USA > Michigan > Washtenaw County > Ann Arbor > A history of St. Andrew's Church, Ann Arbor, Michigan > Part 5
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frequently occur: 21 September, 1871, withdrew by request as " unsound in doctrine and careless in life." But even the rector himself was encouraged by the
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attendance. In 1870 he notes: " The par- ish has already experienced much of the benefit anticipated in the erection of this edifice. The attendance of students and strangers has greatly increased, the even- ing congregation often exceeding the ca- pacity of the former building." Six free pews were especially available for students. The financial situation steadily improved ; in 1871, a subscription of $3000, "in the form of four notes, payable annually with interest," was made to meet the indebted- ness incurred at the time of the consecra- tion, increased by interest and loss on sub- scriptions, by cost of further improvements, and by a small floating debt. By this time the ladies had reduced their debt to $350.
On the creation of the new diocese of Western Michigan 2 December, 1874, the rector of St. Andrew's was chosen bishop, and the congregation lost the services of one who had worked with them to such pur- pose for nearly fourteen years. His letter of resignation, dated 9 February, 1875, omitted here for lack of space, is copied in
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the Vestry Book, together with a very ap- preciative resolution on his character and services to the parish. The statistics of his rectorate as compiled from the annual reports are as follows: baptisms, infants, 359, adults, 94, total, 453 ; confirmations, 232; marriages, 148; burials, 303. The number of communicants had increased from 127 in 1862 to 198 in 1875, and in 1873 had been as high as 219. In the re- port of 1874 the total value of church property was put down as $39,400 ; church building, $35,000; chapel, $2500; other property, $1900.
CHAPTER IV.
LATER YEARS; THE CHAPEL, THE NEW RECTORY, AND HARRIS HALL.
1875-1903.
A FTER the resignation of Dr. Gilles- pie the parish was served for a time by various clergymen, among them Reverend Messrs. James Large, Rob- ert Wood, and G. A. Whitney. 6 April, 1875, Dr. Palmer moved that a call be ex- tended to the Reverend Wyllys Hall, of Piqua, Ohio. For the moment the matter was laid on the table, but on the tenth of April it was taken up again, and a com- pensation of $1700 was decided upon, with four weeks vacation each year. Two weeks later the board agreed to raise the salary to $1800, and to assume the expense of moving Mr. Hall's family from Piqua. He sent his formal acceptance 16 June, 1875, and remained in charge of St. An- drew's till his resignation, 12 November, 1883.
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REV. WYLLYS HALL
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Ann Arbor, Michigan.
The two most notable events of Mr. Hall's eight years' rectorate were the build- ing of the present chapel and rectory, and the consecration, 17 September, 1879, of Samuel S. Harris as bishop of Michigan. His accession, while an incalculable source of strength to the diocese as a whole and to each individual church within it, was particularly so to this parish. Bishop Harris recognized its possibilities from the first ; as evidence of this we shall soon have occasion to follow his efforts leading to the establishment of the Hobart Guild and the Baldwin and Slocum lecture foundations. First, however, it will be necessary to de- scribe the building of the chapel and rec- tory.
In 1876, the rector could announce that a remaining balance of $1500 due for building the church had been paid by pri- vate subscription, and two years later, in 1878, that St. Andrew's, after a long period of hitherto fruitless endeavor, had at last succeeded in discharging its entire indebtedness. The way was now clear for the new chapel.
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Up to this time the old church had been used for the purpose. The first notice we have of the proposed new building is 1 Au- gust, 1879, when Mr. Rogers, chairman of the committee having the matter in charge, made a report, and the sketch of a plan drawn up by Lloyd was exhibited and ex- plained. Thereupon, on the motion of Mr. Wheeler, the plan was adopted provis- ionally, with a modification changing the door in the porch from south to west, and on condition that the estimated cost be within the sum contemplated. Some months later the matter was brought before the whole parish. At a meeting held 29 March, 1880, it was "Resolved, as the sense of this meeting, that the erection of a new chapel has become a necessity and that the vestry make a vigorous effort in behalf of that enterprise." Two weeks later the rector reported that the money accumulated in his hands for the chapel fund was $570.54 in cash, and a bond and mortgage, dated 1 May, 1878, for $750, with interest at 8 per cent., executed by John W. Gott and pay-
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able two years from date. It was directed that the funds be placed in the hands of the committee for new improvements and erections. Messrs. Richmond, Millen, Frieze, H. W. Rogers, and P. R. B. de Pont were appointed a committee to prepare plans and to present the project of building. Subsequently, 6 September, the rector and Mr. J. M. Wheeler were added to the com- mittee. It is noted in the records that, "On the evening of the above meeting, an alarm of fire, a lurid and threatening conflagration, had a somewhat ‘perturbat- ing' effect on the meeting."
