USA > New York > Orange County > Orange County, New York : a narrative history > Part 3
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The present spacious and majestic temple was dedi- cated November 22, 1871. It is built of rough-cut blue lime-stone. A spire of solid stone rises from one front corner of the church to a height of 186 feet from the ground. This is supplemented by a campanile tower 70 feet high at the other corner of the chapel entrance. The bell hangs in the main tower. Above it is the town clock with four dials. The main auditorium with its large gallery is capable of seating more than a thousand people. The church owns a splendid manse and a fine large parish house.
During the two centuries since the installation of the first Pastor there have been but twelve Pastors in that
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
long period, and no considerable time has intervened in the succession of Pastors. Their names and years. of service are:
Rev. Joho Bradner 1721-1732
Rev. Silas Leonard 1734-1754
Rev. Abner Brush 1758-1766
Rev. Nathan Ker, A. M. 1766-1804
Rev. Isaac Lewis 1805-1812
Rev. Ezra Fisk, D. D. 1813-1833
Rev. James P. Johnson 1835-1839
Rev. Robert McCartee, D. D. 1840-1S49
Rev. William D. Snodgrass, D. D. 1849-1885
Rev. Robert Bruce Clark, D. D. 1S85-1902
Rev. Francis Stoddard Haines 1903-1922
Rev. George Hamilton ScoGeld, Ph. D. 922
Dr. George H. Scofield, the present pastor, was born in East Newark, N. J. He is the son and grandson of Presbyterian clergymen. Upon graduation from New York University in 1911 he was awarded the Philosophi- ical Fellowship and membership iu the honorary society of Phi Beta Kappa. He is also a graduate of Union Theological Seminary and has taken post-graduate courses at N. Y. U., Columbia and other educational in- stitutions, receiving the academic degrees of M. A. and Ph. D.
He served as pastor of the Presbyterian Church of Highland, N. Y., from 1913-1922, and since then has been pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Goshen.
Tusculum College, one of the oldest Presbyterian in- stitutions of learning, conferred upon him in 1926 the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in recognition of his Christian service for young people. He has the distinction of being the youngest person to receive that degree from the college. For several years he has been vice-president of the New York State C. E. Union, a director of the Y. M. C. A., Boy Scouts and other young people's organizations.
Dr. Scofield is a Chaplain in the Organized Reserves of the U. S. Army, a Royal Arch Mason and Knight Templar. He has traveled extensively in the United States and abroad.
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GOODWILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Town of Montgomery, Orange County, N. Y.
The original house of worship was probably built of logs. The church records show that the frame of the present edifice, of solid oak, was erected between 1763 and 1765. After an existence of over one hundred and sixty years, it is still staunch and strong, although it has been remodeled and modernized, twice. first in 1\30, and again in 1870.
REV. JOHN H. THOMPSON Present Pastor 1891-
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A NARRATIVE HISTORY
GOODWILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Town of Montgomery, N. Y.
Goodwill Presbyterian Church, Town of Montgom- ery, Orange County, N. Y., has the distinction of being the oldest of its denomination but one, in the State, west of the Hudson River, and one of the first twenty-six Pres- byterian Churches organized in this country. It also has the added distinction of being the second oldest church in Orange County.
It was established by Scotch-Irish settlers who first setiled in this community, possibly as early as 1720, but the carly records of this religious organization have been lost and its history previous to 1729 is shrouded in ob- seurity. From the records of the Synod of Philadelphia, however, it appears that in September, 1729, they sent a commissioner in the person of John McNeal, to said Synod, who represented the organization, and came before that body to "secure supplies of preaching among them." Whether they had at this time any formal organization, as a church, cannot be ascertained, as the early records of the Presbytery of Philadelphia are also lost. The year 1729 has, therefore, been taken as the date of the estab- lishment of the church, as through John McNeal the church made application to be taken under the care of the Philadelphia Presbytery.
The settlement was at that time known as Wallkill, and the church was naturally known as the "Wallkill Church," though Goodwill is the name incorporated in the deed of the ground on which the church stands, dated November 9, 1741, and was probably its corporate name from the first. Ruttenber's History states: "The ter- ritory which contributed to its membership came to be very extensive as the settlement enlarged, hence it is not strange to find this a mother of churches, as many as seven or eight having more or less directly sprung from it, some through bitter controversy, and some in the natural order of growth."
