Proceedings at the Centennial Celebration of the Incorporation of the Town of Longmeadow, October 17th, 1883

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. By a vote of the town of Longmeadow, passed at its annual meeting in the Spring of 1883, the maximum sum allowed by the Statutes of Massachusetts - one-tenth of one per cent. of the grand list - was appropriated for celebrating the first Centennial Anniversary of the town's incorporation, and for publishing the proceedings of the occasion. The Celebration took place upon the 17th of October - the exact date of the signing of the Act of town Incorporation in 1783. At a meeting of the Centennial Committee on the 3d of November following, - the report of the sub-committee of preparation showing a small unexpended balance from the appropriation, - it was voted that an edition of the proceedings properly bound and illustrated, and sufficient in number to supply one copy to each family in town and to each invited speaker, be prepared by the Secretary of the Committee, Mr. Storrs, acting with the Chairman, Mr. Harding, and the Town Treasurer, Mr. Wolcott, as a Committee of Publication, at a total expense not exceeding the unexpended appropriation.<br><br>It was further voted that in the inability of the Committee - or even of the Town itself - to legally do more than this, by reason of the statute limitation already referred to, - the offer of the Secretary to himself publish a second edition to meet any outside demand be gratefully accepted; and that he be authorized to make use, for this purpose, of the preparation made for the Towns edition; incorporating with it such other material and illustrations as he may desire to add at his own expense.<br><br>It is in accordance with these votes that the originally proposed pamphlet of a hundred pages has been enlarged by the Secretary to the present volume of more than four hundred.<br><br>The record of the Day's Proceedings will be found unusually complete. The Historical Address is given substantially as delivered; since any attempt to recast it in a more consecutive