USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Springfield > King's handbook of Springfield, Massachusetts : a series of monographs, historical and descriptive > Part 15
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The Handel Chorus is a musical society numbering from 100 to 125 ladies and gentlemen, carefully selected and cultured singers, for the study and public performance of the best oratorios and other classical concert music. It is a continuation of the Conservatory Chorus organized in 1874, which subsequently took the name of Beethoven Society, but which in 1881, with some modifications of its constitution, adopted its present title. Its president is Thomas Chubbuck, a city organist and choir-director; and the musical conductor is F. Zuchtmann of the Springfield Conservatory of Music, and professor of music in Amherst College, -both of whom have officially served since 1874. The board of managers are: President Chub- buck, E. Porter Dyer, jun., C. C. Burnett, E. L. Janes, and K. A. Dearden. This society has steadily maintained a high musical reputation by its pub- lic performances of such grand oratorios as Handel's " Messiah," Haydn's " Creation," Mendelssohn's "Elijah," Costa's "Eli" and "Naaman," and
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other noted works of the great composers, in conjunction with the best solo and orchestral talent of the country. The Handel Chorus of Springfield, and the Choral Union of Holyoke, have been the nucleus of the societies comprising the "Connecticut Valley Musical Association," which has held several annual musical festivals, each of three days' continuance, at which celebrated oratorios and orchestral symphonies, with choice miscellaneous concerts, are given before uniformly large audiences and with gratifying success.
The Orchestral Club was organized on May 15, 1875, by nine profes- sional and amateur musicians, with George H. Goodwin as president (who is still in office), Albert H. Kirkham as secretary and treasurer, and Louis Coenen as musical director. Considerable music was bought, and conven- ient rooms were fitted up. In the summer of 1876 the club gave three concerts a week; and the following autumn and winter a series of six con- certs were given in the City Hall, which, although financially a failure, were musically a success. In the autumn of 1877 Mr. Kirkham withdrew; and his successor was H. J. Butler, who was also chosen the business-agent. In the autumn of 1878 other withdrawals took place which unfavorably affected the club. At this time Southland's Orchestra, which had become popular, was also unfortunate in having two of its best musicians taken sick, - E. B. Phelps and W. R. Jocelyn. In preference to getting new men for each club, a consolidation was made in October, of both; the name " The Orchestral Club" being retained. In April, 1879, Mr. Butler accepted a call to the Park Theatre in Boston, where he still performs as contra-bass. He is also a member of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. O. L. Southland was then appointed secretary and treasurer, and has since continued as such. During the autumn of 1880 and the spring of 1881, the club gave nineteen concerts on Saturday afternoons, which proved to be successful in every way. On July 1, 1881, Mr. Coenen resigned ; and the present musical director, R. F. Rollins, was elected in his place. The club has done much to raise the standard of instrumental music, and to train persons for professional work. Among those who have gone from this club, besides Mr. Butler, are W. T. Herrick (cornet), now at the Boston Park Theatre; J. Sheridan (clarinet), at the Boston Museum ; and George C. Felker (flute), now in Boston. The club's business agent is G. H. Southland; and the headquarters are in Room 24, Barnes' Block, No. 396 Main Street.
The Springfield Tonic Sol Fa Association wasorganized in April, 1883, and takes its name from an English method of teaching vocal music, which has been used by Messrs. Seward, Batcheller, and Charmbury in con- ducting institutes, singing-classes, and musical instruction in public schools in Springfield and its vicinity. This method postpones the reading of music from the staff until the pupil has become familiar with intervals and
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scales. The recognition of tones precedes the recognition of the signs of tones. Three regular meetings are to be held each year, in October, Jan- uary, and April. Professor Thomas Charmbury, teacher of music in the West-Springfield public schools, is director of the Choral Union, formed by members of the society. Rev. Julius B. Robinson is president of the asso- ciation, and Miss A. A. Pease secretary.
Zuchtmann's Conservatory of Music is conducted by one of the leading local instructors in vocal music and the culture of the voice, - Frederick Zuchtmann, a German, who received instruction of Walder, Trueutzer, Zöllner, and Schneider. In 1850 he arrived in Boston, where he received pupils, and was organist for several churches. In 1873 he came to Spring- field, and opencd a music-school at 345 Main Street. Three assistants are now employed. For seven years Mr. Zuchtmann has been leader of the glee-club in Amherst College, a position which he resigned the past season in order to accept the supervision of music instruction in the public schools of this city. He is an enthusiastic conductor of choral societies, and has produced here several creditable oratorios.
