The New England Magazine Volume 1, No. 3, March, 1886: Bay State Monthly Volume 4, No. 3, March, 1886Various
History
The New England Magazine Volume 1, No. 3, March, 1886: Bay State Monthly Volume 4, No. 3, March, 1886
Various
New England -- Periodicals
On Wednesday last Mr. Webster was out. On that evening he was feeling a
little ill, and postponed engagements which he had made for Thursday. He
supposed his illness only temporary, and expected to be out on Friday
and again on Saturday. When his family retired Saturday night they bade
him good-night, and he told them that he felt better. At three o'clock
in the morning they were awakened, and, hurrying to his room, found that
he apparently had difficulty about breathing, and in a few minutes he
passed quietly away without speaking. Mr. Webster was a member of the
New or Swedenborgian Church, and held to that faith very strongly. He
was a believer that departed spirits still hover about their friends and
assist them in the good which they are endeavoring to accomplish. If
such be the case, many a good cause in Boston to-day is being helped by
his presence, although he is gone from us forever.
IN OLDEN TIMES.
In Wickford, Rhode Island, is what is claimed to be the oldest Episcopal
church in America. It was built in 1707, and was once stolen and
transported a distance of seven miles. It was originally built on what
was then called McSparren Hill, but in the course of seventy-five years
the population had changed so that most of the worshippers came from
Wickford, seven miles away. The proposition to remove the church was
first made at a vestry meeting, but was so bitterly opposed by the few
members who yet remained on McSparren Hill that the Wickford faction
resolved on a _coup d'etat_. The road from where the church stood to
Wickford was all down hill. They mustered their forces one evening,
collected all the oxen in the vicinity, placed the house on wheels, and,
while the opposing faction were soundly sleeping in their beds, hauled
the holy edifice to the spot where it now stands, and where it has since
remained. As it was utterly impossible to move the house back up the
hill again, the surprised hill residents could only vent their rage in
unchurchly language. Although the old building is still standing, the
present society worship in a more modern edifice.
The house built by Elnathan Osborn, in 1696, still stands in Danbury,
Connecticut. One of the Osborns was six years old when General Tryon's
British troops visited the place. The lad came home from school to find
the house full of redcoats. They were making free with the contents of
the buttery. The boy attempted to back out, when one of the men called
to him, "Come in, lad, we won't hurt you." "Is there any cider in the
house?" asked the soldier. The boy took out a large wooden bowl, went
down cellar, and filled it several times with apple juice for the men.
When the British fired the village, a few hours later, there was no
torch applied to the home of Elnathan Osborn. The house still stands at
the foot of Main street. It is a low, hip-roofed house, studded with
enormous beams, and lighted with tiny diamond window-panes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account