The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1890-06-19
pARsoN READS PORTABLE PULPIT.
One OF a Number of Curious Antiquities Ii
Connecticut Homestead.

At an auction of the old Augustus F.
Read homestead in the country town of
Lisbon, Conn. the other day. queer
old-time, open-and-shut pulpit was
offered for sale, but no one needed
pulpit, so the family decided to keep it
in the family.
The Read homestead, which is mile
west of Jewett City, eight miles north
of Norwich, has been in the Read
family for more than 160 years, and
there are lots of queer things on the
premises. The pulpit is the queerest
one. 1t belonged to the pioneer Read.
the Rev. Amos, who was the first
Baptist clergyman in Eastern Con-
neticut, and he had it made expressly
for him in portable shape, so he could
trot it about the country on horseback
on his extensive spiritual trips.
Towns were big in square miles in
those DAYS. and Baptist clergymen
extremely scarce. and often Elder
Read had to travel forty or fifty miles
to preach to a little Baptist hamlet or
administer baptism to a rugged old
farmer who wanted thorough work in
his case and no dainty dipping" pro-
cess. The opcn-and shut pulpit was
almost as handy a thing to take along
on Il journey as is a modern steamer
trunk. The pulpit opens ard shuts
with hinges like a chest. Its lid is
very much larger than the body part.
Shut, it is Il box of portable size;
opened. the lid stands straight in front
of the preacher. pulpit standard, on
which he lays his Bible and hymn book,
Ill 10 hA
otucr part of the box. The part on
and similar to the raised platform that
is IN adjunct to the modern pulpit.
The Rev. Amos Read. when he set
forth TO preach in distant parts, just
strapped his pulpit, balanced it on bis
horses back. and so journeyed across
country. carrying church and Gospel
along with him. In his travels, if he
CHANGED upon Il dusty and peregrinat-
ing sinner, ne merely halted and
litchcd his stccd TO Il tree set up his
DaIpit .'Ebenczcr' by the roadside
md. mounting it, called the sinner to
repentance then and there, with the
pl.c vauIt of the sky for the ceiling OF
lis temple and the caroliug song birds
Tor a choir. 1t didn't cost itincrant
sinners Il cent for pews in Parson
Reads percTrinating church, and the
choir didn't quarrel about the hymns
or charge anything for climbing the
musical scale Mr.. Read didn't preach
| Il great deal by the roadside, however,
| for every farmer was pious in those
| times. and delighted to let the elder
have his best room for neighborhood
| meeting. There was still another use
to which the pulpit was fitted. After
preaching from it for three or four
solid hours. the Rev. Mr.. Read spread
it Hide open, fastened the joints taut,
| and then had a very convenient and
satisfactory communion table. The
Read family will now preserve the
relic as an heirloom. 1t will be useful
to hang bric-a-brac or tides against.
Still another curiosity treasured by
the family is the old sign that used to
swing in the wind in front of the Read
House when it was a tavern in 1868.
The sign is more ancient than the
famous Gen. Israel Putnam sign which
hung ut the tavern that "Old Put" kept
in Windham County. Inscribed on
the Read sign are "l76S" and Enter
tainment for Man and Horse In the
days of the Rev. Amos Read Lisbon
was part of Norwich, and in the
Read Hotel, it is said, troops were re-
cruited for the French and Indian
wars.