscribed this motto: "First in
War, First in Peace, and First in the
Hearts of His Countrymen." Over
the Speakers Stand, with many beau
tiful decorations and flags, was this
motto: "Keep the Memory of Inde-
pendence Day Green Forever"
By the hour of nine o'clock the larg-
est portion of the vast crowd had ar
rived in town and at the Fair Grounds.
At the hour of half-past nine Chief
Marshal VIM. H. Glenn, with his as
sistants, c. T. Pope, VIM. c. Newell
and John B. Hays, commenced the ar
duous task of forming the procession
on the Public Square. After great la
Dor they succeeded in getting the pro-
cession in line, which was one of the
really fine features of the day. The
order was as follows:
], Hillsboro Band; 2, Carriage with
Orator of the Day, Historian, President
of Executive Committee, Secretary
and Mayor; 9, Liberty Guards; 4, Ar