As those who came before us watched another year conclude over a century ago, their thoughts were centered on the future. Their past year comprised moments of duress but there were certainly glimmers of happiness.
Concord citizens had endured sickness without remedy, severe winters without great warmth and limited provisions as the cold months continued. They spent their winter days gathering wood for their fireplaces, hunting for game in the forest surrounding our town, ice fishing on the frozen ponds and reflecting. They reflected on their hardships and their successes, they planned for the day the frost would leave the spring soil and they could plant their seeds. They thought about the coming months in a most serious way. They made resolutions because it was very important to ensure their survival as well as the survival of those they loved. Their late December reflections were very different than our thoughts today.
It was just 100 years ago, the people prepared to celebrate the arrival of the new year here in Concord. There were events planned in the State House yard down on Main Street and feasts to welcome a new year of hope. Bonfires were ignited downtown as residents prepared to celebrate with a mix of both joy and despair. Many were anticipating a brighter future while some mourned the past year where they left sadness behind.
The people of Concord, much like the rest of the country, awaited a fresh start this particular year. They celebrated the recent Great War victory in Europe and the very welcome peace that followed.
Many soldiers returned from the trenches of Europe where they experience much tragedy. Others never returned but found eternal rest in hallowed ground overseas. The Spanish Flu epidemic had been devastating with many lives lost.
As the 1920s commenced, our community witnessed the start of a prohibition that would last until 1933. They saw the last New Year’s celebration that involved the legal consumption of alcohol for quite some time.
Suffragist leader Alice Paul had fought in the preceding years to allow woman to vote and made much progress during this period. She organized large bonfires to burn outside of the White House to call attention to her mission. With the 19th Amendment passing in Congress in May and June of 1919 she saw the ratification in August of 1920.
With the war over, the Spanish Flu deaths mourned and the 18th Amendment Ratified on Jan. 16, 1919, the United States implemented prohibition on Jan. 17, 1920, the people of Concord hoped for a future that would offer peace and prosperity.
Business continued to grow in Concord, the railroad brought much opportunity and the merchants benefited while the citizens found employment. The granite industry proved to be very rewarding for both the owners and the laborers with orders being shipped worldwide as America prepared for long awaited growth.
Since those celebrations on New Year over a century ago, there has been both sadness and joy. It was the year 1929 that brought the Great Depression and stole the little wealth that they once owned. Another war arrived and the people of Concord gathered at the train depot to bid farewell to the next generation of Concord soldiers and sailors as they departed for World War II.
Years later our young men and woman left the same depot, their destination being Vietnam. Similar to the New Year’s celebration a century ago, the people of Concord gathered each and every year to celebrate the hope for a bright future while trying to forget the sadness they were leaving behind.
As we welcome our next decade here in Concord, we only seek good years ahead that will provide for our families and spare the people some of the sadness that our ancestors experienced. We hope to prosper and succeed with many opportunities in the coming years. We desire no more than our ancestors did as they welcomed the year 1923.
Hold tightly to your resolutions, may they bring comfort to your hearts. Feed those in need of a nourishing meal, cloth those in search of warmth. Help the elderly and remember to appreciate the goodness within each of you.
I leave you with the words of Charles Dickens, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.”