Woburn City (part 3 of 4)

In looking back over the years that had now ebpsed since the settlement of the town, it maj be well to recall some of the men who had been prominent in its aflbirs. Tlie committee of thirteen appointed by the town of Charlestown in 1640 to explore the new territory, as well as the seven commissioners selected by the church for a simikr purpose, luid all performed the work allotted to them: they had laid out the town, begun its settlement, formed a church, organized a muuicipal body to administer civil affairs, and had continued to aid, foster, and support the community that had grown up around them, with energy, prudence, and industry. These were nov all dead: Edward Converse, Edward Johnson, John Mousall, Tliomas Gmves, Ezekiel Richardson, Samuel Richardson, Thomas Bicliardson, and John Russell. Each of these men had marked and solid traits of character. Edward Converse was a deacon of the church, and for many yesn one of tlie local justices, or '' commissioner to end small causes,'' giving evidence through his life of integrity, fairness, and self-control. Edward Johnson was one of the striking characters of that period. AVith an education suited to the calibre of his mind, he would liave left a record in the early annals of New England second to none of its chief scholars. His Wouder- Working Provideiut of Zion's Saviour in New England bears evidence of strong intellectual power and a fertile imagination. Its structure may be faulty, but the book has much originality and quaintbess, and sufficient force and vitality to give it a {lermanent and honored place among the early literature of Massachusetts. Mr. Johnson was also an excellent man of business, and had great perseverance and fortitude. To him, more tluin any other one of the original settlers, is Wobuni indebted for its early and successful planting. Tliomas Graves liada strong and ardent nature. He resided in the town oiiW for a short time. He returned to his former occuixition as a ship-master, and commanded the first ship built at Boston, named the Trial. He is next heard of as capturing in the English Channel a Dutch privateer, under circumstances that called for great resolution and bravery. For this act be received a silver cup from his owners, and was raised to the rank of rear-admiral by Cromwell. He died in Charlestown. Tlie Richardsons, of whom there were three brothers, were all men of probity and judgment. Tlieir residences were near to each otiier in the southerly part of the town^ and for two hundred years the road on which they stood has been ailled Bichardsoii's Row. John Russell was a connection of Richard Russell of Charlestown, from whom the town is sup[K)sed to liave received its name. Resolute in will and decided in his convictions, he seceded from his connection with the church in Woburn, and adopted the views of the Anabaptists^ wiio had about 1665 made their a]>- pearance in Boston. For this act of heresy he^ with several other persons of the church, was summoned before the Court of Assistants for reprimand and indictment. This course intimidated manv. but John Russell and his son, John, Jr., both united with the. Baptist Church in Boston. The former soon became a leader and an elder among them, and for his obstinacy in adhering to the obnoxious tenets was imprisoned in Boston for several months. His son John entered the Baptist ministry, and was highly esteemed among them as a preacher of unusual gifts.

For three or four rears the church in Wobum was much troubled bv these defections from the standards of the Puritans, or Congregationalists. But after the Russells left Wobum, and the other members of the cliurch tainted with the Baptist heresy had returned, again to its fellowship, the schism was healed, and no further mention is made of religious dissensions until the reappearance of the Baptists in 1790.

Of the second generation of men that followed the settlement of AA'oburn there are two or three who deserve mention for tlieir administrative ability, integrity of character, and the good influence they exerted in tlic town and colony. Prominent among these was Mr. Johnson's son, Captain E. Johnson. He succeeded Ins father in the office of town-clerk, whicli position was held by the .two for the unusual! v \om term of fortv-eicrht years. Besides occujjving this post, he was chosen to the General Court for several rears, and was a member of the Assistants, whicli was not only a legislative body, but the highest court in the colony. His zeal for the preserration of the old charter was so ardent that he was appointed on the ^'Council for the safety of the people,'' at the time when Andros apiKMred in Boston.

Samuel Walker was ajiother of the leading men of the second priod. Like Mr. Johnson, he was warmly attached to the old Massachusetts charter, and was a member of the colonial conrention held

There were several other men of note in the town at this time, but two only of these will be mentioned here, namely, James Converse and his son, J. Converse, Jr. Tlie first was the ton of Edward Converse, one of. the first proprietois. Without liaving attained the higher honors of colonial office, he was thoroughly fitted for the duties that he was called upon to perform by his fellow-citizens : and he served the town honorably and faithfully in all the stations it had in its power to confer. The son, James Converse, Jr., was bom in Wobum, soon after its incorporation. . H^ be> came prominent in town affairs at an early age, succeeding to the trusts reposed in his father, and as worthily filling them. His reputation is, however, chiefly founded on his military services. He was captain of a company in the troops sent into Maine during the war with the French and Indians, which continued with more or less fighting for theten rears from 1688 to 1698. In 1691 he was placed in command of the garrison at Wells, Maine, in the house of Lieutenant Storer, which was fortified for the prQtection of the settlers. The number of men in the garrison did. not exceed thirty-five. The meagre force thus left to defend an important post induced the Indians under Moxas to attempt its capture. He appeared before the house with two hundred Indians, and opened 4t fierce assault; but Captain Converse gave them such a warm reception that Moxas retreated.

This repulse led another sachem to boast, ''My brother Moxas has missed it, but I will go myself and have the dog Converse out of his hole.*^ Shortly after, the chief appeared before the little garrison with a force of three hundred to five hundred men. He made a fierce attack upon it, but was met with such a hot fire that he quickly drew ofi* his forces. But the next morning the assault was renewed with increased vigor, which led one or two of Captain Converse's men to suggest a surrender, to which Converse -replied "that he would lay the man dead who should utter tliat word again.'' The charge was met with perfect coolness, the garrison waiting until the enemy was in close range before delivering their fire. The execution was so great that tlie Lidiaus were thrown into disorder. Rallying again, they returned to tlie fight, but anotlier destructive firs checked their ardor, and, finding the garrison still nndaanted, they at length drew off. A flog of truce was then sent demanding a surrender^ under the threat, if this was not complied with, ** We '11 cut joa as small as tobacco before to-morrow morning/' Captain Converse's answer was to come on^ for he wanted' work. The invitation was not ac- ' oepted, and in a few hours the baffled chief retired from the contest, leaving the brave garrison victors in the unequal fight. For this act of courage and intrepidity Captain Converse was promoted by Governor Phips to the rank of major, arid made commander of all the Massachusetts forces in that quartan

Twenty-five years later Wobum was again involved in the struggles with the Eastern Indians. It took a prominent part in the celebrated Lovewell's Fight. Of the thirty-four 'men engaged in that conflict six were from Wobuni, one of whom was killed early in the action, and three were wounded. 8eth Wyman, of Woburn, was ensign of the company, and its command fell upon him after the death of Captain Lovewell and the disabling of £iei|tenants Wyman and Farwell. He restored the flagging spirits of the company, and kept up the fight till near night. The Indians first left the field, but the number of dead being great, and this wounded requiring medical treatment, a retreat Iras begun early in the night for the fort near Ossipee Pond, which had been built as a place' of rendezvous in case of need. This retreat was a sad and suffering one. The fort was found abandoned, those left in cliarge having received a 'blse report of the fight. The men divided themselves hito three parties, and after several days of extreme hardship arrived at the frontier settlements. Isaac Johnson, the grandson of Captain Edward Johnson, was the Wobuni soldier who was killed. Three others were severely wounded. The conduct of £nsign Wyman was greatly commended by the colonial authorities. He was promoted to the rank of captain, and presented with a sword as a mark of public esteem for his steadiness and bravery.

The death of Bev. Jabez Fot has been previously mentioned as having occurred in 1702. His son, Mr. John Fox, was then keeping the grammar school in Woburn. His position and attainments gave him favor among his townsmen, and he was invited to preach three months on probation. His efforts were so satisfactory that he was chosen as permanent pastor, and ordained in November, 1703. The sahiry voted him was £40 in money I and £40 iii provisions, at money price. ''A piece of land '' was also given to him adjoining his own estate. At the opening of his ministry Mr. Fox appears to have desired a restatement of the beUef of the church. About this time some heresies were creeping into tlife established doctrines which greatly alarmed those who held steadfastly to the faith of the fathers. Tliese were the adoption of the practice of admitting persons to the communion who had not given evidence of full regeneration, and the adhesion of some (at least secretly) to the views of the Anabaptists, who Imd been crushed out in Wobum thirty years before. Mr. Fox was anxious to clear up these points by a restatement of doctrines. Accordingly a paper was drawn ap which heartily reaffirmed the confession of faith adopted at Cambridge in 164S, whicL was substantially tliat of the Westminster Assembly of 1652. Mr. Fox, being thus sustained in his views of evangelical truth, went on with his ministry successfully and happily for many years. There were, however, othet causes for disagreement and wrangling in the town, or parish (they being for a long period substantially one), besides those arising from differing theological sentiments. One of these was the disposition of certain lands which had been granted to the town in 1664. This grant consisted of 2,000 acres, which the town had the right to select from any unappropriated lauds within the colony. But it was fifty years before the selection was made. A committee was then chosen to take up the land, who pitclied upon t tract called Turkey Hill, lying within the limits of the present town of Lunenburg. Tlie land was surveyed, and the town took possession.* Nothing was done with it for several years. At length it was voted to sell it in one lot to the highest bidder. Tlie purchaser was Israel Beed, of Woburn, who paid for it £ 3,000 m provindal bonds, which was then equivalent to $3,666. Tlie interest of this sum was used by the town for some time in its annual expenditures or in discharge of the province tax. In a few years, however, tlie fund proved to be more of a curse than a blessing, for it led to serious contention as to its custody, perpetual wrangling at town-meetings, and finally to its atter extinction through bad management.

