The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-06-17

corner OF South Capitol and n Streets ther
stood the Twenty Buildings They WEI
| two-story and basement houses. the bsse
ments of stone and the remainder of GOO
: quality bricks. In one of these the first so
ciety held divine worship. Tradition say
that 1t was the corner house ard black
smith shop is pointed out as the plao
where Rev. William Walters performed tt
functions of his ministry"
The Methodist Prctestants we're organ
: lied in Washington first as the 'Associat
MethGdists about 1928
The Southern Methodists, led by Mr.
Smithson. banker. held meetings here il
the SOS, but iganized after the civil
war.
Before the city itself was even lai1 OF
the church history Of the Lu herars began
ten years. perhaps. before the British coo
MES became the United States. The his
tory Of the church organization goes bach
to the times when Washington was vari-
ousiy described as -" country mudhole
or "a number of struggling settlements"
Quite considerable proportion of tie
early population OF Washington was COM
posed of German emigrants. G5d-fsaring
honest. and industrious citizens they were
and each Sunday their thoughts turned t.
the religious observances OF their farth r
| land. :, strolling preacher often Glanced
to pass this way. When he came, religious
| services were held under the trees or on
the open common. Sometimes the preach
er would be OF one faith, sometimes of an
other The Germans all went TO hear him,
| whatever his creed so that his language
was that of the fatherland.
One Sunday at the end of one of the Ger
man services some one got up and an
nounced that two lots had been given to
! the Germans. so that the different denoni-
7 nh
One lot had been given to the Luthe-
rams but 1t was not until 1893 that a
church was erected, and Rev. Mr.. Ungerrer
became the first Lutheran pastor in Wash
! ington.
The Society of Friends began meeting
here in the early part Of the present CEN
fury. and their meeting house on / Street
northwest is one of the oldest churches
OF Washington.
The Unitarian Church was established
in Washington during the Administration
OF Monroe. while John Quincy Adams was
Secretary OF State Its first house of wor-
ship was the building on Sixth and D
Streets now used as the Police Court
House. Its founders we're John @. Adams,
John c. Calhoun. Rev. R. Little, Judge
W. Cranch. Moses Poor. William G. FL
lot. w. w. seaton, Joseph Gales, ST.. Jo-
seph Gales. jr.. d. F. May. p. Maur, Will
lam Elliott. William Cooper ST., DR.. G.
May. N. P. Poor. c. S. Fowler. Noah
Fletcher, John F. Webb Richard Wallach,
ST.. Seth Hyatt. C. Andrews. S. Robinson,
Charles Bulfnch. Pishey Thompson.
Thomas Bates. Thomas C. Wright. N.
Claxton. A. B. Waller. and S. Franklin.
Disciples of Swcdenborg.
The Church of the New Jerusalem. or
1.-THE Swedenborgians," had its heralds In
Washington in the early portion OF this
century. Sermons were preached at the
Congress in the years 1902 and 1904 by
the Rev. John Hargrove. the pastor Of the
newly formed organization in Baltimore.
The Washington Society of the New Jeru-
salem was formed in 1871, and has enjoyed
the successive pastorates Of Rev. Rufus
Dawes. Rev. Jabez Fox. Rev. E. d. Dam
iels, the Rev. William B. Hayden. and
others. 1t had for some time church
on North Capitol Street, near d, but is
now located in superb building on Six
tenth and Corcoran Streets northwest.
Congregational church was first organ
lied in Washington in 1s47. This church
was founded on anti-slayery principles,
and was without doubt the first church in
the South to organize on such basis. Such |
a platform was surely a radical one for a |
church in the South to adopt at that day. |
one on which these people should take Their |
stand argues their sterling qualities This |
church lasted only little while. A sec
ond attempt to establish Congregational
church in Washington was made in 1852. AS |
in the first instance its members were all |
Northern people. This church continued,
through many struggles, to exist until 1858
The third attempt to establish Congrega-
tional church In Washington was made
tba ha Christ |
mission had its headquarters here.
For several weeks the church depended
upon the Christian Commission for minis
ter and room to hold its services. In a
short time Rev. Charles b. Boynton. a
minister, came to Washing
ton TO accept Government position and
he was asked to take charge of the young
church. This he did and then the church
people endeavored to find place in which
to hold the meetings regularly. but such a
place was difficult to obtain. They wor-
SHIPPED in an old building, now the Police
Court, at the corner OF Sixth and Streets;
later in a little hall on Pennsylvania Ave
nue. and after that in the building now
known as the Columbia Law Building. on
Fifth Street. 1t was while worshiping
here that the members of this church went
20 several Representatives in Congress and
stated that a Congregational minister had
never been chosen as Chaplain Of the
House and asked that their pastor, DR..
Boynton, be selected.
In response to these requests he was
made chaplain, and it was only little
while till some Of the most prominent peo-
,le in the church called upon the Speaker.
Schuyler Colfax, and asked that their
.hurch be allowed the use of the Hall Of
he House Of Representatives for its regu-
ar Sabbath worship. This was also grant,
d. and as consequence the First Con-
,regational Church OF Washington was the s
MY regularly established church to hold | {
ervices in the United States Capitol. Very
Don afterward the present Congregational
,hurch on Tenth and G Streets was built. {
Meetings of the Complexities.
The Campbellite or Christian faith has !
,een preached in Washington for some ,
hirty years now The first services were =
eld in private houses. About 1852 or SO /
he little band met at the old Medical COLI
ege corner of Tenth and f streets, old @
temperance Hall NOW Marini's) and Cor b
Grams original Art Building. on H Street, i
etween Thirteenth and Fourteenth. and
bout 1858 they went to the City Hall and
emained there-except for short time 1
ntil the summer of 1869. In 1867 there a
,as q formal organization of the congre-
alton with Benjamin Sunny. II. B. h
neTUlau, anu ciuciS, huu | a
H. Robinson, W. W. DUNCAN. N. J. HILL r
ian, C. w. Shelton, and H. C. Steir, dea- "
ons. Elder H. T. Anderson. Of Harrods- il
urg. KY. came here in March, 1868. A O
was made to build or buy q h
hurch and the building originally erect d
d by the Methodist Church South on M h
treet, between Ninth and Tenth. being
,r sale. was purchased in 1869, and in II
he summer of that year they took pos b
,ssion of the building. In September and r