USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Pittsfield > Jubilee of the South Congregational Church : November the eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth and sixteenth, nineteen hundred > Part 3
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HEMAN HUMPHREY, D. D. 1779-1861
HISTORY OF THE SOUTH CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH SINCE ITS ORGANIZA- TION IN 1850.
BY FRANK E. PEIRSON, CLERK OF THE CHURCH.
READ SUNDAY EVENING NOVEMBER THE ELEVENTH.
The history of a church can never be fullly written. So much of its life is intangible-the secret prayer, the unconscious in- fluence, the thoughtful solicitude for its welfare; in short, the spiritual forces which so largely affect its material growth- these elude the pen of the historian. All that he can do is to gather up the threads of the outer church life, and between his lines will be read, by the initiated, many a story of self-sacrifice and devotion which, if they could be fully brought to light, would put to shame his formal words.
We begin our story of the past fifty years with the church edi- fice, but to make clear why its present location was chosen it is necessary to go back to an earlier period and to briefly recall something of ancient history. The church building stands on a part of the original Settling Lot Number 15 South. Through various hands the church site came, in 1788, to Ash- bel Strong, son of Rev. Thomas Strong of New Marlborough, a prominent Pittsfield lawyer, who built and lived in the house now standing just north of the church. He was active in a controversy in the First church about 1807, which in 1809 led to the incorporation of what was known as Union Parish-a dis-
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tinct church organization. A full account of this controversy i's given in the History of Pittsfield, and need not here be re- stated. Suffice it to say, that in order to provide the new church with a suitable place of worship, Thomas Barnard Strong, a nephew of Ashbel, to whom the ownership of the land had come after his uncle's death, conveyed to John Chandler Williams, a leading member of Union Parish, by deed dated April 4, 1811, a piece of land 49 feet on South street and extending westward- ly 88 feet, with the proviso, "that as the said land is granted for a site for a "Meeting House," no building should be placed upon it within 16 feet of the highway, the probable object of this re- striction being to prevent its possible use for business purposes. Upon this site, in 1811, the Union Parish Meeting House was built. At the reuniting of the Union parish with the First, in 1817, the new church was abandoned, and apparently in ac- cordance with the spirit of this union the property was convey- ed by John C. Williams to Lemuel Pomeroy, the deed of convey- ance, dated February 18, 1819, containing this condition: "That this deed is to be utterly void if the said Lemuel, his heirs, exec- utors, administrators or assigns, shall at any time hereafter suffer the said estate conveyed by this deed to be used or occupied as a place of public worship without the consent of the Congrega- tional Society of the Town of Pittsfield, it being understood by the contracting parties that the accommodations for religious worship in the center of said town are already sufficiently com- modiou's."
This was undoubtedly true in 1819, and to preserve the integ- rity of Pittsfield Congregationalism it was perhaps well that this condition was inserted in the deed. But 10 years later a relig- ious society occupied the building, and within 30 years a new Congregational church organized from the First parish and with its free consent and approbation, occupied the site.
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After the reunion of the parishes, the old Union Meeting House, a plain structure with a modest spire, was remodeled, made into a two-story building, the lower floor used for a time by the Pittsfield Female Academy and subsequently for school purposes and the upper floor devoted to various uses, religious and secular, In 1830 it was the first place of worship of the newly organized Episcopal church. In 1834 it was the meeting place of a number of First church people, who, disapproving of the attitude of the then pastor regarding re- vival measures, held separate services, though without any for- mal church organization. For a number of years it served as a lecture room for the First parish, and the First church records tell of its being struck by lightning during a Sunday evening meeting in 1835. And all along, side by side with these relig- ious uses, it served the community as a public entertainment hall.
In 1849 it was removed a short distance north from its orig- inal site to make room for the erection of the first South church.
On September 15 of that year, Saturday morning, between 3 and 4 o'clock it was set on fire, probably by design, and, with the nearly completed church adjoining, was entirely destroyed.
