Smyrna times., 1936-12-03
OLD DRAWERS
HISTORY TOLD
John P. Hyatt, Son of Mrs.
Julia P. Hyatt of Smyrna,
Gives Interesting Data
HOW NAME ORIGINATED

Old Drawers Churcn near OdeS-
sa drew lt.s name originally from a
Swedish miller named Dreijer,
John Price Hyatt, Smyrnian
now a prominent civic leader OF
Wilmington, told a recent luncheon
gathering at the Triangle Club in
the Y. M. G. A., Wilmington, in
citing historical highlights of the
225-year-old church. Mr.. Hyatt,
who is a son of Mrs. Julia P. Hyatt
of Smyrna, is president of Friends
of Old Drawers, which has charge
of maintenance of the old church
and graveyard. Thomas Mexican,
an early member Of the church,
was a signer of the Declaration of
independence, and the Rev. DR..
Thomas Read, original pastor, once
helped save Washington's army,
Mr.. Hyatt said. The address was
the fourth of a series on religion
and historic Delaware churches
before the Triangle Club. Re-
search by Joshua Clayton of Elk
ton recently showed that Anders
Kristiansson Dreijer had set up his
mill on what is now known as
Drawers Creek in 1856, Mr.. Hyatt
said. But another Swedish settler
called the stream Drawers Creek
as a matter of easier pronuncia-
tion, and the church later came by
the same name, he explained. Old
Drawers was originally a log
church on an acre of ground pur-
chased May 10, I'LL, Mr.. Hyatt
continued. The Rev. George Foot,
pastor of the church about 100
years ago, said Old Drawers was
the second Presbyterian Church
organized in New Castle County
and probably the second in this
state, Mr. Hyatt said. Construc-
ton of the present edifice was
started in 1773, although not COM
pleted until 1923. The original
building committee, Mr.. Hyatt con-
tinued, was Peter Alrichs, John
Hanson, John Hyatt, Jr., James
Moore, William Bradford, Duncan
Beard, Henry Packard, Jr., and
Andrew Brown. "Old Drawers
was worshipped in until 1851 when
the present Drawers Church, in
Odessa proper, was dedicated" he
said, adding the New Castle Pres
bytery at a recent meeting ap-
pointed a committee to cooperate
with the Friends of Old Draw
yers" to hold services there each
afternoon next summer.
Nicholas Vandyke, governor of
Delaware in 1888, was one of the
prominent persons born into the
congregation of the church, Mr..
Hyatt pointed out. His son, Mich
olas Vandyke, Jr., was a. United
States Senator, and father of Dor
cas- Montgomery Vandyke who was
married to Charles I. DUPONT, in
the Vandyke mansion, in 1924.
General Lafayette gave away the
bride, Mr.. Hyatt said. The bridal
couple, Mr.. and Mrs. Charles I.
DUPONT, became the grandparents
of Mrs. Coleman DUPONT of Will
Mr.. Hyatt explained the
Rev. DR.. Thomas Read helped save
troops from a dang
erous position near Stanton in 1777
by mapping out adjacent territory
SO Washington could make a safe
retreat to the Brandywine. DR..
Read, he added, was the great
of the Rev. DIR.
Elliott Field, who preached from
the same pulpit at the annual cele-
bration of the Friends of Old
in 1888. Mr. Hyatt re-
counted other incidences of persons
well known in history who figure
in the church annals. $50 many
have been actively
identified with Old Drawers that
a narration of them and their
noble deeds would fill a volume, /"