At the annual election March 14, 1911, the town "voted to observe the 15Oth anniversary of the incorporation, and to expend $300 for the proper observance of that day, and to leave the arrangements to the selectmen.

April 6,1911, the legislature of New Hampshire passed an act to enable the town of Goffstown to raise and appropriate a sum not to exceed $300 for the purpose of celebrating the 150th anniversary of the incorporation of the town, and on the 19th of April a meeting of the citizens was holden for the purpose of making arrangements for the proper observance of the day and event.

At this meeting it was voted that a committee of five be appointed to act with the selectmen, and Frank A. Parker, Benjamin F. Greer, Horatio K. Libbey, Shirley M. Johnson, and Frank W. Kendall were named as the committee, who "voted to have amusements and sports in the forenoon, and a historical address in the afternoon, and a reception to the Governor and Staff in the evening."

From this time until the 16th of June the committee labored to make the celebration an important event in the history of the town. At the time of the 50th anniversary of the incorporation the people of Goffstown were beginning to take a part in that national conflict known as the War of 1812, and likewise anniversary occasions were then almost a thing unknown.

In 1861 when the both anniversary occurred, the attention of the people was absorbed by the early events appertaining to the War of the Rebellion, and as fifty years before, her sons were already in the field, but upon the 150th anniversary peace and prosperity attended the nation and the people of Goffstown.

The day dawned clear and beautiful, and was early ushered in by the ringing of the church and school bells for half an hour. The Opera House was elaborately decorated outside and in; the stage was banked with laurel, and the word "Welcome" in electric lights above the stage, and at the rear, figures 1761-1911 in colored electrics.

150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOWN OF GOFFSTOWN, FRIDAY,
JUNE 16, 1911

PROGRAM

Many residences throughout the village were handsomely decorated for the occasion. The Old Residents Committee were early on hand and extended a glad welcome to all former citizens. The oldest resident to be present and assist in receiving the guests was Irad Poore, who was in his eighty-ninth year, and the oldest visitor present was John Canton of Concord, a former resident, in his ninety-second year. Both were remarkably smart and active.

The committee on sports arranged quite an extensive program, first of which was a marathon race, which was started from the Central House running to Parker's and return, a distance of three miles, and the successful contestants were Wesley Wyman, in twenty minutes; Lewis Holden, in twenty-one minutes; and Adolphus Caraway, in twenty-two minutes.

Other events which followed were a potato race, won by Paul Prichard; sack race, by Harold Richards; tug of war between single and married men, won by married men; hundred yard dash, won by Edward C. Morse; baseball between Suncooks and Goffstowns, in which the Suncooks won.

At ten o'clock the old residents assembled in the Opera House, where every seat was filled, many coming from a distance, the Executive Committee having issued over a thousand invitations to former sons and daughters of Goffstown. The audience was called to order by George Pattee, Esq., Chairman of the "Old Residents Reunion," who, after brief introductory remarks, requested the audience to be attentive while Rev. C. W. Dockrill offered prayer, which was followed by a song, "Home, Sweet Home," by Orpheus Male Quartet of Manchester.

Mr. Pattee then introduced Hon. David Arthur Taggart, President of the Day, who was very grateful for the honor assigned him, and very cordially welcomed all in the name of the town of Goffstown to participate in the festivities of the occasion particularly those whose setting suns were fast approaching the western horizon. President Taggart after his address presented Rev. David P. Hatch, who delivered a historical address; he was followed by George P. Hadley, who spoke of the early history of the town. Rev. James E. Odlin, a former pastor of the Congregational Church, was the next speaker, after which the meeting adjourned until two o'clock in the afternoon.

At noon a bountiful dinner was served in the town hall. At one o'clock Nevers' Cornet Band of Concord gave a concert on the Congregational church lawn.

One of the most enjoyable affairs of the day was the second reunion of the pupils of Charles H. Jones, at the high school room, from eleven to twelve o'clock in the forenoon. The affair was made doubly pleasant by the presence of the teacher, Charles H. Jones of Amesbury, Mass., who, although in poor health, made the trip for the special purpose of meeting these former pupils. He was accompanied by his wife, who taught in the lower division at that time. Many of the faces he could hardly recall in the lapse of time, more than thirty-five years.

