re missing from our ranks
who would never again respond to their country's call. To them and
theirs it was the great battle of the Rebellion; to us, who live to tell
of it, only an episode of army life.

A TOWN MEETING-HOUSE,

AND TOWN POLITICS IN THE LAST CENTURY.

BY ATHERTON P. MASON, M. D.

Nearly a century ago the little town, now the prosperous city, of
Fitchburg, Mass., was the scene of a fierce contest that lasted a
decade. Never in the history of the town was there contention so bitter
or opposition so determined as that shown in the ninety-nine town
meetings held during the years 1786-96. The cause of this tempest in a
teapot was the location of a new meeting-house.

At that time the "center of the town" was in the easterly part of the
township, in the vicinity of the present Union Passenger Depot. Here
were located the rather shabby yellow meeting-house, Cowdin's tavern,
Dea. Ephraim Kimball's mill, Joseph Fox's "red store," and several
dwelling-houses. Westward from this ran a country road (now Main Street)
along which were scattered half a dozen houses. West of the present
junction of River and Main Streets there were almost no habitations
until reaching the high land, now known as Dean Hill, about 1-3/4 miles
distant. This high land was early settled by farmers, because of the
excellent soil, and comparative freedom from early frosts. Here were two
taverns, a blacksmith's shop, a store, and a number of dwellings. These
people in the west were considerably removed from the river, which at
that time was regarded as a curse to the town, and were desirous of
being separated from Fitchburg in order to escape the heavy tax annually
levied to maintain bridges. Moreover the west was then the more
flourishing settlement, and its inhabitants began to feel that they
ought to have a meeting-house of their own, and not be obliged to travel
to the easterly part of the town to attend church,--in a word they felt
rather abused at being considered a suburb.

Early in 1785 one of the articles in the town-meeting warrant was, "To
see if the town will take into consideration the request of Jacob Upton
and others, to see if the town will set off the inhabitants of the
north-westerly part of Fitchburg, with their lands and privileges, free
and clear from said Fitchburg, to join the extreme part of Westminster,
with the north-easterly part of Ashburnham, to be incorporated into a
town, to have town privileges, as