Page:History of Gardner, Massachusetts (1860) - Glazier.djvu/94

At a legal meeting of the town held June 6th, Voted, to choose a Committee of nine to provide a number of hands to raise the meeting house, also to provide refreshments for the same. The raising Committee made application to Capt. Samuel Sawin, of Westminster, Esq'r Smith, of Ashburnham, Dea. Moses Hale, of Winchendon, and Mr. Joshua Wright, of Templeton, to come with a number of good hands to assist in raising the house. Accordingly, they all appeared on the common early in the morning of June 27th, each with a company of choice men. The raising commenced early and went on rapidly until about noon, when an accident occurred; as a number of men standing on the ground in the frame were drinking water, a joist fell from the upper loft and struck two of them on their heads, wounding them severely: one was Mr. Day, of Winchendon; some thought, had it not been for the pail he was drinking from, it would have killed him. The other was Mr. Gregory, from Templeton. The raising went on and the frame was completed before sundown: it was thought to be put together so strong, that if turned down on one side and rolled across the common, it would not wreck the body of it. There are but two men now living, who had any thing to do