The First church, Springfield, 1637-1915; milestones through twenty-seven decades ..

^ '^.

<> ' O H O

.S'

oy^^^^r

•A^

•y

->'

'^0^

^•1°^

%

' -•'##

'^^^A". *^^ c-^* ^y:

h^

°o

v*^'

^

■»b

0^

s •

•4 /I V'

The First Church

Springfield, Massachusetts^ r^j^At tJUu/^L

1637— 1915

Milestones Through Twenty-Seven
Decades

^First Church, glorious landmark
Standing for the right,
Through the ages guiding
Pilgrims to the light. ''^

Springfield, Mass.
1915

/J-

FOREWORD

The Opportunity Seekers present
this slight contribution to the history
of the First Church, hoping it may
recall to the older generation pleasant
memories of faces and events and put
the younger people in touch with
bygone days.

Committee on Publication

Dorothy S. Adams Bertha D. Ladd

Frances H. Kingsley Mabel R. Watson

Chairman
Ida F. Farrar

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

CONTENTS

Page

Church Buildhigs ....... 7

Ministers ........ lo

People of Note in the Early Church ... 13

Deacons of Yesterday and Today .... 15

Parish Committee, 1800-1915 .... 16

Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor . . 18

Missionaries ........ 19

The Sunday School ...... 20

Music and Musicians ...... 22

Some Church Antiquities ..... 27

Milestones . . . . . . . -31

1645

YE FIRST MEETING HOUSE

40 X 25 feet

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

1636
SPRINGFIELD SETTLED

1637
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH ORGANIZED

(Fourteenth church organized in Massachusetts Bay Colony)

1915
Membership 1300

CHURCH BUILDINGS

The First Meeting House was built by Thomas
Cooper and stood on the southeast corner of Court
Square facing Meeting House Lane (Elm Street). It
had a shingled roof — a rare thing in those days — and
two turrets, one designed for a bell, the other for a
"watch howse" to guard against the approach of
unfriendly Indians. Aden and women occupied sepa-
rate sections of the church.

"New England's Sabbath day
Is heavenlike, still and pure,
When Israel walks the way
Up to the temple door.
The time we tell
When there to come
By beat of drum
Or sounding shell."

The Second Meeting House was built in 1677 just
west of the first one at a cost of ^400, John Pynchon
being chairman of the building committee. It had a
turret but no bell for ten years. It was protected from
attack by the Indians, by a five-foot rail fence, excepting
at the rear where a hedge was planted.

There is no reproduction of the building.

1752

THE THIRD MEETING

HOUSE

60 X 46 feet

■

1

n^l^'^ ^ -'^fl^H^^^I

^B

R^^i^H

1

■

•*^»i.^

^H

^^K^

Pl 11

3

f^ss^- -■-'-' "iiwiiiiimiii

HHIillilHI

1819

THE FOURTH CHURCH

BUILDING

90 X 72 feet

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

The Third Church Building was begun in 1749
and was completed three years later. It stood directly
east of the present edifice with its front on Elm Street
and its main entrance at the side, facing Main Street.
The rooster crowned its spire and clock faces told the
time from its tower. Within were the customary high
pulpit, ponderous sounding board and square seats.

The deacons, wearing a peculiar headdress, sat
facing the congregation. Men and women were now
allowed to sit together but were seated according to
wealth and position in the town.

The Fourth Church Building was erected by
Isaac Damon of Northampton, a famous church and
bridge builder. Its cost, beyond the sum realized by
the old building, was not to exceed $15,000, raised by
disposing of 300 shares at $50 each. About 1826, foot
stoves were dispensed with and a furnace installed.
In 1862 cushions were put in. Jenny Lind said of its
acoustic properties it was the finest auditorium she had
used in America.

CHAPELS

A very small wooden chapel, used for prayer meetings
and social gatherings, was built on the north side of the
church probably in the sixties. Jenny Lind used it as
a retiring room when she sang in the church in 1 851.

The present parish house was erected in 1874 ^^ a
cost of $35,000.