The meeting was called to order by Mr. Jones, as in days of old, by reading from the New Testament, followed by a prayer of thankfluness [thankfulness] and tenderness that called forth tears from most of the eyes. Letters were read from absent members.

Gov. Robert P. Bass arrived at two o'clock accompanied by members of his staff and Councilman Benjamin F. Greer. A salute was fired upon the arrival of the Governor and Staff by Battery A., N. H. N. Guard, which was encamped at Highland Grove, on its return from the annual hike. At two o'clock in the afternoon the audience assembled in the Opera House and, after calling to order, President Taggart called upon Rev. David P. Hatch to offer prayer, which was followed by a song by the quartet and a selection from the band. President Taggart then presented Hon. Sherman E. Burroughs of Manchester, chief speaker upon the occasion, who delivered the historical address.

ADDRESS BY HON. SHERMAN E. BURROUGHS

Ladies and Gentlemen:
   I am deeply appreciative of the high honor you have shown me through your committee here today in asking me to speak to you on this occasion, and yet I am sure you will believe me when I say that I realize fully the limitations under which I speak. For this is no ordinary occasion that you celebrate today. It is like the observance of the birthday anniversary of the head of the family, when it were almost profanation for one not a member of the group to try to interpret and express the deep significance of the occasion.
   I cannot claim membership in the Goffstown family, either by birth or by adoption, and yet, as I have lately been searching through the early records of this town, I ran across the name of one of my maternal ancestors, Alexander Gilchrist, who seems to have taken quite a prominent part in the important events of those early days. And so it seemed to me that, although I could not claim to be, either by birth or adoption, a son of Goffstown, I might, perhaps, claim that title by way of inheritance. I think I might also add that after about ten years close association with one of your loyal sons, the able and honored President of this day, I feel that at least I have in me and about me enough of the Goffstown spirit to warrant my acceptance of your invitation.
   I want to congratulate you upon the splendid public spirit which has prompted you to observe this day with fitting and appropriate ceremonies. To a larger degree, I think, than we commonly realize, American Democracy is based upon the New England town. Here, if anywhere, the people have a government to suit their tastes, and chosen by themselves. Here is to be found that local public spirit which is always and everywhere one of the surest guarantees of order and tranquillity. De Tocqueville, the brilliant French commentator, says: "The native of New England is attached to his township because it is independent and free. His co-operation in its affairs insures his attachment to its interests; the well-being it affords him secures his affection; he takes a part in every occurrence in the place; he practices the art of government in the small sphere within his reach; he accustoms himself to those forms which can alone insure the progress of liberty; he imbibes their spirit; he acquires a taste for order and collects clear, practical notions on the nature of his duties and the extent of his rights."
   Bryce, author of the best book ever written on the institutions of this country, and, indeed, political philosophers of all lands, have testified that in the town meeting in New England is to be seen the most orderly and striking example of a practical democracy to be found anywhere in the world. It is not strange, therefore, that in these little municipalities there has been enacted an altogether disproportionate part of the great drama of our national history.
   Many and great are the changes that have taken place and that are yet bound to come with the passing years in our social, economic, industrial and political conditions, but I trust that the day is far distant when any one of these little republics shall cease to exist as a corporate entity. And that is why I like to see such evidences of civic pride, as we witness here today, when the sons and daughters of this old town from far and near come together to observe a really great event in Goffstown history. On the 16th day of June, 1761, the year that James Otis, in the Superior Court at Boston, speaking in opposition to Writs of Assistance, delivered the oration wherein John Adams declared, "American Independence was born"; two years after Wolfe's great victory at Quebec; two years before the Peace of Paris put an end to the Seven Years War, and gave to England undisputed control of the New World; four years before the passage of the Stamp Act, when Patrick Henry in the Virginia House of Burgesses hurled back at the British King the defiance of these colonies; one hundred and fifty years ago today, this town was born in corporate existence. The Charter bore the signature of the ambitious and irascible Benning Wentworth, then Governor of the Province of New Hampshire, and was issued in the name of "George the Second, by the Grace of God, Great Britain and France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, etc." The town was called Goffstown, in honor of Col. John Goffe of Derryfield, who called the first meeting of the inhabitants. He is said to have been the most renowned Indian hunter and fighter upon the frontier in his day. He was a leader among the men of his time; taught John Stark the strategies of Indian warfare; a man of marked character, and for sixteen years identified with all the stirring scenes of the most exciting period of our country's history.
