Hanover Marks Its 200th Year

AMERICAN history records the adventures of men who went west in search of new lands and a new life in the wilderness. But earlier, at the close of the French and Indian War in 1760, men were turning their eyes northward to the unoccupied land of the Province of New Hampshire.

Two such men, who wanted to build new homes in an uncharted wilderness, were Joseph Storrs and Edmund Freeman Jr., both of Mansfield, Conn. Like many other prospective settlers they petitioned the Royal Governor of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth, for a grant of land with which to start a town. Their petition carried the names of over one hundred men who were willing to join them in founding new homes.

On July 4, 1761 they were granted a charter for the township that today is Hanover.

Two hundred years have elapsed since the first settlers journeyed up the Connecticut River Valley to start a new life in the wilderness. The forest has long since given way to a community which is known for its cultural and civic prowess and nationally known as the home of Dartmouth College.

This July as the Bicentennial of the town's founding is celebrated the present residents of Hanover will pay a fitting tribute to those hardy founders of 1761. A three-day observance, July 2-4, has been planned which will include religious and cultural events while at the same time retaining the atmosphere of an "Old Home Day" celebration. Included in the biggest community observance in Hanover's history will be an opening religious program, an historical convocation, concerts, displays, a tour of old homes, and, on the climactic day of July 4, a parade, a picnic on the green, afternoon field events, and finally an outdoor evening fiesta with fireworks and a street dance.

The Bicentennial celebration is under the general direction of an executive committee headed by Edward Connery Lathem '51, associate librarian of the College. Other members of the directing committee are Mrs. Charlotte Ford Morrison, secretary; Prof. Harold L. Bond '42, Mrs. Amos Hoyt, Prof. Fletcher Low '15, Mrs. John H. Minnich ('27), and Mrs. S. John Stebbins.

Dean Fred Berthold '45 is chairman of a sub-committee which is formulating plans for the opening religious observance on Sunday morning, July 2. The union service will be followed by a tour of old homes on Sunday afternoon and an evening concert.

The greater part of Monday, July 3, will be devoted to an historical convocation entitled "Life and Culture of the North Country." Prof. Herbert W. Hill, who is president of the New Hampshire Historical Society, is chairman of the convocation. It is felt by the executive committee that the conference will have area-wide appeal among other Connecticut Valley towns, which are celebrating their own Bicentennials at the same time. Some fifteen towns in the immediate area of Hanover were chartered in 1761.

On Monday evening the residents of Hanover will be given a chance to relive the old days of the silent movies at The Nugget. A special program of some of the early films, starring famous persons of moviedom, will be shown, complete with piano accompaniment. No announcement has yet been made about the sale of peanuts, a touch needed to fully recapture the old Nugget days.

July 4, the actual anniversary day, will be known as "Old. Home Day." Dean Thaddeus Seymour is in charge of the parade which will open a day of festivities, and he and his sub-committee are arranging for floats, bands and marching units.

At noon on the Fourth all the residents of Hanover will be invited to gather on the Green for a picnic lunch and a band concert. This will be followed by speeches appropriate to the occasion. The band will be under the direction of Prof. Donald W. Wendlandt, and Prof. John V. Neale is chairman of the speakers committee. That afternoon there will be games for children on the' Green and an old-timers baseball game on Memorial Field. The concluding event for the afternoon will be another band concert.

The celebration will come to a close with a community gathering in Memorial Stadium where there will be singing and fireworks. This will be cliaxed by a street dance on Crosby Street beside the stadium.

To mark the Bicentennial in lasting form, Hanover is printing a hardcover book of historical essays about the town. Francis Lane Childs '06, Professor of English Emeritus, is the chief editor of the volume, about which more is told in the article above. A printed souvenir program is also being prepared.

To preserve the heritage of the past 200 years, a group of interested citizens have banded together to form the Hanover Historical Society. At its organizational meeting in February, Mrs. S. John Stebbins, daughter of the late Adna D. Storrs '99, was elected president and Prof. W. Randall Waterman vice president. The Society's three directors include Dean Emeritus Joseph L. McDonald, Prof. John P. Amsden '20 and Mrs. William Bailey.

As outlined in the by-laws of the Society, its major purpose will be "to discover and collect material which may help to establish and illustrate the history of the area." Given its original impetus by the Bicentennial, the group will attempt to insure the preservation and accessibility of public records and will undertake the preservation of historic buildings, monuments and markers.