Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 2.djvu/376

 35 2

��NEW LONDON CENTENNIAL ADDRESS.

��In 1 83 1 and 1S32 the church was visited by one of its most remarkable revivals, under the preaching of the Rev. Oren Tracy. The whole town seemed to be reached and affected by it. During the fall of 1831, and the next winter, evening meetings were kept up in the different parts of the town, in the school-houses and in pri- vate houses, on Sundays and on week- days, to which large numbers were drawn, and the interest in religious mat- ters was deep and wide spread. On the first Sunday of January, 1833, which was the first day of the week, and of the month, and of the year, an addition of forty-three was made to the church ; on the first Sunday of March thirty-six more were added, and during the following summer several more, making between eighty and ninety in all.

In the fall of 1832 another event took place which was at the time of great interest to the people of New London. During that autumn the first stage coach took its regular trip through New London upon the route from Han- over to Lowell. This new road had been before the public for several years in one form and another, and was strong- ly favored by one party and opposed by another. But it had finally, through the efforts of Col. Anthony Colby more than of any other man, probably, been laid out and built and a stage company had been formed, horses and coaches purchased, and arrangements made for stageing.

This fall of 1832 J. Everett Farnum was teaching a private school for a term in the red school-house at the four corners, and it was announced that on a certain day in October, I think, the stage coach would make its appearance. It was to go through here in the afternoon to Hano-

��ver, and start the next morning early for Lowell. As the expected event drew nigh, study was out of the ques- tion, and our kind teacher gave us all permission to gaze for a time, to the extent of our capacity, for the long ex- pected stage coach with its four horses in hand. It finally came and went, as all things come and .go, and we resumed our studies again ; but it took some time to fully comprehend aud realize the importance of the fact that New London was henceforth to have a daily stage and a daily mail both ways.

In 1837 the New London Academy was incorporated and went into suc- cessful operation, and continued pros- perous under different teachers for several years, up to about 1850, when its operations were suspended for a time. It commenced in 1837 as a ladies' school, with Miss Susan F. Colby as principal. In the autumn of that year Prof. Dyer II. Sanborn became principal and Miss Colby continued as principal of the Ladies' Department. After some years Mr. Sanborn resigned, and Truman K. Wright succeeded him as principal ; after Mr. Wright, a Mr. Meserve, a Mr. Averhill, and a Mr. Comings followed. Then Mr. Alvah Hovey, now president of Newton Theological Institution, taught one year : then Mr. Joseph B. Clarke, now of Manchester, followed for a year ; then a Mr. V. J. Walker followed, who was the last, or among the last who taught under this arrangement.

In 1840 the population of New Lon- don reached 1019, a gain of 106 in the last ten years, and this was the largest number that were ever in the town at the time of any census, and the town was in a condition of prosperity, wealth and influence, perhaps equal to that of any other period in its history.

[CONTINUED IN SEPTEMBER NUMBER.]

�� �