The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1898-03-10
An OLD LANDMARK GONE
Trinity Episcopal Church Build
ing Torn Down.
DIGGING FOR CORNERSTONE
Organization OF the Parish Was
Effected Seventy-Two Years Ago
DR.. Butler, One of the Early Rec
tors, Officiated at the Fuuer Is
of Webster and Calhoun.

The removal of the Old Trinity Epis-
copal Church building. better known as
the Columbia Law School, located on
Fifth Stret, between d and z Strets
northwest, takes away familiar
Washington landmark.
The workmen have reduced the walls
to mere piles of brick and only the un-
earthing of the cornerstone remains.
Contrary to the custom of today the
cornerstone was placed under the
ground level and is buried from view.
1t is expected that it will be reached
some time today and when found. ac-
cording to arrangements made by the
present rector of Trinity Church. it will
be taken to the office of Mr.. c. H
Howard, Of the Firemens Insurance
Company at Louisiana Avenue and
Seventh Street. There it will be OPEN
ed and it's contents disclosed. Trinity
Church was erected about seventy
years ago of English brick, and rec
cords of the parish show that the cor
ner-stone was laid with Masonic rites.
OF course the coin of that day. the
newspapers and public documents viii
be found when the stone is opened.
1t was in December, 1926, that Trim
ity parish was organized. There was
no regular place of worship, but room
in the City Hall building was set apart
for it's use. The first rector was Rev.
Henry Van Dyke Johns, whose nephew
is now rector of Christ Church in
Southeast Washington. The vestry
then consisted of Roger c. Weightman.
Thomas Henderson. Joseph H. Bradley.
Richard S. Cox, Edward Ingle, c. c.
drummer and Henry M. Morfit.
About year after organizing ar
rangements were made for the erection
of a church edifce. Late in 1927 or
early in 1928 the cornerstone was laid.
Handmade bricks from England were
secured and the building was cOmplet-
ed in the Spring of 1929. 1t was of the
old style English architecture. The
reading desk was ON the ground floor
and the pulpit above with the gallery
and choir aloft. The first service was
held April II. 1929.
Rev. DR.. Johns remained rector OF
the parish until February. 1882, when
he was succeeded by Rev. Chauncey
Cotton who resigned in July, 1888.
Trinity remained without rector for
more than a year. when Rev. E. Y.
office until succeeded by Rev. John
owen in August 1886. At this time
Francis Scott Key, the author of the
Star Spangled Banner" was senior
warden of the church. Owen resigned
in April, 1889, and again was Trinity
without a rector until the arrival of
Rev. Horace Stringfellow in January,
1910. He stayed with the church for
seven years and was followed by DR..
IL, n
Ter, it is said, was very prominent and
was for two terms chaplain of the
United States Senate. In the same year
that the new rector took charge the
question was agitated of building a
larger and more commodious structure
and in January, 1S49, ground was
broken for the building now located at
Third and c Streets northwest. When
this building was completed in Febru-
airy, 1851, the old church was sold to
the trustees of the First Congregation
al Church and used as a place of wor-
ship until sold by them to the Column
bia Law School OF those persons COM
posing the first vestry of Old Trinity
parish Joseph Bradley was particular
ly well known He was an uncle of
Judge Bradley, now of the District Su-
preme Court, and distinguished himself
as lawyer. His alteration with
Judge Olin Fisher during the Suratt
trial led to his being disbarred from
practice, but he was afterWard re-
stored by court in general term.
DIR. Butler filed the office of rector Of
Trinity until 1854, and during his pas
tOrate it is said he officiated at the
funeral of both Webster and Calhoun
The clergyman had more than one diff
ficulty to contend with during his term
in office, and it is related that he once
had number of parisnioners who in
sisted on being immersed instead of
receiving the usual sprinkling rites
This did not deter DR.. Butler from re-
ceiving them into his church He got
them together and went to the o,d
Baptist church on r Street, between
Sixth and Seventh. He consulted with
the Baptist clergyman and then pro-
ceeded to baptiZe each one of the can
didates himself.
He resigned as rector in December,
1854, and accepted call to Chris
Church, Cincinnati, and was followed by
DR.. George d. Cummings, but not long
afterWard again returned to Washin-
ton. Rev. Robert j. Keeling, who was
recently on a visit to this city was the
next rector, and then came DR.. Thomas
G. Addison. who filled the office untn
April, 1896, when he died suddenly ana
was succeeded by Rev. Richard p Will
liams the present rector
Mr.. William II. Morrison the we'll
known book dealer. attended old Trim
ity Church when a boy and recalls dis
tiuctiy the interior of the place. He.
with other parishioners, is much in
terested in securing the conversions
and the preservation of its contents to-
gether with other historical papers of
the church