USA > Connecticut > Litchfield County > Washington > The church on the green; the first two centuries of the First Congregational church at Washington, Connecticut, 1741-1941 > Part 11
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"Resolved that the slips be sold on Saturday, January 3rd, on an assessment yet to be made and that each person bidding a slip who does not pay for the same at the time of sale, be required to give his note for the amount, the said note to be made payable on the first day of February, 1880, and to go on interest from that date, and that all slips re-
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maining unsold on the day of sale shall be left for sale in the hands of the Society's Committee, and the time of occu- pancy of said slips shall expire on December 1st, 1880."
A further resolution, passed at an adjourned meeting in 1880 was as follows: "Resolved that any person or his family who takes possession of a slip which he or they have not bought, occupying the same for the use of his family shall be held responsible for and required to pay the full amount of the assessment of the same, and that any person or persons occupying said seats three Sabbaths, the So- ciety's Committee shall notify them of the conditions of sale embraced in this resolution."
The pews in greatest demand were in the central section of the church and therefore they were higher priced than those on the side or at the rear of the church. The price of the pews was set by a committee appointed for that pur- pose. But it was permissible at the annual auction to bid higher than the set price for certain pews and this was sometimes done. It would occasionally lead to tension be- tween those who did the bidding. The usual custom, however, was for a family to occupy the same pew year after year. The prices set for the pews would vary with the financial needs of the church. It is said that the price of a typical pew was about $40 a year. Quite often two families occupied the same pew, sharing equally in the cost of the pew.
At the conclusion of his year's engagement, Mr. Thrall was invited to remain indefinitely as the pastor of the church. The following resolution of appreciation was passed at a society meeting : "Whereas the Rev. G. S. Thrall has won our universal admiration, love and Christian confidence, therefore, be it resolved that we invite Mr. Thrall to remain with us in the work of the Gospel ministry, either party to
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terminate the engagement by giving the other three months notice." In a letter to the society Mr. Thrall signified his acceptance of the offer and agreed to remain as the pastor of the church.
During Mr. Thrall's pastorate it was the consensus of opinion that the church building was in need of extensive re- pairs. In 1845 the roof of the church had been reshingled and the old steeple with its open bell-deck had been taken down. In its place the present spire was erected. In 1846 the square-box pews in the church had been removed, together with the high pulpit and its winding stairways. Except for painting and reshingling where needed, little else had been attempted for a period of over thirty years.
Therefore the call went out on June 5th, 1879 for the members of the society to meet and consider the question of repairs to the church building. It was decided to proceed with the repairs, the funds to be secured by subscription. Charles L. Hickox, Henry W. Seeley and Earle Bucking- ham were named as a committee to undertake and supervise the work. The amount secured was to be the deciding factor in determining what should be done. Adequate time was given for the securing of subscriptions. The total amount secured was something over $3,000.
The work of remodeling the church was completed at the end of 1879 and on January 21st, 1880, there was held a service of rededication. At a meeting in the morning, Rev. Elijah W. Woodruff gave an historical address. At the dedicatory service in the afternoon, the sermon was preached by Rev. Edward Hawes and the prayer given by Rev. W. S. Colton. The dedicatory hymn for the occasion was written by Rev. E. W. Woodruff. It was as follows :
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"As on Judea's hill of old, Zion's fair temple stood : So on Judea's hill today, Our humble church of God.
"Our fathers' zeal the walls did raise With earnest, rev'rent care. Their children now its courts restore, And dedicate with prayer.
"The Lord, no temple made with hands, Or place doth he require. His throne is in each humble heart, He's worshiped everywhere.
"Yet here would we reconsecrate, With prayer and songs of praise, To God, this house, our lives, our all, And grateful hearts upraise."
A special meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society was held on October 11th, 1881, to take action upon the resignation of Mr. Thrall from the pastorate of the church. This resig- nation was accepted with keen regret. The members of the society and church expressed their deep appreciation for the many services rendered by Mr. Thrall during his four years in the pastorate.