The first structure is believed to have been erected in 1735, although there was some rude building set apart for religious worship some years before this. The Rev. James Milligan Dickson, a former pastor of the church, who delivered a historical address at the one
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the church on July 20, 1876, said: "In the deed of a highway from the Town of Shawangunk to the Goshen line occurs the follow- ing in describing the route, 'by or neare the meeting house, now erecting neare the settlement of Adam Gra- ham.". The date of this is September 1, 1735. The next church building was erected in 1765, which is still stand- ing, and constitutes the main framework of the present structure. In 1830 this building was again remodeled. In 1871 the building was again remodeled."
A few years ago, a former resident of Montgomery, the Hon. William Graham, of Dubuque, Ia., then in his 91st year, contributed to the Westminister Bulletin the following interesting sketch concerning the traditions of Goodwill Church, which, aside from its humorous fea- ture, serves to illustrate the stern and steadfast forti- tude of the pioneers who founded and kept alive this carly religious society, as well as the customs of those times. He relates:
"When the building was first erected there was 10 provision for heating it, though two services were held in it every Sunday, both Summer and Winter, and many of the congregation rode from ten to twenty miles to attend them. Every woman who came was provided with a foot-stove in cold weather-a box of perforated tin, enclosed in a wooden frame, in which was an iron saucer filled with live hickory coals. On their arrival they would report first at the tavern on the opposite side of the road, and when the men were thawing out in front of the huge fireplace, the women would replen- ish their foot-stoves with hickory coals, of which the landlord always provided a plentiful supply, and the women and children were insured against cold feet. As for the men, they were expected to 'grin and bear it.'
"As the services were separated by an hour's in- termission, the entire congregation would again ad- journ to the tavern, where the women not only replen- ished their foot-stoves, but each woman and child was provided with a glass of 'cordial,' and each man with a glass of 'flip,' while the minister was given a separate room and a glass of 'toddy.' Thus all were insured against taking cold during the second service.
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A NARRATIVE HISTORY
"During the pastorate of the Rev. Andrew King, who was installed in 1776, and served as pastor until his - death in 1815, somcone suggested that it would be a good plan to install a stove, to mitigate the temperature of the church, as stoves were then quite a novelty and were coming into use. Forthwith two parties arose among the people, and many were the arguments pro and con over the matter, and as usual each party became at the end of each argument more firmly convinced that it had the right side. The progressive pro-stove party won and the stove was put up.
"The next Sunday after the stove was installed was bitterly cold, and the progressives did not find it too warm, but not so with the anti-stove party. On entering the church they sniffed the hot air, the women loosened their wraps, some laying them aside altogether, while the men removed their overcoats. One man suffered so with the heat that he removed his coat and sat through the service in his shirt sleeves, while one woman was so overcome with the terrific heat that she fainted and had to be carried over to the tavern and revived with a glass of 'toddy.' The anti-stove faction were also quite indignant by reason of the smiling faces and significant winks of the pro-stove faction, and it became evident that the stove would bring endless trouble.
"At intermission it developed that the pro-stove fac- tion had not built a fire in the stove, as they were afraid of setting the building afire with the 'new-fangled thing' and would be charged with burning up the church. The ridiculous exhibition that the antis had made was so humorous that opposition to the stove died out then and there."
During the long period of its existence the church has had only ten Pastors. They are: Rev. Joseph Hous- ton, installed 1740. died on October 20 the same year; Rev. John Moffat, installed 1751, but when his pastorate ceased is not definitely known, but it was undoubtedly between the years 1765 and 1769; Rev. Jolm Blair, in- stalled May 19, 1769, died December 8, 1771; Rev. Andrew King, installed June 11, 1777, died November 15. 1815, remaining pastor for forty years; Rev. Robert W. Condit, installed December 13, 1820, and remained
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
pastor till May 2, 1830, and died February 13, 1871; Rev. William Blain, installed July 27, 1830, died June 9, 1857; Rev. David M. Maclise, installed June 17, 1856, resigned 1869; Rev. James Milligan Dickson, installed February 15, 1870, resigned 1883; Rev. David F. Bou- Der, D. D., installed 1883, resigned 1891; Rev. John Ii. Thompson, the present pastor, installed 1891.
The present Pastor, the Rev. John H. Thompson, was born in the Town of Stillwater, N. Y., on the site of the Saratoga Battlefield, in 1862. Ile graduated from Hamilton College in 1887, from Princeton Seminary in 1890. He was Stated Clerk of Hudson Presbytery for nineteen years.
On Thursday, September 29, 1904, Goodwill Church celebrated its one hundred and seventy-fifth anniver- sary.
BETHLEHEM PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Cornwall, N. Y.
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church enjoys the distinc- tion of being the third oldest Presbyterian congregation organized north of the Highlands and west of the Hud. son River, and the further distinction of being the third oldest religious organization in the County of Orange.
