The sun., 1898-10-23
THE Old BARRAI1 CHAPEL
The Historic Building Situated
Near Frederick in South
\ Murderkill Hundred.
WORSHIP STILL HELD THERE
The Memorable Meeting Over Cen.
tury Ago In the Quaint Structure
That Resulted in the FOrma-
tiOn of Methodist EpiscO.
pal Church.
WORSHIP STILL HELD THERE
BY NORRIS STANLEY BARRATT.

passed aWaV slNCe CIie IHelhoraple uccV-
ing OF Bishops Coke and Asbury at Bar
rats Chapel "in the midst of forest"
which resulted in the formation OF the
Methodist Episcopal Church IN America.
And upon this, the cente nnial anniver-
sary of that meeting fraught with suc'l
pmomentous and important consequences,
it may not be considered Improbable or
uninteresting to pause, "whie we thus
retrace with memory's pointing wand,
that calls to our exact review the labors
Of those who have sown what we now
reap"
Barratt's Chapel is situated near Fred.
erica, South Murderklll hundred, Kent
county, State OF Delaware, and was built
in May, 1850, UPON grounds donated for
that purpose by Philip Barratt, high
sheriff of the county, through whose ex-
ertions. aided byWaitman Sipple, the pro.
iecl was accomplished Barratt's Chapel
was 1l8 years old last May. 1t Will be ll4
years on November IA since Coke ana
, Asburv met there. The deed bears date
August II, 1880, and is from Philip Bar
rstt to Reynear Williams, David Lewis,
Waitman Sipple, Samuel Smith, Caleb
Furbee, Jonathan Furbee, Andrew Pur-
den. William Virden and Daniel James
trustees for part OF tract of land called,
"William' sChancc," beginning from cor.
ner of brick building now carrying on, and
intended for a preaching house or chapel.
Il provides that those entitled to preach
shall be persons appointed at the yearly
conference of the people called Metho-
dists, held in America to preach and
expound Gods word, and no other
doctrine shall Re taught than is CON
tanned in the Rev. John WesIeys
notes on the new testament and
four volumes OF sermons, etc. The bll ID
ing is almost square in appearance, being
42x48 feet, two stories high, and is built
of brick, said to have been imported for
that purpose from Holland. The original
high puI pit. which very nearly Concealed
q the PREACHER from the view OF the con-
pregution. has bt en- altered, although tie
same seat. upon which Bishops ASb'ry
and Coke and tlle early fathers OF he
church sat is yet preserved, otherwise
Z. +, e chapel presents very much the same
j appearance to-day AS it did when iii'
ished.
It was not, however, finished 10 alb MT
sixty years, during h'rh tim" services
were held regularly with only the gronn"
for q floor and its walls in rough un
finish d condition. Never' '"ir>s, 1t "ir
then ami for IA number of years a'"rr.
wards, far the grandrst country chapel
that the Methodi.ts had in America
Ledpum relates an anecdote, (which has
,,e :,oed through the length and breadth
of Metholis,n, of the gentleman who
: wished to know what use was to bc
made of Barratt's Chapel. Being in
formed that it was to be place Of w"r'
shin for the Mrthodists," his reply VAS;
"It1 is unnecessary to build such house
for by the time the war is over II corn
crib will, hold them all" In November
1884, the first quarterly meeting was
held in it, and it was supposed that QUE
thousand people were in attendance. Dr.
Samuel McGaw, rector OF st. Paul,s I
Z. Church, Philadelphia; Bishop Ashnry,
Caleb B. Pedicord, Joseph IlartIy and
Joseph Cromwell werc there tooflicl
ate.
Philip Barratt was born in the year
1920 and married in 1855. He was com
missioned High Sheriff of Kent county,
Delaware, on October 6, l775, member
Of Assembly, 1919, 1880 and 1881, and
Justice of the peace in 1872. lie is sup,
nosed to have been the first settler of the
family in America, but it is not definite.
ly known where he came from. lie was
the owner of large landed estate sur
rounding the chapel, which, upon his
death, he devised to his child.
rem. Judge Andrew, Caleb, DR..
Elijah, Nathaniel, Philip, Mir
lam and Lydia, and all historians
agree that he was most earnest sup
porter of Bishop Asbury, and was one OF
the friends who protected him and other
suffering itinerants in the troubled times
Of the revolution. Previous to the erec.
tion OF the chapel it was customary for
the people upon arising in the morning
to walk to each others houses, which
were usually two or three miles apart, as
agreed upop beforehand, for the purpose
OF having prayers or listening to the ex.
hortations of some itinerant. This often
resulted in more people being present
than could be comfortably Accommodated,
especially on Sundays or during revlVals.
The inconvenience was particularly felt
during the winter season. A regular
place Of meeting was sadly needed ana
Il was to supply this want and to have
fixed place OF public Worship where
regular services could be held that
Philip Barratt erected this chapel. :,
In early times the colollists generally
we're noted for their religious intolerance.
In Massachusetts Roger Williams was
banished by the Puritans Tor heresy be-
cause he said "that the evil magistrates
should restrain crime, but never control
opinion; should punish gailt but
never violate the freedom OF the soul:
The Antinomians, Ann Hutchinson, Mr.
Wbeelright and Mr.. Cotton, were also
banished. Anabaptis.s and Quakers
we're next declared against, and Clarke
of Rhode Island, was fined for preaching
at Lynn, and Mr.. Holmes, wi no refused
to bay fine, iAicted for his religious
opinions, was publicly whipped. The
utterance of certain opinions was de-
nounced as blasphemy, and visited with
fine. imprisonment, exile or death. Min
: listers not ordained were silenced by the
public authorities, and the very men who
tod Apd from England to gain an ASYLUM