USA > Maine > Kennebec County > Gardiner > Christ Church, Gardiner, Maine : antecedents and history > Part 10
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One Sunday morning in the fall of 1868, a stranger appeared in Christ Church, who refused the usher's offer to show him to a seat, and stationed himself in one of the back pews, where he listened attentively to every word of the young minister. On the following morning he called on Mr. Magrath, announcing himself as Judge Higby, of Jackson, Michigan, and inviting him to accept a pastor- ate in that town. It is said that he had had no previous knowl- edge of Mr. Magrath, and extended this call to him solely because of the pleasure which he took in the services of the day before.
It was with the deepest regret that the parish heard Mr. Magrath's decision to leave the Church where he was so beloved. Between it and him there had always been a peculiarly tender re- lationship, since he had grown to manhood within sight of its walls, and had been so near to the heart of the Bishop who had given his life in its service.
Since his resignation, which took effect in the fall of 1868, Mr. Magrath has ministered at Jackson and Battle Creek, Michigan ; at Torresdale, Pennsylvania ; at Hyde Park, Mass., and at Mattapan, in the same state, where he now resides. Courteous and kindly, the friend of both rich and poor, eminently spiritual and earnest, as Gardiner knows him to be, it has been his privilege to glean for his Master in fair and fertile fields, and to bring home the riches of the harvest.
When he left his Maine congregation, it was so large, and in such a flourishing condition, that plans were in progress for the erection of another Church at the "New Mills Village," farther up the Cobbossee Stream. Bishop Burgess had long cherished the project, and it was abandoned with reluctance, after the departure of Mr. Magrath.
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In December, 1867, a new memorial window, rich in color and tracery, had been placed in the Church, opposite that of Dr. Clap. It was dedicated to the memory of Eliza Storrs, a niece of Bishop Burgess, and a sister of the Rev. Leonard K. Storrs, the present rector of St. Paul's Church, Brookline, Mass. The design includes a panel bearing a central cross ; a dove with spread wings above ; and the resurrection lilies below, with the inscription, "He giveth his beloved sleep." The whole was the joint gift of Mrs. Storrs and Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Branch to the Church.
Not until February, 1869, did the parish succeed in securing a new rector. This was the Rev. Christopher S. Leffingwell, of Can- andaigua, N. Y., and his, with the exception of the Bishop's, was the longest pastorate of Christ Church, extending over more than ten years. Upon his acceptance of the call, the house of Alonzo Par- sons on Vine Street, was bought for a rectory ; and, with many of us, it is associated with delightful memories of the genial rector and his interesting family, who were great favorites among the peo- ple of the parish.
The years of Mr. Leffingwell's ministry, as we look back upon them, seem characterized by no events of great importance ; yet, under his sunny influence, they passed with a serene quietness that it is pleasant to remember. Mr. Leffingwell was a clergyman of great cultivation and a natural sweetness of disposition, which made him especially attractive to his people.
Among the active parishioners of this period may be mentioned Mr. Robert Hallowell Gardiner, with his nephews, Mr. Francis Richards, Gen. John T. Richards and Mr. Henry Richards ; Messrs. Joseph, William and Peter Bradstreet ; Messrs. Ephraim Forsyth, John Stone, Alonzo Parsons, C. A. and J. D. White. and Dr. Stephen Whitmore.
In 1874 the Church lost a faithful friend in the person of Mr. Robert Williamson, who had long held high offices in the Parish.
In May, 1879, Mr. Leffingwell left Gardiner for the more flour- ishing pastorate of St. Saviour's, Bar Harbor, where he is much be- loved, and where he exercises a great influence over the frequent- ers of the fashionable isle. It is one of the pleasant features of his location in Maine, that it affords his old Church members an occasional glimpse of their former pastc ..
The next rector of Christ Church was the Rev. Leverett Bradley, formerly the assistant of the late Bishop Brooks, at Trinity Church, Boston. In contact as he had been with the broad views of this
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great reformer, he was a type of the Episcopal clergyman unfa- miliar in Gardiner, and the Church was speedily thronged with listeners, who came to hear the cheery, humanizing, religious views which he upheld. Mr. Bradley had served as Chaplain of a regi- ment in the War of the Rebellion, and this, with his winning personal qualities, made him especially the friend of the soldiers, for whom he held services at the Togus National Home.