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MINISTERS

Rev. George Moxon, 1637 — 1652, term 15 years.

The first pastor came to the colony from Dorchester
at the age of thirty-five, attracted here by his friend-
ship for William Pynchon. He was a theologian of
no mean ability, but on account of unpleasant experi-
ences in the town, especially in connection with the
witchcraft delusion, he returned to England in 1652
with his friend William Pynchon.

Rev. Pelatiah Glover, 1660 — 1692, term 32 years.
A great catastrophe occurred during this pastorate
in 1675, when the town was burned by the Indians.
Mr. Glover, who was a great student, had his "brave
library" entirely destroyed. He stayed by his post,
however, and John Pynchon bears witness that he
was a "faithful minister."

Rev. Daniel Brewer, 1694 — 1733, term 40 years.

Church records of this period are very meager. It
was a time of quiet and growth. During this term
the West Springfield and Longmeadow churches, the
first off-shoots from the mother church, were organized.

Rev. Robert Breck, 1736 — 1784, term 49 years.

Called to be pastor at the age of 22, he was charged
by neighboring ministers with being unorthodox and
on the very day of his ordination was arrested by a
magistrate. He met his opponents so frankly and
fearlessly, however, and behaved during his entire
ministry in so tactful a manner, that he disarmed
criticism and won his people. The "half-way
covenant" was adopted during this period and the
third church built. The first record of the church
now extant is that kept by Mr. Breck, with great
care, in his own hand writing. A treasurer's book
was also opened at the same time.

10

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

Rev. Bezaleel Howard, D.D., 1785— 1809, term 23 years.
Mr. Howard came to the town on horseback from
Boston for a six week's trial as preacher when but a
young man, and remained here until his death.
Obliged to give up preaching on account of his
health, his studies led him toward the liberal faith
and with twenty-five others he withdrew from the
Congregational Church and founded the Church of
the Unity. He was called a fool for prophesying a
bridge across the Connecticut River, but his prophecy
came true in 1805.

Rev. Samuel Osgood, D.D., 1809— 1854, term 45 years.
During a period when the church was rent by a split
in orthodoxy, and the country stirred on the question
of slavery, Dr. Osgood stood fearlessly and without
compromise for what he thought to be right, and was
a power in the community. During his term of
service the Sunday School was organized (1818)
the present church building was erected (1819) and
Springfield became a city (1852). Over 1,000 souls
were added to the church during his ministry. The
high pulpit was removed and the pews were lowered.

Rev. Henry M. Parsons, 1854— 1870, term 16 years.
During the troublous times of the Civil War, he held
the people to the faith of the fathers and won new
members by his fidelity and genial spirit. Always
fond of Bible study, he brought about an afternoon
instead of a noon session of the Sunday School.

Rev. Edward A. Reed, D.D., 1871— 1878, term 7 years.
A young man of winning personality and fine enthu-
siasm for his work, he came to the First Church
directly from the theological seminary. During his
ministry the chapel was built and the Moody and
Sankey revival occurred. From here he accepted a
call to the Madison Avenue Dutch Reformed Church

II

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

of New York City. From there he was called to the
Second Congregational Church of Holyoke where he
has served as pastor more than 25 years.

Rev. Edward Payson Terhune, D.D., 1879 — 1884,
term 5 years.
A mature man of large experience, wide travel, and
broad sympathy. His wife, "Marion Harland," had
a strong influence on the lives of the young men of the
church. During his pastorate occurred the Sayford
revival.

Rev. Michael Burnham, D.D., 1885 — 1894, term 9 years.
A man of generous nature who, with his wife,
endeared himself especially to the young people of the
church among whom he organized the Y. P. S. C. E.
(1885). He threw himself unsparingly into all kinds
of reform work. During a part of his pastorate,
Horace Sanderson served as pastor's assistant.

Rev. Frank Lincoln Goodspeed, D.D., 1894 — 1908,
term 14 years.
A man of fine presence and delivery who drew large
audiences. He left Springfield for the First Presby-
terian Church in Oakland, Cal. During his pastorate
Milton A. Dixon and Rev. Howard C. Mudie served
as pastor's assistants.

