Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-12-30
UNITARIANS' CENTENNIAL
A Three Days Celebration, Be.
ginning Sunday, January 80.
Anuiversary IN Historical Sermons,
Reception and Addresses, Banquet
ana Speeches Arc Among the
Features Decided Upon.

Church Will devote the corning month Y
preparations for the centennial cclebra
ton. which 10 10 re held during tn
three days beginning Sunday. Januar,
". -..
on tho FRS. day Of the celebration al
anniversary sermon will be preached
by the Rev. Or. ". ". Fem. dean q
The Divinity rchooI OF Harvard Univcr
rity. In the evening An historical dis
course will he delivered by tho pastor
md there will be q program Of specia
music. During tho afternoon q commun
hn service will be held, Il being expect
- that other clergymcn In the city viii
~ke part
ON Monday. January q. the ladies o
Re society will give a reception q
friends in Inc church parlcrs from 4 :,
o'clock, ana in the evening there vii
W a service IT. the church auditorium
ri:h tire principal address BY tho Rev
Or. Samuel A. Eliot. son OF former
President Eliot Of Harvard, and presi-
dent Of the American Unitarian asso.
cation. with c~ongratulatory messages
from Vermont rntvsrsalist and Cnitari-
sn Churches, the Rev. J. r. Wright ot
Montpelier. tho Church OF the Messiah
at Montreal End President NJ. H.. Buck
ham OF tho University OF Vermont
on Tuesday afternoon, February J.
there will re a reunion Of the young
peoples societies. with addresses by oit-
eide speakers to Re announced later, and
In tho evening there will he a banquet,
with speeches from visiting elergymen
and pastors 81 Burlington churches. In
connection with the anniversary cele-
hration a tablet Of statuary o will
hN placed in the vestibule OF the church.
THE tablet will bear the names OF the
pastors OF the church during it's exist
>ree.
Among the rare and valuable treas
Vres Of the church are the complete rec
rrds for its century Of existence. The
FIRST Of the document are traced with
quill pen and e!derberrv ink In a quaint.
el~d-fashioned style. but they are as
lesibIe az the more recent entries.
There II also an old-fashioned ON
N union set OF quaint design, partly OF
pewter.
HISTORY OF THE CHURCH.
June 5. 1876. seven freehoiders OF the
town Of Burlington, petitioned George
Robinson, town clerk. to warn a meet
ing OF the inhabitants for the purpose OF
IOTn1lnE tIIc01teIVSS lnNO q society Joy
ocial and public work. The petition
yas signed ty William C. Harrington.
lyman King. Osias Bue.;. ARA Crane.
llnathan Keyes. Moses Catlin. David
RUSSELL, James Sawyer. Samuel Hickok,
ohn Pomeroy and Horace oonlis
Accordingly a meeting. was held and
/ was voted to form the First society
or social and public worship in Bur-
angton. There Is record Of religious
meetings being held IN the court house
conducted by DIR. Samuel Williams OF
Rutland. The town meeting Of 1879 con-
,ained a warning for religious action and
It was voted that a committee OF I'VE
be chosen for the purpose Of fixing on
n place for building a meeting house.
Daniel Farrand. Stephen Pearl. Moses
Robinson and David Russell were elect
ed as that committee. They reported, re-
commencing a piece of ground lying on
the south side OF the new road called
College street leading from the front of
HE college 10 the court house square.
east OF thu road called Middle street.
tnow Willard street, leading south
from Pearl street to the turnpike road
tnow Main street.) for tho purpose The
>eport was accepted but nothing fur
Their was done about 1t except that a
building committee was appointed.
The Unitarian society WAS forned in
1910 as the majority successor OF the
''Flrst Society for Social and Public
Worship In Burlington and was the re-
suit Of q failure to agree on the settle
0aent Of h first minister. the larger
humber favoring anu Clark. a grad
nate Of Harvard n the class Of iSo3.
THE FIRST PASTOR
The hrst meeting o. the First Congre-
rational society was held January q,
ls0, In the office Of Samuel Hickok. AZ
that meeting Daniel Fnrrand was elect
ID moderator and Warren Loomis clerk.
with Samuel Hickok, Jacob williams
md David Russell as prudential COM.
Nittee. A call was extended to Samuel
clark. who rad oeen preaching IN town
3or some time by invitation. On April
r. Mr.. Clark vas ordained and Installed
,s the first pastor Of the church. The
pern,on was preached by the Row. VII
nam Emerson Of Boston. father OF Ralph
Waldo Emerson, the poet, the charge
Jas given ny the Rev. Samuel whiting
)f Rockingham and the right hand OF
was extended by the Rev.
rheddeus Mason Harris Of Dorchester,
n appears from tho ancient re-
pords that tho nrst minister's salary
$50 per year.
Resolutions were passed by the so
1ety. asserting their rights to use the
,Dmrt house Upon all religious occasions
rithout accountability to any Of tho
Members Of the C%alv1nistio society.
At Q meeting convened April q. 1916,
mother reso, ition was passed By which
/ was agreed to erect . meeting house
|r the society 81 Q ave acre rot. No. q.
rhe present Gdihce wns built on tho lot,
md dedicated Jan. 10 1917. with I'm
psinx ceremonies. Tho structure cost.
Moulding bell. clock and organ, about
A.ooo.
The society still worships In that ZANE
Nilding. which Is practically the same
external appearance Is or the day II
yas completed. The interior has been
omewhat altered. however. the old pull
It and pews being replaced by those of
more recent design and tho old-fashion-
a windows Of any pancs being sup
planted by handsome loaded glass. An
has also been made ia the rear
N the structure for q Sunday school
Dom md p~arlors. The organ has been
overall times %remodeled. the last time
ybout n year ago, until It Is now ono OF
he finest In the State, containing 100
hpes. The original hve-acrs lot Is In
act with the exception of a small portion
lsed In laying out Grant and Clark
Mroets.
OTHER MINISTER'S.
The Rev. Mr.. Clark was succeeded in