USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Athol > History of Athol, Massachusetts > Part 9
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During Rev. Humphrey's ministry one hundred and twenty- one members were added to the church; five hundred and ninety-three children were christened, the first one being Jemima Oliver, daughter of John and Mary Oliver, on April 14, 1751. He made record of one hundred ninety-four deaths and one hundred and thirteen marriages. James Stratton, Jr., and Abigail Morton were the first persons married by him the day after Christmas, 1751.
The records regarding the Templeton West Parish separa- tion from the Athol church are confusing. Although the statute of 1774 removed perhaps a fifth of our territory from liability to support the Athol Church yet it seems from the records that the residents of that territory were continued on our church membership list until a church was actually gathered there on August 21, 1785. To this church went Henry Sawtelle (Startle the record gives it), John Coleman and wife, and Pierson Richardson and wife. Israel Sprague remained with the united church until 1788 when he also was dismissed to the church in Gerry. To the formation of this township of Gerry, Athol yielded much territory as well as several members from its not too large constituency.
The work of settling a new minister appears to have been attended with about as much difficulty as that of dismissing the former one. After five years of "candidating" the Church of Athol finally on July 25, 1787 called Joseph Estabrook of Lexington to the vacant pastorate. It was customary to pay ministers a certain sum, independent of their annual salary, as an "encouragement" or inducement to settle over a particu- lar parish. Mr. Estabrook's encouragement was two hundred pounds and also the use of a pew in the meeting house so long as he should remain the minister of the town. For his "sup- port" or salary the town obligated itself to give him seventy- five pounds in cash and twenty cords of good fire wood, annually.
Surprising it is to learn that the ecclesiastical council which convened late in November, 1787 to ordain this new minister met at the house of Rev. Humphrey at 989 Pleasant Street, and that the honored Scribe was Rev. Joseph Lee of Royalston who had so strongly favored the dismissal of Mr. Humphrey and had kept a watchful supervision over the church while the pastorate was vacant.
Letters missive had been sent previously to seven churches by Deacon John Haven, Capt. John Oliver, and John Foster
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HISTORY OF ATHOL
asking for delegates and in response the following clergy ar- rived in Athol, probably most if not all on horseback: (23)
Rev. Jonas Clarke of Lexington Rev. Ebenezer Sparhawk of Templeton
Rev. Joseph Brown of Winchendon
Rev. Joseph Lee of Royalston
Rev. Solomon Reed of Petersham Rev. Samuel Reed of Warwick Rev. Samuel Kendall of Weston
Rev. Mr. Clarke was chosen Moderator and Rev. Mr. Joseph Lee, Scribe. After listening to Rev. Samuel Kendall state Mr. Estabrook's qualifications and religious beliefs, it was unani-
REV. JOSEPH ESTABROOK 1758 - 1830 Athol's Second Pastor
mously voted that "The council are so far satisfied with the moral character, ministerial qualifications, and religious sen- timents of the candidate as to proceed with his ordination." A committee was chosen to provide for this ceremony at the
(23) July 9, 1936-A severe lightning and wind storm fells the historic 200-year old "Parson's Oak" on Athol Common. As it stood near the third meeting house, 1773-1827, it was often used as a hitching post by the ministers who came on horseback to preach here. When the tree was cut up the hand wrought hitching hooks were found and preserved.
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expense of the town "in the best and cheapest way they can."
On November 21st the whole population flocked to the meeting house to witness the ordination of Joseph Estabrook as the second pastor of the Church of Christ in Athol. It was his boyhood minister, Rev. Jonas Clarke, who presided and preached the sermon. Rev. Kendall offered the invocation. Rev. Brown of Winchendon made the ordaining prayer, Rev. Sparhawk gave the charge, Rev. Lee proffered the right hand of fellowship, and Solomon Reed concluded the service with prayer.
Born in 1759 this new pastor had as a boy with musket in hand been one of that immortal group who on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775 "fired the shots heard around the world." He like his predecessor was a graduate of Harvard College. Less than a year after his settlement here he married Miss Lucy Cushing, daughter of Mr. Nathaniel Cushing of Pembroke, on September 3, 1788. Her kindness and attention soon won the affection of his parishioners. During his pastor- ate, Rev. Estabrook was much beloved, a refined scholar, who exercised a strong influence in the community.