Rev. Neil McPherson, D.D., 1910— .

Born at Bowmanville, Ontario, of Scotch parentage.
He had two pastorates before coming to Springfield,
one at St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Hamilton,
Ontario, and one at the Tabernacle Presbyterian
church, Indianapolis. Under his wise and tactful
leadership the church is steadily growing in power
and numbers.

From the time of organization until the settlement of Mr. Reed, 234
years, the church had but seven pastors; three died in service, and the
average length of the pastorate of each was 32 years.

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

PEOPLE OF NOTE IN THE EARLY CHURCH

William Pynchon, founder of Springfield, formerly
a warden of the church in Springfield, England, came
here from Roxbury, Mass. He was a man of sterling
worth, respected alike by Indians and white men. He
was a deep thinker as well as a man of affairs^ and
brought condemnation on himself by his liberal views,
as expressed in his book, "The Meritorious Price of our
Redemption." It was publicly burned in the market
place in Boston and only three copies exist today.
This trouble led Mr. Pynchon to return to England in
1652.

John Pynchon, son of William Pynchon, a far seeing
man of business, built up the town and commanded so
much respect that he was called "the worshipful"
Major Pynchon. His shorthand notes of Mr. Moxon's
sermons and his account books are preserved in the
City Library.

Elizur Holyoke married Mary Pynchon, daughter
of William Pynchon. He was town clerk for many
years and much respected. Mt. Holyoke perpetu-
ates his name.

Samuel Chapin was a deacon, a magistrate, and a
man of affairs. He furnished the subject for St.
Gaudens' statue of the Puritan on Merrick Park. The
Chapins of the Connecticut Valley trace their ancestry
to him.

Miles Morgan was a sturdy citizen, active in town
affairs, and served as tithingman in the church. He sat
in the gallery with a long stick to "use such raps and
blows as is in his discretion meet" for small boys who
show a "Rude and Idel Behaver in the meeting house

13

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

such as Smiling and Larfing." His statue on Court
Square, the work of J. S. Hartley, erected by Henry T.
Morgan, a New York banker, stands for the type of
the early settler. His home site is marked by a tablet
on Cypress Street (Ferry Lane).

Samuel Wright served as deacon with Samuel
Chapin and sometimes took the minister's place. He
removed in later life to Northampton. The brothers,
Wilbur and Orville Wright, famous for their invention
of the aeroplane, are his descendants.

Henry Smith, son-in-law of William Pynchon, was
a man of fine caliber, capable of conducting affairs of
church and state. He returned to England with Mr.
Pynchon.

Mary Pynchon Holyoke, daughter of William
Pynchon, was the first bride in the town. Her epitaph
on the stone in Peabody cemetery pays this tribute
to her:

"Shee y lyes here, was while shee stood,
A very glory of womanhood."

Thomas Cooper, carpenter, farmer, selectman,
lieutenant, lost his life in attempting to warn the
inhabitants of the approach of the Indians to burn the
town in 1675.

14

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

OFFSPRING OF THE MOTHER CHURCH

West Springfield church ....... 1696

Longmeadow church ....... 1703

Wllbraham church ........ 1741

Chicopee church ........ 1750

Unitarian church ........ 1819

Olivet church , 1833

South church ......... 1842

North church 1846

"We're now Posterity
To all good folks of yore!''

