USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Springfield > Christ Church Parish : Springfield, Massachusetts, 1817-1927 > Part 9
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a. In memory of --- Jennie B. Davis.
b. Given by her husband, Mr. Edward T. Davis in 1924.
c. Made by C. E. Kempe & Co., London.
C. Aisle.
3. St. Francis.
"S. Franciscos d'Assisi."
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God." a. In memory of- Frances Amblarde Phelps. Oct. 11, 1811-June 5, 1894.
b. Given by her daughter, Miss Josephine A. Smith in 1924.
c. Made by C. E. Kempe & Co., London.
Christ Church, State Street
BUILDINGS CHURCHES
The first land purchased by Christ Church parish was a tract 66 feet long and about 100 feet deep, situated on State Street. The buyers were Messrs. Diah Allin, Samuel McNary and Erasmus P. Beach, who had been made, March 23, 1839, a body corporate under the name of Wardens, Vestry and Proprietors of Christ Church in Springfield, March 23, 1839. On the deed are written the names of Major Goodsell, Diah Allin, Henry Seymour, Marcus M. Talmadge, Lucius C. Allen, Michael Han- cock and Ezra Kimberly,-Trustees.
The name "Proprietors" is worthy of description. "This re- ligious corporation was organized under a special Act of the Legislature of Massachusetts. Each owner of a pew becomes thereby a member of the corporation and is called a 'propri- etor.' The proprietors choose the vestry, tax the pews, make all appropriations, and in general control all church activities. The rector has no voice in and never attends a proprietors' meeting. He meets with the vestry by courtesy only, does not preside, and has no vote."
The easterly boundary of the aforesaid lot was a hedge own- ed by Mr. George Bliss. It was bounded on the south by State Street, and on its westerly and northerly sides was land owned by Mr. Henry Sterns, from whom it was purchased for the sum of $1000.00. Land values have changed a bit since those days. Later, as the parish grew and waxed strong, more land was acquired at the rear, and land to the west known as the Rectory lot became theirs, also. In 1845 Dwight Street became the east- erly boundary of the Rectory lot, for then that street was laid out as far as Sanford Street. Cows grazed peacefully in the
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pasture on the northerly and easterly sides of this Christ Church property. Christ Church was the first building of which there is any available record, ever erected on this land. In Colonial days, this site was part of the swamp, "Hassoky Marsh," that lay between the Town Brook and Chestnut Street, and extended as far north as Carew Street. In Dr. Lee's time, there were still signs of the corduroy road, 2 rods wide, that, alone, in ear- ly days, made that part of State Street passable.
That the Episcopal church was an exotic, that it still needed a little explaining, is evidenced by part of the address of Bish- op Griswold to the General Convention in 1839. He said: "The cornerstone of a new house, which they (Springfield) are now erecting was recently laid by the Rev. Dr. Strong, assisted by others of our brethren, and we trust that through God's blessing the people of that large and growing town will henceforth be favored in the ministration of the Protestant Episcopal church. For though many pious and good Christians may dislike our ministrations, in almost every large population there is a con- siderable number who, on becoming acquainted with our ec- clesiastical system, decidedly prefer it and find it most edifying. And where there are likely to be found in any place members of such, sufficient to form a respectable parish, it is our duty to aid them." Mr. Lee tells us that it was in great measure due to Dr. Strong's influence that the "prejudices existing in the community against the church were materially lessened, and the attachment of the friends of the church to its doctrines and serv- ices were confirmed and increased."
The following description of the old Church building was de- rived from photographs, and froin the memories of the older Parishioners, who loved and worked in this,-Springfield's first Episcopal Church.
The architect, Mr. Chauncey Shepherd, like others of his day, was influenced by those London parochial churches, built by the great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren. Like them, it was a long, box-like building, with a chancel at one end, and a portico and square, turreted cupola on the other .- Spring-
Interior of Christ Church, Easter 1866
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field's first church building in 1636 had to have two towers, one as a lookout for hostile Indians .- The mullioned windows of this old Christ Church were Gothic in outline, and the build- ing was sheathed with wide boards, running from the roof to the' basement wall, their place of joining covered by narrow cleats. It was painted a gray-brown. In the cupola hung a bell. One parishioner remembers its sweet tone; another, its harsh, unpleasant sound. It was cracked at one time, which, no doubt, explains the difference in memories. When it be- came necessary to remove this bell the rope was cut, and it fell crashing to the pavement. Two little girls, in a spirit of ad- venture, once climbed to the top of this cupola. It was easy ascending, but the returning, perilous journey, through those bare rafters, was a never forgotten experience.