Little's Brass Band is named for its originator and leader, E. H. Little, a native of Springfield, Ill. He came here a dozen years ago, and in 1881 organized a sextet of brass instruments. This was the nucleus of the pres- ent band of twenty pieces, which can, when occasion requires, be increased to twenty-six pieces. For three years the band has furnished the music for the roller-skating rink. Its services are in greater demand than those of any other brass band the city ever had; and, with its red-and-gold uniforms, it makes an attractive appearance.
Coenen's Orchestra, a new organization, has become known and appre- ciated through its series of weekly concerts of high order given during the winter of 1883-84. The orchestra numbers ten pieces, half the performers being non-residents. Louis Coenen, the leader, was born and received his early education in Rotterdam, Holland, and also his musical education partly of Vieuxtemps at Brussels. He came to Boston in 1858, and to this city in 1865. He is a hard worker, always active, and accomplishing more than ordinary men. As a violinist, he is a fine performer, and a thorough teacher. Most of his pupils, however, are students of the piano and organ. For eight years he led the Orpheus Club, and has been organist and choir- master at the Church of the Sacred Heart since the organization of the parish. As a composer, he is but little known ; although he has written works for orchestra, piano, and organ. Springfield probably owes more to him than to any other person for untiring efforts to raise the standard of musical taste in the city.
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The Religious Organizations.
THE CHURCHES, PAST AND PRESENT PLACES OF WORSHIP, CHRISTIAN AND KINDRED ASSOCIATIONS.
A LMOST the first step the settlers of Springfield took was to prepare to provide themselves with a house of worship; and this acknowledg- ment of a Supreme Being, with all that it implies in the matter of churches, charities, and general philanthropy, has ever since been conspicuously para- mount among the successive generations.
Although the predominant denomination is still the old Orthodox, -now oftentimes designated Congregational Trinitarian, - there have sprung up, and developed into thriving bodies, a variety of denominations; so that, while for a long time the town was an Orthodox settlement, it is now almost metropolitan in its religious character. That active temperament which has characterized the people's movements in all their local enterprises is per- ceptible in the development of the local churches. Here we have an aver- age of almost one congregation to each thousand of population, and of one denomination to each three thousand. The sabbath day, although ob- served far differently from what it was in early Puritan days, is nevertheless as rigidly observed here as it is in any New-England city of its size. The growth of the city, too, can almost be indicated by the increase in the num- ber of its religious organizations. And it is proposed in this chapter briefly to outline the history of all the existing churches or societies, arranging the outlines in the chronological order of the formation of the societies. This arrangement gives some idea of the religious development in the community, and also indicates the period of introduction of foreign elements, and, fur- thermore, how the people, becoming active in mind, seek changes in their spiritual as well as in their temporal affairs.
There are now 32 organizations, which may be classified into denomina- tions as follows : ten Congregational Trinitarian, including three chapels or missions ; four Methodist Episcopal ; five Roman Catholic, including two French churches ; five Baptist, including one colored people's, and two mis- sions ; and one each of the Protestant Episcopal, Unitarian, Universalist, Swedenborgian, Second Advent, French Mission, Zion's (colored) Method- ist, and German Union. Among the local architectural structures worthy of note, the churches stand out prominently to the credit of the city. A view of Springfield from the Arsenal-tower, the Storrs lot, or elsewhere, is
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always bountifully sprinkled with graceful church-spires ; while a closer observation of the exteriors, and a visit to the interiors, will make evident the fact, that the people endeavor to have their houses of worship somewhat characteristic of their own homes and their noteworthy places of business.