DEACONS OF YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Samuel Chapin Daniel Reynolds

Samuel Wright Lewis Warriner

Jonathan Burt Levi P. Rowland

Benjamin Parsons John R. Hixon

John Hitchcock Elbridge Brigham

James Warriner Henry Morris

Nathaniel Munn Addison P. Ware

Henry Burt Roderick Burt

Nathaniel Brewer Samuel R. Newell

Jonathan Church Austin L. Leonard

Josiah Dwight Joseph L. Shipley

Daniel Harris Thomas S. Stewart

Moses Bliss John Giles

William Pynchon, Esq. James L. Johnson

Chauncey Brewer Stephen Chapin

John Hooker Charles E. Brown

George Bliss Pardon H. Derby

Col. Solomon Warriner Frank A. Lincoln

Boardman Hubbard Charles B. Holton

Daniel Bontecou Daniel P. Cole

George Merriam Charles A. Gleason

Elijah W^ Dickinson Robert F. Ehni

Benjamin Eldredge William P. Draper

Chauncey Chapin John R. Lyman

IS

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MEMBERS OF PARISH COMMITTEE
{From 1800-1915)

Daniel Lombard
Festus Bliss
Jacob Bliss
William Sheldon
Thomas Stebbins
Israel Chapin
Solomon Warriner
Paul Bliss
Samuel Kingsbury
Peletiah Bliss
Oliver B. Morris
Daniel Bontecou
George Hooker
Charles Stearns
Richard D. Morris
Fred A. Packard
Elijah Blake
Thomas Bond
Chauncey Chapin
Bidkav Jones
Thomas M. Hunt
Samuel Reynolds
Jonathan Hunt
Eldad Goodnjan
Edward A. Morris
Josiah Hooker
Elijah W. Bliss
Henry L. Bunker
Henry Morris
Henry Sergeant
Philip Wilcox
Reuben A. Chapman
L. W. Belden
James Brewer

Richard Bliss
Henry Adams
William Hatfield
Charles Stearns
Ithamar Goodman
Charles A. Bartlett
David A. Adams
John Avery
George B. Morris
Caleb Rice
John B. Kirkham
Samuel S. Day
Benjamin Eldredge
Edmund Palmer
Chauncey Chapin
John C. Stebbins
W^aitstill Hastings
Henry Bliss
Daniel Reynolds
Marvin Chapin
C. O. Chapin
John Mills
Richard Chapin
Philip Chapin
C. L. Covell
Otis Childs
Stephen C. Bemis
William Birnie
Elisha Morgan
Luther Bliss, Jr.
B. B. Woodford
Roderick Burt
William K. Baker
W. J. Holland

i6

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MEMBERS OF PARISH COMMITTEE^Continued

Warren H. Wilkinson
Caleb Alden
Emerson Wight
S. W. Avery
Francis A. Brewer
John R. Hixon
Nelson C. Newell
H. B. Lane

James L. Johnson
E. C. Rogers
William H. Haile
W. L. Barnard
C. E. Brown

B. F. Steele
A. N. Mayo

C. L. Goodhue

1915

A. B. Wallace (since 1880) H. A. Ley

A. A. Packard (since 1882) C. A. Gleason

W. O. Day H. G. Webster

H. C. Haile

Ralph W. Ellis, Clerk

(Has served at intervals as clerk or treasurer since 1887)

W. R. Thacker, Treasurer
A. N. Drake, Collector

(Mr. Drake completed 25 years of very efficient service as sexton, May ist, 1914)

On the roll of the First Church membership and parish have
been many men and women prominent in the life of the city.
Among them are the following who have served as mayors:

Caleb Rice
William B. Calhoun
Stephen C. Bemis
Charles A. Winchester

Emerson Wight
WiUiam H. Haile
Edwin D. Metcalf
Charles L. Long
Ralph W. Ellis

17

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

YOUNG PEOPLE'S SOCIETY OF CHRISTIAN ENDEAVOR

Organized in April, 1885, by Rev. Michael Burnham, D. D,

Presidents of the Society since Its organization are:

William P. Draper,
Lewis W. Allen,
William L. Richards,
William N. Raymond,
George M. Hoadley,
Richard J, Huntington,
Robert C. Sherwood,
James L. Dixon,
Fannie Stebblns,
C. Leonard Holton,
George Thacker,
Milton A. Dixon,
Henry R. Brown,
Frederick H. Law,
J. Frank Low,
Austin J. Pratt,
Sheldon F. Allen,
Charles L. Beckwith,
John Williams,
Harold D. Ripley,
F. W. Rosenberg,
Charles H. Smith,
C. Leonard Holton,
Sydney F. Law,
Herbert W. Hicks,

