An Old Fashioned Fourth and American"s 250th

July, 2026 The Journal Opinion Parades, patriotic music and speeches, food with drink, fireworks, the nation’s colors, complete with “loud Huzzas.” That is how the first anniversary of the 4th of July was celebrated in Philadelphia in 1777. The observances on that day had all the elements of typical future celebrations of the nation’s birth. This week, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of that birth, and Upper Valley residents will do it up in typical fashion. But what is the typical fashion for our area? Do major anniversaries of the date greatly overshadow otherwise less significant years? The first reported local Independence Day celebration was in Hanover in 1788. After years of not celebrating, Walpole resolved to celebrate the commemorations in 1798. The next year, Rutland began a tradition of celebrating July 4th. In the early 1870s, Bradford began to hold Fourth of July picnics and band concerts. Vershire’s 1870 holiday was typical of the time, with an abundance of strawberries and speeches. An interesting notice appeared in the local paper in 1871. It noted the murder of “a meddlesome and somewhat bloodthirsty character” named Amos Skeeter when, on July 4, he became too familiar with a party of fishermen on Fairlee Pond, which is now known as Lake Morey. In 1876, the pages of the Bradford Opinion were filled with news of the Centennial. Many of the articles highlighted the Exposition in Philadelphia, the first official World’s Fair held in this country. Although its theme was designed to show the world “the industrial and innovative prowess” of the United States, the Centennial made it an overwhelming attraction for over 10 million visitors. Each week for months, the newspaper described some of the 200 buildings and their exhibits, as well as the reactions of local residents who visited them. Many of those visitors rode special Centennial trains that carried passengers from Canada and northern New England southward through the area on the Passumpic Railroad. For most of the rest of the nation, the centennial was a three-day celebration held July 3-5. For the first time since the Civil War, observances were held throughout the South. The Bradford Opinion encouraged local communities to hold special observances and follow Orford’s example of planting Centennial trees. The Grange and Sunday School picnic in Newbury Center “was a decided success. The attendance was large, considering the great inducement held out to the citizens to visit other towns.” Those other towns included St. Johnsbury, where, despite inclement weather, a major celebration was held. In Bradford, it was reported in the July 8th edition that, “several of our young men were badly afflicted with wakefulness on the night of July3rd” and with bells, shouts and shots, announced the centennial day. The paper reported that “five large lights of glass were broken from Mr. C. S. Stevens” store, while the boys were firing the cannon.” In addition to reports of inter-town baseball games and the dedication of Bradford’s new Congregational church, the paper reported the massacre of Custer’s troops on the Little Big Horn. That story continued to headline the paper for the following weeks. In 1877, Ely and West Fairlee held “such an exhibition of Manly Sports, Feats & Strength, Agility & Endurances as has never been witnessed in the State!” One of the major features of area parades on the 4th in the next half century was the inclusion of Horribles. Area residents would dress in comic and grotesque costumes and ride in decorated wagons and later, automobiles. West Fairlee held an annual Horribles parade for several years drawing great crowds. It was reported that in 1896 a similar “progress of Horribles” was held in West Topsham. A baseball game between the Hayseed Nine of Cookville and the Do Nothings of West Topsham and a promenade in the evening followed the parade. That same year, a similar celebration was held in Fairlee where “the country, the Lake and the townspeople did themselves credit.” The hour-long parade that Newbury held in 1903 before a crowd of 2000 drew similar praise. One of the major Horribles parades was held in Bradford on July 3, 1909, the first time the town held a major observance in quite a while. The United Opinion reported, despite cloudy skies, “the morning trains and teams emptied into town many pleasure seekers.” The business block and many homes were “decked out in gala attire.” The renowned Lyndonville band performed two concerts and led the parade. The first prize went to a float poking fun at the disadvantages of owning an automobile. The day was complete with a ballgame, egg and potato races, and a two-hour fireworks display. The crowd of 2500 was surpassed by a similar observance the next year when the “weather was excellent, the people orderly, and the exercises greatly enjoyed by all.” Newspaper coverage on the activities of Independence Day activities have often highlighted aspects of the observances. The absence of drunkenness and profanity among the crowd at a West Newbury gathering in the 1890s made that a successful day. Vandalism by youth was common. In 1886, boys in Haverhill Corner built a bonfire from every loose thing they could find. Removing store signs, placing wagons atop public structures, unauthorized ringing of bells and shooting of cannons was common in many towns. In 1898, West Topsham residents heard cannon fire from their 12-pound brass cannon “at frequent intervals during the day and evening.” If there were no serious injuries or even fatalities from the unrestricted use of firecrackers, it was considered lucky. Harold Haskins included in his history of Bradford a very complete description of the fireworks of various calibers available to a boy. About 1910, concern about these dangers led to restrictions. Haskins lamented that “while much has been gained by the adoption of safe and sane Fourth, something has been lost.” Editor Harry Parker wrote, “Gone are the reckless, glorious Fourths…” He suggested that when boys grew up with all body parts intact, “they will probably