F129 .S74 H2 . SOUTHOLD €i CELEBF^TION Class _A7Z^__ Book Sr^'^J/^ Copyright W ^ COPYRIGHT DEPOSfK THE STORY OF THE 275th anniversary CELEBRATION OF THE FOUNDING OF SOUTHOLD TOWN THE STORY OF THE 275th anniversary CELEBRATION OF THE FOUNDING OF SOUTHOLD TOWN JULY 21-25, 1915 BY ELLA B. HALLOCK COVER DESIGN BY MR. & MRS. HENRY PRELLWTTZ Come and live with us in the Fondly Remembered Past, the Happy Present, and the Promising Future. — Celebration Poster GARDEN CITY NEW YORK DOUBLEDAY. PAGE & COMPANY 1915 Copyright, 1915, by DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY ALL RIGHTS RESERVED, INCLUDING THAT OF TRANSLATION INTO FOREIGN LANGUAGES, INCLUDING THE SCANDINAVIAN / M --S 1916 ©CI.A42026U CONTENTS PAGE Foreword . - 3 Official Program 6 Officers and Committees 8 Story of the Celebration 15 Opening Reception Academy Reunion Parade Ball Games Minstrel Show Memorial Gateway Water Sports Fireworks Pageant Play Closing Concert Sunday Morning Services Union Religious Service Union Memorial Service Historic Exhibit Tea House Dancing Platform Conclusion Synopsis of the Pageant Play . . . • , 52 Prologue Prelude Spirits of Nature Indians Episode I. First Twenty Years of Southold Interlude — Dance, "America" Episode II. Political Government of Early Southold Interlude — Early Southold School Episode III. French and Indian War— " Spinning Song" Episode IV. Early Revolutionary Days Episode V. Return of Peace Finale — Tableau and Recessional Early History of Southold 68 CONTENTS Old Home Sites and Settlements . Letters from Southwold, England Celebration Poems and Songs Letter from the Chairman . Report of the Treasurer Southold Sun Dial PAGE 71 76 79 83 84 FACING PAGE 82 THE STORY OF THE 275th anniversary CELEBRATION OF THE FOUNDING OF SOUTHOLD TOWN FOREWORD The history of an event cannot be written a few months after it takes place, but the story of it can be told at any time by anybody who chanced to be an eye-witness, and usually with a certain degree of interest. Such an account will not be accurate in every detail, possibly, but it will convey an impression that is honest at least, and that may not as a whole be far from the truth. The report that appeared in the Long Island Traveler the week following the Celebration, seemed to serve the purpose for which it was designed, viz., to portray to friends who were far- distant from the old town, and recall to those who were present, the four eventful days of the Celebration. It is therefore used as a basis of the story that will attempt, in lieu of history, to preserve a record of events that time may prove as epoch-making. "How did it all happen?" is the eternal question that must be answered first. Like many other large growths, it came from small plantings, and this is another fact that adds to the interest in the great Celebration of 1915. About one year before it took place, a few people were casting about in their troubled minds as to ways and means of rais- ing funds for the Southold Library. A summer resident, Miss Mabel Stone, suggested a Pageant. What was a Pageant ? That was an old word, but it had a new meaning. Anybody who desired to know what it meant, might go on a certain afternoon to the home of Mrs. Mary H. Dayton and then and there the modem mysteries of the word would be revealed by Miss Stone. About a dozen people listened to the description of a Pageant in which the speaker had been interested, with the result that not one of the listeners thought such a form of dramatic representation practicable for Southold. However, the matter was to be taken into consideration and in three months another meeting would 3 4 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION be called. Again in January the little company came together in the Southold Reading Room. Quite a full report on the history of Pageants and their manner of pro- duction was given, but all to the confirming of the opinion that a Pageant was not for Southold. Hearts failed at the thought of the labor and expense of such an undertaking. The suggestion that Southold plan for an Old Home Week or at least a Four Days' Celebration was met with approval. This should include field and aquatic sports, a parade, feat- ures commemorative of the founding of Southold, and also entertainments by means of which the desired funds could be raised. There was approval, resignation, determination, but no enthusiasm as yet, and — no officers. A couple of months passed. The matter had gone too far to be dropped. The president of the Library Board, Dr. John W. Stokes, called a meeting in Belmont Hall. Forty people responded to the call. At this meeting Mr. Edward D. Cahoon consented to act as chairman of the Celebration, and Mr. Frederick K. Terry as secretary and treasurer. Mrs. Albert A. Folk and Dr. John W. Stokes, who had been inter- ested in the movement from the start, were elected assistant chairmen. Before accepting the office of chairman, Mr. Cahoon said : "Do all the people really want a Celebration? Do they want it enough to pay the price? "The opportunity is rare to associate all classes of our citizens in the bonds of unity and closer friendship by working harmoniously together in a common interest, with an unselfish purpose. If the undertaking is approached in this spirit by all, it will not be too large for us, but will bring to our community more than a passing show or anniversary spectacle. It will leave us better friends and neighbors because of our better understanding of one another and self-denial in a common cause. This should be our first thought and chief aim as the thing most worthy of the immense amount of time and thought required to make a creditable Anniversary Celebration. It is too big an undertaking for an executive committee or a few people. It must enlist not only the sympathy, but must claim also the time and the talents of our whole people — and this is what I mean by paying the price. It is not money — that is easy to give. I want to know that we are willing to give freely of the things which money will not buy. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 5 Assured of this, I have no anxiety about the financial success. Failure could mean only poor business management by your executive com- mittee. This liability they are ready to assume and nobody will be asked for financial assistance or to help make up deficiencies." The key-note of success had been sounded — and a higher note, also, that was dominant to the end. Something awoke in those quiet souls that were gathered on that afternoon in one corner of Belmont Hall. They would give themselves wholly to the service of Southold. What concerned her should concern them. The success of this new enterprise should mean something more than four days of spectacular entertainment. From this time on doubts vanished, com- mittees were formed, and Southold became a network of organized labor toward a single end. One other signal step in the progress of events must be recorded — perhaps the most important one of all. As the program for the Old Home Week or the Four Days' Celebra- tion was assuming definite shape, a letter came to the enter- tainment committee bringing news that seemed too good to be true. The letter was from May Marshall Addy, whom Southold can claim almost as its very own, so many seasons has she summered here and so closely allied are her interests with those of the town. She informed the committee of her study of, and experience in, the presentation of pageants, and expressed her willingness to direct a Pageant Play of Ancient Southold Town. Again doubts and fears were thrown to the winds, and decisions as to the impracticability of a pageant in Southold were forgotten. Without omitting a single feature already agreed upon, the pageant, with May Marshall Addy as directress, was incorporated into the pro- gram, and the celebration committee went forward with perfect confidence that its great plans could be carried out. 6 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION PROGRAM OF CELEBRATION EVENTS WEDNESDAY, JULY 21 8:00 p.m. Public Reception in Southold Academy, in costumes of early days, under auspices of the Tuesday Morning Club. THURSDAY, JULY 22 6:00 a.m. Ringing of all the bells in town. 9:00 a.m. Informal Academy Reunion of Teachers, Pupils and Friends in the old Southold Academy. 2:00 p.m. Grand Carnival and Historical Parade. Dr. J. H. Marshall, Grand Marshal 4:00 p.m. Ball Game — Newark Female Stars vs. South- old. On High School Grounds. Charles T. Gordon, Manager 8:00 p.m. Open-Air Old -Time Minstrel Show on the Pageant Green on Bliss Lawn. J. Leo Thompson, Manager FRIDAY, JULY 23 1:30 p.m. Ball Game — Sag Harbor vs. Southold. On High School Grounds. 4:30 p.m. Dedication of Founders* Landing Memorial Gateway, erected by the Ladies' Village Improvement Society, at Founders' Park, Town Harbor. 5:30 p.m. Grand Community Beach Party — Prize Con- tests ; Athletic and Water Sports. Basket Lunch on Beach. In the evening, Water Carnival of Decorated Boats, Magnificent Display of Fireworks. Music by Greenport Cornet Band. SATURDAY, JULY 24 1:30 p.m. League Ball Game — Orient vs. Southold. On High School Grounds. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 7 3:30 p.m. sharp. Historical Pageant Play of Ancient Southold Town, the great event of the Celebration, on Bliss Lawn. May Marshall Addy, Directress 8:15 p.m. Closing Concert. William Faversham and Julie Opp Faversham in Dramatic Recitals. Hazel Carpen- ter, Pianist. Clara Strong Tuthill (Soprano), Marie Mor- risey (Contralto), Os-ke-non-ton in Indian Songs, William M. Campbell (Baritone), Soloists. May Horton Hummel, Accompanist. Held in the First Church. SUNDAY, JULY 25 Sunday Morning, Regular Services in all the Churches. 2:45 p.m. Union Religious Service by all the people of Southold Town, on the Lav/n of the First Church, Rev. Wil- liam H. Lloyd, presiding. Opening Remarks by Rev. Epher Whitaker, D.D., Pastor Emeritus of the First Church, now in his ninety-sixth year. Rev. William Force Whitaker, D.D., pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth, N. J., Orator of the Day. Prayer by Rev. Herbert E. Marsland. Responsive Reading, led by Rev. George Wilson Scudder. Benediction by Rev. Charles E. Craven, D.D. Music by Singers of Southold Town, under the direction of Rev. Hafl-is K. Smith. 7:30 p.m. Union Memorial Service in the First Church, Rev. Charles E. Craven, D.D., the principal speaker. Every day and evening from 10 o'clock a.m., ample refreshments served in the Colonial Tea House. An interesting and valuable historical exhibit in the old Col. John Young's House, built in 1647. Dancing every evening on the Tea House Lawn. Merry-Go-Round and Carnival Sports on the lot of Lewis W. Korn, Main Street. Pennants, Buttons and Medals designed by Mr. and Mrs. Henry Prellwitz, and Southold Souvenir Sundials, designed by Dr. Geo. W. Fitz, and other souvenirs on sale at the Infor- mation Bureau and other places. Information Bureau at Colonial Tea House Comer. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CELEBRATION OFFICERS Chairman of Celebration Edward D. Gaboon Assistant Chairmen Mrs. Albert A. Folk John W. Stokes, M.D. Secretary and Treasurer Frederick K. Terry Pageant Directress May Marshall Addy Ella B. Hallock Lewis C. Austin Henry A. Reeves John L. Kahler CELEBRATION COMMITTEES Publicity Alfred H. Cosden, Chairman Wm. T. Gagen Mrs. Frank D. Smith Herbert M. Hawkins Lewis P. Wilkinson Charles Gildersleeve Albert A. Folk Auditing H. Howard Huntting, Chairman Thomas Farley William H. Joost Albert T. Dickerson Wm. H. Terry John M. Howard Daniel H. Horton- James M. Grattan S. Lester Albertson Wm. L. Williams Robert F. Carey Wm. O. Salmon E. D. Gaboon Richard Hogan Stephen O. Salmon Admission and Sales Lewis W. Korn, Chairman George Hogan Clair Van Dusen Myron Glover John Ruebsamen Jay Glover Joseph Carroll Edward Grattan Edward Donahue Thomas Fox Israel P. Terry Richard Hodgins William Grattan Officers Edward D. Cahoon, Chairman Dr. John W. Stokes, Frederick K. Terry, Asst. Chairman Secretary and Treasurer 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Religious and Literary Rev. Epher Whitaker, D.D., Honorary Chairman Frank R. Mitchell, Chairman Albert T. Dickerson Chas. L. Sanford Archie W. Symonds Rev. Wm. H. Lloyd John H. Lehr Rev. Francis Uleau Edward D. Cahoon Rev. H. E. Marsland Thomas J. Phillips Rev. Geo. W. Scudder Evening Entertainments Mrs. Ella B. Hallock, Chairman Mrs. Frank D. Smith Fred G. Prince Mrs. A. F. Lowerre Harry Vail Mrs. W. A. Cochran Joseph H. Marshall, M.D. J. Leo Thompson Nat S. Tuthill Charles Gildersleeve Historical Exhibits Mary L. Dayton, Chairman Mary Jane Corwin Mrs. George H. Terry Mrs. Albert A. Folk Mrs. William H. Taylor Mrs. Joseph A. Wells Gertrude Corwin Amy Sturges Mary Huntting Margaret Harper Henry Heath, M.D. Edith Prince Mrs. Henry Heath Marcella Fox Herbert L. Fordham Mrs. Annie A. Spooner Mrs. Herbert L. Fordham Richard S. Sturges Historical and Carnival Parade Dr. Joseph H. Marshall, Chairman George H. Fleet Alvah M. Salmon Alfred H. Cosden Frank Turner William W. Griffin George H. Wells Samuel P. Hedges William Batterman Edwin D. Tuthill Nathaniel E. Booth Charles F. Smith Frederick W. Bridge Walter Grabie Samuel Dickerson Charles Stephenson William H. Glover Nathan H. Sayre Dr. Joseph M. Hartranft Melrose I. Booth Frederick T. Jennings Louis N. Sanford John Kenney John Ruebsamen Walter T. Smith W. Corey Albertson Milton R. Terry Henry Wolff Arthur Taylor William Holden Benjamin B. Tuthill Frank F. Overton John H. Young Philip H. Horton 10 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Aquatic Sports and Water Carnival Dr. E. L'H. McGinnis, Chairman Arthur Jones, Commodore Shelter Island Yacht Club Edwin M. Millard Rensselaer G. Terry Wm. F. Moore Benj. F. Macomber Milton R. Terry Albert Taylor John Ruebsamen Teunis Bergen Edwin Prellwitz Nathan Davis John Messenger John J. Conklin Albert G. Case Decorations, Illuminations, Grand Stand and Grounds Wm. T. Gagen, Chairman George W. Smith Wm. R. Newbold Richard S. Sturges Frederick Fickeissen J. Edward Corey E. Ernest Boisseau Spencer W. Petty Chas. H. Becktold Louis Baumann Frank Strasser Thomas C. Fox J. Leo Thompson Fred E. Booth Herbert W. Simons Henry F. Van Wyck George R. Jennings Fred. G. Prince Millard W, Colder Benj. L. Prince John Breitstadt Fred. C. Leicht Henry L. Jewell Jonathan T. Overton S. L. Bennett Nicholas Carey Wm. F. Moore Albert W. Albertson Theo. Hoinkis Fireworks Lewis W. Korn, Chairman Frank Gagen Theo. Nenninger Wm. H. Swartwout Fred. E. Booth Wm. Schwicker Louis A. Tuthill Charles T. Gordon Dedication Mrs. Sarah E. Wheeler, Chairman Mrs. Geo. R. Jennings Henry W. Prince Mrs. M. Belle Van Dusen Wm. H. Beebe Lewis W. Korn Historic Sites N. Hubbard Cleveland, Chairman Frank T. Wells Frank C. Horton Frank P. Pottinger Edward H. Green 275tli ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 11 John W. Mrs. Irving R. Wiles Mrs. E. A. Bell Mrs. Elizabeth Hall Georgia Marshall Mrs. James M. Grattan Edward A. Bell Social Dancing Stokes, M.D., Chairman W. Corey Albertson Israel P. Terry Geo. F. Hummel John V. M. Howell Stephen O. Salmon Albert Taylor Joseph Carroll Geo. F. Hummel Jesse L. Case Mrs. Louise Ruebsamen Mrs. Wm. F. Moore Mrs. Thomas Farley Mrs. Martin Lehr Mrs. Geo. W. Smith Community Beach Party Frank D. Smith, Chairman Mrs. H. N. Booth Mrs. Wm. J. Conway Mrs. David T. Conklin Mrs. J. Ernest Howell Mrs. P. J. Mahoney Mrs. Wm. H. Taylor Mrs. Geo. C. Terry D. H. Jackson E. A. Bell Harry G. Fitz James Matthews H. M. Hawkins Israel P. Terry John Diller, Jr. Badges, Flags and Posters Henry Prellwitz, Chairman W. I. Hagerman May Mitchell Richard C. Addy Wilson Glover Otto Schafer Field Sports Chas. T. Gordon, Chairman C. W. Booth Wm. T. Gagen Fred. T. Jennings Refreshments Ladies' Village Improvement Society and Others Mrs. Horatio N. Booth, Chairman Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Miss Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. Mrs. David T. Conklin M. Belle Van Dusen Thomas Farley Sarah Wheeler Jane Corwin George R. Jennings David H. Jackson Edward O. Harrison Benjamin L. Prince Theodore Nenninger Theresa Davis Mrs. Albert A. Folk Mrs. Caroline Howell Mrs. George C. Wells Mrs. Louis Baumann Mrs. Thomas Billard Mrs. Annie Tillinghast Anna Beebe Margaret Harper Frances W. Booth Mrs. Catherine Cogan Mrs. Theodore Smith 12 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Mrs, Mrs. Albert W. Albertson Mrs. John W. Stokes Mrs. Frederick K. Terry- Mrs. Daniel H. Horton Mrs. Frederick W. Bridge Mrs. Mary Freeman Mrs. Millard W. Colder Mrs. Albert A. Folk Mrs. Archie W. Symonds Mrs. Albert T. Dickerson Mrs. Henry L. Jewell Mrs. Frederick G. Prince Mrs. Henry F. Van Wyck Mrs. Henry Fisher Tea House Whist Club and Others Louis N. Sanford, Chairman Emma Teague Ernestine Boutcher Amy Sturges May Case Agnes McCabe Susie May Ellie Terry Susie Terry Hilda Leicht Miriam Boisseau Doris Hagerman Josephine Crattan Isabel Boisseau Edna Cahoon Vera Terry Mary Kenney Caroline Taylor Mrs. Thomas J. Phillips Mrs. Frank R. Mitchell Mrs. Joseph M. Hartranft Mrs. Joseph H. Marshall Mrs. Alfred H. Cosden Mrs. Albert Steiner Mrs. Edward D. Cahoon Mrs. Edwin M. Millard Opening Reception Tuesday Morning Club Mrs. Joseph N. Hallock, Chairman Mrs. Edward A. Bell Mrs. Oliver V. Penney Mrs. Elsie Williams Mrs. John M. Howard Mrs. Frank D. Smith Mrs. Frederick W. Bridge Mrs. Elizabeth Hall Mrs. Richard C. Addy Academy Reunion Miss Mattie A. Wells, Chairman George W. Fitz, M.D. Miss Ida F. Wells John V. M. Howell Mrs. Louise Pond Jewell Mrs. Ella Judd Bennett Mrs. Annie Allis Payne Hospitality Mrs. Frederick G. Prince, Chairman Music Professor C. Oscar Moore, Leader of Pageant Play Orchestral Music Mrs. Regina Sturmdorf, Leader of Pageant Play Vocal Music Rev. Harris K. Smith, Leader of Choral Music William M. King, Leader of General Orchestral Music Mrs. May Horton Hummel, Piano Accompanist 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 13 Pageant Play Dances Hazel King, Chairman Costumes Georgia Marshall, Chairman Reporting and Printing Joseph N. Hallock, Chairman John L. Kahler Harry Lee Henry A. Reeves Lewis C. Austin Horace H. Williamson Harry Brown Transportation Silas A. H. Dayton, Chairman John S. Jenkins W. Corey Albertson Chas. B. Byron John B. Coleman Charles L. Stephenson Police and Public Safety Fred E. Booth, Chairman Frank Moffat Spencer W. Petty Harry Myers Frank T. Wells Harold Booth Treat Merwin Thomas Fleming Theodore Nenninger John Turner Charles Turner Henry Wilkinson Fred T. Jennings Otto Schwan Edward H. Green Charles T. Gordon Benjamin F. Macomber J. Leo Thompson Leo Gagen Albert W. Albertson James J. Gagen Andrew Gagen Thomas J. Carey Nicholas Carey Patrick Carey, Jr. John Carey William J. Conway Benjamin Gaffga George Gaffga Ernest Ullerich George Price Rensselaer Israel P. Terry Clement W. Booth Albert W. Albertson Carlisle Cochran John