1885-86
1886-87
1887-88
1888-89
1889-90
1890-91
1891-92
1892-93
1893-94
1894-95
1895-96
1896-97
1897-98
1898-99
I 899-00
1900-02
1902-03
1903-05
1905-06
1906-08
1908-09
1909-10
1910-11
1911-13
1913-

18

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MISSIONARIES WHO ONCE ATTENDED FIRST CHURCH

Foreign

FIELD

Martha Ely (married Daniel Temple) Malta

Samuel Osgood Wright Liberia

Rev. Story Hebard^ Syria

Rev. Samuel Bonney China

Rev. Wm. W. Rowland India

Rev. S. H. Calhoun Syria

Rev. Edwin E. Bliss Turkey
Emma L. Bliss (married Henry J. Van

Lennep) Smyrna
Margaret Bell (married Rev. Henry

Haskell) Bulgaria

Mary E. Reynolds Bulgaria

Rev. and Mrs. R. N. Hume India
Louisa E. Dietz (married Frank

Thompson) f Sandwich Islands

\ Valparaiso, Chile

Rev. Henry Bruce India
Rev. and Mrs. E. M. Pease (Mrs. Pease

formerly Miss H. A. Sturtevant) Micronesia

S. Alice Tupper Turkey

Home

Frederick Packard

Mrs. Laura Bliss Montgomery

Horace Sanderson

Ethel L. Leonard

E. M. Atwood

The church keeps the missionary spirit alive through its
representative, Rev. Clarence Douglas Ussher, M.D., who is
doing a noble work as medical missionary in Van, Turkey.

19

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

THE BIBLE SCHOOL

The Sunday School was organized In 1818 from a
nucleus which met in a private house. Two rewards
of merit bearing this date are In the archives of the
church. Until the completion of the new church In
1 8 19, the sessions were held In schoolhouses. After that
date the school was held In the audience room of the
church. Up to 1826 no school was held In the winter as
there was no means of heating the church. After the
furnace was installed In 1826, sessions were held every
Sunday but the time varied at different periods; some-
times it was at noon and sometimes (as late as in the
early eighties) in the afternoon.

The following are the names of some of the best
known superintendents:

Lewis Warrlner William P. Draper

Addison P. Ware ^^^^^:"f VT\

wir T u 11 A Daniel P. Cole

Wilham J. Holland ^.^^^^ ^ j^.^^^

Elbridge Brigham Chflp^^^ ^ patter

Samuel R. Newell William R. Armstrong

James L. Johnson Rev. Louis F. Giroux

William H. Halle Francis A. Day

Benjamin L. Bragg William L. Richards

Adelbert J. Brooks

PRIMARY DEPARTMENT

Before the chapel was built the sessions were held in the tower room of the church.

Super in tenden ts

Mrs. Henry Avery, Before 1851 — 1861

Mrs. John R. Hixon, 1862— 1887

Mrs. Horace Sanderson, 1888 — 1892

Mrs. Daniel P. Cole, 1892— 1895

20

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

SUPERINTENDENTS— Continued

Mrs. George PIrnie, 1895 — 1897

Mrs. J. B. Sprulll, 1897— 1899

Mrs. W. B. Grant, 1899

Mrs. John R. Lyman, 1899 — 1900

Mrs. George Tuthlll, 1900 — 1901

Lucy Stock, 1901 — 1908

Carrie H. Osgood, 1908 —

KINDERGARTEN DEPARTMENT
Organized 1897

(Held at noon until 191 1 when it was changed to a morning session.)

