THE DAWN OF A NEW CENTURY
ment over the flickering candle. It also made possible the use of a lantern, which could be used in the barns. With the advent of the Rochester burner, a much brighter light was obtained.
In 1909 came the third stage of development, when the first lines of the United Illuminating Company were run through the center of the town. Gradually this service was extended to all sections of the town, with street lights installed at strategic corners, as well as a traffic light which is maintained at the busy intersection of Orange Center Road and the Milford Turnpike (or the Boston Post Road, as that part of Route 1 is officially called).
Transportation has changed perceptibly, also. Mention was previously made of the first carriage owned in the town. The first automobile was purchased in 1906 by Frank C. Woodruff, with Ernest Frye acting as his chauffeur.
THE ORANGE FAIR
Following the Grange's successful experiment with agricultural f airs, the Orange Agricultural Society was formed in 1900 to continue the fair in a larger way. Twelve men served as a Board of Directors: Watson S. Woodruff, Walter S. Hine, Arthur D. Clark, Edward L. Clark, Clifford E. Treat, Frank C. Woodruff, Walter H. Beecher, Edward W. Russell, Charles S. Clark, Sylvester G. Colburn, Patrick J. O'Rourke, and Benjamin T. Clark. A few acres of land on the Orange Center Road, just a little south of the Green, were leased from S. D. Woodruff and Sons and the Clark brothers, and a half-mile race track was built with a large grand-stand. A two-story building was erected to hold the vegetable exhibits and the fruit exhibits on the first floor, with the second floor devoted to the women's department. Here were found specimens of fancy work, bed-quilts, and knitted or crocheted articles, besides all kinds of food, canned fruits and vegetables, and many kinds of jellies. Numerous
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