USA > Connecticut > Fairfield County > Danbury > History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896 > Part 30
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We have said that to Father Quinn was reserved the honor of finishing the church so as to hold service in it, and likewise to Father Lawlor was reserved the honor of reducing to a minimum sum the enormous debt which was on the church property when he took charge. During his seven years in Danbury were built and dedicated new churches in Bethel, Redding, Ridgefield, and Georgetown, and resident priests were stationed in Bethel and Ridgefield.
After Father Lawlor came Father Thomas Lynch (deceased), who purchased and fitted up St. Thomas' Convent and erected the parochial school building. At first only eight rooms were finished, but so great was the number of applicants the first day, that it was found necessary to complete the remaining four rooms immediately. These rooms were hardly completed when he was called to his reward.
In December, 1886, just ten years after the dedication of St. Peter's Church, Rev. Henry J. Lynch, the present rector, was appointed to succeed Father Thomas Lynch. The record of the nine years during which the present incumbent has had charge of the parish is the record of nine years of untiring labor, but labor that has been most fruitful.
At the time Father Henry Lynch became rector the church was incomplete, inasmuch that no spire adorned it, and the base- ment was yet unfinished. The old cemetery had few if any suit- able lots for sale, the school grounds were not only unsightly but unhealthy, and the clergy were quartered in a house that had for years broken down the health of its occupants. The knowledge of these things, coupled with the fact that the church
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SCHOOL.
ST. PETER'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.
RECTORY.
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
debt had been greatly increased by the purchase of the convent and building of the school, would have made even a stout heart timid ; but without stopping to judge of what may have been the hopes and fears of the first months of Father Lynch's pas- torate, we shall now, after nine years have elapsed, examine the result of his labors.
One of the first cares of the new pastor was to provide a suit- able resting-place for the dead, and a beautiful spot, a few miles from the city, was purchased for $5000, graded, divided into sections, lots, etc., and shortly afterward consecrated. Next came the building of the spire, which was a source of gratifica- tion to many truly Catholic hearts ; but greater pleasure was theirs when they heard the harmonious strains of the sixteen bells placed in the tower. Then came what we may justly term the rebuilding of the foundation of the church, which caused an outlay of several thousand dollars ; and while all this was going on, the sanitary condition of the school and its grounds had not been neglected, and down underneath the surface hundreds of dollars' worth of sewering was done, and what until this time had been a swamp-hole now became a healthy, delightful play- ground. At an outlay of thousands more the basement was fitted up, so that the children could have a mass for themselves ; and now every Sunday nearly nine hundred little ones bow before the altar in the basement chapel.
Good works are sometimes recognized in this life, and the late bishop, the lamented Rt. Rev. L. S. McMahon, was not blind to the work done in Danbury, and in December, 1890, he granted to the parish of Danbury all the rights and privileges of an irre- movable rectorship, and named the then pastor, Rev. H. J. Lynch, as first permanent rector of Danbury.
Shortly after began the building of the beautiful parochial residence fronting on Main Street, near the park.
The spiritual advance of Catholicism has kept pace with the material side of the question. Societies have been formed, con- fraternities and sodalities established to reclaim the one and pre- serve the other. The Society of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the Conversion of Sinners has a membership of two thousand. The devotion to the Sacred Hearts has become so popular that it was found necessary to divide the communicants, part coming the first Friday of the month, the remainder on the follow-
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ing Sunday. Missions have been held yearly, and many who had wandered for years have returned to the fold. No less suc- cessful has been the school. With an attendance of nearly eight hundred and fifty pupils, trained by a thoroughly competent corps of teachers, an education is imparted second to no element- ary school in the State. During the eight or nine years' exist- ence of the school not one of its pupils who had been authorized to take the examination for admission to the High School has been found deficient.
Such is a brief synopsis of the development of the Catholic Church in Danbury. Like the mustard-seed spoken of in the Gospel, the mere handful of Catholics of a few years ago has grown to embrace nearly six thousand souls, possessing a mag- nificent church, a rectory second to none in New England, a large school, a convent with about fifteen religious, and two cemeteries, with a total value of a quarter of a million dollars.
