CELEBRATIONS OF THE FOURTH OF JULY from Beers History of Warren County, Ohio
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The History of Warren County, Ohio

CELEBRATIONS OF THE FOURTH OF JULY.

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Transcription contributed by Martie Callihan 12 December 2004

Sources:
The History of Warren County Ohio
Part IV Township Histories
Turtle Creek Township
(Chicago, IL: W. H. Beers Co, 1882; reprint, Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, 1992)

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461

The anniversary of American independence was celebrated much more generally in the earlier history of Lebanon than in later years. The oration was generally delivered at the earlier celebrations in one of the churches or in a grove north of the town. After the oration, there was almost always a dinner at one of the hotels, or some other public place, and after the dinner, toasts were read. The oration was in most cases published in the local newspaper at the request of the Committee of Arrangements. We are able to give a brief account of the celebrations at Lebanon from the year 1821 up to recent times:

1821—The oration this year was delivered by George J. Smith, Esq., at the Presbyterian Church, after which the procession moved to the court house, where as many as thought proper partook of a dinner prepared by Col. D. F. Reeder, and a number of appropriate toasts were drank. The oration of Judge, then Mr. Smith, was afterward published in the Star.

1822—Oration at the Presbyterian Church, by Thomas Corwin, Esq. Declaration read by A. H. Dunlevy, Esq. Dinner at the court house.

1823—Oration at the Presbyterian Church, by Nathaniel McLean, Esq. Declaration read by Phineas Ross, Esq.

1824—At the Presbyterian Church. Declaration read by George J. Smith, Esq. Oration by Jacob D. Miller, Esq.

1825—Oration in the grove north of town, by William J. Minshall, Esq. Declaration read by Thomas Corwin, Esq.

1826—Oration at the Presbyterian Church, by William V. H. Gushing, Esq. Declaration read by Milton Brown, Esq. Dinner at the Golden Lamb.

1827—No formal celebration of the day. A congregation, however, assembled at the Methodist Church, where a discourse was delivered by Bishop Soule, from Psalm cxliv, 15—"Happy is that people whose God its the Lord." In the morning, a salute of twenty-four guns was fired.

1828—Address by Bishop Soule.

1829—At a celebration this year, the Declaration was read by Phineas Ross, Esq., but the name of the orator is not given in the report before us.

1830—The Fourth came on Sunday. Collections were taken in the churches of the village in aid of the Colonization Society.

1831—Celebrations by the Temperance Society and Sunday schools.

1832—Orator, J. Milton Williams, Esq. Reader, Courtland Cushing, Esq.

1833—Orator, Sam. W. Probasco, Esq. Reader, Dr. A. Dickey.

1834—Orator, J. Milton Williams, Esq. Reader, William R. Collett, Esq. Judge McLean, who was present, also addressed the meeting, being called out by a toast. This speech of the Judge was ridiculed in letters written from Lebanon to Jackson papers in Cincinnati and Columbus, and the celebration was said by these letter-writers to have originated in a concerted plan of the Whig partisans for the purpose of making a demonstration in favor of McLean for President. One of these letters said: " The Judge, being toasted

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with fulsome adulation, made an electioneering speech of nearly an hour in length. "The Star replied by saying that the presence of Judge McLean was entirely accidental and unexpected, and that his remarks did not occupy more than twenty minutes.

1835—Two celebrations. One party assembled at the Presbyterian Church, where an oration was delivered by John Probasco, Esq., and the Declaration read by Dr. I. L. Drake. Dinner at the grove north of the church. The other party met at the Baptist Church, with Hervey Brown for orator, and I. F. Wright, reader. Washington's farewell address was read by Franklin Corwin, Esq. Dinner at the Henry Clay House. Hon. Thomas Corwin, then our Representative in Congress, was drawn out by a toast, and addressed the company for about half an hour, chiefly on the dispute then existing between the State of Ohio and the Territory of Michigan concerning the boundary between them. He deprecated any appeal to arms for obtaining our rights.

1836—Orator, Allen Pierse, Esq. Reader, Phineas Ross, Esq. No dinner nor toasts.

1837—Sunday-school celebration. Address by Rev. F. Q. Black, and public dinner.