Congregationalism in Pittsfield had grown and flourished with the growth of the town, and the church accommodations for which, in 1819, one church building had been deemed " suffi- ciently commodious" were found to be too small in 1847. In- deed for several years before, the need of a new church was ob- vious. It was but natural that the old First church should seek to postpone the separation as long as possible, and equally to be expected was the difficulty of deciding who should sever their church relations and become pioneers in the new field. In 1847 a meeting of the First parish was held, and it was voted: That it was necessary and expedient that another church should be built, and that those who were willing to engage in the en-
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terprise should have the sympathy and aid of their brethren. As the result of this meeting and vote, subscriptions were solicited, and a sum considered sufficient for the erection of a house of worship was secured. The largest contributor towards the new church was William M. Ward, who gave $1,000. Wellington H. Tyler, the principal of Maplewood Institute gave $500, and for the accommodation of his pupils was set apart the entire gallery at the east end of the church, with the exception of four seats in the center which the choir occupied.
On the 8th of May, 1848, the society was formally organized as the South Congregational Parish, under a warrant from Cal- vin Martin, Justice of the Peace, at a meeting held in the First church Lecture Room-not the old Lecture Room on South street which the First church had abandoned several years be- fore, but the then new Lecture Room which stood at the north- east corner of the church.
The parish had an original membership of sixteen, as follows: William M. Ward, Curtis T. Fenn, Charles Hulbert, Welcome S. Howard, Ebenezer Dunham, Henry G. Davis, Charles Montague, Oliver S. Root, Theodore Hinsdale, Avery Carey, William M. Walker, Lewis Stoddard, Wellington H. Tyler, William S. Wells, Merrick Ross and James H. Dunham.
These sixteen were the legal members of the new parish, but others in the First church were interested in the colonizing movement, gave it their active aid and co-operation, and when the new church edifice was ready for use in 1850 joined the parish. Prominent among these was Dr. Heman Humphrey, whose influence and wise counsels had much to do with estab- lishing the organization upon a firm basis. His associates were William L. Peck, Jason Parsons, Josiah Carter, Avery Williams, Bernice Granger, Aaron Clough, Edward Goodrich, Calvin Mar- tin, Amos Barnes, James Dunham, Nelson J. Wilson, Noah Pix-
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ley, William Hubbard, Thomas Taylor, Nelson Tracy, Solomon Wilson, Bradford B. Page, Phineas L. Page, A. K. Parsons, Charles B. Golden, Titus M. Roberts, William Robinson, Wil- liam Coleman, Anselm C. Burt, Alanson Stevens, Henry B. Brewster, James A. Bell, Henry P. Barnes and Edward Tyler.
The officers chosen at the first parish meeting were :- Theo- dore Hinsdale, moderator; Oliver S. Root, clerk; Merrick Ross, James H. Dunham and Welcome S. Howard, prudential com- mittee; Curtis T. Fenn, treasurer; Theodore Hinsdale, collector.
The parish having been formally organized with funds in hand: for the erection of a church building, preparations were actively begun. At a parish meeting, held May 10, 1848, W. H. Tyler, O. S. Root, Avery Carey, James H. Dunham and William M. Walker, were chosen a committee to procure a plan for a church edifice, and W. H. Tyler, Avery Carey, Ebenezer Dun- ham, Charles Hulbert and Lewis Stoddard, were chosen a Build- ing Committee.
On the 22nd of May, Charles Hulbert was excused from serv- ing on this Committee and Amos Barnes and Calvin Martin were added. On the 12th of June the committee previously ap- pointed reported a plan for the proposed church, the design of Richard Bond, a Boston architect, which plan was adopted and placed in the hands of the Building Committee, who were au- thorized to advertise for proposals.
There was no question about the site of the new church. The Union Parish had established that years before. The formal con- veyance from Lemuel Pomeroy to "The Members of the South Congregational Society" is dated June 19, 1848, and covers not only the original Union Parish lot but an addition on the west of 51 by 42 feet. This deed included also the old "Lecture Room." The consideration named in the deed is $2150, a large portion of which is understood to have been a contribution from
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Mr. Pomeroy. The Parish records contain no reference to this purchase, and it was presumably made out of the general sub- scription, with which the Parish as such, seems to have had nothing to do. In connection with this purchase, was the gift from the trustees of the Congregational Ministerial Fund, auth- orized by a vote of the First Congregational Society, passed April 10, 1848, of a strip of land 30 feet wide south of the lot obtained from Mr. Pomeroy. On the 26th of June the parish ap- pointed a committee to see if land near the church could be pur- chased for the erection of horse sheds, but nothing appears to have been done about it.