   Many years before its incorporation, however, in 1728, the territory embraced in this town had been the subject of a grant by the Great and General Court of Massachusetts, by way of bounty to the soldiers who had served in King Philip's or the Narragansett War, and to their surviving heirs at law. Seven townships were included in this grant, and the numbers, from one to seven, were placed in a hat on Boston Common in June, 1733, and drawn by the seven separate societies into which the eight hundred and forty grantees had organized. Goffstown was drawn as "Narrangansett Number 4," and was so called for a number of years.
   In 1748, the "Masonian Proprietors," so called, heirs of Capt. John Mason, having established their claims to New Hampshire, against those of Massachusetts, exercised ownership over this territory and made a grant of it to the Rev. Thomas Parker of Dracut, Mass., John Goffe, Jr., Thomas Walker, Caleb Paige, Nathaniel Martin, Job Kidder and others, whose family names are familiar in your more recent history. The tract or parcel of land thus granted was seven miles in length and five miles wide. It was bounded on the south by Souhegan East, so called, afterwards known as Bedford; ex tended to the Merrimack River on the east, and included the valuable falls at Amoskeag. It was this territory that in 1761 Governor Wentworth and his council incorporated under the name of Goffstown.
   The first town meeting within the limits of the town was called by Matthew Fatten, the proprietor's clerk, on August 7, 1750. The meeting was held August 28, at ten o'clock in the forenoon, on Lot No.7 in the 6th range of lots on the north side of the Piscataquog River. This is believed to be somewhere near where Dr. Swett now lives. At this meeting a committee ',~as named to lay out highways in the town. Other meetings prior to the incorporation of the town were held at the house of James Walker, in Bedford, on June 26, 1751, and at the house of Caleb Emery, in Goffstown, November 30, 1752. At this last meeting it was voted to build a meeting-house and have it finished by November, 1753. The records of this meeting show the first award of damages for the laying out of highways in the town. The first meeting after the incorporation was on July 6,1761, and is supposed to have been held in Captain Karr's barn, where indeed most of the meetings were held thereafter for a number of years.
   There was much difficulty in getting a meeting-house. The vote passed in 1752 does not seem to have been effective, and another was passed in 1768, providing that the house be located on land of Captain Karr, and offered by him to the town for that purpose. This house was completed and the first meeting held in it August 7, 1769. This was the old meeting-house at the Center that was taken down in 1869, and removed to Manchester.
   It had, indeed, been one of the conditions in the grant by the Masonian Proprietors that the settlers should build a meeting-house before the last day of May, 1752, "fit for the public worship of God, for the use of those who should then or afterwards inhabit there; and after the end of three years aforesaid from that time constantly to maintain the public worship of God there." The first minister to preach in this house was Rev. Joseph Currier, who was born in Amesbury, Mass., March 18, 1743, and graduated at Harvard College in 1765. There appears to have been at that time on the part of church members very little of what we now call religious activity. About the only public expression of religious life consisted in attending the two very long preaching services on the Sabbath, being punctual at the Communion, and presenting one's children for baptism. The church was therefore more largely, than now, what its pastor made it.
   At a town meeting held August 31, 1769, it was "voted that we keep Mr. Currier four days," meaning probably four Sabbaths, and on the 24th of October following, a committee was appointed to treat with him in regard to settlement. February 13, 1770, a formal call to settle in the ministry was voted him by the town. He was to have as a settlement the use of a certain tract of land reserved by the proprietors of the town for that purpose, and forty pounds a year the first five years, forty-five pounds the next three years, and fifty pounds a year after eight years. His salary was to be paid one-half in corn, and the other half in labor. He was ordained October 30, 1771, the same day the church was organized. His ministry was a brief one for those days, being a little short of three years. He is said to have been very intemperate in his habits, and was dismissed by the town and church August 29, 1774.
   At the time he left, war was brewing. One year afterwards it came. Goffstown was intensely patriotic. It gave of its men and means freely to the cause of liberty and independence. Preaching and schooling were held to be secondary in importance. In 1775 we learn that the committee on preaching and schools was requested to desist from disposing of any more money till further orders, and money was appropriated to purchase gunpowder, lead and flints. One hundred forty-five individuals, citizens of Goffstown, took part in the Revolution, and by different enlistments filled the places of two hundred and twenty-nine men. Many of these men did honorable and valiant service. Among them especially to be noted are the names of Samuel Richards, who was the captain of a company composed almost entirely of Goffstown men who fought under Stark at Bunker Hill; Moses Little and Jesse