A flight of stone steps led up to the church. The basement, from Dr. McKnight's time at least (possibly before), was used for Sunday-School rooms, lectures, Lenten services, and other parochial meetings. Two large doors, Gothic, like the windows, led into the vestibule. From here, a flight of stairs at each end, led up to the gallery where the organ and choir led the singing. When the Boy Choir was introduced the front easterly pews downstairs were torn out, and the organ and a few benches placed there. Benches for the boys also replaced some of the pews at the westerly side. One parishioner remembers that when she had fulfilled a promise to be a very good little girl, she was given the wonderful privilege of sitting in the gallery with the choir. Blowing the organ was a position greatly cov- eted by ambitious boys. Parents did not always perceive the glory of it. Two baize-covered doors led into the church from the vestibule. There were three aisles, and long, low-backed pews entered at least for one period by little doors. The floor was carpeted. There were no transepts, but two groups of pews faced each other in front at right angles to those in the body of the church. A small vestryroom was built at one side of the chancel, and a "Library room" at the other. The altar was a very simple one, and on each side hung a tablet, On
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one were printed the ten commandments, and on the other the Lord's Prayer and the Apostles' Creed. The reading desk and pulpit were very much alike. The rector conducted the entire service facing the congregation. When the offering was taken, a box at the end of a long pole, antedated the present alms basin. Gas did not come until 1847, so Mr. Lee had to be con- tent with kerosene, as a lighting agent. We find an old item in an expense account, December 4, 1848, that a Committee was formed to consider plans for heating the church. So the first heating method must have been a makeshift. The church was well supplied with lightning rods.
How many pleasant memories cluster around that old build- ing! "We were like one happy family," said one parishioner who had worshipped many years there. "The services were quiet, dignified, peaceful; the Saints' Days were enthusiastically kept, just as we love to observe the anniversaries of dear ones in our own homes."
At the Lenten Services in the basement, the room was packed to the doors, and there were often persons outside unable to get in. The singing, led by Miss' Safford, was especially in- spiring. Many remember how much Dr. Mcknight loved the singing, and added greatly to it with his spirited, robust voice. The services of Holy Week were held in the church. Services of baptism, also, were wonderfully well attended. People
came from all over the city to see the babies and witness the beautiful Sacrament. A home wedding, among Christ Church people, in the old days, was practically unknown. Weddings were held in the church, and it was an unwritten law, in the Parish, that a marriage must not take place on Saturday.
A great many English people came to Springfield, in those early days, and this was, for the most of them, their own church. Then, too, many colored people attended old Christ Church. One has but to speak the names "Marm Abbey" or "Mammy Lee" to realize some were of that fine, old type of family servants that has almost passed out of existence.
One time, a house owned by Mr. Frederic Dwight, built near
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the corner of Maple Street and State Street, stood in the way of widening the highway. "When he refused to cooperate with the town's plan for widening the street, the town went ahead and had the front of his house sawed off, and boarded up. Dwight, immediately let the remainder of the rooms to an un- desirable type of tenant. They persisted in disturbing the Sun- day quiet and were hailed into court upon the complaint of the Unitarian minister. Dwight himself defended the offenders pleading that if they might not be allowed to play the fiddle and dance on Sundays that the church should not be permitted to play the organ and sing hymns .... Dwight himself. paid their fines and told them to make all the noise they wanted to on Sunday. What the outcome of his advice was the story does not say." Neither does tradition tell us whether Christ Church people were annoyed or merely amused by such unhealthy ex- citement across the way.
The years flew by, and the changes came. A new church was built. In 1883 the old State Street property was sold for $15, 000 to help pay the long standing debt. Its new owner, Mr. S. G. Otis, built it out to the street line, and named it Evangelist Hall. At one time, there was a printing press installed there, and two small religious papers published, "The Domestic Jour- nal" and "The Weekly Evangelist."