Boys will be boys and the village Green has doubtless been a temptation to the boys of Washington for two hundred years. There is a picture of a baseball game played on the Green in the book, "The Master of the Gunnery." Rumor has it that the picture was taken about 1870. Apparently the time came when baseball on the Green was too much of a good thing. At any rate, in 1881, the following resolution
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was passed and is found in the records of the society : "Re- solved that it is the sense of this Society that the use of the Society's grounds for any games of ball is destructive to the present order of the grounds and both an inconvenience and danger to the traveling public, therefore, voted that the Society's Committee are hereby instructed to take such action as shall discontinue the same."
On the 4th of December, 1881, the society through its committee, invited Rev. William Crawford to act as pastor of the church until November, 1882. This invitation was ac- cepted by Mr. Crawford in a letter written at Roxbury, Massachusetts, on December 21st. Mr. Crawford expressed his desire to begin his work on January 1st, 1882. A perusal of the church records of that year indicates that it was a busy and happy year of fellowship between pastor and people. This impression is confirmed by the following item, dated Easter Sunday, March 25th, 1883:
"Dr. William Crawford supplied the pulpit for fifteen months as an efficient preacher of the gospel, a faithful minister in all Christian work and duty, a genial Christian man, a faithful, thorough scholar. He closed his services today and goes to take charge of a church in Sparta, Wis- consin."
For several months the pulpit was supplied by visiting ministers and then, on November 27th, 1883, a special meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society was called for the pur- pose of taking action upon the proposal to invite Rev. Herbert B. Turner to become the pastor of the church. It was decided to send the call and two days later, at a special meeting of the church, a similar action was taken. Writing on January 1st, 1884, Mr. Turner accepted the call to Washington and expressed his willingness to begin work
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immediately. A committee, composed of Charles L. Hickox, John N. Woodruff and Sheldon J. Logan, was appointed by the society to arrange about Mr. Turner's installation.
At a special meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society on March 4th, 1885, it was voted "to accept the proposition of Mr. E. H. Van Ingen to repair and improve the front of the church according to the plan proposed at the meeting." No other details are given.
The church meeting of January 3rd, 1889, was eventful because it marked the beginning of negotiations with the group of people who had organized a Swedish church in Washington the year before on December 6th, 1888. This group had expressed a desire to become a branch of the Con- gregational church. Therefore committees were appointed to confer with the committee from the Swedish church and draw up plans for union between the churches.
At a church meeting on April 11th, there was presented an application from the Swedish church to become a branch of this church. It was unanimously voted that the applica- tion be granted. The letter from the Swedish church was as follows : "Dear Brethren- We the undersigned consti- tuting the Swedish Ecclesiastical Society of Washington, Connecticut, respectfully bring to you the following appli- cation, that the Swedish members of the Congregational Church and all who may hereafter become members, may be allowed to form and maintain an organization under the rules and regulations of the Congregational Church, to be called the Swedish Branch of the Congregational Church of Washington, Connecticut, our object being to provide re- ligious instruction in the Swedish tongue for our people and to advance the Kingdom of Christ among us."
In reply to the above communication, the following action
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was taken: "Whereas application has been received by this church from a large number of Christian brethren and sisters who have united in forming an organization, some of whom are now members of this church, for permission to form an organization subordinate to this church in all its conduct and work, to be called the Swedish Branch of the Congregational Church of Washington, therefore it is re- solved that the said application be granted."
Thus came into being the Swedish Branch of the Congre- gational Church in Washington. A new building was erected and dedicated the Sunday before Christmas in the same year of 1889. From that day to this the church has filled an important place in the town of Washington. The close rela- tionship to the Congregational Church lasted until Nov. 18th, 1892. Thereafter it ceased to be a branch and became an independent church in its own right, with a set of by-laws of its own choosing, and taking the name, the Evangelical Salem Church.
It was on Sept. 21st, 1890, that the new church building of the Roman Catholic Community in Washington was dedi- cated and given the name, the Church of Our Lady of Per- petual Help. Preceding the construction of the church, masses had been said for a number of years in various homes in Washington.
The Trinity Lutheran Church of Washington was or- ganized on May 16th, 1892, and the church building was completed soon after.
In the year 1891 it became evident that substantial re- pairs were necessary in connection with the roof of the Con- gregational church. A special meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society was called on April 6th and the Society's Committee was instructed to proceed with the work of putting a new
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roof on the church building. It was decided that it should be a steel roof and the work was completed in due course.
