Norwich bulletin., 1909-07-05

I@o Hundred and Fifty Years Oldl Norwich has reached it's quarter mil- iepiunl and the celebration of this ripe old age was duly opened Sunday morn ing, being favored with delightful weather, city decked from one end to the other with a grand display of holiday attire, electric ikluminations and thousands of guests already here and many more on the way. All roads toQay lead to Norwich. Satur- day and Sunday every traiIE and boats brought an increase to the crowds. There was a warm welcome for all and general visitation during the day.
 A small but important feature of the morning was the decoration of the graves of the founders who are buried near the monument of Major John Mason at Norwich Town. These, as well as the monument to Mason, were decorated for the occasion, the latter having been cleaned and fixed up by the Mason Monument associa- tion, while the grounds about it were also looked after.
 Services at 5urying Ground.
 For the first of the public services An the celebration of the 250th anni- versary of the founding of the town and the 125th of the incorporation of the city, Norwich invited her sons and daughters to a service Sunday aft ernoOn that fittingly recalled the 35 founders. It was held at o'clock in the old Norwich Town burying ground where a throng of more than 500 were assembled among the moss grown stones that marked the last resting place of so many of the forefathers. The place for the service was chosen in the home lot of Rev. James Fitch, where a tall weeping willow overlook ed the attentive audience, bearing un- on it's trunk the names of the four founders buried in the plot-ThOmas Adgate, Simon Huntington, John Post, Thomas Waterman, as well as that of Christopher Huntington, Jr., the first of the males born in the new settle ment.
 The following were the ushers, who arranged the audience in front of the gentle slops where the speakers stood: George F. Hyde, John F. Lu- ther, Jeremiah Murphy Thomas Ca- sey, William Wells Lyman and R. Huntington Gulliver.
 pr. Frederick P. Gulliver. descend ant, was in charge of the service, which opened with the hymn, Our God. Our Help in Ages Past, sung with full toned melody by choir directed by Frederic w. Lester. The following comprised the choir: Mrs. Charles Tyler Bard, Mrs. Frank Herbert Mer- Till, Miss Louise Fuller, Miss Elsie Brand, Mrs. Frederic S. Young, Mrs A. T. Sullivan, Mrs. George T. Lord Mrs. William c. Haselden, Miss Belle 1T. Service and Louis A. Wheeler, James Henderson. Louis Brown, George A. Turner. F. $. Birchard, James L. Case, Walter F. Lester Will liam Oddly and c. D. Gallup.
 Welcome in Name of Founders.
 The welcome in the name of the Founders was given by Dr. F. P Gull liver, who said:
 In the name of the founders of Nor witch, the 35 original proprietors. to whom was granted by Uncas the nine miles square tract, I bid you one and all welcome to our 150th anniversary celebration.
 I have been asked to do this, first, as a resident of Norwich for the past 25 years; second, as a descendant of one-third of the original proprietors who 250 years ago laid the foundation of Norwich; and, third, as one who has confidence that before our 300th anni- versary celebration, Norwich will have outgrown the condition of rival vil- lages. and will have become the un- doubted leader of eastern Connecticut dn business, commerce, transportation, etc.
 We stand this afternoon in a por- ton of the home lot of the Reverend