The congregation is composed of residents of the Towns of Cornwall, New Windsor and Blooming Grove. The church edifice stands in the Town of Cornwall, on the main highway leading west from Newburgh towards Washingtonville, Chester and Goshen.
The first church building was erected in 1729, although previous to that date the inhabitants wor- shipped at various places in the immediate vicinity. For a considerable time the congregation did not enjoy the advantages of a stated ministry, but were dependent upon such occasional services as they could obtain. The Presbyterian Congregation of Bethlehem was incorpor- ated by a certificate filed April 30, 1785. The Trustees named in the instrument were William Denniston, James Kernaghan, Samuel Moffat, Jr., James Clinton, George Denniston, Samuel Ketcham, William Moffat, Joseph
REV. J. IRVING MAXWELL Pastor 1897-1918
BETHLEHEM PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
Town of Cornwall, N. Y.
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FOUR FORMER PASTORS OF GOODWILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, MONTGOMERY, NEW YORK
No. 1-Rev. William Blain, installed July 27, 1830; died June 9, 1857.
No. 2-Rev. Andrew King. installed June 11, 1776; died November 15, 1815.
No. 3-Rev. Robert W. Condit, installed December 13, 1820; resigned April 22, 1830.
No. 4-Rev. David M. Maclise, installed June 17, 1856; rc- signed 1869.
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A NARRATIVE HISTORY
Chandler, two of the elders of the church. This was the legal organization under the laws of the State, of a church which had already existed for many years under Colonial authority.
The first minister who permanently resided and la- bored among them was the Rev. Isaac Chalker, whose labors commenced in 1734 and terminated in 1743. His successors, their periods of service and other details are stated elsewhere. The first church edifice, after being in nse ninety-nine years, was demolished and replaced by the present building which was erected in 1828. It was repaired and reseated in 1872. The first parsonage was built in. 1735, repaired and painted in 1774. The present parsonage was built in 1837. The burying ground, where the forefathers sleep "the sleep that knows no waking," contains the remains of many prom- inent residents of that locality who were leaders in affairs in the early days of the Republic. This ancient cemetery was enlarged in 1868 by the purchase of four acres which were appropriately divided into lots. It is still kept in excellent condition, and contains the graves of scores of the early pioneers who settled in this locality nearly two hundred years ago, many of whom were Revolutionary soldiers. The graves of soldiers participating in all the wars of the Republic to the present time are also numerous here.
As one wanders about this ancient cemetery and reads the inscriptions on the old headstones, there are found in plenty such well-known names as Moffat, Tut- Hill, Howell, Strong, Clinton, Smith and many others of promience over a century ago, the descendants of whom are now scattered all over the United States.
The following brief record of the two church build- ings, parsonage, bnrying ground and pastorates of Bethlehem Church was compiled by the late David F. Wood in 1895, largely from the official church records:
Old church built 1723
Parsonage built 1735
Parsonage repaired and painted 1774
Present church built 182S
New Parsonage built 1837
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
Burying Ground enlarged. ..... 1868
Church reseated 1872
PASTORATES -- PRESBYTERY OF HUDSON
Rev. Isaac Chalker 1735 .to 1743
Vacant seven years.
1743 to 1750
Rev. Enos Ayers 1750 Died 1762
Vacant five years.
1762 to 1767
Rev. Francis Peppard 1767 to 1771
Vacant two years
-1771 to 1773
Rev. John Close -- Stated Supply 1773 to 1785
Vacant thirteen years 1785 to 1798
Jonathan Freeman ..
April, 179S to February, 1801
Vacant two years. 1801 to 1803
Joel T. Benedict .. .Nov. 19, 1803 to Oct. 8, 180S
Henry Ford
Aug. 5. 1809 to Dec. 20, 1812
Artemus Dean.
June 25, 1814 to Feb. 3, 1842
Jonathan D. Hubbard .... Aug. 11, 1842 to Dec. 9, 1845
John N. Lewis. June 1, 1846 to Feb. 4, 1851
PRESBYTERY OF NORTH RIVER
Robert H. Beattie Oct. 2, 1854 to May 5, 1866
William A. Holliday Nov. 27, 1866 to May 1, 1872
David J. Atwater May 1, 1873 to March 16, 1891
George Campbell
April 26, 1893 to July 30, 1892
F. Lincoln Cornish
June 28, 1894 to Nov. 29, 1896
Irving Maxwell Feb. 24, 1897 to Dec. 1, 1918
William O. Nagle
June 16, 1919 to April 15, 1923
Ralph De Kay Sept. 27, 1925 to April 15, 1927
BLOOMING GROVE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Town of Blooming Grove, N. Y.
