The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-03

| gS5 HALL lI
UNITARIAN PARISH HOUSE, FAIKHAyEN.
notable additions to Mr.. Rogers gifts
to the town, which include 4 brick
schooiEOJSe. a library and Il town hail.
The parish house is built Of stone cut
from !; ledge at Fort pllpniX. within
200 yards of the Rogers mansion. The
trimmings are of blue limestone, and
the scheme of exterior embellishments
includes carved heads and yurgOylnS
similar to those found on Oily cathc-
dral in England, ornamental tracery
windows of white limestone. turrctS
pinnacles and chimney pots Of terra
Gotta.
The interior has some striking fen-
tureS-carved decorations. a profuSion
of paneling. fiat arches and shallow
holdings. In the entertainment hall.
or Sunday school room, are to be found
four full length figures of angels
carved in oak. Throughout the build
ing oak is the only wood used except
in the flooring of the kitchen and soul
y
a parish of not more than sixty fami,
lies. the average attendance ut the
Sunday services not exceeding fifty.
No one knows exactly how much they
will cost, as the work is being done by
the day. Half a dozen stone carvers
have been busy for more than year
on this part of the church alone, and it
lo ~o+ r. 4;
innate that when the buildings are
completed they will represent an eN-
penditure of close upon 100000.
Mr.. Rogers spends all che time he
can spare at Fairhaven. @is home in
the south part of the town is Georgian
in architecture and is one of the show
places of Fairhaven @ is bigger than
most summer hotels, and from it an
excellent view of BuzZards bid may
be obtained. Eor the last seven years
Mr.. Rogers has held the Office of super
intendent of streets, and, thanks to his
generosity, the own possesses more
macadam roads chan any Massachu
sets settlement four ames its size.
The money to build them was not ap-
propriated az the annual town meet
ings, so one may guess whence it came.
This is not all that Mr.. Rogers has
done for Fairhaven. &e built water
works system that is now owned by
the library and is one of the sources Of
its income. Last summer half mile of
granoiitf1ic sidewalk was laid til the
street that ends at Mr.. Rogers gate.
He will provide any householder with
curbing in front of his house, the own
er's only expense being to pay for the
setting of the stone. Trees have been
planted along new streets, the old Uni
tartan church has become a school
house, unsightly buildings that disfg-
ured the wharfs have disappeared. In
every case Mr.. Rogers has paid the
bills, and he is prepared to do even
more for the town. AS soon as the leg
islature gives authority the mill pond.
long Disagreement will be trans
formed into park. If the cost of all
these improvements could be estimated
with any degree of accuracy it would
total far beyond $2OOO,OOO and might
easily reach $3,OOO,00O
Another of the interesting buildings
of Fairhaven which owe their eXistcncA
to Mr.. Rogers munifcence is the Ma
sonic hall at the -Four Corners" a fine
business block. 1t contains a lodge
room finished in CHARTERED oak, and
when Mr.. Rogers gave it to the Ma
sons he stipulated that the name of
their lodge should be changed from
Concordia to the George H. TaDpr
lodge. This was a signal tribute to
"Uncle' Taber, who was then still
alive and one of the most picturesque
figures Of the town. In his boyhOod
days Mr.. Rogers and the old man, who
went on one voyage for whales and
then sailed in many merchant vessels
as captain, were great comrades.
In the last years of his life Captain
Taber was a frequent visitor to the
hall that bore his name, and these Wis
it's helped to make happy his declining
days. At the dedicatory exercises in
the lodge room Mr.. Rogers made an
impressive speech in the course Of
which he said, captain Taber is the
finest old fellow I ever knew, with a
heart as big as an OK and love enough
for the whole world The worthy cap
tain died last year, aged ninety four,
and none more sincerely mourned his
demise than did the Standard Oil mag
nate. HENRY A. BRUCE.