The Newtown bee., 1900-12-21
TOWN Torres.

1 TowN Torres.
 A HISTORICAL ADDRESS,.
 ON THE FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY or THl
 DEDICATION OF THE MBTHODIsT EPIs
 OOPAL CHURCH IN SANDY HOOK. CONN.
 sEPTEMBER 25, 19OO.-BY JOSEPH o
 MUNsON.
 gressive personality into the history o1 Newtown Methodism. The first Metho. dist preaching in Sandy was by Samuel 4erwin father of the late John B. Nor. win of the New York East Conference, while he travelled the Bedding circuit in 1905. He preached in the ball room of stephen Crofut's house which stood nearly opposite this church on the grounds of the late Hobart Warner. Brother Merwin appointed Isaac Sanford class leader with 10 members. During the year livs moro were added to tho number.
 Isaac Sanford lived in the first house east of the Hethodist parsonage and there he had preaching in the kitchen and class meeting in the front room. Those early 1ethodists shouted and sang and prayed with all their heart and all their might, 50 that their neighbors became disturbed and on one occasion certain rude fellows burst the door open to see what all that noise was about. The Sandy Hook class numbered 2l in 1911. Meanwhile the indefatigsble leader had formed other classes at Flat Swamp, at Hattertown and in the district bordering on Brookdeld. There were scattered Methodists in Zoar and along the banks of the Housatonic river.
 For 70 years these little bands of 4ethodists held their c1ass and prayer meetings and had preaching in school houses and private houses whenever . circuit rider or local preacher could be obtained to preach to them. Isaac San. ford moved to Pennsylvania and Zsrah Blackman succeeded him az leader of the class in Sandy Hook. In 1880 when Horace Bartlett and Charles Sherman were on the circuit very blessed revival brought good deal of strength to the Methodist society.
 Inspired by the spirit-1illed testimony of one of the sisters at loVefeast they resolved to build . church. In 1881 under the pasrorate of John Love joy, a plain and substantial chapel was built in the lower part of Newtown Street. The first board of trustees were Uriah Hayes, Isaac Scudder, Ebenezer Blackman, Zerah Blackman, Alanson Gilbert and Benjamin Curtis. To this chapel the Methodist families from many directions gathered, often quite filling the little church.. Car Blackman was leader of the Sunday noon class. Benjamin Curtis leda class in Zoar.
 There were, besides Sandy Hook. at 7least two or three other classes in differ ent parts of the town. Sunday evening, and sometimes Sunday afternoon services were held in different halls in Sandy Hook. A camp meeting was held in Cold Spring in 1883, but tradition has not reported the result. But the steady work of the preachers and class leaders brought a goodly number into the fellow ship of the church among whom during the 20 years of the church in Newtown Street were at least five men who ocean @ preachers of the gospel. Luman San ford, son of Isaac Sanford, the class leader, Isaac Sanford, 8 grandson of Isaac and son of Elias Sanford. George A. Hubbell, William T. Hill and Henry Morgan were all converted in their youthful daysin the Newtown church and later achieved success in various lines of ministerial work. In the early 40s there was a membership of more than 100 Methodists distributed in many parts of the town.
 But the restless spirit ot our Yankee people led 6 considerable number of families to emigrate to the Western states. The class in Hattertown joined the new church at Stepney. Tho membership in the Street became SO few they could not maintain social meetings.
 The leaders of tho outlying classes re- moved and the classes dwindled, Near the close of the first 50 years of Methc. dism in..Newtown the larger part of the membership was found in the village of Sandy Hook. Here were many young people and children who found 1t trouble some to walk a mile and halfto church.
 For years evening services had been maintained at some hall in the village and sometimes Sunday school was carried on part of the year. There was no church in the village, which then COT tained for or five hundred people, all American.born and Protestant. There were large number of small mapu- featuring establishments, many of whose proprietors were friendly to the plan of building church.
 After many conferences the prosperity of the church seemed to demand that the church home seould be changed to this village. A location was purchased from Elijah Sanford and guided by . plan drawn by John Welch famous church architect, tho contract was given to Messrs Monroe and Drummond who com pleted the building in the early fall of 1850. The bell was given by the yolun. tary gifts of business men outside the church. It was from the famous firm of Meneely Brothers and has always been noticed and praised for the sweetness of It's tone. Mrs Bennett recalls how her mother delighted with the sound called all her children roond har and rama rked