The auditorium of the church was divided, the largest room being kept for the Evangelist Mission, in which Mr. Otis was especially interested ; another room was rented by the W. C. T. U. The Reynolds Reform Club had another, and the Springfield Art Association rented several rooms for their work. Then for a' limited time it was known as "Maple Hall."
In 1911, it was purchased by the late Colonel A. H. Goetting who remodelled it beyond recognition. A mezzanine floor in the old church structure helped form a hall, devoted almost wholly to secular uses, which gave the building a new name, "Tour- raine Hall." There were also in this building offices, stores, a photographers studio, and a few small tenements.
In Tourraine Hall, there remained two suggestions of the old
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church; one, the outline of a chancel window in the rear, which to comply with fire regulations, was covered with sheet iron to simulate bricks. Then, too, the beams on the ceiling of Tour- raine Hall, with their trefoil design, were in the old church, a design which was carried out in the last pews there. These were torn out, and used in the construction of the hall, when it was first remodelled.
On December 19, 1924 Tourraine Hall was destroyed by a most spectacular fire which broke out abut six o'clock in the afternoon, and raged for over three hours. Thousands witnes- sed the hazardous efforts of the firemen to subdue the flames ; a fireman was taken to a hospital suffering from injuries re- ceived from a fall; another man ---- a tenant-was seriously burned. It is interesting that in this building, at one period known as Evangelist Hall, a woman named Mrs. Evangeliste with heroic disregard of her own safety refused to leave until she had called or sounded warning to all the other tenants. She and her daughter and a Mrs. Herbert were with difficulty rescued by firemen from the flame-enveloped upper floors.
The building had become the property of Andrea Romano, a banker and steamship agent who estimated his loss at about $300,000. A modern business block now stands on the site.
So it came about that two of Springfield's historic fires, each in its own way, removed the last reminder of a one-time be- loved house of worship of the Episcopalians.
Now, in 1822, Jonathan Dwight, 2d, opened through his prop- erty a new road, later called Chestnut Street. He built the first house on this road (1824) for his daughter, Mrs. George Bliss. This historic house, and the land on which it stood was pur- chased by Christ Church Parish as the site for their new building.
Church architecture had undergone a happy change since the building of the beloved Christ Church on State Street, although it is unquestionably true that if Christ Church were rebuilt today the change would be even more pronounced. Let us again allow the columns of the "Republican" to bring before us the
Christ Church, Chestnut Street
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wonderful new edifice as it looked to Christ Church members as they worshipped in it for the first time, that rainy Sunday, May 21, 1876.
"The new Christ Church, which the Protestant Episcopal parish of this city have built, like a city set upon a hill, and have begun to occupy for their worship, is destined when completed to rival in beauty the Church of the Unity, which has hitherto been undisputably supreme among the architectural adornments of the city. Fortunate in a commanding site on the crown of Chestnut Street, it is built in a style and with an amplitude of design worthy of the place . The Church is built according to the Norman architecture, of Longmeadow brownstone, with a rich variety in cutting that well accords with the varied outline of the design. The front view presents the high gable and rose-window of the nave, beneath it the mullioned windows of the closed vestibule between the portal of the north cloister and the tower at the southwest corner,-a tower of singularly elegant and picturesque proportion. On the south side, the tower and transept gable, with the south cloister of the nave advancing half-height beneath the clerestory between them, look so fine from State Street, especially beneath the maj- estic benediction of the great elm at the east, that one wishes it were possible to preserve the little park now between it and the street always unencumbered with buildings, just to keep that pic- turesque effect. The interior is beautiful and imposing in high degree. The auditory is a cross, with cloistered aisles alongside the nave, and a deep chancel. The north and south transepts are each, like the nave, lighted by a large rose window, framed in dressed brownstone; the windows, and also the trefoils and triangles, and the windows of the clerestory and cloisters are of stained cathedral glass in bold free designs and vivid colors. The entire depth of the Church from nave to chancel is 128 feet; the transept 86 feet across and 50 feet wide; the nave and aisles 60 feet; the chancel 31 x 32; and the height from floor to apex of roof 62 feet. The roof is the most immediately striking feature of the interior, being unlike any other in the
