Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-11-07
GIVE PAGEANT
At ST. PETERS
Most interesting DemonStra-
ton Given Before Large Au-
dience in Celebration

ST. Peters church was filled to ca
! pacity. for the pageant The Colo
NAL Churches of New Jersey" which
was presented last night, in connec-
ton with the two hundred and twen-
ty-fifth anniversary of the church.
Rev. w. Northey Jones, rector of
the church, welcomed Miss Cora w.
Jennings of Shrewsbury, as Mother
Church, which was followed by a
poem given by Miss Helen Warren
entitled "St. Peters Church" The
representatives of the Oldest
churches in the state then re-
lated why they were so proud or
their respective church.
John Kehoe and Kenneth Lind,
as heralds, first called st. Peters
church, represented by Miss Sarah
Jones. Miss Jones then related how
the early settlers chose the site to
build the town of Perth Amboy,
sweet, fair and wholesome place is
how they described it. st. Peters
church, which is the Oldest in the
state of New Jersey, has in its pos
session, the oldest cup and paten of
any church in America. 1t bears
the date of 1912 and is as old as the
King James Version of the Holy
Scriptures.
st, Mary's church from Burlington
was the next one to respond. Miss
Edith Mae Dieker related the found
ing of the church from the time OF
George Kieth, until the present day.
Probably the most interesting work
| this parish accomplished was during
the time of Bishop Doane, when
he was rector of st. Mary's. He
! built st. Mary's school for Girls,
and Burlington college for the boys
and the glorious Gothic church.
In the distance the heralds heard
| Christ church, of Shrewsbury ap-
preaching, in the person of Mrs.
Elizabeth Power of Shrewsbury, to-
gether with the Christ Church of Mid
dletown, with Mrs. Mary Starks of
Middletown. In Shrewsbury, the
| first church was established In 1902,
and on Christmas Day of that
year administered Holy Com
! munion. The first church was
| in use between 1903 and 17O5.
A second stone church in 174S and
| the present church was built in 1863.
The building is unchanged and Is a
center of historic interest and archi-
| teetural beauty, as builders often
visit the town to study the perfect
| lines. In the aisles are stones, one
of Theodosius Burton, father. of
| A..ron Burr's first wife and two
others, relatives of Col. Morris. Mrs.
| Powers also related many other in
teresting historic relics in the
! church.
! Christ church in Middletown and
Christ church on the Shrewsbury,
1
1902. William Leeds of Deedville,
| in 1885, said Mrs. Starks, left to the
churches of Middletown and Shrews-
bury, a large area of land for
church purposes. In the 53rd report
of the annual convention in 1886
Bishop G. w. Doane, in his address
told of the conservation of Christ
church, in Middletown.
Woodbridge gets its name from
the Rev. John Woodbridge, said
Miss Carolyn Valentine, who rep
resented Trinity church, of that
township. 1t was founded in 1902
and was of crude structure. In 1854
a new church was built upon the site
where the incompleted one had been.
1t stood for over a century, until
it was destroyed by fire in 1858.
The Parish has a charter from
George III, the King conveyed by
William Franklin, East Jerseys Tory
governor, and when the present
church arose, it was of brick con-
struction. 1t was built in 1860
Within the last three years this
church has been remodeled and i'm
proved.
In 1905 said Miss Louise Tomp'
sett, who represented st. John!
Church, of Elizabeth, is the date
Rev. John Brooks from England ar
rived and took up the work in Eliza
beth. This priest was not working
for more than year, when the!
purchased a lot and built them {
church and gave it the name of tint
Baptist st. John.
The most famous man on our an