The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-05-29
Quarter MlIlennIaI OF Taunton.

days Of June, the city Of Taunton, Mass,
have set apart for grand jubllation Of its
250th anniversary. In the month Of June
1921 Stephen Hopkins and Edward Winslow
undertook their perilous journey to Mount
Hope to assure "the greatest commander
amongst the sayages" of the good will Of the |
English and to continue the league Of peace
and friendship. 1t was in this journey that |
the territory Of Cohannet, now Taunton was
first trayersed by Engllshmen. 1t Is possible |
that there may have been isolated settlers
before the first purchase, in which a woman |
led the way. Winthrop calls her "a gentle
woman, one Miss Pool" who went late
thither, and endured much hardship, and lost
much cattle" A confrmatory deed states
that Mrs. Elizabeth Pool late Of Taunton,
'did purchase the lands in 1857. and that the
right owners Of the said lands received pay
of her, for it,"
Miss Pool was evidently Of good family,
with considerable means at her command.
Her love Of religion quickened a desire TO
plant another church in the American wilder
ness; in this she was probably encouraged
by Master William Hooke who became the
| first pastor Of the new church. 1t must be
| recollected that Massachusetts was settled
by churches as such, and that none but
church members could be freeman, the min
lister being the chief parsonage. The pur-
chase by Miss Pool in 1857 is known as the
"Titiquet Purchase; second made In 1868,
is called the "North Purchase" third in
| 1872, the South Purchase" and In 1880,
| Assonet Neck was annexed to the town.
| These constituted the ancient town of Taun-
ton. The date Of Incorporation Of the sew
| eral towns which constituted the original
| Taunton, indicate very nearly the period
| when seperate church organizations began to
exist therein. Taunton 1859, Norton I'LL.
Dighton 1712. EastOn 1725, Raynham 1871,
Berkley 1725, Mansfield ITO.
This celebration has been In anticipation
for several years and extensive arrangements |
have been made by committees from the city |
government and local societies to make 1t |
worthy Of so important an event. The six |
towns above named join heartily. A gener al |
invitation is given to all interested to come |
and special invitations to many distinguished |
persons who trace their ancestry to this |
section of the Old Colony. Messr rs. Josiah |
II. Drummond and James p. Bax ter Of this |
city have invitations as guests Of the city and
are expected to speak at the banquet. The
| ing special reference to Richard Williams,
| called the father Of the town, Of whom Mr..
Drummond Is a descendant,l and the latter,
on "the District and state OF Name"
The fine stone building known as Historic
Hall, owned and occupied by the Old Colony /
Historical Society will be epen to the public. /
Here Is large collection Of historic portraits
and paintings: valuable books and manu.
settlement OF our country to the present.
The president OF the society, Rev. ). II.
Emery the distinguished historian. and its Il
secretary and librarian, Capt. j. w. ID. Hall,
both octoginarians, both compelled to prove
by record, themselves over fifty are not only
busy on the general committee Of the city,
but are specially interested with numerouc
committee Of ladies and gentlemen from this |
society, to add to their own accumlations a |
loan collection OF interesting relics for this
occasion.
On Friday the 22d of Feb, this society re-
eeived from Copenhagen, Denmark. a deed
conveying to Il the famous Dighton Rock
with one-fourth acre of surrounding land, |
ito have and to hold forever" This deed |
bears the Kings signature
1t will be recalled that members Of the |
famous society::of Antiquaries of Denmark
have been greatly interested In evidences of |
the visit OF the Norsemen to the coast of New |
England, about the year 1000. The "Old Stone |
Nip at Newport they believe to have been
built by them, and the rude inscription on
Dighton Rock at the mouth Of Taunton river |
they count Rune, and claim to trace 1t In
III, /
the expedition. That this interesting relic
might be preserved from future harm, they |
got 1t into their possession, but now 1t pass
es into the ownership OF the Organization
which above all others should hold 1t.
The exercises Of the first day will open at
$50 a. M, In Music Hall, with an address of
welcome by Mayor Hall, to be followed by
an historical address by Hon. Z. H. Bennett |
and a poem by Henry w. Colby.
At2 p. m, will be a grand banquet |
succeeded by speeches from hOnored guest; |
and In the evening reception at City and
Armory Halls which are to be united for the
occasion.
On the second day at 10 a. M, a great civic |
and military procession, in which Taunton |
and her six loyal daughters will make dis |
play rarely .eequalled in our country. In the
afternoon, the school children massed on |
Taunton Green will fill the air with sonS
After Maine became in 1851 province of |
Massachusetts,, from time to time the citizens |
of the old Bay State made settlements along |
our coast and pushed now and then into the |
interior. Some OF the towns In this part OF |
the State were settled by pioneer colonies |
from Taunton and surrounding towns. The
famous Washburn family OF Livermore were |
direct from that locality. The early families
of Livermore, Leeds, Turner, Buckfeld, |
Norway, Paris, Minot and other towns were
largely from this portion Of Massachusetts.
Indeed old Taunton bas descendants-and |
worthy ones, t00-scattered all over our |
state. Among those who have ancestral |
claims to the following names are many who |
should have more than passing interest In
this great quarter-millennial anniversary:
Briggs. Blake, Phillips, King, Keen. Keith,
Shaw, kingsley, Hayward. Hayford, French
Stevens, Leavitt, Leonare, Blossom, Cary,
Robinson, Tisdale, Carver, White, Deane,
Hal. Hall. Hi, ,, Pits. Cr9snan. Crane, Drake,
Caswell, Dillingham;, Eddy, Williams, Ma
comber, Pratt, Shelley, Austin, Burtt,
Knapp, Willis. Sumner. Thayer, Dunbar,
Moore, Howard, Cobb, Haekett, Hodges,
Rar 4
Staples. Townsend. Myrick Bell. Reed, VIII
bur, Harvey, Walker, Eliot, Barker, Watson,
Hodges, Forbes, Bassett, Bryant, Belknap,
G@ore Gnssse ysr otis PresbsTy 1HrSS SSs ''' u'nee
The first successful iron works in the col
ony were started in Taunton, in 1852. At
tempts to manufacture iron were before this |
made in BraintIee and in Lynn; but the ore
proving to be insufficient in quantity, or |
doned.
The Taunton enterprise met with wonder
ful success; ore being found In abundance
and ready transportation Of products nv |
water facilitating the business, Other |
hearts" were established, and the sturdy |
iron men Of old laid the solid foundations Of
golden age OF prosperity, as Is shown forth
Dy her tounderies, machine-shops, loco
motive WORKS, copper and zinc manufae-
tories, an immense brick business, two great
manufactures Of silver-plated and britannia
ware, one OF the them-the famous Reed and
Barton WOrks-covering acres Of ground;
w0Olen mills, a number of cotton mills,
among them the great Wilmington Mills !
where ginghams are made. These mills 0e- I
cupy twelve acres of ground. The floor OF I
one weave-rOom measures one and one ,
twelfth acres Many minor industries are
thriving. There is something for everyone 1
to do who wishes to work and long streets I
lined with elegant residences testify that old /
Taunton has her full share Of wealth and {
refinement. a
Visitors at the forthcoming jubilee will B
find historic places plainly marked, and a
friends ready to guide and direct Should
they wander into the old meek o. Land''
burying-ground, or Pine Hill cemetery. thew
will find ancient graves reverently cared for
and perchance may trace on crumbIing
stones, ancestral names that In their hearts 1
are entwined with tender traditions
handed down from the dim past or that I