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city. It is open, of square pitch and the ribs, of bolted southern pine plank, are not cased, but finished in oil and shellac, every bolt showing for what it is, and are faced with boards sprung beneath their arch, giving them a panel finish; the chancel roof-ribs are constructed in a Gothic cone pattern of much beauty. The roof impresses one with a sense of strength and loftiness in rare degree. The walls and ceiling of this spacious Church, with its contrast of surface, the cloister arches, etc., af- forded good opportunity to the fresco decorator, and he has well availed himself of it. The frescoing is indeed rich and novel. It is, a liberally varied use of the panel, with tasteful and sel- dom elaborate arabesque borders, the tints being neither loud nor weak, but severely harmonious. The ceiling is painted in patterns less pronounced than the walls. The chancel is treated differently ; the panels of the vault showing blue with golden stars, the sides in diaper pattern of rich brown and gold, with four panels between the five windows, bearing, in gold lettering on brown ground, the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments and the Apostles' Creed. It is not to be denied that in the daytime the position and forcible colors of the windows lessen the effect of the fresco; on the other hand, by gas-light the fresco has its revenge, for the windows show their splendors without while within the pure contrasts and harmonies of the walls come out beautifully. The windows, which are all mem- orials and presented by prominent members of the church, while notable rather for brilliancy of color and vigor of design than for delicacy, are effective in telling their stories; and those of the chancel, which represent Christ and the four Evangelists, are especially good. The church is furnished with taste; the wainscoating, the pews, and so forth being of Western Ash, a beautiful wood, somewhat like butternut, but less yellow in its tints. The carpet is of scarlet and maroon in a handsome fig- ured pattern; the cushions of crimson reps. The chancel floor is of cherry laid diagonally, the altar on a raised platform at the back. The chancel furniture is made of brown ash, it con- sists of an altar and reredos, with credence shelf, ecclesiastical
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Interior of Christ Church, 1906
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chairs and desk for rector and assistant and on each side, stalls for the choir. The reredos and credence shelf make their ap- pearance here, for the first time; it may be necessary to say, for those who are not of the Episcopal Church, that the former is the altar piece above the altar, or communion table, bearing in this instance a carved cross and other symbols, and the lat- ter for the reception of the bread and wine before their conse- cration in the communion service by the officiating minister. The pieces of furniture are of old ecclesiastical patterns prevalent in England. The pulpit, as also the steps from church floor to chancel is of Ohio stone, and furnished with a slender brass sermon desk; the lectern is of brass, in the shape of an eagle on a high pedestal. These appointments are far more in church fashions than were those of the old church. The organ oc- cupies a recess at the left of the chancel; the old one tempora- rily put in, is quite hidden, while the arch through which the future instrument may be seen is meantime curtained with dark crimson, producing a good effect. The four chandeliers which light the church, depending from the hammer-beams at the intersections of nave and transepts are of Corunna style, 42 burners each; in addition to which there are two of 21 burners each in the nave, and brackets in each slide. The church is warmed by three double furnaces, and either one or the six may be used at a time. There is no chapel or other room,-except the ministerial robing room and the choir boys' room overhead at the southeast corner, attached to the church. For the present, the old church is utilized for chapel purposes. The building committee are John B. Stebbins, J. D. Brewer and R. F. Haw- kins,- Mr. Brewer being the working member, whose time and labor have been freely given; work began in 1874, and would have been entirely finished but for the unfortunate error, whose exact nature is yet undiscovered, by which the beautiful tower cracked so that it had to be taken down. The whole cost will be $75,000. C. L. Ferre superintended the work: Charles L. Shaw of this city was the contractor, and that fine work of art, the roof, is the work of his ingenious foreman, George
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F. Code; James and Marra sub-let the mason work, T. L. Ray- nor, the slating; B. F. Farrar, the plastering; P. A. Butler of Boston, the frescoing; Otto Falch & Co. of Boston, made the windows, the Hartford carpet company, the carpet; the Archer Pancoast Company of New York, the gas fixtures; and Robert Bahl of this city did the cabinet work."
