Armistice Day, November 11, 1918
Cornelia Horsford at her needlepoint. In a letter to her niece, she described the first Armistice Day on Shelter Island.
“Voices from the Vault” is an annual benefit for the Shelter Island Historical Society, presented the first weekend in December, in which actors read from documents housed in the Havens House vault, with additional information provided by a narrator. In recent issues of the Reporter, the documents printed had already been performed in prior years; the present piece is part of the new material scheduled for this year’s December 5th production.
Excerpts from a letter from Miss Cornelia Horsford of Shelter Island to her niece, Miss Kate Horsford.
We had a glorious celebration last night. Mrs. Price telephoned the good news, that peace was declared, about 10 o’clock in the morning. I called up Mr. Mallman at once and we decided to have a celebration at 8 o’clock in the evening at the Center. And Mr. Mallman got permission to use Mrs. Bateman’s field opposite the old mill. I gave the wood for a huge bon fire and men were carting it away all the afternoon.
Automobiles went to the Heights to escort the fire engines and took passengers to the mill to organize for the procession. Later I was asking wagoners on the highway to help cart brush. Mr. Mallman came then to report on the arrangements and told me he was building a chimney of barrels.
When we went home after the Red Cross meeting I stopped at the mill to see how the bon fire was building up. The line of wagons, loaded with brush, was still coming slowly up the road, in the red sunset light looking just like a picture. The fire engine and hook and ladder company were hanging Chinese lanterns and the men wore their white helmets. They led the procession and Mrs. XX in her car followed with the three Civil War veterans, Mr. Havens Payne, Mr. Halsey and Mr. Marcus Duvall. Then Ray and Mrs. Johnson in Red Cross costumes.
After that there must have been 30 or 40 automobiles, all dressed with flags, their own lights making a brilliant show. The line must have stretched from the North Ferry almost to my Water Gate. The bon fire was already burning, throwing up glorious flames and showers of sparks and casting its red light far and wide. Some of the farmers who marched had old lanterns on sticks over their shoulders. After a good deal of marching, all the bells began to ring: the school bells, the fire bells and the bells of the two churches. It was very beautiful and solemn.
Mr. Mallman made his speech through the megaphone standing near the bon fire. First we sang the Doxology. Then he talked to us and then we sang My Country ‘Tis of Thee. He told us that one of our boys, Elbert Nostrand, had been promoted to captain and won the Croix de Guerre and we all cheered for him.
Then he told us that one had died and asked us all to be silent for a few minutes and it seemed as if all the world was still until he said ‘Amen.’
We cheered a few other things that he told us about and then we sang the Star Spangled Banner. The service flag with its one gold star floated above us, lighted by the red glare from the fire and the great arms of the mill stretched out like a blessing and the moon shone over all. It was a sweet and solemn hour, poetic in its simplicity and the great crowd of people.