On the 22 September, the cornerstone of the chapel was laid with appropriate cere- monies. The bishop, unable to be present, sent a letter of congratulation, as did also the bishop of Western Michigan. The ser- vices were conducted by the rector, the Reverend John A. Wilson, D.D., of Ypsi- lanti, the Reverend James H. McGoffin, of Dexter, and the Reverend C. M. Stanley, of the diocese of Indiana. The ceremony was under the auspices of the Little Builders' 7
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Society, a voluntary association of children, organized in 1876. After evening prayer, the procession marched to the site of the chapel in the following order : the Sunday school, the Little Builders, the vestry, the wardens bearing the trowel, the gavel and the deposits, and the clergy bringing up the rear. The printed programme of the service, pasted into the Vestry Book, shows it to have been in the customary form for such occasions. The list of depos- its may be of interest. It comprised : Book of Common Prayer and Hymnal; journal of the diocesan convention for 1880; the Church Almanac for 1880; the Church- man and Living Church for date; the Detroit Free Press, Post, Tribune, Ann Arbor Argus, and Register, all of date; Bishop Harris's address delivered at the University of Michigan commencement, June, 1880; a photograph of old St. An- drew's ; names in full of the bishop, of the officers of the parish, of the building com- mittee, and of the officers of the Little Builders ; the list of individual subscribers
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to the rectory and chapel fund, and of the members of the Ladies' Society and Little Builders, with amounts attached. At a meeting held in the evening, the rector and secretary were made a committee to prepare a report of the proceedings and services connected with the laying of the corner- stone of the chapel. Their report, from which the above account is taken, was pre- sented 22 February, 1881.
Almost simultaneously with the begin- ning of the chapel, steps were taken looking toward the erection of a parsonage. The nucleus of the fund for this purpose was a piece of property left by Mrs. Mundy, one of the parishioners, at her death. Although the will was contested by her husband, and some other obstacles stood in the way, the church was finally able, after some delay and expense, to secure its rights. On the eighth of September, 1879, the encourag- ing news was recorded, that a quit claim to the Mundy property on State Street had been secured from the school board, and it was resolved to carry out the purpose of
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the donor by selling the property and ap- plying the proceeds toward building a rec- tory on the church lot. On the sixth of the following May, a committee, consisting of Messrs. Bach, Dunn, and Pond, ap- pointed to appraise the property, esti- mated $2500 as a fair cash value. The committee in charge of the chapel building was at this time given supervision over the rectory as well. At a meeting of the vestry, 22 September, 1880, it was resolved to sell the property to John H. Nickels (it was later discovered that his name had been spelled Nickles and a new deed was made out) for $2800, payable in three annual instalments, secured by a bond and mort- gage on his house and shop adjoining. This bond and mortgage was sold to Mr. H. W. Rogers at par. Meantime, the first stone of the rectory was laid, 16 September, 1880, by Mr. C. H. Richmond, in the pres- ence of Mr. Rogers.
The rectory having been in due time completed, it was reported at a meeting held 1 July, 1882, that it had been rented
ST. ANDREW'S CHURCH AND RECTORY
.......
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to Mr. and Mrs. Dawson, with the inter- esting condition that the rooms were not to be sublet to students. At the annual parochial meeting, 24 March, 1883, a state- ment was furnished of the expenses in- curred in building the chapel and rectory and in improving the lighting and heating of the church. From this report it appears that something over $10,000 had been ex- pended for these various purposes since the work was first taken in hand in 1880. All but a few hundred dollars of this money was expended on the two new buildings. The largest single contribution was the $2800 from the Mundy estate. The re- mainder, aside from a small accumulated fund, was furnished by individual subscrip- tions and by the Ladies' Aid Society.