Karr, both Goffstown men, were the first and second lieutenants respectively in this company. Capt. Eliphalet Richards, then a boy of seventeen; Nathan Hawes, not quite fifteen; Amos Richards, Robert Spear, Charles Sargent, Reuben Kemp, Samuel Remick, Samuel Dunlap, William Houston, and John Butterfield, fought under Stark at Bennington. Dr. Can, in his historical sketch of Goffstown, says that when the news of the battle of Lexington reached Goffstown, it spread like wildfire among the settlers: "Almost to a man they left their implements of husbandry wherever they happened to be using them, and hurried to the place of rendezvous, and a company under Capt. Joshua Martin was speedily enrolled and marched to the seat of war." The women of Goffstown also shared in the patriotic spirit, and Dr. Can says that they cast bullets and made cartridges.
   Who were these men of Goffstown, these early settlers, these frontiersmen, these pioneers whose sacrifices and privations and toil through long years at last brought them victory over brute Nature and made possible this beautiful and prosperous town that we see today? Whence came they? Some of them were English emigrants, who followed after that sturdy band of Pilgrims whose adventurous and strange career forms so large a part of the history of New England. But most of them were of Scotch-Irish origin. They came to this county directly from the Great Northern Province of Ulster, in Ire land. They came from blood-stained walls of Londonderry to that other Londonderry across the sea. Some of them had fought at the Battle of the Boyne, but then claimed a common fatherland with Bruce and with Burns, and we may well believe that the stern monotony of their lives was somewhat broken, as they sat around their fires at night, by recounting the brave deeds of their fathers at Bannockburn. To use Lowell's happy phrase, "They were strong men with empires in their brains." Their failings, like their virtues, stood out in bold relief, but we should judge them with reference to the age in which they lived, and the work they had to do. Their task was to conquer the wilderness; not merely to overrun it, but to settle it, to till it, to build upon it a high, industrial and social life; and while engaged in the rough work of taming the shaggy wilderness at that very time also to lay deep the immovable foundations of our whole American system of civil, political and religious liberty, achieved through the orderly process of law. This was the work allotted them to do. This was the work they did, and only master spirits among men could have done it.
   It may not be inappropriate if at this point we stop to consider some of the individuals whose names are associated with the early history of this town. I have already spoken of Colonel Goffe, for whom the town was named, a most remarkable man. He could fight, and he could preach. He did both, as occasion demanded, and whether he did the one or the other, he inspired the confidence that can be awakened only by a man of strong purpose and compelling force.
   No name in Goffstown's history is more worthy of honor than that of Samuel Blodget, who settled here ten years before the town was incorporated, and owned over three hundred acres of land. He was at the siege of Louisburg and in the expedition against Crown Point. For a time he is said to have been engaged in business in Boston, but returned to Goffstown in 1775, and opened a store here. He was a judge of the Court of Common Pleas, and is said to have held offices of distinction under the Crown. No better evidence of his public spirit need be sought than his offer of a bounty of $100 for the purpose of encouraging the growth of wool and flax in the town of Goffstown. In those days all articles of clothing were of domestic manufacture. We are told that one would rarely enter a house without hearing the hum of the spinning wheel and the stroke of the loom. The wool and flax were combed and carded, spun, woven, colored and made into garments at home. Judge Blodget spent his fortune and the last years of his life in building the Amoskeag Canal around the falls, a project which he originated. The epitaph on his tombstone says that he was "A pioneer of internal improvements in New Hampshire," and Chandler E. Potter, in his history of Manchester, says of him: "As long as the Merrimack River shall flow, whose forbidding difficulties he obviated, whose sweeping current he made subservient to the wants and conveniences of commerce, so long shall the name of Samuel Blodget be engraved upon the memories of our people."
   Another hero for your Hall of Fame is Robert MacGregor, son of Rev. David MacGregor of Londonderry, who settled here in 1777. His farm on the Merrimack embraced a large portion of the land and waterpower now owned by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. He was one of Gen. John Stark's aides, and was with him at the surrender of Burgoyne. About one hundred and twenty years ago he projected and built the first bridge across the Merrimack River at Manchester. Goffstown will do well to honor the memory of this man, whose bold and original mind, whose courageous and dauntless spirit stamp him as one of the really great men in our early history.
   No man took a more conspicuous or honorable part in the early history of this town than David Lawrence Morril, minister, doctor, and presiding officer of both branches of the Legislature, United States senator and governor of the state. A man of exceptional ability, his whole life was devoted to a distinguished and honorable service to his town, the state and the nation. The old square frame house where he lived still stands on the old Mast Road near Grasmere Station, and is probably one of the most historical houses in the state of New Hampshire today.