Confemporary with this period, troubles and embarrassments fell upon the people through the loans granted to the towns by the General Court Money was scarce, and poverty laid its liand upou nearly all the colonists. To remedy this evil a demand was made upon the government to issue bills of credit. The clamor was gratified, and £50,000 n^re issued; Wobam's share under this role was £62^. This sum was received in instalments, and placed in the hands of three persons nominated by the town, with authority to re-loan it to such citizens as could give security for its payment This was in 1721. The scheme was apparently successful, for it is believed that all the money was returned, on call of the government, from the citizens to the town, and from that to the state treasury. Having felt the use of this money in its stimulus to a supposed prosperity, a demand sprung up for a new loan of a like character, but larger in amount. Again the General Court fell in with the popular call, and in 1728 authorized the issue of £60,000, to be distributed in like manner as the first. The allotment to AVoburn was about £750, though the exact sum is not given in the records. This amount was treated in the same wav as the former loan, and placed in the hands of trustees, to be let to citizens on the same terms. The matter ran along for half a dozen years in a quiet way, when the people began to think of the town\s responsibility, and required the trustees to report on the condition and safety, of the funds. Nothing seems to have come of this, for two years later, in 1738, a committee was appointed to proceed and collect the money in the hands of the trustees, and report at the general town-meeting to be held a few months hence. In the mean time the colonial authorities called for a portion of the loan (about one third) to be refunded. The money was, however, distributed about, and could not be summarily collected, and the trfeisurer of the province being imperative, the town was obliged to resorjb to a special tax to meet the emergency. Accordingly a rate was laid for the sum of £250 7*. 6//. This was a severe burden for the general inhabitants to bear, as only a small number had realized any benefit from the loan. But the money was not easily collected from the trustees or their constituents, for in 1730, in 1741, and again in 1742, new and increased efl'orts were made by the town to recover the amount; for the debtors were to be " prosecuted in law to the final judgment if need be." Presumably the whole sum was eventually paid by those who held it, although the town records do not anywhere state the fact. But the uneasiness produced by the town's responsibility, the uncertainty of receiving the whole amount from the parties who had borrowed it, and the strain of extra taxation to make good the demand of the province, were a combination of evils quite as hard to bear as were those induced by the poverty the loan was made to alleviate.

SchooU. - Among the varied interests to which the early attention of the colonists was called, was that of education. The leaders were for the roost part graduates of English colleges, and they saw the im}K)rtance, in a state such as they propoj^ to establish, of providing for the general education of children at the public expense. The people of AVoburn do not appear to have taken this view very eaniestly, for it is not until 1673 tliat any record is found for the payment of money for school purposes. In that year and the few following ones small sums were paid to different persons for this sen'ice. Ten shillings was the common annual amount given to the teacher. From this it is very apparent that the advantages of common schools were i^ot held in high estimation. Bi^t that education in its higher forms for a select number of persons was regarded of great import tance, is shown by the liberal donations made to Harvard College. On two several occasions, 1655 and 1669, the contributions of Wobum - one for its general support, and the other to build a new college - were greater than those of any other town in the colony but five. The necessity of an educated ministry was the stimulant to this liberalitv. The instruction of vouth for the common walks of life was deemed of much less importance. It was fortunate that the ministers and the cultured people generally were in favor of universal and compulsor}' schooling. Hence laws were early passed, requiring schools of the lower grades to be kept in all the towns, and when a population reached to one hundred families a grammar-school was to be maintained, for neglect of which a heavy penalty was to be exacted, One point in vindication of the people may be made from the fairly presumed fact tliat in many families the children were tanglit by the parents, and in others the minister or some educated person was employed. In 1685 AVobum had gained the number of families (one hundred) required to support a grammar school. Mr. Samuel Carter, a son of the minister, was appointed as its first teacher, but not a scholar came fonvard to receive his instructions. His j^5 salarv was easilv earned. The town, however, felt its superfluous payment, and reduced the salary to 30*. if no pupils appeared, though £5 yctte to be paid if the sdiool was kept up. Matters went on in this way for several years. The primary school was partially successful^ but the grammar school was almost a total failure. At length the town neglected to pirovide a teacher. This was brought to the attention of the courts and an indictment was threatened. To avoid this^ a new teacher was chosen. Tiie person selected was John Fox^ a son of the minister. His salary at first was £9 per year^ but was soon raised to £18> with the expectation that a portion of it was to be paid by private sabscriptions; bu^ these never came.

Mr. Fox being called to succeed his father in the ministry, Mr. Dudley Bradstreet of Andover was appointed to fill his place, and was required to be in. Wobum "during the tefm of Cliarlestown court.^^ The reason for requiring a teacher to k^p school especially at "Court time'^ was to avoid being indicted for a breach of the law. At all other periods of the year the town authorities were quite indifferent "whether school kept or not/' or in fact preferred to save their money to maintaining the school. Numerous teachers followed Mr. Bradstreet as grammar masters, who were hired on the principle of evading the law as far as possible. The town pretended to have a gram* mar schok>l in conformity to the statute, but in all engagements with its teachers took care to signify that he was to be at his post at " Court time,'' even if he shut the school-house door as soon as it adjourned. There is no period in the history of New England when the feeling for general education w;as at so low an ebb as during the later years of the seventeenth and the first thirty years of the eighteenth century. "Wobum was not alone in its disregard of this important matter. Many other towns were implicated in similar neglect, and resorted to the same shuffling proceedings to escape prosecution. The scarcity of teachers had something to do with the neglect in providing them. For many years previous to the Revolution the grammar school was supported regularly. One of the most noted teachers during tlie period was Johu Fowle, who held the post for twelve years. He had the honor of giving instruction in their youth to Benjamin Thompson (Count Rumford) and Colonel Loammi Baldwin. The first house especially fitted up for the use of the grammar scliool was in 1700; and the first building erected exclusively for that purpose was in 1712. Previous to that time a room in some private dwelling was the place for teaching. About 1760, primary schools were opened in the outlying parts of tte town.

Tliereafter it was regularly voted that ii portion of the school money should be expended in tlie " extreme parts'" of the town. Tlie grammar school, which had been to some extent an itinrrant institution, was now established in the. Centre, and was continued, with some irregularities, until 1792, when a new departure in the scliool system was taken. In that year a strong committee was appointed, with Colonel Baldwin at its bead, who reported an entire change in the school government and the method of instruction. To effect this, in the course of the next two years nine new schoolhouses were built in as many newly arrtinged schooldistricts, and £300 was appropriated to pay for their cost. This sum proving insufficient^ the next year (1795) another £300 was voted to complete the payment. Unfortunately for the town, its enthusiasm had expended itself entirely in schoolhouses, and left the schools unprovided for. This brought a presentment from the grand jury', which was probably disposed of without penalty, as the records make no mention of the town being defaulted. The following year £150 was raised for the support of schools, and from that time until 1830 there was no marked change in the school methods, and but slight yearly additions to tlie appropriations. In the year last named, 3800 was raised, which in 1837 was enbrged to 81,000; with the addition of interest on the town's share of the " surplus revenue.^' This sura was doubled in 1839, when $2,000 was appropriated, and even . then the complaint was made tliat the money was insufficient, and the school season was too short For tlie next few years the appropriations were but slightly increased. At this point of time Wobum stood low in the tables comparing the appropriations made for schooling in the different towns in the state. In a list of three hundred and seven towns made in 1840 the position occupied by Wobum was Number 253. This was radically changed by 1848, when on a similar list of towns Wobum had risen to the rank of 43. Bv the revised statutes high schools were required to be supiiorted in towns having 4,000 inhabitants. Although' containing the requbite population, AYoburn took no steps towards establishing one till 1852, when a high school was organized and be^n its sessions. For the first four vears it occupied rooms leased for the purpose. Tlien a commodious wooden house was built, at a cost of nearlv 812,000. In 1873-74 the house was materially eiilai|;ed, and fitted up with laboratories and cabinets to render it an efficient agent in the instruction of the pupils attending it. The expense of the alteratious was $ 31,56*3. This school, under the superintendence of three successive principals, Messrs. W. A. Stone, Thomas Emerson, and James I. Hanson, has enjoyed a high reputation for the thoroughness of its teaching, and the excellent moml influence exerted u])on the scholars. At the opening of the school in 1852 the number of pupils was thirty-one. These had increased in 1879 to 143. The whole number of graduates to 1879 was 358. In 1866 the increasing number and work of the schools led to the appointment of a general sui)erintendent. The value of such an official in bringing uniformity and method into the school system was very soon apparent, and the town has annually elected a person to fill that position to the present time. Several new grammarschool houses, with rooms for intermediate and lower grades, were built between 1860 and 1875. By far the most elaborate and costly of these was the Cummings School-house, situated on the southerly slope of Academy Hill. It was erected in 18(74 - 75, at a cost (including furnishing) of nearly §60,000. It was named for the Hon. John Cummings of Ayobum, as a compliment to his zeal and activity in the cause of educatiou. In 1800 the number of teachers employed in the schools was five, the number of pupils estimated at two hundred, and the appropriation 8350. In 1879 the teachers had increased to 48, the pupils to 2,238, and the appropriation to 828,000. Among the educational influences and advantages \iith which Woburn has been favored, those which have pror ceeded from AYarren Academy should receive honorable mention. This institution was fimnded and endowed in 1827, by Isaac Warren, Esq., of Charlestowh, who gave §5,000 for that purpose, on conditioi! that $5,000 more should be raised by other persons. This last sum was principally contributed by citizens of AVobum. A building was erected on an eminence near the centre of the town in 1828, which was. then a wood-lot, but has since been known as Academy Hill. In its earlier vears the academv was widely known for its excellent teacliers and the scholarly standini? of its jrraduates. The improvement in the grammar schools j of the town, and especially the founding of the high school, wherein the higher branches of education were introduced, had an unfavorable influence U|K)n the academy for several years, and at length entirely superseded it. In 1873 the building was remod- i elled, and arranged with apparatus suitable to the pursuit of studies in natural science, and was made an adjunct of the Boston School of Technology.

