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


Sunday was day of historical sig
nifcance for the Centre Congregational
church the goth anniversary of the or
panization of the church being observed
on that day. Two historical addresses
were made by Rev. II. r. Miles, the pres
ent pastor of the church, the first, the
morning in the church building on Main
street which formerly stood on the COM
non and the second in the afternoon on
the common, on the spot from which
the building was moved in 1912 to It's
present location. The morning adj
dress is reproduced entire herewith. Both
that and the afternoon address contained
some matter that has been published be-
fore but also much that never had been
told in a public way. The church choir
sang at both services. The text in the
morning was Ezra 5: IL: I'VE are build
ing the house that was builded these
many years ago, which great king of
Israel bulded and finished" e. c. Cros-
by presided at the afternoon service and
Rev. L. NJ. Keneston of West Brattleboro,
pastor of the mother church." gave the
Scripture reading. and offered prayer The
address was on 1.-The First Pastor and
His People," and it reviewed inter-
estingly the history of the begin
nings of the church under the pastoral
charge of Rev. William Wells. Following
is the text of the morning address;
A church is both a building and the
body OF men ana women whose olSdiiiAd-
ton and meetings for worship and work
are housed in the building. We asso-
ciate the invisible things of the spirit
with things that we see,--associate
personality with the face through which
it shines forth and the life of a church
with the church building that lie mas mai
lowed.
This church has long and honored
history. 1t is happy in having, remodelled
to present needs, the building in which
that history began, with every piece OF
wood and every nail of which sacred as
sociations are interviewer. The history
of a large part of the life of the church
is recorded in the structure of this build
ing. He who could go over it, note where
changes have been made and tell how and
when these alterations came, would find
written in the building much that the
books of the clerk do not tell, and the
memory Of the Oldest members does not
recall.
shall seek to follow this morning
something of the history of the building,
of the ecclesiastical society or business
organization, and of the church. 1t would
be possible to call any one of these
the oldest of the three. The building
was completed before the church was or
ganized and the ecclesiastical society
followed the church by two years,
vet a body of men in 1914 formed
the voluntary association that furnished
the money to erect the building, and two
weeks before that a stated Sunday SER
vice was begun in the school house on the
northwest corner of the common.
The first religious worship in Brattle-
boro was at Fort Drummer, where Eben-
ezer Hinsdell was chaplain for IA years,
beginning with 1928, four years after the
fort was built. The first minister of the
town was Abner Reeve who began preach
ing on Meeting House hill in 1863 in a
church that had been built year or two
before on ground which is now part OF
the cemetery on Orchard street, in Wes'
Brattleboro BY 1855 a new and COM
modious meeting house had been built by
the original parish church in West Brat
tleboro near the present Congregational
church, and Abner Reeve preached there
until 1894. In that year he withdreW anc
William Wells, who had recently come
from England and bought large farm
the house of which was just north o.
Linden Lodge, succeeded MIN. The
earliest definite description of DR.. Wells
which we have is a letter to Jane HancoX
from a family friend whom she consulted
when Mr. Wells asked her to marry him
The following is an extract from 1t.
Justice obliges me to say that neve
knew a man better formed by nature an'
grace for being happy and making Others
so who are most nearly connected VIII
him. His natural temper is excellent
sedate and even, always easy and cheer
full, inclined to think well OF and De wei
pleased with everybody and everything
that is tolerable; obliging, tender ant
affectionate; yet active, manly and pru
dent, remarkably free from caprice ant
affectation and every turbulent passion
And to these human attributes, Valuapl
as they are, divine grace has added VIVA
you will still more highly prize, ratona
and warm piety This, you will think
is saying a great deal; but really MIS-
Jane, / cannot in conscience say less
This is the light in which his characte
to This 10 the character hi
tutor and his most intimate friends uni
versally give him" William Wen
was the minister of the whole tow
for 20 years, living on his farm and dur
ing the last portion of the time holding
services once or twice a month in the re
school house, then on the corner OF GU
common, now moved to Chase street. ii
was the highest taxpayer in the towr
Only one house was listed higher than MS
He had the only gold watch and ma
money at interest. He was the mrs
citizen.
In 1914 Parson Wells who was then Z
years old and had been A years in IN
ministry, felt the pastoral care OF IN
whole town too taxing upon his strengti
and declined to serve longer. BY thi
time there was considerable settlemen
here upon the river, in what was Gale
the East village. Parson Wells 1--WE
nearest this village and his closest friend
were here. They had already asked IN
parish to build a second meelns MUS
here for their accommodation, and haVln
found no encouragement, were talking
Withdrawing from the mother chnTp
and forming a second parish. They
once engaged Mr.. Wells, and he bega
regular services in the school house on III
common the first Sunday in April, 1914.
This was in one sense the beginning
our church. on the goth of the sam
month The Brattleboro Meeting Hous
society was formed, to provide funds Il
a meeting house and TO build the sam
This was the building in which we al
met, which stood on the common re
or two west of the soldiers monument.
A council of neighboring ministers we
called July g. 1916, and our church wi
organized. The date is given In our
manuals and in Burnham's history
Brattleboro as July Is. / do not kno
how the mistake was made for the oril
inal record in DR.. Wells's hand is unmi
taxable, and a second record appeal
where the charter members are enrolle
In both instances it is July 8.
DIR. Wells gave the church the beaut
full covenant which We use today as OF
basis of fellowship. He was fine tyI
of the fatherly, learned Christian ministe
must leave for the afternoon servi
speaking more fully of him. Suffice 1t
say here that we today probably star
as near to him in belief and in ways