Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-02-20

letter postage was generally charged to
box-holders. and regular bills were made
out weekly. On these occasions the Colo
mel woulc smile at my familiar face, but
when the window was darkened by a
host Of black and white the old gentle
man would rise in a tower OF rage and
dispense tae crowd.
The churches were the next most
familiar to me- as I attended them fire.
quently. st. PauI's had not then reared
It's lofty splre. and the Monumental was
considered the big church, being always
visited by strangers for its historic past
as the site OF the burning theatre, at
which so many of the bright. gifted, and
happy citizens of the city were suddenly
cut Off. Here DIR. Norwood ofhclated until
the new church (St. Paul's) was COM
pleted in 1871, when he moved there with
a part OF the Monumental congregation.
and was succeeded at the Monumental
by Rev. DR.. Woodbridge, who kept 1t
until his DEATH
st. James was the next In size OF con-
gregation. having $50 members under the
charge Of Rev. DR.. Acam Empie.
The oldest and most interesting church,
where Patrick Henry made his famous
liberty Speech" was st. Johns. but Its
membership was only fifty. The First
Presbyterian church was DR.. Plummers,
on Franklin street. between Thirteenth
and Fourteenth. 1t had $40 members,
and increased so much that 1t was sold
in 1861 and the congregation moved up
town. 1t was afterwards turned into
second-rate concert hall, and was called
the Metropolitan" Alas, what a come
down!
DIR. HoGEs CHURCH.
DR.. Hoge's new church, on Fifth street,
was then Just completed. 1t was con-
sidered the handsomest house of wor-
ship in the city, being the first to have
stained glass windows. Instead OF an
organ they had an orchestra, with cornet-
double bass, and several other instru-
ments. DR.. Hoge was thon quite youthful,
very attractive, and popular, especially
with the young men. and he quickly Dulit
up a very large congregation, and Is stu
their beloved pastor OF more than nan
century.
The Baptist churches have always LED
in point Of numbers. The nrst cnurch
was organized in $780, their meeting
house being the present African church,
on Broad and College streets. In lAl
this was relinquished to their colored
brethren, and the white congregation
moved up to Broad and Twelfth streets,
where they built their present large edi-
flee, having then 5l4 members. There
were also the Second church, on Main,
anG Sixth Grace-Street, on Foushee, and
the Fourth church, on Twenty-hrst
street.
There was but one Catholic church-St
Peter's-the present Cathedral, then I'M
der charge Of Rev. Father OBrien, with
200 members.
At that time there was little wooden
Quaker Westinghouse, located on Cary
and Nineteenth streets, which could be
hardly recognized as church building, |
it's members, as stated, being very few |
in number" but these few were the rem |
nant of a very large bocy OF this pecu-
liar sect, which once settled in Henrico |
county. A record-book of their monthly |
meetings from 1699-only eight years af-
ter the death of George Fox, the founder |
Of the society-to 1853, was once. and may |
be possibly STILL owned in Richmond. |
The clerk who made the first entries |
was Joseph Peasants, son OF John Plea
SAINTS. who came over from England and |
settled under grant of the King In 1866
A portion Of this grant is said TO be still |
in the Peasants family, who have held /
II continuously for "a years. The late
Hugh r. Peasants and his talented
brother, John Hampden Peasants, sons
of Governor James Peasants, were de-
scendants of this noble Quaker family,
whose traits for being discreet, just, and
decided are noted.
THEY CONTRIBUTED TOBACCO.
The first item of this old Quaker re-
cord is an assessment on its members
of $3.50 pounds OF tobacco to build
Westinghouse, to be $50 feet inches
long by 20 feet wide; also, another as
sessment of 100 pounds to cell the
with river boards, and