In that same year, on October 4th, the members of the church received the distressing news of the resignation of their pastor, Mr. Turner, because of ill health. In his letter of resignation, Mr. Turner spoke of the "harmony and unity that has prevailed amongst us. This has been due not to any special qualifications of heart in your pastor but rather to the sincere desire on the part of all to be of the same mind and to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. For most of this time I have enjoyed good health. But for the past eight months I have been far from well. I do not seem to regain the strength and vigor I have lost. I am now ad- monished to seek a prolonged rest. Therefore, real as is the pain in parting from a people to whom I have become so deeply attached, I am reluctantly compelled to tender my resignation."
Because of their affection for Mr. Turner, the members of the church were most reluctant to accept his resignation. Instead they passed the following resolution on October 19th : "Resolved that in extending to Mr. Turner our sym- pathy in his illness and our hope for his speedy restoration to health, we express our hearty appreciation of the valu- able services which he has rendered. That as only a continu- ance of his disability to the extent of interfering with the performance of his pastoral duties could reconcile us to a severance of his relations with the society, we urgently re- quest Mr. Turner to accept our offer of a six months' vaca- tion without salary, and the use of the parsonage for that period."
Mr. Turner agreed to the above proposal. But in 1892 there came an invitation to Mr. Turner to become the chap-
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lain of the Hampton Institute in Virginia. Therefore on June 15th, Mr. Turner again offered his resignation and asked that it might take effect on August 1st. The resigna- tion was accepted and the following resolution was passed by the Ecclesiastical Society : "Resolved that we hereby ex- press our deep sense of obligation to our pastor for his con- scientious zeal and faithful service on our behalf and our appreciation of the fact that the society during his minis- trations, covering a period of eight years, has steadily prospered."
In the fall of 1891, an event took place that was of general interest throughout Litchfield County. It was the Centennial Anniversary of the Litchfield South Association, held in Litchfield on October 1st, 1891. A brief reference to the history of the Consociation may not be amiss. The plat- form of church order, adopted at Saybrook in 1780, was the basis of the ecclesiastical organization of Congrega- tional churches in Connecticut. This contemplated that there should be one Consociation in each County. When Litchfield County was incorporated in 1751, measures were taken to organize the churches of the County into a Conso- ciation. This action was completed at Litchfield on July 7th, 1752, delegates from fifteen churches being present at the meeting. This was the arrangement in force until 1791.
In that year it seemed wise to divide the Consociation into two bodies because there were now twenty-eight churches in the Consociation and this involved difficulties of travel be- cause of the distance and the uncertainties of the New Eng- land weather. The southern district included the churches in Bethlehem, Harwinton, Litchfield, New Milford, New Pres- ton, Plymouth, Roxbury, Southbury, South Britain, South Farms, Washington, Watertown and Woodbury. Other
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churches to be added later were Northfield in 1798, Milton in 1798, Bridgewater in 1809 and Plymouth Hollow in 1837.
The first meeting of the Litchfield South Consociation was held in the house of Dr. Elisha Sill in Goshen on Septem- ber 7th, 1791. At the Centennial meeting in 1891, in addi- tion to the sermon by Rev. J. L. R. Wyckoff, there were three papers dealing with the history of the Consociation. Rev. G. J. Harrison read an historical paper ; Rev. E. B. Hillard spoke on the rural church ; and Rev. E. P. Herrick gave a biographical paper.
The time was now drawing near when the members of the church in Washington were due for a celebration. This was to be nothing less than the celebration of the One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the establishment of the church. With that in mind, at a special meeting of the church, on July 5th, 1892, a committee was appointed to take the work in hand.
The celebration was held on September 1st, 1892. The following committees were in charge of the anniversary. Arrangements : S. J. Nettleton, C. L. Hickox, J. C. Brins- made, J. N. Woodruff, C. B. Nettleton. Finances : S. J. Logan, Charles Hollister, W. G. Brinsmade. Decoration : Mrs. E. H. Van Ingen, Mrs. W. H. Gibson, Mrs. J. C. Brins- made, Mrs. E. K. Rossiter, Mrs. W. J. Ford, Miss M. W. Brown. Music: W. G. Brinsmade. Collation : Mrs. Arthur Hollister, Mrs. Jerome Kinney, Mrs. Charles Hollister, Miss Ellen Keaveny, C. B. Nettleton, A. C. Titus, Louis Mason, Wilbur Fenn.
