Norwalk After Two Hundred & Fifty Years

After a selection by Mertz's Band, Mr. Light intro- duced Hon. Edward H. Knapp, of Bridgeport, whom he eulogized as a lawyer of renown. Mr. Knapp kept his audience laughing. He said that Bridgeport had no age to speak of, being only 100 years old. "It is a pleasure sometimes, ' he said, "to come to a place where the people can say, see, we are 250 years old, and here we are just as we always were." Norwalk people appre- ciated this hit at themselves, and applauded and laughed accordingly. Mr. Knapp paid a high tribute to the Rev. Homer N. Dunning, of South Norwalk, to the Rev. James M. Taylor, formerly of Norwalk, now of Vassar college. I should speak about the life service of this gentle- man whom you all think so much of and whom they thought the same of when I was a boy, the Rev. Mr. Selleck. He mentioned also Prof. Johnson, of Norwalk ac- quaintance, who wrote the history of Connecticut, and of others and pleaded for the education of the masses as a 172 means of preventing crime. The large allegiance is called patriotism ; there is another patriotism, that of town pride and doing away with town prejudice. Rev. W. J. Sloeum, of Waterbury, was the last speaker of the evening, and he was given an enthusiastic reception by his former parishioners and friends. He said : "I have not the good fortune to claim Norwalk as my birthplace. Most of you came to Norwalk by acci- dent ; I came by choice. I made it my home, and have always felt that it was home. It is six years since I left the town. For a man to come back after six years and be greeted with such a manifestation of feeling as was ex- pressed here to-night, he would be more or less of a man not to be impressed by it. Were I asked to select a typi- cal community, I should choose Norwalk. Your history goes back to the very early history of Connecticut. As you look back you have everything to be proud of. The early settlers of Norwalk did not fill Mark Twain's de- scription of the colonists: 'They first fell on their knees, and then they fell on the Aborigines.' They dealt fairly. In the Revolutionary war they were in every field from Lexington to Yorktown. During that time Norwalk took it into its head that it was going to have the county seat. Bridgeport shook in its boots. Not a man, wo- man or child could sleep at night. I think that Norwalk came near getting it. Bridgeport had to send to New Haven, and get some of those cute fellows to help them out. "It is said if they did not play a game of bluff, they played a pretty good game of euchre. I would pay this tribute to Norwalk people, I always found them just as Catholic as need be. They were always ready to meet me half way. When I was finishing St. Mary's Church $1,000 was contributed by non-Catholics." The meeting closed with the singing of America by the large audience. &&&L ^P1 173 FOURTH DAY, SEPTEMBER TWELFTH 'HIS day was a public holiday in all the Norwalks. It was set apart for a military and civic parade and it is agreed that the success of it far sur- passed anything of the kind previous- ly known in the town. The impossi- bility of an adequate description of the various divisions of the parade will be recognized. Suffice it but to say that in all respects the parade was a worthy termination of the anniversary celebration and an important day for Nor- walk. Several thousand strangers came into the city from every quarter and there was a great outpouring of the people of the towns such as never before been wit- nessed. The order of parade arranged by tKe Grand Marshal, Gen. Russell Frost, was as follows: Line of March — Head of the line at the armory. Up West avenue to Wall street, to Main street, to West Main street, to Catharine street, to Main street, to North avenue, to High street, to Wall, to East Wall, to Park street, around the Park to East avenue, to Van Zandt avenue, to Fort Point street, to Washington street, to South Main street, to Concord street, to Chestnut street, to Monroe street, to Railroad place, to North Main street, to West avenue, to armory. General Russell Frost, Grand Marshall, and staff as Aides. THE PARADE. Captain A. A. Betts, Marshal of the Military Division and Aides. Fourth Regiment, Col. C. W. Hendrie and Staff, Resselles Marine Band, of New York. Fourth Section Brigade Signal Corps. Fourth Section Machine Gun Battery. Third Division Naval Battalion. Lieut. Governor E. O. Keeler, and Governor's Staff. State Officials. Norwalk Town Officials. City of Norwalk Officials. City of South Norwalk Officials. Regent and Officers of the Norwalk Chapter, D. A. R. Historical Society and Celebration Representatives. 