USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Springfield > Trinity's first century, 1844-1944 > Part 5
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If there were space Miss Sullivan's entire poem would have an honored place in this chronical, but the last lines must be included anyway. After paying high tribute to the fine friends who had served well and been called above, she concluded:
We pray
The Lord such staunch supporters may increase And bless their labors. May abiding peace And faith in God, and usefulness to man, Grace Church distinguish, till the earthly span Alloted to it shall have passed away!
Then may its members hear the Just Judge say, 'Well have you done the work assigned to you! Now come up higher, better work to do.' "
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On April 9, 1900 a class of ladies in the Sunday School organized themselves as the Mary I. Nichols Class, after their teacher, and with Mrs. Horace Clark as the first pres- ident. The contribution of this class has been amazing. It continued to flourish and serve for nearly forty years and is still maintained on an inactive basis. Until five years ago it held regular meetings each month with an enthusiam and sprightly fellowship which only tyrannical time could finally silence. During all those years the class kept its original membership, so far as Death would allow, and raised thousands of dollars for the work of the church. It furnished the library in the new Trinity and donated the Community Hall chairs. It manifested a strong Mission- ary spirit and even today, as for many years to come, bc- quests left to it for that purpose support the World Service ministry of Methodism.
It was in 1903 that the Memorial Windows were instal- led though the dedication event was spoiled by failure of the firm to finish them in time. They were in memory of the following persons: Mrs. Alonzo Converse, Mrs. Mary Ketcham, Mr. A. W. Griswald, Mrs. A. J. Pease, Mr. D. L. Pike, Mr. Seymour Smith, Mrs. Mary Ross, Mrs. Mary Baldwin, Mr. and Mrs Elijah Nichols, Mr. and Mrs. James C. Beggs, Mr. Warren Bennett, Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Hoisington, Miss Eleanora Lantz, and in a large window in the auditorium, Rev. E. A. Smith.
Before leaving, Rev. Spaulding had been granted an assistant, Miss Etta Hoisington, who served in that posi- tion for seven years. Dr. Spaulding was long active and prominent in the Conference, serving several years as a District Superintendent. He passed from this life on May 7, 1931. Mrs. Mabelle Spaulding died in 1920. Paul now lives in Worcester, Miriam in Washington, D. C.
The Reverend Dr. George M. Smiley, and Mrs. Annie Smiley, large of frame and heart, arrived in 1903. Bro- ther Smiley was fifty-three years old. Edwin S. Wither- ell and William O. Parmenter were local preachers, Wallace Higgins was Sunday School Superintendent, George Babcock was sexton, Mrs. Mattie Buckland was
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Rev. G. M. Smiley 1903-07
Rev. W. R. Newhall 1907
Ladies Aid President, Mrs. O. K. Merrill president of the Women s Foreign Missionary Society. Funds from the legacy of Miss Augusta Elliott were used to renovate the church, a chapel was purchased for the use of members at Laurel Park, headquarters of the Camp Meeting associa- tion. There were more than five hundred members in Grace Church. Dr. Smiley died on September 30, 1926. Mrs. Smiley had preceded him in 1913. Son Arthur lives in New Hampshire, son Edmund is a Congregational minister.
The Reverend Dr. William Rice Newhall served only from April to October in 1907, yet in that short space of time left a profound impression upon the people of the church. Previously he had pastored State Street Church in Springfield and been headmaster at the Academy in Wilbraham. A man of exceptional intellect, of deep spirit- uality, of kindly sympathies, the church found it hard to accept the appointment that took him away so quickly. He was the son of Dr. Fales Newhall, who had ministered to Pynchon Street Church. As mentioned earlier, his son and daughter, Fales and Miss Lois M. Newhall, are now active members of Trinity church. On the very day these words are written the newspapers announce that another son, Lieutenant Eliot M. Newhall, of the U. S. Navy, was killed
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Rev. W. M. Crawford 1907-12
while on combat duty in the North Pacific area.
Dr. Newhall died on December 4, 1913. For many years Mrs. Newhall resided in Springfield with her child- ren and was herself associated with Trinity Church. She was buried from Grace Chapel in May, 1940, and left to be with her husband.
