The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-07-10
The Calais Centennial.


Calais, its citizens met recently and chose
the following officers to have charge of the
celebration on the Fourth at Memorial hall
grounds, North Calais: President, l.. A.
Kent; vice-presideuts, A. ID. Pierce and Ira
S. Dwinell; secretary, T. T. Lamphere;
treasurer, S. II. Foster; toastmaster, G.. w
Foster marshal, u. b. Wheeler; orators
Hon. Charles III. Heath of Montpelier and
Hon. H. X. Slayton of Manchester, n. II.
The working committee of arrangements,
to whom is due large share of the credit
for the success of the celebration, were j.
Warren Leonard, Earl Bliss, T. T. Lam
phere, Captain A. p. Slayton, Henry Town,
S. III. Foster, c. V. h. Kent Charles Bur
nap, Miss Lucy NJ. Slayton Miss Nervie l..
Foster and Mrs. Clinton Ormsbee.
national salute was given at sunrise.
At ten A. NJ. large concourse of people
from Calais and adjoining towns began to
assemble, and, under the direction of the
chief marshal, formed in line in the follow
ing order: Drum corps, old citizens in
carriages of ancient date, citizens in mod
ern carriages and on foot band of music,
school children by districts, militia, young
men on horseback.
At one o'clock P. NJ. the people were
called to order by the president, L. A, Kent,
and prayer was offered by Rev. Orin Davis,
after which an address was given by Hon.
Charles III. Heath Of Montpelier, of which
the following is an abstract:
MIR. HEATH's ADDRESS.
Mr.. Heath spoke of the pleasure it gave
him to attend such an occasion so near the
place of his birth and the scenes of his
childhood, and at the very place where so
many of his school-days were spent. He
spoke of the occupation of the country
thereabouts by the aborigines; of the grants
that were made by the colonial government
of New York; of the township of Calais
under the names of Kilby and Kings Col
lege, grant that covered the very ground
the audience then stood upon. He spoke
of the coming of Abijah Wheelock and his
associates in March, 1889; of the then i'm
mediate rapid settlement of the town; of
their means of subsistence in ponds and
brooks that were stocked with the finest
speckled trout, of which as many as two
thousand pounds were taken in a single
year from single pond of the woods that
were abundantly stocked with large game
moose, deer and bears-which afforded an
abundance of meat. The mountains and val
leys were also stocked with fine fur bearing
animals-the mink, muskrat otter, sable,
bear, martin, fox, etc, The woods were
also infested with ravenous wolves, which
| often grew so bold as to attack man.
! Here was the finest growth of timber in
! New England-pines four feet in diameter
and one hundred seventy-five feet high
| All this forest must be cleared away, but
underneath it was an exceedingly fertile
soil. The most pressing question in the
| matter OF subsistence was grain for bread.
| Corn could not well be grown, but wheat,
barley and oats thrived wonderfully. This
was the reason why the first settlers made
their homes on the highlands, and that
again was the reason why the roads were
made over the tops of the hills. He referred
also to some of the distinguished gentlemen
who were either born in, or had some imme-
date connection with, the town. Nathaniel
! George Clark DID, was born in Calais,
| Gpbnn1 N il
now secretary of the American Board of
! Commissioners for Foreign Missions Thad.
! Stevens, a native of Peacham, who after
ward went to Pennsylvania, taught that
same school one winter. In the next dis
! trict north of the Bliss district the Rev.
Dr. Chauncy NJ Goodell, who died in st.
! Louis, Mo-, and was the first Congrega-
| tional minister in the Northwest, was raised.
| He spoke of the Importance of a well and
correctly-written town history, which, he
said, ought to be compiled by some native
| of the town who knew its institutions and
! people, who would work at it not as a
hireling, but as a son who would trace the
! several families back to their Massachu-
setts or Connecticut homes, and by such
connection would make it possible for each
! of us to trace our family back to the home
| in old England. He spoke of the sociabil-
ity of the early settlers. With scarcely an
! exception they were either revolutionary
soldiers, or sons or daughters of revolu-
| tionary soldiers. TO this he attributed the
military spirit that had always character
lied the people of Calais, and hence the
readiness with which they responded in the
| war of 1872, to the call made by the govern
ment in the Mexican war and again in the
war of the rebellion, for which every quota
was filed, into which went the old Calais Ar
| tilery, organized as a company of detached
militia and mustered as infantry. He said
this company had the most notable record
of any military organization in Vermont
coming as it did out Of and as "A result of,
the war of 1912, serving the state continually
at the yearly trainings and the musters un-
til the war of the rebellion. 1t fought in
the battle of Gettysburg after its period of
service had expired, returned to Vermont,
was mustered out and never paraded
again. He said he would be well pleased if
he conld induce the people of Calais TO do
three things: First, to have a full and com
| plete history Of the town written; secondly,
to have large town library in a decent
building located near where the cannon
was then stationed; and, thirdly, to have a
soldiers monument located near the flag
staff
REMARKS BY HON. II. X. sLAYToN,
Hon. II. X. Slayton of Manchester, N. II 81,
spoke after Mr.. Heath. Mr.. Slayton said,
in substance: " l am glad to be with you TO
4 Ill ~