SECOND CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH .*
A church that should be a church home for people, irrespec- tive of social position or wealth, was a leading motive in the gathering in the basement of the First Church, May 20th, 1851. With no brilliant prospects and no encouragement from the older church, it was voted to try the experiment of a second Con- gregational church. Mr. Horace Bull was the chairman of that committee, and Henry Lobdell with L. C. Hoyt were appointed to arrange for a preacher and a place of meeting. Mr. William C. Scofield, of Yale Seminary, was engaged to preach for eight Sabbaths, and on June 17th enough encouragement had been received to warrant a vote to formally organize the new church, which organization was recognized by the Fairfield East Conven- tion on July 9th. The church thus instituted numbered twenty- three, of whom twelve were men.
After worshipping in the building of, the Universalist Society for four months, meetings were held in the court-room over the Town Hall, but May 6th, 1852, the young church dedicated its own house of worship on Main Street, nearly opposite the pres- ent Court House. It was built on leased ground, and after eleven years it was sold to the Roman Catholic Church.
* Contributed by Rev. F. A. Hatch.
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
The church was served by Mr. Scofield for three years, but he was not ordained and installed until after the church was dedi- cated. From 1854 to 1857 the church struggled hard to live, and that it did survive was owing to the inflexible purpose of a few of the members, and the patient help of Rev. E. S. Huntington, who, while a teacher in the town, supplied the pulpit for nearly three years.
Following this critical period, brief service was given as pastor by Rev. William Page and Rev. S. H. Howell. From March 26th, 1858, Rev. David Peck served as pastor until January, 1861. Following him Rev. Ezra D. Kenny supplied the pulpit for three months, when Mr. James Robertson was invited to preach, and December 20th he was formally invited to the pastorate. For two years after he began work worship was sustained in Nichol's Hall, corner Main and Liberty streets. With the absence of some of her best men in the war, these years were crucial ; but, as is often the case, inspiration to new life was found in assuming heavier burdens. In 1864 a beginning was made toward a new building, and May 9th, 1865, the present brick edifice was dedi- cated, the late Professor Roswell P. Hitchcock, of Union Semi- nary, preaching the sermon. Soon after the church was dedi- cated Mr. Robertson resigned, and Rev. Henry Powers became pastor, remaining until January, 1869. He was liberal in the- ology, but public-spirited, and the Town Farm and New Street school building were acquired largely through his efforts. Fol- lowing Mr. Powers was Rev. David Easton, who remained, with an interval of a year, when Mr. C. A. G. Thurston acted as asso- ciate pastor, until January, 1874. Mr. S. B. Hershey, of Yale Seminary, was called, and became pastor in the fall of 1874, and resigned in March, 1881. Rev. J. A. Freeman succeeded him, serving until March, 1887 ; after him came Rev. C. W. Morrow, who was followed in 1893 by the present incumbent, Rev. F. A. Hatch.
During the war, from a male membership of twenty-six, this church sent ten volunteers to the front, most of them enlisting in Company D, Seventh Connecticut Volunteers. Two found a soldier's grave-viz., Louis C. Wygant, who died at Hilton Head, S. C., August 4th, 1862, and was tenderly buried by another member of this church, Frank P. Nash ; and David R. Shelton, killed in the battle of Drurey's Bluff, Va., on May 16th, 1864.
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
Memorial windows to these soldiers were placed in the front of the church, with the large window which was contributed by the Sunday-school.
The other windows have an interest which is partially histori- cal and deserve mention. The renowned Rev. Frederick W. Robertson, of Brighton, England, a relative of the pastor who inspired much of the church-building zeal, is thus remembered. So is the Rev. Henry Lobdell, M.D., a missionary who went out from the church to Mosul, Turkey, dying there March 25th, 1855. George W. and Amelia Ives, Ezra M. Starr, and Horace Bull, who died January 7th, 1857, are thus memorialized.
All the churches in town, except the First, contributed win- dows, as did the Bethel Congregational church ; and the Eng- lish, Irish, Scotch, German, and Canadian lineage of some of the incumbents of the congregation was made a feature in other windows.
The new organ, placed in position in October, 1894, when the church was renovated on the inside, is a reminder if not a memorial of the long-time desire of a leader of the choir for twenty-five years, Mr. Nathaniel Barnum.
