History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 161

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140

USA > New Jersey > Sussex County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 161
USA > New Jersey > Warren County > History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers > Part 161

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On the 30th of September, 1858, the first decennial celebration of the founding of the academy was held in the Presbyterian church. The occasion drew to- gether a large concourse of the friends of the school. An able address was delivered by Rev. Hugh N. Wil- son, D.D., of New Brunswick, N. J. The Rev. Mr. Reiley also read a brief history of the school, giving an account of its origin, and of its struggles and suc- cesses during the first ten years of its existence, from which many of the facts above given are derived.

From this period until the spring of 1861 there occurred nothing calling for special notice. The school continued to prosper under the able manage- ment of the beloved principal and his-iu her own proper and very important department-equally effi- cient wife, until the above date, when, against the urgent and repeated protests of the friends of the in- stitution, Mr. Johnson resigned, having first intro- duced, as his successor, S. S. Stevens, A.M., now of Newton, N. J. On leaving Blairstown, Mr. Johnson retired to his farm near Morristown, N. J., and subse- quently taught in that town, where he has for a num- ber of years past been engaged in the real-estate business.

In addition to the hearty commendation of his im- mediate predecessor, Mr. Stevens, who had for sev- eral years been at the head of young ladies' schools in Richmond, Va., and Newark, N. J., brought testi- monials of a high order from many of his former patrons and from the faculty of Union College, New York, and entered upon the duties of his new office, under the most flattering auspices, in the month of April, 1861. The academy building had been recently remodeled and repaired, so as to make it more conve- nient and attractive. The means of access had been improved in the month of July previous by the estab- lishment of a daily mail line. Stages left Blairstown every weekday morning for Waterloo, on the Morris and Essex Railroad, and Delaware Station, on the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad, re- spectively, and returned the same afternoon. During the year 1862, to meet the requirements of increasing applications, Blair Hall was enlarged by the addition of a wing, so as to accommodate 50 pupils in addi- tion to the family of the principal. In the following year, by the addition of a third story, the accommo- dations for pupils were again largely increased.

their appreciation of the endowment of the professor- ship of geology and physical geography in Princeton College by Mr. Blair, the trustees of that institution adopted a resolution that the sons of ministers of Newton Presbytery fitted for college at Blair Hall should for all time to come receive their tuition in any of the regular classes free of charge.

During the winter term of 1864-65 the academy attained its highest degree of prosperity, there being during that term a total of 119 students in attendance. Of these, 31 were members of the parochial or primary department, and 88 of the academical. Of the latter, 63 were boarding pupils at Blair Hall.

On the 29th of December, 1866, in acknowledg- ment of a gift of $8000 by Mr. Blair, the trustees of Lafayette College adopted a resolution in effect the same as that of Princeton College above mentioned.

On the night of Dec. 18, 1867, while the pupils of the academy were giving an exhibition in Mechanics' Hall, a public hall of the village, on the eve of the Christmas holiday, the audience were startled by the alarm of fire. An hour or two later Blair Hall, the pride and glory of the place, was a smouldering heap of ruins. Who shall describe the feelings of the friends of the academy at this unexpected calamity? The houses of many of the villagers were thrown open to the teachers and students, most of whom lost every- thing but the clothing they had on. Letters of con- dolence poured in from every quarter, and several prominent and influential religious papers contained cordial expressions of sympathy. But, as is so fre- quently the case, what we thought a calamity proved a blessing in disguise. It was the darkest hour that preceded the dawn of a brighter day. Immediately upon his return home, Mr. Blair announced his de- termination to rebuild on an enlarged scale. A de- sirable piece of ground adjoining the property was purchased to give additional room. The foundations of the present stately and substantial stone structure were laid early in the spring of 1868, and the west wing so far completed as to be occupied by the school in April, 1869, temporary quarters having been ob- tained in the mean while in Mechanics' Hall.

The new Blair Hall is 120 feet long and 35 feet deep, with wings on either end 40 by 30 feet, all three stories high, exclusive of attic and basement. It is covered with slate, supplied in all stories with pure, soft spring water, brought through subterranean iron pipes a distance of nearly a mile and a half, and is heated throughout by steam. Occupying a prominent point overlooking the village, it is a striking object of vision for miles around, while the views from the observatory, the upper rooms, and the broad front piazza are very extensive and beautiful.