Apparently the heating was still unsat- isfactory; for, on the twelfth of April, a committee was appointed to consider the project of heating the church by steam. On the twenty-eighth of May, this com- mittee reported that the project would cost $1500. Thereupon, it was moved that a
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committee be chosen to canvas the congre- gation for funds. On the sixth of July, it was decided to proceed with the under- taking as soon as the subscriptions should reach the requisite amount, and in due course of time the new plant was intro- duced. In order to put the finances of the church on a better footing, the debt of the church, which had accumulated in con- sequence of the extensive improvements, was funded at $3000. The note, bearing interest at 6 per cent., was to be made out for three years, with the privilege of ex- tending it to five. This was, doubtless, the nucleus of the debt of $3837.35 paid through the energetic efforts of the Rev- erend Mr. Earp in 1886-1887.
On the twelfth of November, 1883, after a rectorate of nearly nine years, the Rev- erend Wyllys Hall handed in his resigna- tion, to take effect on the eighteenth of the same month. Although his resignation was accepted, it was proposed that he continue his ministrations, with salary, until "such time as Providence shall open to the rector
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and parish a satisfactory change." The proviso, however, was not carried out; for, 4 December, we find the vestry accepting the offer of Dr. Pitkin to fill the vacancy at $25 a Sunday. Mr. Hall's life and work in St. Andrew's are still held in affec- tionate remembrance by many of those who were his parishioners. They testify to his effectiveness as a preacher, and to his warmheartedness and sympathy as a pas- tor. The statistics of Mr. Hall's ministry cannot be given in complete form, since there is no itemized report for 1879 and no confirmations given for 1883. With these omissions the record at the time of his last report, in 1883, is as follows : baptisms, in- fants, 71, adults, 42, total, 113 ; confirma- tions, 114; marriages, 34; burials, 105. The number of communicants had increased from 198 to 271. The report for the parochial year 1883-1884 was made by Dr. Pitkin. According to his report, there were, during the interval, fourteen bap- tisms, of which two were adults and twelve infants, fourteen confirmations, fourteen
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marriages, and five burials. Owing to losses and to the fact that thirty-nine on Mr. Hall's list could not be accounted for, the number of communicants shows a decrease from 276 to 250. The following valua- tions are put on the church property in this report: church, $26,000; chapel, $5000; rectory, $6000; total, $37,000; insurance on property, $26,000; title in wardens and vestrymen; condition of prop- erty good ; debt $3300. Since the new rector did not assume charge till the second Sun- day in July, 1885, the report for 1884- 1885 is again by Dr. Pitkin. The sta- tistics show very little growth. The num- ber of communicants remains at 250; there were only five baptisms, all infants, one marriage, and three burials. It is inter- esting to notice, among the gifts of this year, $1000 for a guild.
During a vacancy of over a year and a half, various efforts were made to get a settled pastor. 30 June, 1884, the vestry extended a call to the Reverend Ethelbert Talbot, of Warsaw, Missouri, now bishop
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of Central Pennsylvania. The terms offered were very liberal, $1500 annually, the free use of the rectory, which Mr. Hall had not enjoyed, and a pledge of the standing committee of the diocese of $1000 annually "so long as such pledge shall continue." Mr. Talbot having refused, the vestry were obliged to search further afield. It is in- teresting to note that, in a sermon which Mr. Talbot preached during a visit to Ann Arbor, he chose for his text: "Art thou he that should come or do we look for another." 12 Sptember, 1884, Dr. Palmer, called upon to give a report of investigations he had made in regard to several persons whose names had been sent him with a view to filling the rectorship of St. Andrew's, " gave a very favorable report of Reverend Dr. Greer, of Providence." On his recommen- dation, a unanimous call was extended. Dr. Greer, attracted by the possibilities of the field in a university town, seems to have seriously considered the offer, but finally declined. He later went to St. Bartholo- mew's, New York City, and has recently
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been elected bishop coadjutor of New York. Next an attempt was made to get the Rev- erend H. P. Nichols, of New Haven, Con- necticut; and this failing, the Reverend Samuel Earp, Ph.D., of Washington, Penn- sylvania, was called in May, 1885. He sent his acceptance 2 June, and, as has already been stated, entered on his duties in July.