Three different periods of spiritual reinforcement of the church have left their mark on its history. In 1858, when 39 were added to its membership ; in 1876, when in six months 59 joined ; and in 1894 65 were received.
During the pastorate of Mr. Easton in October, 1873, with the co-operation of the churches of the State the church was freed from debt. It has always been in a real sense a "people's church," and financially it has generally been burdened, but has remained true to the " free-pew" idea. From the outset it has turned its back on artificial class distinctions. Its present tendency is emphatically toward institutional methods, the pur- pose to make the church, its appliances, and its fellowship an every-day help, as contrasted with the idea of the religious club, the criticism of sermons, or the culture of sectarianism.
To the usual organizations of the church it joins the especial feature of promoting the interests of the young people through its Young Ladies' Missionary Union, junior and senior Endeavor societies, its Boys' Brigade and Girls' Phalanx, its Little Workers, and King's Daughters.
Its present membership is nearly three hundred. But two of
HORACE BULL. WEST ST. CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
EZRA M. STARR.
GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH AND PARSONAGE.
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
the original members survive, Mrs. Joel G. Foster and Nathaniel Barnum ; but their affection and zeal for the West Street Church is a rich bequest from one generation to another.
GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH .*
Notwithstanding the fact that the German population of Dan- bury formed a by no means insignificant portion of the commu- nity, prior to the year 1877 no attempts had been made by the Germans to found a separate church organization. According to data at hand the Germans, mostly Lutherans, were scattered among the various local congregations, although often express- ing a desire to worship in their mother tongue. It is true a Ger- man Methodist mission had been established about 1876, but its existence was of short duration. However, during the summer of 1887 a number of German Lutheran families, who had formerly belonged to a German Lutheran congregation in Rondout, N. Y., settled in Danbury. These families did not wish to affiliate with any of the denominations then having church societies in Dan- bury, and forwarded a petition to their former pastor, Rev. F. Stutz, requesting him to visit them and establish a German Lutheran mission. Rev. Stutz acceded to the desires of the petitioners, and made a journey to Danbury, December 9th, 1877. After a service held in one of the members' houses a per- manent mission station was established, to which about twenty persons expressed a desire to join and to support.
This mission station was immediately taken charge of by the New York Conference of the Synod of Missouri. About twenty ministers constituted the conference at that time, and its presi- dent, at the request of the members in Danbury, delegated one of the clergymen to supply the pulpit. During the first months of its existence the station flourished, and bi-weekly services were held regularly at the residences of the various members. Clergymen from New York, Brooklyn, Long Island, Paterson, N. J., and other cities visited Danbury at frequent intervals. The present pastor, W. A. Fischer, at that time a student in a theological college, was also twice called upon to take charge of the services. During four years, from 1877 to 1881, the mission maintained its existence, sometimes prospering, sometimes,
* Contributed by Rev. W. A. Fischer.
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
through lack of interest and support, coming to a very precarious condition. It, however, never ceased to lose its character as a German mission station.
During the fall of 1880 a number of German emigrants were attracted to Danbury by the success and prosperity of the hat- ting industry. The majority of them were Lutherans, and as they soon secured employment in the various hat factories, they decided to remain here permanently. The services of the mis- sion were attended by a number of these new additions. Steps were soon taken to form a church society, and to this end a con- stitution and by-laws were adopted. Twenty-two adult males, who constituted the voting members of the newly organized society, signed these articles and designated themselves the Ger- man Lutheran Immanuel Church U. A. C. (unaltered Augsburg Confession) of Danbury, Conn. The organization of the society and the adoption of articles occurred on January 23d, 1881. The first President was Carl Marzioch, and the first Secretary Fred. Schultz.
The new congregation immediately resolved to call a pastor to the charge, and after a number of fruitless calls had been issued the founders unanimously decided to tender a call to the present pastor, Rev. W. A. Fischer. Rev. Fischer was at the time stationed in New York City as assistant to Rev. J. H. Sieker, pastor of St. Matthew's Church, corner of Broome and Elizabeth streets. This church is the oldest Lutheran church in America, and also one of the wealthiest and most influential. Rev. Fischer accepted the call, and took charge of the pastorate on October 18th, 1881, the installation occurring the following Sunday, October 23d.