At the beginning of the academic year of 1868-69, the primary department having been for several years the source of considerable annoyance on account of questions growing out of the use of the public school

On the 22d of December, 1863, in testimony of funds, it was detached from the academy and organ-

BLAIR HALL, BLAIRSTOWN, N. J.

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ized into a separate district school. The original academy building has since been used by the district under lease, free of expense except the cost of keep- ing it in repair.

During the year 1868, Mr. Blair set apart a fund of $10,000, the interest of which was appropriated to paying the board and tuition of five sons of ministers of the Presbytery of Newton, and, at his suggestion, the l'resbytery appointed a board of directors, con- sisting of not less than five minister- and two ruling ellers, to superintend its management.

During the years 1869-70, to compensate Mr. Stevens in part for the loss sustained by the burning of the first Blair Hall, as well as practically to mani- fest their interest in the school, the congregation of the Blairstown Presbyterian Church furnished the parlor of the new Hall at an expense of $200. Bed- rooms were also furnished by Daniel Hulshizer, of Stewartsville, Sellen T. Scranton, Dr. John C. John- son, and Rev. David Tully, at a cost of $60 cach, and by the congregations of Stillwater and Yellow Frame Churches, at $70 each.

On the 11th of April, 1870, the real estate, includ- ing Blair Hall and some seven and a half acres of land, was formally conveyed to a board of trustees, to be held in trust for the use and purposes of an acad- emy, under the control and management of the board of directors appointed by the Presbytery.

In April, 1872, the late J. Blair Scribner, then the head of the publishing house of Charles scribner's Sons, pursuant in part to a plan proposed by his father in his lifetime, presented the academy with a valuable collection of books, which he designed to be the first instalment of the "Scribner Library."

In the summer of 1873, after a period of twelve years of great prosperity, Mr. Stevens resigned the principalship of the academy, and accepted that of the Collegiate Institute, at Newton, N. J. Stops were im- mediately taken to secure a successor ; but, owing in part to the protracted and finally fatal illness of one with whom the directors were a long while in corre- spondence, it was not until the summer of 1875 that arrangements were finally made for the reopening of the school in the ensuing autumn. This long period of inactivity was not, however, altogether lost. Dur- ing the year 1874, Mr. Blair had given the Hall a thorough renovation, stuccoing the exterior, putting utp broad, covered piazzas along the entire front and rear of the building, introducing steam heating-appa- ratus and an abundant supply of water, and making other much needed improvements to the main buikt- ing, as well as to the stable and laundry, by which both the comfort and appearance of the whole were greatly improved. About this time, also, the direc- tors received a legacy of $500 from the estate of the late John P. Smith, deceased, of Warren Co., N. J., and also a pledge from Mr. Blair to increase his en- lowment from $10,000 to $25,000.

In the mean while, the board having been so wise

and fortunate as to secure the services of Henry D. Gregory, A.M., Ph.D., the present experienced and competent principal, the latter was installed at a meeting of the alumni and friends of the academy, in the Presbyterian church of the village, on the xth of September, 1875. Besides the inaugural of the principal-elect, eloquent addresses were delivered during the day and evening by the Rev. W. C. Cat- tell, D.D., president of Lafayette College, and the Rev. L. II. Atwater, D.D., of Princeton College. On the following day the exercises of the school were re- sumed under circumstances promising the highest success.

During the month of October, 1875, a committee of the board recommended and the directors adopted the 6th day of AApril-the anniversary of the date of Mr. Blair's first offer to give the site for the academy and aid in its erection-as the day to be observed through succeeding years as " Founder's Day." Ad- dresses on these occasions have been delivered by Rev. James McCosh, D.D., of Princeton, Rev. 1. Ballard, D.D., of Easton, by the principal of the academy, and by Rev. Selden J. Coffin, D.D., of Eas- ton.

On the 28th of March, 1876, Mr. Blair, having ob- tained of the owner a part of an acre of land lying between the grounds of the hall and the public road, conveyed the same and an invested fund of $36,500 to the board of directors appointed by the Presbytery, and their successors in office forever, promising at the same time in a few years to increase the said fund to the sum of $50,000. This last pledge, we under- stand, he is at this time (March, 18]) about to fulfill, as well as to further improve the building.

On the 4th of July, 1877, a hope long deferred was fulfilled in the opening of the Blairstown Railway, and the annoyance of the plodding and toilsome stage ride from Portland no longer existed.

