The New York herald., 1868-04-07
ST. GEORGES CHURCH.
Another Landmark to be Remove

Another Landmark to be Removed.
Progress, population and trade are making sad
havoc with the institutions Of our Knckerbocker
progenitors, with the old-time landmarks Of their
immediate descendants, the decayed and decaying
superstructures Of to-day One by one, and with an
irreverence any old fogy might denounce as scandal
GUS, the sacred eddces which once adorned the ex-
treme southern end Of the city have been razed to
the ground and to the god gold the most sincerely
worshipped of the potential deities commerce de.
lights in aitars have been raised instead, so
that six days may be devoted unreservediy
by body, soul and mind to the metallic god while,
grudgingly enough one only Is given to the "un-
known" Of whom trade knows but little and cares
less. Within quarter Of century some fourteen or
fifteen OF the large and substantial erectons devoted
to the worship Of the "true God" that stood below
Chambers street, with only four exceptions have
been taken down and large storehouses erected on
their sites; and these are Trinity and st. Pauls
churches the Methodist conventcle In John street
which would have been sold to MaHnnOn long ago
had not certain "reminiscences connected with it, yet
dear to the followers OF the Wesleyan branch
preserved 1t, by very narrow vote, how
ever from the hands Of the vandas and st. Georges
a. street. winch nar now nov Is
Of DR.. Tying, the elder, was the fashionable church
among Episcopalians. Its congregation, however,
aences in more congenai districts Of the island and
eventually the vestry of the parish, deeming 1t ad-
wants Of the migrants rant purchased land near stuy
vesant square, In the vicinity of Second avenue on
Sixteenth street. The pastor of the church. DR..
lS4e, in the new structure, and St. Georges
Beekman street, was erected into q chapel,
ao an %
from among those who yet resided In the lower wards
Of the city within the old parish boundaries but with
To support the missionary effort and keep up school
for the children Of the poor the estate which origin
@ was seriously narrowed The parsonage ar lots and
70 rm who erected the large iron structure s that
saS Widening ssd e street, sed sy the s ss''sSssas SS
slice was taken that for several years. thus shorn
OF Its fair proportions, the old budngthe walls OF
which were put one hundred and nineteen years
ag0-stO0d on a lot Of ground fronting on Beekman
12s feet and on Cliff street 134 feet Meanwhile the
congregation Of ST. George, failing to see any possible
Thought the parish could be kept alive by supporting
expended money, and at times Guarreiied
with the priest It put In charge OF the
to ss 70 a
original grant Of the lands to the church. but finally
the trustees coming to the conclusion that Epis
quietly, through Ludlow 4 Co., disposed Of 'the
lands on the northwest corner OF Beekman and Clirr
on Gin street. to Phelps, Dodge Co." for the sum
Of $4,000. Cheap enough, In all consciencel The
land was originally purchased for $500. The
property was transferred to the members Of this
nrm on the 25th OF March and st. Georges Beekman
street. from that day ceased to exist. The
gentlemen acting as trustees for Trinity
corporation, John J. Cisco and others, re-
served the furniture, pews organ, galleries,
sS sHa with ma s s
ready much Of the furniture has been removed. The
clock, the index Of time on the east side Of the
CITY, has been taken to pieces. The bell will be low
in Stuyvesant square, while the pews, etc., will be
given TO some poor congregation struggling to erect
place for public worship, or disposed Of at auction.
Early next month the work Of excavation for
large and and splendid asa,u structure viii be com;
another winter shall have whitened the earth,
'the stranger within gates' will not dream
that there once stood, and until within few months,
house filed with Iron and steelan Episcopal church
building, the third In age on the Island OF Manhat-
tan. The tablet which was inserted In 1850 In the
wall OF the church Immediately over the main en-
trance to the vestibue thus pontedy tells the story
Of ST. George in Beekman street:-.st Georges
church, erected by Trinity A. d. 174o. Set of
to separate parish, under the name Of st.
Georges church, A. d. 1912. Burned A. D.
1s44, and restored by Trinity church A. d.
1s45. Kept for Protestant Episcopal church
through the Intervention Of the same Trinity church,
when the corp0rton Of ST. Georges church erected
another parish church In distant part Of the city,
A. ID. 1850"
There was rumor anoat some weeks ago that the
property In question about to be transferred to
the Hudson River Railroad Company for freight
depot for the freight OF the east side OF the city, but
either the was untrue or else the bid OF the
great iron nrm was more acceptable TO those who
had the authority to dispose Of 1t for what certainly
cannot In these days OF real estate speculation be
considered high figure.