It is said that he never spoke ill of anyone, always thinking of something kindly to say. When no one else had a good word for a man who wasted his opportunities, Mr. Estabrook's only comment was, "He was a good whistler." He represented the Town in the Constitutional Convention of 1820 and was its first Postmaster. For forty-three years this man ministered to Athol in a most acceptable way and during all that time very little dissension appeared. Methodism, Universalism, and finally Unitarianism were rife in other communities but they acquired very little foothold here. As a matter of fact an attempt was made on November 23, 1829 to organize a First Universalist Society here but it was ineffectual.
Rev. S. F. Clarke in his "Centennial Discourse" published in 1850 gives a noteworthy description of Rev. Estabrook, of his Christian beliefs, and of his ability as a leader of men.
Near the close of Rev. Estabrook's pastorate, the church building again became inadequate but the town could not bring itself to the point of erecting a new building until on July 2, 1827 a citizen, more noted for his effective methods than for his caution, applied the torch and the old building was no more. It was in this building, the only one publicly owned, that the town voted in July, 1794 to store its stock of ammunition.
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Selection of a site for a new structure was not a difficult one for Col. Samuel Sweetzer, the largest land owner in Athol and an extensive cattle raiser and drover, donated to the town an acre of land at 1307 Main Street to be used "for the public worship of God forever," and a new structure soon arose.
TOWN HALL AND FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCH 1829 TO DATE ATHOL WOMAN'S CLUB
Unfortunately complete harmony did not prevail, for Col. Sweetzer became so indignant at the action of the town during the process of erection that he never stepped foot inside the church doors although residing almost within their shadow at sunset for years.
This time the townspeople determined to have a building which would be a credit to the community and adequate for all needs. By selling pew ground it was decided to finance the entire project, and on August 27, 1827 with a plan before.
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them, the town met and sold these pews at public vendue for a grand total of $5117.00, including the minister's, the strangers', and the paupers' pews, for all of which the town made appropriation. The list of these purchasers comprises almost the entire names of the heads of families, but of the seventy-seven buyers, I doubt if a dozen have descendants in Athol today. James Young, James Oliver, and Dr. Chaplin were the Selectmen. Of these only Mr. Oliver's family is repre- sented in town at the present time. Esquire Jones, whose family is likewise extinct here, was Town Clerk.
Appropriate ceremonies marked the laying of the corner- stone of this church of God in the springtime of 1828 and when the time came for the "raising" there was again quite a gather- ing of townspeople.
Co-incident with this pretentious effort on the part of the townspeople came the erection of a Baptist Church building. At the laying of the cornerstones of these buildings appropriate religious services were held. Elder Elisha Andrews of Temple- ton, the guiding angel of the local group, officiated at the Baptist ceremony, and Parson Estabrook performed the service for his people. The Baptist building frame was raised April 29 and the town church building May 1 and 2.
We have no further record of the program incident to these raisings nor the amount of hard liquor consumed by the par- ticipants, but in conformity with the custom of the times the supply was undoubtedly liberal for the temperance reform movement had not been developed. We know that Rev. Esta- brook was far from a teetotaler and that when he called on a parishioner he expected refreshment of rum and sugar, and in all research of local Baptist Church history we find no refer- ence to this reform until the autumn of 1829 when the Wendell Association of Baptist Churches embraced the prin- ciples of the Washingtonian Temperance Movement, but it was not until more than five years later (March 1835) that the local church took a stand requiring new adherents to agree to total abstinence and another five years elapsed before the church roll was purged of members who refused to take the temper- ance pledge.
By the tenth of October, 1828 the new bell for this, the fourth meeting house, was raised into the bell deck and rung for the first time. Later the town appropriated $566.47 to pay for it and voted that the Selectmen hire some suitable person to ring the bell. We have no record of any substitution of another bell there but the date "1829" on the present one is
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mystifying. Since it frequently happens that a bell cracks soon after being put to use in cold air, perhaps the first bell proved defective and was speedily replaced. Another possible explanation is that the founders post-dated their output as do the automobile producers of today.
Twenty-six horse sheds on the north and west of this build- ing were a necessary part of the equipment provided. Before the snows of winter lay thick on these hillsides, in 1828, there had been expended nearly six thousand dollars here to com- plete the building.
