Evening journal., 1907-07-01
OLD DRAWERS
CHURCH AGAIN
CELEBRATES
Continued from First Pase)

close with the benedicton.
Luncheon on the Lawn.
During the noon hour the gather
ing partook of the nature Of a picnic
The visitors brought their lunches in
baskets and boxes. and not a few
Of the younger folks carried theirs in
their pockets. Carriage seats served
the purpose Of tables and from these
many meals were eaten with as much
relish as they would have been had
they been served in the most inviting
dining room. The Old Drawers cele-
brations have come to be family re-
unions, largely, and many pleasant
"reminiscences were exchanged by the
families while they partook of their
monday luncheon on the beautiful
lawn. overlooking Drawers creek, in
the rear Of the old church
Friends Hold Business Meeting.
At 1 o'clock the Friends Of old
Drawers met in annual business ses-
sion. II was their eleventh meeting.
the Friends having been organized in
1895 by the late Lewis C. Vandegrift
/ TO preserve the old church property.
They have been faithful to their trust,
for since their organization the church
has been practically rebuilt at "a cost
Of $4,000 without destroying the origi-
nal rich style of interior and exterior
architecture Of the building. A tablet
TO the memory of Mr. Vandegrift in a
conspicuous place I'm the old edifice at
tests to his noble qualities as a citizen
and Christian. The Friends re- elected
officers as follows: Daniel W. Corbit
president; John V. Craven, vice-presi-
dent; Miss S. Cornelia Bowman Sec
retary and George Janvier, treasurer:
l. Janvier Woods, Clarence l. Poole,
Howard A. Poole, Mrs. Lewis c. Van
degrift and Herbert II. Boyd, trustees.
20oth Anniversary Next Year.
The two-hundredth anniversary of
lOld Drawers as a congregation. which
will be celebrated next year, was then
discussed by the Friends It was de-
cided to ask the Governors of Della
ware, Pennsylvania and New Jersey
TO take part in the exercises Of that
occasion and Herbert IL. Boyd, Of Phil
adelphia, was appointed committee
Of one TO ascertain If it will be con-
venient for the officials TO take part
In the exercises
Interesting Historical Address.
The afternoon exercises were pre-
sided over by Daniel w. Corbit. presi-
dent of the Friends. who introduced
Alexander b. Cooper OF New Castle.
as the speaker. Mr.. Coopers talk was
historical, and I'm part was as follows:
For more than forty years my home
and habitation have been in the an
Client town of New Castle. whose early
history, is the early history Of the
state Of Delaware. The ascertainment
and study OF the details of that his-
tory has been the laborious and inter-
esting work of many years Of my lie,
and j have found in it so much which
connects this locality with that and
the Presbyterian congregation az old
Drawers, with the Presbyterian con-
gregation at New Castle, that / have
deemed il appropriate, and ! trust in
teresting to speak TO you of it on tlia
occasion, thus aiding the society OF
the Friends Of old Drawers as best
! can in carrying out one Of the pri.
mary objects Of its organization Tc
collect and preserve information re-
specting the men and women who in
olden times gathered at Old Drawers
with the desire TO worship and to build
up and broaden their spiritual lives
and to discover collect and preserve
all stil existing documents, knowledge
and well founded traditions relating &c
It will be necessary for me to recall
incidentally a few well known facts.
New Anstel the First Settlement
Every reader OF our history knows
that New Castle under the Dutch name
of New Amstel. was the first and ear.
liest seat Of government, for the ter
ritory now embraced within the bound
aries Of the state of Delaware.
"The De Vries expedition, the mem
bers Of which landed near Lewes IL
the spring of 1851. had no organized
government, indeed everv one Of them
was cruelty massacred by the indians
within few months after their ar
rival. This was the end of their set
tlement at Zwanendeal. as it wai
called The Swedes who landed ia
1888. on the shores Of Christiana creek
had. no fixed forms Of law or estab
lshcd government They became :
good and pious people, but they wer'
traders, ana their settlement was pure
lv a trading settlement The little
band occupied. and claimed, but {
small part of the territory, and careS
very little for what laid beyond thei
hamlet Of Christianahan. On the othe
hand the Dutch at New Amstel, form
ed a government and exercised domi
Mon over the entire territory. Follow
ing them came the English, who, frs
under the Duke OF York, and thei
under william Penn and his heirs, ha'
possession and control until they wer'
swept away by the tide Of the Ameri
can Revolution.
throughout an this time. the sea
of government was at New Castle
The General Assembly OF the province
urder tho English, met there In M
old state House. built in 1876, ant
which stin stands as a sacred monu
ment OF the past. the oldest building
now standing in the state Pardof
me for briefly referring to the startini
point in the familiar history Of tha
town. because IL is also a materia
part of the history of this territorial
locality as will presently apDear. Th'
first building OF any kind erected upof
its site was the Dutch Fort Cassimer
II was erected on an elevated poin'
Of land at the northeastern end Of the
town i'm 1861 By that brave old belliger'
ent Dutch Governor, Petrus Stuyves-
ant. whose remains. Il may be said ir
passing now are buried in vault huil'
for the purpose under the shelterins
walls Of ST. Marks Episcopal Church
i'm the city of New York.
Coming Of the Christian Dutch
s.Trnder his rcriue in the year 1906