Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1915-12-24
FIRST TO ACT UNCLE TOM.
Daniel Worcester 80, Dies in Soldiers
Home in Bennington. Born in Log
Cabin in Warren, vt.


Daniel Worcester, the original Uncle
Tom in the first company that produced
the dramatization Of Harriet Beecher
Stowe s great novel, Uncle Tom s Cab
in, died in Bennington Thursday night
Dee. IS, at the Vermont Soldiers Home.
lie was a native of Vermont, having
been born in a log cabin in the town
of Warren August "a, 1893. His
father was o farmer and the family in.
cluded 10 boys and two girls. When
only II years Of age he left home and
went to Lowell, Mass, where he appren.
ticed himself to learn the trade of
painter. Soon after his arrival in Low
ell he bought his first theatre ticket,
an admission to the old Lowell museum
where Sheridan Knowles was playing
The Hunchback. The play made such
an impression on the youth that on the
following morning he could repeat
much of the dialogue and he then and
there made up his mind to become an
actor. He secured membership in an
amateur theatrical organization in
Lowell called the Aurora club, of which
he was soon made president and stage
manager.
His first professional engagement
was at the Howard Atheneum, where
he played minor parts for about six
months. In the fall of 1851 he became
a member of the company organized by
George Aitkin for the purpose of
"trying out a dramatization Of I'm
Gle Tom s Cabin. William S. Hutchins,
the famous lightning mathematical cal.
culator who made such reputation
with Barnum IS circus and who was for
many years the lecturer at the
Austin & Stone museum in Boston, also
was a member of the company and i'm
ipersonated st. Claire Hutchins, at
the time of his death in Boston in
August, 1911, was the only survivor of
the company except Worcester. Den.
man Thompson, who was member of
the Aurora club in Lowell at the time
Worcester was the club S stage man
ager, agreed with Aitkin to become a
member of the company. Thompson and
Worcester were both aspirants for the
name part in the new drama, but while
the rehearsals were in progress the
young man who later in life scored
such IA remarkable success in the Old
Homestead secured what he believed
to be less risky and more profitable
engagement and was released from his
agreement.
Aitkin produced the drama for the
first time at Natick Mass From Natick
the company made tour of the cities
and larger towns in Massachusetts,. The
theatres, or museums as they were
called at that time, all were controlled
by stock companies and it was neces-
sary for the troupe with its untried
production to make its appearances in
halls or churches. One night the play
was given in BAN. At Springfield,
Mass, where the dnma was given j..
Hampden hall, Harriet Beecher Stowe,
who was then living in Hartford, Conn,
was i'll the audience. From Springfield
the company went to Greenfield. II
. crossed the Hooss- nountain in coaches
, and appeared in North Adams and viii
Jamestown. Vermont was avoided for
the reason that at that time there was
law on the statute books of the
, Green Mountain state prohibiting tray
cling theatrical companies. From vii
Jamestown Manager Aitkin took hi,
company into New York state. He
played the towns on Lake Champlain
which gave the people of Vermont liv
ing on the other shore an opportunity
, to see the drama. When the company
! appeared i'll Port Henry, Essex ant
Westport fully one.half of the audi
= ences was composed of Vermonters who
crossed the lake in boats or on the fer
ries. In Wcstport there was an engage
ment of week and steamer was run
each night from Nergenncs to carry
the theatre-goers from that city From
the lake towns the company vent tt
Ogdensburg and then into the western
section of New York.
These early productions of the dram;
were rather crude and the author wal
continually changing the lines ne h,
saw opportunity for improvement. Tn,
parts were then il manuscript, not hav
ing been published, Aitkin was will
the company less than six months. A.
soon as he had completed the re
visions he thought necessary he wen
to Troy, n. Y, where he organized
troupe and where Uncle Tom Cabin
was produced for the first time bv i
stock company on the evening of Jun,
Is, 1852, at the old Troy museum
Writers of stage history generally hav,
recorded the opening night by Ait
kin s company in Troy as the initia
production of the play, but Uncle Tom !
Cabin had previously been ON the roa,
fully half year and had been seen b,
hundreds of people
When Aitkin left his original com
pany Worcester became its manager
and it was under his direction that TN,
troupe made its western New Yorl
tour. The actors remained together ;
year, but Uncle Tom Cabin was III,
only production attempted.
After his success with the oripina.
Uncle Tom s Cabin company Worcestc,
experienced little difficulty in securinr
engagements with the leading stoc
companies. He was usually listed n,
first old man, but not infreouentI,
as stage manager. After his return
from the Civil war most of his enoooe
ments were in the latter capacity.
Worcester enlisted in the 27tb Con.
necticut regiment When his term of
enlistment expired he returned TO his
old home in Vermont somewhat brokcn