During Dr. Earp's rectorate, a project was completed, the preliminary steps of which may be traced back to Mr. Hall's time. As early as 14 October, 1883, we find the following minute entered in the Ves- try Book: "Whereas the vestry are fully in favor of the early construction of a guild hall or of some suitable place for the social gathering of the parish, yet, as our present interest bearing indebtedness is fully $3000, Resolved, That we do not think it advisable to increase the same by further loans, but that any mode of reach- ing this desirable object without subtract- ing from the parish resources will receive our hearty concurrence." Although the
REV. SAMUEL EARP
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subject was, doubtless, under discussion from this time on, no further reference to it is made in the records till 13 January, 1885, when a meeting was held to appoint a committee to confer with the Ladies' So- ciety, on the project of putting up a build- ing on the church property for social pur- poses, and "permission was granted the ladies to erect such a building, provided it did not present too great difficulties in the matter of insurance, appearance, and posi- tion." On the twelfth of May, Dr. Palmer, for the special committee appointed 13 January, reported that the plans and spec- ifications for the new guild had been ob- tained, and that the ladies proposed to pro- ceed with the work. On the third of Au- gust, the vestry agreed to contribute $3000 for a lot, on a site to be chosen by a com- mittee agreed upon by the bishop and ves- try, provided that $3500 be raised outside before 1 January, 1886. On the thirty- first of December, the vestry, in conference with the bishop and Governor Baldwin, of Detroit, agreed to purchase the Sperry
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property on the northwest corner of State and Huron streets for $3700, the bishop to furnish $700 and the vestry the balance. Conditions of time for raising the specified amount were waived. 18 February, 1886, Dr. Douglas, Mr. Richmond, and Mr. Treadwell were appointed a committee for building.
The larger range which the project had assumed was due to the Right Reverend Samuel S. Harris, bishop of Michigan since 17 September, 1879. In his annual ad- dress before the diocesan convention in June, 1886, he reported that a little less than a year ago " his long meditated plans for a church hall and lectureship at the University of Michigan took definite shape," and that he had laid them " before a judicious friend, a churchman of De- troit," who promised him a " generous sub- scription." Later, he had gone to Ann Arbor and submitted his plans to the rector and vestry, who were already considering the plan of erecting a building for paro- chial purposes. As a result of the con-
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ferences already noted, it was resolved to build a church hall, the vestry agreeing to pay $3000. Thereupon, the bishop pre- pared the following statement of the details of what was proposed to be done, and had it privately circulated as an appeal for subscriptions :
THE PROPOSED CHURCH HALL AND LEC- TURESHIPS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN.
The importance of bringing all prac- ticable Christian influences to bear upon the great body of students who are an- nually assembled at the University of Michigan, is generally recognized. More than twelve hundred young men, who, in the nature of things, will soon occupy posi- tions of responsibility in all parts of our country, resort thither year after year to pursue the studies which are to train and equip them for the work of their lives. The time so employed is the season during which their opinions are formed, their char- acters are fixed, and the quality of their religious and moral convictions is deter- mined. Most of such students are sepa- rated from the influence of their homes, and
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from the religious teaching which has safe- guarded their childhood. The instruction provided in the university, while not un- friendly to the Christian faith, is neces- sarily non-religious and secular. The opin- ion is widespread among thoughtful people, that there is need of more definite religious teaching than a state institution can under- take to provide; and it is well seen that an opportunity is offered to the Church to institute and carry forward a Christian work among the students at Ann Arbor, the importance of which cannot possibly be overestimated.
The expediency of taking such action as would lead to this has been discussed by me at length in more than one of my annual addresses ; and my views have received the cordial support of the convention of the diocese of Michigan. The setting forth of a definite plan has been delayed, however, partly by local circumstances, and partly by a desire on my part to give the amplest consideration to all the conditions of suc- cess, before laying my proposal before the Church, and asking the cooperation of my brethren. After much counsel and the most careful deliberation, the following plan is proposed, in accordance with which it is hoped, under God's favor and blessing,
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to prosecute the Church's work at the Uni- versity of Michigan.