During his stay in Gardiner, he did not live in the rectory, but bought and repaired, for his own use, the old house on Dresden Street, which had served so often as a parsonage in its earlier days. It was here that Mr. Bradley brought the bride, whose charming social and artistic qualities made her such a helpful member of the community.
With his characteristic energy and perseverance, Mr. Bradley, while among us, brought about many needed changes of the parish property, as well as of the parish views. Under his stirring direc- tion the organ was moved to its present position, the gallery diminished in size, and the lecture-room subjected to a complete remodeling and better system of ventilation.
In February, 1880, the Parish lost a valued aid, in the person of its Junior Warden, Dr. Stephen Whitmore. At a special meeting resolutions were passed, expressive of deep sorrow for the removal of " this dear friend and worker," whose memory is constantly kept before us by the beautiful pulpit of carved wood, which was given to the Church by Dr. Whitmore's family.
Feeling that his was the duty of an apostle, Mr. Bradley, despite the earnest entreaties of his Church, accepted, in 1884, a call to Andover, Mass. So productive of good, and so eagerly accepted had been his mission in Maine that it was hard to realize that his usefulness could no longer be restrained by the bounds of our city ; yet subsequent events have proved the truth of this fact. As rector of St. Luke's Church, Philadelphia, he now enjoys the wider popularity which he deserves, and in which we rejoice for him.
In the review of the past, the parish seems to have been partic- ularly fortunate in their choice of ministers ; rarely more so than when they next called to Christ Church the Rev. Chas. L. Wells, of Boston. He lived while here in the old rectory on Vine Street, to which he also brought his bride. Mr. Wells was a man whose sweet, wholesome life and bravery of speech had great effect in the community. With the young men of the Church, in partic- 16
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ular, his companionship was valuable ; not so much for his spoken words, as for the silent influence of his character among them. He was especially loved by Mr. Anne, the venerable sexton of the Church, whose death took place during Mr. Wells' rectorship, and who looked upon the young priest beside his dying bed, as second only to the Bishop whose memory he revered.
Mr. Wells was deeply interested in the charitable work of both Church and city, and his footsteps may be traced in many a home where want and ignorance cry for help.
The month of February, 1884, was saddened by news of the death of Mr. Francis Gardiner Richards in Boston. Like his father, he had been a liberal and active member of Christ Church, and his loss was a great one to the whole community. The fine brass lectern, which, with its glowing symbol of inspiration, occu- pies a conspicuous place in the Church, is a tribute to this depart- ed Christian. Its inscription is : "Placed in this Church by Anne Richards for a memorial of Francis Richards, 1886."
Mrs. Richards also presented to the Church the beautiful crim- son altar-cloth, which was made in England, where she now re- sides.
In the spring of 1886, the Parish was again visited by affliction. In the death of Robert Hallowell Gardiner, the second of that name, the Church again found itself deprived of a dear friend and counsellor. Mr. Gardiner, like his father, was very near to the people of the city ; and the beauty of Oaklands will never seem the same again, since we no longer see there the gray-haired, studious owner, wandering through his quaint old garden, and al- ways ready with the charming hospitality that, for many years, has made the family name a pleasant one.
At a Vestry Meeting of Christ Church, on September, 13, 1886, the following resolutions were passed :
"WHEREAS, It has pleased our Father to take from us to him- self, our brother Robert Hallowell Gardiner, the second of his name, who has, through long years, been the Senior Warden of this Parish, and a leader among our people :
Resolved, That while we bow submissively to the Father's will in claiming his own, we bewail our loss and view with saddened gaze and tender awe the vacant place, and realize more fully than ever before the love he bore our Church, and his anxious care for its welfare. His life has been replete with earnest zeal for the
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Master's cause and the good of the Church, increasing more and more with each passing year unto its perfect end.
The community has lost a valued citizen, the poor a friend, and we a brother, friend, and leader, whose place in our hearts now thrills with pain at our loss-his gain."
Four years later, at Easter-tide, the oaken reredos was presented to the Church as a tribute to her departed benefactor. It was the gift of the busy little guild, which was organized by Mr. Wells ; and it bears upon a brass plate the words : " In Memory of Robert Hallowell Gardiner, born December 3, 1809, died September 13, 1886. Erected by St. Margaret's Guild, 1890."
