Morning journal and courier., 1886-10-22
NORTH RAVENS CENTENNIAL.

HAIl-The Historical Address - The Reunion Exercises and Speeches. Many New Haveners Present-The Loan ExhibiGiOn-The sold Folks'' Concert.
 North Haven's centennial anniversary was celebrated yesteraay most successfully and ip a manner most creditable to the town
 and worthy it's honorable record for enter prise and public spirit The day turned out
 to be most favorable one despite the early | ominous cloud expects, and by noon the sun saone brightly and the skies were clear ex. | cept where marked by the heecy clouds
 The cannon spoke for itself at sunrise, wher l salute of fifty guns was fired and the belli | rung. At a. m. came the civic procession
 By this time the main streets were alive witt | the townspeople, and there were hundredi
 from the adjoining towns and carriages o every description. The beautiful town ! nestling among the hills and valleys and | surrounded by the October tinted | woods, was gay with flying flag | and with so many of it's pretty homesteadi decorated with flags and bunting. Every | where signs of the holiday occasion were ap | parent. No wonder that so many of the olo towns sons and daughters came from neal ! and far to share in the joyous occasion witt patriotic feeling buring bright. The civic procession was a fine one and lengthy, being about mile long and the old town it was ! felt on all sides had done itself more thar | justice. The start was from near the post. I office. The display of old vehicles was no ! table feature of the procession, and many oi | them looked truly as if they had come down 1 from former generation, and from the old I time.
 l Charles Forbes ancient vehicle, Robert old his grandfather and driven by Wm. Turner ! Frederick Shares brick wagon gaily decorat | ed and carrying part of his force of nine l teen men who have made three million brick this season.. big record for one yard, Bun nells Big Five drum corps of Northrop, do- ing great execution with the sticks, and scores of other brick teams, nearly hundred in all, were features of the procession; also particularly noticed were Maltby Fowler, the spoon manufacturer, and his daughter Ida, who rode horseback in the old style with the lady riding on the billion. Then the Gan cient and honorables" were great feature, composed of about hundred ladies and gen tlemen arrayed in old-time costumes. They were on horseback and in carriages. The American band of New Haven, Streit leader, headed the procession. SolomonF. .Linsley was
 chief marshal. Also in this line was Mineral
 Spring division No. B. s. of T., Goodsell, w. P, fifty strong; also very creditable displays
 
 New Haven, exhibited the old and the new,
 by sewing machine in operation while a lady sewed by hand. The Montowese drum
 corps braced up well for the occasion and
 did finely. Other trades were represented
 and court scene was displayed on plat
 form upon a wagon, with B. L. Linsley of
 New Haven's City court officiating as judge
 Various trades beside those above mentioned
 were illustrated in the procession. There
 was one horse in the parade labelled 31 years
 old and still no subject for Bergh, but on the
 contrary well fed aud looking sound.
 The march ended opposite the Rev. MT.
 Reynolds church and the towns new and
 beautiful Memorial Hall. Here under large
 tent the historical address of the occasion
 was delivered by Rev. MT. Reynolds, pastor
 of the Congregational church. The tent was
 filled to overhowing, and the occasion was in
 all respects 8 notable one. Distinguished gentlemen of North Haven, New Haven and many other places were present, and great interest prevailed. Sentences of Pastor Rey- holds very able and valuable address are as follows:
 In his address the Rev. W. T. Reynolds reviewed in detail the early history of the town while still a part of New Haven, refer ring to its first inhabitants as planters of New Haven who had purchased the Indian title to the whole tract of land now compris- ing the towns of New Haven, Woodbridge, Hamden, East Haven and North Haven, the bulk of the towns of Wallingford, Cheshire and Northford. The settlement was slow and for many years the inhabitants worship yed in New Haven, the women walking the entire distance, often with child in arms. In 1715 a separate ecclesiastical society was formed by act of the General Assembly, the first step thoward the independent existence of the town.
 No change in the political relations took place at this time, but the germ of a separate corporate existence was planted which, un- der favoring conditions, bore fruit one hun in this direction was made in 1791, while the revolutionary war was at it's height, when this society, together with the parish of Mt. Carmel, petit1oned the General As sembly without avail. This was followed by petitions of a like nature, all unsuccessful, until they attained their object by decree of the General Assembly October 19, 17S6,- prominent local item in the Connecticut Journal, the leading newspaper of the day.
 The first town meeting of the town of North Haven was held on the second Tues day of the following November. Thomas Mansfield being chosen moderator and Joseph Pierpont clerk. Mir. Pierpont was the first representative for the town to the General Assembly being succeeded the fol- lowing year by Daniel Bassett; but Pier pont was afterward chosen representative for several successive years and continued to serve the town in various responsible offices for many years.
 "The town being now duly incorporated and organized, we are at liberty to look about us to see something of the condition and appearance of this new edition | to the independent republics of ! the State. In taking this general survey of l he town, it should be remembered that the | act of incorporation was not so much the | creation of new political institutions, but 1 'ather an extension of power and privileges | with whose use all were familiar. This com nunity had already (178G passed it first cen- ury in its association with the parent town. l t was familiar with all the ordinary civil | and duties of any well organized in New England. An ecclesias- ical society, or parish, had been formed evenly years before, to which, at me time, in fact for the greater ,art of this period, all the inhabitants chools and the management of other i'm 'ortant interests of the town. The main | oads and highways and the lines of public ommon and travel through the town were lready we'll established for the most part as hey are to-day. These are the fixed land marks which aid us in our conception of the 1 own as it was hundred years ago; for hese conveniences of the earliest inhabi- ants of the town their descendants have not ound it necessary to materially change"
 The first meeting house was built upon and deeded for that purpose by the Rev. | ames Pierpont. who in his will in 1714 did hereby ''give right and tenancy of seques- | cred land Tn New Haven and about so much | lalf division land bought of Mrs. Roosevelt | md Mr. Atwater, nigh Wsllingford bridge, provided the neighbors will set their meeting ! louse thereon and make their training ! ,round and burying place there"
 Near the church was row of Sabbath day ! louses, where good fire could be kindled ! or the comfort of worshippers during the intervals between services ''while discussing the morning sermon and he knotty points of theology enerally under the inspiration of rye dough- uts and good cider. As to the number of torres and the trading habits of the people it 5 impossible to even make conjecture The arent town was probably the general resort or trade where, according to the flaming advertisements of the Connecticut Journal, he shopkeepers displayed, we are informed, resh invoices ''of gentlemen's and ladies' ! ancing gloves for the city assembly; chip at of the newest taste; new figured fash onable cotton chintz and calicoes, proper for l sdies' winter dresses l'-an of which were undoubtedly lovely and made the wives and aughters wild with delight, but husbands l nd fathers miserable beyond l escription All the oId-fash- med beverages were temptingly advertised, ot of our modern compound articles, but ! enuine stuff-old Holland gin, French bran y and choice Santa Cruz rum. If am to ! ,ceive the information given me. shall be | q to believe that almost evarv a1d hons ! (