Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1894-03-29

new parish building of Old Swetes
Church took place in the guild hall of
the new structure Tuesday night. 1t was
conducted by the Rt. Rev. Leighton
Coleman, d. D., bishop of the diocese,
assisted by the rector Of Old Swedes,
tho Rev. Martin b. Dunlap, and the
Rev. II. Ashton Henry, rector of Trinity
Church. Among the Trinity parish
officials taking part were DR.. Horace
Burr, senior warden, and Charles NJ.
Curtis, junior warden.
The programme for the evening was
as follows: Professional hymn, God
of Our Fathers;" invocation by the
bishop; prayer by the Rev. Martin b.
Dunlap; reading of the lesson by the
Rev. H. Ashton Henry; te deum, selec.
ton from the composition by the organ
ist of Old Swedes Church, George Il.
Hyatt; request for dedication addressed
to the bishop by the senior warden, DIR,
Horace Burr; addresses by DIR. Burr,
Thomas +. Bayard, Jr., Judge Ignatius
Grub and Bishop Coleman; the offer.
ing; benedictinn OF the building; its in
spection; collation. served in the base
mcnt.
There was a gathering of several
chamber called the guild hall few
minutes after s o'clock. The rector,
MIR. Dunlap, gave out the hym, God of
Our Fathers" and then the procession,
headed by tho wardens of the parish,
and closed by the bishop and clergy,
filed into the chamber.
The religious ceremony was quite
brief, and at the close OF the singing OF
the tie deum, DR.. Burr stepped forward
and addressing the bishop, said:
Right Reyfirned Sir: J., Horace Burr.
senior warden, in benalf of the clergy and
vestry OF Trinity parish, and of him who
| worked so faithfully for the creation OF
this house, and of the o her generous
| givers of the means for its construction.
request you to dedicate it to the use and
/ purpose Tor which il has been built-the
| glory of God and the good and well-beng
OF this church and community; and, As
appropriate to this occasion, | would call
to mind similar transaction which took
| place l9i years ago, when u great concourse
Of people was gathered, not only from the
| surrounding country, but from all over
| the colonies of Delaware, Maryland. Penn
sylvania and New Jersey, to dedicate yon
venerable structure 10 the worship Of
Almighty God, and to give to it the name
Of Holy Trinity Church.
l
perseveringlH and successfully labored to
provide u plan for their spiritual home and
| upbuildng and for those VINO should come
after them.
We now enjoy the fruits OF their labor,
and OH us is deyolved the obligation to pre-
serve and carry forward what they so hap,
PLY began that these buildings shall never
cease through all the ages to be source OF
Light to enlighten and to guide the people,
THE DEDICATION.
Bishop Coleman replied; "By virtue
Of my authority as bishop of this do
cese, now declare this building duly
opened for the purposes for which it
has been erected" He then pronounced
the benediction.
DIR. BuRR's ADDRESS.
Bishop Coleman then introduced DIR.
Burr, the senior warden of Trinity
parish, who said, in effect:
Ny brethren, Friends and EelloW citizens:
am not going to make you Il set speech
but will talk to you as brother to brother
and neighbor to neghbor.
My acquaintance with this old church
and the work connected with it dates back
55 years when, by the meresi accident |
was stopped on my way back from the
South at New Castle. and became, in n
measure. identified with Delaware while
but student
took board in the Townsend family
across the creek, opposite the old church,
twas then i'll most dilapidated CONDITION,
q residence of bats and owls. 1t was before
me each morning when | aruse-forsaken
by the congregation, which had recently
built at the corner Of Fifth and King
streets.
But few years after, chiefly by some
noble.henrted women, and especially by
Miss Montgomery and Miss Henriettu
Allmon, interest was aroused to save the
venerable building from ruin. and efforts
were made by Mr.. Van Dusen, the rector
of Trinity Church. Bauduv simmons
George Armstrong and others of the yes
try, and later Alexis |. du Point, seconded
by the good Bishop Lee, to sustain mis-
sionary services and to interest the con
gregation in their ancient building. But
this resulted in varying and with inter
mittent success.
After became identified with the parish
the effort was continued, but the ehurcl
was divided. The funds had dwindled t.
almost nothing and with ali the proceeds
t from the cemetery there was not enough
to provide services for one congregation
and all work at the old church had to b,
given up except the Sunday-school.
But here was great field for work ant
urgent need for It, The parish was rul
: down pecuniarily and in numbers. BIZ
about $50 COMMITMENTS, while we nov
have almost 600.
/. A project was conceived to not onl-
/, build up congregation in the regua
, church uptown, but to start one here
3 The beginning was small. A few com
: municants were gathered and though a
first it was on a missionary basis plal
: was proposed to encourage the congrega
c ton to make an effort towards self-suppor
+ by giving them all of the income from tn
I cemetery and the funds, which were no
Q very considerable and giving to then
representation in the vestry and delega
ton in the diocesan convention.
The result has been that from fe,
4 names on the list of communicates W
n now have $50 and class ready for con
. tirmation.
With the growth of the church the Sun
4 day.school grew but the accommodation
$ for Sunday-school, guild and other paris
!. work were very inadequate. A motto
i was made in the vestry in March, 1891, 10
t the appointment of a committee to Sc
!. what could be done. The committee wa
e composed of the three vestrymen of tn
!. old church congregation, Thomas
g Bayard, James Carrow and William Mon
c gomery, the secretary of the vestry, job
S >; Grohe, and the senior warden, Di
# Horace Burr.
It The committee met at the old churc
d and looked over the ground. 1t had bee
IS suggested thnt the south transept might b
" enclosed and fitted for u school room, 81
& it was found to be too small. To extend
Ii it would be necessary to cover graves an
n would spoil the symmetry of the buildine
d meeting was called at the office of Mi
d Bayard, when he stated that the onl
d solution is new building, to which v
&c all agreed.
h But where should we get the money?
,e had few hundred dollars in nv hant
e for work in connection with the oil
church. But ! did not know where n