Middletown transcript., 1906-09-15
0AiA BAY Ar oil
! Reunion Services s0n lihday Were
uEe1I 4{fenE "A

We'll Atlen "A
Sunday was . gala da At old UnioI
Cliurel. in AppoqninImink hundred
Tie church is situated Oh tile old King!
Highway. on state road, between illt
villages Of Fieldsboro and Black bird.
The lot and pravprasd we're decided h,
chnrch. .p'iristsp III j Il. 1853. b Jeffs.Il
DicLeison
A substantial meeting house Was erect
ed the next year, 1890 This was Teplac-
ed in 1874 by the present church build
ing which cost s., 800, large sum for a
country church in that day. Tie
clay for the bricks used ia the
church was taken from the church
lot and burned on the premises. The
church were remodeIed and rededicaled in
1877 BY Bishop Simpson. The ample bury
ing ground is filled with the dead from
the surrounding country.
Here lies the body of Levi Scott, who
was one of the most distinguished minis-
ters of the Methodist denomination, and
when lie died was the senior bishop and
head of the NJ. L. Church. A plain, neat
marble monument shaft, at the southeast
corner OF the church, marks the grave of
the bishop, the only inscription being
his name, the dates OF bis birth aud
death OIL the north face, and like in
scription for his wife on the south.
Here lies also the body of Bassett Fer
guson, at one time mastery and
controlling mind Of Appoquinimink hun
dred. He was the father Of Colon Fergu-
son. late clerk Of the Orphans Court OF
tl,is county (Sho now occupies the an
eestral home near Blsckbird) aud the
grandfather OF Professor John Rasseti
Moore OF Columbia College, New York
City, distinguished author and author.
ity upon international law.
Anley Lore, an influential man,
large saw, Grist mill and land owner, with
his wife and large family of children
are all buried here. Indeed the burying
groun1 is filled with men and women Of
note in their day of that neighboFhOod.
For many years this church was cen
tral point and gathering place for Meth
odisn in lower New Castle county. 1t
was pointed out to travellers in the old
stage coaches upon the old Kings High.
way, before the Delaware railroad. Il
was the Sunday gathering place for re-
ligious worship for the people for miles |
round, and the grove would often be filled |
with the vehicles of the crowd Of wor.
shippers.
The building Of the Delaware railroad
changed the conditions. A new NJ. L. |
Church was built at Townsend, and also
one at Blackbird. Old Union was just |
outside of the march of Improvements
and was neglected. Religious services
were held only occasionally. The build. |
ing was neglected; the yard grew up
with weeds and briars. A year or two
ago the friends OF the church organized |
society for its repair and preservation
and renovation of the grounds. For this
purpose annual reunions were established. |
This work is being accomplished. The
church has been repaired and is in good |
condition. The graveyard has been en-
closed with substantial iron fence, the
weeds and briars renewed and the ground |
prepared for sodding.
The church is in charge sf the Rev. |
F. G. MacSorley, the preacher at Town.
send. Under his direction the reunion |
was held all day at the church on Sun
day. At 0.30in the morning he preached
an eloquent and effective sermon TO a
large congregation; $l25 were asked for
church purposes, and the congregation |
gave him $lS5.
Atl.3O in the afternoon, an experience |
meeting of the members was held, and at |
230 Chief Justice Charles B. Lore deliv-
cred an address upon the history of the |
church and the locality, and upon what |
constituted true manhood and good citi-
zenship. The church was crowded. |
Every seat in the body OF the church and |
in the gallery was filed, while many
stood outside in the vestibule, at the
doors, and the windows. 1t was truly a
gala day at Old Union.
-%0$--