Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1915-06-11
A HISTORY OF THE CONGREGA-
TIONAL CHURCH OF
MIDDLEBURY.

There has Just come from the Pilgrim
Press in Boston History Of the Con-
gregational Church of Middlebury. VT,
l190-l9l3. - 1t is book of l24 pages.
and no more valuable compilation deal
ing with local institutions has been
offered to the public since Swift's "His-
tory of Middlebury and Addison Coun-
ty' was issued in 1859. The editing
has been in the hands Of the church
historian, Miss Susan f. Archibald, and
to her also is to be credited not little
of the volume rich and varied matter.
How valuable that matter is. a reading
Of the table Of contents will make
clear:
Original Confession Of Faith, Coven-
ant and Articles of Discipline.
Some Interesting Facts Relating to
Town and Church.
Officers Of the Church since its Organ
ization.
Former Customs of the Church. by
Susan f. Archibald.
The Centennial of the Dedication of
the Church Building, by DR.. Ezra
Brainerd
The Deacons of the Church, by Dea-
con Thomas E. Boyce.
The Church's Contribution to the
World, by Deacon James E. Crane.
Work Done by the Women of the
Church, by Mrs. Clarence A. Phillips.
Work Done by and for the Young
People, by Susan Z. Archibald.
The generations pass quickly, and often
before the danger is recognized facts
of nestimable value have slipped away
beyond recall. The labor of love
whereby these various contributions
have gathered together and made per
manently accessible the information
presented is worthy of all praise; for
the story is transcript from the best
life of Middlebury for more than hun
dred years.
Each article offers much that lends
itself to quotation, but a single extract
will reveal the exceeding interest of
the volume as whole. 1t is from the
paper read by Doctor Ezra Brainerd.
May 81, 1909, at the centennial of the
dedication of the church edifice. and it
shows in a very vivid way how closely
the affairs Of the church were mingled
with those of the community.
at was not till 1906 that the work of
building was seriously taken hold of.
The location of the church in the village
was several times changed. A vote
was once passed to build it on the lot
now occupied by the Baptist parsonage.
at another time to build where now
stands the Methodist church. Finally. in
March, 1906, the present site was pur-
chased This delay was in part due to
certain changes in the laws of the
state, separating completely, in 1907
ecclesiastical matters from the business
OF the town, and eXempting from taxes
Tor religious purposes any who eX-
pressed dissent from the doctrines of
the predominant church. Between 1901
and 1904 Judge Swift says that 70 tax
payers had thus obtained release
Thus only those whose hearts were in
the work were permitted, with voun- |
tary contributions. to build the house of |
the Lord. However, the expense was |
largely betrayed by public sale of the |
pews; the contributions being thus put
somewhat in the form of an investment
instead of a gift.
The superintendent of the work |
was wisely placed in the hands of
| Gamaliell Painter; and with his accus-
toned sagacity he secured in Albany. |
n. Y, an. experienced architect. Mr.. |
Lavus Fillmore, to plan and erect the !
We wish we knew more of |
the birthplace and training of this
artist. His connection |
with the Church of England, and his
evident familiarity with the Christie
pher Wren style of architecture lead us
to surmise that he was of English birth
and had lived and studied more or less
in London. He built other churches in
the State, notably the one now standing
at Bennington Center, the interior of
which is less altered from the original
iesign than the one in which we are
now assembled. While erecting the