The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-09-26
SEMI-W EEKLY

Platt family; and the large memorial
window next to these Is in memory of
Thomas Rogers TOnneT, the figure there
on standing for Charity, represented by
a woman with a child III her arms,
handing loaf of bread to another child.
The next two windows to this were con-
tributed by the G. Aultman family, and
on the first of these is figure holding
book of Holy Scriptures, representing
Faith. On the other is a figure repre-
senting Hope. The three last windows
together stand for Faith, Hope and
Charity; the greatest of these being
Charity. On the west side is another
large memorial window, in memory of
Mrs. Maggie +. Miller, containing a
figure of our Savior with a lighted Ian
tern in one hand, and book of Holy
Scriptures in the other, representing the
Light of the World. The next two win
dOws just south of this were contributed
by the Jacob Miller family. On the one
Is figure of Saint John, and on the
other a figure of the Apostle Paul. The
figures are all life size, and very beauti-
full in appearance. All the remaining
windows of the church are of highly
finished Cathedral glass and were made
in Chicago. The provisions for lighting
the church are by two large chandeliers
and numerous side lights, the gas being
ignited by an electric spark. In the
bhrtlllolll al z bllG Adulto anu Bfllbltultll y
parlOTs, a spacious lecture room, two
kitchens and a dining room. Steam is
used for heating the church, and it is
supplied by two boilers located in the
basement. Directly under the organ is
a twO-hOTse power Backus motor, driven
by city water, which supplies the great
instrument with wind. 1t is geared to
the huge bellows of the organ by means
of shafts, belts and pulleys, and is under
the complete control of the Organist as
much as any of the musical stops are.
The architect of this noble temple of
worship is Mr.. Frank o. Weary, of Gin
cinnati, with Mr.. d. HOlwick, Superin-
tendent; Mr.. j. s. Melbourne, stone con-
tractor, and Mr.. John 5. Schwartz,
master carpenter.
The building committee on the part Of
the church are MeSsrs. c. Aultman, Jacob
Miller, W. X. Miller, John IL. Smith, and
A. j. DOuds.
We will now proceed to give to the
reader short history of the First NJ. f.
Church from its first inception up to the
present time.
The history of the First NJ. E. Church
of Canton covers period of over sixty
five years The first preaching by min
listers of the NJ. +. church in Canton hay-
ing occurred as far back as the year
1917, when Canton was quite different
place from what it is at present The
ministers who preached on that Occa-
sion here spoken of were the Rev. Water
man, presiding elder and Rev. j. Gra-
ham, circuit preacher. The exact date
of the first organization of the church
in Canton is not clearly known, there
being 10 record at hand by which to fix
the certainty of that event, but it must
have been shortly after the appearance
on the scene of the two diVines above
referred to. However, church Organi-
of u
place of worship occupied by the con-
gregatiOn was an old frame school house
that stood on the site of the present I'm
ion school building. at the corner of
West TuScaTawas and Plum streets. The
new church grew rapidly, and in the
course of few years it was deemed eX-
pedient to have larger and more COM
mOdiOus place of worship. On April Z,
1882, T. S. BOnfield, William Dunbar and
NewberTy Cline were appointed a com
mittee to estimate the cost and select
site for a new meeting house. The COM
mittee to whom this matter was refer
red selected site on Sth street, between
Poplar and Plum streets, and on that
spot was erected the iTst church of the
Methodist Episcopal denomination in
Canton. Here the congregation remain
ed for upwards Of thirty years, and the
church continued to advance in prosper
ity and increase III numbers. In 1924
Canton was included in the Ohio Con-
| ference, but shortly after bt same part
of the Pittsburgh Conference.
An old record at hand shows that in
May, 1882, the church had a Sunday
| school in active operation, which num-
bered two male and three female teach
ers, and twelve male and fourteen fe-
| male scholars. On Sept. 2d of the same
year the school was discontinued, and
the church remained without this use
full adjunct for about four years, when
J it was finally reOrganiZed i'll 1886, and
has continued in active operation ever
| since. The church that was destroyed by
| fire in Jan. 1881. and which stood where
| the present one now stands, was erected
| in 1864, and was dedicated on March
| 18th of the same year, the Revs. Edward
| Thompson aud Thomas Bowman, both
afterwards Bishops, officiating. The new
| church was entirely free from debt on
the day of dedication, and missionary
| contribution of $1,000 was presented to
it as a thank Offering. Mr.. HOxie of
| Philadelphia, was the architect of this
| editice, and the cost of erecting it
amounted to about $4,000 twas quite
an addition to Canton, as at that time
the city could not boast of much in the
line of grand buildings, aud it ranked
as one of the finest church structures of
| the Nj. r.. denomination in the state of
ering heavenward to a height of between
175 and lSO feet, constituting it's most
prominent and attractive feature. In
1871 the church numbered about 400
members, and during the course of the
following conference year an amicable
: division of the church took place. Those
members residing in the southern part
of the city were desirOus of organizing
! "a second NJ. +. church, and at the re-
quest of these, Brother Endsley, the pas
, tor, granted letters of membership to 81
members and 8 prObatiOneTs, and these
81 organized the second NJ. K. church,
, with the Rev. Sheridan Baker as pastor
/. Sunday, Jan. I'd, was a memorable day
in the annals of the First NJ. Z. church
g for on that day the congregation were
T rendered churchless through the instru.
: mentality of the fierce demon Of
y flames, which reduced the house
of God from beautiful tenn
! pie of worship to mass of smO
king ruins in the course of few shOrt
=, hours. The day on which the church ex
!, perisnced this calamity was the occa
la In