For about fifty years the tower of Christ Church has been frequently referred to by individuals or by the press. Dr. Slattery speaks of it in the chapter on Henry Vaughan in his "Certain American Faces." In 1876 the tower was erected and with its clock faces-suggested by Dr. Burgess-promised to be a distinctive feature of an imposing structure. But the foundation proved to be of a crumbling nature; so being inse- cure, the tower was taken down and for years the standing foundation made a discouraging picture. We remember "the surroundings of our new church," wrote Mr. Brooks (1888) "the broken fence, the unroofed tower, with its boarded up doors and windows- and looking out upon a rude heap of stones once our stately tower, which now Nature was making haste to take back to herself in pity." And he added, "With what joy we hailed the manna, when the Young Peoples' Soci- ety filled up our tower entrance and gave us new strength for our journey." Some of the stone left from the tower was used in the construction of the present rectory. There is, in King's Handbook of Springfield, a picture of Christ Church which shows a path leading to the large double doors on the side of the tower facing State Street, with people entering the church there. In fact, however, these doors are guarded by a low iron fence and are opened only for light and air. Entrance is made through the two large doors facing the west.
In the spring of 1927 the Vestry met to discuss re-building the tower. They voted to begin work at once. A description of this new tower is to be found' elsewhere in this book.
RECTORIES
The first Christ Church rectory was on State Street between the church and Dwight Street. It was a two-story wooden house, like the church in style and color. Raised one story and moved down Dwight Street, it is still standing, and used as a store. The conspicuous acute angle of the projecting Gothic roof, with its lace like trimming, is an arresting feature of this quaint memory-filled dwelling, built over eighty years ago. Hanging from a window of one of the upper rooms, which knew for several decades "the patter of little feet," is the pro- vocative sign, "Doll Hospital."
Mr. Lee was the first to call this old building, a home. He could look from his west windows, and see the historic, old Dwight mansion standing on the opposite corner. From there the nine daughters of Mr. James Dwight had gone forth as brides, and it is said seven generations of that public spirited family had lived within its walls. When it was torn down, the staircase was taken out and placed in the house of the late Judge Shurtleff (in Longmeadow) who had married into the Dwight family. Mr. Henry Sterns, from whom the church lot was purchased also married a Miss Dwight. William W. Lee, brother of Bishop Lee, and one time Clerk of the Parish, once lived in this house, and Mrs. Phoebe Lee, wife of Col. Roswell Lee, either lived, or spent much time there, with her son.
The old rectory is full of pleasant memories for all who lived in the Parish in its early days. Here, the annual meeting was held the Monday after Easter, due notice of which was posted in the vestibule of the church seven days preceding. Here Mrs. Child, Mrs. McKnight and Mrs. Burgess are sever- ally remembered by many older parishioners, as delightful hostesses and personal friends. In their kitchen came the
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young people to prepare sandwiches or put up lunches for the oft held picnics, in Ingersoll Grove, (where arbutus grew) or other nearby places. Here, too, socials were held or planned. One such event is thus mysteriously heralded by an exuberant reporter of the Union, Oct. 12th, 1864: "The Episcopal Church will be open to the public at six o'clock this evening, and those who happen 'round about that time will be likely to see what they do see, and the event may remind some of the hymn which begins as follows:
'This is the way I long have sought,
And mourned because I found it not.' "
On the way down town, it was a delightful custom to stop often, at the rectory for a social chat. A good old-fashioned picket fence encircled the yard, and its hospitable gate moved easily on much used hinges.
The story is told that one day some one stopped at the Rec- tory and inquired the way to the Baptist Church. "My friend," replied Dr. Burgess, "You are on the wrong side of the street. Jordan rolls on the other side."
Christ Church's second rectory was the house known for years as the "George Bliss Mansion." It was built by Simon Sanborn, who was the architect for most of the colonial man- sions on Maple, State and Chestnut Streets, in those days. When it was moved to the rear of Christ Church, it contained, among other furnishings a set of fine china dishes marked "B," which had been given to the Burgess family by the Parish. It is re- membered that the moving was accomplished without breaking a dish. This old rectory represented the best and stateliest type of colonial architecture. Its windows overlooked historic ground. Between those great wooden columns that reached to the roof and supported a long upper and lower porch, passed men, who like its owner held high positions of trust in town and state. Governor Edward Everett, who came to Springfield in 1836 was entertained there. The picture on the memorial window to Mr. and Mrs. George Bliss in the Church of the Unity, is a reproduction of an original painting by Annibale
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