J. Turner O. V. Penney W. J. Grattan Ushers G. Terry, Chairman Henry Jennings J. Irving Fanning W. Germond Cochran Philip L. Danz Albert G. Francis Millard Howard John Ruebsamen 14 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Program May Marshall Addy, Chairman Louise Pond Jewell Joseph N. Hallock Auxiliary Riverhead Mr. Robert P. GrifRng, Chairman Rev. William I. Chalmers Mrs. Otis G. Pike Aquebogue Miss Mary L. Aldrich, Chairman Miss Nellie W. Young Mr. George C. Young Mattituck Mr. Charles Gildersleeve, Chairman Mrs. Herbert R. Conklin Rev. Charles E. Craven, D.D. Cutchogue and Neiv Suffolk Mrs. Harrison H. Tuthill, Chairman Mrs. Frederick G. Beebe Mrs. James Wickham Greenport Mr. Seward S. Travis, Chairman Mr. Fred B. Corey Mrs. George E. Post Mr. Frank D. Schaumburg Mrs. Joseph Townsend Mrs. John J. Bartlett East Marion Miss Effie Mull, Chairman Mrs. Edward T. Rackett Mrs. Halsey Wiggins Orient Miss Leila M. Young, Chairman Mrs. Estelle B. Dearborn Dr. Henry Heath The Story of the Celebration The Celebration of the Two Hundred and Seventh-fifth Anniversary of the Founding of Southold Town ! How can its story be told — what it meant to the people and what it revealed of them ? The most interesting thing about it was its transforming power. The quiet streets and fields were unrecognizable. There was pageantry everywhere — by day and night — color, music, motion, brilliancy, and a vast, happy throng of people. Men and women who have gone staidly about their homely duties were found perfectly equal to meeting the strain and quick emergencies of the great occasion. Farmers who have jogged slowly behind work- horses all their lives became tense, alert policemen, guiding with perfect safety and without confusion the thousands of people and automobiles that completely filled the streets. Southold may be old and her people staid, but she is not dead or even decrepit. She can be keenly alive when there is occasion to be such. Opening Reception The evening of the 21st came. The wind blew east, clouds hung low, storms raged near, but at eight o'clock the magic hour struck and the old town sprang to life and soul- stirring excitement. Regardless of rain, the automobiles began rolling to the door of the old Academy in that ceaseless stream that marked a feature of the Celebra- tion. It was a magic hour and a magic scene. Time seemed to have turned back. Ladies and gentlemen in grand and dainty costumes, true to the period of more than a hundred years ago, glided swiftly up the grass-grown walk, under the porch, past the stately, well-trained serv- ants, into the beautiful old parlor, where they were gra- ciously received by George and Martha Washington (Mr. 15 16 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION R. S. Sturges and Mrs. Elsie Williams). The room itself was well worth visiting. Deft hands and exquisite taste had gathered together just the articles to give the right feeling of a lovely, old-time parlor. The room was dimly lighted with candles and shaded lamps, their soft glow adding to the impression that the beautiful, gay figures were a part of a phantom scene of long ago. True to the traditions and tastes of Southold, that some- thing grave must be mixed always with the gay, on this historic occasion a valuable paper relating to the settling of Southold and the sites of its old homes, was read. It was written in 1876, by the late Albertson Case, Esq., when he was Town Clerk of Southold. Mr. N. Hubbard Cleveland, who is one of the best authorities on local history and was chairman of the historic sites committee, brought the paper to the attention of the chairman of the Celebration and at Mr. Cleveland's request it was read by the present Town Clerk, Mr. Joseph N. Hallock. (A part of the paper is printed elsewhere.) Solos that touched hearts were sung by a true daughter and son of Southold, Anna Prince Hedges, a descendant of William Wells, the lawyer, and Don Salmon Whitcomb, descended from one of the early settlers. The words of Mrs. Hedges's song of greeting, "Our Own Folk," were written by her for the occasion, and sung to the tune, "My Ain Folk," proved fitting and beautiful. And Mr. Whitcomb's brilliant rendering of Bruno Huhn's "Invictus" — who will ever forget it or the message of the song ? Throughout the evening old-fashioned airs were played on stringed instruments from King's Orchestra, of Greenport. In spite of the crowd, the grand march took place, George and Martha Washington leading, and then to the joy of the older generation, followed the quadrille and lancers, danced in a manner quite to their satisfaction. Thus the Tuesday Morning Club, through its able sub- committees, worked out in detail and met the expense of every arrangement for a reception that might fittingly open the Celebration and sound the first note of a grand success. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 17 For a few hours only during that night did quiet reign in the town. At what seemed a surprisingly early hour, and in a surprising manner to many, every bell in town pealed forth, announcing that the first glad day of the Celebration had dawned. R. S. Sturges, who guards jealously the treas- ures and interests of the First Church, brought out the old metal triangle, that was doubtless the first bell ever used in Southold, and amid all the clanging, its notes were heard, not unlike those of a fire bell. Academy Reunion On the morning of Thursday, with the same heartiness and jubilance of spirit, in the same place as on the previous evening, gathered the former students, teachers, and friends of the old Southold Academy. They came not as of yore, on the first day, nearly fifty years ago, plodding through deep snow, but flying up the shady street in swift automobiles, and many of them. Promptly at 9 o'clock the bell rang, but order did not follow for a long time. Old schoolmates must clasp hands, look in one another's faces, and recall the days when they were Dan and Bill and Joe. Jolly times! Old pranks must be played over again. The same old excuses must be slipped into teacher's hand. No barriers now between teachers and pupils ! Trials and troubles of school days were all forgotten in the golden afterglow that comes with years. It was good to be there and witness the bond between the students and teachers of the old Academy. To make the reunion perfect. Dr. Whitaker was present, and many and valuable were the incidents he told relating to the founding and early days of the Academy. Among those present from out of town were: Annie Smith Cummings, Mary Howell Wells, Rev. Daniel H. Over- ton, Ella Sanford Cartwright, Arthur H. Terry, M.D., Etta Tuthill Terry, Harriet Fanning Fitz, Geo. W. Fitz, M.D., Jennie Salmon Bryan, May Case.Berresford, Agnes Lindsay Biles, Helen Hunting Bly, B. A. Hallock, Elizabeth Elmer, Grace Payne Rhodes, Melrose Spooner, Carrie Corey Mor- ton, Nat S. Tuthill, Myra Robinson Tuthill, Anna Prince 18 , 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Hedges, Hon. John L. Havens, Burton D. Corwin, Lizzie Tut- hill Hudson, Lucy M. Leicht, Edna Spooner Morrell, Joseph C. Albertson. Former principals or assistants present were : Mrs. James R. Robinson, Mrs. Louise Pond Jewell, Mrs. Annie Allis Payne, Mrs. J. N. Hallock. Finally school was "called" by Miss Mattie Wells, chair- man of the Reunion Committee. All joined in singing "America" and repeating the Twenty-third Psalm. Dr. Whitaker offered a brief prayer. Remarks were made by the last president of the Alumni, Rev. D. H. Overton, Mrs. James R. Robinson, Mrs. Cartwright, and Miss Mary Hunt- ting. School was dismissed with anticipations of a joyful reunion on the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Academy, to be celebrated in 1918. Parade On Thursday afternoon the long-looked-for and talked- about parade took place. Good judges declared it was the best thing of its kind ever put together on Long Island. It was not such by chance. Dr. J. H. Marshall, the grand mar- shal, had a grand conception in his mind of what Southold might do in the way of a parade and he worked for weeks and months, determined that his conception should be real- ized. Persons owning automobiles, horses, vehicles of any kind, farm machinery, fire apparatus, boats — anything that would add interest to the parade — were interviewed and their promise secured to be ready at the appointed place and time. Few failed to keep the appointment and, more than that, each participant spent time and means to make his contribution to the great parade a worthy one. Need one marvel, then, when all these carefully prepared parts came together, that a spectacle was produced that thrilled the hearts of the beholders. There was a stateliness about it, a magnificence, surely an artistic effect, that seldom characterizes a parade. It moved like clockwork, without jolt or jar or friction of any kind. The automobiles and floats were remarkable for their beauty of design and execution. Some of the finest horses Dr. Joseph H. Marshall Grand Marshal of the Parade Frederick E. Booth Chairman of Public Safety Committee Q < o H X Q O ►J o O r"- •'Liberty Bell" W. D. Faulkner "Let Us Have Peace" L. F. Terry 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 19 in the country stepped proudly to the music. Even the comical features were interesting, because it was known just what a frolic some of the best known men in our town were having in contributing their services in this manner for the enjoyment of others. The line of march was from Mill Hill, where the line formed, to Hobart Avenue, then around the block by Town Harbor and up Bay Avenue to Main Street, then west to the point of beginning — a distance of about four miles. Houses and public building were gaily decorated and ten thousand people lined the streets. The parade was one and one half miles long and it took twenty-five minutes to pass a given point. There were two hundred and fifteen automobiles and it is estimated that two thousand persons took part and were in the line of parade. Headed by Dr. Marshall on a noble steed, and the Sag Harbor Cornet Band, the parade started promptly at two o'clock. Following, came a yoke of oxen and an ox-cart, driven by Mr. Peter Gaffga. These were the same ox-cart and driver that took part in the parade twenty-five years ago. Then, however, there were six oxen instead of two, and it was not necessary to import them from a distant place. Had it not been for the kindness of Mr. Eugene \Y. Durkee, of Patchogue, who loaned the oxen, and the knowl- edge and skill of Mr. Gaffga as a past-driver, anything so rare as a noble yoke of oxen might not have led the parade of 1915. Even with the oxen setting the pace, no eye was quick enough to see and make note of everything. It all passed too swiftly. The Greenport Fire Department was represented by Relief Hose and Eagle Hose; Mattituck's Fire Department v/as present, and Southold was represented by Eagle Hook and Ladder, Protection Engine and its hose company, with young girls riding on the engine. As a contrast v/ith mod- ern fire-fighting apparatus came the Riverhead Red Jacket engine, one hundred years old, the first engine in Riverhead. Then followed a young boys' band ; fantastic marchers of all sorts and kinds; Southold High School boys and girls; young Continentals ; Boy Scouts ; Indians ; horseback riders ; 20 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 1640 hay-rack filled with first settlers ; a wagon containing old farm machinery ; another, members of the W. C. T. U. ; a Knights of Columbus Float bearing a ship to represent Columbus's ship ; Josephine Addy dressed in national colors in a cart drawn by her big dog; Newark Female Stars and Southold Baseball Nine; and many other decorated wagons. Headed by the Greenport Cornet Band came two hundred and fifteen decorated autos. It would be impossible to name them all, but among them were the following: A Colonial car containing John and Priscilla Alden (H. L. Fordham) ; a flag-decorated float bearing the Liberty Bell as the central figure — designed by Mrs. E. M. Brodhead — costumes of the occupants, colonial (W. D. Faulkner) ; a car trimmed with red poppies on a dark green background (T. J. Phillips) ; a car enveloped in a black and gilt box, containing a playing Victor, representing a calliope (Miss Georgia Marshall) ; a car decorated with asparagus vine and white privet blos- soms (Mrs. R. Sturmdorf ) ; a car in white and tri-color con- taining the members of the "Home" group in the closing tableau of the Pageant (Albert Albertson) ; a car represent- ing a pink and white poppy bed, car lined with white, tires white, and costumes of occupants, white with touches of pink (E. D. Cahoon) ; car trimmed with patriotic colors, occupants in old-time costumes (Ernest Beebe) ; a Vassar car, representing a gray basket, filled with pink roses and girls in pink (Ann Hallock) ; two Syracuse University cars in yellow and black, filled with students ; a car covered with sunflowers, nodding from a background of crisp green foliage, costumes white with Normandy caps and white fichus, trimmed with tiny sunflowers (J. H. Marshall) ; a car festooned with morning glories, costumes white with touches of dainty morning glory colors (Rev. W. H. Longs- worth) ; a large car with top raised, every inch of exposed surface covered with fresh golden rod, costumes of ladies, yellow (A. H. Cosden) ; a float representing the early his- tory of Sterling, or Greenport, with Indians, canoe, and wig- wam (Greenport Board of Trade) ; a car covered with rag carpet, costumes colonial (George B. Preston) ; a car in white bearing the motto, "Let us have Peace" (L. F. "Fairies" J. J. Bartlett I-,, -r^ "American Eagle" E. D. TUTHILL .; '^.-RiP* •'•*^?***<^*^t&^ E^^mmMKK^ 'Pink Poppies," E. D. Cahoon "Sun Flowers," Dr. J. H. Marshall "Red Poppies,' T. J. Phillips 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 21 Terry) ; a car decorated with pennants (J. B. Roache) ; a car in white containing Httle fairies (J. J. Bartlett) ; a patri- otic car with immense American eagle as head-piece (E. D. Tuthill) ; two Oyster Ponds cars, containing early settlers (Frank Danforth and Edward S. Edwards) ; car decorated with wheat (Henry Tabor) ; a car decorated with cat-tails and flags (Louis M. Young) ; a car entirely covered with wild flowers and meadow grass (Ezra H. Young) ; a car cov- ered with golden coreopsis and asparagus (George L. Edwards) ; a car decorated with flags and bayberry (Charles S. Stephenson) ; cars decorated with flags (Edward W. Latham, Clarence H. Tuthill, Henry H. Richard, John H. Brown, Floyd F. King, William H. Beebe) ; a patriotic car containing four generations — Daniel Terry Tuthill, Lucy Tuthill Glover Luce, Iva Glover Luce, Eloise Frances Luce (D. T. Tuthill) ; two "Votes for Women" cars (Mrs. E. M. Millard and Mrs. William Batterman) ; a car, "Fruits of the Land" (Nat E. Booth) ; a car filled with Camp Fire Girls, another with gnomes, and very many more both interest- ing and beautiful that we were unable to make note of or that could not be identified with their owners. Ball Games At this point a sport that cannot be discounted in this country must be reported. Like all other true Americans, Southolders are loyal to the national game. The energetic chairman of the field sports committee, Mr. Charles T. Gor- don, arranged for a game of baseball on every afternoon of the Celebration week-days. One need only mention the gate receipts (more than six hundred dollars) to know how pop- ular the games were. Immediately following the parade on Thursday afternoon, the thousands on the street turned with one accord to the diamond on the High School grounds. Here gathered the largest baseball crowd that ever came together on the East End, to witness the game between the Newark Female Stars and the Southold team. It was a novel game, quite different from the usual one. However, people got the worth of their money in watching the efforts 22 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION of the girls to play ball, and in the enjoyment of the courtesy of the home team, of the umpire, and of the audience, in their treatment of the visiting players. There v/ere interesting features and decisions about this game that made it well worth seeing. On Friday afternoon a game was played between Sag Harbor and Southold, resulting in a score of 13 to 1 in favor of Southold. Promptly at 1:30, on Friday, the afternoon of the Pageant Play, the great crowd again made its way to the High School diamond, as if nothing could precede or super- sede interest in baseball. The regular league game between Orient and Southold was down for this date, and it proved the most exciting game of the Celebration and one of the best ever played by the East End League, requiring eleven innings to give a score of 7 to 6 in favor of Southold. Minstrel Show On Thursday evening an open-air, old-time minstrel show was held on what is now known as the Pageant Green, the place set apart for the enacting of the Pageant Play on the lawn of Mrs. Flora B. Bliss and generously loaned by the summer tenant, Mr. Alfred H. Cosden. What a setting it afforded for an evening's entertainment — shining water, dark pines, and over all the moonlight ! The entertainment was under the management chiefly of Mr. J. Leo Thompson, although in this, as in everything else, there was hearty cooperation from all concerned in its production. The pro- gram was marked by smoothness, good chorus work, solos sung by young voices that were remarkably true and sweet, and plenty of fun that was enjoyed as much by the actors as by the audience. The circle consisted of John Pollock, Harry R. Vail, Dr. J. H. Marshall and Frank M. Gagen as end men; J. Leo Thompson, interlocutor ; Harry Myers, Ray Hummel, Lloyd Cogan, Frederick Fickeissen, Frederick W. Bridge, Albert Taylor, Herbert Wells, George Hogan, Wesley Prince, James Lennon and John Scott. The program was as follows: "Pennants" J. B. ROACHE "Vassar" Ann Hallock "Columbus' Ship" Knights of Columbus "1640 Hayrack" SouTHOLD Grange 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 23 PART I Chorus, "In the Land of Cotton" Circle "Ring Off, Coon" Mr. Gagen "Virginia Lee" Mr. Hogan "Rolling" Dr. Marshall INTERLUDE Society Dances Mr. Halterman and Lady Pantomime Sketch . . Dr. Marshall and Mr. William T. Gagen Buck and Wing Dancing Messrs. George Gildersleeve and George McMillen PART II "Night Time in Dixie" Mr. Cogan "When Uncle Joe Plays a Rag on His Old Banjo". .Mr. Scott "Auntie Skinner's Chicken Dinner" Mr. Myers "Bake that Chicken Pie" Mr. Vail Closing Chorus, "Dixie" Circle King's Orchestra furnished the music. Memorial Gateway Early on Friday afternoon the tide of humanity began setting toward the Old Wharf property, christened anew this year as Founders' Landing Park. Here a most inter- esting series of events took place. First on the program was the Dedication of the Founders' Landing Gateway, erected by the Ladies' Village Improvement Society. The ladies arranged a fine order of exercises, which was as follows: Singing under the direction of Rev. Harris K. Smith; Presentation of the Gateway in behalf of the Ladies' Village Improvement Society, Edward D. Cahoon, chairman of the Celebration; Acceptance by Park Commissioner Henry W. Prince; Poem, "The Memorial Gateway," written by Metta Horton Cook, read by Frank R. Mitchell ; Chorus, "Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers" (Felicia Hemans) ; Address by Rev. Daniel H. Overton, of Islip; Singing by the audience, "America." 