USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Watertown > History of St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church in Watertown, 1836-1936 > Part 8
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
The Trustees and, indeed, all the Church felt that surely the time had come to make the long desired additions, and that St. John's was extremely fortunate in having had the devotion and assistance of Mr. Whitney. The committee appointed at that time to ascertain definitely what changes and alterations should be made was composed of Brothers Bixby, Perkins, and H. L. Paine.
[85]
Memorial windows installed late in 1921 through the plans of the late Mr. F. A. Whitney, carried out by his friend and secretary, Mr. Walter E. C. Worth, were for the late Messrs. Edward F. Porter, Frank J. Berry, Chester Sprague, and for Mrs. Cynthia Brown Whitney. In February, 1922, there was also installed in the church a magnificent bronze lectern - a tall, splendidly executed pillar topped by an eagle with spread wings which supported the large church bible, the gift of the generous Mr. Walter Worth in memory of his friend, Frederick A. Whitney. Mr. Worth's personal interest in our church equalled Mr. Whitney's own, and his influence with Mr. Whitney, and later his assistance to the Trustees in dealing with the bank, was invaluable to St. John's. In fact, the importance of Mr. Worth's kindly attitude towards us cannot be overempha- sized.
Church members regretted the passing of three of their well- known associates in 1922 - Dr. Oliver Hutchinson, a former pastor; Mrs. Elvira Sprague, long an active and valued member; and Dr. Charles Holden, the pastor from 1904-12, of whom the congregation had been very fond. His funeral was held in the Church-Of-All- Nations in Boston; and Mr. L. S. Cleveland, Mr. B. M. Shaw, and Mr. C. W. Bixby of our Board of Trustees were asked to serve among the pallbearers.
Officers serving some of the church societies in 1922 were Mrs. Elizabeth Perkins, president of the Ladies' Aid; Mr. Arthur L. Watts, president of the Methodist Club; and Mr. Paul Chase, president of the Epworth League. It is to be regretted that a full list of the activities and officers of every society cannot be listed for these progressive years, but space does not allow it, as there is yet to be included in this chapter the record of the remodelling of our church.
In March, 1923, a special meeting of the Trustees was called to elect a committee which should have charge of the additions and alterations of our church property. Mr. B. M. Shaw made the motion that a committee of five, three selected from the Board of Trustees and two from the Board of Stewards, be appointed the "Remodelling Committee." The duties of this group were to decide the proper time to start operations, to select the architect and approve the plans, to make and sign the contracts, to oversee the work in progress, to select and purchase a new organ, to take charge of the raising of funds; and to refer to the full Board of
[ 86 ]
ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, LOOKING EAST, 1936
Trustees for decision any matter on which there was a serious divi- sion of opinion in the committee. The group appointed by Mr. Richard H. Paine, president, was - from the Board of Trustees -- Messrs. Bartlett M. Shaw (who was elected chairman), Homer C. Perkins, and Herbert L. Paine; and from the Stewards - Mr. A. Alonzo Huse (who was also chairman of the Finance Committee) and Mr. James Bailey. To this committee was added Dr. Francis D. Taylor, the pastor, and Mr. Walter E. C. Worth, secretary of the late Mr. Whitney, who very thoroughly understood his friend's wishes and plans for the remodelled St. John's and who was conse- quently of the greatest help to the committee. It was regretted by all the church folks that Mr. Curtis W. Bixby -who had long been a member of St. John's, an active worker, and the architect of the first plans for remodelling - died in January of 1923 just before the actual plunge into building activities began. Mr. Bixby's advice and energy were greatly missed by the building committee and by the Trustees, and fine tributes and memorials were spread upon the church records by Wilbur F. Learned and by Dr. William G. Richardson in Mr. Bixby's honor.
In November, 1923, the Articles of Agreement between the Skinner Organ Co. and St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church were signed, and the work began on our new organ upon payment of $5,625. The total cost was $22,500. As Mr. Whitney had left $25,000 specifically for an organ, the balance of $2,500 was put in a separate fund, the interest of which is to be used through the years for the repair, upkeep, and improvement of the beautiful instru- ment, so that it may not become obsolete for a long, long time.