The First Church, or, as it is known legally, "The First Church of Christ," and at times " The First Parish Church," dates its history with the settlement of the town, when the settlers agreed in writing on May 14, 1636, to provide them- selves with a min- ister of the gospel. According to Dr. Holland, it was the fourteenth church organized in the Colony of Massa- chusetts Bay. It was some months after this, proba- bly in 1637, that George Moxon be- came the first min- ister of Spring- field. In 1645 the first meeting-house was built, about where the large elm stands, near the south-east cor- .CHUBBUCK. SPRINGFIELD. MS. ner of Court First Parish Church, Court Square Square. It was 40 feet long and 25 feet wide, faced south, and had two large windows on each side, and a smaller one at each end, with a large door on the southerly side and two smaller ones. It had a shingled roof, - a rare thing at that time, -and two turrets, one for the bell, the other for the watch-tower. This church narrowly escaped destruction by Indians in 1675, and was succeeded in 1677 by the second house of worship; a more commodious structure than its predecessor, and situated a little farther west, almost within the limits of the present Court Square. After 75 years service, this gave way, in 1752, to the next (or third) meeting-house. This in turn surpassed the two former structures. It was 60 feet long by 46 wide, and 26 feet high between joints, and stood directly east of the present edifice, with a main entrance on the east side, and a
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second entrance through the tower. In 1819 the present (or fourth) church was built west of Court Square, on the north side of Elm Street. It is 90 feet long and 72 feet wide. Its cost, beyond what could be realized from the old meeting-house, was not to exceed $15,000, which was to be raised by disposing of 300 shares at $50 each. About 1826 the people began to weary of carrying to church their foot-stoves, and of trying "to grin and bear the cold." They accordingly voted to put in a furnace, and also "to put in frames of doors covered with flannel, and with hinges on one side, to be hung inside of the doors leading into the body of the house." In 1842 action was taken toward building a vestry or parish-house. Ten years later, came some of those interior alterations which make the difference between the old and modern styles of churches. First gas, with gas-fixtures, was introduced. In 1854 the old-fashioned high pulpit made its first descent, and some years later made its second. In 1862 cushions were put in. In 1.864 general alterations were made. In 1867 a new chapel was voted for, but was not fully consummated until 1872, when, from plans by E. C. Gard- ner, the present brick chapel just west of the church was built, chiefly on land bought of Dr. Jefferson's church for $8,000. In 1881 still further alterations were made : the organ-loft was transferred from front to back, the old lowered pulpit replaced by the present desk, the grand organ and the handsome brass chandelier put in, and the Holly steam-heating appa- ratus introduced.
A strange custom seems to have prevailed, from the time of the building of the first church to the present one, of periodically assigning seats to the congregation, "higher or lower," at the discretion of the committee appointed for the purpose. In January, 1665, an order of the selectmen is recorded, in which it appears that " Hee or shee that shall not take his or her seate ordered ym fro tyme to tyme, but shall in ye days or tymes of Gods Publike worship Goe into & abide in any other seate, appointed for some other. Such disorderly person or persons for ye first offence shall forfeit three shillings four pence to ye towne's treasury." It was also ordered that the seat called the guard seat should be for smaller boys to sit in, " that they may be more in sight of ye congregation." Up to 1751 great care was taken to seat the men and women in separate seats. Such have been the only four places of worship in nearly 250 years ; and a glance at the record of the eight successive settled ministers, until the present, shows that the average service was over 30 years. Mr. Moxon was pastor until 1652, when he withdrew. Then followed seven years during which the church was un- able to secure the services of a settled minister for any length of time, and the services were often conducted by laymen. In July, 1659, Pelatiah Glover preached his first sermon, and received ordination June IS, 1661, as the second minister of Springfield, and remained as such until his death, March
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29, 1692. It was in 1675, during his pastorate, that the town was almost wholly destroyed by hostile Indians. The next pastor, Daniel Brewer, a graduate of Harvard in 1687, was ordained May 16, 1694, and served 40 years, until his death on Nov. 5, 1733.