William M. Crawford was brought from Amherst in October 1907 to take the pastorate until Conference, and then he was appointed to Grace Church for four consecu- tive years, living with Mrs. Crawford and daughter Ruth in the parsonage at 19 Palmer Avenue. In that parsonage the Crawfords had the great joy of welcoming another daughter into the world, little Riamia, and then the great sorrow of losing a third. Springfield was growing and the residential districts were moving farther and farther out. For the first time there were those who began to look toward Forest Park as an ideal location, but it did not seem advisable at the time. The Class Meeting system was dy- ing out. Robert D. Chaffee resigned after forty years as a leader.
Deciding to stay at the corner of Winthrop and Main, the church set to work vigorously. The interior of the auditorium was renewed. Horace Clark was treasurer and chairman of the finance committee and the proud record of "no debt" was maintained. Kenneth Miller led
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the Epworth League, Emma Schrader was his secretary. Mr. F. D. Lantz superintended the Sunday School.
A new class, organized in January 1911, was a rising star for the future. Mrs. John A. Gooch was the founder and it was given the name of "The S. S. S. Class." For thirty-three years it has prospered and is still exceedingly active in the present 'Trinity church, yet for thirty-three years the meaning of the three mystic letters has been kept a dark secret from the uninitiated. But the motto, "Others," is not only openly proclaimed, but it is consis- tently practiced. Missionaries in India and China have been regularly supported in their work, no holidays pass without baskets of fruit and flowers being distributed, the educational leadership fund in the Church School has been undergirded, the church budget never forgotten. Mrs. Gooch was the first teacher and continued her leadership until 1927. Mrs. Gertrude Darby Naylor was the first president, Miss Hazel E. Mackey the second and she is also the only original member still active' in the group. Other teachers have been Dr. Rolland Smith, Dr. B. B. Farnsworth, Mrs. Laura Notman who for a season taught both the M. I. Nichols class and the S. S. S. class unitedly, Mrs. Gary Sackett who led from 1932 to 1939, and Mrs. Scott James. Since 1940 the class has been meeting monthly, but is still enthusiastically active and still service conscious.
Grace church had reached a stage where old and valued members began a procession toward the skies. Now Frank- lin Nichols, George Hall, Warren Bennett, Eben Luther, William Smith, Mr. and Mrs. Elijah Nichols, Mr. and Mrs. George P. Stebbins, and too many more were placed upon the roll of the mourned. But others were stepping into their places: Charles W. Turk, Joseph Mackey, Will- iam Schrader, Faxon Nichols. Rev. William Crawford remained in the effective pastorate of the Conference until retiring in 1942. He and Mrs. Crawford live today at 112 Bancroft Avenue, Reading, Massachusetts.
The Reverend Harvey H. Paine was fifty-three when he was appointed in 1912. He, Mrs. Paine, and their children
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Rev. H. H. Paine 1912-14
Harold and Helen moved into the residence at 111 Fort Pleasant Avenue. Grace Church never owned its own parsonage, preferring to rent. The result was a dif- ferent parsonage for nearly every administration. Pastor Paine was a tall man, of quiet dignity and poise, an excel- lent preacher and a devoted pastor. In the late fall of 1914 he was getting his third year's work under way when he was stricken with a sudden heart attack. The people of Grace Church mourned, for they loved him. There were some who could remember forty-two years before when Reverend Tiddy had similarly been called in the midst of his work.
,
Harold and Helen are both married and Mrs. Ida Paine is still living, making her home on Moore Avenue in Worcester.
An elderly retired minister from Pennsylvania, the Rev- erend Edward J. Knox, was invited to come and supply for the remainder of the conference year. So well was he received that the next year he was regularly appointed. Though late in life Brother Knox brought a brand new bride with him, a spirited lady who did not hesitate to march straight up to the pulpit during the service and speak to her husband if occassion demanded. A young people's choir was started during this period to supply the
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music for Sunday evenings. Reverend and Mrs. Knox first resided in a hotel until a home on Westernview Street was secured for them.
A batchelor, the Reverend Edward W. Lutterman, came in 1916 and was pastor during the heated days when America launched her arms against Germany. Though a jovial man, socially inclined, gifted with dramatic and muscial talents, he was of German extraction and the times were against him. He did not favor the war, he still loved Germany, he frankly said as much. And this was 1917-18! The result was inevitable. Grace was Brother Lutter- man's last charge. He shortly surrendered his credentials, left the ministry and went into the insurance business in Florida where he still resides.
Reverend and Mrs. Francis W. Brett were both born in England and a wise choice to take over the pastorate in 1918. Repairs were in order. During the past six years Grace had had three pastors, one who died in office, one who was a retired supply and one who left the wounds of controversy. This time the home was on the corner of Woodside Terrace and Belmont Avenue, a large house, always open to the people. Lovely and friendly Mrs. Brett, with Dorothy and Norman, made it a happy social center for the church. Reverend Brett visited the Ladies Aid during the sewing bees for the poor, enjoyed the 15c sup- pers, visited the homes during the week and preached with compelling conviction on Sundays. The church took on renewed life. It answered the Centenary challenge for benevolences with more than $2,000. The pastor's salary was increased $1,000 a year. Yet it was during this period that the plans were laid for merging with Bridge Street Trinity in order to launch a great, new building enterprise out in the Forest Park section.
It was a happy, successful pastorate. Reverend Brett is today the minister of the Stanton Avenue Methodist Church in Dorchester. Mrs. Brett, beloved by every church her husband served, died on November 15, 1941. Norman is in the army, Dorothy is Mrs. Lewis G. Mason and her husband is in the Air Force.
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T
Rev. F. W. Brett 1918-21
Rev. T. T. Johnston 1921-22
When Thomas T. Johnston was appointed in 1921 it was with the understanding that the merger was imminent and his task was the difficult one of careful guidance during the adjustments to be made. Among these was a gift of money which was used to build a church in China which has been given the name of Grace Chapel.
Reverend Johnston was a poet of recognized ability with several published volumes to his credit. He was a batch- elor during the one year he served Grace Church, rooming on Belmont Avenue, but is now married and the pastor of the Methodist Church in Orange, Massachusetts.
For a month, during the interim between conference and the merger with Trinity on Bridge Street, a retired, widowed minister, the Reverend Levin Causey, filled the pulpit. He lived with his daughter, Olive, who is still a member of Trinity Church. Reverend Causcy, who held an M. D. degree, died on July 7, 1927 at the age of eighty-two years, after serving twenty-three churches during a ministry of more than fifty years.
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6 TRINITY, BRIDGE ST.
L UCIUS E. LADD almost wept, he was so proud of the new church on Bridge St. It was Romanesque, con- structed of brick, the large tower in front center flanked by two smaller towers, the central spire reaching up 185 feet. The Main doorway entered to a large vestibule which led to the vestry and various incidental rooms. Two broad flights of stairs led up to the auditorium. Triple arches spanned the pulpit recess, and two others beside it, and in one of those was the organ and choir loft. The ceil- ing was in azure blue. Golden scriptural texts looked down from the panels. The entire building was 73 by 106 feet and could seat something over 900 people. And it cost $75,000. The estimate had been $52,000.
The cornerstone had been laid at 4 o'clock on the bright and beautiful afternoon of August 18, 1868. The Rev- erend Mark Trafton was there, several of the local clergy, Reverend Hills spoke, then the feature address was deliver- ed by Mayor Winchester. The manuscript of his speech was immediately placed in the copper box of the corner- stone to stay sealed, be tenderly recovered fifty years later and today is in Trinity's historical cabinet. In Reverend Hill's address, he said,
"In the clerk's records of a Trustee meeting held Sept- ember 23, 1865, I found this desponding line, 'Bad pro- spect for a new church. The courage of the most hopeful seems to be giving out.' Now it is a gratification to us that the work is at last commenced."
He used a mild term. There was fierce pride. The
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+
Trinity Church, Bridge Street.
obstacles had whetted the energy of the people. The Young People's Society had earned $1,158.30 by promot- ing an excursion to Long Island Sound. The Building committee of L. E. Ladd, Chairman, Horace Smith, Willis Phelps, George Treadway and Milton Bradley had worked day and night, Mr. Bradley co-operating with Samuel Thayer of Boston, the architect, in designing the building. The old Pynchon Street Church had been sold to Dr. Marshall Calkins at auction for $12,000. Later it was known as Pynchon Hall, was used as a meeting place by the Salvation Army and other organizations, even a furni- ture store, until the Forbes & Wallace addition was built.
On November 28 after a communion service, Pastor Hills put it up to the congregation to vote on a new name,
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Interior of Trinity Church, Bridge Street.
and the name of Trinity was adopted. Two days later Dr. J. H. Wilcox, of Boston, gave a recital on the new organ. He said it was advantageously placed and the finest organ in western Massachusetts.
December 1, 1869 was the great day of dedication. The weather was fine and Bishop Matthew Simpson preached the dedicatory sermon from the text in John 17:22 "And the glory which Thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." Nearly fifteen hundred people jammed into every available inch of space to hear this famous man, intimate friend of Lincoln, said by many to have been the major influence behind the issu- ing of the Emancipation Proclamation. The newspapers carried his address in full, remarking upon the character- istic style of Bishop Simpson in beginning quietly and slow- ly building toward a powerful climax.
In the evening the Reverend J. A. M. Chapman of Boston preached to another overflow congregation, and late that night Lucius Ladd, tired but very, very happy, carefully recorded every detail of the day and concluded
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by writing, "Let the people praise Thee, O God. Yea, let all the people praise Thee."
To capitalize on the spiritual momentum of this great occasion the Troy Praying Band was brought for special evangelistic services, together with Mrs. Maggie Van Cott who was nationally known as a soul winner. There was some criticism, but the results were good and that was what counted. Immediately the Annual Conference was due to meet in Trinity and share the joy of the people. It would have been a crowning occasion for Pastor Hills, but struggle, exertions and the strain of it all had been too much. His health broken, he left in February for Florida. The last Preacher-in-Charge of Pynchon Street Church had finished his term as the first Preacher-in-Charge of Trinity on Bridge Street. For a young man, in his first regular appointment, he had experienced a pretty thorough initiation into the Methodist ministry.
A PERIOD OF DEBT
There was a young, thirty year old minister by the name of James O. Peck in Worcester who was building a reputa- tion as a mighty pulpit man. The Trinity Official Board asked for him and he was appointed at that Springfield Conference. The fun was all over and there was now a $44,000 debt to be faced. He went to work. So did the first Board of Trustees, composed of the building com- mittee, plus James Abbe, Dr. Horace Jacobs and Mayor Winchester.
There were some other problems too. What about the use of wine in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper by avow- ed temperance people? Some tried to reverse the miracle of Cana and change it into water, but the matter was com- promised by the decision to use "the unfermented juice of the grape." The conduct at the Sunday evening prayer meeting was a disgrace, and State Constable Couch was hired at $1.00 per night "to preserve order and make arrests if need be." And what about a parsonage? Debt
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Rev. James O. Peck 1870-73
or no debt, the parson needed a roof over his head and one worthy of so great a church. The Trustees were em- powered to go ahead and purchase the house at 35 Elliot Street, for not more than $12,850.
Furthermore, the original subscriptions to the building fund were not coming in well. Some were in favor of be- ginning "suits at law", but treasurer Ladd absolutely re- fused to do that. What he said about those who defaulted, though, scorched the pages of his book! Some new sub- scriptions were secured, but five years later they, too, could be counted worthless.
And there were troubles in the behavior of the congre- gation. Among those requested to withdraw were Amaziah Mayo and Albert Gowdy, who had both helped organize Pynchon church in William Rice's office way back in 1844. Gowdy had been an original trustee. The charge against them was refusal of the "means of Grace". They had not attended services in three years. When they refused to withdraw, their names were stricken from the records. And, of course, there were also the Taylor broth- ers who were in again and out again.
After three years Reverend Peck transferred to the Rock River Conference. In 1888 he was elected by the General Conference to the Secretaryship of the Missionary Board.
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Rev. Merritt Hulburd 1873-76
In leading churches of Chicago, Baltimore, New Haven, and Brooklyn he became nationally known as a pastoral evangelist. He was "an oratoric cyclone". On May 17, 1894 Dr. Peck fell, stricken while preaching.
The Reverend Merritt Hulburd, with his wife, Cornelia, and two children, Anna and Wendell, arrived shortly after the April Conference in Lynn. He was fresh from four months travel in Europe, just thirty-one years old, eager for work. He was stalwart in appearance, 1"a battery of intellectual and emotional force." The task that loomed before all others, was, of course, that debt. Horace Smith had done his share and was now out of the picture, and he was sorely missed. Though a trustee, even president of the board, he had never belonged to the society but had held his membership in Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, yet he had bought, paid $9,500 for and taken the deed of the property on which Trinity was built, later sold the deed back to Trinity for $1.00. When an adjoining piece of property was sold for $2,288 he donated that to the church. But new blood was coming in, B. D. Rising, for example. Bit by bit the debt was cut down. It was a laborious job to make even small headway and meanwhile the interest load bore down without mercy. Pastor
(1) New York Christian Advocate
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Rev. Samuel F. Upham 1876-79
Hulburd's spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. His health failed and for six months he hovered between life and death. By his gracious manner he had won many devoted friends and the people opened their hearts in sympathy. After three years he left the challenge of Trinity's problem to a more rugged successor and moved over to State Street Methodist Church in Springfield. Later, while at Grace Church in Wilmington, Delaware, he led that Conference's delegation to General Conference. He died on October 10, 1896, mourned by a host of friends and all Methodism.
Reverend S. F. Upham came, however, just in time to see the results of some of his predecessors quiet ministry. For some time a Sunday School mission had been flourish- ing over in West Springfield. In May, 1873, all the proba- tioners in Trinity were transferred to the mission and Trinity's assistant pastor, W. E. Knox, was put in charge. On Sunday, May 14, 1876, the mission was dedicated as a church and became the First Methodist Episcopal Church of West Springfield.
Pastor Upham was a graduate of Wesleyan, forty-two years of age and had a fine record of pastorates. He follow- ed through on the mission school program which was even- tually to give Trinity the title of "Mother of Churches",
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by starting a class on Ringold Street. Also he was the first to assign Cyrus W. Atwood to one of the doors in the church to shake hands with the people. That modest begin- ning was the launching of a career of handshaking by Brother Atwood which was to become an institution which practically outlasted the building, some even suggesting that the vibration of shaken hands may have undermined the foundations. When Brother Atwood was married for the second time, being a widower, and his friends gave the new couple a reception in the vestry after prayer meeting, he became so engrossed in his specialty of greetings that he forgot all about his bride.
This is as proper a time as any to mention that remark- able North Main Street class, of which Mr. Atwood was the beloved leader, and the Sunday School class of which he was the teacher for forty-five years. In 1914 the North Main Street class celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with only Miss Sarah E. Owen and the leader as charter- member survivors, five years later it celebrated its fifty- fifth. The class was incorporated as was also the Sunday School Class, and though now inactive still exists and its invested funds decorate the church for Easter and send flowers to shut-ins. Literally thousands of people joined, were blessed, and died within the fellowship of the class. The aggregate attendance was 90,000. Long after the Class Meeting system had perished it was a virile, dynamic and intensely loyal going concern for Christ. Letters streamed in from all over the nation as it celebrated its endless birthdays. Poems were written to it, newspapers editorialized about it and through all of its long, active life this kindly, friendly, "Glad to see you" printer, Cyrus W. Atwood, was the leader and guiding genius. Whoever appointed Brother Atwood to a position let loose a torrent. Neither Mark Trafton who, fresh from the halls of Con- gress, had appointed him to lead a "new class" in May 1864, or Samuel Upham who had appointed him to shake hands at the door of the church, lived to see the end of the boundless energy they had set in motion. When he died on November 7, 1919, he had been a Class Leader for sixty-
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Rev. Francis J. Wagner 1879-82
three consecutive years.
When Dr. Upham left Trinity four years later the debt had been chipped down to $30,650. He left to accept the chair of Practical Theology at Drew Seminary in Madi- son, New Jersey. 1"He was a king on the platform and in the pulpit, a natural orator, a fervent Methodist preacher of the old time sort, a comrade of the heart." While at Drew, Dr. Upham officiated at the funeral of his friend, Merrit Hulburd, then, in October 5, 1904, he himself an- swered the call.
Francis James Wagner was appointed in 1879. It was still the debt! So heavy was the interest load that the annual current expense budget of $5,100 could not be met by subscriptions and the levy was raised on "sittings" which before that had averaged $42.00 a year. The pastor's annual salary was $1,800. Within four years there were three choir directors: Mr. C. C. Moulton, Mr. R. W. Ellis and Mr. Wilbur F. Miller. And there were three organists: Miss E. N. Moulton, E. M. Reed and Mrs. E. J. Mellen. The parsonage on Elliot Street was sold and a new residence for the pastor rented at 43 Mattoon Street for $500 a year. Dr. Wagner stayed for three years, then accepted a call to a church in Minneapolis.
(1) Page 349, "History of the New England Conference", by James Mudge
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