Dr. Gregory, the present principal, for many years enjoyed an enviable reputation as a teacher in Phila- delphia, and was for three years prior to his coming to this place, jointly or alone, principal of the Geneseo Academy, Geneseo, N. Y. The academy under his charge has from the first sustained an efficiency higher than ever before, and is at this time one of the best equipped and thorough preparatory schools in the Middle States. If the hopes of the directors are met (as now seems probable ), it will at no distant day rank among the first in the land.

The principal, with his family, lives in the institu- tion, where pupils from abroad are required to board, and, with his estimable wife, gives constant attention to the moral and intellectual culture of those under his care. Seats are reserved for, and attendance re- quired of, the pupils in the Presbyterian church. Biblical instruction is given ench Sabbath, and family worship observed morning and evening. The course of instruction for young ladies embraces the subjects usually pursued in the highest seminaries of

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the land. Boys and young men are prepared for col- lege or for business life. While the elementary studies -reading, spelling, penmanship, granmar, geography, and arithmetic-are taught with thoroughness, the attention of those competent to judge is called to the character of the instruction in classics, mathematics, and commercial arithmetic.

The academic year is divided into two terms: the first begins in the first week of September and closes the week before Christmas; the second begins the first week in January and closes the last week in June.

The number of pupils enrolled the present year is 72; males, 43; females, 29; 51 were boarding pupils ; 26 have studied music ; 46 Latin, Greek, French, or German; 45 algebra, geometry, surveying, or book- keeping; 13 are from Pennsylvania; 1 each from Michigan, Iowa, the Indian Territory, Arizona, Cuba, and Japan; the remainder from New Jersey. Sev- eral, as usual, will enter Princeton and Lafayette Colleges at the beginning of their next terms.

With a healthy locality, easy communication, com- modious and comfortable quarters, near enough to the two great Presbyterian colleges of Princeton and Lafay- ette to feel the impulse of their inspiration, free to a great extent from the corrupting influence of the large town or city, and with a history that would do credit to an older institution, the friends of the academy feel assured that a bright future lies before it.

The board of directors, as at present constituted, is as follows :

Rev. Thomas A. Sanson, President ex-officio, Blairstown, N. J .; Charles E. Vail, Secretary and Treasurer, Blairstown, N. J .; Rev. Henry B. Town- send, Phillipsburg, N. J .; Rev. E. Clark Cline, Oxford, N. J .; Rev. Wil- liam A. Holliday, Belvidere, N. J .; Rev. John B. Kugler, New Hampton, N. J .; Rev. Robert B. Foresman, Johnsonsburg, N. J. ; Rev. Alanson A. Haines, Hamburg, N. J .; Selden T. Scranton, Esq., Oxford, N. J .; Dewitt C. Blair, Esq., Belvidere, N. J.

VII .- CHURCHES. THE BLAIRSTOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH .*

Previous to the year 1838 the residents of Blairs- town-then called Gravel Hill-and vicinity were chiefly a non-church-going people. The Sabbath was largely a day for family visiting or personal enjoy- ment. Hunting and fishing were freely indulged in by many; even publie horse-racing on that day was not an unknown source of amusement. The state of religion, accordingly, must have been very low. The few professing Christians were divided between the Methodists, who had stated preaching appointments here at least so early as 1811, and the Presbyterians. The latter were generally members or attendants of the church of Knowlton, five miles distant, where that earnest and godly man, the Rev. Jebiel Talmage, was faithfully preaching and laboring. Marksboro', three miles distant in an opposite direction, was asso- ciated with the Hardwick (now the Yellow Frame) Church, under the ministry of the Rev. Benjamin I.

Lowe, services being held at each church on alternate Sabbaths. These, with an occasional afternoon ap- pointment by the Knowlton pastor at the Gravel Hill school-house, and the more frequent services of their Methodist brethren, were the sum of the religious privileges afforded them, and with these the people for the most part seemed content.

In the year 1838 a Methodist church was built at this place, partly through the aid of contributions of the Presbyterians, with the understanding that the latter should have the use of it at such times as would not interfere with the appointments of the sister-de- nomination. This arrangement, however, failed long to satisfy all parties. Accordingly, pursuant to public notice, the citizens of Blairstown and vicinity (the name of the village having been changed by vote of the citizens at a public meeting on the 24th of Jan- uary previous) convened on Saturday, 22d of March, 1839, " for the purpose of electing trustees of a Pres- byterian church contemplated to be built at that place." John I. Blair was made chairman and Dr. John Albright secretary of the meeting, and the fol- lowing persons were unanimously elected trustees,- viz., Isaac Crisman, Isaac Wildrick, Jacob Lanter- man, Joseph Wildrick, John I. Blair, William Lan- terman, and John Konkle. The usual oath of trust and allegiance having been administered to them by Peter Lanterman, Esq., justice of the peace, it was resolved by said trustees "that we be known and de- nominated as the trustees of the First Presbyterian Church of Blairstown." John I. Blair was then | chosen president of the board.