The Town, Library was organized in 1856. Efforts to create a public opinion in favor of such an institution had been made by several citizens since 1850. In 1854 Hon. J. B. Winn offered to give 8 300 to found a library, provided the town would raise as much more. The proposal was accepted, and with subsequent subscriptions by many citizens a sufficient amount was furnished to open a library of 1,700 volumes, which event took pkce in August, 1856. In 1865 the volumes numbered 3,298, and the yearly circulation was 12,266. From that time the library grew more rapidly. The appropriations for its support were increased, and when the tax on dogs was laid, the money from that source was added to its income. By the will of Charles Q. Wjnn, son of the Hon. J. B. Winn, who died in 1875, there was devised to the town 8140,000 for library purposes. The town was also made one of the residuary legatees, which added to the donation more than §60,000, making the gift upwards of 8 200,000. This munificent bequest was accepted by the town, and placed in the hands of three trustees to carry out the generous wishes of Mr. AVinn. These gentlemen, John Johnson, Edward D. Hay den, and Parker L. Converse, proceeded to purchase a site and erect a building, in conformity w*ith the wishes of the donor. The situation selected for the library building was the family estate which had been occupied by Hon. J. B. Winn for twenty-five years. An adjoining lot was also purchased, to give ample room for the contemplated structure. Several architects contributed designs lor the new building, from among which that offered by Gambrill and Bichardson was chosen. Work was immediately commenced (1877), and the building completed in the winter of 1878- 79. The design is a composition from medieval architecture, and is as exquisite as it is unique, as well in its general outlines as ^n its details. The material of the building is a mixture of Longmeadow and Ohio stone, the former predominating. The dimensions of the ground-floor are 70 X 165 feet. The west winff is the book-room of the library. Its length is 68 feet, and breadth 30 feet. It is divided into twenty-four spacious alcoves, of which twelve are on the main floor and twelve form a balconv above them. These are reached by flights of steps from either side. The centre of the building is occupied by the read* ing-room, a spncious apartment 22 x 60 feet, and ftnisbed in a rich and tasteful manner. Adjoining this is the art-gallery, or picture-room, which is entered immediately from the vestibule. The easterly portion of the building is octagonal in form, with a conical roof. It is intended for a museum, or depository of specimens in natural histor}', and other objects of local or historic interest. Tlie building was opened to the public ^fay 1. On the shelves of the alcoves and in. the reading-room are placed and chssificd nearly 17,000' volumes; a portion of these were bought from the AVinn fund. On the walls of the picture-gallery are hung fiftyfive oil-paintings of varying s^ze and quality (which were al^ the gift of ,Mr. Ayinn),,^t all of :them at^ * tractive in subject and of more than ayerage merit.

DivinoH of the Town. - The original territory of i Tfobuni, as has before been stated, comprised not (mly its present limits, bjit the towns of Burlington and Winchester, aird a lafge^portion of Wilmington. During the first fifty or.six^y years of its existence the population waf lajrgely centred about Jthe meeting-house, which was located on the bluff or hill east of the preseikt Qotnmon, or publn^'^quare. In 1700 the number of ][)trrsons taxed by the province was 187, but in 1725 the number had increased to 305^ showing a^ain. of mor^' than one third in twenty-five years. > Tliis increase wii§^ quite largely in the northerly ilirection, and new centres were formed, which received the names df Shawshine and Goshen. The latter place had become of so much importance, a(id its distance frpm the centre so inconvenient for ouiny purposes, that in 1724 the town was petitioned either to remove the meeting-house faither to the north or allow that section to be set off as a new town. The petition was decidedly refusedi But the people of Goshen were in earnest, and one. pr t\TO rebuffs could not silence them. They continued their petitions for several years before theii.:iend was attained. The repeated denials of the town led them to seek a separation by authority of the General Court. The prayer of the first petition was to be made into a precinct only. This was rejected by the court in 1729. It was renewed,? however, shortly after, with the request that Goshen be made into a separate town. The burden of the |)etition was " the difficulties they are under by reason of their remoteness from the place of public worship. '^ While the court was considering the petition in behalf of Goshen, the people of Shawsiiiiie were making similar efforts to secure a separation or be made into a legal precinct At the first hearing the petition of Sliawshine was joined to that of Goshen. A court committee was appointed to meet the agents of the town, which took ]>lace in the summer of 17*30. The committee rp{K>rted in favor of granting the petitions of both Goshen and Shaw^hine; the first to be created into an independent township by the name of Wilmington, and the latter to be made a precinct, or second parish. In thus dividing the town the court's committee say " they are of opinion that the chaige of supporting a minister in the First Parish at Wobum will still be a very easy matter to the inhabitants of that parish.'' The truth is, however, that this extended clipping of the town was a great disadvantage to its prosperity for many years. The number of taxable persons was reduced from three hundred and twelve to one hundred and eighty-seven. Such 'a reduction of taxable force could not fail to make the support of preaching in the old parish a severe burden. The ministers were settled for life, their salaries fixed on a scale commensurate with the taxable resources of the parish, and there was no escape from the responsibility of the situation. Increased taxation for the remaining members was the only alternative. BjKv. Mr. Fox was now declining in health. A5- fistant preachers had been employed to relieve nim ; but, his \pfirmities increasing, it was considered necessary to supply him with a permanent colleague. Tlie candidate for the position was Mr. Edward Jackson, of Newton, a graduate of Harvard College in 1719. He preached for some time on probation, and was ordained as colleague August 1, 1729. But Mr. Fox was never reconciled to the choice. Mr. Jackson was to receive £250 settlement and £120 salary per year in bills of credit, " as the money now is." The ordination was accompanied with a most sumptuous entertainment, of which the principal report left is a bill of Jonathan Poole for supplying it. Of what neighboring ministers or others the council and officiating ministers consisted no record is preserved; but that the visiting pastors and their retinue were numerous, and that the citizens of the town very generally partook of the ordination repast, may be fairly inferred when it is stated that said Poole provided for four hundred and thirty-three dinners and one hundred and seventy-eight breakfasts and suppers, which, with horse-keeping, cider, wine, brandy, rum, sugar, and pipes, amounted to £83 9«. 6d. From this free expenditure of money for a single day's religious celebration no one would draw the conclusion that money was scarce^ or that the parish and town taxes were hard to meet. It sliould be remembered^ liowever^ that in those days hohdays were not in every month in the calendar^ and that in these religious gatherings (few and far between) were found the best opportunities for displaying the natural love of the people for excitement and feasting: for^ while the elders .were attending divine service and its gastronomic perorations, the youth were engaged in the " manly exercise '' of squareball, quoits, and fisticuffs to so noisy a degree that the " outsiders " gave tone and character to the day. The dissensions between Mr. Fox and his colleague increased with time, and it is reported they did not recognize each other when in the same pulpit. The division between the pastors naturally led to parties among the people. Mr. Jackson, being the younger man, gathered the larger number to his standard. Difficulties now arose respecting their salaries. Mr. Fox, being the unpopular invalid, was indifferently provided for. He received nothing in 1731 -3£. Besides, his £80 salary, voted to him on settlement, was now worth no more than £40, owing to the depreciation of the currency. Mr. Fox at length took legal measures to secure his rights. He sued tlie town, not only for the salary unpaid, but for the difference between the currencies at the time of his settlement in 1702 and the depreciated value of 1732. Judgment was finally obtained in his favor. It was at this time that the divorce took place between the parish and the town. Heretofore every action in relation to the settlement and support of the minister had devolved upon the town equally with the church or parish. Tliis relation was now dissolved, and parish and municipal affairs were conducted on a separate basis. The salary problems coimected with the First Parish were not, however, wholly solved. For several vears thev continued to exert their troublesome and depressing influences. At length the feuds and alienations led to the establishment of a third parish in 1740. Mr. Fox and his fricjids first moved for a separation, and asked to be set off as a distinct socictv, and relieved from paying taxes for the supiK)rt of Mr. Jackson. The petition was denied, but a vote was passed " to build a new meeting-house.'' Tliis, it was believed, would effectually check the desire for a division ; but the friends of Mr. Fox were not to be thus silenced. They applied to the General Court for redress.

