the centre of the town, or receive any part of
Westminster that shall be willing to join with us, and then erect a
meeting-house in the nearest convenient place to the centre." This
article was put into the warrant by the people of the west, whose
underlying object was the formation of a new town, while the rest of the
inhabitants were strenuously opposed to this project. No action was
taken on this article at this meeting. A few days later, Sept. 23, a
meeting was called, at which a committee, consisting of Moses Hale,
Oliver Stickney, Daniel Putnam, Jacob Upton, and Asa Perry, was
appointed "to find a place to erect a meeting-house in the most
convenient place to accommodate the inhabitants of the town of
Fitchburg." The result of the investigation made by these five gentlemen
was that two of them found the most convenient place to be in the west,
two in the east, and the remaining member was upon the fence. A town
meeting was held, Oct. 2, to hear the report of this committee, and when
it had been given it was rejected, and the gentlemen were promptly
discharged from further services in that direction. A motion was then
made to place the new house on the site of the old one: this was
negatived. Then, "after much consideration," as the record says, it was
voted "to erect the new meeting-house in the nearest convenient place to
the centre." Such brilliant progress must have been altogether too
gratifying, for a few minutes later it was voted "to reconsider all
votes hitherto passed relating to this matter." At this stage in the
proceedings the meeting was adjourned to nine o'clock of the next day.

On the following morning the parties proceeded to business. It was first
moved to place the new house where the old one then stood; this was
again negatived. It was then moved to place it "on the hill near Phineas
Sawyer's house, on the land belonging to the heirs of Mr. Ezra Upton"
(in the westerly part of the town). The meeting was divided on this
motion, "to find a true vote," as the record states, and thirty-two
voted in favor of it and seventeen against it. So by a vote of nearly
two to one it was decided to place the new house in the west, and it
looked as if everything was going on swimmingly. A committee was chosen,
consisting of Reuben Smith, Asa Perry, Phineas Sawyer, Elijah Carter,
and Jacob Upton, "to be invested with power to agree with the owners of
the new frame erecting for a meeting-house (that of Jacob Upton