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 15
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The Parish House
A T THE Dedication of the Judea Parish House there were several addresses sketching the background and de- scribing the activities which had taken place in buildings which preceded the Parish House. This information has been included in one of the Town History Papers and we are in- debted to it in the preparation of this chapter.
The first building to be used as a combined parish house and community center was the old Academy. In 1818 a com- mittee obtained permission from the Ecclesiastical Society of the Congregational Church to build an Academy on the edge of the Green, southeast of the church and not far from it. The committee erected a two story building which faced the west, the rear wall of which, twenty feet in width, was placed against the rocks. From this eastern wall there was a steep slope to the road about thirty feet below. The lower room was given over to school purposes.
The upper room had various uses. For example it was used for prayer meetings and other meetings of the church as occasion demanded. Singing schools were held there. It was also the place of meeting for the village forum or lyceum
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in which discussion on current topics took place and to which outside speakers were invited. School exhibitions were held there including recitations and plays. It was a place for holding town meetings and sometimes a court. In the early years this room was called the Academy chamber but later was referred to as the conference room.
The Washington library was established in this hall, the books being kept there and auctioned off at the library meet- ing each month. The books were kept in a large closet placed against the eastern wall and filling the space between the window and the south wall. The books stood in two rows on the shelves, those in the front row often being pushed aside as the auctioneer examined those in the rear by the light of his candle.
Mr. Clarence Nettleton speaks of this monthly library meeting as a red letter evening for most of the citizens of the town. The bids began at two cents and some books went as high as fifty cents. Magazines like "Harper's" and "Scribner's" often brought around twenty-five cents. Mr. Gunn was the first president of the Library Association and for many years was the auctioneer. He was succeeded in that task by Mr. Sheldon Logan.
Miss Amy Kenyon states that between 1820 and 1856, the Academy was the only building, in addition to the church, where a public gathering could be held. It was in 1856 that the Seminary building became available for public use. This building stood close to the east side of the road which skirted the west side of the Green, continuing to the south toward Kirby Corners. Its site was slightly to the south of the Abbey, now the residence of Dr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Jack- son.
It was in 1873 that the Academy and the district school
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houses were put up at auction by Mr. Gunn and removed from the Green. They were placed together to form the Abbey. This name is due to the fact that the house was re- modeled for the use of Mrs. Gunn and was her home for twenty years, thus taking the name by which she was so widely known.
In 1869 Erastus J. Hurlbut had his store enlarged and set back from the road. In order to be of service to the com- munity he put a second story above the store, to be used as a hall for public purposes. This need was felt since the upper room of the old Seminary was not large enough to accommo- date the crowds who came to see Mr. Gunn's exhibition. The new room was opened to the public in December, 1869, and was given the name of Farmers' Hall. Among those who took part in the program were Rev. Willis Colton, Rev. Henry Upson, F. W. Gunn and Rev. George Richards of Bridge- port. There was a stage at the western end of the hall and the rest of the room was furnished with settees seating about two hundred people.
In this same year the Dramatic and Literary Association was organized under the leadership of Mr. Gunn. Appro- priate scenery was painted and put in place, costing $300. The drop curtain pictured handsome draperies parting in the middle to show Mount Vernon. The first dramatic entertainment was given on the evening of January 20th, 1870, with the plays, "The Spirit of '76" and "Helping Hands." Many other plays followed during the next few years and received an enthusiastic reception. People came from surrounding towns to see them. Writes Mrs. Van Ingen in her "Record of Plays" during the six years in Farmers' Hall, "The Dramatic and Literary Asso- ciation flourished. As a result of its labors the scenery was
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paid for ; a bay window costing one hundred and fifty dol- lars was added to the parsonage, pictures to embellish the hall were bought and about one hundred dollars were raised toward the purchase of a piano. There still remained in the treasury three hundred dollars." This money was the begin- ning of the fund for the Hall on the Green.
The Farmers' Hall was used by the Gunnery Alumni dur- ing their reunions of 1870 and 1872. On each occasion plays were given. Mr. Hurlbut's home was the building now used as the Washington Club House. The store stood further back from the road and about twenty feet to the southeast. In 1902 Charles G. Fenn bought the two story building which had included Mr. Hurlbut's store and the hall. He removed it in small sections to a site near his house and made a carpenter shop of it.
In the meantime, in 1872 and 1873 many townsfolk felt that a building should be built which would serve as a com- munity center much as the Academy had ministered to com- munity needs many years before. Mr. Earle Buckingham and Deacon Hickox took an active part in the raising of the necessary funds. According to Mr. Elnathan Mitchell, they drove all over town visiting the farmers and residents in the effort to interest the people of Washington in the project. It was not a simple task as the building when erected cost $6,200.