Super in tenden ts

Anna L. Johnson, 1897 — 1899

Carrie E. Rhodes, 1899

Grace A. Johnson, 1900 — 1902

LilHan F. Collins, 1903 — 1905

Helen R. Lombard, 1905 — 1909
Mrs. Ruth Kingsley Frey, 1909

Lucy B. Cole, 1910 — 1914

Anna L. Johnson, 1914 —

JUNIOR DEPARTMENT
Organized 1910

Super in tenden ts

Carrie H. Osgood, 1910 — 191 1

Mrs. Horace Sanderson, 191 1

Mrs. John R. Lyman, 191 1 —

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MUSIC AND MUSICIANS

Little is known of the music in the church before
1800. In 1 801, Solomon Warriner, a native of Wilbra-
ham, became choir director and held the position for
more than forty years. He was so good a leader that
when he left the city temporarily, members of the
church raised $1,200 to bring him back. He could sing
bass or tenor with equal ease. The "Springfield Col-
lection of Sacred Music" was compiled by him in 1813,
and in that book it is said for the first time in this
country, the air was given to the treble instead of to
the tenor voice.

There were from seventy-five to one hundred voices
in the choir in those days and they occupied three rows
of seats in the gallery at the rear of the church. The
leader stood in the center of the second row and beat
time with his hand. Back of the singers sat the players,
among whom were the following:

Double bass — John B. KIrkham

Violoncello — Cyrus Newell (served 30 years)

Flute — Henry Brewer (father of H. and J. Brewer)

Flute — George A. Crossett

Clarinet — William S. Elwell, the artist

Violin — Albert H. Kirkham

In singing hymns the audience rose and faced the
singers in the gallery.

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MEMBERS OF THE CHOIR IN EARLY DAYS
Organists

Abraham G. Tannatt Frederick Bly

John H. Goldthwaite E. S. Hoadley

Thomas Chubbuck A. C. Field

Richard S. Escott Edward Dickinson

William C. McClellan Louis Coenen

James L. Warriner Mrs. Jennie Crawford

Edward H. Phelps Lillia Scott

(1862-65) Charles L. Chapin

Edward A. Morris Julia W. Roberts

Miranda Chapin William R. Hitt

Singers

Col. Solomon Warriner.

Gen. Jacob Bliss (father of the president of the B. & A. rail-
road).

Col. Thomas Dwight.

Mary Dwight (later Mrs. John Howard).

John IngersoU (father of Major Edward Ingersoll).

Elizabeth Ingersoll (later Mrs. Dwight Ripley).

Mary Ingersoll (later Mrs. Worthington Hooker).

Ocran Dickinson (grandfather of Miss Julia B. Dickinson).

William Hatfield (court crier).

Col. Lewis Gorham.

Samuel Reynolds (president of Chicopee Bank).

George T. Bond (father of George R. Bond).

Mary Warriner (daughter of Colonel Warriner, later Mrs.
Henry Morris).

William Foster.

Maria Foster.

23

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
SINGERS~Con tin ued

Emily Bliss (later Mrs. William Bryant).
Mary L. Chapin (later Mrs. T. L. Chapman).
Harriet Chapin (later Mrs. William Birnle).
Charles A. Winchester (ex-mayor).
Major Edward Ingersoll.
Louisa Dickinson.

Emmeline Dickinson (later Mrs. Thomas Bishop).
Mrs. R. S. Escott.
Jarvis G. Shaw.

Mrs. Emily Baker (later Mrs. Charles Newell).
Hannah Goodman. K. Arthur Dearden.

Charles O. Chapin. Emma Hayden.

Nelson Newell. W. G. White.

Samuel Newell. Emily Quinby.

Charles Newell. William H. Hawkes.

Horace S. Newell. William T. Wilson.

John C. Spooner. Charles Mulchahey.

Ginevra McClean. Mrs. Emily C. Beach.

Elizabeth Root Frank A. Whiting.

Amos Whiting. Edward A. Morris.

Louise Dickinson Lucy B. Shumway

Oliver H. Perry. Ella M. Bissell.

L. F. Cam Frank G. Fisher.

Jennie S. Newell.