Previous to the arrival of Rev. Fischer services had been held in the houses of the various members, but the large increase in the attendance soon necessitated more commodious quarters being secured. A portion of what was then the Armory Hall, corner of Main Street and Library Place, was rented, and ser- vices were held regularly every Sunday. However, an ever- increasing desire of the congregation, which was now rapidly increasing in numbers and prosperity, to possess a house of wor- ship of their own made itself felt more and more, and prelimi- nary steps were taken to secure a permanent home. A building committee was appointed, and Rev. Fischer empowered to solicit
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
subscriptions and to procure funds to purchase a site. The members and a number of local public-spirited gentlemen con- tributed generously to the funds, and in a short time sufficient subscriptions had been made to enable the society to purchase a building lot on Foster Street near West, from the late F. S. Wildman, the plot fronting one hundred feet on Foster Street and extending one hundred and seventy-two feet to the rear adjoining the property of the Methodist Society.
During the period it was resolved to incorporate a parochial school in connection with the society, and Mr. C. H. Wente was called to assume the principalship. Quarters were secured on Patch Street, and the school opened with eleven scholars en- rolled on the register. It prospered from its inception, and con- stantly increased its membership. During its existence it has been an important factor in building up the congregation, it being the channel through which the children by their confirma- tion enter the church.
On April 10th, 1882, a committee consisting of D. E. Loewe, Adolf Holdeichel, and H. Orgelmann was appointed to confer with local builders as to plans and specifications of a church, the cost of which should be limited to $3000. Plans were pre- pared by Foster Brothers and submitted to the Board of Trus- tees. A number of contractors bid upon the proposed structure. It was found, however, that the cost of the church according to the plans would be far in excess of $3000, and therefore beyond the means of the then small congregation. The latter, therefore, decided to build a smaller building, which should serve tem- porarily as a church and in which the daily school sessions could be held. Foster Brothers received the contract, October 15th being specified as the date of completion. On October 1st, 1882, the dedication services were held, Professor Bohm, of New York, assisting the local pastor in the exercises. The church property was also enclosed, filled in to correspond with the street level, and numerous other improvements followed in quick succession. Friends in New York City presented a chapel organ and a com- munion service, and several local parishioners also made substan- tial gifts in fitting out the interior of the building. All these donations were greatly appreciated by the members, and they felt greatly encouraged to persist in their ultimate desire to se- cure an appropriate edifice for their worship.
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
The church society on April 1st, 1883, decided to affiliate with one of the Lutheran synods, and it was unanimously agreed to incorporate with the German Lutheran Evangelical Synod of Missouri, Ohio, and other States, that body representing most faithfully the faith and doctrines of true Lutheranism. Of this synod it still forms a component part. In this same meeting the congregation, which now numbered about fifty voting members, voted to erect a church edifice and a parsonage, $4500 being appropriated for the former and $2500 for the latter. Subscrip- tion circulars were issued to all sister churches in the Eastern District of the Synod of Missouri, and though they elicited a generous response, the brunt of the final expenses was borne by the local members. Plans and specifications for the proposed buildings were submitted by Architect Osborne. The estimates of the builders and contractors, however, were far in excess of the sums appropriated, and the first church plan of 1882, with extensive alterations, was finally adopted. During the month of June, 1883, the foundation of the present church was laid. The laying of the corner-stone occurred July 8th, the ceremony being performed by the pastor, assisted by the Revs. J. H. Sieker, of New York City, and Charles Frinke, of Staten Island. A special excursion train was run from New York, and a large delegation of Lutherans from that city and from neighboring towns attended the ceremony.
The building operations were pushed rapidly, and by January, 1884, the church was ready for occupancy. Rev. J. P. Beyer, of Brooklyn, N. Y., President of the district synod, and Pro- fessor E. Bohm, of New York City, assisted in the dedication services, which were held January 13th. The edifice has a seat- ing capacity of about three hundred, and the interior furnish- ings, altar, pulpit, and fresco paintings are in accord with its character as a Lutheran church. At the time of its erection, it fully met the wants of the society, though in late years often proving inadequate for the purposes of the growing congregation.