The above incorporation was duly recorded in the book of corporations in the clerk's office of the county of Warren, at Belvidere, N. J., on the 3d of July, 1839.

A lot 80 by 75 feet, comprising a part of that occu- pied by the present church, having been secured at a nominal price from Mrs. William Hankinson, in the corner of what was then one large field extending all the way to the mill brook, work was energetically begun upon the first church building under the direc- tion of a building committee consisting of John I. Blair, John Albright, Isaac Wildrick, Isaae Crisman, and Peter Lanterman. The walls were erected and the house inclosed during the summer and fall of 1839, and the building finished in the summer and fall of 1840. It was a substantial stone structure, 50 by 40 feet in size, with a broad vestibule across the front end, Gothic windows, handsomely rough-cast, and sur- mounted by a well-proportioned belfry and spire. The cost complete, with furniture, was $2865.93. The builders were Jonathan D. Calvin, mason, and William Bulgin, carpenter. It was furnished with a 218-pound hell, for many years the only church-going bell to be heard by the citizens of the beautiful valley in whose midst the church was planted. This bell, though comparatively so light, was sometimes heard up and down the Paulinskill as far as Stillwater and IIaines-

* By C. E. Vail.

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burg. After the demolition of the ohl church the bell was broken by some boys who were using it at a charivari, and, having been mended, is now doing duty for school purposes on the grounds of Blair Hall. The exterior of the old church was adorned with a creeping vine, whose luxuriant foliage, ever changing with the season, covered the entire east side and much of the front of the building. The interior was mod- eled after the church still standing at Stillwater, but was in some respects an improvement on the latter. Massive galleries occupied the sides and front end ; the pulpit, the rear of the church. The arrangement of the seats with two aisles was that of the greatest economy of room, affording a seating capacity, exclu- sive of galleries, of about 300. So substantially had the work in every part been done that when it was taken down in 1870 to make way for a larger building, it was, with perhaps the exception of the roof and windows, nearly as good as new.

At a stated meeting of the Presbytery of Newton in October, 1840, the following action was taken :

" Resolved, Thut Hulrstown be organized Into a distinct church, and bo behl as a sister-church connected sud to be connected with Knowlton. Rov. Mosers. (David X.) Jankin, (John J.) Carroll, aud (Jumes) Clark were appointed a committee to proceed to Blairstown on Monday, the 19th of this month, and, if the way be clear, organize a church in that place."

At an adjourned meeting of Presbytery at Knowl- ton, Nov. 25, 1840, the committee appointed to go to Blairstown, and, if the way should be clear, to organize a church there, reported " that they had attended to that duty at the day appointed, and in accordance with the directions of Presbytery did organize a church of 14 (15) members, all of whom were dis- missed by the session of Knowlton upon the day of the organization to join the church then and there to be organized." They reported, also, "that the people duly chose and the committee ordained two ruling elders,-viz., Philip Raub and Jacob Lanter- man." This report was accepted and adopted, and the church thus organized was recognized by the name of "The First Presbyterian Church of Blairs- town," with the following members :

Philip Raul telder), Jacob Lantermun (older), John Harden, Heury K. Snover, Joseph J. Snover, Michael Banb, Rachel Lanternian (wife of Jucob), Sabry Hanb ( wife of Philip), Rachel Harden (wife of John), Muy Suover (wife of Henry K.), Surah Snover (wife of Joseph J.), Mary Banb (wife of Michael), Isabella Lanterman (wife of William), Mary Shipman, Rachel Lanterman (wlfo of Peter).

Of the above, Rachel Lanterman (wife of Jacob), Mrs. Mary Snover, Mrs. Sarah Snover, and Miss Mary Shipman alone survive, and of them Mrs. Lanterman alone fives within the bounds of the church at the present time.

At the dedication of the church, on the 10th of December, 1840, Rev. T. B. Condiet, now of Still- water, preached from Ex. xx. 24, " In all places where I record my name," etc.