Originally the auditorium was a full two stories, with bal- conies on all sides, that in the west end being for the singers and the other three sides occupied by pews, for although Athol numbered only about 1300 souls and was not as large geo- graphically as today, yet custom dictated attendance upon church services and the first floor could not seat all who were naturally expected to worship regularly here. Though the Baptist Church building, now an apartment house at the corner of Main and Summer Streets, was dedicated about two months previous to the completion of this building, competi- tion was not great enough to relieve congestion materially.
While I have no direct and positive information on the subject, yet I feel safe in saying that as originally built there was no provision for any heat in this building. Probably the chimneys on the west end were constructed around 1840. So the congregation sat in a cold auditorium save for the occa- sional foot warmer.
A general holiday prevailed in Athol on that clear cold day of December 3, 1828 for the consecration of the meeting house and the dedication of the new Town House at No. 1519 Main Street. Church and town officials with the honored guests assembled at Joseph Young's Tavern and "were escorted to the meetinghouse by Athol musick." About 1200 people attended these exercises which included Prayer and Scripture reading by Rev. Ezekiel L. Bascom of Ashby and Dedication Prayer by Rev. Charles Wellington of Templeton. Rev. Esta- brook, then in his seventieth year, preached the sermon, using as his text John 10:22-"And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication and it was winter." The concluding prayer was offered by Rev. Alpheus Harding of New Salem. "In the evening about 200 persons assembled in the Town Hall where with musick and dancing they testified their joy to the occa- sion."
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Selection of the assisting pastors at this dedication shows much of the attitude of our venerable pastor toward the great theological agitation which at that time was rending churches assunder throughout New England. The old First Church of Athol was nominally Calvanistic in its doctrines, had taken no action to indicate any change and its pastor was presumably Evangelical in his leanings although he had studiously avoided any definite statement of his position. Yet when he chose his associates to assist him in one of the great occasions of his career, he did not secure such men as Rev. Mr. Perkins of Royalston or Rev. Mr. Chickering of Phillipston, both of whom were decidedly Calvanistic in their beliefs, but rather he chose three men all of whom were rated as liberals, who eventually became Unitarian.
Rev. Mr. Bascom, pastor at Phillipston from 1800 to 1820, was dismissed from there because of his too liberal views. He was in 1828 pastor of the First Church at Ashby and later of the Unitarian Church at Fitzwilliam.
Rev. Charles Wellington was minister at Templeton from 1807 to 1861. In 1832 about midway in his long pastorate, the Trinitarian Church there withdrew from his church, which became decidedly Unitarian.
Rev. Alpheus Harding preached at New Salem from 1807 to 1869, being always considered of liberal views and for nearly two score years a pronounced Unitarian. If we assume that Mr. Estabrook was Unitarian in his tendencies and thoughts then all the participants in the dedication of this building were of liberal faith and the building was actually christened in the faith taught there so long.
Yet "we have no desire to fix upon Mr. Estabrook the pecu- liar name of any sect. No such name belongs to him. In seeking religious intercourse he was accustomed to be influ- enced, not by names, but by principles. In this respect, as in many others, he was a pattern worthy of imitation."(24)
In April, 1928, at the One Hundredth Anniversary of the. dedication of the old Town Hall building, I was the guest speaker. It seemed fitting at the outset that we consider the history of the church whose home was here for four score and ten years. In describing the dedication I departed at one point in the lecture from the strictly historical and drew thus upon my imagination for a picture of the audience that gathered there a century before.
(24) S. F. Clarke's "Centennial Discourse" p. 37.
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"On the front seats and in the wing pews are guests who have come from other towns for the occasion. Down there sits Esq. Theodore Jones, Town Clerk, keeper of the village store, and in a small way banker for the community. He is the prominent man of the village. Beside him sits his wife, Marcia, daughter of the pastor, with their four children, Joseph E., Theodore, Charles C., and Fred E.
"Nearby is Prescott Jones and his numerous family. Over there is Col. Nathan Nickerson, manager of the Cotton Factory and the Factory Store. Down there is Dea. Elijah Goddard, senior deacon of this church, with his wife, Mehitable. They live on Chestnut Hill, above the Haven place.
"Across the aisle sits Dea. Elijah Ballard, who lives out on the Petersham Road. Mrs. Ballard is home with their five weeks' old baby, but their daughters, Elizabeth and Mary, six and five years old, have come with the Deacon.