The morning session at 10 A. M. was as follows :
Doxology Invocation
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Hymn-"Oh, God, beneath whose Guiding Hand" Scripture reading
Prayer, Rev. Austin Gardner
Three Historical Addresses. The Church of Stratford, Rev. Frank S. Child. The Church of Ancient Woodbury,
Rev. J. A. Freeman. The Church of Judea, Rev. H. B. Turner
Hymn-"God is the Refuge of His Saints"
Reminiscences of Life in Washington, Rev. Henry Calhoun Hymn-"Let Children Hear the Mighty Deeds"
Some Revival Periods in the History of the Church, Deacon S. S. Baldwin
Hymn-"Lord, Dismiss us with Thy Blessing"
There was a dinner for the members of the church and their guests at 12:30 P. M. This was followed by the after- noon session at 2 P. M. The program was as follows :
Music
Formative Influences in New England Churches, Rev. W. S. Colton
Music
Biographical Sketch of the Pastors of the Early Church in Judea, Rev. J. L. R. Wyckoff
Hymn-"Auld Lang Syne"
Benediction
The above addresses were published in a pamphlet to commemorate the anniversary. There was a musical service in the evening.
As was the case before the call to Mr. Turner, so now again there was a period of about two years during which there was no settled pastor of the church. On July 5th, 1892, the record speaks of Rev. J. D. Ritchey being invited to serve the church as acting pastor for one year and to have
IN
ROBERT E. CARTER MINISTER 1894-1925
TERTIUS VAN DYKE MINISTER 1926-1935
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the use of the parsonage. On Nov. 11th, 1893, a call was sent to Rev. George F. Prentiss of Bridgeport, inviting him to become the pastor of the church. In reply to the invita- tion, Mr. Prentiss expressed his deep regret that he was not able to accept the call. On Feb. 1st, 1894, a call was sent to Rev. J. B. Thrall of Derby, Connecticut. In a long and ap- precia tive letter, Mr. Thrall sent his sincere regrets at being unable to accept the invitation of the church to become its minister.
Then on March 8th, the members of the Ecclesiastical Society were asked to meet and take action on the question of inviting Rev. Robert E. Carter to become the pastor of the church. The meeting was held and the call was sent. On March 14th, Mr. Carter sent a letter of acceptance to the church from Lebanon, Pennsylvania. He wrote: "Gratifica- tion at the confidence which the congregation has shown in my ability to serve them is tempered only by my own sense of limitations. I accept the call which you give me, trusting that in this ministry, you will be my helpers, holding up my hands with all prayer and supplication."
The Council to install Rev. Robert E. Carter was held in the church at Washington on June 27th, 1894. The exami- nation of the candidate took place in the morning and the installation in the afternoon. Mr. Turner came from Hampton and gave the charge to the people. Thus began an eventful pastorate of thirty-one years. The only pastor to exceed Mr. Carter's length of service was Rev. Daniel Brins- made who was minister of the church for forty-four years.
At a church meeting on January 24th, 1895, there was the report of the committee which had been appointed to revise the rules of the church. In adopting the new rules it was agreed to set aside all previous rules which may be upon
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the records. From this day forward the new rules would be in force and would govern all the business of the church. It was voted to have the revised rules printed in pamphlet form, together with the confession of faith and the revised membership list.
In December of 1894, the members of the Ecclesiastical Society expressed to Mr. C. B. Gold their appreciation of his gift of a parcel of land near the parsonage.
A year later, in November of 1895, the Society's Commit- tee began to investigate the question of procuring a perma- nent water supply for the parsonage. It was voted that the Society's Committee should be empowered to proceed with the necessary arrangements such as the purchase of springs and the conveyance of the water in pipes to the parsonage. Exactly two years later a resolution was passed instructing the committee to secure running water for the parsonage if it could be done at an annual rental not to exceed fifteen dollars. Otherwise they were instructed to dig a well on the parsonage grounds. In the fall of 1898 pipes were laid and water was brought to the parsonage, supplied by the Judea Water Company.