Tliat body reported favorably upon their petition, and gave permission for a new precinct, or third parish, to be formed. The seceders numbered about two fifths of the whole parish. Eev. Mr. Fox being too old and feeble to take charge of the new church, the Rev. Josiah Cotton was called to be the [xistor, and .was installed July 15, 1747. The Third Parish never liad a meeting-house of its own, but used for its place of worship a lai^ room in a then unfinished building on Main Street, not far from opix)site the present high-school house. The First Parish did not forget its vote to build a new meeting-house, but appointed a committee to present plans and estimates. A division of opinion was at once revealed as to its site. Manv were in favor of placing the new house on the level ground west of Meeting-house Hill, where the one then in use was situated, and that site was finally selected. It was a part of the present Common, near the soldiers' monument. The raising of the meeting-house (the third built since the settlement of the town) took place in December, 1748. To supi}ort the impulses which led to the undertaking, twenty gallons of rum, twenty-five pounds of sugar, and two barrels of cider were provided, by the parish. The house was completed in 1752, but never dedicated.

Two years after this Bev. Mr. Jackson, the pastor, died, at the age of fifty-five, and in the twentysixth year of his ministry. His senior, Bev. Mr. Fox, was still living at an advanced age, but blind, and entirely incapacitated for labor. The pastorate of Mr. Jackson, however earnest and sincere might have been his efforts, was only partially successful. The disafi'ection between himself and his colleague must have produced great personal discomfort, and the long struggle with the parish for the maintenance of his rights was no doubt the cause of much uneasiness and vexation. With tlie friends who sustained him he was popular, and highly esteemed as a graceful ])ulpit orator and as a man of good culture and capacity.

A successor to Bev. Mr. Jackson was soon found in the person of Mr. Josiah Sherman. He was ordained in 175G. Just at this time the death of Bev. John Fox took place. He was onlained in 1703, and consequently liad been at the liead of the parish fifty-three years. His supporters being now without a leader, and Bev. Mr. Sherman having many attractive qualities both in the pulpit and out, an effort was made to rec^ill the Tliird Parish back to a union with the First. An agreement was soon come to, and Bev. Mr. Cotton, the minister of the Third Parish, asked a dismission, whicli was readily granted, and thus the two bodies were a;gain merged in one, which has continued intact ever sincei The new meeting-house was now too small for the large accession of numbers, and its enbrgement was at once undertaken. Twenty new pews were added, which, with the puitliase of a -' new bell for the tower,*' caused a general good feeling among the people, and peace and prosperity for a time prevailed.

The next great public event with which Woburn became associated - as did all New Endand - was the old French War. This war, which was so costly in men and money to the colonists, began in 1733. The contest was confined for the most part to the Canadian borders and to Xova Scotia, but it absorbed a large number of the able-bodied men of New England. It also increased the taxation to a burdensome degree. The taxes of Woburn were raised from £1*39 9«. 5^. in 1733 to £518 9^. 9rf. in 1763, the year in which peace was declared. The number of men sent from Woburn to the front in course of the struggle was not far from one hundred and fifty, the population at that time being estimated at about 1,500. In the first year alone fifty-four men were enlisted and attached to the expeditions against Nova Scotia and Crown Point. The war developed no military leader from Woburn. Lieutenant Thompson was the most prominent of its soldiers. He left a journal of tlie camixiign in which he was engaged, which is an interesting memorial of the i)eriod. . Bev. Mr. Sherman liad not been many years over the parish before new troubles arose, similar to those which hod been a source of vexation in previous pastorates. Their foundation was the money question. Mr. Sherman was not apparently a close financier, and became embarrassed in many ways. His salary was too small, as he believed, though he made no public complaint for several years. In 1774 he asked for " proi)er relief The parish debated the matter for a year without doing anything, when, in June, 1773, he asked to be dismissed from his pastoral relations. This was granted in March of the same year, at the close of many altercations and stonny discussions. Mr. Sherman was undoubtedlv one of the nblost ministers that had occupied the pulpit of the First Parish. He was a brother of Roger Sherman, a signer of the Declaration of IndciK^ndeuce, and had the reputation of being an unusually fervid and eloquent preacher. After Idiving Woburn he settled in Connecticut, and died at Woodbridge^ in that state, in November, 1789.

Woburn is now brought to the advent of the American £evolution. She liad done noble service in the many and exhausting wars with the Indians, and had been ardent and loval in the cootest that gave to England the supremacy in Canada and along the lakes and rivers of the West. She was now to show her love of liberty to be a superior motive to her devotion to king and crown. The excitement caused by the aggressive movements of the British government was as fully sliared by the people of Woburn as those of the neighboring towns. They instructed tlieir representative to the General Court to allow no damages to Governor Hutchinson for his loss in the Stamp Act^and sent delegates to the convention in Boston in 1768 to consider the state of public affairs. The most decided movement in favor of the stand taken by the people of New England against the arbitrary enactments of parliament was made in 1778, when a town-meeting was held, and a series of Vigorous resolutions were passed. While these resolutions still maintained the authority of the crown, and expressed the prevailing loyalty to the king, they asserted in the most positive manner their rights under the British Constitution, and specified in strong language the grievances of which they had so much reason to complain. At the same meeting a committee of correspondence was chosen to maintain communication with Boston and other towns in the colony. A powder-house was buih, and stored with such ammunition as could be procured. A delegate, Samuel Wyman, was chosen to the Provincial Congress in January, 1775, and the province tax of that year was paid to the agent of the congress instead of the regukrly constituted treasurer. A large committee was also appointed to enforce the decrees of the Continental Congress with regnnl to the use of imported articles. Two days before the opening of the struggle (April 17, 1775) a company of fifty minute-men was raised, to be organized and disciplined forwhatever service the Provincial or Continental Congress might require. This rally of fighting men was none too soon. On the morning of the 19th the alarm reached the town, which was started from the tower of the old North Church, and accomplished by the midnight ride of Paul Revere. A large number of men cauglit up their arms, and hastened to Liexington to meet the invaders. Mr. Sylvanus Wood was in season to be enrolled in Captain Parker's company on Lexington Common, and stood with it to receive the charge of the British column, and with others, in return,

" Fired tbe shot heard round the world." Mr. Wood always chimed that later in the day he captured a straggler of the enemy and had tlie honor of taking the first prisoner of war. This claim was recognized by Congress in 1824, and a pension granted for the act. Of the minute-men from Woburn who followed and harassed the British troops two men were killed, Asahel Porter and Daniel Thompson, both of whom were young men of enterprise and reputation. The evening before the march to Lexington, John Hancock and Samuel Adams had left Concord for a place of greater safety. They came to Woburn Precinct (now Burlington), early the next moniing, and took shelter in the house of Madam Jones. While dinner was preparing a new alarm was given, and the distinguished guests were hurried off to a retired residence in Bedford, with the loss of the dinner of fresh salmon which good Mrs. Jones was preparing for them. The war for independence, or for the constitutional rights of the colonists, being now begun, Woburn engaged in it with nil the zeal and patriotism that inspired New England in that day of trial. Her soldiers flocked to the places of rendezvous, and were employed in guarding the lines at Cambridge, Boston, and Eo.\bury. No doubt, many of them were present at the battle of Bunker Hill. During the years 1775 and 1776 one hundred and eiglity of the citizens were engaged in the service in the neiprliborhood of Boston, or were sent to New York, New Jersey, Canada, or Ticonderoga. In 1773 the number of persons subject to the provincial tax was but 31 1. The proportion of those who served in some military capacity must consequently have been very large. The first considerable sum of money raised for the war was in December, 1776, when £1,500 was voted to pay existing bills and such charges as miglit arise in enlisting men " for the defence of the American colonies.*' The amount voted for such purpose during the war was nearly £50,000 in currency, or £^^83 in coin, - wliich was a large sura for the times, and drew upon the resources of the town with a heavy hand. But money and men were not the oiilv thinffs wanted. There were no stores of grain, meat, and other commissary requirements, to be found in the markets of that dav. Hence Woburn was assessed for beef and clothing to a large amount. The first item exceeded $8,000; and the shirts, blankets, and shoes swelled tliat sum fully one half more. The whole amount of taxes - town, province, and continental - assessed between 1775 and 1783 exceeded £28,000, lawful money, or more than §90,000. Tliis was. drawn from a population of 1,500 or 1,600 persons. The same ratio of tax to-day would produce more than a half-million dollars. -The e\ils of depreciation became so desperate that an attempt was made t6 remedy them by public action. A convention was held at Concord in 1779 for this purpose. Tlie delegate from Woburn was Samuel Thompson. This convention established prices for the leading articles used in the community. The list included in its necessities of life " flip or toddy '* at 12 #. per bowl, and New England rum at .10#. per mug. The people of TTobum accepted the prices voted by the convention, and appointed a committee to see that there was no violation of its behests. Experience, however, soon proved that the natural laws of currency and trade were too strong to be defied or changed by resolutions and conventions. The attempt at regulation was soon given up. . The first enlistments for the war were made bv draft from tlie three military companies then existing in the town. At a later period men were " hired into the war'* by bounties, and at last by a resort to classes, ench class being resix)nsible for its-man or number of men. The whole number of men who were for a longer or shorter period engaged in the war was three hundred and seventy-six, which number does not include forty-six other, persons who were enlisted by the town from other localities. This, shows that the number of enlisted men during the seven years of the war was greater than the actual mafe population liable to military duty in any one year during that time. In the midst of the trying events of the war the state of Massachusetts had formed a new constitution, embracing features more in conformity with its position as % leader in the movement for independence and reform. In 1778 the legislature sent the new instn^- ment for the approval of the town, but it was unanimously rejected. The great objection to it api)ears to have been that it was framed by the legislature, and not by a convention of delegates elected for the purpose.