The first meeting of the new Session was held Dec. 12, 1810. Rev. Mr. Condict, then supplying the 42

church, was moderator. During the winter of 1840 and 1841 the church was supplied by Presbytery. On the 23d of June, 1841, Mr. Condiet was installed pastor of Knowlton and Blairstown, at a salary from this church of $300 per annum for one-half of his time. At his installation Rev. James Clark, of Bel- videre, preached the sermon ; Rev. Elias S. Schenek, of Hackettstown, gave the charge to the pastor; and Rev. Joseph L. Shafer, of Newton, that to the people.

On the 18th of December, 1841, Mr. Condict having resigned, after a pastorate of six months, to accept a call to Stillwater, a meeting was held, with Rev. David Longmore, a native of Ireland, as moderator. He is described, by some who remember him, as a man of superior natural abilities, but lacking in judgment and prudence. Declining their call to the pastorate, he served the united churches as stated supply at the same salary as that paid his predecessor until the spring of 1843, when, at the request of the churches, he resigned his charge. He went from here to Phila- delphia, afterwards to Milton, Pa., and still later to West Jersey, where he died.

Upon the departure of Mr. Longmore steps were taken to call the Rev. John M. Lowrie, afterwards the learned and eloquent Dr. Lowrie, of Fort Wayne, Ind. The latter was installed pastor of the two churches at an adjourned meeting of Presbytery, at Blairstown, on Monday, the 16th of October, 1843. In April, 1844, the membership of this church was reported as 58.

On the 21st of September, 1844, the number of act- ing trustees having from various causes been some- what reduced, Messrs. Henry Freeman, Joseph J. Snover, and Samuel HI. Lanterman were elected addi- tional members of the board.

On the 31st of July, 1845, owing to continued ill health of himself and family, Rev. Mr. Lowrie ten- dered, and the congregation voted to accept, his resignation of the pastorate. Similar action was taken by the Knowlton Church, and Mr. Lowrie left Blairstown, after a moderately successful pastorate of about two years, on the 11th of August, 1845. After a signally successful subsequent career, during which his fame became known in all the churches, he died at his home, in Fort Wayne, on the 26th of Septem- her, 1867. Of his three sons, the oldest, Rev. Mat- thew B. Lowrie, who was born at Blairstown, is pas- tor of the church at Galesburg, Ill. ; the second, Rev. James G. Lowrie, is pastor at Mount Sterling, Ill. ; the youngest is the city engineer at Denver, Col. The widow and one daughter also survive. The lat- ter is teaching in Wilson College, at Chambersburg, l'a.

At a special meeting of Presbytery at Knowlton during the month following Mr. Lowrie's removal (September, 1815), Rev. John A. Reiley was installed pastor of Knowlton and Blairstown, at a salary of $500 per annum, divided equally between the two

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churches, the membership of the Blairstown Church being still reported at about 58.

On the 16th of November, 1847, this church voted to increase the salary from $250 to $300 per annum. During the following year, largely through the liber- ality of Mr. J. I. Blair, a neat and comfortable two- story frame parsonage, with an extension for kitchen and another for study, etc., was built at a cost, in- cluding the barn and improvement of the grounds, of between $2500 and $3000, the desirable lot on which it stands, together with the larger part of the cost of building and improvements, being given by Mr. Blair.

At a meeting of the Session on the 1st of Novem- ber, 1848, the following minute was entered : “ After frequent deliberations by Session and many inter- views with different members of the church and con- gregation, the Session resolved upon opening a paro- chial school in connection with their church. The services of Dr. I. W. Condict were procured as teacher, as the school was to be opened on the 16th of Novem- ber."

On the 20th of March, 1850, the following addi- tional elders were elected by the congregation,-viz., Henry Freeman, John Bunnell, John L. Teel, and Isaac D. Lanterman, who were solemnly ordained and set apart to that office by the pastor of the church by prayer and the laying on of hands on Sabbath even- ing, March 31, 1850.

Within two months thereafter, on the 29th of May, 1850, the infant church was visited by a peculiarly sore and mysterious providence in the death of Philip Raub, one of the two original elders, whose character as a Christian, a church officer, a friend, and a neighbor was such as to make the loss seem almost irreparable. His exemplary deportment, cordial and agreeable manners, and eminent efficiency left a memory which is still precious.

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History of Sussex and Warren counties, New Jersey, with Illustration and Biographical Sketches of its Prominent Men and Pioneers, Part 161

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford) Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck Number of Pages: 1140

Author: Snell, James P; Clayton, W. W. (W. Woodford)
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Everts & Peck
Number of Pages: 1140