"Over there sits Esq. Thorpe and wife, Ruth. He runs the paper mill down near Fish's grist mill. They have nine of their eleven children with them. Nearby is Ira Thorpe and family. He is a brother of Esq. Thorpe. The only attorney in town, Clough R. Miles, sits well back in the audience. There sits Henry Lee, Town Treasurer, partner in the store business, with Col. Sweetzer. Nearby sits Paul Morse and wife, with their sons, Sumner R., and Laban. Mr. Morse operates a tannery just south of the turnpike and east of the toll gate.
"Up in the gallery with the singers is a young man who is teaching singing school over in the large house south of the new Town House. He is Lowell Mason, whose stay in Athol is destined to be short, but who will make a permanent record for himself as a composer of sacred music.
"Dr. Holmes and Dr. Chaplin are both here, as well as Dr. Royal Humphrey, a Revolutionary veteran and son of the first pastor. I see two other veterans also, Abner Graves and Tyler Perry, who like the pastor had a part in the war for indepen- dence. Deputy Sheriff Abijah Hill, recently removed here from Orange, is in the audience, as is some representative from every part of town.
"A dozen families are here from Chestnut Hill, a half dozen from Lyon's Hill. Abner Stratton and Josiah Fay have come up from the south part of the town; Jonathan Wheeler from Wheelerville; Ephraim Sprague from New Sherborn; Col. Thomas Townsend from Bearsden; and Jabez Ward from out by the poor farm which the town has just bought. These have
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all contributed their part to the cost of this building and now gathered here to rejoice together at its completion."
In a little more than sixteen months after this dedication the venerable pastor lay dead-on April 18, 1830. Quickly following his demise, came that unfortunate division of the church, the fourth loss in membership, which split its constit- uency and lost it the support of the town as a municipality. The secessionists formed the present Evangelical Congrega- tional Church and never again worshipped here.
Maintaining its status quo for seventeen years, the old church in 1847 entered into an agreement with the municipal- ity whereby the town took over the upper half of the building for a Town Hall. The galleries were removed and the floor of the upper hall was constructed that year. For over a half cen- tury the building was maintained jointly. This arrangement of 1847 provided that, should any disagreement arise between the church and the town, the matter should be submitted to the Selectmen of the Town of Royalton as arbitrators, but the services of these officials were never required as town and church worked together in full accord until eventually the old church, weakened again by the secession of the constituency of the Second Unitarian Church and the death of many of its staunch supporters, all but ceased to exist. Then the Church in 1922 released its interest in this location to the town and absorbing the Second Church with its church building began life anew downtown in the fourth building it has called home.
This computation of necessity excludes the first church ed- difice here which was burned nearly a decade before a church organization was gathered here.
Although Col. Sweetzer's original acre has shrunk fully 75% by various encroachments and the active worship of God ceased in this meeting house after some ninety years, yet we value it still as a thing of beauty on the hillside, now a com- modious home for our Women's Club.
A successor to Rev. Estabrook was not easy to find. The general feeling was strongly in favor of a man who would con- tinue the practice of Mr. Estabrook and "freely fellowship with all neighboring Congregational ministers." Indeed, the ma- jority thought of nothing else, and probably were not expect- ing any serious opposition to this Christian practice. Hence the committee of five appointed on May 3, 1830 engaged a Mr. George J. Tillotson from the School at New Haven. No one was disposed to find any serious fault with his preaching
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but the air soon became apprehensive. Indeed, this new pas- tor seemed to be following the example of the late minister "inasmuch as he said nothing of the parties, polemics, or divi- sions of the day." Yet, would this new man rise above party lines and sectarian names? Prompted by these apprehensions, which later appeared not unfounded, the church fathers sent letters to fourteen of the neighboring clergy, seven of whom were of the rigid and seven of the liberal party, inquiring whether they would exchange with the pastor who should be settled over this parish, regardless of party. No one of the liberal ministers objected. Those of the Calvenistic faith were pleased to declare that they would have no dealings with the liberal clergymen, one of them affirming that Unitarians were not Christians and should not be acknowledged as such. This was very disquieting to the majority of the church member- ship, and it was finally voted after much controversy to settle "no man in the ministry in the Congregational Society unless he will obligate himself . .. to exchange ministerial labors with all the Congregational ministers in the neighboring who are in regular standing
To this Rev. Mr. Tillotson could not agree. The church remained adamant. A definite break soon came, all but eight members of this organization including both deacons with- drawing from the mother church and Rev. Tillotson with them. This division excited such ill feeling that neighbors and friends, who had from childhood walked together to the same place of worship and lived united and happy in one communion for fifty years, would scarce exchange friendly recognitions as they passed on the street.