1838—Address to the Sunday schools by A. H. Dunlevy, Esq. Declaration read by William H. P. Denny. Fireworks in the evening under the direction of Mr. Dolant, a practical pyrotechnist, among which the line rocket attracted particular attention. A beautiful balloon was also prepared, but failed of success.

1839 and 1840—No reports of any celebrations.

1841—Declaration read at the Presbyterian Church by Judge Smith, and an oration delivered by J. Milton Williams, Esq. After the exercises at the church, the citizens marched to the public square, where, under an awning, a dinner was prepared by William N. Schaeffer, of the Mansion House. After the cloth was removed, toasts were read.

1842—Oration by William Bebb, of Hamilton, afterward Governor of Ohio. J. C. Sabin, reader. "A dinner prepared on temperance principles " was announced to be served at Mr. Schaeffer's hotel.

1843—Orator, John Probasco, Esq. Reader, A. G. McBurney, Esq. Dinner at the Bradley House.

1844—Celebration by the Ohio Stand-Bys, under the command of Capt J. P. Gilchrist. Wilfred Dey, Esq., reader, and Durbin Ward, Esq., orator.

1845—Temperance meeting in the forenoon at the Baptist Church. Declaration read by Judge Smith. Addresses by R. G. Corwin, Esq., and Rev. S. Newell. Colonization meeting in the afternoon. Declaration read by A. G. McBurney. Address by Rev. F. G. Black.

1846—No report at hand.

1847—Declaration read at the Baptist Church by J. W. White. Oration by G. W. Stokes.

1848—No celebration.

1849—Sunday-school meeting at Methodist Protestant Church in the morning. Exhibition by the students of the academy at the court house in the evening.

1850—Oration at the Baptist Church by Rev. S. Newell. Declaration read by A. P. Russell. "Fireman's Festival " at the court house in the evening.

1851——No celebration at Lebanon. Celebrations at Waynesville, Fort Ancient, Morrow, Deerfield, Mason, Franklin and Monroe.

1852—Celebrations by the Lebanon Sunday schools.

1853 and 1854—No celebrations.

1855—Oration by Hon. M. B. Walker, of Dayton. Declaration read by George W. Frost, Esq.

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Aaron Stephens (deceased)

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1856—No celebration..

1857—Oration by Hon. A. G. W. Carter, of Cincinnati. Declaration read by F. S. Van Harlingen, Esq.

1859—Corner-stone of the Masonic building laid. Oration by Hon. Bellamy Storer. Corner-stone laid by Horace M. Stokes, Esq.

1876—The one hundredth anniversary of American independence was appropriately celebrated at Lebanon. The celebration was held at the fairground. Delegations from every township in the county were present. Music was furnished by the brass bands of Lebanon, Maineville, Waynesville and Clarksville, and the normal school choir, under the leadership of Prof. L. B. Marshall. Notwithstanding the unpropitious weather, several thousand persons attended. Owing to the rain, which continued throughout the forenoon, it was found inexpedient to proceed to the grounds before 1 o'clock The principal streets of the town were appropriately decorated with flags, banners, pendants and pictures. At the fair ground, the speakers' stand was much admired. It was forty feet long and twelve feet wide. Three hundred feet of cedar wreath and six hundred small flags were used in its decoration. Festoons of cedar and harmonious arrangement of flags made a beautiful display. The roof of the stand was beech brush. On the roof near the center was a large oil painting of Washington, appropriately trimmed with cedar and flags. On each side of the picture, equally distant from the center and ends of the platform, were red-white-and-blue shields, one with 1776 and the other with 1876 painted on it. Surmounting the whole was a streamer bearing the legend, "In God We Trust." The portrait of Washington, which was so conspicuous a feature in the decoration, was painted by Marcus Mote when a resident of Lebanon, and was donated by him to the Mechanics' Institute.

The exercises at the fair-ground consisted of prayer by Rev. J. P. Sprowls; reading the Declaration of Independence, by Prof. James E. Murdoch, who also read Daniel Webster's Supposed Speech of John Adams in Support of the Declaration; oration by Hon. Aaron F. Perry, of Cincinnati, and the reading of an historical sketch of Warren County by the writer of this history. Judge George J. Smith was President of the Day.


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