The little cross, which stands before the reredos, was given by Mr. Gardiner in memory of his wife. It was cut from wood grown upon a southern plantation owned by Mrs. Gardiner, and its inscription reads "S. F. G. March 21, 1869."
The two brass vases upon either side of the cross are to com- memorate the young sons of the late Rev. Frederic Gardiner. Upon one is engraved "William Tudor Gardiner, b. April 3, 1856, d. December 21, 1862 ;" and upon the other, "Alfred Gardiner, b. April 12, 1862, d. August 1, 1877."
Not long after the death of Mr. Gardiner, a more satisfactory arrangement was made with regard to the legacy of the founder of the original Church. By the terms of this contract the Trustees of the Parish Fund agree "to receive from the Trustees under the will of Robert Hallowell Gardiner $2000 in full satisfaction, com- mutation and discharge of certain annual sums bequeathed by the late Sylvester Gardiner to be paid to the minister of St. Ann's Church in Gardinerstown, of which Church this Church is the legal successor." The income from the Legacy, Glebe, and Pew Trust Funds, as invested, is now about $500 yearly.
Early in 1888 Mr. Wells assumed the duties of a professor in the Seabury Divinity School, Faribault, Minn. It was with sorrow that the Parish severed its connection with the young minister, thus called to another sphere of usefulness. Gardiner was strongly attached to him, and takes pleasure. in the news of his advance and recent election to a fine position on the faculty of the Chicago University.
In April of the same year the Parish extended a call to the Rev. Allen E. Beeman, of Hartford, Conn. He had preached several times in Christ Church, and met with an enthusiastic reception
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among the people, who rejoiced at the prospect of claiming a rec- tor of so much scholarship and devotion to the Church's cause.
The liquidation of the Parish debt was the first event of conse- quence after Mr. Beeman's arrival. Plans to this end had been evolved during the pastorate of Mr. Wells. who had been one of the most earnest laborers for their success. After diligent circula- tion of pledges, subscription papers, etc., the desired result was brought about, and Easter, 1888, saw the dawn of a new era for the liberated Church. The thanks of the Parish were duly extended to the Treasurer, Mr. Asbury Stilphen, whose unremitting perse- verance had won such a signal victory.
In January, 1890, was inaugurated the vested choir, which at present, holds a high reputation in the state. It is fortunate in having for choir-master, Mr. Herbert H. Combs of Augusta, who, with Mr. Fred Winslow at the organ, is accomplishing wonders in the way of training and organization. In this work he has met with special assistance from Mr. William G. Ellis, the Treasurer of the Parish, who has given many proofs of his interest and generos- ity in all Church matters. The beautiful processional cross was a present from Mr. Ellis, and was carried for the first time by the choir-boys on Christmas, 1891.
During 1890 the choir-master was Mr. F. C. Hyde of Augusta. His universally approved organist was Mr. Alexander Forsyth, a young man of note in Christ Church as the son of Mr. Ephraim Forsyth, who until his death, in 1890, was one of its most revered members, and as the grandson of Mrs. Martha Williamson, long its oldest communicant. In August, 1890, the organ underwent some changes for the better, and until the fall of 1893 the position of organist was held by the popular Miss Pauline Johnson of Augusta. Before the formation of the vested choir the singers had been, for the most part, selected from the parish, and for some time Mr- Charles B. Seabury had acted as chorister. The organists had been Miss Laura Lewis (now Mrs. Fred Cony of Augusta,) Pro- fessors Marshall, Lane, and Protheroe.
In any mention of those who have lent their musical talents to the service of Christ Church, Miss Augusta Gardiner deserves a foremost place. She has presided at the organ for fourteen years in all, and has spared no pains to bring home to the people the beauty of sacred chant and song. It was found most difficult to supply the position, which she resigned in 1885, because of ill health.
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The present Rector has given his influence to the vested choir, and it is' due, in great measure to him, that we, today, enjoy this completion of the well-ordered service.