24 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION The addresses were short but impressive. Mr. Cahoon in presenting the Gateway, said: "To the honorable Board of Commissioners of this delightful spot for a Village Park, I have the honor and the great pleasure of offering in the name of, and for, the Ladies' Village Improvement Society this splendid Gateway which they have erected as a Memorial of the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the founding of the Town of Southold. "It is more than this — and it shall ever be a memorial to the fidelity, the affection, and the industry of this band of faithful women whose many good works shall live long after this generation shall have passed away, as an abiding reminder of the fact that they are worthy descendants of the noble self-sacrificing men and women whose mem- ory we will recall to-morrow in Pageant Play before the present generation. "I need not trespass on your time to recite the praises of this Society — 'their works do follow them.' Their only weakness is a virtue — modesty. Being women, they cannot talk. This gift is made pos- sible by the munificence and public spirit of Mrs. Minnie Terry Smith, Mr. Jonathan Terry Overton, and his brother Daniel,, who as the heirs of the late Jonathan B. Terry, with whose memory this spot is so tenderly associated, have given in fee forever to the Park Commission, the strip of land adjoining our original purchase, to the corner road line on the east. To them I do but feebly express the gratitude and appreciation of all our village people. "I want to leave with this splendid audience just one thought. It is this — Our Works Live. I remember when 'Boss Shepherd,' as he was called in scorn and derision, was planning, grading, and laying out the streets of Washington. To-day, when Mr. Shepherd with his big vision of the future importance of the nation's capital is no longer remembered, the whole country rejoices in his achievement, and enjoys the 'City Beautiful.' "I have heard, and some of you here doubtless recall, that when the South Road was opened through to Greenport so that travel no longer had to go by way of Boisseau Avenue and the North Road, that there was strong opposition, and bitter denunciation of the useless expense and heavy burden put upon the taxpayers; but we have and shall always have for our enjoyment the better and shorter way. So with this Park, whatever may have been the criticism of those to whom we are indebted for it, it is ours now and for all time, and shall remain the greatest blessing to our village that our people have yet secured. "And now, Mr. Prince, to you, as Chairman of the Board of Park Commissioners, and in the name of the Ladies' Village Improvement Society, I formally present this Memorial Gateway, the first great permanent improvement yet made to our beautiful park site." SouTHOLD High School SouTHOLD Baseball Team SouTHOLD Savings Bank Colonial Tea-House Albektson House 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 25 In accepting the Gateway, Park Commissioner Henry W. Prince said : "Members of the Ladies' Village Improvement Society, in behalf of the Park Commissioners and the people of Southold, I accept the offering you have made, which so plainly shows your interest and enthusiasm in beautifying tlais historic spot. Your gift is highly appreciated by those now living and I am sure will be by the genera- tions to come. Therefore, in the name of our townspeople of the present and the future, I thank you for this beautiful and substantial Gateway which you have erected at the spot where our forefathers made their first entrance to the town." Mr. Prince referred to the early traditions connected with the landing place and the names it had borne, one of the later ones, when he was a boy, having been L'Hom- medieu Landing. Pointing across an arm of the Bay to "Little Gray House," the summer home of Dr. Edward L'Hommedieu McGinnis, he told how the owner's distin- guished ancestor, Ezra L'Hommedieu, once owned all the land skirting the creek and bay thereabouts, including what is now the public park. The speaker paid graceful tribute to Southold's present representative of the old family and the services that he was rendering to the town of his fathers. Incidentally, also, grateful recognition was made of similar services done by new-comers in zealous interest of the old town's welfare. The few words of acceptance were cordial and appreciative. As the Gateway was formally presented, it was unveiled by Josephine Addy, the young daughter of the Pageant Directress, and Helen Booth. Slowly the great American flags were drawn aside, and an imposing and appropriate memorial was revealed. The pillars of the Gateway and their coping were of cobble stones gathered from the native fields and beach, all fitly and beautifully joined together. On a granite tablet of one pillar were the words: "Founders' Landing, 1640." On the other: "Erected by the L. V. I. S., 1915." The memorial was designed and built by Frederick E. Booth. Rev. Daniel H. Overton, who knows and loves Southold well, made the address of the occasion. His speech included many interesting references to the early history and traditions of the town. His humorous decisions with 26 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION reference to perplexing points in history were especially pleasing to a Southold audience. Among other things Mr. Overton said: "It is fitting that I should speak at this occasion, for I feel that I belong to you both by ancestry and by marriage. There was no Over- ton among the original families that landed here, but there were two Overtons who had sense enough to join the colonists a little later — Rev. Isaac Overton, of Oyster Ponds or Orient, and Isaac Overton, the far famed giant of Southold. "But there were both a Terry and a Corey among the original set- tlers, and I married into those two families when I took for my wife Carrie Corey Terry. So you see that both by ancestry and marriage I belong to you. "Now, to-day on this historic occasion, I want to settle forever the priority of the settlement of Southold. Southampton claims the pri- ority, but I am sure that when the Southampton colony came to these shores they found Southold occupied or they would have surely stopped here, for who would ever have passed by this beautiful and favored spot to land on the southern mainland and walk several miles to find or found Southampton? We know what man and wealth have done for Southampton. The sea is there, and beautiful summer homes are there. It is a charming village, but it is unreasonable to suppose that the first colonists would have passed by this beautiful and fertile spot, with its harbor and its creeks abounding in sea food, to go on to Southampton unless they found this already occupied. I claim, there- fore, the priority for Southold. The colonists landed here in Sep- tember, 1640, and in Southampton in November, 1640. "This gateway that we now dedicate marks the very spot where the original families landed. There were thirteen men with their families, we are told. They apparently were not superstitious over thirteen in those days. They all had their families with them except Peter Hal- lock, and for some reason he was the first to land. Possibly it was because every wife wanted to land first and they settled it by allow- ing the man who didn't have his wife with him to make the first step on this new soil. "This is a gateway and it is a fit emblem with which to mark this holy and historic spot. It was a gateway to the colonists to a new land, to new homes, to new experiences, and new struggles. "It is a gateway to the people of this village and community to the bay and the beach, the natural and time-honored playground and bathing place of the people. "What you have done here in securing this park, and in giving this gateway of access to the water to the people, all villages on the Island ought to do. Some of the villages have sold their birthright and can never get it back again. You got yours back in time and now will hold it forever for the people. Now you have marked this historic spot in Girls' Tub Race Fast Swimmers 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 27 cement and stone, as well as in your minds and hearts, and this gate- way will stand for years to come as a witness of the wisdom of our ancestors in landing here and your wisdom in thus securing and mark- ing the spot. "They were a sturdy people, those early settlers, the founders of the Southold Church and Town. We are proud of them. We boast of them. But let us be worthy of the heritage they have given us and fight well our battles and do well our toil and live well our lives, lest it be true of us, as William Jay said of those who were always boasting of their ancestors and doing little to honor them. He said they reminded him of potatoes — the best part is underground. "Let us be worthy the heritage our ancestors have given us by living lives that will honor their memory. It is not where we have come from, but what we are and do, that counts the most." Water Sports Without a moment's pause at the conclusion of the pro- gram, the water sports, under the direction of Dr. E. L'H. McGinnis and Arthur Jones, Commodore of the Shelter Island Yacht Club, and their able committee, got swiftly under way. They were watched with intense interest and amusement by the crowds on the wharf and beach, as well as by cheering, enthusiastic visitors on gaily decorated boats of every description. The prizes consisted of gold and silver medals, stamped with the Celebration emblem, a double head — an Indian's, looking backward, and a white man's, looking forward — designed by Henry Prellwitz. The prizes were awarded as follows: Women's Dive — Helen Paige, first; Constance Burns, second; Alberta Weber, third. Tub Race — Llewellyn Hutchinson, first ; Wilton Lackaye, second. 100-Yard Swim for Men— John Gerlin, first; F. Ecker, second ; William Hoinkis, third. 50-Yard Swim, Girls — Constance Bums, first; Helen Paige, second ; Alberta Weber, third. 50-Yard Swim, Boys — C. K. Brunn, first; Wilton Lack- aye, second ; John Dowie, third. Canoe Race, for Men — Frank Conklin pnd Fred Reil, first ; Gaty and Edwards, second. 28 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Women's Canoe Race — Dorothy McKee and Alice Allen, first ; Mary Robinson and Bertha Weber, second. 50-Yard Swim for Men — John Gerlin, first; Paul Roth, second; Theodore Gatz, third. Men's Fancy Dive — Fred Rohm, first; Arthur Burns, second. Women's Tub Race — Constance Bums, first; Vivian Hutchinson, second; Marguerite Laporte, third. Rowboat Races for Men — Robinson Brothers, first; Wesley Prince and Jack Loth, second. Canoe Tilting — ^Wesley Prince and Jack Loth, first; F. Ecker and Sturges, second. One of the most interesting attractions connected with the Celebration was the anchoring in the Bay of the torpedo boat destroyer Terry, brought here through the efforts of Congressman Lathrop Brown. It was visited by many of our people and every courtesy was shown them by the offi- cers in charge, who in turn were entertained on shore at "Little Gray House," the summer home of Dr. E. L'H. McGinnis. Fireworks The great field on the bluff, the use of which had been kindly donated by Mrs. Minnie Terry Smith, was rapidly filling with automobiles as darkness came on. Fifteen hun- dred cars, it is said, came to watch the wonderful display of Pain's fireworks that took place on the beach. The Green- port Band played while families and parties enjoyed their suppers. As the lights flashed out on the boats and Jap- anese lanterns were lighted, the harbor seemed filled with boats in gala attire. The Water Carnival was a brilliant sight, but more wonderful than even the magnificent fire- works — Niagara Falls by moonlight, the waving of Old Glory, or the display of our own lovely Celebration Pennant in outlines of light — was the motionless sea of heads down on the beach that was illumined at every flash of fire. Where 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 29 did the ten thousand people come from? What spirit of unity was binding all hearts together in perfect harmony and order now, as at every event of the Celebration ? How did they all vanish so quickly and quietly, without a sign of crowding or disorder? The most interesting thing in the world is a crowd of people, and truly the most admirable, a Southold crowd. Pageant Play Saturday came and one could feel in the air that the climax of the Celebration was approaching. Automobiles flew faster than ever and all on business bent. Everybody wore an expression on his face that meant now or never must the thing in hand be done. The afternoon of the great Pageant Play of Ancient Southold arrived, and the chairman of every committee might well feel that his duties now were done, completed to the best of his ability under the circum- stances. An artist may, with a few strokes of a brush, suggest a great scene. Would that a great writer might with a few strokes of his pen present to readers the beauty and power of the Pageant Play presented under the direction of May Marshall Addy at "Creekside." A more perfect setting could not have been found. The Pageant Green, with its knolls and slopes, its tall trees and bushes, its low bluffs from behind which actors appeared and disappeared, looked out on Creek and Bay. In its background, looking eastward tov/ard the site of the old Indian village of Yenneacott, lay a very perfect modern reproduction of Indian camp life, while more to the right and west appeared a semblance of one of the homes of the early settlers. The play was per- formed on the grass, nature's stage, and well would it have been for all concerned had nature continued her work and dealt as kindly with the audience as with the actors, by rear- ing for the former, a great hill from whose sides the specta- tors might have watched the drama of the early life of Southold. The setting was perfect, but the seating was a problem from the start. Let those who feel inclined to com- 30 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION plain, realize the difficulties of the situation and know also that the gravest consideration was given from the begin- ning to the matter of seating comfortably the large audi- ence. If there was failure in doing this, it was not inten- tional or owing to want of thought. Another feature that contributed largely to the beauty of the play was the costuming. This was in charge of Miss Georgia Marshall, sister of Mrs. Addy. Think of planning clothes for two hundred people ! Some were homemade and some were rented, but all were well made, appropriate, and artistic. The costumes alone were worthy of especial study, so carefully were they designed and made for the characters and the times. One recalls now the Pageant Play as a great moving pic- ture. There was much of action with here and there the spoken word or song. The characters, in fitting dress, ap- peared and disappeared. It mattered not whether words were heard or not. A suggestion was made, and the active imagination followed with the liveliest interest the story of long ago. A pageant pre-supposes imagination on the part of the audience. It assumes also leisure sufficient for watch- ing the sometimes slow and sometimes swift development of epochs in history. Things are not all cut and dried, true to fact, and made to order in a pageant. It is delightful in its suggestiveness. As was said in the prologue, one is to "give free play to happy fancies, and wander [not rush] down dim pathways." The speaker of the Prologue was named Community Friendship. Name and words and gown — white with yellow bands — betokened the character and aim of the speaker. Underneath and between the lines one read the highest end of the Pageant — fellowship. The words, "Let us live it o'er together," were realized in the fact that hundreds had worked together to produce what thousands came to- gether to witness. The work of Community Friendship was done before the Prologue was spoken. The part was to have been taken by Mrs. Minnie Terry Smith, but in her absence. Miss Helen Millard, of Brooklyn and Southold, delivered the Prologue in a highly effective manner. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 31 Spirits of Nature, representing everything beautiful in nature, who possessed the land before the coming even of the Indians, and who still possess it, led by Miss Hazel King, appeared with all the abandon of waves and sunlight, flying clouds and swaying branches, and danced with a freedom and grace, perfectly true to their character. They flitted away and became a part of the landscape. The Red Man appeared. If the Pageant Play gave us nothing else, we should be thankful for this scene, so artistic and perfect in its suggestiveness of the Indian life that has entirely vanished from our soil. We fancy the presentation of this episode cost the directors, Mr. and Mrs. Henry Prell- witz and the able committee associated in the work, many months of research and preparation. The costumes, the ornaments, the occupations, the wigwam and canoes, the movements, sounds, dancing, now simple and sedate, now wild and frantic — all were a natural part of the primitive life that the actors seemed to be actually living. The ap- pearance and songs of Os-ke-non-ton, grandson of a real Mohawk Indian chief, a true artist in his instincts, added greatly to the perfection of this scene. One of the most artistic and pathetic acts in the play was the gradual and final retirement of the Indians from the foreground and the farewell song of Os-ke-non-ton. The coming of the Puritans, headed by Pastor John Youngs (W. R. Newbold), was equally stirring. One felt the seriousness of the movement of these first settlers, their strength of character, their determination to live according to their convictions of right, come what would. It was mar- velous the manner in which the spirit of the old settlers was portrayed. Yea, verily, much of the original must still remain in these descendants and have been manifested in their wonderful enactment of the part. Men, women, and children of the Southold Grange represented a great scene, and they performed their parts with a dignity and serious- ness that was thrilling. The Town Board also made no frolic of the occasion. They looked and acted as if they fully real- ized the sacred responsibility resting on their shoulders. Was there one in the play who did not act his part well? 32 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Even little Caleb Horton, the first child bom in the town, cried at just the right moment. The Town Crier, too, was perfect. We wonder if in the old days he was as fine in form and as clear in voice, and moved as gracefully as did the one who strode the Green, rang his bell and cried "Hear ye! Hear ye ! Hear ye ! on the afternoon of the Pageant, Prominent citizens of Greenport and Orient acted the Purchase Scene in Episode I with a fine dignity and appre- ciation. With perfect dignity and decorum also the great oxen performed their part in this scene. Not every driver whose ox-goad had been idle for twenty-five years could have guided as skilfully as this one the oxen and cart up the nar- row road and on the Green. But then — everything went off just right. Even the household effects in the Purchase Scene were interesting. The quaint old pieces of furniture piled on to the cart were real heirlooms of the early settlers of Greenport and Orient. The neatly gowned women and children stepped lightly aboard, the oxen turned, the men followed and thus began new homes in outlying settlements. John Budd spoke but once, but he made an impression that caused a stranger to accost him after the play and v/armly endorse his utterances. The three heretics, Budd, Smith, and Norton, in their brief scene, acted long enough to enlist the sympathies of the audience. The coming of the Dutch messenger to demand the allegiance of Southold and his repulse by the latter was given with just the spirit we should imagine old Southold to have displayed. There were bright interludes and scenes to relieve the soberness of the historical episodes. A party of six young ladies spending the summer at Paradise Point danced a most interesting dance called "America." They represented epochs in the history of America, beginning with the Indian, and following in order were the Puritan, the Dutch, the Quaker, the Cavalier, and modern life. The Early Southold School was also one of the most attractive features. Who else could be the inimitable Dame except our one and only Julia Conklin ? With what zest and fun the Dame and the quaintly dressed children entered into the old forgotten games, London Bridge and Looby Loo! 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 33 How we want to see them all again as they played and sang under that great pine tree! A goodly company of fair ladies, well dressed, too, and diligent spinners (?) sang, under Mrs. Stumidorf 's direction, a spinning song. The song and the spinning were greatly enjoyed. Another interesting scene was from the Revolutionary times, when one of a party of Red Coats sang "The Song of the Bow." The insults the singer afterward gave and re- ceived were effectively done by Officer Jones and Mistress Howell. The tableau, "Spirit of '76," done by descendants of G. A. R. men, drew the audience to their feet. One scene followed another, each with its interest and beauty, each suggesting some epoch-making period in the nation of which Southold was a part, till the end came in the close of the Revolutionary War. The return of peace was celebrated by a grand reception. Stately dames received and stately dames and fine gentlemen arrived and were announced by a grand functionary in a manner befitting the guests and the occasion. Then Ezra L'Hommedieu, Barnabas Horton and William Wells and other notables of various periods, with their ladies, danced the minuet. Sixteen young ladies and gentlemen from Riverhead performed this part. Very soft music was played and whether intentional or not the effect produced was weirdly beautiful. Gracefully and silently the powdered and richly dressed figures moved through the figures of the old dance, till one felt he was beholding phan- toms. The scene became unreal, a dream or vision that one was permitted for an instant to behold. Thus was produced easily an illusion that might have taxed the powers of the best stage manager. "Give free play to happy fancies" in a pageant. The music for this scene was furnished by Riverhead, all the rest of the Pageant Play orchestral music being under the direction of Professor C. Oscar Moore. The closing tableau was an effective piece of work. It represented the "Future of Southold." Dr. Epher Whitaker rose from his seat and took his place on the stage as the central figure and instantly the large audience rose. Who 34 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION could better express Faith than this man? Whatever changes may come, however times present may differ from times past, Dr. Whitaker will never lose faith in the tovv^n he loves. He stands for faith in man and faith in God. Com- munity Friendship joined Faith. Peace, Plenty, and Hope were represented by three young ladies — Miss Ann Hallock, Miss Ada Smith, Mrs. Alice Fisher ; Love, by two little boys, Sam and John Merwin ; Happiness by little Esther Macomber, and Home, one of the most beautiful groups of all, by Mrs. Albert W. Albertson and her five children. These characters grouped themselves about Faith, while the Spirits of Nature, always ready to appear, danced among the figures with their characteristic gladness, binding all together in the bond of unity with the golden bands of Community Friendship. The Play ended with a procession across the Green of all the Pageant Players. Shall we ever cease to be grateful to that long line of busy men and women who had given cheerfully for months their time and talents that we might live with them for a couple of hours in the "fondly remembered past," share with them its trials and hardships, gather lessons that make us grateful for the "happy present," and gain sure hope of a "promising future"? Shall we ever cease to be grateful to the one who made this afternoon of unprece- dented pleasure possible for us all, May Marshall Addy, the Directress of the Pageant ? Closing Concert Saturday evening found the crowd still ready for enjoy- ment. As many as could be accommodated secured seats in the First Church for the Closing Concert of the Celebration. Every number on the program was an attraction, but the chief, perhaps, was the readings that had been anticipated for weeks from the great actors, William Faversham and Julie Opp Faversham. Mr. Faversham made a graceful little speech, the kind that is prized nowadays from great actors when they doff the masque and appear as themselves. He told a delightful little story that foreshadowed fabulous but interesting possibilities in dramatic presentation, 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 35 touched briefly on our local history, and made us feel his cordial interest in it. Julie Opp Faversham won our hearts in her recital of two poems, one from Ella Wheeler Wilcox and one from Kipling. While the rendering of them was a perfect piece of art, still we felt there was a higher charm that made such rendering possible. The poems voiced the sentiments of the great actress. So she gave us more than art — a message from herself in the two exquisite poems. These two artists were ably supported by such musicians as Hazel Carpenter, who ranks as one of the finest pianistes in the country ; Clara Strong Tuthill, whose mastery of song has won her a reputation in this country and abroad ; Marie Morrisey, the popular soloist from the Fifth Avenue Presby- terian Church, New York; William M. Campbell, the fine baritone soloist from St. George's Episcopal Church, Brook- lyn; and Os-ke-non-ton, who might be called an Indian charmer, so fascinating is his work in either speech or song. The following program tells the treat that these noted performers gave the audience : Piano Solo — Polonaise Op. 53, Chopin, Miss Carpenter. Songs — "Invictus," Bruno Hulin, and "I Fear No Foe," Pinsuti, Mr. Campbell. Song — Aria from "Madame Butterfly," Puccini, Miss Tuthill. Indian Songs — Os-ke-non-ton. Dramatic Recitals, from Ella Wheeler Wilcox and Kip- ling, Julie Opp Faversham. Piano Solo — Concert Arabesque (on Strauss Motifs "By the Beautiful Blue Danube") , Schulz-Evler, Miss Carpenter. Songs — "The Minor Chord," Mager, and "Thoughts of You," William Stickles, Mr. Campbell. Songs— "I Am Thy Harp," Woodman; "A Banjo Song," Sidney Homer; "The Star," Rogers, Mrs. Morrisey. Speech — William Faversham. Songs — "My Lovely Celia" (Old English), Monroe; "Irmelin Rose" (Norwegian Song), Peter son-Berger, Miss Tuthill. 36 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Sunday Morning Services On Sunday morning everybody was surprised again to hear the old triangle as it called out the hour of public wor- ship. Every church in town held its religious service as usual, except that it partook of a historical character. Rev. H. E. Marsland of the M. E. Church gave a history of Methodism in Southold. This church was founded here 120 years ago, and during that time 133 different ministers have been in charge. In the early days there would be sev- eral ministers stationed here in one year. Rev. G. W. Scudder also told of the development in this village of what is known as the liberal thought. He referred to every Universalist pastor that had preached here and paid tribute to the good men who had strongly supported the church. Mr. Scudder quoted the words that were scratched upon a pane of glass in one of the west windows of the church : "May this house stand for years to come and the society flourish in the blessing of Divine Providence and my children live to come to the altar when I am laid in the dust and praise their God with hearts full of love and praise to God. Wm. R. Williamson. "Finished painting Aug. 27, 1837." At both masses the rector of St. Patrick's Church, Rev. Father Uleau, delivered sermons treating of the history of St. Patrick's. This church was founded in 1858, and for several years services were held at different homes. In 1863 the old Academy was purchased and converted into a church. Father Uleau spoke of all the rectors in charge and quoted largely from a journal kept by Father McKenna. St. Pat- rick's is the mother of all the Catholic churches on this end of the Island. The historic First Church presented a beautiful appear- ance with its bunting and floral decorations. A large congre- gation was present. Rev. William Huntley Lloyd, pastor of the church, read the Sermon on the Mount from the old Horton Bible. This was printed in 1599 and brought to Southold in 1640 by Barnabas Horton. It is in fine condition, although it bears the marks of having been well read. It has passed by will through the Horton, Tuthill and Landon 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 37 families, and is now owned by Mrs. Addie Horton Thorne. Dr. William Force Whitaker, of Elizabeth, N. J., offered prayer. Dr. A. W. Fismer, of Bloomfield, N. J., led the responsive reading. The sermon was by the pastor of the church and was mainly retrospective. Mr. Lloyd referred to three prominent men — Rev. John Youngs, Barnabas Horton, and William Wells — as typical of the character of the early settlement of Southold. He con- trasted the civilization of their day, nearly three hundred years ago, with that of our day. "Conditions in England, especially those of the lowest but intelligent poor, were intolerable; and a miserable tyranny drove out of England, to the everlasting benefit of Southold Town, a number of its bravest men and purest women. They brought to this country the germs of a higher civilization, proving that God makes the wrath of men to praise Him and compels human sin and folly to majestic ends. God does not rule the world to the end of making us rich, great, or happy in a material sense. Were this the objective point, the course of Divine government would present indeed a series of sad blunders. The goal of life is not sordid pleasure, social distinction, or personal aggran- dizement: it is moral development and the aim is to fit us to help our brother man and to serve worthily our God. Every decisive battle secures the progress of the race and we have no right to judge any great movement until God places his period and the sentence is made complete. Again and again the retrogressive elements become terribly dangerous. They reach the very brink of disastrous success. But the final struggle invariably vindicates the Providence of God and furthers the highest welfare of mankind." Mr. Lloyd punctuated his discourse with many local allu- sions; showed plainly the Divine supervision of God in the founding of the Town, and proved that God in His Heaven was directing all things for the betterment of man. Marie Morrisey, soloist in the Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church, New York, sang "A Prayer"; Albert Silkworth played the cornet, and May Horton Hummel, the worthy successor of her father. Prof. D. P. Horton, presided at the organ. Union Religious Service At 2:45 Sunday afternoon a Union Religious Service of all the churches and people in Southold Town was held on 88 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION the lawn of the First Church, Rev. Wm. H. Lloyd presiding. As in the old days, all the people in the colony went to church, so on this day everybody nearly must have been present. It was another vast audience that looked toward the platform built in the shadow (or sunshine) of the old parsonage. On it sat the man who had gone out and in the doors of that parsonage, a young man with the cares of a parish on his shoulders, nearly seventy years ago. It seemed so fitting that the platform should have been placed exactly where it stood, under the arbor, near the giant maple tree that Dr. Epher Whitaker planted and under which the speaker of the day. Dr. William Force Whitaker, had played. With these associations fxitting through the mind, what an experience it was to have that young man, now crowned with the silver of ninety-five years, rise and bid us welcome to Southold, his old church, his old home ! Seated with Dr. Epher Whitaker and his son, Dr. Wil- liam Force Whitaker, and the Presiding Chairman, Rev. Wm. H. Lloyd, were the Chairman of the Religious Service Committee, Mr. Frank R. Llitchell, Rev. Herbert E. Mars- land, Rev. George W. Scudder, and Rev. Dr. Charles E. Craven. At the right of the platform were about two hun- dred singers, the Southold Town Choral Union, led by Rev. H. K. Smith, of Cutchogue. Even the sight of this choir was an inspiration. The Celebration was worth while just to bring the singers together. Too much praise cannot be given them and LIr. Smith, the leader, for their grand ren- dering of the hymns and the Hallelujah Chorus. Directly in front of the platform were the 'men whom we love to honor, members of the G. A. R. A brief but fitting prayer was offered by Rev. H. E. Marsland, of the Southold Methodist Church, and Rev. George Wilson Scudder, of the Universalist Church, led in the Responsive Readings. Dr. Whitaker in his address of welcome spoke briefly but with perfect clearness and directness, praising as he loves to do, the founders of the town and church. He said: "A part has been given me in this Celebration. This part is to welcome to the worship of God all who are here. It is perfectly fitting 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 39 that the worship of the Supreme Being should be the capsheaf of the Celebration. "The founders of Southold were religious men. They were also enterprising, brave, strong, resolute and thrifty. They were, how- ever, above all, earnest and zealous in their religious worship. They came here chiefly because they were determined to maintain their freedom to worship God in the way which they deemed best. They were v/illing that others shovild plant in the wilderness other settle- ments different from Southold. But here they were ready to endure toil and suffering for what they esteemed their highest and everlast- ing good, the worship and enjoyment forever of that Being whom George Washington habitually and reverently called 'the Supreme Being.' "They were disciples of the Messiah who said: 'God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must v/orship Him in spirit and in truth.' " Following the address, the sympathies of the audience were taken suddenly far from home. A letter from South- wold, England, was read by Mr. Frank R. Mitchell. The vicar of Southwold had responded in a touching manner to our notice of the Celebration. He described conditions in the mother town as a result of the war, sending, however, most fervently his good wishes and the blessing of the church to the highly favored Southold on Long Island. There had been much of sentiment and symbolism in the four days that had passed, if one could have taken time to think about such things, but on this day there were no hin- drances to thought and many will remember it as the best of all the splendid days of the Celebration. We had, as Mr. Lloyd said in introducing the speaker of the day, "a great occasion, a great theme, a great speaker, a great audience." It was the fitting ending of all the preceding efforts. The well organized work, the hearty cooperation, the unity in spirit, the breadth of outlook, the aim at perfection in ma- terial details whose end was harmony — all these forces came together in the great audience that met for the last time, with a common purpose, to listen and learn of high things. Did they do this? From the first words of the speaker to the last, man, woman, and child listened, not an eye wan- dered, not a word was lost. Simple, true, vital, every word heard and understood, every word interesting and spoken with a voice that riveted attention — ^these were the charac- 40 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION teristics of the oration, that will live in the hearts of the hearers as one of the things that made the great Celebration great in the highest sense of the word. Dr. William Force Whitaker, son of Southold's historian, pastor of the historic church of Elizabeth, Chaplain-General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revo- lution, proved well his fitness for the honor he esteemed it of being orator of the day. A mere outline only of his address can be given. He said in part : "It is most fitting that the close of three centuries, less a quarter, in the life of this town, should have celebration, popular and enthu- siastic, jojrful and reverent. Thursday brought the artistic parade; Friday saw throngs at the shore to behold the brilliant pyrotechnics; Saturday came with the elaborate pageant. To-day, assembled near the graves of the pioneers, and beneath the shadow of the ancient sanctuary, the hours of holy time are used for psalm and prayer and a great chorus of praise to God. Doubtless such a reverent conclu- sion of the festal celebration would receive the approval of the fore- fathers. "Justice cannot be done to their