St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1906-10-03
The Origin of Old Home Week.
Wilmington Claims to Have'Started It,
Some Unique Features of Its Observation.

Some Unique Features of Its Observation
The following communication recently
appeared in the Springfield Republican III
reply to an editorial in that Journal:
The Editor of The Republican,
In the last number of your Weekly ap-
peared the following
The eighth annual old home week in
New Hampshire was opened Saturday
night. Founded by Gov. Frank w. Roll
Inns in 1899, the idea was a success from
| the start, some so cities and towns in
wiling back their absent sons and daugh-
tiers for old home day celebration that
year. This number has since been more
than doubled, and this year there will be
old home week observances in at least
125 different places within the state.
1t is gratifying thus to witness the
growing observance of this delightful old
home week festival throughout New
England and to feel as all must feel that
the occasion has not only come to stay,
but that it's annual observance is des-
tined to extend to all the leading cities
and townships as the years go by It
therefore becomes interesting to know
when, where and by whom old home
week was founded to the end that due
honor and distinction may be accorded
to those justly entitled thereto instead of
those who have no claim whatever that
will stand the test of unbiased examina-
ton. Eszk3l
Therefore will you permit me to say
that old home week did not originate in
New Hampshire, nor was it founded by
Gov. Frank W. Rollins in 1899" as
stated in the above quotation, but that,
on the contrary, it did originate in and
was first observed by the town of Will
nington, Windham county, Vt. (popula-
ton 1924, nine years previous to 1899,
under the name of the Reunion of the
sons and daughters of Wilmington, July
SO, 1890" The ceremonies then held
were painstaking and elaborate, and
were attended by return of old resi-
dents and their families from nearly half
the states in the Union, estimated as
equal in number to the population of the
town. The ceremonies virtually extended
through an entire week, and were enthu-
siastic throughout.
With no precedent existing as to plan
and scope, it is noteworthy that
practically every feature since adopted
by more populous and pretentious COM
munities was embracedin the earlier pro-
gram, beginning with appropriate re
ligious services i'll the churches, followed
during the week by parades, professions,
addresses, speeches, banquets, toasts,
poems, music, fireworks, bonfres, etc.,
while the village was profusely decorated
with flags and bunting, triumphal arches
and other appropriate devices.
But better than any other perhaps,
was one unique and singularly appropri-
ate feature, which, so far as l know, has
never been adopted elsewhere-that of
presenting stereopticon portraits of old
residents of the town-a hundred or two
in number-projected in heroic size upon
a canvas stretched on the front of the
town hall and exhibited at night to the
delight of an enthusiastic gathering that
crowded the streets to OVERLOOKING. And
apropos of this let me observe that this
progressive little town, within the last
two or three years, has procured and
hung on the spacious walls of its memoir
al hall the portraits, uniformly sized and
framed, Of some $50 of its prominent
deceased citizens-a mecca that is con-
stantly being visited by increasing
numbers grateful for the melancholy
privilege. The Inauguration of this
gallery, while it may have been suggest
ed by the outdoor exhibition of old home
week above referred to, is chiefly due to
the laudable and untiring efforts of
well-known resident, and it is pre-
sumably the only collection of it's kind
in the state and probably in New
England at the present time, and it
seems peculiarly fitting that the founder
of the old home week itself should also
be the pioneer in creating this extensive
collection of its departed residents, in
portraiture, the purpose being to make
it complete at the earliest time possible.
But my object is accomplished when I
call attention to this unwarranted claim
as to the origin of old home week-a
happening of no vital Importance per-
haps, but one of undeniable interest and
destined to become still more So Events in
history worth recording should be
established while yet unimpeachable
evidence is available to support them.
Had such been adduced, it would not
have been said of Moses that no man
knoweth of his sepulcher nor would the
seven different cities of Greece have con-
tended for the honor of having been the
birthplace of the immortal Homer
But, happily, on account of the cere-
monies at Wilmington 16 years ago, was
officially published at the time, book of
upward of 200 pages, copies of which are
still extant although the edition was lin
tied and consequently soon exhausted.
| know of at least two copies-one in my
possession and another in the library of
Congress at Washington sent by myself
a year or two ago in compliance with
request therefor made by the librarian.
JOHN H. FLAGG
New Work. CITY Senteta het. 1 10QG