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 13
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At the annual meeting on December 30th, 1925 it was an- nounced that Mr. Carter had accepted the office of pastor emeritus and that Mr. and Mrs. Carter would retain their membership in the church.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Recent Events
L ITTLE TIME was lost between the resignation of Mr. Car- Iter and the search for a new minister. Mr. Carter asked that his resignation take effect on November 1st. On Octo- ber 29th, 1925, it was unanimously voted to extend a call to Rev. Tertius van Dyke to become the pastor of the church. Replying to the church letter, Mr. van Dyke ex- pressed his deep appreciation of the call but pointed out that it would not be possible for him to consider the matter until after the meeting of the Presbyterian General Assem- bly in May, 1926. As a result the church voted to leave the issue in abeyance in the hope that Mr. van Dyke would be able to accept the call later on.
Mr. Henry W. Seeley, on behalf of the Committee, again approached Mr. van Dyke on May 16th, expressing the hope that he could now come to a decision. On June 2nd, Mr. van Dyke wrote Mr. Seeley accepting the call and agreeing to begin work in Washington about September 1st, after severing his relations with the Park Avenue Presbyterian Church of New York City of which he had been pastor since 1919.
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Mr. van Dyke is the son of the late Dr. Henry van Dyke who was preacher, poet, professor at Princeton University and a former minister to the Netherlands. He received his education at Princeton and Oxford Universities and at the Union Theological Seminary. He spent two years with his father in the Netherlands during the World War assisting in war work. His first pastorate was with the Spring Street Presbyterian Church in New York City where he remained three years from 1913 to 1916. Mrs. van Dyke before her marriage in 1924 was secretary at the Park Avenue Pres- byterian Church and a former resident of New Haven.
The installation of Mr. van Dyke took place in the church on October 8th. The Council met in the morning to conduct the necessary business and hear a statement by the new pas- tor dealing with his faith and experience. Luncheon was served at noon, the installation taking place in the after- noon. At the latter service the sermon was preached by Dr. Henry van Dyke. Mr. Carter gave the charge to the people and Dr. Mendenhall of New York gave the charge to the pastor, the prayer of installation being given by Dr. Turner.
A notable meeting was held on November 25th, 1926 when the members of the church celebrated the 125th anniversary of the church building. This happened to be on a Thanks- giving Day since the first service to be held in the new church in 1801 was on Thanksgiving Day. Mr. Carter made the principal address, suggesting that the history of the church might be divided into three periods. There was the frontier age during the pastorate of Mr. Brinsmade. There was the period of rural advance extending up to 1840. And there was the later period of growing tolerance with theological views of a more liberal type. Dr. Turner was not able to be
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present at this meeting but sent a special message which was read at the service.
During the pastorate of Mr. van Dyke there were two memorial gifts presented to the church. One such gift was the remodeling of the platform, pulpit and choir rail. This gift was presented by Mr. Frederick Jackson, Mr. Robert Jackson and Dr. Arthur H. Jackson, in memory of their father and mother, Dr. and Mrs. George Jackson. It was to be known as the Jackson Memorial. The following com- mittee was appointed to put the plan into execution : Mr. Herbert Faulkner, Mr. H. Siddons Mowbray, Dr. A. H. Jackson and the pastor.
The other gift was the offer of a new organ by Mr. and Mrs. Adrian Van Sinderen as a memorial to Mr. Van Sin- deren's mother, Mrs. Mary B. Van Sinderen. The organ chosen by Mr. and Mrs. Van Sinderen was a beautiful in- strument, to be installed by the Estey Organ Company of New York. In making the gift Mr. Van Sinderen expressed the hope that the new organ would promote three things in Washington.
"First, That the Congregational Church will become even more a singing church and that this instrument will be a further inspiration to those present to join heartily in the service.
"Second, That the officers of the church may find it pos- sible to make available for practice purposes this instru- ment for the use of serious students of the organ whether inhabitants of Washington, or pupils of either the Gun- nery School or Wykeham Rise and will take active steps to try to foster the efforts of worth while students.
"Third, That good music may be brought to Washington
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by extending invitations to eminent organists to give recit- als upon this instrument, such recitals to be open to all music lovers in Washington, whether they be members of this congregation or not."