work or worth unless their descend- ants keep in mind, with clearness and appreciation, the conditions in which they wrought and the characteristics which they manifested. "(a) The colonists were few and scattered. One whole century after Southold's planting there were fewer inhabitants in all of the Colo- nies than are found to-day on Long Island in a single borough of one city. "(b) They were poor. The earth had its treasures: but they were not prepared to mine and carry the coal, they could not find light and heat in petroleum, they were too engrossed with the lean wolf and the stealthy Indian to give time to the quest for iron or copper, for gold or silver. A century after Barnabas Horton and William Wells arrived, the colonists took up arms in their demands for independence, when they had no cloth for uniforms, no canvas for tents, no powder for their muskets, no bunting for a flag. The good women twice did ransack their garrets to find blankets for the soldiers suff"ering at Valley Forge. When the glorious Stars and Stripes were first dis- played in action, the red was from a camp follower's petticoat, the white came from a soldier's shirt, and the blue was cut from an offi- cer's cloak. The struggle in the American Revolution was between the first manufacturing nation of the world and a handful of the poor, the fishermen and farmers of the Atlantic shore. "(c) They suffered from divided interests. Men cut spruce and pine along the Penobscot. On the shores of Massachusetts Bay the chief 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 41 interest was in profit drawn from the sea. Up the Hudson there was trading for furs. Even more diverse were the origins and predispo- sitions and prejudices of these scattered settlers. Many nests in the old world had been stirred before the birds alighted on this far coast. The rugged Puritan, sedate and set in his ways; the haughty Cavalier, elegant and less diligent; the Huguenot, dainty and delightful; the Dutch, bent on trade; the Scot and the Swede; these names suggest the antecedents and even the antipathies of the settlers. They were a rope of sand. When one hundred and thirty-five years had run away and George Washington passed in sight of Long Island to assume the leadership of the army of the colonists, he had behind him no such united sentiment as supported Lincoln and strengthened Grant. There was no "solid North." There was no solid America: for the folk along the shore called themselves 'New Englanders' or 'Virginians.' They were not yet Americans. "But of these people, so few and scattered, so poor and sundered, God did make a mighty nation! The flag which started with a shirt and petticoat, see how it has moved on! It floats beyond the Blue Ridge, it guards the valleys, it has possessed the land where rolls the Oregon, it has pushed its way to the Pacific, it sails out through the Golden Gate and rests upon Alaska and Hawaii and the Philippines. "How did this march of the flag become possible? It is no dis- honor to the Supreme Leader to recognize the human element in the success of the colonists. They were (a) Inventive. They entered new fields. They needed now tools. They dared not be mere copyists, an echo or imitation, a rubber stamp. In the cabin of the Mayflower they drew up the 'Compact,' that first scheme of government of the people by the people ever framed for this western hemisphere. In Phila- delphia they put their names writ plainly on that Declaration of Inde- pendence. Later they framed the Constitution of the United States, giving the world a document without rival. They found what would fit the hour. They refused to be kept in the old groove in new con- ditions. They held that a groove was but a grave with both ends knocked out; and they did not intend to be buried. "(b) The pioneers were men and women of Sacrifice. They en- dured hardship. They did not seek the line of least resistance. It was no easy spirit of 'let well enough alone' that caused them to give up comforts in Suffolk, England; that drove them from the ease found in Holland; that crowded them into the Speedwell; that gave them weeks of distress in the creaking Mayflower; that called them to face the hungry wolf and the savage Indian and the bitter winter at Ply- mouth; that later summoned them as Minute Men to hasten to Lex- ington and stand at the bridge in Concord; that inspired them in their ragged clothes and bleeding feet to endure the woes of hunger and frost at Valley Forge. "Let the people of this new century emulate the devotion of the heroic souls of 1640 and 1776. There are mighty matters, big and 42 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION baffling, that need self-sacrifice to-day. Shall this be called the 'land of the lazy' because so few face civic obligations? Shall the govern- ment of the people by the people perish here, because the sons of the pioneers will no longer endure hardship? "(c) The planters of Southold were men of Religion. They are remembered by some for the size of their hats, the cut of their clothes, and their austere spirit. Mankind falls into two classes. Some regard life as a sacred trust, and some treat it as a social junket. The pioneers could not escape the conviction that life was a holy trust. It was from God, it was for God. To use it aright there must be the search of God's Word, presence in God's House, reverence for God's Day. The sturdy life of the settler included the thought of God as certainly as the fact of sunrise. "It was upon men who were inventive and sacrificing and reverent that the blessing fell. Recalling them in the parade and pageantry of this delightful week, let a vow be registered that their children shall do them enduring honor. This is a solemn hour. Suffolk in Old England is weeping for her dead. War such as the centuries have never seen makes a hundred rivers red, stains with blood a thousand battlefields, has taken a full million lives, and has cost in a single year billions of gold. George Washington suggested that the United States keep indoors. But a Higher Power has thrust this land forth. The official attitude may be neutral. But loyal sons of honored sires can- not be timid or indifferent or voiceless. Isolation is cowardly. Raised up from poverty, the country is now rich in opportunity. It must live not for itself, but to help the bleeding world find some solace in its unspeakable sorrows. In this high resolve, (1) let the nation stand by its President, and (2) let the flag be kept clean, " 'With its red for service and white for law, With its blue for the hope which our fathers saw.' " The program of the Religious Service was as follows : "Pilgrims' Flight." Words by T. B. Force, music by D. P. Horton, Southold Town Choral Union. Hymn — "All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name." Prayer — Rev. Herbert E. Marsland. "Pilgrims' Planting." Words by Rev. Epher Whitaker, D.D., music by D. P. Horton, Southold Town Choral Union. Responsive Reading, led by Rev. George Wilson Scudder. Address of Welcome — Rev. Epher Whitaker, D.D. Reading of Letters from England — Frank R. Mitchell. Hymn— "The Church's One Foundation." First Church Founded in 1640, Founders' Monument AND Dr. Epher Whitaker Rev. William Huntley Lloyd Pastor of the First Church Dr. Charles E. Craven Preacher at Sunday Evening Service Rev. Epher Whitaker, D.D. Pastor Emeritus First Church, Southold The Orator of the Day: Rev. William Force Whitaker, D.D. Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth, N. J., Chaplain-General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 43 Address— Rev. William Force Whitaker, D.D., Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, Elizabeth, N. J. ; Chaplain- General of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. "Hallelujah Chorus" from Handel's "Messiah"— South- old Town Choral Union. Hymn— "My Country 'Tis of Thee." Benediction — Rev. Charles E. Craven, D.D. Union Memorial Service Sunday evening a Union Memorial Service was held in the First Church, the pastor presiding. Fine music was rendered on the pipe organ by Mr. Standerwick, organist of the Reformed Church, Jersey City ; also by Mr. Albert Silk- worth, cornetist. Mrs. Marie Morrisey sang "Abide with Me," and Mrs. Anna Prince Hedges, "Gloria." Prayer was offered by Rev. William H. Murray, for many years pastor of the Universalist Church of Southold. Rev. H. E. Mars- land spoke on the prominence given the church and religious life in the history of our town. Rev. George W. Scudder emphasized the importance of our sense of personal respon- sibility to God and the duty we owe to God and humanity. Rev. Charles E. Craven, of Mattituck, brought congratu- lations to the minister and people of the old church, and as Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Long Island assumed authority to bring the greetings of that body. He also con- gratulated the pastors and people of the other churches of Southold who share with the old church the heritage handed down from the Fathers — indeed, all the churches of South- old and Riverhead towns have entered into that heritage and have the responsibility of handing it down undiminished to posterity. "The men who planted Southold were Puritans. The spoiled chil- dren of luxury, who cannot practice self-denial and keep sweet, mis- takenly suppose that the Puritans were sour. The superficial condemn them as narrow, and they were narrow, but they were deep, and it is better to be narrow and deep than broad and shallow. 'Puritanism,' to quote Carlyle, 'has got weapons and sinews; it has firearms and war-navies; it has cunning in its ten fingers, strength in its right arm; 44 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION it can steer ships, fell forests, remove mountains; it is one of the strongest things under this sun at present.' This Carlyle wrote in 1840. Is it still true? It is, so long as and so far as their sons and daughters have the essential qualities of their sires. "The one essential quality of the founders that involved all else v^ras that they were God-fearing men — in the large sense of the term. They were reverential men, who feared to sin against God, who loved Him and trusted Him. Because they feared God they feared not the face of man; because they feared and trusted God they were adven- turous like Abraham; because they believed they could do all things through Christ who strengthened them they were resourceful men like Paul; because they lived as in God's sight they were sincere men who hated shams; because they took hold on God's precious promises they could cheerfully deny themselves in material things. Such were the qualities mighty alike in their times and circumstances and in ours. "This fear of the Lord was theirs because they were nourished in the Bible. They were men of the Bible. The Bible was to them the supernatural word of God. They read the Commandments and ac- cepted them as written by God's finger; they believed that Israel of old was really led by the pillar of fire and cloud; they believed in a mighty miracle-working Saviour who died and rose again and ever liveth; they believed in God the hearer and answerer of prayer; they believed in Heaven and the things that are not seen but are eternal. Such belief makes such character; all the natural religion in the world cannot produce it. "Feed on the Bible as they did if you would be as strong as they were. Do not let your wealth of literature crowd it out, do not heed the false cry that true wisdom denies its high claims. The Bible shines like the sun to those who will walk in its light. It is the standing miracle of the ages." Historic Exhibit One of the most attractive of the affiliated interests of the Celebration was the historic exhibit held in what is now the oldest house in Southold. It has been known to the present generation as the Downs House, because it has been occupied and owned for years by Mrs. Rebecca Peters Downs (now deceased). Its proper name, historically, should be the Youngs House. It is located on Youngs Avenue, near the head of Town Creek. It was built probably in about 1656 and was the home of Colonel John Youngs. It is of interest to recall, as one enters the box-bordered path, that this was the original home of the most prominent man of Youngs House Oldest House in Southold Kitchen in Historical Exhibit % 55 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 45 the second generation of settlers on all Long Island, Colonel John Youngs, the eldest son of Pastor John Youngs. He was one of His Majesty's Counsellors in the Province of New York ; one of the Judges that condemned Leisler for treason ; Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the New England Colonies — a navy that patrolled the shores of Long Island Sound to prevent the landing of unfriendly Indians in canoes. Colonel Youngs became Commander of the Military Force of Long Island, taking his title from that command. In the midst of this busy career, the home that we are approaching was built. Dr. Whitaker has related that when he came to Southold the house was standing in its original condition. The two ends were similar, the north part being devoted to the living room and the south to the parlor. When Mr. Richard L. Peters became owner of the property the north part was removed and the house changed to its present form, as better suited to the needs of later times. We enter the hall and a glance reveals floor and stairway covered with rag carpet; straight-backed rush-bottomed chairs and a flax-wheel, while hanging on the wall are can- teens, powder horns, stirrups, and a flint-lock musket. At the right a door opens into the parlor. One heavy beam extends across the ceiling. Rag carpet and braided rugs are on the floor. The walls are hung with blue and white homespun bedspreads, pieced bedquilts, one of which has ten thousand blocks in it. These draperies form a back- ground for rare old mirrors, framed samplers, and pictures. Among the latter are engravings, portraits, a design worked in worsteds, and a painting of the Horton House, done by a direct descendant of Barnabas Horton. A mantel is draped with pictured chintz and on it stands a fine old clock, brass candlesticks, and a shaving mirror. Under the mantel are the tongs and fire shovel, a foot stove, a warming pan, and a chestnut roaster. The room is furnished with fiddle-back, Chippendale, and flag-bottomed chairs, a hooded cradle, a melodeon (the second one brought to this town) , a low-boy, a handsome carved mahogany sideboard on which are ar- ranged cut-glass decanters, knife boxes in which knives, forks, and spoons are hung, a r-mch bowl, and copper-luster 46 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ware. A glass case protects valuable articles, such as a watch, fine bits of embroidered linen, a set of Lowestoft china, the Boisseau New Testament and Psalms in French, a set of tiny doll's clothes, sent by a young lady to her friend for a wedding present, the Youngs coat of arms, a letter from George Washington addressed to David Hedges, Ben- jamin Huntting, Abraham Miller, Jared Landon, Benjamin Horton, Jr., Nichol Floyd, John Howard, Josiah Reeve, and David Warner, two of whom were ancestors of Mrs. Mary Horton Dayton. Other articles are in this case, every one of which is a treasure. On the top of an old bureau is a handsome brass Cromwell clock, a Revolutionary soldier's hat, folded, in its hat box, a copy book made by Southold's famous penman, OHver Goldsmith, the Wickham Bible (1716), and a medical book four hundred years old. A table in the centre of the floor displays pewter ware, a German Lutheran communion set, a curious old tray, and a hand- some candlestick. A soldier's outfit is in one comer with other swords, canes, and a saddlebag. There are other rooms to visit and we must stop trying to name the articles, but to mention them even gives an idea of the wonderful interest and value of the exhibit. A peep into the bedroom discloses a four-poster, made up with feather beds, homespun linen sheets and blankets, candle-wick bedspread, and chintz curtains tied back to the posts ; a dainty washstand with bowl and pitcher and a fine little mirror. Under the four-poster is shoved the trundle- bed, and at the foot is the cradle, both with pieced quilts spread over them. A picture of Queen Victoria adorns the wall and a calico dress hangs from a nail. One of the most interesting objects in the dining or sitting room is Uncle Goldsmith (Goopie) Horton's secre- tary with its pewter inkstand and old paper weight. A vil- lage map shows the streets and sites of homes in colonial times. The walls and mantels are draped as in the other rooms. There is a high-boy and spinning wheel, a sewing table and candle stand, and an eight-legged table spread with pewter ware. Here, too, is a fine collection of Indian arrowheads and another of Indian relics. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 47 If one room is deserving of more minute description than another it is the kitchen. People love to linger here about the fireplace, around which the life of the home centered in the olden days. In it, on a crane, hang an iron griddle and teakettle. Swan-neck andirons support kindlings and logs that are laid, ready for the spark. On the hearth are tin ovens — one, a biscuit oven in which are nicely baked bis- cuit. Near the fireplace stand the little spinning-wheel and low wooden chair. Candlesticks, snuffers, and moulds are on the mantel, and over it, firearms, powder horns, skinning knives and wool carders. The tongs, fire shovel, and a long- handled shovel for removing bread from the brick oven are in their places and near them a bootjack. About the kitchen are housekeeping articles unknown to the present genera- tion, such as a wooden churn, wooden bowls, a mortar and pestle for pounding spice, homemade baskets, and a corner cupboard filled with dishes mostly of blue ware. We find in our visit to this exhibit that one important feature that adds greatly to the homelikeness of the place is the living presence in the rooms of John and Priscilla Alden. They have made the Youngs House their home during the Celebration. No committee of the Celebration showed a deeper inter- est in, or fidelity to, the character of its work than did the historic exhibits committee and it deserves fully the praise that has been showered generously upon it. Tea House "A place to rest, A place to talk, A place to stop After your walk, A cup of tea, Cake, pie, and meat, And other food For you to eat." The above poetic device appeared on a dainty hand-bill that announced a few days before the Celebration that the Albertson House would be opened as a Colonial Tea House by 48 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION the ladies of the Whist Club for the serving of light refresh- ments. All the little rhyme promised was supplied, and the Tea House, because of its convenient location at the corner of Main Street and Youngs Avenue, and its general attract- iveness, became a centre of social life and interest. The members of the Whist Club, assisted by other ladies, assumed the responsibility of fitting up the house and serving the refreshments, while the members of the Ladies* Village Improvement Society were responsible for the sup- ply of food. Only persons in whom were combined good taste and executive ability could transform a place as these ladies did. If defects were in the rooms, the eye of the patron was distracted from them by garlands of flowers, tables set with a dainty touch, glimpses of appetizing food, and especially by the young colonial dames, most becomingly arrayed in gowns and caps of the Revolutionary period. The Tea House played an important part in the success of the Celebration. It was thronged at meal time, and the smile and welcome extended by the hostesses at all hours made it a favorite spot for the meeting of friends and the entertainment of parties. While it goes without saying that everything connected v/ith the Celebration was at the price of hard work, it must be admitted that no body of workers labored more strenu- ously during the gala days, when everybody else was given over to enjoyment, than did the members of the Whist Club and their helpers. The great days almost lost their glamour to them, so heavy were the demands put upon them. There was no drawing back, however, and once having started, the swift hands and feet of the young matrons moved cheerfully to the end. In connection with this enterprise, the Ladies* Village Improvement Society, in addition to the prominent part assumed by them in donating the Memorial Gateway, gave their assistance by providing or soliciting the food neces- sary for the running of this large lunch establishment. The L. V. I. S. has never been known to fail in attaining its end. So in this attempt, Southold and adjoining neighborhoods Hazel King and Dancers Spirits of Nature ;^0tm.W Dancers in "America" 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 49 gave freely from their larders to this society, and no feeling of lack hampered the activity of the hostesses in charge. Dancing Platform Times have changed since 1640 to make it possible for an open-air dancing platform to be one of the popular feat- ures of the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniversary Celebration of Southold. The person organizing such an amusement in the old days, though the son of a Presbyterian minister, might have been punished fitly by having his feet put in the stocks. To-day, Southold thanks the chairman and his committee for the fine illustration they gave of the beauty and benefits of social dancing. Dr. J. W. Stokes, the chairman of the dancing committee, though he has never danced a step in his life, proved the right man in the right place. He has sympathy with, and understands, the young ; he knows their love of amusement and of rhythmic movement; he knows also the value of dancing as a physical exercise and especially in the open air ; he believes that a good thing should not be given over to evil purposes, and that the duty of common-sense, intelli- gent people is to look into amusements, see the good in them, and use them. He associated with himself a group of people who were indefatigable during the nights of the Cele- bration and on evenings following, in their efforts to make the social dancing a perfect succes in every sense of the word. The platform was built next to the grass, among the trees, on the Tea House lawn. The grounds were softly lighted, good music provided, and comfortable seating ar- ranged for the spectators. The dancing began about eight- thirty and at eleven the lights were usually out. Quite a large crowd came together on these evenings, some to dance and some to look on, but all sociable. It was a village gath- ering and not unlike an old country one in its friendly spirit. At the close of the season the verdict of thoughtful, hon- est observers was that the dancing, always of a high charac- ter, had steadily improved, until it was realised as never 50 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION before, what a fine and refined art it might be ; that nothing had ever occurred, to their knowledge, to mar in any way the quiet beauty of the evening scenes on the Tea House lawn. Conclusion What does the Celebration mean to Southold ? It means first of all that we have all gotten together, pulled har- moniously, been backed by generous-hearted, open-handed men, and the result is a success such as Southold has never before witnessed. We have given an example of what can be accomplished when fear is thrown to the winds, when con- fidence and hope fill hearts, when hands and feet work dili- gently and all together. It means that appreciation and gratitude have been awakened in the hearts of the people and "to give thanks is good." Everybody knows now there were no weak links in the chain of workers who enlisted to make the Celebration a success, and there is not a committee that somebody has not mentioned as deserving of special praise. The officers knew the worth of these aides. They knew their alertness in committee meetings and the swiftness with which meas- ures were carried out. It is not they alone, however, but the people, who are clamoring that this body of workers and that, must have their meed of thanks. Perhaps the policemen come in for the largest share of gratitude, and deservedly so. They were a brave, capable squad of officers, protecting lives at the risk of their own. The admission and sales committee — what a responsibility was theirs! and it was met faithfully and honestly. The ushers, too, with their coolness and efficiency, are not for- gotten. What a delight it would be, if it were possible to do so, to recall every service that was contributed to the great success! From the patient man, Mr. A. H, Cosden, who generously opened the estate of Mrs. Flora B. Bliss that he had rented for his summer outing, and allowed for weeks the scores of players to come and go at will, down (or up) to the men who worked obscurely in the night that every- 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 51 thing might be in the right place at the right time, and to the girls at the central telephone office, who met the unusual strain put upon them with unfailing cheerfulness — all these were, and are, remembered by a grateful people. In conclusion, if we were asked to name two of the chief factors that contributed to our success, we should reply, splendid organization and the cooperation of all the people of Southold. Then if somebody should insist that the chief- most factor of all be named, a unanimous shout would go up — the unfailing good cheer, patience, and generosity of the chairman of the Celebration, Mr. E. D. Gaboon ! 52 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION SYNOPSIS OF THE PAGEANT PLAY OF ANCIENT SOUTHOLD TOWN Presented by the Author MAY MARSHALL ADDY On Saturday Afternoon, July 24, 1915, At "Creekside," the Estate of Mrs. Flora B. Bliss and Summer Home of Alfred H. Cosden, Southold, Long Island. Professor C. Oscar Moore Mrs. Regina Sturmdorf Director of Orchestral Music Director of Vocal Music Miss Hazel King Director of Dancing ^J—^^ ' -^^ o- 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 53 Prologue Community Friendship, costumed in white with golden bands, appears in the centre of the Green and speaks the Prologue, that welcomes the guests and suggests, with the name of the speaker, the aim of the play. Greetings to our friends and neighbors, Dwellers in ye good old Southold, Friends from far and near, we welcome. Strangers in our gates, we greet you; Prithee lend to us your senses, Give free play to happy fancies, Wander with us down dim pathways Marked by hist'ry, lit by legend. Livened by imagination; Back to where home-loving Indians Lived their free lives close to nature, Plied canoes upon their waters. Dancing, sparkling, blue Peconic; Back to where our sturdy grandsires Seeking for their rightful freedom In the worship of Jehovah, Landed on this spot — Yenneacott. Friendly welcome was bestowed them By the peaceful tribe of Corchoug. Here they loved and here they labored, "Gathered them anew" in reverence, Named their village for old Southwolde, For their dear home back in England ; Built the church whose upward guidance Through the centuries has led us. Let us live it o'er together, Strive to feel their splendid courage. Make our own their dauntless spirit, Heritage of priceless value. (The lines of the Prologue were written by Minnie Terry Smith and were to have been spoken by her, but in her absence, the part of Community Friendship was taken by Helen Millard.) 64 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Prelude A. Spirits of Nature — of field, woodland, and sea — repre- sented by young girls who look like wisps of cloud in their filmy, vari-colored costumes, flit from behind trees and bank, and dance. They portray by their movements the green of the fields, sunlight and shadow upon the grain, the wind in the trees, moonlight on the water, and dancing waves. Cast of Characters Hazel King, Leader Alice Allen Gertrude Matthews Josephine Addy Helen Moore Clara Batterman Martha Salmon Gertrude Davenport Dorothy Smith Anna Edwards Elizabeth Smith Edith Fitch Ella Taylor Dorothy McKee Mrs. Alice Tipson Thelma Tipson B. (Indian parts done by Indian Neck artists and others, under the direction of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Prellwitz.) The Children of Nature, the Indians, come upon the Green, bringing their properties with them. In the remote background, on a knoll, the Indian village of Yenneacott is seen. In the foreground a wigwam is put up, a deer hung ready to be roasted, and a fire built. The squaws pound corn, make wampum, plait grass, and do other work of the camp. The children play games and dance the Eagle dance. Indian visitors, Os-ke-non-ton, his sister, and others from a neighboring tribe, come in canoes from a distant shore. Finally, a boat is spied in the distance and the news is told with fine dramatic effect. Great excitement follows. The chiefs and braves dance to summon the good spirit of the Corchoug tribe, the Owl or Hawk, the medicine man leading. Tom-toms are beaten and the totem of the Owl is brought out. As the boat approaches the shore, the Indians chant: "Kito um pani sha ong; etc., etc., etc." (From the break of day they come.) 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 55 Braves E. A. Bell Philip Horton George Leslie F. F. Overton Henry Prellwitz F. H. Robinson W, O, Rouland Harry Smith Raynor Wickham Os-ke-non-ton Youths Edwin Prellwitz Frank Robinson Nelson Robinson Boys Robert Emerson Alvah Goldsmith Thomas Hall Goldsmith Horton Fred Rich Henry Rich Donald Robinson Beverly Wickham Cast of Characters Squaws Mrs. E. A. Bell Mrs. Harrison Goldsmith Mrs. Philip Horton Mrs. F. F. Overton Mrs. Henry Prellwitz Mrs. F. H. Robinson Mrs. M. M. Robinson Miss Jane Robinson Mrs. C. P. W. Smith and Sister Maidens Louise Fitz Mary Robinson Girls Bettie Daley Ethel Emerson Barbara Fitz Frances Overton Louise Overton and the Papoose Episode I (1640-1660) The Pirst Twenty Years of Old Southold A. The Landing (Done by the Southold Grange, under the direction of Mrs. Rose M. Smith and Mrs. Ida L. Beebe.) Pastor John Youngs with his band of first settlers land on the beach. They kneel in prayer. As they ascend the slope and approach the Green, Barnabas Horton intones and all sing Horton's old hymn, "Ye people all with one accord, clap hands and else rejoice." The Indians receive the set- tlers in a friendly manner and smoke the pipe of peace with the Town Board. Arrangements are made to build homes and settle the country. The Indians retire to the back- ground, while in the foreground the flaps of a tepee are 56 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION drawn aside, revealing the interior of an old colonial house — the old Horton House. B. Town Beginnings (Done by the Grange) A glimpse is given of the early home life in the Horton House ; of the first child born in the colony, Caleb Horton ; and of the mother, Dame Horton. The child's loud cry indi- cates to the women that he "hath the Horton gift of song." C. First Town Meeting (Done by the Southold Town Board) Parson Youngs and the Town Board approach the Hor- ton House, where they meet after the first winter has passed. They give thanks that spring has come and for the friendliness of the Indians. They consider purchasing more land of the Indians ; the desirability of remaining under the control of New Haven rather than under Nieu Amsterdam ; the right to worship according to their desires, and the right of communicants of the First Church only to vote. A party of Indians draw near and an alarum is sounded. D. Purchase Scene (Done by descendants of settlers of Greenport and Orient, under the direction of Miss Leila M. Youngs.) Parson Youngs and William Wells, the Clerk, talk with Chief Yenneacott, pledging mutual friendship as long as moons come and go. Jackson Conklyne negotiates for the purchase of the land of Sterling, called Harshamomuch (Greenport), for the sum of a penny an acre and one pep- percorn to be paid annually for fifty years; and John Youngs, Jr., for the purchase of Oyster Ponds, called Pau- cakutum (Orient), for "six goodly coats of foreign make." Oxen and cart appear on the scene. Orient and Greenport purchasers load on the cart their furniture, many pieces of which are heirlooms from early settlers; women and chil- dren step aboard, and the little band departs for the new settlements. At the close of the trading, Yenneacott makes a speech expressing satisfaction, and a settler makes a speech expressing doubt, as to the way of the White Man. Scene from Indian Life ^^^ Indian Chief and Son in Canoe (Edward A. Bell and Edwin Prellwitz) Medicine Man (George R. Leslie^ Indian Ciiikk and Son (,W. Itaynor Wickham and Son Beverly) 275th ANNiyERSARY CELEBRATION 57 E. Quaker Disturbances (Done by Southold Town Board and others, under the direction of Mrs. Walter T. Smith.) Stocks are erected on the Green. Enter the Town Board in Puritan dress, Quakers to be tried, a runaway slave, and others. The Town Crier rings his bell and announces in a loud voice several times the trial of Quaker Norton for teaching heresy; of Arthur Smith for embracing the faith of Quakers ; of John Budd, Sr., for harboring Quakers. A trial follows in which fiery religious zeal is shown and touch- ing appeals are made for charity. The offenders are pun- ished with fines, stripes, banishment, and sitting in the stocks. At the close of this scene, the Indians make their final retirement. The wigwam is taken dovra, and camp fires are put out; Os-ke-non-ton beats the tom-tom softly and sings a farewell song. Slowly and quietly the Indians disappear from the immediate background and henceforth are seen only at a distance. Cast of Characters William R. Newbold Pastor John Youngs Mrs. W. R. Newbold Dame Youngs Max Newbold One of the Sons Stewart W. Horton Barnabas Horton Miss Florence Beebe Mother Horton Charles Green Bennett Baby Caleb Horton William A. Wells William Wells Miss Josephine Case Dame Wells Mrs. Ida L. Beebe Dame Touttle 58 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Benjamin B. Tuthill Ernest E. Boisseau William H. Beebe Melrose I. Booth Samuel L. Bennett Henry A. Goldsmith Joseph H. Bennett Edwin Donahue Harrison Bennett Kenneth Dickerson Reginald Donahue Alexander Koke Daniel T. Smith Mrs. Minnie W. Maier Other Early Settlers Mrs. Melrose I. Booth Mrs. Benjamin L. Prince Mrs. Frederick Fickeissen Mrs. Rose M. Smith Ida M. Wells Mary Williams Abbie Teague Mary Conklin Josephine May Doris Hagerman Miriam Boisseau Gertrude Koke Helen Koke Harriet Dickerson Esther Booth Members of the Town Board Supervisor David W. Tuthill Justice Charles G. Corey Town Clerk Joseph N. Hallock Justice Elbert E. Luce Justice William B. Reeve Justice Frank E. Hine Justice William W. Griffin Counsel Jesse L. Case Superintendent of Highways George H. Fleet Purchasers of Greenport Percy Adams Jackson Conklyne Mrs. Percy Adams Mrs. John J. Bartlett Miss Ethel Cotton Mrs. Otto Van Tuyle Mrs. Joseph L. Townsend Mehitable F. Townsend Joseph L. Townsend, Jr. Kathryn Corey Marjory Parsons Purchasers of Orient Ezra H. Young Colonel John Young Ruth Stephenson Mrs. John Young Dorothy L. Edwards Laurence Fisher ^^ Children Jean Fisher Robert W. Gilispie, Jr. Lyle F. Tuthill Mrs. Lyle F. Tuthill John Brown Tuthill ) Alfred N. Luce V Children Eloise F. Luce ) George B. Dearborn Rachel Edwards Mrs. Iva Glover Luce H 2 O O a X H o ^: a o SouTHOLD Town Board and Pastor Youngs Ti Pastor Youngs, Town Crier, and Characters from Trial Scene 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 59 Trial Scene William R. Newbold Pastor John Youngs Frederick K. Terry Town Crier Richard C. Addy Quaker Norton Edward D. Cahoon John Budd, Sr. Stephen O. Salmon Arthur Smith Augustus Mosely Christopher Youngs Walter Smith Sheriff William A. Wells Clerk Interlude Dance — ' 'America" (Done by summer residents at Paradise Point, under the direction of Priscilla Gadsden.) Following the departure of the Indians, the Era of the White Man is ushered in by an interpretative dance. Seven young ladies follow one another in succession and show by costume and dance the periods or elements that have con- tributed to the development of America. Cast of Characters Priscilla Gadsden Indian Margaret McLean Puritan Constance L. Jenkins Dutch Elizabeth I. Conklin Quaker Janet Benson ) ^ t L Cavalier Helen Conrad ^ Dorothy Jenkins Modern Life Episode II (1674-1676) Political Government of Early Southold Town A. Arrival of a Dutch Messenger (Done by St. Patrick's Dramatic Society and others, under the direction of William T. Gagen.) Some of the leading first settlers, now grown old, and others are on the Green. A visitor from Southampton, John Cooper, is present. A boat containing Connecticut Commis- sioners is being rowed to the shore from Shelter Island by 60 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Mr. Sylvester and son. The people salute with joy the com- ing of these men. Another boat brings a Dutch messenger, Steenwick, who receives no welcome. A stirring scene fol- lows. Steenwick demands allegiance to the Dutch, but this is refused by both Southold and Southampton, and renewed loyalty is pledged to the New Haven Colony. Interlude Early Southold School (Done by Southold children and the Dame, Mrs. Julia L. Conklin, under the direction of Miss Lucy Taylor, Misses Thorne, Miss Eliza- beth Elmer, Mrs. Frederick K, Terry, and Mrs. Elsie Williams.) An old-time School Dame of the most antique order trips briskly across the Green and calls to order a host of children that look like old-fashioned dolls. They recite, work, sing, and play after the manner of the schools of long ago. The pupils are taught to spell from the New England Primer and to chant their number combinations. They knit, sew, shell peas and corn, and make pens. Finally, they all sing and play under the trees the old-fashioned games, Lavender, London Bridge, and Looby Loo. A trumpet sounds and the Green is cleared. B. Arrival of an English Messenger (Done under the direction of William T. Gagen,) An English Commissioner sent out by Governor Andros of New York, arrives in Southold. He demands the return of the colony to its place in the Colony of New York. The people of Southold submit, agreeing to pay then, and an- nually, a quit rent of one fat lamb. Forthwith a lamb is led out and received by the Commissioner. The Patent is then signed by men representing the original signers. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 61 Cast of Characters Albert W. Albertson Isaac Arnold Albert Salmon Captain John Youngs John Breitstadt Steenwick, the Dutch Messenger Henry F. Van Wyck Escort Frank Stelzer Winthrop, the English Commissioner Joseph Carroll Willis, English Commissioner Frank Strasser John Cooper Frank Cochran Mr, Sylvester Harry Carroll Son Richard Hogan Thomas Moore A. W. Sjmionds Duke of York's Messenger Wesley Prince Escort Walter Gagen Child The Lamb (trained especially for the play) Cavalry Men Harry Howell Wilmot Vandusen Richard Hodgins Peter J. Mahoney, Jr. Town Signers William H, Terry Matthias Nichols William H. Glover Samuel Glover Peter J. Mahoney Jacob Corey Albert W. Albertson Isaac Arnold Daniel H. Horton Joshua Horton Horace J. Booth Benjamin Wells Albert Salmon Captain John Youngs Dr. John W. Stokes Lyon Gardiner William L. Williams John Gardiner Townspeople Joseph Carey Walter Gagen John Carroll Madeline Carroll Robert Ebbitts Constance L. Jenkins James Ebbitts Edith Marsland William Furey Stacia Romanski Katherine Schafer 62 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Dame's School Mrs. Julia L. Conklin, School Dame Frederick Bridge Dwight Bridge Willie Carroll James Cogan Charles Gagen Eugene Lehr Frederick Prince Chester Rich John Shields Stephen Romanski Helen Cochran Floyd Van Wyck George Wells Lois Baker Dorinda Beatty Helen Boisseau Helen Booth Anne Burke Mary Carey Alice Carroll Pupils Catherine Cogan Helen Dickerson Rita Dickerson Theresa Fielder Marguerite Furey Marie Gagen Marjorie Hagerman Beatrice Hodgins Beryl Horton Frances Leicht Alma Marsland Anna Shields Altha Smith Florence Strasser Bernice Simons Helen Terry Evelyn Van Wyck Dorothy Van Wyck Marjorie Van Wyck Frances Wells Doris Williams Episode III (1754) French and Indian War (Done by ladies representing different Societies^ under the direc- tion of Mrs. Regina Sturmdorf.) Colonial ladies come on the Green, bringing their spin- ning wheels and stools. They spin and converse on the French and Indian War, recalling also events in the his- tory of the town. They sing a spinning song and as they finish, a man calls for supplies that are to be sent to General Johnson at Lake George. Another scene follows imme- diately, in which a messenger arrives and announces that the war is happily over. Townspeople cheer. •ti •S^Ski/i'f'JI^.. f*^- -xtitrm! ^ O Sitting in the Stocks Spinning Song The Song of the Bow 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 63 Cast of Characters Wesley Prince Messenger William H. Wells Messenger Spinning Ladies Isabel Boisseau Kate McCabe Emma Booth Georgia Marshall Mary Conklin Mrs. Oliver V. Penney Mrs. Robert C. Davenport Edith Prince Mrs. David Driscol Mrs. Nathan Sayre Mrs. Elizabeth Hall Lucy Taylor Mrs. Anna Prince Hedges Vera Terry Alice Hynard Mrs. Rajmor Wickham Grace King Mrs. Elsie Williams Frieda Williams Episode IV (1774-1776) Early Revolutionary Days A. Notice of Red Coats (Done by townspeople and descendants of the G. A. R., under the direction of Clement W. Booth.) A notice is nailed on a tree, which is read by one of the townsmen. He resents the news that two English com- panies are to be docketed upon Southold, but turning, he beholds a sight that foretells an awakening. B. Tableau — Spirit of '76 There comes marching on the Green a small body of youthful patriots — a little drummer boy, drumming on a big drum; two small boys carrying a big musket; two taller lads ; a barefoot boy with a hoe over his shoulder ; a Minute Man on horseback ; and a color bearer. The audience rises and salutes the flag. 66 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Minuet Dancers from Riverhead Jane Bagshaw Donald H. Belford Jane Edwards Harold Arnold Lois P. Harper Everett Benjamin Lydia G. Jackson Charles Downs Leah Myer Harold Hutchinson Hazel Odell Philip W. Stackpole Marguerite R. Richardson Clyde Tooker Constance Tooker Austin Warner Finale A. The Future of Southold (Grouping and costumes designed by Marianna Mitchell) After the dance, one of the guests starts an old song, "Auld Lang Syne," in which the other guests join. During the singing. Dr. Epher Whitaker comes from his seat in the audience and takes a position under a stately pine on the Green. The audience rises. Dr. Whitaker represents Faith. Community Friendship joins him and then appear the following symbolic characters : Peace, represented by a young lady in white, holding aloft a dove; Plenty, by a young lady in purple and white, carrying a sheaf of wheat ; Hope, by a young lady in light blue, with a star in her crown and an anchor in her arms ; Love, by two little boys (for Love should not be alone), in fluttering pink draperies; Happiness, by a sunny-faced child in yellow ; and Home, by a beautiful young mother with her five lovely children. The Spirits of Nature appear once more, this time to indicate the great work that must be done to insure the future prosperity of Southold. They dance in and out among the Symbolic figures, binding them all together with the golden bands of Community Friendship. B. Recessional All the Pageant Players, led by Community Friendship, march across the Green, carrying stage properties with them. They encircle the audience, descend the bank, and vanish along the beach. ^Bfe^ 1 ^t^S^^~5S^^ BB*^ K^^B 1^^^ WKSfllk^^'^^' ■g B' 'c.^^. 4^^^l Wk ^ IP ^ |^^3 M f .»J^ K '•^^i^^^HBH ^ Closing Tableau of Pageant 'Faith" and "Community Friendship" "Peace" I W^' V /n^;»k^ krl.-. . 1 iLiil^.._-.^_..— ii « J ■ ■■'ir%V' -^ 'Hope," "Plenty," and Others "Love" "Home" 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 67 Cast of Characters Eev. Epher Whitaker, D.D Faith Helen Millard Community Friendship Ann Hallock Peace Ada Smith Plenty Mrs. Henry Fisher Hope Samuel and John Merwin Love Esther Macomber Happiness Mrs. Albert Albertson and Five Children ^ „ Jennie, Florence, Marion, Corey, Pauline ^ 68 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION EARLY HISTORY OF SOUTHOLD No volume relating to an Anniversary Celebration of old Southold would be complete without a brief sketch of that which it is all about — the founding of Southold — and there is but one authority on this subject. ''Go to the book," is the command when a historical fact is wanted. There is but one "book" and one undisputed author on local history — "The History of Southold (1640-1740)" by Epher Whitaker, D.D. From the writings of Dr. Whitaker, therefore, we glean the following items that will always be of interest. The chief pioneers of Southold came to America from Southwolde, Suffolk County, England, in 1637, and from other places about that time. Being the earliest English settlers on Long Island, they gave, in due time, the name of their native place to the oldest town on the Island and the name of their native county to the eastern county, that in- cludes more than half the Island territory. Rev. John Youngs and his family sailed from England to Salem, Mass., in 1637. He was offered land there if he would remain in that place, but he preferred to found a church and town of his own. Accordingly, he and the other first settlers of our town soon after sailed from New Haven to make a home for themselves on our shores. How early the first English explorers and traders with the Indians for furs and shells were on the ground in this beautiful part of Long Island is not known. Unhappily the first book of the town records of Southold previous to 1651 is lost. Some of the earliest settlers may have been in the place in 1639, for the settlement was sufficiently advanced in the summer of 1640 to purchase the title of the Indians. This was not gen- erally done in less than a year after the beginning of a settlement. The number and order and permanency of the population had become so great in the autumn of 1640, that on the 21st of October the Rev. John Youngs gathered his church anew. Four days later, one of the settlers sold his land with his home upon it and other improvements for 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 69 fifteen pounds. The purchase of Southold was made as early at least as August, 1640, earlier than any other English town on the Island ; and the earliest settlers must have been in the place many months, and perhaps a year or more, previous to that date. The lawyer of the first generation was William Wells. There was no physician here for fifty years. The wealthiest man, with his sons, was Barnabas Horton. Other prominent men among the early settlers were : Robert Ackerly, Thomas Benedict, Richard Benjamin, John Booth, Richard Brown, John Budd, Henry Case, John Conklin, John Corey, Matthias Corwin, Philemon Dickerson, Charles Glover, Ralph Goldsmith, William Hallock, John Herbert, Samuel King, Thomas Mapes, George Miller, Thomas Moore, Peter Payne, William Purrier, Thomas Reeve, William Salmon, John Sweezey, Richard Terry, Thomas Terry, John Tucker, John Tuthill, Henry Tuthill, Captain John Underbill, Jeremiah Vail, Henry Whitney, Barnabas Wines, Joseph Youngs, Captain John Youngs. They preferred the New Haven principles rather than the Connecticut plan of civil government. The government was in the town meeting, subject to the New Haven Gen- eral Court. The church order was maintained partly by the town meeting and partly by the pastor. They had no desire to abridge the liberty of other people in other places, but they were eager, vigilant and strenuous to protect and per- petuate their own rights and liberties. The industry, intelligence, virtue and piety of the people of the town maintained its prosperity and growth, in spite of all its difficulties and political changes. Rev. Joshua Hobart succeeded the first pastor, who died in 1672, and he served the people of Southold for forty-three years. He was succeeded by Rev. Benjamin Woolsey. Other early pastors were Rev. James Davenport, Rev. William Throop and Rev. John Storrs, ancestor of a long line of famous educators and preachers. In 1684, the County Court ordered that a prison be made at Southold. The town built a new meeting house and turned the old one into a prison. At the same time Jonathan Hor- 70 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ton, the youngest son of Barnabas Horton and heir of the homestead, enlarged his dwelling and made a court house in the second story. The courts were held in this building until the county seat was established at Riverhead in 1725. Soon after 1685, when the Huguenots were driven from France, the L'Hommedieu and Boisseau families came to Southold. The .addition of this French blood was advan- tageous to the place. Ezra L'Hommedieu, a grandson of the original Benjamin L'Hommedieu and of Nathaniel Sylves- ter, the proprietor of Shelter Island, was the greatest man who ever lived in Southold all his life. In 1715 a Presbyterian meeting house was built at Mat- tituck ; in 1718, at Orient (Oyster Ponds) ; and in Cutchogue in 1732. In the struggle to decide whether America should be commandingly English or French, Southold took its full share and rejoiced when Canada became subject to Great Britain. As the contest of the Revolution drew near, the town generally manifested its zeal for right and liberty. Under the leadership of Ezra L'Hommedieu, most of the men early pledged themselves to support Congress. The town was exposed to ravages from the time of the battle of Long Island until the close of the Revolutionary War in 1783, and many of the men became refugees to Connecticut. In 1730, Shelter Island was detached from Southold, and in 1792 the western part of Southold was made the town of Riverhead. About the same time it began very greatly to diversify the forms of its religious life. Congregationalists, Methodists, Universalists, and Baptists formed parishes. Later the Episcopalians, Roman Catholics and Lutherans formed churches in the town. The town suffered in some measure during the war with Great Britain in 1812 and was fortified and armed at its easternmost point. The early settlers have had many eminent offspring. Governor John Young was a descendant of the first pastor ; Secretary of State William H. Seward, of John Sweezey; Governor Philemon Dickerson and Secretary of the Navy 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 71 Mahlon Dickerson were descendants of Philemon Dickerson ; Secretary of the Treasury Thomas Corwin was a descendant of Matthias Corwin; United States Senator Roscoe Conk- ling was a kinsman of John Conklin ; Major General Henry W. Halleck, the poet, Fitz Greene Halleck, and Gerard Hal- lock, founder of the New York Journal of Commerce, were descendants of William Hallock ; Benjamin Harrison, Presi- dent of the United States, was a descendant of Henry Tut- hill and several other early Southolders. The main purpose of the founders of the town was religion, though they undoubtedly had a liking for political freedom. The town zealously supported the old flag throughout the Civil War. Early in our national history the town became Jeffersonian Republican and subsequently Jacksonian Demo- cratic in its political principles. Its civil government, whether Republican or Democratic, has been most worthy and excellent. It retains the just, faithful and free spirit of primeval Puritanism, when men knew what they were building and purposely laid solid foundations for many ages of equity, freedom, prosperity and virtue. OLD HOME SITES AND SETTLEMENTS OF SOUTHOLD The following valuable information relating to the sites of the homes and the outlying settlements of the early set- tlers is from the speech that Counsellor Albertson Case (deceased) made in 1876, and was read at the Opening Reception of the Celebration. Mr. Case was for many years Town Surveyor and Counsel for the Town Board and was considered our best authority on roads and sites. The extract selected for this volume contains facts that will be of increasing interest to Southolders as the years pass. Pastor Youngs and his party located the present town street and built their dwellings on it. The line of the Main Street probably ran about as it does now. Also the street to the head of the creek, the road to the North Sea (Long Island Sound) which is now known as Railroad Avenue, and the present Norton's Lane. Their dwellings in a few years 72 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION lined the Main Street from the "Run" at the foot of Willow Hill on the west to a little east of Town Harbor Lane on the east. Constant additions of new settlers were occurring in the years immediately following the first settlement. Of those first years the town has no oflficial record. Liber A of our Town Records (now in the Town Clerk's office) begins with the date 1651. The record of each man's home lot and outlands is the first subject embraced in the book. These home lots were allotted among the settlers and most of them were described as containing four acres, more or less. Starting at the "Run," at the foot of Mill Hill, in the western part of the village, the home lots of the first settlers were situated as follows: Thomas Terry, now home of Patrick May. Philemon Dickerson, now home of Gilbert H. Terry. Thomas Reeve, now home of Miss Mary Huntting. Richard Terry, now home of John M. Howard. Thomas Mapes, now home of Edward Baker. Barnabas Wines, now owned by Henry Cleveland Estate. Joseph Horton, the old house owned by Mrs. N. Hubbard Cleveland. Henry Case, the home of Edward 0. Harrison. John Elton, the home owned by Mrs. Wm. Evans. Samuel King, now home of A. Irwin Booth. John Tucker, now home of Oliver A. Mayo. John Budd, the Hunttinghurst house, one of the oldest in Southold, now the home of Daniel H. Horton. John Tuthill, now home of N. Hubbard Cleveland. Richard Benjamin, now home of Miss Hannah Carpenter. Barnabas Horton, now home of Geo. C. Terry. John Hobart, now the Presbyterian parsonage. Matthias Corwin, now home of Dr. J. W. Stokes. John Booth, now home of Samuel Dickerson. Thomas Sawyer, now home of Geo. R. Jennings. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 73 Robert Ackerly, the Eustace place, the home of Post- master W. A. Cochran. John Underhill, the present site of the Southold Savings Bank. John Conklin, the Theo. Nenninger store. William Wells, the lawyer, the present Southold Hotel. Rev. John Youngs, the home of Miss Jerusha Horton. Col. John Youngs, the home of the Historical Exhibit in this Celebration, and the oldest house in Southold. John Corey, the Albertson House, the Colonial Tea House of this Celebration. Robert Hempstead, the home of Dr. J. M. Hartranft. Isaac Young, the home of O. L. Wells. Peter Payne, the home of Sinclair Smith. Thomas Moore, the home of Richard Hogan. Stephen Bay ley, the J. E, Cochran store. Simon Grover, where house of Eagle Hook and Ladder Company now stands. Benjamin Moore, the old "Case House," one of the oldest in town, torn down some years ago and parts of it moved to F. K. Cochran's land on Boisseau Avenue. Thomas Longsworth, where the Singley wheelwright shop stands to-day. Dr. John Gardiner, the home of Mrs. Michael Furey. Joseph Youngs, the house of S. Lester Albertson. Benjamin L'Hommedieu, the W. H. H. Glover place. The east part of this house is part of the original L'Hommedieu house and is over 250 years old. Jasper Griffing, the old Daniel Tuthill house at Town Harbor, now owned by W. F. Moore. This house is also one of the oldest in town. James Petty, now the home of A. R, Vail. Nathan Landon, now the home of Mrs. J. B. Terry. John Payne, the home of C. M. Post. Jeremiah Vail, the home of Geo. A. Maier. 