   Moses Kelley was the first high sheriff in the time of the Revolution, and one of Goffstown's most distinguished early settlers. He was a colonel in the militia, and later held a commission in the Continental Army. He lived for a time in the frame house which he built on the east side of the Mast Road, just south of the Gilman Plumer place. It is believed that he was for some time the proprietor of the old tavern on the Mast Road, said to be the oldest framed house in Goffstown. There were scattered throughout the town in his time a considerable number of Tories, hut "Kelley's Tavern" was noted as the neighborhood rendezvous for the patriots or Sons of Liberty, and it was here the means and measures were discussed to further the cause of the Revolution, and to discourage and generally make life a burden for the King's men.
   Colonel Kelley built the first dam on the Piscataquog River, and erected there a saw mill and gristmill, which he successfully operated for many years, both before and during the War of the Revolution. The history of Weare speaks of him as having served under General Sullivan at the Battle of Quaker Hill, in Rhode Island, and among the New Hampshire state papers the following record is found concerning him: "Colonel Kelley was of Goffstown, and in command of the Ninth New Hampshire Regiment. He owned mills in Goffstown at the place now known as Kelley's Falls, upon the Piscataquog River. He was a zealous patriot, and keeping a public house upon the Mast Road, many of the forays against the Tories of that neighborhood were concocted at Colonel Kelley's." It will thus be seen that he took an important part in the stirring events of his time, and that his patriotic example and influence contributed largely in the formation and direction of public affairs in this vicinity.
   Such was the character of the men who settled here and cleared away the forests, and built their little homes along the rivers and on the hillsides of this town of Goffstown one hundred and fifty years ago. Who could doubt that the men of the generation that were to follow them would likewise possess the courage, the hardihood, the common sense, the high spirit, that would enable them to carry forward the great work so well begun.
   Foremost among those who at a somewhat later time have helped to make honorable the history of Goffstown, I place the name of Dr. Alonzo F. Carr. As a man, he was high-minded, conscientious, and held in the highest esteem by all who knew him. As a citizen he was publlc-spirited and devoted to the interests of this community. For many years he was a familiar figure, not only in Goffstown, but in all the surrounding region, where his kindly ministrations to the sick and unfortunate are known and appreciated today in hundreds of homes. His sketch of Goffstown in the "History of Hillsborough County" is a splendid contribution to the early history of this town, which will be more and more appreciated as the years go by. He was at one time a state senator, and held many offices of public trust among his people.
   Dr. Daniel Little lived at the Center. He was a graduate of Dartmouth Medical School, a well-known and highly successful physician, and withal a very useful citizen. David Steele was for more than half a century one of the leading figures at the Bar in this county. He was born in Peterborough in 1795, and graduated at Dartmouth in 1815. He first practiced in Deerfield, but soon removed to Goffstown, and represented this town in the Legislature of 1827. He was a state senator in 1828 and 1829. It was said of him in the press at the time of his death that '~for fifty-three years he never failed in attendance at the Hillsborough County Court. As a lawyer he was safe, prudent and trustworthy, rather than brilliant. A man of sound, practical, common sense, he possessed in a remarkable degree the confidence and esteem of his brethren at the Bar as well as of the public generally."
   Other lawyers who practiced in Goffstown for longer or shorter periods were John Gove, Thomas Jameson, Jonathan Aiken, Josiah Forsaith, John H. Slack, and Charles F. Gove, who represented this town in the Legislature from 1830 to 1834, and was state senator and president of the Senate in 1835. He was also solicitor of Hillsborough County, and attorney-general of our state, and later became circuit judge of the Court of Common Pleas, which office he held from 1842 to 1848. Isaac Gates and Honorable George W. Morrison each practiced law in Goffstown for a short time.
   Benjamin H. Ayer was born in Goffstown, hut I believe never practiced law here. He moved to Manchester when a young man, and later went to Chicago, where he won high place, and became general counsel for the Illinois Central Railroad.
   One of the best known and most highly respected citizens of Goffstown, and indeed of this whole community, was Alfred Story, who for many years kept the store across the street from the library, where the Knights of Pythias Hall now stands. Another was David M. Taggart, who for many years was the proprietor of the tavern which bore his name, and who had a stat~wide reputation as an honorable and upright citizen, and who was famous throughout the country as the owner of "Taggart's Abdallah."