A proposition to enlarge and repair the Lecture Room build- ing-the old Union Parish meeting house-for the use of the new society met with little favor. This was not what the sub- scribers to the new church wished. They wanted a building that would be an ornament to the town, as well as a fitting place of worship for the new parish. The plan adopted was indeed a little too elaborate for the funds in hand, and on the 9th of July the Building Committee reported that the proposals received for the building exceeded the means of the society by from $1,000 to $1,500, and so Dr. Humphrey, Theodore Hinsdale, W. H. Ty- ler, O. S. Root, C. T. Fenn and J. H. Dunham, were appointed a committee to solicit further subscriptions. This committee reported on the 16th of July that $375 additional had been se- cured. On the 7th of August the Building Committee was in- structed to make a sale of the old Lecture Room.
From this period until the spring of 1850 there is a blank in the official parish record, which can only be filled by informa- tion derived from outside sources. The work went forward. A contract for the erection of a new church building, in accord- ance with the plan that had been adopted, was made with Rich- mond B. Stewart, the contract price being $8,500. The foun-
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dation was put in during the fall of 1848, and on the 25th of December of that year the corner-stone was laid, with an address by Rev. Dr. Todd.
It was the second week in September, 1849. The American Board was, for the first time, holding its meetings in Pittsfield, and the town was filled with strangers of note. It was but nat- ural that among the attractions of the village their attention should have been called to the new and handsome church, then receiving its finishing touches, and doubtless many were the con- gratulations extended to the projectors of the new enterprise on what seemed to be the successful ending of their arduous work. But life has many disappointments. Early on the morning of the last day of the week, the church was entirely destroyed by fire. We quote from a contemporary newspaper account: "The fire, which was doubtless the work of an incendiary, originated in the old Lecture Room, which building had been occupied as a shop for the carpenters of the new church. There was much combustible material in it, and the flame soon communicated to the new edifice, and bade defiance to the utmost exertions of the firemen. The airy, graceful spire,
-"a pencil on the sky,"
which had been the cynosure of all eyes for a few days previous, sparkled and shone, and sunk at last, a stream of lurid light."
It is possible that this picturesque sight may have suggested to Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, then living in Pittsfield, this couplet in his vivid description of spring:
"The oriole drifting like a flake of fire
Rent by the whirlwind from a blazing spire."
Among the incidents of this fire, it is recalled that Deacon Dunham, eager and active to save the church that lay so near his heart, himself led the efforts of the firemen who had hesi- tated through fear that the spire, which towered to a height of
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206 feet from the ground, would fall upon them. But all effort was in vain. The church was consumed, and nothing remained above the foundations. The foundation walls even were so affected as to require rebuilding, with the exception of the southwest corner which now stands, as originally laid. The six columns in front of the present church had been made ready for the first edifice, but had not been placed in position and so were saved. The contractor held a "builders risk" on the church, but because of stories charging him with setting the fire the insur- ance was withheld until thorough investigation had been made, which investigation fully exonerated him.
The burning of the new church was regarded as a loss not only to the society directly interested, but to the town as well, and on the Monday evening following the fire a largely-attended public meeting was held at Burbank's hall, to express the public sympathy and to devise means of relief. At this meeting Gov. Briggs presided and made an address. Other speakers were Julius Rockwell, Rev. Dr. Dewey, Rev. Dr. Humphrey, Calvin Martin, Levi Goodrich, Rev. W. H. Tyler, Rev. Bradley Miner and Thomas B. Strong. A financial statement was presented, from which it appears that the amount available for rebuilding was $8850; but that, as the original contract did not provide for the completion of the Lecture Room, nor for a bell nor for any furnishing of the building, an additional sum of $3500 was need- ed. It was also asked that some $500 or $600, in addition, be raised for the relief of Mr. Stewart, the contractor, who had been a loser by the fire.
The spirit of the meeting is shown by the following resolu- tions:
Resolved: That while we feel unbounded confidence in the wisdom of an over-ruling Providence, and humbly bow to His will, we deeply mourn and sympathize in the loss and disappoint-
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ment occasioned by the burning of the beautiful church edifice in South street, so nearly completed, and which promised to be an ornament and a blessing to our village, as well as a most in- viting house of worship.
