Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-05-16
Trinity Unurch.

Trinity Church, New York, was organ
lied the year 1896, under Governor Ben
jamin Fletcher, an aristocrat, who took q
deep hostility to the paramount impor-
tance of the Reformed Dutch Church in
this province. He had an evasive act
passed by the Assembly at Albany in
1898, which he construed to be recogni-
tion OF the Protestant Episcopal instead
of the old Dutch Church, which was the
parent faith of this colony. He then
built Trinity Church, which remained
until the Revolutionary war, about
eighty years afterward, when the great
fire which followed the British occupa-
ton of the city burned it down. When
tho British captured New York, in 1864,
they found one of the Dutch churches
standing inside of the fort at which is
now the battery. Confscating this
church as part of the conquest, they
changed its name to the Kings Chapel,
and put the Episcopal worship there.
This church remained for about third
of century the only Episcopal church
on this island, until Trinity was finished
After Trinity was burned it was rebuilt
the year before New York became the
American capital. In the year 184(
this second church was pulled down
and the present very expensive edifice ol
brown stone was opened for worship In
1916.
Trinity Church is a Gothic edifice
about 200 feet long by about eighty feet
wide, with a spire 2S4 feet high. Thii
church was endowed by Queene Anne
1t is considered the mother of Episcopal
churches in America. A Dutch womar
named Anneke JAMS owned farm on the
island, now covered with costly buildings
which was conveyed to this church, anc
is the source of its riches. About clever
years ago the value of Trinity real estate
was considered to be $40, 5000, 900 to $50,
100000, and many of our streets arr
named for renters and vestrymen o.
Trinity corporation. From Trinity hav,
emanated such latter churches as st
Paups, half mile further up, which wa
dedicated in 1866; st. Johns, erected il
1907, the square before which was bough
by Vanderbilt for $l,000,000, and st
Georges, dedicated in 1852, all three O
which were in the Trinity Parish. Late
Episcopal churches here have followed
the nomenclature adopted In England
and we have the Church of the Holy
Apostles, of the Holy Innocents, of tn,
Holy Communion, of the Holy Martyrs
of st. Albans, st. Ambrose, st. Andrew
etc. Since 1922 no burials have been al
lowed in Trinity graveyard.
The Trinity Church farm lay north o
Fulton street, on the west side of Broad
way, and was cut up in lots about tn,
year 1770. This farm extended to Duan
street, and had been the property of tn
Dutch West India Company. The infa
nous Lord Cornberry-a man who usec
to dress in woman's clothes, and who in
flicted fine and imprisonment on poo
Presbyterian preacher who venturned Il
preach in his private house-being very
Jealous for the Established Church, CAV
this confiscated farm in 1705 to the Trim
ity corporation. The old farm-hous
stood where the Astor House now stands
Trinity began to lease these lots in 176C
at fS year. With the growth of thi
city the Trinity Church property has be
come an enormous bonanza.
BY the New York State census of 1877
/ find that there are about $50 Episcopa
churches in the State of New York, wit
only $4,000 members; but the value q
the church property is put down as cor
siderably higher than that of any othc
denomination. The Methodists, Baptist,
Presbyterians and Roman Catholics ar
more numerous, and have far NOR
churches than the Episcopalians. In tn
city of New York, which is the strong
hold Of the Episcopal Church, there wer
about seventy-four Episcopal Churche,
with about Il, 900 members. Gath, .
| Cincinnati ENQUIRER.