At the annual Trustees meeting of April 7, 1924, Mr. James Bailey reported for the Remodelling Committee that a contract for the construction work had been made with Mr. William D. Iliffe for additions and alterations on the present church edifice amount- ing to $32,000, work to progress on the plans submitted by Mr. Robert Wambolt (who was using many parts of the late Mr. Bixby's plans with his own). Other contracts for completing work on a pro- posed parish house were held in abeyance, the committee and the pastor planning a special Palm Sunday service on April 13 when all church members would be asked to share in a money-raising program. This program had first been outlined to a group of twenty-two representative church people who had held an Organi- zation Meeting after a supper at the Boston City Club on March 24.
[87]
At this meeting nearly $15,000 was assured the Finance Committee by some of those present, but the actual subscriptions were made with those of the other church members on Palm Sunday. This April 13 service was surely a wonderful exhibition of courage, loyalty and generosity. A huge account sheet had been placed in back of the pulpit, and Dr. F. D. Taylor and Mr. A. A. Huse were in charge of raising the funds. People would stand and subscribe aloud a certain amount, which would then be entered in special columns of the account sheet, large enough for all to see. An usher would immediately give the subscriber a pledge card so that a permanent record of the pledge would be had. In this exciting and spontaneous manner over $55,000 was raised on this one Sunday morning, plus $3,551 at the evening service, totaling 227 subscrip- tions. A new parish house was thus assured for St. John's.
On April 22, at a legal meeting of representatives of the Church, of the Whitney heirs (Mr. Arthur Whitney and Mr. Harold Whitney), and of the Boston Safe Deposit and Trust Company representatives, the clauses pertaining to the bequests in the will of Mr. Frederick Whitney were interpreted: from the income of two-thirds of the estate, an amount not to exceed $35,000 would be given to St. John's in stated payments over a five year period, the sums to be used for the alterations in the present church, for the new straight dark oak pews and woodwork to match, for appropriate artistic lighting fixtures, for changing the location of the font, and for all necessary painting, frescoing and renovation.
The plan of the interior of the auditorium was changed to accommodate the organ by the building of a chancel extending westward from the former church wall some thirty feet. The choir stalls were then put into this new chancel, and the organ was placed behind the splendid hand-carved screens of Gothic tracery. The lectern was placed at the left of the front chancel in front of the minister's desk, and the elevated and carved pulpit at the right front. At the extreme end of the chancel was placed a simple altar on which were arranged the silver candlesticks, the bible stand, and the cross, gifts of Mr. Whitney. The woodwork everywhere was stained dark to match the handsome pews. Mahogany hymn boards at the front of the Church matched the design of the new mahogany bulletin boards in the main vestibule and the chapel vestibule. Incidentally, the Whitney bequest also furnished the funds for the handsome mahogany furniture of the main vestibule
[88]
- desk, bulletin board, umbrella stand, and carved pew. The beautifully wrought silver candlesticks and cross on our new altar had been purchased in an old shop by Mr. Frederick Whitney while he was traveling in Italy, having been salvaged from a ruined chapel by an antique dealer there. These purchases had been made many years before the remodelling ever was begun, but had been kept with his other objects of art until a suitable place for them could be made at St. John's. Mr. Walter E. C. Worth knew this, and saw to it that these were given to the Church from Mr. Whitney's personal effects. The silver stand for the bible was purchased in New York to match as well as possible the other silver pieces. The bible on this stand was the gift of Mr. Harold Whitney.
A partial transcript of the Building Committee's report says further: "The Chapel has also been newly decorated, new floors laid, electric lighting apparatus and new furnishings installed. A parish house has been built, two stories in height, with a large recreation room in the basement. The construction of this parish house necessitated the moving of the parsonage nearer the street and onto the land formerly covered by the Train house" (which had been sold and moved to Spring Terrace by Mr. Edward C. Hall).
For the benefit of posterity, more miscellaneous facts about the remodelling will be added here. The dining room area was doubled by adding to the original room from the unfinished basement under the auditorium. The kitchen, originally at the southwest end of the dining room, farthest from the stairs, was newly built in the opposite end, under the rear of the chapel and Epworth League room; this was one great improvement, and another was the inclu- sion in the plans of a "serving room" between kitchen and dining room, which lessened the confusion in the former, and reduced the noise from clattering dishes in the latter. The toilet rooms which formerly occupied that area were then placed in the parish house.