   Time prevents my speaking at length of all of these men, who by their strength of character and useful service have left honorable names among this people. Among such, however, I would especially name George P. Hadley, uncle of him who bears the same name, and is now well known among us; Benjamin Greer, father of the present councillor in this district, of the same name; and Alfred Poore, both of them sturdy and high minded citizens; Oren Moore, Eliphalet Richards, the Plumers, the McDougalls, the Worthleys, the Pattees, the Warrens, the Georges, the Dodges, the Johnsons, the Starks, the Kendalls, and the Blaisdells,--all names worthy of high honor in the history of this or any other town,--all men who left a deep and lasting impress upon the political and social history of Goffstown. And then there were the Parkers, John M. and David A., who for almost forty years carried on large agricultural and mercantile interests; were extensively engaged in the wood and lumber business, and held high place in the respect and esteem of this community. No more distinguished or dignified figure walked the streets of this or any other town than John M. Parker! You remember him. I will remember him as long as I shall live. I shall never know but one auctioneer, and that man was John M. Parker; Capt. Charles Stinson, born in Dunbarton, who later came to Goffstown and became prominent in its affairs; Col. E. C. Shirley, for so many years one of the best known and most prosperous and useful citizens, and who held many offices of trust and responsibility among you; Sylvanus D. Johnson, pioneer in the summer hotel business in Goffstown, which he started in the old-fashioned, two-story frame house where the Shirley Hill House now stands. These and many more, whose names are scarcely less worthy of mention, have been the men who have here lived and wrought, and whose successful lives and honorable service entitle them to your gratitude and affection today.
   The boundaries of Goffstown, as originally granted, have been somewhat changed in the intervening years. In 1822 the northeast part of the town was set off and made a part of Hooksett. In 1835 certain islands in the Merrimack River, and in 1836. the farm of Isaac Parker, then a part of New Boston, were annexed to Goffstown. In 1853 all that part of Goffstown east of the eleventh range of lots, extending from Dunbarton south toward Bedford, was annexed to the city of Manchester. Since that time the dividing line between Goffstown and Manchester has been between the eleventh and twelfth ranges, and about two miles to the west of the river.
   What wonder is it that from such beginnings, and from the labors and sacrifices of such heroes, you have this prosperous town today, with its fertile farms, its beautiful residences, its pretty walks and drives, its bright waters, and its matchless mountain scenery and hills on every side? What though the climate is rigorous and the soil niggard? Through the temperance, industry, and frugality of its citizens, Goffstown has become in truth one of the most beautiful and prosperous towns in our state. Those who dwell within your precinct have all the conveniences of the city,-well-kept and well-lighted streets; macadamized sidewalks; a splendid water supply; a graded school system that need not fear comparison with that of any town in the state; a goodly-sized library in a beautiful building, erected only two years ago at a cost of $14,000; five churches; an opera house; and a town hall centrally located and well suited to your needs. The sash and blind shops of Kendall, Hadley & Company employ from seventy-five to one hundred men, send their product all over New England, and are one of the most substantial interests of the town. The bobbin shop, run by Hambleton Brothers, employs about one hundred and fifty hands. All of the necessities of life, and most of the luxuries, can be bought in Goffstown as cheap as anywhere in the world. The keeping of summer hotels has long been one of the chief industries, and the popularity of the town as a summer resort is becoming every year more evident.
   Eight thousand six hundred and two dollars and fifty cents was expended by this town last year for school purposes. The valuation of the town for purposes of taxation was $1,362,668, of which $570,464 was in the village precinct. In addition to that, citizens of Goffstown had deposits in the savings banks amounting to $993,235. This is especially to be noted. This is a larger amount than is credited to any other town in the state of New Hampshire, and speaks volumes for the enterprise, frugality and thrift of this people.
   Men and women of Goffstown, with what genuine satisfaction, with what heartfelt pride must you contemplate this record, so imperfectly sketched, of labor, of sacrifice, of honorable achievement! These fields and woods and rivers and brooks and hills and vales and grand old mountains are filled with associations intimate, tender and sacred. Around them linger yet the sweet melodious voices of the olden time. They whisper, they chant, they sing, they shout in this glad jubilee.
   Nowhere is there greater cause for contentment and happiness than here. Nowhere do common sense, courage, and character count for more. The climate is nowhere more health-giving; the rewards of industry nowhere more plenteous. Nowhere does the mantle of charity rest more sweetly; nowhere are the ties of kindred stronger, the spirit of hospitality and fellowship more genuine, or the love of home deeper and more abiding.
   May the proud and splendid record of one hundred and fifty years, that you unfold today, be an ever-increasing inspiration to you and to your children. Let it fill your lives with brightness and cheer, and help to give you courage and strength to do your part in the great work that yet remains to be done, as, one and all, we march on to that