In expressing their sincere appreciation of this gift, the members of the church cordially concurred in the desire of Mr. and Mrs. Van Sinderen that the organ might increase the love of music among the people of Washington. Details concerning the installation were left in the hands of a com- mittee composed of Mrs. S. Ford Seeley, Dr. A. H. Jackson and the pastor.
About this same time, in May of 1927, it seemed best to investigate the possibility of improving the lighting of the church. The committee appointed reported in July that the expense of a chandelier would be about $500. In view of the fact that Dr. Herbert B. Turner had passed away on May 1st, it was decided to raise the money by popular sub- scription and that the chandelier be a memorial to Dr. Turner, pastor of the church from 1884 to 1892.
Sunday, Feb. 25th, 1928, is therefore an historic date in the life of this church. For it marked the completion and the dedication of the three memorials. The Jackson Memo- rial included the restoration of pulpit, platform and choir rails. In this memorial is included a portion of the pulpit of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Northville said to have been built about 1828. This was secured through Mrs. D. W. Tallmadge and Mrs. William A. Parfit of Northville.
The three-manual Estey organ began its career of useful- ness with Mr. Van Sinderen as organist, playing the follow- ing hymns which were favorites of Mrs. Mary B. Van Sinderen :
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Oh God Our Help in Ages Past. In the Cross of Christ I Glory. Love Divine All Love Excelling.
For All the Saints Who From Their Labors Rest.
The architect for the organ screen and other restorations was Mr. Waldron Faulkner. In connection with the dedi- cation of the organ, there was an organ recital on March 8th by Mr. R. Huntington Woodman, organist of the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn.
In addition to the memorials and the remodeling of the Parish House there were other additions to church equip- ment during the pastorate of Mr. van Dyke. In 1930 Mrs. R. S. Barnes presented the church with new hymn books. The hymn book chosen was "Hymns of the Christian Life," edited by Milton S. Littlefield and published by A. S. Barnes and Company. In 1932 the church clock and chimes were electrified by Mr. Delafield DuBois who generously gave his services for that purpose.
There were changes in the church procedure during this period. One such change took place in 1927 when the Stand- ing Rules were amended as follows: "There will be an an- nual meeting of this church for the transaction of business during the last week in July or as near that date as the church may find it convenient." This regularized a practise that had been going on since 1924. Having the annual meet- ing in the summer months enabled summer residents to come into closer touch with the life of the church.
Another innovation was the organization in 1928 of a Committee of Missions composed of seven members. The purpose of this committee was to increase the missionary in- terest of the church and to bring the members of the church
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into closer relationship with the general missionary pro- gram at home and abroad. It also was to stimulate the rais- ing of special funds, arrange for speakers and organize classes of study. Therefore the Standing Rules were amended so as to provide for a missionary committee of the church.
On June 24th, 1932 there occurred an event of consider- able importance to the people of Washington. It was the dedication of the Bryan Memorial Hall. This beautiful new building was the gift of the late Gregory Seeley Bryan of Bridgeport as a memorial to his parents who had lived in Washington. The gift included $200,000 for the construc- tion of the building and $100,000 for its endowment. It was fitting that a large number of townsfolk and others from nearby communities should gather together for the dedication. Henry W. Seeley presided on behalf of the trus- tees and Mr. van Dyke offered the prayer. Other speakers included Cameron Clark, the architect, Mayor Buckingham of Bridgeport and Judge Walter M. Pickett.
Another dedication ceremony took place on July 4th, 1933, when the Washington War Memorial was dedicated, consisting of a large native boulder, located in the little park at Washington Depot. The memorial tablet was appropri- ately placed upon the boulder. There was a short parade headed by the American Legion Fife, Drum and Bugle Corps of New Milford, in which members of the Legion took part. At the ceremonies Rev. R. E. Carter offered prayer and Judge Walter M. Pickett gave the principal address, after which the tablet was unveiled. The boulder was given to the committee by Deacon Clarence B. Nettleton and was said to weigh about fifteen tons.
