New Britain herald., 1915-06-28

PdSDOTS ana people tnTOuEnOuL con necticut. By vote of the Pennington church, series of resolutions were adopted, making this question a test of Christian fellowship and excluding from the communion, such as could not free themselves from all com pHcity with slavery. pr. Porter was asked to announce this action at each communion service but stoutly re- fused, being backed up by our own townsman Roderick Stanley and in the end commended for the stand he had taken.
 Dr. Porter was closely identified with Plainyille. From the beginning of his pastorate down to I840 he min istered to the needs of our people in all that pertained to their religious life and assisted in organizing the first church in this place
 With Dr. Porter's ministry we leave Harrington and deal directly with the Congregational church of Plain vile, but before referring at length to this church as a separate institu- ton, let us go back for moment and see how and where our first set tiers worshipped.
 The first meeting house in Farm eington was erected soon after 1640 and used until 1714, when the second house of worship, building fifty feet square, was finished, occupying a site a little northwest from the present building.
 The beating of drum called the congregation together until 1731 when Indians as .'l1ad been Christianized'' @o1l 1lrx seat in this house, in the corner over the stairs.
 The present meeting house was finished in Novem ber, 1772, and one Of our townsman, Merrills by name, a carpenter, who had built and was then living in the old house at White Oak later owned by Leonard H. Lin coin, assisted at the raising of the building and was killed. By way or compensation, the society afterwards voted his widow s pounds.
 The present meeting house and the one that preceded it, have both been the church home of many of our towns people prior to 184O.
 The dwellers on the Great Plain'' walked or drove to church or jour- reyed thither by canal, after that was opened in 1928.
 Travel between here and Farming ton was often impossible during the winter and accordingly, winter priv ileges,'' so called, were allowed, the PIainville parishioners were relieved from paying church rates at the center and permitted to employ a minister for the time be- ing.
 Ancient School House.
 Prayer meetings and preaching ser vices were often held here in town at other seasons of the year, at some of the dwelling houses or in the school house after it's erection, at about the close of the Revolution. This an- cient building stood at the Junction of what are now Broad and South streets. It was a low, plain structure, with a stone chin1- ney and a fireplace large enough to burn cord wood The interior was ceiled with boards until 1914, when the ceiling was arched. the walls plastered and a Franklin stove in stalled. Just back of the teachers s table was an opening into an entry way, kept closed during the week by a movable partition, so hinged that on Sundays it might be swung up to the worshippers, many of whom occupied the entry way
 The benches were blanks from Sam uel Dennming's saw mill, these. sup ported by legs at the four corners with an extra leg at the center of each to keep it from sagging.
 An occasional evening service was held in the school house, at which every family attending, was supposed to carry a light, either candle or, after they came into use, whale oil lamp and when notice of an evening service was given in advance, 1t was in this wise, There will be prayer on such-and-such evening at early candle Iight.'
 At these school house meetings the singers sat on a bench at the east end, the minister stood at the teach CTS table in the west. Some of the carly preachers who came here, aside from the Pennington ministers, were Mr. Horner, MT. Isham of West Hart ford, a MT. Curtis and Dillon Will Hams.
 New Meeting House. 7 On January 10th, 1889, the desire for a separate church, to be located in P1ainville and to be independent of Pennington, took definite form at citizens meeting held at the school house. This meeting was called to order by Roderick Stanley, who was elected moderator and Adna Whiting, clerk. MT Stanley announced that the object of the meeting was "To as- -l = of building Congregational meeting house in Plainville." 1t was then voted
 That we now proceed to the for
 nation of Congregational so-