Possessing now a house of worship which was in every respect adapted to its needs, the young church society made rapid prog- ress. In a meeting of the Vestry Board, July 5th, 1885, a reso- lution was passed empowering the trustees to advertise for bids for a parsonage that was to be erected for the pastor. Mr. E. Kopp, of Newark, N. J., was awarded the contract, and
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
ground was broken for Rev. Fischer's new residence on July 13th, 1885. On November 1st the building had arrived at such a state of completion that the pastor was enabled to take up his residence therein. A barn and sheds were also built in the rear of the church property.
During the following years no change of importance occurred until January, 1888, when the principal of the school, Mr. G. H. Wente, met with a severe accident which permanently incapaci- tated him from discharging his duties in the school-room. Rev. Fischer thereupon assumed charge of the school, and though every effort was made to provide a successor to Mr. Wente, it was not until September, 1889, that a teacher was secured in the person of Albert H. Miller, who was called direct from the Addi- son Normal College, Illinois. The school at the time consisted of fifty-eight pupils, but during the following year such large accessions were made that in the spring of 1890 it was deemed necessary to build an addition to the school-house. During the vacation months F. S. Olmstead erected a large L, and the seat- ing capacity of the school was thereby increased to one hundred and forty. Furnaces, ventilators, etc., were added, and the school property underwent general repairs.
During late years no important events are chronicled. The church has continued to flourish, and has grown from an insig- nificant beginning to large proportions. The number of mem- bers at present is three hundred and seventy-six, of whom sev- enty-six are voting members. The church society was incorpo- rated under the laws of Connecticut in 1887.
Rev. Fischer has been in charge of the parish since its organi- zation, and has during his pastorate officiated at 114 marriages, 464 baptisms, 136 funerals. He has also confirmed 160 persons.
The present officers of the society are : D. E. Loewe, Presi- dent ; C. Muetschele, Treasurer ; Albert H. Miller, Clerk ; W. T. Strasser, Financial Secretary ; Martin Fuchs and William Stolle, Sr., Elders ; M. Lauf, A. Gerstenmaier, M. Heinzelmann and A. Pentermann, Deacons ; D. E. Loewe, C. Muetschele, W. T. Strasser, S. Lang, S. Procopy, C. Baur, and H. Schriefer, Trus- tees. Rev. William A. Fischer, Pastor ; Albert H. Miller, Prin- cipal of School ; Miss Emma Stolle, Assistant.
CHAPTER XXXV.
EDUCATIONAL HISTORY.
THE first public schools in Danbury were started soon after the incorporation of the town, but of them we have no record until a later date.
In 1763 Comfort Starr left £800 for the support of a perpetual school in the centre of the town, to be under the direction of the selectmen and civil authority, according to the following clause in his will, of date May 12th :
"Item. I give and bequeath the sum of Eight Hundred Pounds money out of my estate to and for the use of a Publick Scool to be kept in the first or old Society in Danbury to be Paid to a Committee within two years next after my Decease to be appointed by the sd Town of Danbury for that purpose and to be by the sd Committee for the Time being and their successors in said office under the Direction and Inspection of the Civil authority and Select men of sª Town of Danbury for the Time being Improved for the only use and benefitt of one Certain Scool in Such Part of the sd Society as they shall think Proper to Effix the sd Seal to be Constantly kept by a Learned and Skil- full Scoolmaster well able to instruct children and youth in the various branches of Good Literature and in the English, Greek and Lattain Languages and in vulgar arithmetick and to be paid his wages out of the Interest of the sd Eight Hundred Pounds by the sd Committee and if there should be more than sufficient to Defray the wages of such Scoolmaster at any Time of the Inter- est of sd money as aforesaid then and in that case my Will is that the said over Plus shall improved towards Building and Repair- ing the Scool House in which sd Scool shall be kept and my Will is still further that only the Interest of sd Eight Hundred Pounds be improved for the Purpose aforesd and that the Princaple be always Kept Good and that the Interest thereof be Improved for the only use aforesd In manner aforesd for Ever : Provided
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HISTORY OF DANBURY.
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