Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1899-09-22
Guildhall Church
Centennial.
COL. BENToN's ADDRESS.


II is fact which We learn from his
tory that religion has existed in every
period Of time and among all nations.
Even to the infancy Of the world and
among the fathers Of the human race it
can be traced Before the origin Of ma
tions, and while the inhabitants of the
world We're one community, the earliest
account (Which is that Of our sacred
scriptures), informs US of its existence.
Not a tribe, however unenlightened, is
found but what possesses some kind Of
religious faith. Religion, then, is nat
ural TO the human species. Man alone
possesses the capacity Of Distinguishing
between truth and falsehood, between
good and evil.
Congregationalism of modern times
had its beginning in the seventeenth
century. Previous to that time Christi
anitv had been, i'll most countries where
it prevailed, 4 State religion, governed
as to its forms and influence, not a little,
even in its doctrines, by the same power
that controlled the nation. But a sep
aration between Church and State was a
necessary condition Of human progress.
an inevitable consequence Of free thought.
One stormy day in the fall OF l620 the
Mayhower dropped anchor in the harbor
of Cape Cod. 1t bore a little band of
pilgrims whose descendants settled this
section and whose religious faith has
been perpetuated and has become our
sacred Inheritance.
On Saturday, June 30, 1874, Captain
Peter Powers and his faithful party OF
explorers, who had been sent by the gov
ernment Of New Hampshire to explore
the Coos country-G now quote from
his journaD We came to large river,
which came from the southeast, about
) rods wide Here We concluded to 60
no further with full scout by reason of
our provisions being almost all spent,
and almost all our men had worn out
their shoes, This river We called Powers
river. it being the camping place at the
end Of our journey; and there We camped
by the river" (This river is HOW known
as lsrael'S river.)
Captain Powers was the first man OF
English descent who ever visited this
section Tor discovery. There is no record
in his journal OF any transaction on July
lst. Monday, July I'd he writes. " Fair
weather, and We thought proper to mend
our shoes and return homeward; accord
ing We Went about the same. and whilst
the men were this way engaged the Cap
tain and two men marched up the river
TO see what further discoveries We could
make, and We travelled about miles
and there We discovered where the In
dams had a large camping place, had
been making canoes, and had not been
gone about one or two days at most, and
SO We returned to the rest of the men
again about II Of the clock. and then We
returned and marched down the river to
Starks river and camped. This after
noon il rained hard, but We We're forced
to travel for want Of provisions. This
interval is exceedingly large, and the
further up the larger. The general
course of the river is from northeast by
east as far as the interval extends" 1t
was, therefore, III 1854 that this beauti-
ful valley above the fifteen mile falls
was explored by white man; to me the
most beautiful valley and spot on the
earth. The Captain and two Of his men,
therefore, must have gone nearly, if not
quite, to Guildhall Falls: and at this
place they were over $50 miles from civ
ilized habitations. And here they first
fell upon the trail of Indians. This was
quite natural, from the fact that the In
dian tribes had their trail from Lake
Memphremagog to Maine, down the
Connecticut river nearly to Guildhall,
and thence up the Upper Amonoosuc
river. The early settlers here were fear
full of Indian attacks and outrages.
From 1854 to 1883 (the year Quebec
fell into the possession of the BritiSh)
no efforts were made to discover or settle
new territories; but in 1851 when the
French and Indians were no longer feared
the spirit of emigration revived and sur
passed all that had been before wit
messed. The governor of New Hamp-
shire ordered a survey to be made of the
Connecticut river. and three tiers of
townships to be laid out on each side ;
anu III Illlo Vdl HV SldltlCu ii CIldlleI LOI
Guildhall to Elihu Hall and associates.
These original proprietors were residents
of New Haven, Conn. They held their
first Proprietors meeting on the last
Wednesday of October 1861, but they
did not settle, or perhaps not even visit
the town until men from another State
| CMassachusetts) had occupied portions
of the town.
During the French and Indian war
many unsuccessful expeditions to subdue
Canada were planned and attempted. In
one of these expeditions was young En-
| r,Ope StOnEuaO on prnhoD uhCSa no -.