74 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Charles Glover's lot was on the creek, the Bliss place, where the Pageant Play of this Celebration was given. It seems to have been a fixed design that the settlers should live in close proximity. By 1660 there were at least fifty home lots with their dwellings. The Main Street ran through the woods. In 1657 every inhabitant was ordered to take up and carry away all trees and roots of trees standing in front of his house under pen- alty of twelve pence for every stump left standing. The settlers found mostly woodlands and salt meadows. Here and there was an arable field. This they would divide into small parcels of one or two acres, so that it might afford a share for each. Such for instance was the "Old Field," probably the site of an Indian village. This old field was sur- rounded by a general fence, a certain portion of which each owner of the field was compelled to make. They also made great account of the salt meadows. Almost every settler had from one to four acres in different meadows at Oyster Ponds (Orient), Southold, Hog Neck, Cutchogue, Aquebogue, and the south side of the River at Riverhead. The settlers had little or no upland grass and the salt hay furnished the most available winter fodder for their stock. The Indian names of localities were adopted to a great extent. Mattituck, Peconic, Cutchogue and Arshamomoque are familiar illustrations. Yennicock was the general name of the town. Our Mill Creek was called Tom's Creek, named after Thomas Benedict. Long Island Sound was known by the name of the North Sea. Many of the local names have never been dropped. Calves' Neck, Goose Creek, Robin's Island, Pine Neck, Hog Neck, Plum Gut, Peter's Neck, Long Beach and South Harbor we find in the early records and they are used to this day. Many of the names, however, first used, are now obsolete. Early in the history mills were erected. There was one at Mill Creek. Soon also there was a windmill on Mill Hill, where Mr. Barnes' residence now stands, another on the north side of Hog Neck, now Bay View, and another at Town Harbor. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 75 Orient and East Marion were used by the people to pasture their cattle and hogs, in the same way that Montauk is still pastured. Isaac Arnold had his warehouse at the head of the creek and was the only merchant here. The parish bounds ran for more than half a century from Plum Gut to Wading River. The old first bounds of South- old ran from Mill Creek to the Fresh Meadows at Cutchogue, the present Golden place. Soon, under titles from the In- dians, the bounds were extended. The Town of Riverhead was formed from Southold in 1792. Shelter Island was also under our authority until 1730. In 1648 the Town became a member of the New Haven Colony. In 1662 that colony united with Connecticut Colony. In 1664 we came under the authority of New York. In 1673 the Dutch took New York, but Southold resisted the change and acknowledged allegiance to Connecticut once more. In 1674 the English again possessed New York, and Southold reluctantly came under that colony the second time. We know that there were private contentions among our first settlers; that they were wilful, ultra and arbitrary in matters of conscience. With these faults we can count up a long list of virtues. They were moral in their lives, sternly religious in their belief and practice, industrious in their labors, prudent in all things, and of unselfish devotion to the needs of the settlement. If their religion was austere, yet its fundamental principles have made and preserved the nation ; if their laws and regulations were sometimes trivial and illiberal, yet the great bulk of the rules they made for their government aimed at and accomplished justice. For their day and generation they ruled their affairs wonder- fully well. Truly we have a right to be proud of our ancestors ; of those honest, brave-hearted, clear-headed men who came 76 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION here and occupied this pleasant arm of land — this jewel, which nature has made so lovely in its setting, so precious in its valuable qualities of soil and climate. In 1640 it was a wilderness — to-day it is a garden spot. Southold settlement was poor and feeble in its infancy ; Southold Town in its old age is rich and vigorous. Her sons and daughters rejoice and are happy in her strength and beauty, her fair and honest name. Thanks forever and ever to our fathers who came here, lived out their industrious, honest lives, and dying, transmitted to us, their children, so fair a heritage for our home. GREETINGS FROM SOUTHWOLD, ENGLAND The following letter from the Rev. Claude Hope Sutton, M.A., Vicar of Southwold Church, England, was read by Mr. Frank R. Mitchell at the Sunday afternoon service : Southwold Vicarage, Suffolk, England. My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus : The letter of friendly greeting (dated May 25th) has come to cheer us at a most opportune time. The "Mother Southwold" (as you kindly call us) feels acutely the stress of this terrible European war. For many centuries the inhabitants of Southwold main- tained themselves by their fishing industry, but for the last two generations they have been almost entirely dependent for a livelihood upon their summer visitors. The war spoilt their last summer season in August and September, and apparently this year there will be no summer season at all. This means ruin or poverty for a large number of our people, who before were in comfortable circumstances; but we all need to learn the lessons which God would have us learn by this most terrible scourge of war, which affects to almost equal extent (so far as suffering goes) the vanquished and victors. You may be glad to know, therefore, that though the sea- son of August and September last year was the worst ever 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 77 recorded in Southwold, more persons received the Holy Com- munion at the Parish Church than in any previous season. You v^rill be glad to know that the Bible is being read by our soldiers in a way it has never been read since the days of Cromwell, and that we believe that when this terrible war is ended, and the nations are cleansed from their sins, that the Kingdom of Christ may extend over the whole world to the extent described by the Hebrew Prophets. You will be glad also to know that we have now no re- ligious dissensions, as in the days when your ancestors left us. Constantly during the South African War, and fre- quently on public occasions since, we have had our great Parish Church crowded for united services for prayer or praise, at which the two non-conformist ministers have always assisted by reading the lessons from the Holy Scriptures. As I am not able to accept your kind invitation to be present amongst you, may I humbly commend to you a text from Isaiah: "Thou will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee." That text was, I like to think, often in the minds of your ancestors, when they left us to found a new home in a new continent, and it is in our minds often now. God was with them and blessed them, and the "Daughter Southold" has now, I am told, a family three times as great as the "Mother Southwold." On July 25th, I shall, D. V., at Holy Communion, ask the prayers of our people for you all, that the Kingdom of Christ may be extended amongst you, and that you may be prospered in things temporal and spiritual, and I will ask you all to pray for the preservation of our noble and ancient Church, and for the preservation of the lives and honor of our women and children, as well also for the 267 brave men who have already left their homes in Southwold to fight for their country. And I shall trust that you may each receive that blessing which is given at the conclusion of our service, i. e., the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and love of God and of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and the blessing of God 78 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Almighty, the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost be amongst you and remain with you always. Believe me, my dear Christian brethren, your fellow servant in Christ Jesus, Claude Hope Sutton, Vicar of Southwold, England. Town Clerk's Office, Southwold, England, July 9, 1915. Dear Sir: — The attention of the Town Council of South- wold has been drawn to your letter of the 15th of May with reference to the Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniver- sary of your Town's Foundation, and I am directed by the Council to offer their hearty congratulations upon the occur- rence of this very interesting event. The Council are particularly grateful for the kindly mes- sage of sympathy contained in your letter which is specially welcome at this time of national peril and stress. This town lies upon the East Coast within a few score miles of the scene of some of the heaviest fighting and almost the whole of our efficient male population is serving either ashore or afloat. We look forward with confidence to a life- long and honorable peace and the freedom and integrity of small countries in whose defence England drew her sword. To return to domestic matters it may interest your townsmen to know that two portions of the sea front here are known as Long Island Cliff and New York Cliff and there is no doubt these names were adopted when many of our ancestors emigrated to your district and helped to found the JTown of Southold. With every good wish for the success of the Celebration and the prosperity and happiness of your town, I am, Yours faithfully, Ernest R. Cooper, Town Clerk. F. R. Mitchell, Esq., Anniversary Celebration Committee, Southold, N. Y., U. S. A. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 79 CELEBRATION POEMS AND HYMNS Memorial Gateway [Read at the Dedication of Founders' Landing Gateway] Gateway of this ancient town, Now we dedicate thee here, In fair Southold, whose renown. Like her name, to us is dear; True memorial of the band. Who came here across the sea, Seeking in an unknown land. Freedom, peace and liberty; Entrance to the beauteous bay, Winding far out to the sea. Bid good speed to those alway, Sailing from our shore and thee ; Those who through thy portals come, Stranger, friend, and wandering guest, Be to them a welcome home In this place of quiet rest ; Oft remind us of that band. Bravely, in the long-ago. Coming to this lonely strand. Toiling on through weal and woe; Stand an emblem of the faith That sustained those men of old. Stand a symbol of the love For our worthy town, Southold. Metta Horton Cook. 80 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION OUR OWN FOLK [Sung to the tune "My Ain Folk" at the Opening Reception] Tho' far from home we wander, 'Tis here our thoughts return, To our own folk on Long Island, And our hearts within us burn, As we think of all the loved ones Who in this dear place stay, And joy and sadness mingle As we list some old-time lay. Refrain For it's O, we've been longing for our own folk — For old friends are best of all this earth's folk. And tho' far o'er land or sea. It is here our hearts will be. At home in dear old Southold With our own folk. But once again we're greeting Our friends from far and near, Ah ! sweet is now our meeting After many a long, long year. How our hearts with joy are gladdened, And eyes with welcome shine; Still abides the love we uttered In the days of auld lang syne. Refrain : For it's O, we've, etc. Of our school days we've been telling. We boys and girls of yore. And the happy recollections Centered 'round the Academy door; But here's our earnest hoping For the time that is to be. May peace and plenty crown her, This village by the sea. Anna Prince Hedges. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 81 THE PILGRIM'S FLIGHT [Written for the 250th Anniversary] Words by T. B. Force, Southold Music by D, P. Horton, Southold Fair Isle! farewell, though o'er the heart. Comes sorrow's shadows as we part ; Thy necklace is the foaming sheen That ocean twines about his Queen. But lo ! the tyrant presses hard, From him we fly, 'gainst him we guard. By Ocean's breezy breath was blown The Pilgrim to a wild unknown ; Cold was the night, the forest bare, But Liberty was in the air. Not death could quench, nor tyrant tame His love for that celestial flame. Through cycles past we love to trace, The story of our father's race— The race that bare the torch on high, When freedom flashed athwart the sky. That light now blazing from its birth, Shall brighter yet illume the earth. 82 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION THE PILGRIM'S PLANTING [Written for the 250th Anniversary] Words by Rev. Epher Whitaker, D.D. Music by D. P. Horton Over the sea to unknown shore, Exiles of faith the Pilgrims came; Freedom they sought, not golden ore, God's Book their law, their trust His name. Sighing, they left their Fatherland, Tracing the flight of Liberty ; Here, on this spot that faithful band Planted the Cross and Freedom's Tree. Here shall that Cross forever stand. Symbol of life to dying souls, Firm as a rock, 'mid shifting sand. Where in his wrath the Ocean rolls. Vital and fair abides that tree, Throwing its arms to every wind ; Under its shade for aye shall be. Rest and delight for all mankind. THE SOUTHOLD SUNDIAL A Brief Historical Allusion to Life's Master, "Time" By G. W. FiTZ, M.D. The position and movement of the sun's shadows gave the time to our ancestors for many thousands of years before the settlement of Long Island and for the larger part of two centuries thereafter. The daily study of the stately movement of the shadow on the dial or floor gave our ancestors an understandable measure of the earth's daily rotation. The sun's changing altitude in the sky interpreted for them the changing seasons. And the "Sun Fast" and "Sun Slow" meant to them the varying speed of the earth in its oblique yearly swing around the sun. By these everyday experiences, they were made to realize more vividly in the succession of toil and rest, of planting and harvest, of abundance-giving warmth and tingling, strengthening cold, the Father's marvelous universe and His constant protection and guidance, for which they as constantly gave their heart-felt thanks. In the hope that it may bring similar uplifting associations to our generation, an accurate bronze sundial is offered as a permanent memento of the stirring times of unrest and change which led to the settlement of our beautiful town. It bespeaks interest and appre- ciation, not only as a reminder of the ways and means of life in colonial days, but as a scientific instrument of great educational value for all time. The dial is calculated for the latitude of Southold, but will serve for the whole of Long Island, New York City, for Southern New York and Connecticut, and for all places on the earth's surface having an approximate latitude of 41° N. It can be obtained, with full directions for emplacement, by mail, by addressing Dr. G. W. Fitz, Peconic, N. Y. 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 83 LETTER FROM THE CHAIRMAN En Route for the Woods, Day after Celebration. Editor of The Long Island Traveler, Southold, L. I. My dear Mr. Hallock : The Two Hundred and Seventy-fifth Anniversary of the settlement of Southold Town has passed. The Celebration of it is now a part of the history of the town. I am on my way to the woods and have time for only a few words of felicita- tion. It would be immodest for me to dilate on the success of the Celebration. It would be ungrateful of me to run away without giving some expression of my appreciation of the unfaltering, unselfish, and uncomplaining support of all our people who wrought this marvelous achievement. I do not yet know what measure of financial success has crowned our efforts, but I do know that, even if we are in debt, we have been richly paid in the splendid exhibition of willing service. Every committee has more than met the most sanguine expectations of the executive board. I might begin at the first function at the Academy and sing the praises of every committee until the final great religious festival on Sunday afternoon. I might repeat only half the kindly expressions I have heard of the efficiency of the police and traffic squad and I might express my gratitude to all the organizations and individuals who contributed their time and talents with unfailing good humor ; but this would tax your room to print and your time to read. I rejoice in the fact that in working thus we have broken down all the artificial or imaginary lines which so often act as barriers to the progress of small communities and given a splendid exhibition of what we can do when we march to the beat of warm hearts without cold feet. Let us not stop until we have a village park worthy of the site, a town hall worthy of the artistic and literary talent of our people and a railroad depot worthy of our de- lightful village. Sincerely yours, E. D. Cahoon. 84 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION REPORT OF THE TREASURER OF THE 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Receipts Cash advanced by E. D. Cahoon $730.00 Receipts from sale of 2,000 stickers 2.00 " three Ball Games 630.84 " Beach Party 603.10 « Minstrels 422.00 « Pageant Play 1,688.75 " sale Pageant Play Programs 53.31 " Evening Concert 359.40 " Carnival 50.00 " sale of chairs, parade 4.50 " parking space, autos, parade 6.00 " Youngs' House 121.00 ** Tea House 268.56 " Dance Platform, during Celebration 125.55 ** Dance Platform, after Celebration. 49.23 ** sale of Pennants, Buttons and Sun Dials 265.82 Donations 158.41 Sale Curtains, Youngs' House 2.25 Received from rent of costumes 258.70 Cash received from Chairman Fireworks Commit- tee, being balance after all expenses were paid 2.50 Total receipts $5,801.92 275th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 85 Expenses Pageant Play, Minstrels, Concert, Ball Games, including costumes, material, services and expenses $687.47 Decorating streets and buildings 100.00 Rent chairs and tents 110.00 Material Grand Stand and Dance Platform, in- cluding labor in building and tearing down 441.23 Stationery and Printing 180.05 Water Sports and Beach Party 153.34 Gasolene Torches and Gas Lamp purchased 62.50 Music, including Greenport and Sag Harbor Bands 165.90 Cost Buttons, Pennants and Sun Dials 195.76 Expenses Youngs House, including rent 58.83 Expenses Albertson House, including rent 168.18 Banners and Signs, including cost of painting and lettering 45.35 Badges for Committees 8.60 Mileage, freight, express, postage and telephone. . 182.06 Cartage 94.90 Amount repaid E. D. Cahoon for money advanced . 730.00 Other expenses 13.32 3,397.49 Balance $2,404.43 Respectfully submitted, Fred'k K. Terry, Treasurer. The Auditing Committee hereby certify that they have examined the books and vouchers of Frederick K. Terry, as Treasurer of the 275th Anniversary Celebration of Southold Town, and find his receipts to have been $5,801.92 and payments $3,397.49, and that there is a balance in his hands of $2,404.43, which balance is deposited in the Bank of Southold, in the name of Frederick K. Terry, Treasurer. H. Howard Huntting Thomas Farley Albert A. Folk Wm. H. Jogst Auditing Committee. Southold, N. Y., Sept. 15, 1915. Official Insignia op the 275th Anniversary Celebration THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS GARDEN CITY, N. Y, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS lf!llliTIII|!lilMiliiriiiMiiiii'ii: 014 221 ^211 iii ■fv'i^"