Resolved: That we earnestly recommend to our friends, who were engaged in erecting this building for the accommoda- tion of the increasing population of this growing and prosperous town, that, so far from abandoning the enterprise, they take immediate measures to rebuild on the same foundations, and without any material alteration in the plans.
A committee, consisting of Julius Rockwell, Moses H. Bald- win, O. S. Root, Amos Barnes and James H. Dunham, was ap- ponted to solicit subscriptions from the citizens of the town. On the 25th of October following, this committee, having de- layed until the amount required could be ascertained with cer- tainty, issued an appeal to the citizens, stating that the Build- ing Committee of the new parish had arranged for a new con- tract with Mr. Stewart, including the completion of the Lecture Room, the building of a bank wall, etc., for $11,000, and that consequently about $3000 additional was required. The com- mittee say:
We are quite aware that the chief reliance for the raising of these funds must be upon those who are connected with the Congregational denomination, but the generous sympathies and true Christian feeling manifested by our fellow-citizens of other denominations, convince us that it will be proper to make our applications open to all, in accordance with the friendly feelings which so happily exist between all our religious socie- ties and their members.
If the requisite funds can be obtained the enterprise will now go forward. The question now is, shall it be carried out, or shall the idea of providing additional means of religious wor-
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ship and instruction, which are now, by the general consent, required by the prosperity and increased population of the town, be advanced or delayed, when more than two-thirds of the means are provided? We think it is the general wish of our citizens that this additional fountain of religious instruction should be opened without unnecessary delay.
We shall deem it our duty to apply particularly to those whose means have not been burdened with other enterprises of the like kind.
The statement in the last paragraph of this appeal has ref- erence to the fact that, at this time, the Baptist and Methodist societies were rebuilding their churches, and that St. Stephen's church had lately been remodeled. It was not to be expected therefore that the friendly feeling of these societies could afford much material aid. That their members contributed something is doubtless true, but the great bulk of the subscriptions must have come from the Congregationalists of the town.
The total amount subscribed was $4050. This enabled the Building Committee to somewhat enlarge their contract with Mr. Stewart, $11,500 being the contract price as finally fixed. The subscriptions took the form of notes payable to the parish in three annual instalments, with interest payable annually. The payments must have been promptly met, and the shrink- age wonderfully small, for at the end of the three years the pru- dential committee was enabled to report that the church was paid for and that a balance of $40 remained in the treasury.
In writing of this period, the late Welcome S. Howard, on whom as a member of the Prudential Committee, had devolved much of the work of collecting these subscription notes, said: "We had now reached a stage in our enterprise where success seemed assured, and we could look over the way in which the Lord had brought us, through much tribulation, toil and disas-
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ter, to a place where we could enjoy a season of rest from the toil, care and trouble which had marked our progress in the past."
The church was dedicated on the 13th of November, 1850, the sermon being preached by Rev. Mark Hopkins, President of Will- iams college, from I. Corinthians, 3 : 17, last clause-"For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."
In accordance with Congregational usages, the house of wor- ship had been built by the Parish. For its proper ecclesiastical use a church organization was necessary. The South Congrega- tional church was organized on the 12th of November, 1850, with a membership of 130-48 men and 82 women. Of the original members only four are now living in this city-William Robinson and William H. Kendall of the men, and Miss Maria R. Frost and Mrs. Caroline Tolman of the women.
These 130 original members had all been members of the First church, and were regularly dismissed for the purpose of organ- izing the new body. The following is from the record made by Dr. Todd, the First church pastor:
November 10, 1850. The new church edifice in South street having been completed and ready for occupancy, members of the church, who had come to the conclusion that it was their duty to become a church to occupy said building, presented the follow- ing request: "We whose names are inscribed as members of the First Congregational church in Pittsfield, desirous of enlarging the borders of Zion by a new organization upon the same doc- trinal and ecclesiastical basis, in this place, hereby request let- ters of dismission and recommendation to a Council for the pur- pose of being formed into a separate Congregational church, to worship in the new edifice just completed on South street. (Then follows the list of 130 names.)
