The morning of May 19, 1780 began just like any other. It wasn’t till 8 AM that people began to notice dark clouds rising from the west and settling over New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. By midday, New England was engulfed in complete darkness. This gloomy twilight remained for the entire day and caused wide spread panic among New Englanders.
Without any means of rapid communication, it was generally assumed that the darkness covered the entire world. The deeply religious population of New England was predominantly convinced that it was the day of the coming of the Lord.
While some gazed into the sky in disbelief, others gathered with their families for candle-lit prayer meetings. Many congregated in churches to worship and confess their sins. Some sought out local preachers and demanded impromptu sermons or interpretations of the phenomenon. Many pointed out prophesies of darkness in Revelation while others thought it was divine retribution for the violence of the revolutionary war.
Some had an opposite reaction. Thinking that this was their last day, people flocked to taverns where they drank themselves into a frenzy. After all, if this were the end of the world there would be no consequences.
Members of the Connecticut Governor’s council called to abandon their meeting. Councilman Abraham Davenport opposed the proposition, saying “the day of judgment is either approaching, or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause of an adjournment; if it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.” The others agreed, and the meeting continued by candle light.
The scene was later immortalized by poet John Greenleaf Wittier in 1866:
I choose, for one, to meet Him face to face,--
No faithless servant frightened from my task,
But ready when the Lord of the harvest calls;
And therefore, with all reverence, I would say,
Let God do His work, we will see to ours.
The source of the uncanny blackness remained a mystery. May 19th, 1780 was referred to as the Dark Day, and made its mark on New England folk lore.
It was not until 2007 that the mystery was finally uncovered. Researchers studying tree rings in southern Ontario found evidence of widespread forest fire in the area to the North West. This would have caused massive amounts of smoke to be blown into the upper atmosphere above New England.
While the mystery of the event has been lifted, The Dark Day lives on as a fascinating look into human nature. Abraham Davenport remains a shining example of how a Christian should live each day. One can never know when the end will come, but Christians should always do the work that God has given him for the glory God as if it were their last day.
Verse of the day: Luke 12:35-36
Keep your lamps lit. Be like men who are waiting for their master.