New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1919-03-18
FRICID CHURCHES AIDED
GOODNESS, ANClENTB BELIEF
And Sabbath Day Houses Were Built to Warm Congrega
tons Between Services History of Nelghbor-
ing Places of That Character.
Contributed by James Shepard.)

of refuge for half frozen worshipperS,
a the close of the Sunday morning
service, was a great convenience, if
not a. necessity. Those living near the
meeting house could go home, but
those who had to hang around during
the noon hour were obliged to warm
themselves elsewhere or suffer. Thus
1t came about, from the very begin
ming, that little small buildings called
'Sabbady houses" were a common
adjunct to houses Of worship, first, for
the Congregational meeting houses
and later for the houses Of worship
Of other denominations. The churcheS
We're as cold as u barn, with no stoNe'
no fireplace and no chimney. Inc
temperature of the meeting houses
must have been frightful at times.
Men with bald spots on their heads
were sometimes compelled to put their
mittens thereon to keep their heads
warm and the stamping Of cold feet
often completely drowned the voice
of the preacher. The ministers some
times preached in their great coat
and mittens' and with "a muffler
about the neck" and yet zero weather
was mo obstacle to church atten-
dance" There were two services each
Sunday and one service oftentimes
lasted two full hours or more. one
historian states that if one complaint
cd of the cold meeting house, "a
pretty Christian you must be- some
frost proof deacon would say, Ito need
Il fire to warm your ZEAL
Before stoves came into use they
might have had chimneys and fire.
places but strange as it may now
seem a cold house of worship was
then q matter of choice. Indeed,
some would have deemed it an inno-
walton sadly ominous Of dcgeneracy,
if not of actual prophanity to make
the house of God comfortable" AS it
is written i'll TimloW's Sketches Of
Scullhin'yton: From some cause un-
discoverable to us, they deemed it in
e. expedient, if not wrong, to have good
warm place for Sabbath service" The
women did not suffer much as the
men, for they had their foot stoves,
each containing q little pan Of live
Goals.
New Haven First to Heat.
Trinity Episcopal parish of New
Haven was probably the first in this
state to provide a warm house OF
worship. In 1906 they warmed their
church by means Of stoves and that
act was denounced by some las an
other step toward popery.' The Center
church (Congre'gationaD built new
meeting house, provided with CHM
: neys in 1914, and soon thereafter
warmed their house regularly. The
North church built a house Of Wor-
ship provided with chimneys in 1915,
but propositions to connect stoves with
it's ample chimneys were repeatedly
voted down, until the severe cold snap
in the winter of 1927, the chimneys
then being used for the first time.
Cold Aided Worship.
Quoting from Davis History of
Wallngford, lit is a curious illustra-
ton of THE tenacity with which old
habits are cherished that here as
elsewhere the proposal to make the
house of God comfortable and health
full by means of stoves was met with
decided opposition. Even in 1881,
when the new house in Meriden was
built, it was with great difficulty that
the society could be induced to allow
chimneys to be built, though they
were to be erected gratuitousy.'
At Waterbury, Mr.. Israel Coe, on
his own responsibility, placed stoves
in the meeting house in 1928 but it
was not until Nov. 1881 that the So
stoves used. Some of the arguments
&. against the use of stoves were, that
the minister could not speak if the
house was warm, and some of the
people thought that they would suffer
with the heat if stoves were intro
duced into the church. Probably these
objections would not have been raised
as to fireplaces with which the people
were more than accustomed. Warm
Ing the meeting houses brought about
the disuse Of Sabbath-day houses
which had been used for nearly two
hundred years. In the thirties Of the
last century the use of stoves in
churches became universal, thus end
ing the use of Sabbath day houses.
. In Stiles History of Wethersfeld,
''Sabbath-d day houses or MONDAY
houses" are described as Small
wooden buildings of one or two
rooms each in the neighborhood Of
the meeting house, in which those
living at a distance from the place of
worship might stay during the noon
hour on Sabbath days and enjoy
dinner cooked then and there, and
the comfort of fire. Usually one or
two families were accom- m dated in
each house"
Quoting from the ne" Ehs lalu
Magazine for May, 1896, with refer
ence to Worcester, Mass, In the
centre was the meeting house, cold as
the bleak wind of Wachusett could
make it, and two fire rooms which
were constructed in the very begin
ming, being rude club houses used be
fore the ordinary or inn was ready
for public resort" These fire rooms
Or club houses" were no doubt Sab
hath-day houses such as were COM
mon throughout New England. They
are briefly mentioned or described in