Blooming Grove Congregational Church is situated in the Town of Blooming Grove, Orange County, New York, twelve miles west of the Hudson River, and two miles west of the Village of Washingtonville, on the main road running from the City of Newburgh to the Villages of Chester, Warwick and Goshen.
The first congregation was formed in 1759, by early pioneers settling in this section, who came chiefly from Suffolk County, Long Island, many of whom were de- scendants of the Pilgrims. The first house of worship
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REV. J. ELWOOD CORNING Pastor 1921-
BLOOMING GROVE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH Town of Blooming Grove, N. Y.
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A NARRATIVE HISTORY
was erected in the same year. It was a small wooden structure, painted yellow, and stood on the spot of the present edifice, facing the road. It was demolished in 1823 and the present church building erected in the same year, which covers not only the space occupied by the first church, but the cemetery in which are interred the remains of three of the former pastors of the con- gregation, viz .: Revs. Enos Ayres, Benoni Bradner and Samuel Parkhurst.
The present building, erected in 1823, is a wooden structure, 75 feet long and 68 feet wide; has neither a steeple or bell and the audience room is devoid of cen- tral supports or pillars. The frame is made of massive oak timbers, hewed from the adjacent forests, and fastened together with wooden pins. The roof and sides were formerly covered with cedar shingles, three feet long, and one foot wide, with one foot exposure; the sides are still covered with these original shingles but the roof is now covered with modern slate roofing. There are two entrance doors, one at each side of the front end, each of which open into a small vestibule, from which ascends a stairway to the gallery, which in olden days extended across the entire end of the church.
The centre of the gallery was occupied by the choir and each end by colored slaves, the men in one gallery and the women in the other. The choir in early days was a large one and consisted of a full orchestra com- prising bass viols, violas, violins, flutes and brass horns, and on many occasions numbered fifty voices.
The pulpit is midway between the entrance doors. In recent years there has been installed a large organ of modern make, presented to the church by the late David II. Moffat, of Denver, Col., and which has necessitated the removal of the centre part of the gallery, the choir now being stationed back of the pulpit. The audience room, which at the time the building was erected, was the largest room without central supports in all this section of country, and there are few of larger dimen- sions at the present day. The seating capacity is about one thousand.
Rows of straight-backed pews, closed with high doors, fill the audience room, which is divided by three
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
broad aisles. In olden days there were no stoves and in severe cold weather the congregation kept warm by means of little foot-warmers, filled with hickory and chestnut coals, which were carried to church in wagous and sleighs and served the triple purpose of keeping themselves warm while going to church, during service and returning home. Stoves were installed later on, but at the present time the building is heated by two large furnaces.
Tallow candles in chandeliers were first used for lighting, which were later displaced by whale oil lamps, and these in turn were displaced by kerosene lamps, which of late years have succumbed to modern electric lights. This plain, spacious audience room, with its quaint, interior furnishings, has the atmosphere of a century ago, neatly blended in harmony with the im- provements of modern times. Its broad expanse of white ceiling curves from overhead to meet the upright walls of the sides and rear; high, small-paned windows, rounded at the top, admit daylight through wooden blinds painted green, which are fastened to the window frames.
In 1838 the congregation purchased five and one- half acres of land in close proximity to the church, upon which was erected a substantial residence for the min- ister, and the necessary outbuildings. There is no in- cumbrance on the property and all expenses of the con- gregation are raised by contributions from its member- ship. The original deed of the church property, bearing date of 1758, is framed and hangs on the church wall.
The first pastor of the church was the Rev. Enos Ayres, who was a member of the first class to graduate from the College of New Jersey, now Princeton Univer- sity. Two other pastors of the church were graduates of that institution, viz., Benoni Bradner, of the class of 1755, and Samuel Parkhurst, of the class of 1757. The Rev. Enos Ayres was installed as the first pastor of the church in 1759, eleven years after graduation. He died in 1762 and was buried in the churchyard now covered by the present church. He was succeeded by Rev. Abner Reeve, father of the celebrated Judge Reeve, who founded ;the law school at Litchfield, Conn. The Rev.
