Name/Title
Sept 1, 1912 Thousands gather at Bull Stone House - various newspapersEntry/Object ID
000434Tags
Bull Pageant, Bull Stone HouseScope and Content
Center Article: Main Coverage
Headline: Thousands of Sarah Bull’s Descendants Portray Family’s Origin in Pageant
Sub-headline: They Celebrate the Two Hundredth Anniversary of the First White Woman's Arrival in Orange County, at Hamptonburgh, Coming from Various Parts of the Country to Participate in the Festival—Relatives Take Leading Parts.
The Lead Paragraph:
HAMPTONBURGH, Saturday.—This town, which for the last three days has been living in the early years of the eighteenth century, moved forward today to the twentieth century and resumed its modern appearance as of up-to-date little Orange county settlement. The pageant celebrating the two hundredth anniversary of the arrival here of Sarah Wells, the first white woman in Hampton estate, is at an end.
The Historical Context:
Sarah Wells, soon after she braved the little known reaches of the country up the Hudson, was married to William Bull, a pioneer in the region about Newburg, and as such she became the ancestor of the famous family, whose ramifications extend to every part of the country. The latter part of this week more than a thousand of her descendants in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut and other New England States came here to witness the pageant.
The Performance Description:
Scenes of realism were not lacking. The drama was staged about the "Old Stone House" here, which William Bull built with the aid of his wife, and which has been occupied ever since by a member of the family, the present occupant being Ebenezer Bull. When Miss Edna Bull and her fiancé, as Sarah Wells, was joined in wedlock to Harry Bull, as his great-great ancestor, William Bull, she wore the same gown which graced the bride of August 3, 1718.
Top Left Article: Event Details
Headline: DESCENDANTS OF SARAH WELLS.
Sub-headline: Will Celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Her Coming to Orange County.
The Plan:
MONROE, Aug. 5.—Arrangements for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Sarah Wells's coming to Orange County, to be held on August 21th, are rapidly being brought to a head by the committees having the matter in charge.
The Pageant Program:
Then will come the pageant, which will consist of a portrayal of some of the scenes through which history tells us that Sarah Wells passed. These will include:
A procession of Indians escorting Sarah Wells down the line, bringing with them the first white woman, the Indians building the hut and Sarah Wells getting supper.
The arrival of Christopher and Madam Denn; William Bull coming from New Gressenant to court Sarah Wells; the marriage of Sarah Wells and William Bull, in which the wedding dress which she wore will be used.
William Bull building the "Old Stone House," Sarah Wells carrying the stones in her apron, and other scenes which the lack of space prevents mentioning.
Right Sidebar: The Contributor List
Headline: BULL FAMILY PAGEANT.
Sub-headline: List of Those Whose Contributions Helped to Make It a Success.
The Committee’s Note:
"We, the committee of the pageant, wish to most heartily thank each and every one who in any way, by their labor, their time, their means, or the use of their heirlooms, aided in the work of preparing for, and giving, the Pageant commemorating the coming of Sarah Wells to Orange County."
Notable Family Names Listed:
J.P. Bull, Mary M. Ostrom, Julia B. Tuthill, Richard Bull, Anna Craft, Harry A. Bull, Mrs. W.H. Tenny, H.C. Durland, Emma Zabriskie, Mrs. Elizabeth Bull Green, Susan Pierson Howell, and many more.
Side Note on the Image
The photograph in the center is captioned: "THE WEDDING OF SARAH WELLS AND WILLIAM BULL." It shows a group of people in long dresses and pioneer clothing in front of a rustic log cabin, meant to represent the original shelter built before the famous stone houseRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Bull Pageant, Bull Stone House