be thankful that someone was so thoughtful as to think enough of their welfare to save them from themselves.” The United Opinion of June 29, 1928 suggested that the “disturbances and serious mischief of July Fourth” were the failure of many towns to have celebrations of “a better type.” Certainly, there were many such celebrations throughout the valley, especially as the nation approached the 150th anniversary of its birth. Blasdell’s History of Haverhill reports that Woodsville held a major celebration in 1924 at the community Field with 10,000 in attendance. That same year, the Bradford Business Men’s Association staged a celebration that included a parade and games. In the evening, Main Street was closed to traffic as an open-air dance was held in the Square with nearly 140 couples dancing to the music of Klaark’s 8-piece orchestra. Two years later, in 1926, the Woodsville celebration had grown even larger with a parade of decorated autos, floats, and Horribles, and a large midway, concerts, outdoor movies, and fireworks. Since the Fourth fell on a a Sunday, the sesquicentennial celebration was held on Monday, July 5th. Because organizing such celebrations requires so much effort, enthusiasm comes and goes. Towns that staged big events for a few years would give way to other towns’ festivities. In 1931, West Fairlee’s “Gala Day” drew a crowd of 1,000 with traditional competitions and patriotic programs. Newbury held a similar event that included horse racing at the Trotting Park north of the village. In Orford, a dance was held at the Hay Loft, followed by a midnight fireworks display. None of these seems to have lasted long enough to establish a tradition. Woodsville’s American Legion Post celebrated the Fourth in 1934-5 with a “most successful parade” followed by baseball games, concerts and fireworks. It was cancelled due to of damage from the 1936 flood and did not resume for 10 years. In 1938, Union Village held an Old Home Day celebration with a parade, lunch and dinner, entertainment, and “fireworks from Randall’s Hill back of the church closed the day’s festivities.” The day was described as a great success. In 1940, the Bradford Legion Post sponsored a parade featuring the Bowen and Hunter Band of East Corinth. It was followed by activities and games on the Fairground and an evening dance in the Bradford Academy gym. The war years from 1942 to 1945 led to increased patriotism, but fewer actual Fourth of July celebrations. The ban on fireworks from 1941 to1947, war nerves, and gasoline shortages may have been discouraging factors. After the war ended, local groups began to plan celebrations of Independence Day again. Between 1948 and1950, West Newbury held a field day featuring a bicycle parade, horse ulling, sports contests and a ballgame. The largest current local celebrations have their origins in that post-war period. According to Haverhill historian Katherine Blasdell, the American Legion sponsored “an especially large Fourth of July celebration” in 1946, but it tapered off after a few years.” It was revived in 1976, and today the two-town celebration draws large crowds with a giant parade and community field celebration. Orford’s Old Home Day Fourth began in 1947 and was sponsored by the Community Council. In the early years of that celebration, post-parade activities were centered on the Mall. The parade featured 40 floats including the old town hearse drawn by four gray horses. Ann Green of Orford, who marched in the first parade dressed as Miss Independence, recalled “the wonderful homemade games and activities” of the midway along with an auction, horse pull, and pony rides. The day was capped by a fireworks display on the southern end of the Mall and a dance at Orfordville. About 1964, the Orford celebration was moved to the Community Field and organized by the Fire Department. As before, the parade began in the south end of Orford village and marched through Fairlee village. When the Community Field underwent major improvements, and after a two-year break, the celebration in Orford was moved to Fairlee. Now, after a giant two-town parade, Fairlee hosts a chicken barbeque on the com mon and fireworks over Lake Morey. Corinth’s celebrations began in 1949 with an auction and barbecue. Over the years, it has grown to include a parade from East Corinth village to the Fairgrounds for afternoon entertainment. Probably the largest area-wide celebration of the Fourth was in 1976, the Bicentennial year. Many towns, flying their official Bicentennial flag, made it a year-long celebration with activities centered in the week of the Fourth. Some towns, including Bradford and Ryegate, held their parades later in the summer to avoid conflicts. Bicentennial balls, church services, barbecues, and strawberry festivals, historic designations and tours, restoration projects, and giant parades filled the calendars of events. Schools participated with history projects, costumed pageants, and essay contests. The Bicentennial observance also allowed the nation to review it past and contemplate its future. A Bicentennial editorial in The Journal Opinion on July 6, 1976 included this description of Americans at that time: “lovers of hoopla and ceremony, crowds and solitude, exasperatingly honest about the nation’s issues, participators in endless guesswork…as to what kind of people we are and what the future holds. This guesswork, like the fireworks and the parades, is all part of the show. And we’ve enjoyed every minute.” America has undergone major changes in the 50 years since that description was written. We are in the middle of another significant anniversary in our nation’s history. I encourage you to reread that 1976 description in light of those changes. Towns throughout the area are observing the 250th. The local celebrations on July 4th will allow us to experience an “old home day” feeling with birthday overtones. As the editor of the Virginia Gazette wrote in July 1777: “Thus may the 4th of July, that glorious and most memorable day, be celebrated throughout America, by the sons of freedom from age to age till time shall be no more. Amen and amen.”