Besides his interest in the affairs of to-day, Mr. Beeman pos- sesses all the zeal of an antiquarian ; and he has brought to light many valuable papers and records, hitherto neglected, but well nigh priceless in the history of our venerable Church. Of late he has been most enthusiastic over the proposed repairs which are sadly needed in the old building, and which, it is hoped, may be determined upon before June 1, 1893, the hundredth anniversary of the first Parish Meeting. In February, 1892, by a vote of the parish officers, it was decided that the repairs should be made, if the sum required for the expenses could be raised. Plans for the changes have been drawn by Sturgis and Cabot of Boston, and these convey an idea of dignity and adaptability well suited to the needs of a place of public worship. These plans, as well as gen- erous pledges towards the modifications suggested, were given by the heir of the Gardiner estate, Mr. Robert Hallowell Gardiner 3d, who is of repute as a brilliant young Boston lawyer. During his summer visits to Oaklands, he and his family are constant attend- ants at the Church which owes its being to those of his name.
On Christmas, 1890, a beautiful font, the gift of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, was placed on the right of the chancel of Christ Church. It was intended as a memorial of their infant son, and is directly below the tablet of his great-great-grandfather, for whom the child was named. The font is made of a rare stone, found only in an obscure quarry in the Pyrenees, and is most pleasing in design and execution. It is hexagonal in shape, with a brass cover, and a frontal rail of the same material. About it run the three inscrip- tions ; "Suffer the little children to come unto Me ;" "To the Glory of God and In Memory of Silvester Gardiner, born January II, 1888, died May 15, 1889," and, " In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost, Amen." The whole stands upon a tiled flooring of a chaste design in delicate brown, blue and gray.
Among the rest of the Church possessions are the useful hymn- board, presented by Mrs. Julia Stevens ; the beautifully bound Prayer Book and Hymnal, a gift from her daughter, Mrs. Sumner Hollingsworth, on the day of her marriage, and the ornamental brass book-rest, which was given by Miss Mary F. Washburn, and is inscribed "In Memoriam. Mary B. Grant, born February 10, 1795 ; died April 9, 1875. Mary Dorothy Neal, born August 4,
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1818 ; died June 18, 1889." Then there is the large and elegant Bible upon the lectern, which bears on its fly-leaf the words ; "Presented to Christ Church in Gardiner, Maine, on the Feast of St. Matthew the Apostle, September 21, A. D. 1888, by St Marga- ret's Guild. Maude Robinson, President."
This little guild merits special attention for its activity and its business-like way of carrying on work. Besides making many valuable additions to the Church properties, and caring for the appointments of the altar, it devotes itself at Easter and Christ- mas times to the beautiful decorations of the seasons. It also earns funds for Church purposes by the sale of Christmas greens to other parishes; and every winter its members are busy for several weeks over the rich-scented evergreen festoons, which are packed in barrels and sent away, frequently to Rev. Mr. Storr's Church in Brookline.
The other organizations of the Parish are the "Woman's Auxil- iary Society," a tireless band of mission workers, who first assem- bled under Mr. Leffingwell's auspices ; and the "Ladies' Society," dating, they say "from time immemorial." This has but recently arisen from a season of repose, but, it is hoped, will before long re- gain somewhat of its early vigor.
An ancient organization, once known as the "Fragment Society," is now lost in other organized branches. The distinguishing fea- ture of this association, which was purely charitable, was a large bag, whose capacious spaces held treasures for the poor of the neighborhood in the shape of clothing, blankets, and "comforters."
In the month of June, 1893, will occur the hundredth anniver- sary of the first meeting of the Episcopal Parish in our city, and it has therefore been decided that the Diocesan Convention shall then be held in Gardiner, where the important date be will duly celebrated.
Services of commemoration were held in Christ Church on the evening of March 28, 1893, one hundred years from the incorpor- ation of the Parish. As it was Tuesday of Holy Week, no festivity took place ; but the choral service was well rendered by the vested choir of twenty-one voices, and the rector, the Rev. Mr. Beeman, preached an excellent sermon upon the text, "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house ; and it fell not : for it was founded upon a rock."
Upon this occasion a pair of handsome brass candlesticks, the
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gift of Mr. William G. Ellis, appeared for the first time upon the altar. *
* *
Out in the silences of the old burial-place, the sunken stones yet speak to us of those who lived and labored here a hundred years ago. The result of their work is ours; and, for the story of Christ Church in the century to come, we and our influence will be, in great part, responsible. With a past full of treasured mem- ories, quick with childish prayer and manly supplication, blessed by pious priest and godly Bishop, the prospect can but be a hope- ful one. Amid the clash of opposing creeds, this little temple on the hill will surely never be deserted by the true spirit of the Master whose love is alike on Jew and Gentile, bond and free.