When all had been thoroughly planned and discussed, the Sunday School accommodations in church and parish house emerged as follows: the Junior Department met in the chapel. The Epworth League met (Sundays at 6.45 p.m.) in its new room at the rear of the chapel which had formerly been the home of the Primary Department and Library. The Kindergarten met as before upstairs over the new League room. The Primary Department was among those having new accommodations in the Parish House, this group meeting in a large room on the first floor back. (Opposite this room
[89]
was the pastor's new study, the old study next to the auditorium having been furnished with wardrobes and remade into a room for the choir.) The Philathea Class occupied the two connecting class- rooms on the first floor. The remaining space on this floor was taken by the kitchenette, closets, and fine new ladies' parlor. The Ladies' Aid furnished their new parlor lavishly at an expense of $2,500, and many gift pictures and lamps increased the attractive- ness of the room. The furniture (mahogany) came from William Leavens & Co., Boston, and included many Windsor chairs, a large gate-legged table, tea wagon, desk, refectory table with three high- backed chairs (for presiding officers), and heavy "overstuffed" easy chairs and davenport upholstered in blue mohair. The color scheme of blue and taupe was carried out in the broadloom rug in plain taupe, and in the blue overdraperies. A fine new Vose grand piano and handsome brass fireplace fittings completed the beautiful room.
The basement of the Parish House was occupied by the furnace rooms, closets, lavatory, and recreation room (gymnasium), a room in use for basket ball games many nights of the week by members of the boys' classes.
The second floor of the building was also given over to the Sunday School, with Junior Philathea, Wesley, and Whitney Class rooms across the front, and the Intermediate Department's rooms in the back. The separate classrooms were furnished for the most part by their proud new occupants, the Sunday School treasury supplying new pianos where they were needed. St. John's could well boast the best all-round accommodations for its members anywhere in the vicinity. And to complete the furnishings which the Church needed at this time, Mr. David R. Jones presented to the Trustees a fireproof safe so that records might be gathered together and kept out of all harm as long as the Church should last. During the year 1925 a great effort was made to collect all existing records, and those which were turned in at that time have been of utmost importance in tracing this history.
The record of this "remodelling" work may be completed by a few sentences. During the summer of 1924, the construction of the new chancel and the renovating of the auditorium progressed fast, but for a month in the fall the congregation had to meet in the hall of the East Junior High School and for two months in our own chapel. We moved back into the auditorium the Sunday before Christmas, 1924, the organ being dedicated at an afternoon concert
[ 90 ]
INTERIOR OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, 1936
---
given by Mr. William E. Zeuch. The crowds from all over the town attending the church services during the winter of 1924-25 were extraordinary, both chapel and auditorium often being filled by the curious and the admiring of other congregations.
For the Parish House a Corner-Stone Laying Service was held on October 5, 1924, with special greetings from Dr. J. M. Shepler, Mr. Herbert L. Paine, Mr. Virgil C. Brink, Mrs. Phoebe A. Paine, and Mr. Lawrence Gentleman. An historical statement was pre- pared by Mr. Wilbur F. Learned and read by Miss E. Louise Richardson, and Dr. Taylor gave a fine pastoral address. Mr. Homer C. Perkins then listed the contents of the corner stone. The benediction was given by Dr. William R. Richardson.
The collector was able to report an excellent average of pay- ments made on the pledges of 1924 during the five-year period over which they extended. For the first year he reckoned on 253 sub- scriptions, a total of $61,500 (subscribed over five years) and received $16,000 of it during the first twelve months. By Sep- tember, 1927, although the number of bona fide pledges was down to 248, there was a total of $63,235 pledged, of which $36,842 had been received. Eventually the entire mortgage was paid off (1933); and the Union Market National Bank, the mortgagor, could com- pliment the Church on its rapid and satisfactory closing of the debt. The largest amount against the Church which the bank held in its mortgage was $55,000. During this period of great effort, many special Christmas and Easter offerings were used to reduce the mortgage, too, as for instance when the Easter offering in 1924 amounted to $172, the Christmas to $543, and the special "Corner- Stone Offering" to $532 in 1925. It would be hard to find a member or an organization of St. John's who did not do everything possible to contribute towards defraying the cost of the remodelling. No single private subscriptions will be enumerated here, but it must be recorded that all societies did their share, especially the Ladies' Aid with its large subscription of $5,000, paid off in three years, and its second subscription of $2,500, and the third of $2,500, making $10,000 in all paid in the five-year subscription period!