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A NARRATIVE HISTORY
Abner Reeve resigned in 1768. The Rev. Samuel Park- hurst came as a supply in 1768, his death occurring after serving six months. From 1768 to 1772 the pulpit was filled by supplies, the Rev. Amaziah Lewis serving as such one year, the Rev. - Case, one year, and the Rev. - Greene six months. The church records from 1774 to 1786 have disappeared and no accurate rec- ord can be given. The Rev. Benoni Bradner served as pastor from 1786 until 1802, dying in 1804. After the retirement of Rev. Mr. Bradner the Rev. Joel T. Bene- dict filled the pulpit for a few months. In 1803 the Rev. Noah Crane served as pastor until 1811. He was suc- ceeded by the Rev. William Rafferty in 1812, who re- signed in 1815 to accept the Presidency of St. John's Col- lege, Annapolis, Md. The Rev. Lnther Halsey was in- stalled as pastor in 1816 and served until 1824. He was succeeded by the Rev. James Arbuckle, who remained as pastor until 1847. He was succeeded by the Rev. Ebenezer Mason, who remained from 1847 to 1850. The Rev. Austin Craig was called to the pastorate in 1851 and remained until 1866. The Rev. Warren Hathaway was called to the pastorate in 1866 and served as pas- tor until his death in 1909. He was succeeded by the Rev. Frederick Walsh, who remained until 1916. He was suc- ceeded by Rev. Joseph Genther, who remained two years and was succeeded by Rev. C. W. Hardendorf, who served until his death in 1921.
He was succeeded by the present pastor, the Rev. A. Elwood Corning. He was born at Sparkill, Rockland Co., N. Y., Feb. 25, 1855, where his father, William Bur- tis Corning, then resided. He comes from a distin- guished ancestry on both his father and mother's side, many of his ancestors having been leaders in public affairs in Colonial times. Mr. Corning is an eloquent and forceful pulpit orator, of a pleasing personality, and is deservedly popular in the community. He is an ablo writer and the author of the following works: Life of William McKinley, Life of James A. Garfield, Life of Will Carleton, and à monograph of Hamilton Fish, Sec- cretary of State under President Grant. For fifteen years before entering the ministry Mr. Corning was en- gaged in literary pursuits, being Editor of several peri-
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
odicals. For twelve years he was a member of the New York Board of Education Lecture Staff and his lectures have taken him in various parts of the country, as well as abroad. His hymns and poems have been widely quoted. In 1921, after having been examined and unani- mously accepted before an ecclesiastical council of Con- gregational Churches, he was ordained to the Christian ministry in the church of which he is now pastor.
LIST OF PASTORS OF BLOOMING GROVE CHURCH*
Rev. Enos Ayres. 1759-1762
Rev. Abner Reeve. 1764-1768
Rev. Samuel Parkhurst (Supply, 6 Monthis) .. 1768-176S
Rev. Amaziah Lewis (Supply, one year)
Rev. Case, (Supply, one year)
Rev. Greene, (Supply, 6 monhits)
Rev. Silas Constant 1772-1774
Rev. Benoni Bradner, A. M 1786-1802
Rev. Joel T. Benedict 6 months
Rev. Noah Crane 1803-1811
Rev. William Rafferty 1812-1815
Rev. Luther Halsey
1816-1824
Rev. James Arbuckle
1824-1847
Rev. Ebenezer Mason 1847-1850
Rev. Austin Craig 1851-1866
Rev. Warren Hathaway. 1866-1909
Rev. Frederick Walsh. 1909-1016
Rev. Joseph Genther.
1916-1918
Rev. C. W. Hardendorf.
191S-1921
Rev. A. Elwood Corning. 1921
*The church records from 1764 to 1786 are not available, and the record as above, during those dates, has been taken from Eager's History of Orange County. During that period the pulpit was occupied principally by supplies.
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A NARRATIVE HISTORY
TABLET TO THE MEMORY OF PASTORS FROM
1803 to 1909
A bronze tablet on the west wall of the church com- memorates the pastorates of Warren Hathaway, Austin Craig, Ebenezer Mason, James Arbuckle, Luther Halsey, William Rafferty and Noah Crane.
To the memory of WARREN HATHAWAY Pastor of this Congregation from April 4, 1866, until his death April 4, 1909. He being dead, yet speaketh of Faith, Hope and Charity Also to the memory of AUSTIN CRAIG, D. D. Pastor, 1851-1865 REV. EBENEZER MASON
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Pastor from 1847 until his death 1850
REV. JAMES ARBUCKLE
Pastor from 1824 until his death 1847 LUTHIER HALSEY Pastor 1815-1824
WILLIAM RAFFERTY
Pastor 1811-1815
REV. NOAH CRANE Pastor 1803-1811 Worthy Pastors in the Master's Vineyard.
TABLET TO COMMEMORATE THE ONE HUN- DREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ERECTION OF THE PRESENT BUILDING
A bronze tablet on the outside of the church, placed midway between the two front doors contains the fol- lowing:
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ORANGE COUNTY, NEW YORK
1S23 1923
This tablet commemorates the one hundredth anniversary of the erection of this house of worship, which displaced the first building constructed In 1759.
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