In 1779 a convention was held at Cambridge, and a new constitution was adopted. Tliis was presented to the people of Woburn in 1780, and accepted, though not unanimously. The property qaftlification for votes was disapproved, and a resolution passed excludmp^ ordained ministers and attonieys-at-Iaw from membership to the legislnture. A few vears later, when the Federal Constitutioii was before the people of Massachusetts for consideration, the delegates to the state convention from TVobum were Timothy Winn and James Fowle, Jr. Deacon Winn opik)sed the adoption of the Constitution without amendments. The speech prepared in defence of his views was lost to the convention in consequence of his absence at the time certain amendments were under debate, though subsequently printed in the Bosfon Independent Chronicle. It is well known that the Constitution was adopted only by a small majority in the convention of about 350 delegates.

Soon after the war there was considerable public excitement on the question of what should be done with tlie tories and refugees who had phiyed a hostile part against the Bevolution. At a townmeeting held in May, 1783, very severe resolutions were passed against all such persons, and an aqt prohibiting their return to the town or state uirged upon the legislature. It was said, '' Our Canaan will enjoy no rest while the Philistines are sdflTered to dwell among us.'' These bitter feelings survived for many years. But many who had continued their allegiance to the British crown during the war, at its close accepted the situation, and became earnest and patriotic citizens of the new republic.

The only person from Woburn who held any considerable position in the Continental Army was Colonel Loamroi Baldwin. He enlisted as a private m April, 1773, but was soon advanced to superior positions, and in August following was appointed colonel of the 38th regiment. He was stationed about Boston until the beginning of 1776, when his regiment was ordered to New York, where he remained until its evncuation by Washmgton in September. With him he crossed the Delaware December 8, and recrossed December 25, and participated in the gallant fight at Trenton. Colonel Baldwin had many qualifications as a military leader; but, his health failing a few months later, he was honorably discharged from the army, and never again returned to it. His long and useful life was s[)ent in Woburn, and he was in many respects the most able and trusted of all her public men. He was the first high sheriiT of Middlesex County after the organitation of the new government, an office which be filled with great acceptance for manj years. He was erected sev«J times as a delegate to the General Court, and exercised through his life a brge and heaUhy influence in public affnirs. To him is the community indebted if not for ori^iiating, certainly for making known and propagating, the celebrated Baldwin apple. He was one of the principal projectors as well as one of the most active superintendents of theeonstmction of the Middlesex CanaL This much noted and valuable water-course from the Merrimack to tbe Charles was a principal feature in Woburn for abdiit forty years, and added much to its business faciliiies and prosperity. It was whoRy superseded by tfe building of the Lowell Bailroad, and the site of it through the town is no lodger easily traced.

At the close of the Bevolutionary "Wiir Woburn was left in an impoverished state. Besides the constant drain apon its purse, annually |)aid out, it had borrowed 84^000 to §5,000, for which it was still in debt. The depression caused by this state of things led the town into' the declahktion of unpatriotic sentiments when the Shays Rebellion place, in 1786 - 87. Being called upon to raise a force to aid in its suppres^fon, it voted '' not to give any encouragement to the expedition,'^ and similar votes were jessed respecting tlie payment of those persons who enlisted for that purpose. Still, a strong protest was at tbe time entered ^^ainst those votes, and they were afterward reconsidered* They could never hare been sanctioned at all but for the great evils that followed the ^var, and the excitement growing oat of them.

The next important epock in the annals of Woburn was the separation from it of the precinct of Shawshnie, or tfe Second Parish. It lias already been stated that this parish was formed in 1730, at the time Gosken was made a distinct town by the name of Wilmington. Attempts were made by the people, ia 1753-34, in 1774, and in 1783, to form a sepante township, but were unsuccessful. In 1797 the subject was again renewed. A petition was presented to the General Court askmg for the division. A town committee was choseu to oppose it, but tbe project was actively pushed by the Second I^uish before the legislature, and in spite of the fomidable opposition and the apparently small reason for the division, the court decided to grant flie petition, and the Second Parish became a distinct township under the tiame of Burhngton. Tlus took pkce February 28, 1799.

The dismemberment caused a heavy loss to the old town in population and wealth. By the first United States census, 1790, Woburn contained 1,7£7 inliabitants ; at the second census, in 1800, it had only 1,2£8. Tlie territorial loss was 7,418 acres, and of the taxable property more than one fourth. For the next ten years the growth of Wobum was scarcely perceptible in any resi)ect, and in population there was a decrease of nine, tlie census of 1810 givijig but 1,219 persons. During this period there was little or no manufacturing business in the town. The community was made up almost exclusively of agriculturists, the only exceptions being the tanner, the blacksmith, the miller, the shoemaker, and trader, who supplied the people with the necessities belongiug to their respective vocations. The establishment of a tannery on a more extensive scale did not take place until the next decade, of which more will be said in noticing the manufacturing interests of the town.

For twenty-five years, including and following the Bevolution, the schools were continued in a ntber desultory manner. The war disorganized every other interest to a greater or less extent, to which the education of children was no exception. In 1790 a new feeling was aroused on the subject, which iu 1792 assumed definite form, and a committee was appointed to revise the school system, and establish one more comprehensive and uniform. The report of this committee, of which Loammi Baldwin was chairman, was a carefully written and dignified document, in which the needs and methods of education were clearly set forth. The town was divided into convenient districts for local schools, while the grammar school was to be retained near tlie centre of each parish. Within the next three years £000 were raised for school-houses, each of the new districts having one built for its use. Under this new system, and the stimulus derived from it, the schools of the town were greatly improved, and no important change took place for more than fifty years.

After the dismissal of Mr. Sherman as pastor of the first churcli, in 1775, there was no one settled in his pbce for nearly \^xi years. In December, 1784, Mr. Samuel Sargent was invited to the parish. The call was accepted, and Mr. Sargent was ordained in March, 1785. But he was scarcely warm in his pulpit before dissension and opposition began to manifest themselves, and these continued through the ejitire period of his ministry, about fourteen years. His original settlement money had not been paid in 1790,. and tlie parish was saed for the amount. It had no defence, and was defaulted. The parish was also sued about this time by the Baptist Society at West Cambridge for the taxes of those persons who liad withdrawn from it. Tliis suit was successful after a protracted litiga* tion. Several years more of contention in the parish followed, when, in 1798, an agreement was made to call a mutual council to dispose of the quarrel if possible. The council unanimously recommended the dissolution of the relations between pastor and people, which took place in Aprils

1799. Bev. Mr. Sargent removed from Wobum to Chester, Vermont, where he preached on agreement from time to time, but was never again a settled pastor. His death took place at Chester in 1818, at the age of sixty-three. From the dismissal of Mr. Sargent to the settlement of his successor there was an interval of four years. In December, 1803, Mr. Joseph Chickering was invited by both church and parish to become their pastor, which was accepted. The terms of settlement agreed upon were % 800 to be paid within a year, and an annual salary of §650 and fifteen cords oT wood. The ordination took place in March, 18041 For several years the ministrj* of Eev. Mr. Chickering was marked with unusual success. The people were united, and the accessions to the church were large. In 1820 he asked for a dismissal, which was approved by council. Mr. Chickering was graduated at Harvard College in 1799. From Woburn he removed to Phillipston, Massachusetts, where he preached until 1835, when lie retired from the ministry on account of infirm health, and died in that town in 1844. In 1808, during the pastorate of Bev. Mr. Chickering, the third meetinghouse, which was built in 1752, on the easterly side of the Common, was burnt to the ground. Befoni the fire the question of repairing the house or buikling a new one had been discussed in tlie parish. The decision had now been made. Two days after the fire a town-meeting was held, and it Was yoted to rebuild the meeting-house at once. The site selected was on the northerlv side of the Common, nnd nearly identical with tliat now occupied by the First Unitarian Church. It was dedicated June 28^

1800. The pews were appraised, and the choio^ sohl by auction. Tlie proceeds of the sale amounted to more than S3,000 over the cost of the building. This sum was funded for the support of tlie ministry of the society, and remained thus invested until 1861, when the amount was merged in the con- straction fund of the present meeting-liouse. Mr. Joseph Bennett became the next pastor of the society, and his ordination took pLice January 1, 182£. Bev. Mr. Bennett proved to be an active^ energetic minister. The accessions to the church were krger than under any previous pastoriate.

ran through the south and east portions of the town. A village^ sprung up not far from the spot where the first house was built. In 1840 the people of this village, called South Wobum, formed a church and society, and asked to be set off. A new meeting-house was built, and in December of tliat year the house was dedicated, and the new ehurch and society was formed. A few months previous to the organization of the South Wobum church, the fourth meeting-house, built in 1809, was found to be in such bad condition as to require extension and repairs or entire reconstruction. The latter course was determined on, and the fifth meeting-house was erected on the same site. The dedication took pLice December 31, 1840. Mr. Bennett continued as pastor of the society until 184^, when, during a period of mental depression to which he was subject, he took his own life. Tliis unexpected event caused much sorrow and excitement, as he was held in high esteem by the people to whom he ministered, as well as by the congregational body to which lie was attached. In the spring of 1848 the parish made choice of Mr. Jonathan Edwards as its pastor. He continued his connection with the society for eight yeafs, giving entire satisfaction to his ])eople and rendering many important services to the educational and social interests of the town. He was dismissed at his own request in 1856. In August of the same year Rev. Daniel March was called to the pulpit of the parish, and installed in October. The many gifts of Bev. Mr. March as a speaker, writer, and educator made him one of the most popular and Useful pastors the society had ever enjoyed. He resigned in 1862, much to the regret of the citizens of the town at large as well as liis own i)eople.