" Our mother, the Church, hath never a child, To honor before the rest,
And she singeth the same for mighty Kings. And the veriest babe on her breast ;
And the Bishop goes down to his narrow bed As the ploughman's child is laid,
And alike she blesseth the dark browed sage. And the chief in his robe arrayed.
She sprinkles the drops of the bright new-birth The same on the low and high.
And christens their bodies with dust to dust When earth with its earth must lie :
Oh. the poor man's friend is the Church of Christ. From his birth to his funeral day ;
She makes him the Lord's in her surpliced arms, And singeth his burial lay."
APPENDIX I.
[NOTE .- Since the writing of the preceding pages, the first record book of the Parish has been delivered to the Senior Warden. It contains the narrative of the Hon. R. H. Gardiner, which was read by the author in the lecture room in May, 1847, and which embraces a succinct account of the Episcopal Parish in this city from 1793 to 1847. Setting forth, as it does, the views of this prominent layman, and stating many facts which are of importance, it has seemed best to append it to the story of the Church, where it can- not fail to interest every reader and parishioner. E. L. G.]
The Episcopal Church in this place, whose history I have been requested to read to you this evening, was founded prior to the war of Independence. Dr. Silvester Gardiner, who was in very. extensive practice as a Physician in Boston, and as a Druggist sup- plied the whole of New England with medicines, and owned much real Estate in the City needing his attention, yet found time and took a strong interest in bringing forward the settlements on Ken- nebec River, particularly in this place, of which he was proprietor, and which after him was called Gardinerston. He was a man of strong religious principles, and warmly attached to the doctrines and discipline of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and desirous that the settlers whom he he was introducing into this then wilder- ness should enjoy the ministrations of the gospel. He was the actual instrument in the establishment of the Episcopal Church in the older settlement of Pownalboro, now Dresden, which flourished under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Bailey till it was broken up by the troubles of the Revolution. The same motive induced Dr. Gardi- ner to erect at his own expense in this place a Church and a Par-
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sonage House, but the war interrupted his labours before the Church was completed. After the peace he intended to have de- voted more of his time and attention to promoting the prosperity of the Settlement on the Kennebec, but he died in Newport on his way to Boston in the year 1786, and bequeathed his property in this Town to his son, William, who died the following year, 1787, when it fell to a child only five years old. Dr. Gardiner directed by his last will that the Church, which he called St. Ann's Church should be finished by his executors at the expense of his estate. He also bequeathed to it £28 sterling to be paid to the Rector annually forever, and made the Cobbosseecontee Estate responsible for £20 of this sum, and other portions of his Kenne- bec property for the other £8.
In 1807 an act was passed by the Legislature of Massachusetts authorizing the Wardens with consent of the Vestry to compromise with any of the persons obliged to pay these annuities and receive from them either money or land which would yield an income at least equal to the annuities they were under obligation to pay. Annuities to the amount of £5 were thus compromised, and with the proceeds four shares were purchased in the Gardiner Bank which the Parish still own. The other £23 are still paid agreea- bly to the provisions of the will. Dr. Gardiner also bequeathed to the Church his Library, of which the Rector was always to be Librarian and the use of it was to be extended to all the physi- cians and clergymen within 15 miles of Kennebec River and 20 miles North and South of the Church. The Library was scattered by the Revolution and his Executors could never find a volume of it. He also bequeathed to the Church 10 acres as a glebe lot to be laid out by his executors so as to include the Church and Par- sonage House. The Church stood where is now the lecture room in which we are assembled, and the Parsonage House was on the East side of Dresden Street near where is now the Dwelling House of Mr. Arthur Berry. The lot was not located till 1819, previous to which School Street and Dresden Street had both been laid out crossing the land designed for the Glebe, and, as the terms of the will respecting its location could not be complied with without greatly injuring the value of the lot, the present Parsonage of 10 acres with streets on three sides was laid out and accepted in lieu thereof, and at the same time a separate donation was made to the Parish of the Burial Ground and lot where the Church then stood. Dr. Gardiner connected by his will the endowment of the
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