It was during these years that a number of prominent
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and beloved members of the Washington community passed away. Funeral services for Walter Bronson were held in the Congregational Church on February 6th, 1927. Mr. Bron- son was a lineal descendant of Colonel Increase Moseley, one of the founders of the Congregational Church. Mr. H. Sid- dons Mowbray died on January 23rd, 1928, and a tablet in his memory was unveiled in the Gunn Memorial Library on June 4th, 1931. He was a member of St. John's Church. On June 10th, 1927 occurred the death of Mrs. Mary McLane Van Ingen, who had taken such a great interest in every- thing pertaining to the welfare of Washington and had given so generously to numerous good causes. She also was a communicant of St. John's Church.
Mrs. O. H. Platt, the widow of the United States Senator Orville H. Platt, passed away in that same year on October 17th. As a little girl she had lived for some years in the home of General Brinsmade and had attended the Judea Female Seminary which the General's daughter, Mary, had estab- lished. When the Gunn Memorial Library was built, Mrs. Platt was instrumental in establishing a museum on the basement floor of the library and arranging for a caretaker three afternoons a week. Heretofore historical papers and articles had been kept in a private dwelling. Mrs. Platt took keen interest in making the museum a center of educa- tional interest, dividing the exhibits into three sections, the Colonial, the Indian and the Philippine. There are many unique and rare articles, especially in the Indian section of the museum. Mrs. Platt left a fund for the maintenance of the museum in memory of her father, Truman Smith, who was a United States Senator from Connecticut. Mrs. Platt was an active member of St. John's Church.
The death of John C. Brinsmade on August 21st, 1930
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removed one of Washington's most active and useful citi- zens. He was the great-great-grandson of Rev. Daniel Brins- made who was the pastor of the Congregational Church for forty-four years. Not only had Mr. Brinsmade distin- guished himself as an able school administrator but he had also taken a leading share in various town activities. He served three terms as a representative in the Connecticut legislature and one term as state senator. He was a member of numerous organizations and an active worker on behalf of many community enterprises. Mr. Brinsmade was a staunch supporter of the church program, serving as dea- con and in other useful capacities. He was greatly beloved by the entire community.
In September, 1930 the funeral of William A. Watts was held in the Congregational Church, Mr. van Dyke and Dr. Clapp of the United Church in New Haven officiating as ministers. As a young man Mr. Watts had settled in Wash- ington and with his father had bought the old Brinsmade and Baker store at the Depot. Later Mr. Watts moved to New Haven and became a partner in the Bronson and Townsend firm which he helped to make one of the largest hardware wholesale houses in New England. Mr. Watts never lost his interest in Washington and at the time of his death was planning to make it his home.
In his will Mr. Watts left a sum of money to the Congre- gational Church to be used for the benefit of the people of Washington. There were two annuities to be paid from the fund but when they lapsed, the fund was to pass into the hands of the church and to be under the supervision of the officers of the church. As he expressed it in the will, the fund was to be used for general welfare work or activities de-
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signed to improve the moral and physical conditions of the community and make the town a better place to live in.
The death of Elnathan Mitchell took place on April 12th, 1931 in Richmond, Virginia, while he was en route from his winter home in Florida to his family home in Washington. He was the founder of the Mitchell Dairy Company in 1896 and retired in 1930 when the Company merged with the Borden interests. Mr. Mitchell was a life deacon of the Con- gregational Church and active in all its affairs. An old tradition of the Mitchell family had been that the eldest son be named Abner and his son be named Elnathan, this custom being continued through succeeding generations. For many years Mr. Mitchell was president of the Judea Water Com- pany of Washington.
The Washington community was greatly shocked to learn on October 30th, 1932, of the sudden death of Rev. James T. Carney who was struck by an automobile. For ten years he had been the rector of St. John's Church. He had taken an active part in the community life of the town. He was struck down while crossing the street in front of the rectory and was taken to a hospital but failed to regain consciousness. Mr. van Dyke took part in the funeral services at St. John's Church, forty clergymen joining in the procession to the cemetery. Mr. Carney was succeeded by Rev. Floyd W. Tomkins, the present rector of St. John's Church.
Mrs. Herbert B. Turner passed away on May 10th, 1934. At the funeral service in the Congregational Church on May 13th, both Mr. Carter and Mr. van Dyke took part, in addition to Mr. Mathew. Mrs. Turner was Mary Mitchell, daughter of Abner Mitchell.