The successor of Rev. Mr. March was Rev. J. C. Bodwell, D. D., who was installed as ])astor in October, 1862. Dr. BodwcU was a preacher of unusual power. His sennons were models of contraction and sustained force, clothed in language and rhetoric of the purest tyj)es. Receiving an invitation to become the head of a theological institate at Hartford, Coiuiecticut, he asked and received a dismission from the pastorate in August,

1866. The meeting-house on the north side of the Common, built in 1840, was so far* outgrown in 1860 by the increase of the society, that an enlargement or a new building became necessary. As the land for enlai^ment could not be easily obtained, it was voted to ere^t a new house of very much larger dimensions, and ou the opposite side of the Common. The building was completed, and dedicated in October, 1861. The church is one of the largest and best-appointed houses of worship in the country. Its total cost was about $6£,000. The audience-room b capable of seating fifteen hundred persons, and is beautiful both in form and decoration. After the resignation of Rev. Mr. Bodwell an invitation to the pastorate was extended to Rev. S. E. Dennen, who accepted, and was installed in 1868. Mr. Dennen was noted for his pulpit services, his sermons having those logical and compact qualities which ate' always attractire to the thinking part of every eongr^ation. Mr. Dennen resigned in 1872. Rev. U. 8. EeL<e; was installed in his place. Occupying the pulpit three years, he retireid from the {x>sition, and the pastorate was again offered to Bev. Daniel March, who had. so acceptably ministered to the congregation some fifteen years before. Rev. Mr. March still retains his connection with the parish. lu 1846 the people of North Wobnrn felt the need of a church and society in tliat locality. At first the Sunday services were held in the school-house, under charge of Rev. Samuel Sewall. The society increasing, a meeting-house was built in 1849, and a church formed, consisting mostly of persons who transferred their membership from the First ParislL Rev. Samuel Sewall continued as pastor till 1852, when he resigned. His successor was Rev. George T. Dole, who remained three years. Rev. Swift Byington and Rev. M. G. Wheeler followed. The present pastor. Rev. W. C. Anderson, w« settled in 1873.

Baptist Soeieff. - It has been previously stated that several leading men of the First Parish had become converts to the Baptist faith about 1670. The two Russells, John and John, Jr., maintained their connection with that sect to the end of life, and were prominent in their efforts to spread iU doctrines. Of the others, who for a time sympothized with them, it is not known that anv of them continued to support the obnoxious tenets, as tbev soon returned to their connection with tlie First Parish. For more tlian a century there was little or no indication of the prevalence of Baptist senti- ments among the people, althougli one or two families had associated themselves with the Baptists of AVest Cambridge (now Arlington), where, in 1781, a society had been organized. The difficulties in the First Parish respecting Rev. Mr. Sargent led many persons to withdraw from it. Most of these attached themselves to the West Cambridge church, which was under the jiastoml care of Rev. Mr. Green. Their numbers increasing, Mr. Green was invited to preach a part of the time in Wobum. These persons were regularly taxed for the support of the First Parish. This was resisted, and a suit was brought to recover taxes already jjaid. The suit was gained, and the money refunded. Not long after Rev. Mr. Green divided his time between the two societies, giving one half to each. Mr. Green left this vicinity in 1793, when tlie society was successfully established. In its early history the pastorates of the society were short. Over it were settled Elder Snow, Elder Peak, Rev. Elias Smith, Elder Nelson, Elder Stone, Elder Wydown, Rev. T. Waterman, Rev. H. Marshall, Rev. G. Pliippsn. Rev. A. Judson, Rev. J. N. Seaman, Rev. S. Mallory,Rev. B. C. Wade, Rev.T B. Ripley, Rev. N. Hooper, Rev. S. B, Randall, Rev. J. C» Stockbridge, Rev. J. Ricker, Rev. B. F. Bronson, Rev. J. S. Kennard, Rev. H. C. Townley, Rev. William Young. The present minister (1879), Rev. E. C. Mills, has occupied the place for about four years. The first meetings of the society were held in private houses. A meeting-house was built in 1794, which was situated on the Main Street, near where the present Episcopal Cha])el is located. The growth of the society requiring more room, a new house was built in 18^7. The same house continues in use by the society, although it has undergone two considerable changes and embellishments since that period. The last of these (including a partial removal of the building) added greatly to the beauty of the structure and to the convenience of the societv in its manifold religious and social life.

Unitarian Society, - - The first Unitarian Society in Wobum was preceded by two organizations of . Universalists. Tlie first of these was begun in 1828. The society built a meeting-house on the southwest side of the Common. Rev. 0. A. Skin"- ncr ^^s the first pastor. Three others succeeded him, when preaching was suspended, and the house was solil to. the town for use as a town-hall. In 1841 a new society was formrd, which built, in 1845, a new meeting-house on Main Street, and occupied it, with Rev. W. B. Randolph as pastor, until

1847, when it passed into the hands of the Unita* rian Society^ which for the last two or three years had been forming, and holding meetings in the townhall. Rev. Henry F. Edes w;is installed as pastor in 1848. Resigning in 1850, the society was wit|^- out a settled minister till 1853, when Rev. J. M. Marsters was installed. Ill health obliging him to retire in 1856, Rev. R. P. Stebbins, D. D., was settled as his successor in 1857. He resigned a^er a successful ministry of nearly seven years. Rev. Eli Fay succeeded him in 1864. In that year it was decided to purchase the meeting-house which had been vacated two years before by the First Congregational Parish, and remodel it. This was effected in the course of the year, and the present fine church edifice was the result. The improvement to the public square by .removing the house thirty feet from the street, and presenting to it the handsome facade of the new building, was one of flie most signal and satisfactory that has occurred in its history. Rev. Mr. Fay terminated his pastorate in 1868, on account of impaired health. Rev. W. S. Barnes was called to the parish in 1869. He resigned in April, 1879. His ministry was the most active and successful, as w^ll as th^ longest, with which the society has been favored. Rev. George H. Young is now pastor^ having been installed in October, 1879.

MeUiodlit Society/, - No special efforts were made to found a Methodist church in Wobum until 1850. An organization was effected in 1S51, and preachers have been regularly assigned to the church from that period. Its growth has been rapid, and its congregation is now one of the largest in the town. The first meeting-house was a small building of very slight cost. In* 1864 the. society, purchased of the Unitarian Parish the meetmg-house which it had recently vacated, and made several important changes in the interior. This house was completely destroyed by fire in 1872. A new and commodious edifice was erected on the same 8\te> in the basement story of which are the Wobum postoffice and two stores occupied for trade. The society is an energetic and flourishing one, and lias a wide influence in its sphere of activity.

Episcopal Church, - Adherents of the Cliurch of England first appeared in Wobum in the Second Parish (Sliawshine) , about 1 750. Some twelve or fifteen persons withdrew from it at that, time, and adopted in tlieir religious worship the Euj^lish liturgy, which was read to them by one of their number in a private house. Occasionally a sector from Cambndge or Boston was present The society gained but slowly in numbers, and at the breaking oat of the Bevolution was qaite overborne by the feeling against English ecclesiasticism, which was considered as a part of the system of rovaUy. Several persons, however, continued their sympathy with the church, but were too few in number to sustain an organization. In 1865 a successful attempt was made to revive the Episcopal service. Meetings of those interested were at first held in Lyceum Hall. Increasing numbers led to the building of a small church, or chapel, in 1867. SmcQ that time the growth of the parish has been steady, and, with the band of earnest workers it contains, it seems likely to gain a permanent position among the religious societies of the town. It has had several rectors, omong whom have been Eev. J. W. Porter, Eev. S. U. Shearman, and Rev. J. Frank Wincklev, who is the present incumbent.

Roman Calholic Church. - There were many members of the Romish communion in town some time before an attempt was made to gather them in chaige of one of the priestly fathers of the church. In 1847 the accessions had become sufficient to establish regular meetings, which were held in the town-hall. Tliis continued to be the place of worship until 1852, when a plain but commodious church edifice was built. The society rapidly increased from year to year, and in 1865 the house had become much too small for the accommodation of the large congregation. In the following year the present stately cliurch was projected, and, through the untiring efforts of Father Quealy and a few leading members of the society, was completed and dedicated in 1869. The building is conveniently located on the corner of Main and Summer streets, and is one of the finest structures in town. Father Quealy still continues to be the presiding priest of the parish, but has been ably sustained by assistants, noteworthy among whom was Father McClure, who left a few months ago as a mission worker in Essex County. His present aids are Fathers Murphy and McDonald.