Apparently the need for finding a satisfactory water supply for the parsonage was the impulse that led to the organization of the Judea Water Company. A group of citizens formed a company and sold stock on the subscrip- tion basis. The company was incorporated on September 24th, 1898 under the title of The Judea Water Company.
In that same year, an interesting petition was presented at a meeting of the Ecclesiastical Society. It reads as fol- lows : "The old-time custom of paying respect to the burial service of our departed citizens by the tolling of the church bell has fallen into disuse. In a village like Washington where
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all the inhabitants are interested in the passing away of any citizen, it is not only desirable but necessary that the villagers be notified, by the tolling of the bell, of such an event. That one may, if possible, join in the service at the cemetery and at least drop all work or refrain from any- thing that can be an interruption to the solemnity of the occasion. Wherefore we the undersigned desire that this custom be observed and petition the Ecclesiastical Society to instruct the sexton to include that office among his duties at every interment from our church and society, unless re- quested by friends to omit it."
The petition was signed by eighteen citizens of the com- munity. The matter was left in the hands of the Society's Committee. At their discretion, they were at liberty to in- struct the sexton to ring the church bell as requested in the petition.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Mr. Carter's Pastorate
D URING THE PASTORATE of Mr. Carter many changes took place affecting the program, organization and equip- ment of the church. In a sense such changes were a response to the developments taking place in the community. Like other towns in Western Connecticut, Washington had be- come the summer home of many families who spent their winters in New York. Not a few of these summer visitors have been brought into the church fellowship and have borne their share of the financial obligations of the church. The expansion of the church program during the last forty years may be seen by a comparison between the budget of 1897 and that of 1939. In 1897, the church treasurer re- ported expenditures of $1,669.44, with a balance of $63.85, thus totaling $1,733.29. For the year ending July 31st, 1940, the combined budget expenses and balance on hand totaled $8,042.33.
From time to time there were changes in the Standing Rules of the church. One such change created the position of honorary life deacon. Another change specified that the Lord's Supper should be observed on the first Sunday of
162
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MR. CARTER'S PASTORATE
January, March, May, August and November. Still another alteration provided for the post of assistant treasurer, to be elected each year, in addition to the treasurer. The great- est change, however, was the incorporation of the church which was voted on February 16th, 1899, as follows : "We, the members of the First Congregational Church of Wash- ington, Connecticut, of legal age, do hereby incorporate ourselves in accordance with the laws of the state."
Under this arrangement the trusteeship of the property of the church was to be in the hands of the Standing Com- mittee of the church, acting as a Board of Trustees. But at any time the church could, if it so desired, elect a Board of Trustees separate from the Standing Committee. On Feb- ruary 22nd, 1899, a letter was received from the Secretary of State in Hartford acknowledging receipt of the Certifi- cate of Organization and stating that it was placed on file.
A new form of admission to the church was adopted in 1899, as follows : "Dearly beloved, called by God to be His children through Jesus Christ we give hearty thanks to God who through His Spirit has opened your eyes to see and your hearts to receive Jesus as Lord and who has inclined you to present yourselves at this time to make confession to Him. We believe in God the Father Almighty, in Jesus Christ His Son our Saviour, and in the Holy Spirit the Com- forter by whom the Scriptures were given. We believe in the Church of God, the household of faith ; in the Christian life of love to God and love to man ; in the forgiveness of sins, in the resurrection of the dead and in the life eternal. Thus confessing with us and with all saints, your Christian faith before the Lord Jesus and in the presence of His people, you devote yourself to the love, obedience and service of Jesus Christ, to walk in all His ways as now known, or hereafter
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to be made known to you, whatever it may cost you, accord- ing to your best endeavor, the Lord assisting you." Re- sponse. "I do."
The following form of admission was adopted for those desiring to unite with the church by letter : "Beloved in the Lord, you have all been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, have confessed the Faith of Christ before witnesses and have given yourself to God in an everlasting covenant of grace. You do now cor- dially unite yourself with this Church of Christ, to share with us in its worship and work, to walk with us in love and faithfulness as long as your relations with us shall con- tinue." Response. "I do."
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