At a special church meeting on May 29th, 1933, Rev. Ter- tius van Dyke stated that he would be busy for about a year
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in writing the biography of his father, Dr. Henry van Dyke, who had passed away on April 10th. The pastor laid the matter before the members in order that they might do what seemed best for the interests of the church. After a discus- sion and a widespread expression of sincere appreciation of the services of Mr. and Mrs. van Dyke on behalf of the church, it was unanimously decided to grant Mr. van Dyke a leave of absence for a year without pay, with the privilege of an additional six months if he so desired. The church also expressed the fervent hope that Mr. van Dyke would return to his work as pastor of the church at the earliest possible date.
It was then decided to engage a full time substitute dur- ing the period that Mr. van Dyke was to be absent and to empower the Executive Committee to take the necessary steps. The choice fell upon Mr. Hamish Connolly Mathew who was the leader of a Boys' Club and active in social work in New Haven. Mr. Mathew is a graduate of the University of New Zealand in the land of his birth and of the Yale Divinity School. He also studied for a year in the New York School of Social Work. He was chaplain of the New Haven County Jail and in 1930 had made a survey of the jails in the State of Connecticut. Mrs. Mathew is the daughter of Rev. Albert Thompson who for many years was a mission- ary in Palestine.
The service of ordination for Hamish C. Mathew took place on Tuesday, December 5th, 1933 in the Congrega- tional Church. Among those who took part were Dr. H. Richard Niebuhr of Yale Divinity School, Dr. Theodore M. Shepherd of Norwich, Mr. Ewing of Woodbury and Mr. van Dyke who offered the prayer of ordination.
The death of George Crowther on April 26th, 1934
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brought sorrow to his many friends in the Congregational Church where for forty-seven years he had been doing the work of sexton. Preceding him John Taylor Platt had been sexton for about thirty years, beginning his work during the Civil War era. Mr. Platt was a cousin of Senator Platt and the grandfather of Miss Winifred Fenn and Mrs. Russell F. Clark. Mr. Crowther was also in charge of the cemetery during the same period in which he was sexton of the church. During all those years he had filled an important niche in the life of Washington. His place as sexton was taken by Clarence Richmond.
The work of Mr. and Mrs. Mathew brought forth a cordial response on the part of the church members as is indicated by a resolution adopted at the annual meeting on August 8th, 1934. Mr. Mathew was greatly interested in the work of the Sunday School and helped to reorganize it. At the conclusion of their year of service, Mr. and Mrs. Mathew decided to make a trip to New Zealand, leaving on March 14th, 1935. Therefore on March 3rd there was a farewell reception for Mr. and Mrs. Mathew given by the members of the church. Dr. Percy B. Wightman spoke with sincere appreciation of their work and on behalf of the church presented them with a farewell gift of money, wish- ing them God-speed.
Following close upon the departure of Mr. and Mrs. Mathew came the resignation of Mr. van Dyke. Writing on March 19th to the Executive Committee of which Paul Cruickshank was chairman, he explained that it was not possible for him to fulfill his family obligations within the period he had specified. He would not be free for some time to come. He felt therefore in all justice to the church that he should tender his resignation and asked that it be ac-
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cepted. This request was granted, together with many and sincere regrets. As expressed in the resolution : "Resolved that we accept the Rev. Tertius van Dyke's resignation with the deepest regret and express to him our hope that before we have engaged another pastor, his affairs will be in such condition that he can consider returning to us."
This brought upon the church the necessity of seeking a new pastor and the following committee was appointed for that task: H. W. Seeley, Walter Geer, C. T. Mason, C. B. Nettleton, Mrs. F. J. Ford, Mrs. A. H. Jackson, Mrs. F. W. Wersebe, Mrs. L. C. Woodruff, Miss L. Van Ingen and P. F. Cruickshank. It was decided that the committee should hear various ministers during the summer and then report their findings back to the church.
It was during this same summer of 1935 that the people of Washington were greatly enthused over the local celebra- tion of the Connecticut Tercentenary. This included an old village fair and a cavalcade of old-time horse-drawn vehicles. There was an historical Review Parade in which people were in costume and in which famous revolutionary characters were impersonated. There was an exhibition including por- traits of early residents as well as works of art by Washing- ton artists of the present time. Governor Cross was present for the great occasion and saw the parade which depicted 300 years of Connecticut's history. It is said that the largest crowd ever to witness a public function in Washing- ton was present during these festivities.
