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HAIL STORM

A very remarkable storm of thunder and hail occurred on the 9th of June, 1654. So great was its violence, that in some parts of the town, "where the strength of the storm went, it sheared the leaves, twigs and fruit from the trees, and beat down the corn, so battering and bruising them, as if men had beaten down with threshing instruments, the hail lying to admiration for the multitude thereof, so that in some places, it remained after the storm was over, twelve inches in thickness above the ground, and was not all disolved, two days after the storm." In several places in the town, hail stones fell of wonderful size, many were found by actual measurement, to be three of four inches in length."

January 28, 1655, Samuel Dalton was chosen Clerk of the Writs. The election, in this instance, was made by the town. This officer was sometimes, perhaps usually, appointed by the General Court or County Court.

In the earlier part of our history, when the town made choice of selectmen, it had been the uniform practice, as far as is known, to elect seven persons, except in a single instance. It was now voted that the board should consist of only five, a number sufficiently large, it would seem, though in a few instances at a later period, seven were again elected. About a century and a quarter after this date, the number was reduced to three.

The town asked the General Court, through Henry Dow, their deputy, to be allowed to hold a market here one day in every week. The court granted their request and appointed Thursday as the market day, on account of its being the day of their stated weekly lecture, when many of the people were accustomed to assemble at the Meeting-house. Hence it is probable, that the market was held on the Meeting-house Green.

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