Three important events during his ministry were the formation of a new parish, on the west side of the river, in 1696; the subsequent separation of the first parish from the town government ; and later, in 1703, the separation of the church and parish of Longmeadow. His successor was Robert Breck, a graduate of Harvard in 1730, at the age of 17. His ordination took place Jan. 26, 1736; and he, like his two predecessors, re- mained in office " un- to death," being in the forty-ninth year of his service when he died, April 23, 1784. Dur- ing this time 331 per- sons were admitted to full communion. The next pastor, Bezaleel Howard, was also a Harvard graduate in 1781. He was or- dained April 27, 1785, and preached until 1803, when by reason of ill health he retired TT.CHUBBUCK. The Third Meeting-House of First Parish. from active service, but continued nomi-
nally as the pastor until the ordination of Samuel Osgood, Jan. 25, 1809, who held office until Nov. 15, 1854. There is probably good reason for the remarkably long service of the settled pastors, when it is considered how much effort was put forth to get satisfactory persons. For instance, Mr. Osgood was the thirty-seventh who preached on trial between the pastorate of himself and his predecessor. Among the thirty-seven was one who had been urgently called, and who accepted; but there was one point to which he steadfastly adhered, while the society with equal firmness resisted. He in- sisted on the society paying him lawful interest on any arrearages of salary that might not be paid at the designated times of payment; and, as the society declined to allow this, he decided not to come.
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Mr. Osgood was a graduate of Dartmouth in 1805, and received the degree of D.D. from Princeton in 1827. At the time of his settlement many churches and ministers were drifting away from Trinitarian Orthodoxy to Unitarian views, but Dr. Osgood held firmly to the old Orthodox stand- ards. In June, 1815, a number of his parishioners more liberally inclined withdrew from the church, and petitioned the Legislature for an Act of incor- poration as the Second Society of the First Parish of Springfield, claim- ing they could no longer profit by Dr. Osgood's ministry. This was granted Feb. 15, 1819, and was the origin of the present Church of the Unity. Dr. Osgood was succeeded Nov. 15, 1854, by Henry M. Parsons, a graduate of Yale, who remained for 16 years, resigning in 1870 to take charge of the Columbus-avenue Union Church in Boston, which he left later for a church in Buffalo, and still later for a church in Toronto. He, like his successor, went away from Springfield very much against wishes of the parishioners, who were well pleased with both of these ministers. His successor was E. A. Reed, who, although not a graduate of a college, was a successful young preacher in New-York State. He was ordained June 14, 1871, and remained till July 11, 1878, when he accepted a call to the Dutch Reformed Church in New-York City. After some months endeavors to find a satis- factory pastor, a call was extended to Edward P. Terhune, D.D., who now officiates, and with his talented wife (Marion Harland) gives great satisfac- tion to the parishioners. He is a graduate of Rutgers College, and was for a long time settled in Newark, N.J. Just previous to his settlement in Springfield he had been spending several years in Europe in recreation and study.
Music, instrumental and vocal, has long been a part of the divine service ; and the old records show where provision was made for "drum call " and a "bass-viol." They also show that in 1810 only $15 was pro- vided for singing, while now a generous expenditure is made for a choir and organist. In 1848 it was voted to build an organ if subscriptions amounting to $1,500 could be raised for that purpose. This was done; and the first organ was put in in 1849, which lasted until 1881, when a grand organ, costing $8,000, was put in. It was built by Steere & Turner of Springfield. It has 51 stops, 2,311 pipes, 9 pedal movements, and an infinite variety of combinations. It is probably the largest and finest organ in the city.
First Methodist-Episcopal Church. - The date of the earliest Method- ist church organization is not definitely known. According to Rev. Dr. William Rice, Bishop Asbury visited Springfield as early as 1791 ; and he was followed by other Methodist itinerants, among whom were George Pickering, Thomas Cooper, Nicholas Snethan, and George Roberts, men distinguished among the Methodist ministers of that day. A society was
3
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formed, and services were regularly held at the houses of a Mr. Sikes and of Deacon John Ashley. This society, however, soon dwindled, owing to death and removals ; and, from 1801 to 1815, only occasional services were held by local preachers living in the vicinity. In 1815 the society was re-organized under the ministry of William Marsh, and the first Methodist church gained a permanent foothold in Springfield, although the society was connected at first with the Tolland (Conn.) Circuit. In 1819 it became a separate church, and Daniel Dorchester was appointed its pastor. During this period the meetings were held alternately at the "Water-shops," and on the "Hill." At the Water-shops, they were held in the old schoolhouse which stood near the corner of Hancock and Central Streets, until it was closed against them by vote of the district; and then, sometimes in private houses, and sometimes in a grove. On the "Hill," the services were held in the Armory Chapel. Occasional services were also held in the old Court- house. In 1820, under the ministry of Moses Fifield, the chapel since known as Asbury Chapel was built at the Water-shops. This chapel was 28 feet by 36, a plain structure, unpainted in the interior, costing about $300. In this year, throughout Massachusetts, there were only 15 Method- ist churches. In accordance with the usages of the Methodist-Episcopal Church, which limits the term of its pastorates, Mr. Fifield was followed by T. C. Pierce, and Mr. Pierce by John W. Hardy. In 1823, during the min- istry of Mr. Hardy, a new and much larger church-building was erected on Union Street, to which the society was transferred, although preaching services were held in Asbury Chapel occasionally from 1823 to 1832. In 1832 regular services were resumed in Asbury Chapel, in connection with the church on Union Street; two ministers being appointed, although the church organization was one. In 1835 the church was divided, and a pastor was appointed to each. The ministers at Asbury Chapel from 1835 to 1844 were : Ebenezer Blake, H. H. White, J. D. Bridge, W. H. Richards, E. Potter, J. Flemming, and E. A. Manning. In 1844 a new church was organized (now Trinity Church), and a new church edifice erected on Pyn- chon Street ; and the membership of Asbury Chapel was transferred to this new organization. About 1856 preaching was resumed at Asbury Chapel; and the pulpit was supplied by M. Raymond, D.D., principal of the Wes- leyan Academy at Wilbraham.