When sufficient pledges were secured, the contract was given to Simeon Calhoun and Charles G. Fenn, George Chase being the mason and Frank Titus in charge of the excava- tion work. In describing the work of construction, Mr. Fenn spoke of the heavy beams that were used. The lumber was sawed to order in the State of Maine and it required two months for delivery. Mr. Chase was an expert mason and no
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problem seemed to be too difficult for him to solve. The build- ing was finished about January 1st, 1874, in time for the dedication on January 5th.
The main entrance to the building was in the center of the western front. It opened into a vestibule from which two doors opened into the large room which reached from the south side to the north side of the building. For many years this room was called the Chapel. On either side was a stair- case leading to the auditorium. Across the building to the east were the same rooms which are now there, namely, the ladies' sewing room and a larger room first used as a library and now as a kitchen.
The Chapel was used for prayer meetings and committees and also as a community center. As a rule such meetings took place each Thursday afternoon and Sunday evening. If the pastor was unable to be present for any reason, men like Deacon C. L. Hickox or Deacon S. J. Nettleton con- ducted the services. The platform was placed at the north end of the room in front of a triple window. On the platform was a desk made by Simeon H. Calhoun.
It was in this room that the Christian Endeavor Society was organized and in which the meetings were held. Here also were held the meetings of the Home and Foreign Mis- sionary Societies. It was the scene of the annual church dinner and of sundry suppers given to raise money for vari- ous projects. At first the kitchen was in the present ladies' sewing room. After the library was moved into the Gunn Memorial Building, the kitchen was moved into the vacated room, the sewing room being enlarged by adding a bay win- dow, a gift of Mrs. Van Ingen.
During these years an important part of the church pro- gram was the work of the Sunday School. The growing needs
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of the school made it advisable to move the Sunday School classes from the church building to the Chapel and sewing room. This was done in 1924 and from that time to this the Sunday School has been held in the Parish House.
The old-fashioned singing schools were a popular activity carried on in the Chapel. Among the teachers at the singing schools were Earle Buckingham, who taught for many years, and also Henry Bradley. Here also were held church socials. According to Mrs. Addie Hollister, these church socials began during the pastorate of Mr. Thrall. She recalls the acting out of Lowell's poem "The Courtin' " at one of the church socials. It was received with great enthusiasm by the young people but some of the older church members thought it was too frivolous for a church social and in a room where prayer meetings were held.
The second floor of the building contained the auditorium and was referred to as the Hall. In contrast with the low ceiling of Farmers' Hall, people took great pride in the lofty roof with its open timber-work of massive beams sup- porting it. The Hall was entered on the west by two stair- ways leading from the north and south to the doors under the gallery which occupied the western end of the room. At the eastern end was a large stage with private entrances from the ladies' parlor and library below. There were two dressing rooms and two closets above the stage. The Hall was able to seat four hundred people.
The first play to be given in the Hall was "She Stoops to Conquer" on February 12th, 1874. This was soon followed by other plays such as "Uncle Tom's Cabin" and "Neighbor Jackwood." In addition to plays there were lectures and concerts and sometimes a church fair or a dance. There were various public functions such as gatherings to hear election
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returns. On October 12th, 1892, there was a pageant of States given by the school children in honor of the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America. Church services were held in the Hall whenever it was impossible to meet in the church because of repairs. Banquets were given there as, for example, the Gunnery Alumni banquet of 1892 when William Hamilton Gibson was toastmaster. For several years the Hall was used as a gymnasium by the Wykeham Rise School and the pupils gave exhibitions of their gym- nastic drills.
On May 30th, 1905, two short plays were given as part of the Gunnery Alumni celebration. During the first play, "A Suit of Livery," a door was slammed off stage dislodging a kerosene lamp from its bracket. The oil spilled and took fire, causing a blaze. Thereupon a small boy rushed to the middle of the stage shouting : "Fire, Fire." This started an immedi- ate panic in the audience which might have ended in a terrible disaster had it not been for the presence of mind of a few men in the rear of the Hall. Miles Aspinwall leaped down from the gallery into the middle aisle and stopped the rush of the crowd for the stairs. S. Ford Seeley and William Beach who were present behind the scenes quickly stamped out the fire. In a short time the audience was calmed and the play was continued to its close.
After this event, the Hall was no longer used for the pur- pose of entertainment. It was felt to be too dangerous be- cause of the fire hazard. The building of the Washington Club Hall was begun and the stage was removed from the Hall on the Green. Since that time most of the Dramalite plays have been given at the Club Hall. The enlarged room of the Hall on the Green was used for a while by Wykeham Rise for its basket ball matches. During the World War it
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made a spacious workroom for the Red Cross. Later it be- came a store house. After the Sunday School moved from the church building, one end of the Hall was used for the Primary Department.