At a regular meeting of the First Congregational church in
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Pittsfield, held November 10, 1850, the following preamble and resolutions were unanimously passed, viz .:
Whereas, a large number of the church, whose names are above prefixed, have this day requested of us Letters of Dismis- sion and Recommendation to an Ecclesiastical Council, to be or- ganized into a new Congregational church on the same basis and platform of doctrine as our own.
Therefore, Resolved,
1. That this church would devoutly render thanks to God for the peace, harmony and prosperity which we have so long been permitted to enjoy; for the Revivals of Religion which the great Head of the church has been pleased to grant us; and for the hope which we indulge that in our worship and fellowship and our charities our Lord hath accepted us.
Resolved, 2. That we rejoice in the abundant assurance which our Brethren and Sisters have given us that they sepa- rate from us out of no disputes, faction or ill will, or any inter- ruption of Christian love and fellowship, or any motive but the single desire to afford more ample accommodation for the en- largement of Zion.
Resolved, 3. That we cordially dismiss them and recommend them to the Council about to be convened, as members in good and regular standing, and that when organized into a church their relations to our particular church shall cease, and that our prayer for them shall ever be that they may grow and abund- antly prosper, and accomplish the great and good end for which they go out from us.
By unanimous vote of the church.,
J. TODD, Pastor.
Pittsfield, November 11, 1850.
In Dr. Todd's Historical Sermon, delivered February 3, 1873, is an interesting account of the formation of the South church, as
THE REVEREND ROSWELL FOSTER 1824-1892.
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viewed by the First church pastor, from which is taken the fol- lowing:
"When the old church had become full, so that there were two or three families to one pew, and in one case seven families in one, it became evident that we must, in some way, have enlarge- ment. Various plans were talked of, till at length it resulted, as it usually does in such cases, in having the young, the hope- ful and the active, conclude to emigrate, and form a new church. The good Dr. Humphrey led the colony. We dismissed one hundred and thirty members of the church in one day, and twenty more a few days after, to form the South church.
But always when a swarm goes out of a hive, it seems at first, as if all were gone. Our colony took half of our officers, most of our choir, our Sabbath School teachers, the working power of the church and the youth of the congregation. It was the largest membership I ever knew given at one time by a single church."
Previous to the formal organization of the church, a committee, consisting of Dr. Heman Humphrey, Amos Barnes, C. T. Fenn, Merrick Ross and William M. Ward, had been ap- pointed to report Articles of Faith and Covenant, and their re- commendation of the Covenant formerly used by the First church, with some changes, was adopted. It is interesting to note that in this Covenant the members promised to maintain family prayers. It recommended to the examining committee, in estimating the evidences of piety of candidates for church membership, to have regard to the clear light which has been thrown upon the sale and use of intoxicating liquors as a beve- rage, upon dancing and similar worldly amusements, and upon such practices in the community about us as are reasonably the occasion of offence and stumbling when indulged in by profess- ing Christians.
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At a meeting of the church, November 25, 1850, the first dea- cons were chosen. The deacons of this church have ever been men of the highest integrity, and the influence for good that they have put forth cannot be estimated. Their enthusiasm and energy have never ceased, and the success and life of the church is in a large measure due to their splendid example and devotion. This is the list from the beginning: Curtis T. Fenn, Thomas Taylor, James H. Dunham, William Robinson, Phineas L. Page, Henry M. Peirson, Albert Tolman, William B. Rice, George Shipton, John H. Eells, John P. Sayles, John S. Wolfe, F. E. Peirson, I. S. F. Dodd.
The church was fortunate in its first pastor. The unanimous call extended to Rev. Samuel Harris of Conway, at a salary of $1200, was accepted, largely through the personal influence of Rev. Drs. Humphrey and Todd, and the installation took place March 12, 1851, Rev. Dr. Nehemiah Adams of Boston giving the sermon and Dr. Todd the Right Hand of Fellowship. Dr. Harris was a graduate of Bowdoin College, of scholarly ability, of the highest personal character, and eminently fitted to or- ganize and successfully establish the new enterprise. After a successful pastorate of four years, during which time 120 were added to the church, he resigned, greatly to the grief of his peo- ple, to become Professor of Theology in the Bangor Theological Seminary, and subsequently President of Bowdoin College and for the last twenty five years of his active life, Professor of Theology at the Yale Divinity School.
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