The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1891-01-17
STOVE OR ANTI-STOVE.
A Bit OF History from New England
Village.

A Bit OF History from New England
Village.
To the kindness of our esteemed fellow
Countian Mr.. William F. Baldwin of
Baldwin's Mills, we are indebted for the
pleasure of perusal of an interesting
old volume of Sketches and Chronicles
of the Town Of Ltchfield, Connecticut.
The volume in question is the outcome
of Centennial Celebration of Litchfield
County held at LitcLf field in August 1851,
in which Mr.. Baldwin participated and
acted as Marshal, and of which town be
was then resident. and in the early his.
tory of which a mum Der of its citizens of
that surname were prominent. Amy one
at all familiar with New England Chroni
Giles, will recall the fact that Litchfield
very early in the history of Connecticut
was known as a centre of culture and g.
finement. The first law school in the
United States WAS established there, and
the reputation of the town early attracted
the best class of residents on account of
its superior educational advantages.
At New England dinner given a few
years ago in New York, one of the
orators of the occasion, in recognition of
the pioneer spirit of New England men
in peopling the great West declared, that
they were "the seed corn of tie Cont
nent." If this rather fulsome c)mpli-
ment be at all jus tilted by their charac-
tiers We may with equal. truth term
Litchfield the Connecticut granary of
these prolific germs of an excellent race
of men. Ljtchfield would be distinguish
ed had it never been the birth place of
any other man than Henry Ward
Beecher, and his talented brothers and
sisters, and the home for SO many years
of their justly celebrated sire the Rev.
Lyman Beecher, who was the father of
more brains than any man in America :;
while It's contributions to the list of
Revolutionary heroes embrace Ethan
Allen the Hero of Ticonderoga, the
leader of "the Green Mountain boys"
whose defiant demand sin the name of
the Great Jehovah and the Continental
Congress" still echoes down the ages :;
and Oliver Wolcott that bold and zeal
GUS champion of the cause of American
Independence, while the historic names
of Sheldon, Adams. Beebe. Seymour,
Strong, and Reeve, all intimately associ-
ated with Litchfield, fix the character of
the town by the reflection of their own
flames. Our present object however is
not to sketch the town, but simply to
reproduce curious little bits of history
that will prove interesting to our general
readers.
Litcbfield although settled by descend
ants of the Puritans, was not strictly
puritanical, nor were its inhabitants even
in early days averse to fun and amuse
ment. 1t always was, and is still a
typical New Eegland village with it's
white dwellings and green window
blinds. Located about one hundred
miles Northeast of New York and
thirty five miles Northwest of New
Haven, Prof. Silliman of Yale College
pronounced it beautiful spot. In Eng.
land he said such a town would be a
wonder, with SO considerable a number
of it's houses apparently tenanted by the
gentry. The first violin was heard in the
town in 1749. Previous to that year the
young people danced while one of the
company sang. The first dance to the
music of the violin cost the assembled
dancers just one dollar, and the good old
people predicted that they would be
ruined by the extravaganza of the youth.
But their predictions were not verified.
The intelligence and social position of its
inhabitants, and the beauty of its locs.
ton drew there the wealthy and dis
tinguished from abroad, and as early as
1885 theatrical entertainments were
given in the village by students of Yale
College, while in 1857 the town had its
first taste of an American circus, when
Mr.. Pool the great American Circus
Rider annouced an exhibition in Mr..
Buel's Orchard near the town.