Wobum in the Civil War. - In the great uprising which followed the attack on Fort Sumter, Wobum was as prompt to exhibit her spirit and patriotism as any town in the State. She bore her part in tlie long struggle which followed with wellsustained zeal, and contributed her full share in men and money to bring about its successful issue. On the evening of April 18, 1861, a public meeting was held in Lyceum Hall, which was large in numbers and enthusiastic in its expremion of resistance to rel)ellion and loyalty to the Union. Adjourned meetings were held on the 20th and 2l5t of the same month, where the same spirit prevailed as at the first. As the result of these meeting;, more than one hundred men offered themselves for their country's service, and nearly 88,000 were pledged by individuals, in sums from 9 1 to $ 500, to aid in their outfit and to furnish assistance to their families in their absence. These events took place while as yet no systematic measures liad been taken for enlistments either by the state or national governments.

The Mirtdlesex Jonmal znd Th^ Wobum Bwigd^ both local papers, spoke wise and breve words for the cause. Their editorials were rigorous and patriotic, and did much to concentrate popular feeling uiK>n the duties of the hour. The Wobum Plidlanx, an old military organization of much repute, was revived, and its ranks recruited to tbe maximum number. Securing a new and full equi|)- meht, it inarched to Boston, under Captain Thnothr "Winn, and offered itself to the governor for immediate service. Several causes led to a delay of its acceptance as a body, whereupon many of its members liastened to join other organizations ; and it was not until the next year that the PImlanx, under fiew enHstments, went to the front in its proper place in the dth regiment. In its municipal capacity the town acted with decision and liberality. At a meeting held on the 6th of May, after stating the desire of the town to do its duty to the country in tlwt perilous hour, it was voted to pay to single men enlisted from Wobum 9 1 2, to married men without children $16, and to married men with children $20 per month, in addition to the pay received from the United States government, and the treasurer was authorized to borrow % 5,000 for militanr purposes. On April 14, 1862, tlie town treasuier was authorized to borrow all the money required to pay state aid to the families of soldiers. September 2 of the same year $ 17,000 were appropriated for the payment of a bounty of S 100 to each person, to the number of one hundred and seventv. who should enlist for nine months and be mustered to tlie credit of the town. March 9, 1863, 8500 were appropriated to aid the women of Wobum in purchasing material to be made into garments for the soldiers in service. November 8, 1868, the subjoined paper was read and agreed to : " If the town of Wobum agrees to pay the fifty-two men now called for to make up its quota S 300 each, we the undersigued agree to place .in the hands of the selectmen the sum of 815^000 for that purpose until the same can be legally paid by the town. Eli Jones^ J. B. Winn, Charles Tidd, Bowen Buckman, Joseph Kelley, M. F. Winn^ S. O. Pollard, L. Thompson, W. T. Grammer, Horace Conn, M. C. Bean, A. E. Thompson, Cyrus Cummings, E. N. Blake, John Johnson/'

April 4, 1964, the town treasurer was again authorized to borrow the sum of 815,000, ''and more if necessary,'' to pay to the families of soldiers in the service of the country. $8,000 were also voted to refund money voluntarily paid by citizens to persons enlisting to fill the quotas of the town for the two previous years, provided the sum should not exceed §125 to each recruit. In August of the same year it was voted to pay to each volunteer for three years' service one hundred and twenty-five dollars in gold, if such payment should be found to be legal. At the April meeting (1S65) the sum of $15,000 was again appropriated in aid of the families and dependants of men engaged in the war, and $500 to purchase material to be made into useful garments by the patriotic women of the town for the soldiers at the front. In the following month (May) §£3;j500 were appropriated to reimburse citizens for money contributed to fill the quota of the town for 1864. The wliole amount of money expended by the town on account of the war, exclusive of state aid, was 889,066.68. The amount raised and expended for state aid to soldiers' families, and reimbursed by the commonwealth, was §51,456.22.

After the dispersion of the members of the Phalanx into various regiments in the spring of 1861, enlistments went on in Wobum, and in July more than one hundred men were in the field at various l>onits. When the 2£d regiment was formed, under the colonelship of Henry Wilson, in the summer of that year, a company was organized under the name of the Wobum Union Guanl. Before its ranks were completed it was filled up from other towns, and ordered to the field with its regiment. The number of Wobum men in its ranks was forty-seven, including its officers, - i Captain Samuel I. Thompson, First Lieutenant John P. Crane, and Second Lieutenant William E. Bennettp In 1862 two full companies were sent into the field, besides enlistments into several others. The first of these companies was called the Natiqnal Bangers, and was attached to the 39th re-gimcnt i^ Company K. Its officers were :

John L Bichardson, captain ; Luke B. IMd, first lieutenant ; L. F. Wyman, second lieutenant. The other company was made up largely of the old Phalanx and young men who were that year of suitable age to enlist. Its term of service was for nine months, and was attached to the 5th regiment, and went on the expedition to North Carolina. It was ofiicered as follows: William T. G rammer, captain ; Charles C. Converse, first lieutenant; William A. Colgate, second lieutenant These were the only companies that were organized, as well as made up wholly or in greater ])ait and ofiicered, by Woburn men. During the years 1863 and 1864 the work of enlistment was carried, on with energy and success. Although the demand for labor was great among the manufacturers in town, yet the pay and bounties offered to men were always equal to the occasion, and the government quotas were promptly filled. These recruits went to fill up the gaps in broken companies of infantry, or into the artillery, cavalry, or naval service. The whole number of men (as nearly as can be ascertained) enlisted in Wobum or made part of her quota, was seven hundred aud' fortynine, divided among the different arms of the service, and for different periods, as follows : -

Many of the above were re-enlistments*. * Tlie number of men killed in battle, or dying from wounds, sickness, and the infamous treatment of rebel prisons, was eighty-two (for details see the inscription on the soldiers' monument). No commander of a regiment, brigade, or other general officer was furnished by Wobum, but tlie follolriug were comniissioned officers : -

Among the patriotic activities created by the war were the societies auxiliary to tlie sanitary and Christian commissions. These were generally conducted by women. Those of AVoburn contributed their full sliare to the success of these benevolent agencies, besides furnishing directly to the soldiers of their own town comforts and luxuries in generous supply, both for field and hospital. The work done by the several organizations previous to January, 1863, is without public record, but it was lai^ and effective. At that time the several societies banded together under one general bead, although still working in distinct bodies. The receipts from festivals, concerts, and general contributions, from thence to the end of the war, were 82,322.59, which sum was expended for materials, made chiefly into garments and bedclothing, but to some extent into small articles of prime convenience. No labors or sacrifices (except those of the loss of limb and life) to sustain the cause of the Union and freedom. were undertaken more earnestly, or submitted to more cheerfully, than those which characterized the noble women of this town, as well as of the Nortli generally.

Soldiers' MoHumeat. - This fine memorial in honor of the Woburn men who gave their lives to their country's service was dedicated with impressive ceremonies, October 14, 1869. Governor Claflin and staff, and many prominent men in military and civil life, were present at the exercises. General William Cogswell, of Salem, the orator selected for the occasion, delivered an eloquent and patriotic address. The monument stands in the central square of the town, on the spot nearly identical with that of the first meeting-house. Its principal feature is the bronze figure of a soldier eight feet in lieight, standing in easy posture, indicative of mpet bot earnest observation. His musket rests upon the ground, and passing upward, betweei the arm arid the body, is firmly grrasped by the r^ hand, while the left ann falls naturally by the side. Tii^ countenance of the figure is strikingly firm and intelligent, and gives assurance that the volonteer soldier is fully conscious of his rights and duties as a freeman. The costume is that of the common soldier of the period, surmounted by the historic overcoat which serves as a foil to the stiffness of the close-fitting uniform. The figure stands upon a granite pedestal twelve feet in height, composed of a base, plinth, die, frieze, and cornice. Set into the die (which is four feet square), on each of its sides, is a bronze tablet, on three of whicli are inscribed the names of the dead heroes of the war, as follows : killed in battle, twenty-two; died of wounds, seventeen ; died of disease, twentyseven ; died in rebel prisons, sixteen ; in ail, eighty-two. On the fourth side is the following legend: -

Tlie sculptor, Mr. Martin Millmore, who designed the monument, botii the figure and base, is the well-known artist of Boston, whose more recent work in tlie same hue for that city has greatly enhanced his reputation. The cost of the monument, with its surrounding bronze and granite fence, was not far from $11,000, for which the first appropriation made by the town was 810,000.

Manufactures, - The present large manufactur* ing interests of Wobum are the outcome of small beginnings, developed without special facilities and without combinations of capital. For tlie first one handred and fifty years or more the only manofiietures known were those for supplying the locd wants of the inhabitants. Tanners were among them, as they were among those of' every considerable town in the commonwealth. During the war of 1812, or a little earlier. Deacon John Cum^ mings and General Abijah Tliompson began tlie tanning of leather in a small way, as their predecessora had done before them. For a number of yeara they continued to supply merely the usual local needs. But as both these men had thrifty and enterprising natures, they soon began to extend their business by finding customers among the neighboring towns. In a few years a good market was opened for all the leather they could make, among the shoe mannfactnrers, as well as among riiige-makers, uhose business was then rising portance in Essex County. For a long time ling with these parties iras direct, that is, t tiie intervention of Boston counting-rooms its. The product of tlie vats and the curryips was taken in wagons and delivered di-

0 the purchasers. It was not until about hat places were hired in Boston for facilitattransactions between the different classes of icturers. It is said that in brisk times, the introduction of railroads, the teams takther into Boston wei*e intercepted in Charlesre ven farther out, by enterprising purchasers, \ contents bargainee! for in advance of reachi market. The enlarging business of Deammings and General Thompson, Jonathan stc.,. led to the adoption of numerous apss, to whom a good knowledge of the art of ; and currjing was given. Among these ap- Bs are the names of those more recent manurs who have given to Wobnm its high place Ihe leather-producing towns of the state, , Hon. John Cummings, lion. J. B. TTinn,

1 Timothy Winn, Hpn. Horace Conn, E. L. Qharles G. Lund, Joseph Kelley, Stephen ienry Taylor, and others less conspicuous, from 1840 to 1850 that these younger men business for themselves, and thev were not establishing a reputation for their excellent ctures. Under their management the busiicreased steadily and prosi)erously. New s were o^iened for the sale of their goods, h the enlargement of the wants of the counobum beciune known as the leading town p^roduction of leather iii Middlesex County, ire no statistics of the amount of capital 1, the number of men employed, and the employing together six hundred and twelve llie value of these productions was a little 52,000,000. In 1 s75 the number of shops , liands employed, SOS; 11,275 sides, and skins nranufactured wceklv. In Januarv, Ihe number of shops was 24, liands cm- sides of grain and butf leather, 14 tons of ither,and 10,180 calf-skins, at a total yearly m of about §3,500,000. shoe-business of Wobum has alwavs been rivalled that of the leather mmufacture. But since 1850 its increase has been slight. The earlier manufacturers were Edmund Parker, Deacon John Tidd, Deacon Thomas Richardson, William and Charles Choate, Simon Holden, and others. In 1875 the amomit of capital invested in the business was about $75,000, and the production more tlian 8260,000; number of hands employed, two hundred and eight. Since that time the capital and production is much the same.

The manufacture of shoe stock from refuse leather lias grown to-be a considerable and profitable business. N. J. Simonds has the largest establishment of tliis kind. The number of hands employed in the eight workshops engaged in the business in January, 1879, was four hundred and sixty-two; capital invested, about 825,000; and the annual value of production, 8350,000.

Newspapers. - The first paper printed in Wobum was called The Sentinel. It was founded in 1839, at the opening of the great Harrison campsiign, and was quite active in its support. It survived, however, but a few months. In 1842 William White began the publication of Tie IFobnrn Gazelle. The paper was a small one, and sold at two cents a copy. It did not pay, however, and was discontinued at the end of two vears. Th^ New England Family followed it ; but as it was not a strictly local paper, it was soon suspended. In the spring of 1846 Mr. White had the courage to revive The Gazette, and conthiued its publication, with fair success, for a year and a half, when he sold out to Smith, Kelley, & Co., who changed the name to The Weekltf Advertiser, and in a few weeks again altered the title to The Guide-Post. In 184Z Mr. H. N. Hastings bought the establishment, and published the paper for about a vear, when it was discontinued. Tlie next venture in the newspaper enterprise was by Fowle and Brother. In October, 1851, they commenced The Jroffurn Journal, with John A. Fowle as editor. The pajier was larger tlian any of its predecessors, and immediately took firm root among the peojJe. It has since been under the proprietorship of John J. Pippy, E. T. Moody, Edgar ^farcliant, H. C. Gray, and John L. Parker, who assumed its management in 1869 and has continued its publication to the present time (1879). For a few years the title was changed to Middlesejr County Journal, and its circulation was extended to the neighboring towns, but in 1873 the orijfrinal titk of irUnrM Journal was resumed. In 1857

Mr. H. N. Hastings started a small sheet, in oonnectioa with his printing-office, wliich he called The JKoiurtt Budget. It was enlarged in 1858, and again in 1S30, when John L. Parker became associated with Mr. Hastings, and The Budget continued an active and spirited paper ontil I)ecember, 1863. It was, then suspended by the second entrance of Mr. Parker upon service in the army. Being disabled from sucii duty, lie returned to Wobum, and started The Woburn Towneman in February, 1864; but enlisting again in the following September, the paper was merged in The Wobum Journal, then conducted by. £. Marchant. In January, 1871^ l|ark Allen began the publication of The WobuTH Advertiser, wiiich has continued in his hands to the present time. All of the above papers were, or are, issued weekly. In addition. The Weekltf Indepeudeut was published by P. L. Bicliardsou from January to August, 1878. In 1872 two young men, H. B. and E. A. Dow, started an amateur paper called The Young Indefeudent, printed monthly. At the close of the tenth issue it was suspended. Our Paper was the title of a monthly publication begun by Eev. Mr. Barnes, pastor of the Unitarian Parish, in the interest of -that society, aud was continued for two years (1873 to 1877). A paper of simiUir char^^ acter was issued for a short time by the Baptbt Society in 1873.

Hie busiuess of Wobum naturally connects itsielf with the Branch Railroad. It may seem scarcely credible to the present generation to be told that when the directors of the Boston and . Lowell Railroad established their line of road betweeu these terminal points, in 1833, they made a special effort to avoid all the villages lying on the route. Hence Medford, Wubum, Wilmington, Billerica, and Tewksbury were |)assed by on one or the other side. But the increasing travel between Woburn. and Boston, and especially the heavy freights from the bark regions of the north, led to negotiations for a branch to this town. A charter was obtained by citizens of Wobum, which was transferred to the Boston and Lowell Corporation, and the road was built by that company. It was opened for travel in December, 1844. For the first few months only one {xissenger train each way per day was placed upon the road. They were increased to three in the course of IS45. To these, additions have been made from year to year, as the development of travel required, until the number of daily trams in 1879 was twenty-seven, carrying

Banki, Public Works, etc. - TIic first institution for loaning money in Wobum was the Agricoltural and Meclianic Association. \ Xi was a private enterprise, formed in 1830 by several of our leading manufacturers and capitalists. An office was opened, and deposits were solicited on the basis of a small fixed capital and the individual responsibility of its stockholders. It soon attracted to itself the surjilus money of the town, which was re-loaned to parties in need of funds on notes and mortgages. It still continues its business, which has always been carefully managed, and has paid liberal returns to its stockholders. In 1855 its average deposits were about $100,000, since whicli time they have increased to more tlian $400,000. The rate of interest to depositors has averaged five per cent.

In 1853 a state bank was organized, with a capi<» tal of 8100,000, with General' A. Thompson as president, and E. J. Jenks, cashier. In 1865 the bank was reorganized as a national institution, and its capital increased to $300,000. It has always maintained an excellent reputation for. its skilful management and good dividends. Its present officers (1879) are E. D. Hayden, president, and J. K Green, cashier.

The Wobum Gaslight Company was incorporated in 1854, with a capital of $20,000. For several years the return to the stockholders was small, but by pmdent management, the! gradual extension of service-pipes, and the adoption of street lighting by the town, it now pays a fair dividend. The increase of constmction account caused the enlargement of the capital in 1874 to 340,000. J. M. Harlow president ; Aaron Thompson, treasurer and general manager.

The Five Cent Savings- Bank was incorporated ia 1854. Its first operations were small. The deposits gradually increased from year to year. lu 1865 they amounted to $90,000. In 1877 thcjr had risen to more than S 500,000, which was i^ highest point attained. Hon. John Camming was elected president in 1879. James N. Cow has held the office of treasurer from its incorporation.

Any notice of Wobum would be incomplete without reference to her excellent supply of water. The town is less abundantly supplied with water from natural sources than many of its neighbors. It lias no large stream. Its principal one, the Abcrjona, flows through its easterly border, at a con:^iderable distance from its centre of business nnd population. Horn Pond is the only slieet of water of any magnitude within its limits. As the town increased in its manufacturing industries and the number of its dwellings, the need of an ample supply of water for domestic and fire purposes was felt more and more every year. In 1871 the town appointed a committee on water-supply, with power to secure an act of incorporation for that purpose. Tlie act was obtained which allowed the use of the water of Horn Pond and authorized the issue of water bonds not exceeding $200,000. Water commissioners were chosen, and the work was immediately begun. A reservoir was constructed on Horn Pond Mountain, capable of holding 600,000 gallons, which at high water would be 222 feet above the level of the pond, and supply the highest points of the town. Pipes were laid at first through the central part of the town only, but the outer villages (Cummingsville. North and East AVobuni) demanding the same rights and privileges acquired by the Centre, the town voted the extension of the pipes to those sections. To do this, involved the issue of 8200,000 more of water bonds, which the town voted and the legislature approved. In digging for the foundation of the engine-house a few rods from the pond an unexpected and remarkable flow of water rushed to the excavation from the land side. To dispose of this flow, one, another, and then another of the most powerful pumps were used without checking its force. As the water was of tlie purest quality (issuing directly from the gravel bed on the southerly part of the pond), and its supply apparently inexhaustible, it was determined by the commissioners to appropriate it for the use of the town in preference to drawing directly from tlie ])ond. Connection was made with the pond, as originally proposed, to secure a supply in case the Dow from the land side should at any time collapse. To this period (1879) there is no sign of exhaustion, and Woburn is furnished in abundance with purer water timn could be obtained from Horn Fond or any other source within many miles. Tlie whole cost of the water-works to 1879 is about 8450,000.