In the meanwhile further sums were paid annually to the Trustees from the Frederick A. Whitney estate, as provided for the church in his will - $1,200 for 4 years and $6,000 a year for 16 years, after his death, until 1941, in other words. The total cost of the "remodelling" had been $155,000, approximately apportioned, as
[9] ]
mentioned before, into: $25,000 for organ; $35,000 for chancel enlargement, etc .; and $95,000 for parish house, moving of the parsonage, dining room and kitchen alterations, etc. The amounts of $25,000 and $35,000 were paid directly by the Whitney executors. St. John's members and organizations gave about $58,000 (actual amount collected from the five-year subscriptions for a larger sum) from subscriptions and special offerings. The deficit of approxi- mately $36,000 was made up by the year 1933, through these Whitney bequest payments which came in annually. Since 1933 the Trustees have been putting the larger part of this sum each year into a special reserve fund and the interest on the fund will be of great assistance to future St. John's budgets.
Naturally all these extra subscription accounts made a great deal more work for the church collector, Mr. Wallace A. Shipton. His competent grasp of the situation and his reports deserve broadest commendation. Duties laid upon the church treasurer during the remodelling period were also extremely heavy, and Mr. Herbert Paine's fine handling of the floods of extra bills and accounts will never be forgotten by a grateful official board.
A brief study of church departments during these busy years showed one and all to be working hard for the Remodelling Fund in all their spare moments. From the vantage point of 1936, the period from 1922 to 1927 shows that church financial affairs mirrored the extraordinarily prosperous affairs of the nation as a whole. Budgets were large, but everyone earned enough to meet them. The largest church budget of all our history was passed in March, 1927, for the fiscal year 1927-28. A comparison of this budget with that of 1936- 37 will show that "Times have changed!" indeed. But the sums to make up the budget of 1927 were collected without difficulty, and are included here to remind us of those prosperous days.
Pastor's salary, $5,000; District Superintendent, $350; con- ference expenses, $60; bishop, $112; sexton's salary, $1,664; light- ing, $400; fuel, $1,200; water, $50; printing, $350; insurance, $400; music, $1,600; pastor's supplies, $350; weekly offering envelopes, $55; taxes, $250; collector's expenses, $50; collector's salary, $250; miscellaneous, $300; repairs, $200; pastor's assistant, $350; Fed- eration of Churches, $25; interest, $2,880. Total current expenses thus were $15,896; World Service was $5,000; total budget was $20,896.
Church and society officers from 1923 to 1927 are listed as
[ 92 ]
follows: Ladies' Aid, president from 1923-27, Mrs. Phoebe A. Paine; Men's Club, 1923-24, Mr. J. B. Thornby; 1924-25, Mr. Clarence Frounfelker; 1925-26, Mr. A. J. Phillips; 1926-27, Mr. William R. Beale; Epworth League, 1923-24, Mr. Paul E. Chase; 1924-25, Mr. Lawrence Gentleman; 1925-26, Mr. Wilmot Evans; 1926-27, Mr. Gordon Kenison; and Sunday School 1923-25, Mr. Virgil C. Brink, followed by Mr. Arthur Watts, who now (1936) is in his eleventh year of splendid management.
Stewards for the Church as the 1917-27 decade ended were: Messrs. W. W. Babcock, James Bailey, Edward A. Bancroft, William R. Beale, Virgil C. Brink, George C. Campbell, Leroy M. Chase, Paul E. Chase, Charles A. Day, George W. Delmage, W. G. Frazee, C. L. Frounfelker, Fred F. Hale, Richard M. Hatch, Albert E. Hicks, Erwin Kenison, Clifford S. Lovell, Fred W. MacFarland, W. Irving Middleton, Sr., K. Chesley Minty, Arthur J. Phillips, Adam Ross, A. Lester Shipton, Wallace Shipton, Carlos P. Tute, Arthur L. Watts, William Wells, Byron Scribner, and Mrs. Clifford S. Lovell, Mrs. Homer C. Perkins, and Miss Nellie Turkington.
The Trustees in 1927 were Mr. Richard H. Paine, president, and Brothers L. Sidney Cleveland, William W. Corson, David R. Jones, A. Alonzo Huse, Wilbur F. Learned, Herbert L. Paine, Homer C. Perkins, and Bartlett M. Shaw. Apropos of Trustees' affairs, it is pleasing to relate that their president Mr. Richard H. Paine and Mrs. Paine had a Golden Wedding anniversary in November, 1925, and the Trustees extended to them a cordial invitation to hold this celebration in the newly renovated church. Mr. and Mrs. Paine accepted, and a "second wedding" for them was held in the auditorium, Lohengrin's Wedding March and all, the "bride" being attended by her daughter Mildred Paine Hartford (Mrs. Alton Hartford), and the "groom" by his son, Mr. Herbert L. Paine. Little Harriet Paine Hartford was flower girl, and a charm- ing service was conducted by Dr. Taylor. Afterwards a friendly and joyful reception was held in the ladies' parlor.