174 SECOND DIVISION. Assistant Chief F. W. Smith, Marshal of Fireman's Division and Aides. Norvvalk Fire Department. Mertz's Band of Port Chester. Norwalk Fire Police. Phoenix Engine Company. Hope Hose Company. Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company. Steamer. Hose Wagon No. i. Hose Wagon No. 2. Hook and Ladder Truck. American Band, of New Haven. Bridgeport Fire Department. Stamford Fire Department. Drum Corps. Chief Bowman, of Stamford, and assistants. Oriental Drum Corps. Members of Stamford Department. Steamer. Torrington Band. Mutual Company of Torrington. Old Time Drum Corps. Old Forgotten Engine Company, of Bethel. Hand Engine. Westport Fire Police. Knowlton Fife and Drum Corps. Eagle Hook and Ladder Company, of Darien. Waterbury American Band. Thomaston Hook and Ladder Company, and Hose Carriage. Drum Corps. Storm Engine Company, of Derby, and Apparatus. Drum Corps. Pioneer Hook and Ladder Company, of Westport. Hand Engine. Drum Corps. Vigilant Engine Co., Westport. Drum Corps. Saugatuck Hose Company. St. Aloysus Drum Corps. Cornpo Engine Company. Danbury Band. Chief Seeley and Danbury Department. 175 New Canaan Department. Drum Corps. Volunteer Hook and Ladder Company, Darien, and Truck. Fourteenth Regiment Band, of New York. Volunteer Hook and Ladder and Hose Company, of Greenwich. Carriages with invited guests. SOUTH NORWALK FIRE DEPARTMENT. Colt's Band, of Hartford. Marshal, I. M. Hoyt. South Norwalk Fire Police. New London Fire Police. Chief Baker, of South Norwalk, and assistants. Putnam Hose Wagon. Old Well Hook and Ladder Company. Truck. Band. Eagle Hose Company and Hook and Ladder Company, of New London. Drum Corps. Ridgefield Fire Department. Band. Crescent Hose Company, of Thomaston. Drum Corps. Hotchkiss Hose Company, of Derby. Wheeler & Wilson Band. Citizen Engine Company, of Seymour. Band. Fire Patrol, of Port Chester. Mellor Flose Company, of Port Chester. Protection Engine Company, of Port Chester. Carriages with invited guests. EAST NORWALK FIRE DEPARTMENT. East Norwalk Fire Police. Port Chester Cornet Band. Chief Wheeler and assistants. Mayflower Hook and Ladder Co., with truck bearing a miniature copy of the yacht "Mayflower." Chief Lounsbury, of Danbury. Drum Corps. Hose Companies 7, 8 and 9, of Danbury and apparatus. Drum Corps. 176 Southport Department. Truck. Engine. Hose Wagon. Drum Corps. Fairfield Hook and Ladder Company. Truck. Drum Corps. R. M. Bassett Hook and Ladder Company, of Derby. Drum Corps. Eureka Hook and Ladder Company, of Bethel. Mayflower Drum Corps. Alert Hose Company, of Bethel. THIRD DIVISION. Band. George W. Raymond, Marshal, and Aides. Thirtv Indians on Horseback. Float. Uncas Tribe, of South Norwalk. Cockenoe Tribe, of Norwalk. Konckapatonah Tribe, of Bridgeport. Paugussett Tribe, of Danbury. Hamonassett Tribe, of New Haven. Ansantawae Tribe, of New Haven. Toantic Tribe, of Waterbury. Powahay Tribe, of Stamford. Ponus Tribe, of New Canaan. Tunxis Tribe, of Waterbury. Monnawauk Tribe, of Seymour. Delegates from Port Chester and Thompsonville. FOURTH DIVISION— CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS. Captain James L. Russell, Marshal, and Aides. Old Guard Band, of New Haven. American Mechanics. John H. Plander and Aides. Banner and Flag. Four men in Continental Court Dress, and twelve men abreast in military Uniform, from Danbury. Forty Continentals. Allegorical Float. Large American Flag. Lincoln Council, of South Norwalk, and visitors. 177 Members of State Council. Rome Italian Band. South Norwalk Italian Society. George Dewey Society, Bridgeport. Hungarian Brass Band, of New York. South Norwalk Hunyadi Sick Benefit Society, President Stephen Balazs, Marshal. First Hungarian Sick Benefit Society, of South Nor- walk, President Joseph Schon, Marshal. St. Joseph's Church Society, Julius Elias, Marshal. Bridgeport Rakocy Local Sick Benefit Society, John Louchak, Marshal. These sections were followed by twelve floats, some of which were exceedingly tasteful and beautiful. A full description is impossible. They appeared in the follow- ing order: Norwalk Lodge of Elks. Yacht Columbia. Norwalk Iron Works. Willis H. Selleck. Comstock Brothers. Hoyt & Sons, New Canaan. ' Hubbell & Keeler. Boston Store. J. T. Sheehan. Krieger & Co. I. G. Hamilton. There were festivities and family gatherings and re- unions of old and new residents of the town and as the last rays of light fell upon the day there was a devout sense of thankfulness that the four days' celebration had ended so auspiciously. 178 PART SECOND NORWALK'S PATRIOTIC RECORD SOLDIERS IN THE INDIAN WAR. A W&i ?Kp Mti% Jan