The Newtown bee., 1891-08-21
FAIRFIELD.
FAIRFIELD's PAST AND PRESENT.


part of the British army, under the
command of Maj Gen Tryon, landed and
laid the quaint old town in ashes. Yes,
old and quaint even in 1879, for it was a
town of enough Importance in l640 to
have church, although the young men
of the settlement were obliged to stand
at the church door with prayerbook in
one hand and a blunderbuss in the other,
watching lest the Indians should sur
prise them at their devotion. 1t was only
village of Unquowa became the English
town of Fairfield.
In those days, the women were not idle,
for while the men brought under Guilt
walton the land, their wives and daugh-
tiers attended to the spinning, weaving,
dyeing and making the clothing for the
household. And they also made the
bread, butter, cheese, soap, candles, lard
and sulphur matches. This is enough to
show that ON the farm and in the farm
house of the colonists were all the ele-
ments needed for self reliance and
strength. The daughters of the revolu-
ton may we'll feel proud of such descent.
In the absence of piano, the music of
the loom and spinning wheel has doubt
less lulled many settlers baby to sleep.
Nor did they lack time for works of
charity, for when, some years later, a
portion of his Majesty's Forty-eighth
Highlanders were quartered in Fairfield,
the town meeting took pity upon their
Gaelic guests, whose short breeks left
their knees exposed to the biting Winter
cold and, with other supplies, the town
voted E23 to furnish wood for the High
land troops. am glad to find that no
Highlanders are mentioned in the burn
ing of the town in 1779.
At the time of the burning. the town
was not an old and dilapidated settle
ment, although 40 years had passed
since the colonists first laid its founda-
tions. Fairfield was a f1ourishing town
in 1873. A large and substantial court
house had been built on the central
green. The Church of England, which
had its beginning here in 1924, had built
fine church, for those days.
Many of the earliest buildings had Civ
en- place to larger and better structures.
Many fine shops graced the principal
street and handsome colonial homes
could be seen in every direction. 1t is
hard to believe, but it is fact, that 100
years before the burning of the town by
the British, the men of Fairfield, under
stout Roger Ludlow, thought of punish
ing the Dutch settlement of New Am
sterdam and rated Fairfield as the equal
of the future New Y ork in prosperity
and Importance.
Well, if New York has grown to be
one of the finest cities in the world, Fair
field has remained one of the handsom-
est villages in New England. The viii
lage faces the great Sound, which at
times has all the majesty of the sea and,
again, the beauty of a lovely lake. On
it's bosom may be seen the sprightly
boats of the fishermen and the stately
yacht of the millionaire. On Grover hill,
to the left, a number of handsome Queen
Anne cottages and, beyond, the Black
Rock hotel and the government light
house. Turn from this fine landscape
and the background Is no less delightful,
slightly hills rising in gentle gradations
to 1900 feet in height. Well might DIR
Samuel Osgood exclaim to his fellow
townsmen at the centennial commemora-
ton of the burning of the old Fairfield ::
"This is our town-our Fairfield-and, as
we look, we feel one pulse beating along
the two and half centuries and uniting
us with stout men and devoted women
who first called this land by it's present
name and declared it fair to all time, as
we do now"
The Congregationalists of the town
are erecting a church to take the place
of that burned, a year ago last Spring
and, when finished, it will be without
question one of the finest in New Eng
land. 1t is to be of sculptured, reddish
sandstone and after the Norman style of
The church will be quite
in contrast with the first one, built in
rough logs, the crevices being filled
with clay-openings cut in the, timbers
to admit the light, the roof matched
with straw and long meadow grass, the
door being without hinges-in fact a
simple barricade. The present pastor is
Rev Frank S. Child; he is an earnest
and great worker in the church, and is
also a man of considerable literary abili-
ity, having written number of works
on religion and travel.
While the Congregationalists are thus
erecting church of which they may
feel justly proud, their friends, the Epis-
copalians, are adding to their little ivy
covered church guild room and other
improvements that will contribute to the
picturesque appearance of the old build
ing. The congregation of this church
are happy in having for their pastor Rev
j. Strother Jones, grandson of John
Marshall, who was envoy to France in
1898, a member of Congress in 1893, sec
rotary of war in 1900 and Chief Justice
of the United States in 1901, which office
he filled with honor until his death in
1886. Mr. Jones is worthy descendant
of SO distinguished grandsire and a
gentleman of most excellent ability, low
ed and respected by all who have the
pleasure of knowing him.
Adjoining the Episcopal church stands
the old academy where John G. Calhoun
attended school when a boy and, next to
the academy,is place of great interest.
It was the home of Thaddeus Burr, in
which were welcomed friends driven out
of Boston at the time of that city's
blockade; in it, one Of the most noted
beauties of that day, Dorothy, daughter