The use of the Hall on the Green by the Sunday School brought to a head the whole problem of more adequate facili- ties for the growing needs of the church. For some years there had been discussion as to what should be done about it. A few felt that the basement of the church might be fitted up for community uses. Another proposal was to add an addi- tion to the north end of the church and thus secure rooms that could be used for the Sunday School and for other church needs. Finally on July 31st, 1927, the Executive Committee was asked to take steps to improve the facilities of the Chapel so that it might meet the needs of the Sunday School more effectively. On October 2nd, the Committee pre- sented two plans, one costing about $5,000 and the other to cost about $12,000. The latter plan included the remodel- ing of the exterior and interior of the Chapel and the in- stallation of plumbing and heat. It was decided to have a committee of three investigate the possibility of raising funds to carry out the larger plan. This committee was com- posed of Dr. Wersebe, Mr. Hamilton Gibson and Mrs. Wm. G. Brinsmade.
This special committee reported on October 30th that they had made a canvass of thirty friends of the church and judged that an amount of $9,175 could be secured from non-members alone, some of this money being already pledged. It was therefore voted by the church to adopt the more elaborate plan and to proceed with the work in accord- ance with the plans drawn up by Mr. Rossiter. This plan called for an exterior that was a reconciliation between
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church and Chapel, harmonizing with the adjacent build- ings. The exterior of the present Parish House is a replica of the hall in Hingham, Massachusetts.
At a meeting of the combined Executive and Society's Committees on November 2nd, two committees were organ- ized for the purpose of carrying on the project. A Finance Committee was elected to raise funds for the project under the chairmanship of Dr. A. H. Jackson. The other mem- bers were as follows : S. Ford Seeley, F. J. Ford, C. P. Far- rand, Miss Louise Van Ingen, Henry Van Sinderen, Mrs. Eleanor Braman, Mrs. J. F. Whitehead and Mrs. Lina Jagger.
H. W. Seeley was elected as chairman of a Building Com- mittee to superintend the remodeling of the Chapel. The following were elected members of this committee: Mrs. F. W. Wersebe, Mrs. May Starkweather, C. C. Woodruff and Paul Cruikshank. Under the leadership of these two com- mittees the work was brought to a successful conclusion.
In proceeding with the work it was found that while the church had a title to the first floor, some one else had the title to the second floor. When the building had been erected in 1874, the Washington Hall and Conference Room Asso- ciation was formed and a charter procured from the Secre- tary of State. It was decided that each voting share was to be $25. The largest initial subscription was for 16 shares and there were quite a few single share subscriptions.
There were conflicting opinions regarding what the Hall and Conference Room Association should attempt to do. After several meetings an agreement was reached with the First Ecclesiastical Society of Washington permitting the erection of the Hall, the Association to maintain a chapel
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and ladies' parlor for the use of the church during the life of the building.
In a letter to C. B. Nettleton, written February 1st, 1928, Miles Aspinwall as the only living original stockholder of the building stated that he had great pleasure in giving over the property of the Hall and Conference Room Asso- ciation to the Congregational Church of Washington. With the letter he enclosed a check for $571.76, which as Treas- urer of the Hall and Conference Room Association he was authorized to pass over to the Treasurer of the Congrega- tional Church. Thus did the church take title to all prop- erty of which the Association was possessed.
Therefore June 21st, 1929, may be put down as an im- portant date in the history of this church. It was the occa- sion of the dedication of the Judea Parish House. It was the fitting culmination of a long succession of events. The Academy, the Farmers' Hall and the Hall on the Green had all served their turn. New conditions and new needs had arisen and therefore changes had to be made. The dedication was thus a great occasion. The dedicatory prayer was made by Mr. Carter. There were quite a few brief speeches telling of the days that had gone before. In dedicating the new Parish House, Mr. van Dyke said, "Rejoicing in the past accomplishment and looking to the future with faith and hope and love we dedicate to God this Judea Parish House for the worship, work and fellowship of the Christian Church and the service of all Washington."
When the original building was dedicated in 1874 Emme- line Colton had played a piano solo. The dedication of the Judea Parish House was concluded by the same person, Mrs. Edward P. Hickox, going to the piano and playing for all to sing, "Blest Be the Tie That Binds."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Looking Forward
I T IS NOT EASY to summarize briefly the developments of two hundred years. There are too many complicating factors. Any effort to draw simple conclusions might fail to take into account all the evidence. Yet it may not be amiss if the writer should attempt to make a number of general statements concerning the past two centuries in the life of this church.
For one thing, we can find reflected in our church and community the historical epochs that have characterized our nation. One can read American history in terms of one community. No doubt that same assertion could be made of many communities. The history of our church has revolved around the moods of the moment. There was the frontier period in which new families settled in this area and estab- lished homesteads. There was the colonial era in which the Revolutionary War was the outstanding event. There was the slavery agitation which greatly stirred this community, creating sharp cleavages, and causing much controversy. This slavery agitation led to the War Between the States which left its mark upon our membership. As in the Revolu-
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tion, so in the Civil War, there were members of this church and community who took part and there were those who gave their lives. There was the period of the World War of more recent memory. And there has been the intense pre- occupation of our church members with the economic, social and political issues of the past decade.