The chapter must be ended with a paragraph of miscellaneous but very important facts. First is an acknowledgment of the repeated generosity of Mr. David R. Jones in having his men attend to shovelling snow and ice from the valleys of our church roof every winter. Melted ice was likely to back up under the slates and add to the danger of leaks in the deep valleys, and the many hours of labor of Mr. Jones' men prevented this from happening.
[ 93]
A receipted bill for it all was received from Mr. Jones year after year. Second is the acknowledgment of the hand-made and hand- carved mahogany offering box presented to St. John's by Mr. Cornelius Hodges, his own work, in December, 1927. This well- proportioned box is always used on the occasion of large special offerings, as at Christmas and Easter, the contents of the brass offering plates being put into this one large receptacle and carried by two ushers to the altar. Third and last is the item of insurance: after much research and discussion on the matter, it was unani- mously decided to raise the fire insurance on the church, since of course, including the new organ, well over $100,000 more value resided in the premises now than formerly. $192,000 was therefore decided upon as a safe figure to cover church, organ, chimes, parish house, parsonage, and garage, and for this amount the property was insured in 1927.
[ 94]
CHAPTER XI
THE DECADE 1927-1936
AFTER the prolonged excitement and herculean efforts of the "remodelling" years, the return to the more even keel of ordinary church sailing is bound to seem an anti-climax. But all the societies worked, played, and worshipped in their new quarters with great enjoyment, and if the records no longer bristle with excitement, neither do they rumble with dissatisfaction. The decade proved, however, to be one when many influential and beloved church members were to be removed from our congregation by death, many most unexpectedly, and the roll of trustees and stewards has many changes from year to year.
In 1928, Mr. Richard H. Paine, who had been president of the trustees for seventeen years, felt compelled to resign his office because of feeble health. He remained on the Board, however. Mr. Bartlett M. Shaw was unanimously elected president to succeed Mr. Paine. In the next few years the Board was to lose the valued service and cherished friendship of the following splendid men : Mr. Wilbur Learned died in 1930, after many years of meticulous service as clerk of the Trustees. His place had hardly been filled on the Board by Mr. James Bailey, when, in June of 1931, death claimed Mr. Bartlett M. Shaw, the president, and the whole Church mourned the passing of a wise and generous Christian. Mr. Richard H. Paine, formerly the president of the Board, died in 1932, after a service of forty years, and Mr. William W. Corson in 1933, after forty-nine years of service. Mr. L. Sidney Cleveland, a Trustee for forty-five years, a president for over ten, and chairman of the Building Committee of this Church in 1895, was called from us in August of 1933, as was also Mr. James Bailey. New members were elected by the Quarterly Conference from time to time to fill the vacancies thus created on the Board, but the new group went to work very sadly missing their late eminent companions. To mention only a few of the others who had planned and worked for St. John's,
[95]
whose loss is keenly felt by those left to carry on in this hundredth anniversary year, there are: Mr. William W. Babcock, Mr. George C. Campbell, Mrs. L. Sidney Cleveland, Mrs. William W. Corson, Mr. C. C. Hodges, Mrs. Eva B. Lovell, Mr. Fred W. MacFarland, Mr. W. Irving Middleton, Sr., Dr. William G. Richardson, Mrs. Helen Robinson, Mr. Ambrose J. Shipton, Mr. Carlos P. Tute, and Mr. Walter E. C. Worth.
The Trustees are now in possession of two more funds besides the Bostwick Fund for Insurance which had been left to them many years before. Mrs. Helen Robinson left $1,000 for a "Poor Fund." And Mr. Richard H. Paine made provision in his will for a bequest of $5,000 to St. John's. That which pertains to us, read, "Clause First: I give and bequeath to the Trustees of St. John's Methodist Episcopal Church of said Watertown, the sum of $5,000, the same to be applied to the reduction of any mortgage debt on the Church property. If, however, said mortgage debt shall have been paid at the time of my death, or shall have been reduced to below $5,000, then said bequest, or the surplus over and above the sum required to discharge said mortgage debt, shall be held and invested by the Trustees as a fund, the income only of which shall be used for the current running expenses of said church."
The mortgage had been successfully raised a short time before Mr. Paine's death, so the money now stands in a separate fund.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.