St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-05-03
Tke Galedonian.
st. Johnsbury. VT. Thursday. May 3, 1888
AFFAIRS.
LOCAL CHURCH HISTORY.
History of the Reformed Presbyterian
Church of St. JohnsburY, VT.

History of the Reformed Presbyterian
Church of St. JOhnsburY, VT.
By Rev. ". r. Laird.
In 1873, II century ago this year, {
Presbyterian church building was
erected at Barnet Centre. This was
the first church edifce built in Caledo,
MIA county. How far back into tn,
past this full century takes us can best
be realized when we note that THU
Presbyterian church in Barnet was
completed only one year after the frs
settlement was made in St. JOhnsbury
and some six years before the subject
was first discussed in a St. JOhnsbury
town meeting, "Will the town raise
money by a tax to pay for preaching o.
the gospel" and it was determined il
the negative" Thus for eighteen years
the people of Barnet Centre enjoyed
their meeting house before the frs
church building was erected in this
township, on a hill about One-fOurth OF
q mile west from where the Centre vii
lage now is. And for thirty-nine years
they wOrshipped in a church building
in Barnet before the first church edi.
flee was erected in this village. As we
look about us on the large, beautiful
and substantial churches of our town,
such statements as those above made
are somewhat astonishing. Yet as an
organization the church at Barnet Cen
tire was second in the list in Caledonia
county the first being a Presbyterian
church in Ryegate organized some time
prior to I779. The exact date of its
organization and the number of its
membership at that early day are not
known, as the earliest records simply
show a congregation existing there at
That time. The records of the congre-
CATION at Barnet Centre show that the
organization there was effected in 1876
with fOrty-six members two years be-
fore they put up their building. This
healthy and strong congregation OF
those early days called as their first
pastor the Rev. David GOOdwillie, a
vigorous minister as we may infer from
the fact that he remained with them
for some forty years although for all
that time with his wide ~pastOrate, he
was also a physician of extensive prac-
tice, and for the larger part of that
time was also town clerk and post
master.
But however interesting these an
cient events might be | must pass to
the subject specially assigned me. For
nv purpose is to sketch the history of
this congregation here with whom we
meet tonight, one of the youngest in
the county. These Introductory state
ments have been made chiefly to give
added interest to the history of a con
gregatiOn of that part of the Christian
church which first planted the gospel
among these hills of Caledonia county.
1t may be thought strange that no
move was made by those so early in
the field to establish long ago a Pres
byterian church in this prosperous
town. Such a thing, however, was
thought of and occasionally during the
last generation was discussed by differ
ent Presbyterian ministers in the state
and by others who thOughtfully view
ed the situation. But the difficulties
in the way of support were great and
the growth uncertain and nothing was
attempted in that direction.
SO far as the speaker has been able
to learn, the idea of securing an organ
izatiOn and of making an effort to es-
tablish n Presby terrain church in St.
JOhnsbury first took definite form in
the winter of 1888 when he was
completing his third year in the Re-
formed Presbyterian theological semi
nary of Allegheny, Pa, and was look
ing about for Il field of labor during
the summer months when he would be
for the first time licensed to preach the
gospel and be sent forth into the Mas
ter's service. Being well acquainted
with st. JOhnsbury which had long
been his home he knew that there were
quite Il number of Presbyterians here
who had been at some time connected
with some branch of the Presbyterian
church and had not connected them
selves with any of the congregations
of the town, and he thought that many
of these could be brought into a Re
formed Presbyterian congregation.
There were, however, only nine of
them including himself who were mem
bers of any Reformed Presbyterian
church.
The idea of such a movement was
presented first in letters to some of
these nine persons written during that
spring previous to his return home
from the seminary, but it was after his
return in the latter part of March that
the work of visiting the different fami-
lies was undertaken with a view to
learn exactly what could be done. As
the result of some six weeks effort in
this direction IL petition vas carried to
the New York P~resbytery which met
in New York city in the month of May,
1879, asking for an organization. This
petition was signed by about 40 per-
sons who in it expressed a desire to be-
come members. After some express
siOns of surprise by the members of
the presbytery that a petition so large
ly signed should be brought from a
place where no public church services
by the denomination had ever been
held, the request was granted and a
commission consisting of ministers j..
r. Thompson of Newburgh, n. Y, j.
NJ. Beattie of Ryegate, j. G. X. Faris
of Topsham, j. C.. Taylor of C~raftsbury
and d. c.. Faris of Barnet, with elders
VIM. Bone of Ryegate, d. Stewart of
Topsham, James Anderson of Crafts
bury and William Whitehill of Barnet,
was appointed to go to st. JOhnsbury
and organize the congregation.
At this same meeting of presbytery
the future pastor of the congregation
was licensed to preach the gospel, and
he returned to ST. Johnsbury at once
and on the following Sabbath in that
month of May, 1879, he conducted the
first Presbyterian church service ever
held in the town. This service was
held, as were all the services subse-
quently in Avenue house hall which
hadzbeen leased by the year and had
been very comfortably provided with
settees and pulpit furniture so that it
presented quite a church like appear
ance. Some forty persons attended
that first service. No one, L think,