The west, not thinking this location near enough, resorted to the old
scheme of forming a new town, and called two meetings for that purpose,
thereby scaring the conscientious peacemakers nearly out of their wits;
but for some reason or other the men of the west did not put in an
appearance, and these two meetings were uncommonly peaceable. The
petitions were dismissed. The reason of their non-appearance at these
meetings probably was that the people of the west, who all this time
were carrying on their plans vigorously but quietly, as will soon be
seen, wished to lull the rest of the town into a sense of security.

At a meeting held Nov. 2, 1789, the town voted "to erect a new
meeting-house on the land purchased of Thomas Boynton," and a committee
was chosen to take the matter in charge. Two weeks later the town voted
to reconsider all former votes; so that at the end of four years the
town was in the same position regarding this matter as when it began
operations, with the exception of owning twenty-two and a half acres of
real estate. The cause of this singular action was the culmination of
the move on the part of the west, alluded to above. The people of the
west, together with portions of Westminster, Ashburnham, and Ashby, had
presented to the General Court a powerful petition for an act of
incorporation into a town.

"This petition set forth in glowing colors the delightful situation of
the contemplated town--how nature had lavished all her skill upon
it--how admirably adapted for a township by itself was the noble swell
of land--and that nothing in nature or in art could exceed the grand and
imposing spectacle of a meeting-house towering from its summit, while
beneath the said swell was a region of low, sunken land which almost cut
off the petitioners from intercourse with the rest of mankind.[B]"

This meant business, and the inhabitants of Fitchburg drew up a spirited
remonstrance, in which they were joined by the people in those portions
of the three adjoining towns not included in the proposed new township.
In this remonstrance every statement of the petitioners was denied, and
the whole thing denounced as visionary. This matter engrossed the
attention of both parties during 1790, and the result was that the
General Court refused to incorporate the new town.

After such a vigorous contest a brief breathing spell was necessary; but
Sept. 7, 1791, the town voted, forty-one to twenty-three, "to erect a
new m