One hundred years ago, our ancestors prepared to celebrate the arrival of the New Year here in Concord. There were events planned on the State House yard down on Main Street and feasts to welcome a new year of hope. Bonfires were ignited downtown as our ancestors 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 to Concord from the trenches of Europe where they experience much tragedy, other soldiers never returned to Concord and found eternal peace in the cemeteries overseas.
The Spanish Flu epidemic had been devastating with many lives lost, there were still some deaths being reported but the epidemic was certainly in a downward period.
As the year 1920 approached, our ancestors witnessed the start of a prohibition that would last until 1933. This would be the last New Year celebration that involved the legal consumption of alcohol for quite some time. Suffragist leader Alice Paul continued her fight to allow women 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 decreasing and prohibition on the horizon 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 the citizens of Concord celebrated a New Year a century ago there has been both sadness and celebration. 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 as they departed for World War II. Years later, our young men and women left the same depot, their destination being Vietnam. Similar to the New Years 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 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 1920 and held onto the dream for a brighter future.
May the year ahead provide peace and kindness to each and every one of you.