New Britain herald., 1923-04-19

The general store and little red school house on East street gave that thoroughfare tho dignity of being called the center of the scattered hamlet.
 Main Street Country Lane
 Some distance to the west, situated in what was almost a wilderness. one or two isolated houses marked the site of what today is the city's Main street
 1t was in military age when the little parish was formed and the con gregation consisted in q large part of men with such titles as captain" "colone' 'and "ensigns." Soldiers of the train band" met at the church for drill, and marches. and years later they bade boodbye to their loved encs at this same meeting house and marched away to the tune of the fife and drum to fight for freedom.
 Antcdates Battle of Lexington.
 The country was indeed young when the First Ecclesiastical Society of New Britain was formed. Five years before that date Braddock, in the wilds of Pennsylvania, went down to defeat and Washington won his first military laurels. Two or three years afterwards, General Wolf cap- tured the province of Quebec and added another empire to the British crown. Seventeen years to day after the meeting house opened. the rattle of Lexington was fought, and some of the same farmers who wor- skipped .n this little building in the woods. probably helped to fire the shot heard round the world.'
 But Connecticut was doing it's own governing, thus the legalizing of the society by the general assembly. The year the church was founded was the factory age" Arkwright, liar greaves and Watt were busy in the mother country working on those re- markable inventions which years later harnessed machinery to the forces of nature and helped make New Britain | the Hardware City of the World" All the articles in use were home- made. Fire places and foot stoves provided heat and cooking was done in iron kettles suspended by swing ing cranes over log fires.
 Spinning wheels provided the homespun clothing and light was pro- vided from rude tallow dips The rore modern tallow candle and the ultra modern kerosene lamps were achievements of the future.
 Pewster Sign of Prosperity.
 Tn tho oF pewter dishes were considered the acme of luxury. There was no post cffice, no stage coaches and even the postboy had not yet arrived. The Bible and, few religious books in he homes comprised the entire pub lie library" Yale college had been n existence for years, and John 8 graduate of that institu- ion of learning. was ordained the pastor of the New Britain church.
 The first building on Smalley park, IS it is known now, was built at great sacrifice and heavily self imposed axes by the settlers. A long ridge ,ole extended 80 feet from north to outh and the steep roof inclined to he front and rear, A double door, he principal entrance, opened toward 'malley street on the east. A single 'oor opened on the north and an- 'ther on the south. The pulpit was elvated and attached to the western vail and had a sounding board above to carry the sermon to those in the 'ews. Two starways led up, one on ther side. The pulpit doors were ocked with wooden buttons.
 On either side of the meeting ouse, extending from the front en- , rance to the pulpit were the box l, ews in which the men faced the minister while the wo,,fun sat with ! heir backs to the pulpit. There was !, O helfry, nor bell. Worshippers were i ummoned to meeting every Sabbath z ay by the sound of drum beats along ! he country roads.
 There were no clocks to tick off the \ assing minutes, and the congreea-l . oH cared little how slowly the grains T sand trickled through the hour . lass which stood alongside the Bible E n the pulpit. Two hours was not long 8 ,r a service and five or ten minute I rayers were things undreamed of. here was no heat, save the religious r rdor of those who sailed from for \