Such is history, the recording of plain, unvarnished facts, which in this case is an unhappy division of the Christian church. Perhaps this is the pseudonym for democracy, the American way of life, where people have the opportunity to express openly their feelings about fundamental issues.
Then known as the First Congregational Church and Society in Athol, this church had two ministers in the space of six years-Rev. Josiah Moore from December, 1830 to August, 1833 and Rev. Linus H. Shaw from November, 1834 to August, 1836.
Though the Society continued thereafter to have preaching most of the time, no minister was settled over the parish until April 19, 1848 when Rev. Samuel F. Clarke became pastor, serving for eight years. He was stirring and active not only in this church but in social and town affairs, being for several
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years a member of the School Committee. At the one hundredth anniversary of the church, it became his duty to deliver an historical discourse which was published and has been the basis of all subsequent historical efforts. No man has done so much to rescue the history of our town from oblivion as he did.
The closing words of his address are as appropriate today as they were when uttered nearly a century ago. "So let us live,
REV. S. F. CLARK
ever submitting our minds and hearts to the Divine influences with which Heaven is surrounding us, that, when we shall be numbered with the congregation of the departed, we may leave a sacred inheritance of intelligence, virtue, faith and truth, to bless our children and our children's children to the latest generation that shall come after us."
Of the ministers who have occupied the pulpits of Athol churches prior to the beginning of this century, the one who was the best known to the world at large was Rev. George Bradburn, pastor of this church in 1859. While serving as a Unitarian minister in Nantucket, he was elected to the Legis- lature by the Whigs in 1839 and was considered one of the most remarkable men in the House of Representatives where
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he represented Nantucket for three years. He allied himself to the Anti-slavery Cause and endowed with rare gifts as a popular speaker, a face and figure of rare dignity and beauty, and a courage that feared no antagonism, he stood among the strong men of this Cause both here in America and in Lon- don. (25)
From Rev. Bradburn's pastorate until 1922 when the First Congregational Church and Society in Athol became consoli- dated with the Second Unitarian Church, there were a number of ministers. The complete list beginning in 1750 is here given with dates of service insofar as known:
Rev. James Humphrey
8-29-1750-2-13-1782 1830
Rev. Joseph Estabrook
7-25-1787
1830 (three months)
Rev. George J. Tillotson
Rev. Josiah Moore
12- 8-1830- 8- 1833
11-12-1834-8-29-1836
11- 1838-5- 1840
Rev. Crawford Nightingale (Supply)
5- 1-1842 - 5-18-1845
1846
Rev. S. F. Clarke
Rev. D. C. O'Daniels
Rev. Geo. Bradburn
4-19-1948 1857 1859 1861 1866
Rev. Ira Bailey
Rev. W. S. Burton
9- 1868 - - 9- 1873
Rev. S. R. Priest
1874 -
1876
Rev. E. P. Gibbs
7-10-1877 1881
Rev. W. C. Litchfield
1- 1-1882
1884
Rev. D. H. Rogan
7-
1884
1888
Rev. Caroline R. James (Supply)
1888
Rev. A. D. Ferry (Supply)
1889
Rev. Herbert Whitney
7-
1890- - 1-29-1893
Rev. Charles Conklin (Supply)
1- 1893-
1893
Rev. W. S. Sutton
5- 1-1894 - 6-25-1901
Following this pastorate the activities of the church were suspended for ten years.
In the first one hundred years of this church's history there were ten deacons, as follows:
Deacon David Twichell
4-25-1754 . 11-10-1774
Deacon Aaron Smith
4-25-1754 11-10-1774
3- 9-1798
Jesse Kendall
John Haven
11-10-1774 - 7-12-1807
William Bigelow
7-20-1795
Paul Church
7-20-1795
Elijah Goddard
11-24-1807
Elijah Ballard
9- 7-1818
Theodore Jones
5-25-1835
Jonathan Stratton
5-25-1835
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