Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

.
j Mount
SPRINGFIELD, 1636-1886. 211
of common fields iu one category when speaking of their legal func-
tions, such as the right to sue or be sued. After the division of
Springfield into precincts the first church is referred to as a " society,"
for the first time. We thus have an explanation of the church and
parish meetings in modern Congregationalism. The part of Spring-
field in the first precinct would meet as a town-meeting, and appropri-
ate the money for a minister, etc., and the selectmen would levy the
tax. This section of the town-meeting in time became the parish
meeting.
A commission, of which Luke Hitchcock was a member, met in
Springfield, in 1723, to form two townships, known as the " Upper and
Housatonic townships," comprising what is now Sheffield, Egremont,
Washington, Great Barrington, Alford, and portions of Lee,
Stockbridge, and West Stockbridge. The court-house was situated
on the line of Sanford street, back of Market street. There having
been some strife, in 1722, about the court-house, the following building
committee was appointed : Ephraim Colton, Pelatiah Bliss, Increase
Sikes, Capt. John Mirrick, Lieut. Joseph Cooley, Samuel Day, Dea.
Joseph Ely, Ensign John Miller, Ensign James Mirrick, Jonathan
Worthington, and Ebenezer Parsons. Land on both sides of the
river was appropriated as part payment for the couit-house. This
'committee's accounts were ordered to be examined in December, 1723.
There was really no need of court-houses to impress the people
with the dignity of judges. The formalities of those times make a
very pleasing impression upon us, so accustomed to the simpler
democracies of the day. Judge Samuel Sewall comes to Springfield
to hold the September court, 1718. He is met at Suffield by the
sheriff, and probably a company of horsemen, who, as was often the
case, saluted his honor with trumpets. In riding through the Agawam
river he gets his heels a little wet, it being quite dark. He finds
Colonel Taylor and a number of friends at supper at Ingersol's tavern,
and joins them ;
the next day Rev. Daniel Brewer offers prayer at the
opening of the court ; the judge finds time to give young Stephen