Norwich bulletin., 1910-06-20
OLDEST CONGREGATIONAL
 CHURCH IS REBUILT.
Services of Dedication Held at Old
 Lyme on Saturday and Sunday.


 After nearly three years of hard and faithful efforts, both on the part of the pastor, the Rev. Edward M. Chapman, Yale, 'S4. and the members, the First Congregational church of Old Lyme has been rebuilt after fire. and the preliminary exercises of the dedication of the church were held Saturday afternoon. The formal dedication took place Sunday. The church is one of the oldest Congregational churches in the country, anw as declared by an Englishman who visited Old Lyme some years ago as the ideal New Eng land church. in writing about it in the Worlds Work
 An interesting thing about the re- building of this church is the fact that it is replica of the edifice that was burned down on the night of July 5, 1907, and this was accomplished by Architect Greene of New York with out having the use of the drawings of the old church. He was guided en- tirely by the photograph Of teh build ing that was destroyed. and also by the lines of the old foudnation walls Except for a change in the pillasters at the base, one who was not aware that the old church was burned would not recognize the church as anything but the edifice that stood on the same site three years ago. The work of building of the church was accom- plished by generous contributions or mem DerS or the cfurc0 IlN1nS dt Old Lyme and by others who summer and attend worship there in the summer season Many New Haveners who be- long to the summer colony worship in this church. among these being MT. and Elford P Trow bridge Mrs. Ed McCurdy. MT. and Mrs. Frank Trow- bridge and Prof. Horace l.. Wells of Yale university.
 Many of the summer colony who I,afx- q for the season were there Saturday for the dedication of the church.
 Fellowship Meeting.
 The exercises Saturday afternoon commenced at o'clock and opened with a service of fellowship conducted by the minister. Rev. E. NJ. Chap man. There wa5 scripture reading and singing of hymns and then came an address by the pastor on How we
 I greet your presence here this afternoon with congratulations and with high thanksgiving. The time does not surfice for an extended his adequate detail how we built the church. It is my hope rather to say memorial word about the building which we last three years ago. and then to sketch in the briefest out line the growth of it's successor under whose roof we thank God today.
 The old church, as we affectionate- iy call 1t, was probably the fourth structure used by this people as it's place of worship. You wonder why should say probably" The reason is that the first building on Meeting House Hill erected as we suppose in 166S. is a matter of reference rather than of record The building of 1889 was almost certainly a second build ing, but it's predecessor which We be- l1eve to have been erected in 1868 I have just said was probably a very primitive structure, scarcely worthy to be called a church building, and it could not have heYonged to the society because no society existed until 1893, when the present society was organ ized. But the people had a minister before tha time, the Rev. Moses Moves. who came in 1666. They held service, and as no private dwelling of that primitive day could well have ac- commodated them they almost certain ly had public building.
 The probability is buttressed by a tradition which describes 1t as a small log house. There was a question also as to where the second house should stand, and the choice between two sites on Meeting House Hill was after pray CT decided by lot. This was on the In dian trail. In 170s the society voted to pull down this house and build another into which some of the old material was to be wrought. This third building was also on Meeting House Hill.
 Burned in 1915.
 Tn 1915, after serving the community about 75 years, and surviving one fire in 17S0, it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground July 3, 1915. A new church to be known as the "old | church. was at once planned for. Its site upon which we meet today was fixed by the county court There is d 1 tradition that plans for the new church | came from England. Diligent search | has failed to reveal any documentary evidence in support of the tradition. | Evidence does exist that the commit | tee studied a number of Connecticut | churches and incorporated in their | plans considerable suggestions from | these. It was provided in the contract | to build the steeple with a lightning | rod and very similar to those of the | prick meeting house in Lebanon Then | he frame was to be put together and | made in all respect equal to that of | he meeting house in Ellington. This | s the church that was burned in | he early morning of July 3, 1907. 92 | years to a day after the destruction | If its predecessor on Meeting House | Hill.
 After the fire the selectmen opened | he town hall to us- Later in the sea- ;on our Baptist neighbors welcomed us | O their church and joined their forces | lad our memorable meeting on the | freen on the Sunday after the fire. We | lad our society's meeting and appoint d our building and our finance com nittee.
 Adequate Fire Stops.
 The committee offer you a building | with adequate fire stops, a building which would give firemen every nance to conquer a blaze.
 In his address Rev. MT. Chapman tanned among the donors of gifts to he new church the clock in the tower rom the family of Mrs. Richard Gris- void, the bell from J. N Brown, organ rom Mrs. Lane and furnishing of the hurch from c. H. LtIdington, Miss Ludington. Mrs. Eliza Nor ey and other descendants of Joseph L. 'eck, the first deacon of the church jther short addresses were made by Rev. l.. M. Strayer and by Rev. F. s. doore.