During the summer months Mr. Carter filled the pulpit at the Congregational Church and gave a special sermon of an historical nature during the Tercentenary. In the mean- time the committee seeking a new pastor had heard various preachers and reported at the annual meeting on August
THE PARISH HOUSE
THE PARSONAGE
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14th that their choice was Rev. Wilbur Stone Deming, a missionary of the American Board in India and at present in America on furlough. Dr. Deming was seriously consid- ering the advisability of remaining in America because of the educational needs of his three children and was there- fore receptive to a call. He received his education at Brown University and Hartford Theological Seminary. He had been in India for three terms, most of the time being spent in educational, social and literary work. In 1927 Dr. Deming received the Ph.D. degree from Hartford Seminary Foun- dation. Mrs. Deming's home was in Fairfield, Connecticut, before going to India in 1919.
After receiving the report of the committee, the members of the church endorsed their report and voted to send a call to Dr. Deming. The latter in his reply expressed his appre- ciation of the call and accepted it, signifying his readiness to begin work at Washington on September 8th. The in- stallation took place on October 29th and among those who had a share in the service were Dr. Rockwell Harmon Potter of Hartford Seminary, Dr. Oscar E. Maurer of New Haven, Rev. G. Homer Lane of Torrington and Mr. van Dyke.
During the past five years the church has continued to maintain its normal growth and its many and varied activi- ties. A new manual was printed in the fall of 1936 as the older manual was out of date. For a year the church co- operated with the other churches of Washington in giving religious instruction in the public schools but this work was not continued after 1936 as it was felt to be a duplication of the work of the Sunday School.
In the summer of 1936 portions of the church ceiling fell down, making it necessary to raise funds and put in a new ceiling. An appeal was sent out to the members and they re-
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sponded generously, contributing in all about $2,800. This was sufficient for the work that had to be done. In the mean- time the Sunday morning services were held in the Parish House.
During these years there have been various changes in the musical arrangements for the church. Mrs. Marian Fowler succeeded Helen Farrand as the church organist and her place was taken by Mr. Richard Fisher of the Yale Law School who also replaced Henry W. Seeley as choir direc- tor. When Mr. Fisher resigned in the fall of 1938, his place was taken by the present organist, Mr. Robert Knox Chap- man of Wethersfield. During the past two or three years there have been special musical features in connection with the church program such as organ recitals and a cantata.
The forum has continued to be featured each summer under the able leadership of Mr. Carter. It has been held each Sunday evening in the church during the months of July and August. Mr. Carter has spoken at many of the forum meetings and has discussed current events. Other speakers also have taken part.
Each summer there has been a fair on the Green. This fair has not only been the means of raising funds for special objects but it has also brought many of the summer resi- dents into closer fellowship with the church. While these fairs have required a good deal of work, yet they have been eminently worth while.
A new venture in Washington has been the Young People's Conference, held the past four summers in the Gunnery School and also using the equipment of the Con- gregational Church. This gathering is sponsored by the Re- ligious Education Committee of the Congregational State Conference. Young people come from churches all over the
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state and remain here for a week of instruction, worship and recreation under the guidance of carefully-chosen leaders. It has been meeting at the end of June in each year and bids fair to become a regular feature of our Congregational state program.
Similarly Hampton Sunday continues to attract atten- tion and remind us of the close bonds of friendship that unite this church with Hampton Institute, dating back to the years when Dr. Turner was connected with that institution. Each summer, on a Sunday in July, the Hampton quartet visits Washington, singing on Saturday evening at the Washington Club and on Sunday morning at the Congrega- tional Church. Although many of Hampton's warmest friends are no longer living, we continue to maintain our interest and look forward to their annual visit, at which time there is a special offering in our church for the work at Hampton.
Another special feature of our church program is the Union Lenten service. During each Lenten season for the past three years the four Protestant churches of Washing- ton have united in union devotional services, one in each church in succession. This has helped to create a closer fellowship among the churches of Washington.
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