Florence-street Methodist Church. - In 1860 the society whose history has been briefly traced in the above introductory sketch was constituted once more a separate church, and Samuel Jackson became its pastor. This church, therefore, is regarded as the legitimate successor of the first Meth- odist church in Springfield. Mr. Jackson was followed by John C. Smith, Pliny Wood, and N. Fellows. During the pastorate of Mr. Fellows, a new church was built on Florence Street, at a cost of $25,000; and then the name
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of the society was changed to the Florence-street Methodist Church. The new church was dedicated in November, 1866, Bishop M. Simpson preach- ing the dedication sermon. Mr. Fellows was followed in the pastorate by Samuel Roy and Charles D. Hills. During the ministry of Mr. Hills the church edifice was thoroughly remodelled and improved, and a new and con- venient chapel was erected. Mr. Hills was succeeded by F. K. Stratton, W. C. High, Joseph Scott, and E. P. King. The present pastor is V. M. Simons. The membership in the church is now 192. There is a sabbath school connected with the society, with 28 teachers and 272 scholars, and about 500 volumes in the library. The Florence-street Church has been largely indebted to the liberality of Horace Smith in the erection both of its church and its chapel. Mr. Smith also gave the largest subscription to the Trinity Methodist Church, and has contributed generously for the erec- tion of other churches in the city.
The First Baptist Church was started early in this century, in the Water-shops District, where there had been for some time a few believers cherishing Baptist views. These met occasionally for prayer and mutual instruction, and were strengthened by visits of some evangelist or mission- ary. Their number increased; and May 13, 1811, they were organized into a church with 19 members. Remote from the centre, without means, with- out social status, in its weakness and poverty, it struggled on for ten years without a pastor, or a settled place of worship, holding its meetings in pri- vate houses or in schoolhouses, and only occasionally supplied with preach- ing. Yet it grew stronger, and received 17 members by baptism, and 12 by letters from other churches. In 1821 it bought a lot near the Upper Water- shops, and built a meeting-house 26 by 36 feet. Then, with a membership of 50 in 1822, it ordained Allen Hough as its first pastor. Ever since that time it has had an almost constant growth, with occasional times of apathy and retrogression. In Mr. Putnam's six-years service, the church prospered so greatly, that its humble sanctuary, which had become too strait for its num- bers, was sold, and a more commodious one erected on the corner of Maple and Mulberry Streets, which was used by the society until, through the enterprise and energy of Mr. Clark, who became pastor in 1846, it was sold, and a more eligible site selected in the very heart of the rapidly increasing population ; and in September, 1847, the present house on Main Street, corner of Harrison Avenue, was completed at a cost of about $18,000. Esti- mated by the pecuniary ability of the church at that time, such an achieve- ment forcibly demonstrated the large faith and liberality of its prominent actors. As an instance of this spirit, it may be mentioned, that one member (then quite unknown to the world, but who has since become prominent for his large-hearted benevolence, and his liberal gifts to enterprises for intel- lectual and spiritual progress) gave nearly one-half of all his possessions to
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