1844-a political caucus was held in it, at which the chairman of the meeting carelessly emptied the wick of an expiring candle into a wood spittoon, filled with saw-dust, and at an early hour the next morning the building was in ashes. The meeting for the annual election-November 11, 1844-called to be held at the town-house, assembled upon its ruins, and adjourned to the Congregational meeting-house, where it was held in the porch of that building.

The question of building a new town house was then agitated. The inhabitants of Van Deusenville were clamorous for its erection in that village, raised money by subscription for the purpose, and were aided in their demands by residents of the north and east parts of the town. So great a diversity of opinion as to location existed, that it was found difficult to agree upon a site. In this dilemma-in 1845-the town leased of Messrs. J. C. & A. C. Russell, a hall in the building now Egbert Hollister's store, which was used as a town hall for fifteen years, when the lease was transferred to the old Congregational church, which had then been removed to Bridge street. In this building the town meetings were held until 1876, when the present new Town Hall was ready for occupancy.

The New Town Hall.

This

The erection of this fine, brick structure, standing upon a lot of somewhat more than one and one-half acres, in the central part of the village, has supplied the want of a commodious place of assemblage for public purposes, long felt by the citizens of the town. was built in 1875, was first opened to the public January 1, 1876, and occupied by the town for the spring meeting of that year. In addition to the public hall, the building contains rooms for the accommodation of the Registry of Deeds, the District and Probate Courts, the Public Library, and the Town officers. The cost of the building (including the land) was $50,763. The cost of the land, with old buildings then standing, was $12,115.50, of which $2,000 was paid by subscription. Towards the erection of the building, the county -in consideration of rooms for the Courts and Registry

MONUMENT-LIBRARIES.

441

-of which it has a permanent lease-contributed the old Registry building (afterwards sold by the town for $4,700) and in cash $6,500. The net cost to the town -deducting buildings sold and the amount contributed by the county and by individuals—is a little in excess of $35,500.

The Soldiers' Monument.

For several years following the War of the Rebellion the question of erecting a Memorial Hall or a Monument commemorative of the lives and services of the soldiers of the town in the war, was a theme of discussion in the town meetings. The agitation of this question resulted not only in the erection of the Monument, but, incidentally, in the building of the Town Hall. The Monument was set up in 1876, after the completion of the Town Hall, and occupies a conspicuous position in front of that building. Toward the erection of the Monument, an appropriation of $5,000, was made by the town in 1872; but the expense attending considerably exceeded that sum, and the balance was contributed by a public spirited citizen-Mr. John H. Coffing.

Libraries.

About the year 1800-perhaps a little earlier-a library, owned by proprietors and called The Union Library, was formed here, and was kept at the store of Samuel Whiting, Esq., on the Castle street corner, Mr. Whiting officiating as librarian. This collection of books, never very large, embraced a useful and standard class of works, and was in existence until January 1823, when the books were disposed of at public sale. "The next effort towards a public library was in 1861 when the Great Barrington Library Association, was formed, its capital consisting in sixty-five shares of ten dollars each. This association gathered a very respectable collection of books, which were productive of much good. This library continued until April 1881, when its books were transferred to the Great Barrington Free Library, then recently incorporated. As its means have permitted, this Corporation has made extensive additions to the old collection, and with its books, free to all, commends itself to the consideration and

liberality of the inhabitants, upon which it must depend for its future success. That the Free Library may be sustained by the good sense and generosity of our citizens is earnestly to be hoped. We have elsewhere mentioned the extensive collection of books-the Cone Library-at Housatonic, sustained, and made open to all who wish to use from its stores, by the liberality of Mr. Henry D. Cone.

Manufactures.

The Manufactures of the town consist chiefly of the Cotton warps and Marseilles quilts from the five large mills of the Monument Mills at Housatonic; of the fine Writing papers of the Owen Paper Company, also at Housatonic; of the Pig-iron of the Richmond Iron Works at Van Deusenville; and of the woolen goods of the Berkshire Woolen Company in the main village. Population and Valuation.

The population of the town at different periods is as follows:

(1) And 264 dwellings.

By the Census of 1875 the town had

Value of Farm Products for the year ending May, 1875, $188,124

CHAPTER XXXII.

GREAT BARRINGTON IN THE WAR OF THE

REBELLION.

1861-65.

The course pursued by the town in the war for the preservation of the Union, the spirit which animated. its citizens, and the services rendered by its soldiers reflect no discredit upon its former history.

By the census of 1860, the inhabitants of Great Barrington numbered 3,871; and though divided upon political questions and the issues involved in the war, they were none the less zealous or patriotic than their Revolutionary predecessors had been, and entered with great unanimity upon the struggle for the maintenance of the constitution and government which their fathers had fought to establish. The position of political parties is shown by the vote at the Presidential election-November, 1860-when there were cast for the Lincoln electoral ticket, 379 votes; for the Douglas electoral ticket, 160 votes; for the Bell-Everett electoral ticket, 35 votes; for the Breckenridgeelectoral ticket, 14 votes; total, 588. On the ballot for member of Congress, the Douglas, Bell-Everett, and Breckenridge parties united and gave for Norman T. Leonard, the Fusion candidate, 208 votes, against 379, for Henry L. Dawes. At the election of 1864, when 640 votes were cast, the Lincoln electoral ticket received 429 votes; the McClellan electoral ticket received 211 votes. And in 1868 from a total of 686 votes, there were cast for General Grant 452, and for Horatio Seymour 234; the majority for General Grant,

218, being precisely the same as that for Lincoln four years before.

The Selectmen of the town in this period were: in the first year of the war, 1861-62, Walter W. Hollenbeck, John Burget, Henry Foote; in the second year, 1862-63, John M. Seeley, George Church, Benjamin F. Gilmore; in the third and fourth years, 1863-64 and 1864-65, John M. Seeley, George Church, Charles J. Taylor. Isaac Seeley was Town Clerk, and Egbert Hollister Town Treasurer throughout the war.

The bombardment and surrender of Fort Sumter, followed by the massacre of Massachusetts soldiers at Baltimore-April 19th, 1861-then hurrying forward to the seat of government-brought home to the minds of the people the reality that war had actually begun.

As the citizens gathered for worship at the village churches on Sabbath morning, April 21, the news of the attack upon Massachusetts soldiers by the mob at Baltimore was speedily disseminated, causing an intense excitement, depicted upon every countenance. At the Congregational Church the Rev. Horace Winslow opened the services with a fervent prayer for the welfare of the country; and in the afternoon was so overcome as to stop in the middle of his discourse, declaring that his mind was not upon his subject, that he could not finish his sermon, and concluded with a most eloquent appeal to his hearers upon the crisis, and the issues of the hour. On Monday evening at an impromptu gathering of the people, in front of the Berkshire House, a few brief addresses were made, and the situation and measures to be adopted were discussed. The next morning-Tuesday, April 22d— hand-bills containing the following call, signed by sixty-five citizens, were posted upon the trees of the village and scattered throughout the town:

PATRIOTS, ATTENTION !

"The inhabitants of Great Barrington and adjoining towns are invited to attend a public meeting at the Town Hall on Wednesday, the 24th instant, at three o'clock, p. m., for the purpose of adopting prompt measures to aid the Government of the United States in sustaining the Constitution, executing the laws, and suppressing the traitorous Rebellion now existing in the Southern States, April 22, 1861."