"divine far-off event To which the whole creation moves."

   I thank you.

At the close of the address a song, "My Rosary," was rendered by the Orpheus Male Quartet, after which President Taggart introduced Hon. Robert P. Bass, Governor of New Hampshire, who spoke of the early political conditions pertaining to the towns of New Hampshire.

After the close of Governor Bass' remarks all were invited to a reception to be held in the hall in the evening at seven thirty o'clock.

Through the courtesy of Shirley M. Johnson, the Governor and Staff accompanied by the Selectmen, the Executive Committee and other distinguished citizens enjoyed a dinner at the Shirley Hill House at six o'clock.

An invitation was extended to the Battery to have supper at the town hall, and ninety-six marched in and enjoyed the excellent supper which was served. At the close the boys gave three cheers for the Goffstown residents for their kindness.

The committee on reception for the day faithfully attended to their duties and extended a cordial greeting to the many visitors.

The reception to the Governor and Staff was held at eight o'clock in the evening in .the Opera House. Those in the receiving line were Gov. Robert P. Bass, Major H. H. Blake, Major Robert P. Johnson, Major Carpenter, Lieutenant Worthen, David A. Taggart and Mrs. Taggart, Sherman E. Burroughs and Mrs. Burroughs, Councilor Benjamin F. Greer, George L. Eaton and Mrs. Eaton, C. E. Phelps and Mrs. Phelps, Lucian Bartlett and Mrs. Bartlett, Edwin Flanders and Mrs. Flanders and William P. Hadley.

At the close of the reception the Grand March was led by Mr. and Mrs. Carl B. Pattee, followed by fully one hundred couples. Dancing was enjoyed until mid night.

Union Services of the Churches of Goffstown, N. H., were held in recognition of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the town, Sunday, June 18, 1911, at 2.30 P. M., in the Opera House. They were conducted by the pastors of the churches assisted by the church choirs. Mrs. 0. F. Sumner was Directress.

PROGRAM

THE PLACE OF THE CHURCH IN THE COMMUNITY

ANNIVERSARY HYMN
Tune, "Italian Hymn"

Written for this service by David Phillips Hatch

BENEDICTION

       

ALHN Hillsborough County