Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-07-20


aisle, but two aisles separating the middle
and side rows gave entrance to both.
There were six pews in the front of the
church on each side of the pulpit, at
right angles to the main rows The side
gallery was much as now The rear gal
lery extended all the way across the
church, and was the singers gallery. The
pulpit was twice as high as at present.
The spire rose from the ridge pole of the
church, the front of which was a row of
huge Corinthian columns. behind which
was a porch, after the plan of our Home
for the Aged.
In 1916 the church called and ordained
A. Huntington Clapp a graduate of Yale
and Andover. to succeed DIR. Walker. Mr..
Clapp was here six years, when an eye
trouble required him to stop work The
! church voted him four months vacation
with full salary, and then a years leave,
! with part salary, in the hope that he
would be able to go on with his pastorate.
! Not recovering sufficiently at the end of
! this time, he resigned, and the church
| surrendered a minister as deeply beloved
| as any that has served it,
Parson Tyler succeeded Mr. Clapp in
! 1858. He was a Brattleboro boy, who had
united with this church upon profession
/ before he went away to college, and Is
/ the only minister reared up in the church
who has subsequently served IT, although
/ Or. George Leon Walker may almost be
said to be a second of the church's own
! sons called to its leadership.
The church having been moved down
town, it proved an unnecessary incon-
/ venience to have it separated from the
chapel. and in 1Si7 a committee reported
| that the Elliot street chapel could be sold
and one could be built In the basement.
( under the front of this room, for $500;
but this solution did not appear salts
factory and the matter was dropped until
| 1854. when the Elliot street chapel was
sold, that the proceeds, and $3.50 extra
might be used to build "A chapel in the rear
Of the church, the present ladies' parlors.
| Until this time row OF horse sheds had
| extended across the rear Of the church
property the whole distance covered by
the present parlors and chapel. Now tina
half the space was occupied by the chapel
in the rear of the church. the men whose
sheds We're displaced, used the basement
Of that chapel for horse sheds The
chapel was entered by high walk which
began at the porch behind tine great
columns on the church front. and was
Joined to the base board on the south
side OF the church, where the mortice
holes may he seen. The two obstacles
to "a satisfactory solution of the chapel
question were the horse sheds. 10 which
the owners held tenaciously and the Yer
mont Savings bank building. which stood
between the church and the house now
owned by Mr. Clapp.
1t was not until the pastorate Of Mr..
Mghill, who served the church from 1867
to 1875 that the bank was bought. the
horse sheds all cleared away. and the
! present chapel, or main Sunday school
room was built Then the barn door still
seen on the north basement wall of the
ladies' parlor was opened and the base
ment of parors and Sunday school room
was used for horse sheds, as long as DIR.
Dearborn owned the property northt OF
/ the church, and permitted use OF his
! lVfN~ ln g1tn rNFn1tv aI oil
this cost $l2, 900.
The most marked change that has ever
been made in the outward appearance OF
the church came in 1864, when the steeple
was blown off by tornado. This steeple
rested on the church roof. and ringing OF
a new and heavier bell made a vibration
in the building that had brought dis
7 cussion as to taking down the steeple
r when the tornado took IL on just above
the clock. Then the west end of the
S church was extended forward the distance
between the present vestihule doors and
D the nearest window. l am not certain
s whether the roof was extended. or simply
[ the porch back OF the Corinthian col
e umns taken into the church. The clap
e boards show where the new part was
- Joined on to the old. At this time tn,
= old columns were removed, and the Steepl,
e built up from the stone foundation IN
n front OF the church, leaving the from
( as we now have 1t. Some felt that tn,
n front was not beautihed by the change
n 1t gave a solidly built steeple. topped b!
- the same weathervane and letters tina
n surmounted the spire Of the church on tn,
= common, we are told.
o A significant step in Mr. Mighill's pas
e torate was the first districting OF thu
/: parish. in 1869. 1t was resolved tina
n while the church did not wish to diminish
individual responsibility, certain person
n should be appointed in different sections
Il of the town, to watch out for new conner
(, who We're Congregationalists, or attend
e ants upon no church. and make them fee
d Eat the earliest practicable time and IL
= the most thorough possible way. tina
- they are among brethren and sisters.
n / take this to be the beginning Of tina
n districting of the parish that has sine
o continued, and brings greater efficienc
e in parish work
r Mr.. Mighill was called by some 9TH
a apostle John" Some strenuous doctrine
r that had been heard from Parson lyle
d were missed from his sermons, and on
d of the good women leaving the church
r, Sunday morning said: 20 dear, 1 hav
8 sat for six years under that man. II
Is breaches love, love, nothing but love.
I have heard nothing of the justice an
V vengeance of God and the everlastin
m punishment of the wicked, and my sou
m is perishing for lack of spiritual food.
n DR.. George Leon Walker supplied IN
l., pulpit for two years after the departur
OF MI. MlBnlli ana was pTODdblS lut dpies
IL preacher who has ever served the church
r 1 must not dwell upon later pastorate'
10 which fall within the memory of mos
"a of you, that of DIR. Martin, during who's
m ministry the new organ was bought, an
the choir loft changed from the rear I
IN the front of the church; or that of d
o Day. who served the church nearly !
& years. During his pastorate the churc
ia interior was decorated. the present pew
lv substituted for the old ones the preseT
- windows put in place of plain glass, an
c other improvements, footing up to 5000
al in all, made in 1888. Mr. Day brougl
In about the consolidation of our ladies Sc
40 ceties into one simple and effective as
m ISOLATION, a step for which we must eve
No be thankful.
n These 80 years have seen marke
In changes and growth. The ecclesiastici
40 society has had three successive organ
nd cations First, in 1914 it was the Bra
nd tleboro Village Meeting House Societ
no which subscribed funds and built Il
a. church. This built, its pews were sold iii
al any other real estate, as was the custo
lv of the day, and the owners became Il
IA propretors of the meeting house. The'
h proprietors organized Aug. 27, 1918, {
ed the Brattleboro East society, for tn
eh purpose of settling and supporting
wv minister After the moving of the churC
no this society found itself in the possessiC
I'd of a building in a different part of II
~ town, of a chapel on Elliot street and
- | parsonaRe. properties not contemplate