MEMBERS OF THE CHOIR OF LATER DAYS
Organists

Edward H. Phelps, 1881— 1888
Richard W. Crowe, 1889

John J. Bishop, 1890 — 1896

John Hermann Loud, 1896 — 1900
Harry H. Kellogg, 1900—
24

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

Singers

James C. IngersoU

(served i6 years)

Mrs. James C. IngersoU

(served i6 years)

George R. Bond

(served 9 years)

Fannie Chamberlain

(served 8 years)

John Leshure
Julia B. Dickinson
Fred C. Goodwin
Emille Gehring
William Spellman
Mr. G. Curtis Munson
Mrs. G. Curtis Munson
Harry L. Reed
Ila B. Roberts
H. J. Buckley
Frank E. Wheeler
Mrs. F. E. Fankhauser

Charles H. Miner
Mrs. Edward Burnham
Mrs. M. G. Guckenberger
C. L. Hoyt
Charles H. Drude
Lovira J. Tait
Hazel Huntley
Willis Chamberlain
Marjorie Clifford
Mrs. F. Leon Sample
Millicent Snow
Walter Marsh
W. L. Spittal
Anna M. Wollmann
Viora Allan
Edward E. Hosmer
Richard C. Campbell
Kathleen G. Swift

Meta S. Mallary

(The Dickinson family sang in the choir for lOO years with the excep-
tion of a few months. The IngersoU, Newell and Warriner families were
represented for three generations.)

ORGANS

The first organ was built in 1849 at a cost of ^3,000
by E. and G. G. Hook of Boston. It had 2 manuals,
2 combination pedals and 34 stops. It was placed at
the rear of the gallery. At the dedicatory concert the
oratorio "David" was given by a chorus choir.

The second organ was built in 1 881 by Steere and
Turner of Springfield, and cost $8,000. It had 3 key-

25

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

boards and pedals, 40 stops, 23 11 pipes, 4 pedal com-
binations and tracker action. It was placed at the
front of the church. It was secured largely through the
efforts of E. H. Phelps, the organist, and J. C. Ingersoll,
the tenor soloist. It was dedicated by a concert
December 5, 1881, given by Dr. J. M. Loretz, an
organist of New York City, and George Henschel,
baritone soloist.

The third organ (the present one) was rebuilt from
the old one in 1914 by the Ernest M. Skinner Co. of
Boston, and cost $12,000. It has 4 keyboards and
pedals, detached console, 53 stops, 21 adjustable com-
binations, and other mechanical accessories. The
action is electro-pneumatic. The rich black walnut
case is the same which graced the old organ and the
best of the pipes were kept. It was dedicated by a
concert given by Gaston Dethier of New York City,
with Miss Anna M. Wollmann as soprano soloist.

SOME FIRST CHURCH ANTIQUITIES

The First Church Rooster was brought from
England over 150 years ago together with two others,
one on the Old South Church in Boston and the
other on the First Church in Newburyport. Tra-
dition says that he had already glistened on a spire in
England and was a gift of a sea captain to the colony.
He measures four feet from tail to beak and weighs
49 pounds. A few papers and records are stored with
him for safe keeping. Poised on a glass cap, working
smoothly over a metal pivot, he always tells the truth
concerning the direction of the wind.

27

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

The cock used as a weather vane on church buildings
is a symbol of vigilance — the bird is the harbinger of
the approach of day. In connection with the story of
Peter, he may be a sign of the need of repentance.

"How dear to our hearts is the old First Church rooster,
When near or when far he's presented to view:
For years he has stood there with never a murmur
And never a whisper of tales that he knew:
How much he has seen from the top of the steeple.
So true to his post as the seer of the church:
The bright shining rooster, the patient old rooster,
The dear faithful rooster that ne'er leaves his perch."

The First Communion Service was of pewter,
and was used from 1742 to 1789 when it was presented
to the First Church in Ludlow. It is now^ in the His-
torical room in Hubbard Memorial Library, Ludlow.

The Second Communion Service was of silver;
two tankards and two cups were the gift of Josiah'
Dwight, Esq., two cups were given by Edward Pynchon,
Esq., and four by Hon. John Worthington. The
rest of the set was probably purchased by the church,
in whose possession it is still retained.