Thus Washington and the First Church present a chang- ing panorama passing from a rural emphasis to an indus- trious self-contained community with many local factories in operation. From the middle of the past century to the present time this industrial emphasis has given way to a residential community in which farming activities have been decreasing. Slowly but surely the farms of Washington have been passing into the hands of summer residents who have come here and who have been willing to pay substantial sums for summer homes.
Another observation one can safely make concerns the depth of the convictions held by the early members of our church. Theology was tremendously real to them. Their chief aim in life was concern for their souls. God was at the center of their lives and all their worldly affairs were arranged in the light of that fact. This religious emphasis followed a curve that went up and down in accordance with circumstances. It became more intense during the period of . the Great Awakening at which time this church was founded. There was a slackening of interest during the Revolution due to the preoccupation of the people with that struggle. Religious interest again became dominant during the re- vivals that swept New England in the early part of the nine- teenth century and in which this church took part.
In the minds of the early members of this church there was a close relationship between religion and morality. They
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held firm convictions regarding both religion and morals. Just as they were strict in their Calvinism, so were they rigorous in their disapproval of levity or flippancy. Hence the resolutions passed at various times disapproving of promiscuous dancing, the breaking of the Sabbath, card playing and tableaux. Also the periodic interviews between deacons and those who received censure, frequently result- ing in excommunication.
There can be no doubt that during the first century and a half this church held a dominant place in the lives of its members. It took first place in their community relation- ships, standing, in their affections, next to the family. It was the focus of their Sunday activities. It distinctly over- shadowed other organizations that competed for the in- terest and time of the townsfolk. This is not to say that church members were delinquent in their political responsi- bilities or that they avoided other community tasks. It is to say, however, that from the community standpoint the church came first.
One notes the high quality of the ministers who have served this church. The record speaks for itself. As a group they have shown themselves to be men of high caliber, varied gifts and sincere devotion to their sacred calling. No two of them have been exactly alike. During the first century, there was friction between the church and most of the ministers. This would clearly indicate that the cause of such friction was not entirely on the side of the ministers. Yet we should not draw undue conclusions from the accounts of such fric- tion. There is every reason to believe that for most of the time there has been a close fellowship of mutual trust and cooperation between the church members and their minis- ters. Some of the ministers have been of a rugged character
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as, for example, Mr. Brinsmade and Mr. Hayes. Like Old Testament characters they battled for the Lord. Others have had social gifts or have exerted a devotional influence upon the membership. Dr. Porter stands out because of his interest in religious education and of the various organiza- tions which he helped to establish. The church members of our time may well be proud of the ministers who have served them through the years.
A word here might well be said for the influence of the schools upon this community, more particularly the Gun- nery School which has been in existence for ninety years. These schools have helped to permeate the community with progressive views. Former students have returned later to Washington as summer residents and have taken a keen in- terest in all community developments and given generously of their time and their money. If Washington is a distinc- tive community, as many feel to be true, part of that credit must certainly be given to the schools that have been located here.
At the time of writing, our church stands at a high point in terms of membership and budget responsibilities. Most of the three hundred and seventy-five members cooperate loyally in supporting the program. There are others in the summer community who, while not members, also share gladly in the life and work of the church. In maintaining an annual budget of approximately $8,000, the members of this church have demonstrated their loyalty in terms of effort and sacrifice.
As one surveys the national scene, it remains true that today, as in the years that have gone by, it is the members of Christian churches who are carrying community responsi- bilities. Church membership has prepared them for that
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task and they do not shirk it. This remains true of Wash- ington. The members of our churches are in the forefront of every wholesome enterprise or every appeal for help. The churches thus have a powerful indirect influence, entirely aside from their specific programs.
Yet it must also be admitted that the church is no longer occupying the spotlight by itself. There are many competi- tors in the field, all appealing for public interest and sup- port. There are social, philanthropic and recreational or- ganizations which tend to compete with the church in terms of community leadership. In this community, as in most communities, there is tremendous pressure upon the spare time of the citizen. It is difficult to find an evening that is free when the church decides to have an evening program of some kind.
Furthermore the bonds that unite people to their church are not as strong today as they were a century ago. This is because of the attitude of tolerance that characterizes most people. Many sincere church members are more irregular about church attendance on Sunday morning than were their fathers and mothers. Sunday has become a day of recreation for many, rather than a day for religious em- phasis. It is easy for an attitude of tolerance to gradually become one of indifference and some church members travel that road.
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