1. It is proposed to erect a building or hall near the University, to be used for the guild meetings, and other parochial gatherings of St. Andrew's parish, where the students and church people of the city of Ann Arbor may meet together under the refining and elevating influence of the Church's social life. In this hall there shall be cheerful parlors, a well-equipped read- ing room, and a lecture room, where the lectures hereinafter mentioned may be given and other meetings may be held. The parish of St. Andrew's has provided a suitable site on one of the principal thor- oughfares near the University. The cost of erecting such a building and providing an income for the heating, lighting and care of it, will be about $15,000.
2. It is proposed to endow a lecture- ship similar to the Bampton lectureship in England, or the Bohlen lectureship in Philadelphia, for the establishment and de- fense of Christian truth; the lectures on such foundation to be delivered annually at Ann Arbor by a learned clergyman or other communicant of the Protestant Episcopal Church, to be chosen as hereinafter pro- vided; such lectures to be not less than six
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nor more than eight in number, and to be published in book form before the income of the fund shall be available. Properly to endow these lectures, not less than $10,000 will be required.
3. It is proposed to endow a regular course of twenty lectures on Biblical Lit- erature and Learning, to be given in con- secutive weeks, one in each week, during the session of the University. For the endowment of these lectures, $10,000 should be provided.
4. It is proposed to endow a regular course of twenty lectures on Divinity and Christian Evidences, to be given in consecu- tive weeks, one in each week, during the ses- sion of the University. For the endow- ment of these lectures, $10,000 should be provided.
The object of establishing the two lec- tureships last named will be to provide, for all the students who may be willing to avail themselves of them, what a state uni- versity cannot supply, namely, a complete course of instruction in sacred learning, and in the philosophy of right thinking and right living, without which no educa- tion can be justly considered complete. In order to do this, these regular lectures will be offered as a complementary course to the
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students of the University, free of cost, and will be given at such hours in the even- ing as will not interfere with their other studies.
5. The plan for the selection of lectur- ers and the general administration of the work will be as follows: It is proposed to organize a society to be composed of the students, in all the classes and departments of the University, who may be members of or attached to the Protestant Episcopal Church, of which society the bishop of the diocese, the rector, wardens and vestry- men of St. Andrew's parish, and all the professors of the University who are com- municants of the Protestant Episcopal Church shall be members ex officio. To this body shall be entrusted the care and management of the reading room and lec- ture room of the hall, and of all the ex- ercises and employments carried on therein. The same society, moreover, shall annually elect each of the lecturers hereinbefore men- tioned, upon the nomination of the bishop of the diocese. Furthermore, it shall be understood that the lectures hereinbefore mentioned shall be delivered under the aus- pices of said society, whose duty it shall be to promote attendance upon them, and in all practicable ways to aid in increasing
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their effectiveness and extending their in- fluence.
From the above outline it will be seen that the sum of $45,000 will be required to equip and carry forward this great enter- prise. Of that amount a well known lay- man of the Diocese has, with characteristic liberality, subscribed the sum of $5,000, on the condition that the sum of $45,000 be secured.
The foregoing statement is intended to be sent to a few churchmen within and without the diocese of Michigan, who are known to be interested in the Church's work; and I do most earnestly beg those into whose hands it may come, to consider well what is here proposed, and to give to this important undertaking the assistance of their gifts and their prayers.
SAMUEL S. HARRIS, Bishop of Michigan.
He subsequently submitted this plan to the standing committee of the diocese, as his council of advice, when the following action was taken:
DETROIT, November 14, 1885.
At a meeting of the standing committee of the diocese of Michigan, held this day, the following was adopted:
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The standing committee, having had laid before them the plan proposed by the bishop for establishing, at Ann Arbor, a suitable building and the endowment of lectureships on subjects relating to relig- ious education and Christian knowledge, ex- press their cordial approval of the scheme, and their belief that it will, if carried out, be of very great service in furthering the interests of religion in the University and the extension of Christian culture; and they earnestly recommend the project to the support of liberal persons everywhere, as one which will not only advance the in- terests of the Church and its ministry, but will also exercise a very extended influence on students from all parts of the country.
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