The Third Communion Service (the individual
one now in use) was presented by Mrs. Joseph L.
Shipley, widow of a beloved deacon of the church,
in 1896.

The Communion Table which is of mahogany, was
brought from Boston about 18 18.

29

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

The "Osgood Chairs" behind the communion table
are thought to have been purchased about 1818.

The Tower Clock was installed in 1826, by G. H.
Holbrook of Medway, Mass. The works still remain
in the tower, and the gilded pointers and pendulum
adorn the walls of the sexton's room.

The Church Clock hangs on the gallery facing the
pulpit and bears the inscription: "A bequest to the
First Church by Edward Pynchon, Esq., 1850."

The Clock in the Sunday School Room was given
by Dr. David Smith and Eunice Brewer Smith in
memory of their son George T. Smith, in 1874.

The Church Bell was purchased of G. H. Holbrook
of Medway, Mass., shortly after 18 19.

The Old Pulpit Bible, now in the possession of the
Connecticut Valley Historical Society, was the gift of
John Worthington, in 1776.

The beautiful Collection Plates in use were pur-
chased upwards of thirty years ago by the church at
Paine's in Boston, at a cost of ^80 (^10 each). They
took the place of bags on the end of rods.

Of the four Pianos in the Chapel, the two in the
parlors were memorial gifts. One was presented by
Mr. and Mrs. James L. Johnson to the kindergarten
department in memory of Helen Chamberlin Johnson
and Essie May Ewer; the other was the gift of Mrs.
M. A. Clyde in memory of her daughter, Carrie Minnie
Clyde.

30

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

MILESTONES
{Church and Town History)

1636 Springfield settled.

1637 First Congregational Church organized.
1637 First minister called.

1 64 1 Springfield incorporated as a town.

1645 First meeting house built.

1650 William Pynchon's book burned.

1652 William Pynchon returned to England.

1675 Town burned by the Indians.

1677 Second meetinghouse built.

1679 First schoolhouse built on Ferry Lane (Cypress

Street).

1696 West Springfield Church organized (first offshoot of

the main church).

1735 Famous Breck controversy.

1752 Third church building completed.

1775 Washington's first visit to Springfield.

1782 First newspaper in Springfield published — Massachu-

setts Gazette.

1783 Stage line established between Hartford and Spring-

field.
1787 Shays' rebellion.
1805 First bridge built over the Connecticut.

1818 Sunday School organized.

1819 Fourth (present) church building erected.
1819 Court Square opened.

1822 Standing committee instituted.
1824 Springfield Republican founded.
1826 Four missionaries ordained in the church.
1841 Peabody Cemetery opened: use of burying ground
back of church given up.

31

THE FIRST CHURCH, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

1848 John Quincy Adams's body lay in state in the church.

185 1 Grand concert in the church by Jenny Lind.

1852 Springfield became a city.

1880 Twelfth annual meeting of the Woman's Board of the
A. B. C. F. M. in First Church.

1885 Y. P. S. C. E. organized.

1886 Celebration of 250th anniversary of the settlement of

Springfield.

1887 Meeting of A. B. C. F. M. in First Church.

1898 Thirtieth annual meeting of Woman's Board of the
A. B. C. F. M. in First Church.

1910 Dr. McPherson installed.

191 1 Celebration of 275th anniversary of founding of

Springfield.
1913 Forty-fifth annual meeting of the Woman's Board
of the A. B. C. F. M. in First Church.

"Let the children guard what the sires have won.'

' ^ ' 32

1«1

,*•<>>

r.^^,

,0''

\

'^^

-c V-^"

s

^^^^v7f;^>, ^

^o

.<^

o^ - ^ . 0 ^

-V" .-.^^^^

^"-^^^

-^h^^A^ '^. .^-^

OOBBSBROS. ^\

LIBRARY BINDING ,^ ^

<^^ ST. AUGUSTINE , , , ^ "^^

32084

^^1

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS