USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Newburyport > Two hundredth anniversary, St. Paul's parish, Newburyport, Mass. commemorative services with historical addresses > Part 3
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At a meeting held in Salem, Mass., June 4, 1789, the clergymen having charge of Episcopal churches in Massachusetts and New Hamp- shire elected Rev. Edward Bass bishop, " to be received as such when
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ST. PAUL'S PARISH
canonically consecrated and invested with the Apostolic office." Owing to the difficulty of securing the cooperation of the Right Rev. William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, the Right Rev. Samuel Provoost, Bishop of New York, and the Right Rev. Samuel Seabury, Bishop of Connecticut, the consecration of Rev. Mr. Bass was delayed several years.
In the summer of 1791 Bishop Seabury, of Connecticut, preached in St. Paul's Church and confirmed a hundred and thirty or forty per- sons. This was probably the first time that a Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church had visited Newburyport, officially, and administered the rite of confirmation.
May 24, 1796, Rev. Mr. Bass was re-elected Bishop of Massa- chusetts and Rhode Island, and May 7, 1797, he was consecrated in Christ Church, Philadelphia, Right Rev. William White, Bishop of Pennsylvania, Right Rev. Samuel Provoost, Bishop of New York, and Right Rev. Thomas J. Clagget, Bishop of Maryland, officiating.
SPAULS CHURCH
FOUNDED
MDCCXXXVIII
REBUILT
MDCCC
CORNER STONE OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
48
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
Proposals for a new church building were discussed and finally agreed to previous to the beginning of the year 1800, and on the twenty-fifth of March of that year a committee appointed by the pro- prietors of St. Paul's Church agreed with Stephen Toppan to remove the old building and erect a new one on the same spot with a vestry room in the rear and " a piazza of the Truscan order in front supported by twelve pillars." The Pulpit, Reading Desk and Clerk's Pew to be similar in style of finish and workmanship to those in Trinity Church, Boston. The bell, organ, and reredos, or altar piece, were to be taken down and set up again in the new church; everything to be finished and completed in a workmanlike manner previous to October 15, 1800.
If an architect was employed to make the plans and draw up the specifications for the new building his name does not appear in the proprietors' book of records, and probably the contractor, Stephen Toppan, was well qualified and able to furnish all that were needed. At all events he was a skilful and experienced mechanic, thoroughly familiar with the details of his work as carpenter and house-builder.
While the new church was being built services were held in the Second Presbyterian Meeting House on Harris Street, and there on the twenty-second day of May the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts Free and Accepted Masons as- sembled to assist in laying the cor- ner stone of the new edifice. After prayers had been offered, the Apostles' Creed said, and the Te SON Deum sung, Rev. William Bently, D.D., a Congregational clergyman of Salem, Mass., delivered an ad- dress suitable to the occasion. At the close of these exercises a pro- cession, escorted by the officers and members of the Grand Lodge, proceeded to the corner of High and Market Streets where under a triumphal arch, on which was in- scribed, in letters of gold, " Holi- THE PAUL REVERE BELL Used in St. Paul's Church from 1811 to 1899
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, 1911
--
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
ness to the Lord " the cornerstone was laid by Bishop Bass, assisted by his Masonic brethren.
The church was consecrated October 8, 1800, and since that date has been devoted to the development of the Christian religion and the public worship of God.
Bishop Bass died suddenly September 10, 1803, and was buried in St. Paul's churchyard. On the nineteenth day of October following Mr. James Morss was invited to take charge of the parish, and early in the month of November accepted the invitation. He was born in New- buryport, October 26, 1779, graduated at Harvard in 1800, ordained deacon July 3, 1803, and served as assistant to Bishop Bass for two or three months. June 11, 1804, he was admitted to the priesthood by Bishop Moore of the French Church du St. Esprit in the city of New York and for nearly thirty-nine years devoted himself to the work of the ministry in Newburyport. One of his sermons, preached in 1837, and published in pamphlet form, contains many interesting facts relat- ing to the early history of the church in this community. He died April 26, 1842, and was buried in St. Paul's churchyard.
The reredos, or altar piece, taken from the old church was placed in its present position in the church when the new building was erected. Some changes were made at that time, and the panel containing the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Apostles' Creed was added. The letters on this panel are said to have been drawn by William Woart and painted by Edward Bass, nephew of Bishop Bass.
The old bell, broken while being rung for evening service December 23, 1810, was replaced February 14, 1811, by a new one cast in 1809 by Revere & Son, of Boston. This bell, having met with a similar mis- hap, was rung for the last time October 1, 1899, and afterwards taken down and placed in an alcove in the tower of the church, where it still remains. A third bell, from the foundry of Meneely & Co., West Troy, N. Y., bearing the inscription, "To the glory of God and in loving memory of Rev. James Morss, D.D., Rector of St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, Mass., 1803-1842 " was purchased in December, 1899, and now hangs in the belfry. It was rung for the first time Sunday, January 7, 1900.
In 1833 an organ built in Newburyport to take the place of one purchased of the proprietors of King's Chapel, in Boston, in 1756, was
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ST. PAUL'S PARISH
set up in the front gallery of the church, opposite the chancel, where it remained until the summer of 1866, when it was removed and a larger instrument from the factory of S. S. Hamill, of East Cambridge, was purchased and placed on the northwesterly side of the chancel on a level with the church floor. This organ was subsequently sold, and a new one, built by the Austin Organ Company, of Hartford, Conn., was completed and placed in its present position in February, 1905.
In the summer of 1843 the interior of the church was remodeled and new pews were built. The eagle that occupied a conspicuous place above the altar, at that date, was taken down and mysteriously disap- peared. Nearly forty years later, through the personal efforts of Major Ben Perley Poore and Mr. Charles W. Moseley, it was restored to its former position in the church. While these and other changes were being made services were held, on Sundays and holydays, in the Court House on Bartlet Mall.
The stone chapel on the westerly side of the church was the gift of Rev. William Horton, D.D., rector of St. Paul's Church from 1853 to 1863. It was consecrated by the Right Reverend Manton Eastburn, Bishop of Massachusetts, May 23, 1863.
A choir of men and boys, organized in 1885 by George H. Pearson, remained under his care and supervision until March, 1895, when he resigned, and Hazard Perry Craig, of New York City, accepting the vacant position, had charge of the choir for a few months. September 29, 1895, Victor A. Nicholson was appointed organist, and since that date St. Paul's Church has been indebted to him and to the members of the choir for a musical service of great excellence.
Christ Chapel, on Merrimack Street, between Jefferson and New streets was conveyed to the proprietors of St. Paul's Church in 1904, and religious services are held there at the usual hours on Sundays and holydays throughout the year.
It would be impossible, in the limited time at my disposal, to give even a brief summary of the gifts and memorials that have been pre- sented to St. Paul's Church since its organization in 1738, but I will call your attention to a few of the donations and bequests that deserve honorable mention on this anniversary occasion :
In September, 1874, George W. A. Williams, of Boston, gave in memory of his wife, Susan Lydia (Moody) Williams, a former com-
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ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
municant of the church, a baptismal font, cut from a solid block of Cleveland stone; and in 1887 his brother, John Q. A. Williams, provided
IN MEMORY OF THE
KICHDREV:EDWARD . BASS.D.D. BORN - NOV - 23 . /726 DIED . SEPT: 10- 1803
RECTOR OF ST.PAVLS CHURCH NEWBURYPORT . MASSA
FROM A.D :1752 . 10 /808.
CONSECRATED HISIfOr OF MASSACHUSETTS MAX . ) :09).
TABLET TO THE MEMORY OF BISHOP BASS
in his will for the purchase of a marble tablet, in memory of Right Rev. Edward Bass, D.D., Bishop of Massachusetts and Rhode Island; a solid silver communion service " in memory of his honored parents, Abraham
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ST. PAUL'S PARISH
and Ann Williams "; and a clock of superior workmanship to be placed in the tower of the church. These memorial gifts, purchased by a com- mittee appointed for that purpose, have an appropriate place and use in the service of the church and for nearly twenty-five years have been identified with its history.
In 1896 the parish house in the rear of the church, built with funds raised by the ladies of St. Monica's Chapter, was presented to the parish and has since been used for special meetings of the Wardens and Vestry- men, for the accommodation of the choir, for social gatherings, and for other purposes.
In 1902 the sum of five thousand dollars was deposited with the Trustees of Donations for the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts, by Samuel Eliphalet Emery, Sarah Noyes Emery, Mary Elizabeth Emery, Louisa J. Emery, Frances J. Emery and Georgiana Emery, children of Rev. Samuel M. and Mary Hale Emery, in memory of their father and mother, the principal and interest to be applied, under certain restrictions, to the payment of rent, or to the purchase of a parsonage for the use of the Rector.
At or about the same date a baptismal ewer, of polished brass, presented to the church by Mrs. David A. Andrews, in memory of her grandson, David Allen Andrews, Jr., was received and consecrated to its use in the service of baptism as provided for in the Book of Common Prayer.
In 1904 an elegant set of altar hangings, with two elaborate dossals, embroidered with silk and gold, a small communion service for special use in the visitation of the sick, and a fire-proof safe in which to keep the communion silver, were presented by Henry H. Crapo, Esq., of New Bedford, Mass., in memory of his wife, Caroline (Caldwell) Crapo, a former resident of Newburyport and for many years a com- municant of St. Paul's Church.
In 1905 Mary Elizabeth, Louisa J., Frances J., and Georgiana Emery purchased several estates on Market and Summer streets, in order to provide space for the future enlargement and improve- ment of the church building whenever it should become necessary or advisable.
In 1907 the pulpit, choir stalls and brass chandelier were given by Frederick S. Moseley, who also contributed liberally for the purchase of
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THE INTERIOR OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, 1911
ST. PAUL'S PARISH
the new organ and for the improvements made in the interior of the church during that year.
In addition to the above named gifts, a bronze tablet in memory of Nathaniel Foster, for nearly fifty years Senior Warden ; a stained glass window, in the chancel, in memory of David P. Page; a marble tablet in memory of Rev. George Thomas Chapman, D.D .; and a prayer desk for use on Sundays and holydays, - have been presented by loving friends and communicants of the church.
The events and incidents that have occurred in the history of St. Paul's Church since the death of Rev. James Morss, in 1842, are comparatively well known and do not require any special comment or detailed description at this time.
Rev. JOHN S. DAVENPORT was rector from December, 1843, to November, 1844. Rev. EDWARD A. WASHBURN from October, 1845, to August, 1851.
Rev. WILLIAM HORTON from September, 1853, to October, 1863.
Rev. JOHN C. WHITE from October, 1863, to April, 1870.
Rev. GEORGE D. JOHNSON from November, 1870, to October, 1875.
Rev. EDWARD L. DROWN from May, 1876, to December, 1883.
Rev. JAMES H. VAN BUREN from November, 1884, to July, 1890.
Rev. WILLIAM C. RICHARDSON from September, 1890, to July, 1897.
REV. ARTHUR H. WRIGHT, faithful and efficient rector of the church from March 5, 1899 to the present time, has held the office longer than any of his predecessors except Bishop Bass and Rev. James Morss. Under his pastoral care and supervision the Church has prospered, and is now financially strong and vigorous ; better able to do its work in this community than at any previous time in its history.
It owes its existence and spiritual development to the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts and to the ministers of Queen Anne's Chapel, who founded, two centuries ago, the oldest parish that still adheres to the faith and principles of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Massachusetts.
To those who still love the old parish and this ancient church building I commend the comforting words of the Psalter in the Book of Common Prayer:
" THEY SHALL PROSPER THAT LOVE THEE. PEACE BE WITHIN THY WALLS AND PLENTEOUSNESS WITHIN THY PALACES. FOR MY BRETHREN AND COMPANIONS' SAKE I WILL WISH THEE PROSPERITY. YEA BECAUSE OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD, OUR GOD, I WILL SEEK TO DO THEE GOOD."
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4
QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL
An Address by the Rev. Rufus Emery, D. D., at the Dedication of a Memorial Cross marking the site of the Chapel, Monday, June 5, 19II
2
QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL (See Preface)
QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL BY REV. RUFUS EMERY, D.D.
THE building known in the General Court Records as " the in- tended meeting house " and later by the inhabitants of the West Pre- cinct as the Queen's Chapel, was raised in 1711. At the time of raising the building, the builders, in the hearing of a great number of people, declared it to be the Queen's Chapel. The builders went on with their work, although forbidden to do so by the General Court, until all work ceased by a positive mandate from the General Court.
After all work on the building had ceased, Mr. John Bridger, an officer of the Queen, came to their aid. He bought the land and gave his bond to finish the building, the inhabitants furnishing the men and means.
The building was fifty feet long and thirty feet wide. It stood facing the east on the Bradford Road ( running in the same direction and not far from what is now Storey Avenue), near the middle of the present Belleville Cemetery. It was a plain wooden building, a simple covered frame. It had a steeple on which was a vane. It had entrances on the front and at the sides. There were two rows of windows. There is no record of the finishing of the interior. It was probably furnished with rough benches or forms for the congregation and a pulpit of simple construction for preaching and reading prayers. Also perhaps a table for the celebration of Holy Communion.
In 1718, a bell was given by the Bishop of London and placed in the tower, where it remained till 1770, when it was thrown down by a severe storm.
In 1726 the Chapel was clapboarded at the charge of the attend- ants, aided by subscriptions from Boston. Among the names of the contributors are found the names of the well known merchants John Jekyle and Andrew Faneuil. At the same time galleries were built and pews began to be erected, special ones being provided for the Wardens and for captains of vessels. Later, additional pews were built in various parts of the building for individual members of the Mission.
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ST. PAUL'S PARISH
In 1750 the Chapel was repaired at a cost of one hundred and six pounds.
After this time the Chapel remained unchanged for twenty years, during which time, no repairs having been made on it, it gradually decayed until 1770, when in a severe storm a part of the building, including the steeple, was blown down. The bell was thrown into the road and taken care of by a Mr. Whitmore, and saved. The seats and galleries were preserved. At this time it was voted by the proprietors that the remnant of the Chapel be taken down under the direction of a committee and the stuff arising from the building, with all the materials, be used for some public purpose, the committee to account to the pro- prietors. The persons who saved the bell, seats, and galleries were also to account to the proprietors. There is no record of the various committees being called to account for the remnants of the building put in their care, nor what disposition was made of them. The remains of the Chapel probably remained, gradually decaying, till 1777, when on a Sunday it fell to the ground.
The first service of the Church of England held in the Chapel was by the Rev. Henry Harris, Assistant Minister of King's Chapel, Boston. and Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford. He was invited by Mr. John Bridger to instruct the people in the ways of the Church.
In November, 1712, the Rev. John Lambton, Chaplain of Her Majesty's ship Phenix, was sent to Newbury by Col. Francis Nich- olson, to officiate till further orders from the Society for Propagating the Gospel. From ill health he resigned February, 1714. After the resignation of Mr. Lambton, some of the inhabitants, thinking the Mission neglected, used the Chapel, removing the vestments, ornaments, and books. When in 1715, the Rev. Henry Lucas came to Newbury, from Braintree, the Chapel was restored to him and the articles re- moved were replaced. The Mission was a thorny one. Minister and people were dissatisfied with each other. He died August 23, 1720, and was buried under the altar of the Chapel by the Rev. David Mossom, of Marblehead, who held occasional services at the Mission till the com- ing of Rev. Mr. Plant.
The Rev. Matthias Plant was appointed Missionary in 1721, came to Newbury in April, 1722, and preached his first sermon in the Chapel April 29, 1722. He was a graduate of Jesus College, Cambridge, 1712.
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BUTRICE
SSPLANTH
GRAVE OF REV. MATTHIAS PLANT, 1753
JED
DIED
A
GRAVE OF SAMUEL BARTLETT, 1732
THOMAS
GRAVE OF MRS. SARAH BARTLETT, 1727 Wife of Thomas Bartlett
GRAVE OF JOHN BAYLEY, "CLARK" OF QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL, 1746
QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL
For twenty years his ministry was at the Chapel, later for a time it was equally divided between the Chapel and the new Church at the Water- side, St. Paul's. After several years, by reason of a misunderstanding, he ceased his services at St. Paul's, but resumed them and continued them the remainder of his life, as his health would allow. He died in 1753. After his death his assistant and successor held service in the Chapel once a month till 1766, when all services at the Chapel ceased, as the larger part of the congregation resided at the Waterside. Mr. Plant was a faithful missionary, a farmer, a land owner, well known to the Colonial authorities, often entertaining them at his house. He was liberal to the Church, and joined with his brethren in asking for Bishops for America.
The erection of a Chapel of the Church of England in the town of Newbury was without doubt a great surprise to the inhabitants of the old town and church and to those in the colony who were opposed to its introduction. Judge Sewall records in his diary his surprise when he saw the certainty of what he could not believe, when twenty-two of the West End declared that they were of the pure Episcopal Church of England, and asking protection from the Governor. Cotton Mather, in a letter to Wait Winthrop, speaks of the Newbury faction as losing their interest in the Mission.
The Rev. Christopher Toppan, minister of the old parish, calls the Mission a factious proceeding. The favorers of the Church of England looked at it in another light. Colonel Nicholson, who sent Mr. Lambton to serve till a permanent missionary could be secured, says in a letter to the Society: " I fear we might have lost an oppor- tunity of promoting the interest of the Church if we had not found this expedient."
Mr. Bridger writes of the Newbury Mission: "This is a thing without precedent, I presume, to have a body of people to leave their schism at once."
About 1732 the Waterside became an important part of the town through ship-building and foreign commerce, and attracted many mer- chants and seafaring men.
They naturally desired (as the inhabitants of the West End did in 1685) public worship among themselves. This desire led to the building of a new church at the Waterside.
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ST. PAUL'S PARISH
Mr. Plant aided this work by his services and means, for he saw that the Chapel was seated at some disadvantage for ever expecting a very large congregation.
For a quarter of a century the services of the Church of England were celebrated in two locations in the town, at the Chapel on this spot and at St. Paul's at the Waterside.
Later, in 1766, services ceased at the Chapel, but continued at St. Paul's, where for over a century and a half petitions of penitence and thanks, of prayer and praise, have ascended to Almighty God through His Son Jesus Christ, from a multitude of contrite and devout worshipers.
1711
WEATHER VANE OF QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL
Recently presented to St. Paul's Church by Mr. Joshua Hale and family, in whose possession it has been for more than one hundred years.
64
ocomer
8
000
RS
" It Funds Church
Orator- 1800 - Exdone Jahrami Ludz 1099
11/2
OLD SILVER OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
Cor. High and Market Streets, Newburyport, Mass. ORGANIZATION
19II Rector REV. ARTHUR H. WRIGHT 220 High Street
Assistant REV. RUFUS EMERY, D.D. West Newbury
Lay Reader WALWORTH TYNG
Wardens MOSES BROWN, Senior Warden JOHN F. PEARSON, Junior Warden
Vestrymen
ALLEN M. BREWSTER
WILLIAM F. HOUSTON
BRAINERD P. EMERY CHARLES W. MOSELEY
MILTON S. THOMPSON
Clerk
Treasurer
MILTON S. THOMPSON
WILLIAM F. HOUSTON
Treasurer Trust Funds Collector
CHARLES W. MOSELEY
MISS MARY T. SPALDING
Organist and Choirmaster Sexton
VICTOR A. NICHOLSON
ROBERT J. MCKINNEY
PARISH SOCIETIES
ALTAR SOCIETY
GIRLS' FRIENDLY SOCIETY
CHOIR CLUB ST. ANNA'S SOCIETY WOMAN'S GUILD
CHURCH PERIODICAL CLUB
WOMAN'S AUXILIARY
CHRIST CHAPEL
Corner of Merrimac and Moulton Streets
ST. AGNES SOCIETY WOMAN'S GUILD
BUPIED
GRAVE OF "MRS. SARAH BARTLET, A MAIDEN GENTLEWOMAN," 1744 Queen Anne's Chapel Churchyard At this period elderly maiden ladies were addressed as "Mrs."
John Lambton Flex: Fleas Minister. Mallhias Plant Minister. Edward Bass James Morso Rector William Hoor low. Edu? A. Marktund. Johns. Daneuput. John Crocker White . Geo . D. Johnson Edu L. Brown V. A. Van Buren,
W.C.Richardson Arthur H.Wright
FACSIMILE SIGNATURES OF MINISTERS OF QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL AND RECTORS OF ST. PAUL'S CHURCH
1
A Last Olord
As we face the future, it seems desirable that the attention of those who love St. Paul's for all it has been in the past should be called to the need of additional endowment, that it may do the work that lies before it effectively and well.
Gifts and bequests to increase the endow- ment of the parish are among the best forms of memorial, and the attention of all who are interested in the future welfare of the parish is called to this means of assuring the contin- uance of its splendid history.
CHILD
JOSEPH
MARX
A LITTLE GRAVE IN QUEEN ANNE'S CHAPEL CHURCHYARD
AUGUST, 1924
THE ARCHITECTURAL FORUM
PLATE 29
VIEW OF THE CHURCH FROM THE MAIN STREET
TOILET
CLELGI
COAL ASHES
COAL
.
VESTIBULE
AISLE
CHOIR
AL TAL
.
.
.
BAPTISTRY
SCALE OF FEET
5
10
20" 0
40
BASEMENT PLAN
MAIN FLOOR PLAN
ST. PAUL'S CHURCH, NEWBURYPORT, MASS,
PERRY, SHAW & HEPBURN, ARCHITECTS; OFFICE OF R. CLIPSTON STURGIS, CONSULTING ARCHITECT
VESTIBULE
VESTRY
PORCH
SANCTUARY
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