The Romance of Norwalk

Stratfield and Redding Baptist churches, gathered in the Norwalk Congregational church and organized the First Baptist Church of Norwalk, August 31, 1837. Many of the charter members belonged to the Wilton Baptist church, which had just disbanded. For a while the members held meetings in the old Academy building on the Green, after¬ wards moving their services to the town house on Mill Hill. Rev. William Bowen first supplied the pulpit. Difficulty in securing a piece of ground on which to build a church became apparent shortly after the organizers commenced making inquiries. The townspeople did not want a Baptist association in town and they figured that the easiest way to keep it out was to refuse it a home. But the Baptists outguessed the town fathers, and through a third person, who afterwards transferred the plot to the church, a piece of ground, where the present Baptist church now stands on the Green, was purchased. The building, which was the first and last erected by the Baptists in Norwalk was built in 1839 and dedicated in 1840. Immediately afterwards a revival took place, re¬ sulting in a large increase in membership. The building was renovated in 1870. The present Norwalk church, now known as the First Baptist Church of Divine Healing, is under the charge of the Rev. DeWitt Van Doren. In the home of Mr. and Mrs. John L. Burbank on South Main st., the South Norwalk Baptist church association was organized May 5, 1859. Forty years later, Mr. and Mrs. Burbank, who had been much interested in the church bequeathed their home to it as a parsonage. Rev. L. D. Gowen was named pastor of the new church and first ser¬ vices were held in Smith’s Hall, which later became Tilly’s carriage factory and is now Tilly’s Auto and Carriage Works, 83 North Main st. In 1884, the present church was built on West ave. Rev. Lester Mallery is pastor. The Rowayton Baptist church was organized in 1861. Rev. Vic¬ tor Scalise is pastor. The Calvary Baptist church, colored, now known as the 234 ROMANCE OF NORWALK Grace Baptist church, Butler st., was organized on Novem¬ ber 30, 1891. It was first located where the A. M. E. church now stands on Knight st. There are two other colored churches in the community: the Knight Street Afri¬ can Methodist Episcopal church, organized in April 1886; and the Mount Zion Baptist church on Franklin street, or¬ ganized in 1925. Part of the Knight street building was constructed from a little old chapel which once formed a section of the Norwalk Congregational church. The Hun¬ garian Baptist church organized in 1913, was originally formed under the direction of the South Norwalk Baptist church. Rev. Alexander Kinda is the present pastor. MORMONISM Mormonism attempted to gain a foothold in Norwalk during the early 1840’s, when Brigham Young, Mormon leader, Elder Snow and their associates came to town. The Mormons remained in this community for several weeks visiting parts of New Canaan and Norwalk and holding baptismal immersions at Fitch’s Point. In 1842, they held a gathering on Ram’s Island, otherwise known as Nauvoo. Mormonism failed to take any real hold in Norwalk and shortly the apostles left in search of more fertile ground. Today, there is no branch of the Mormon sect in town, but there is a branch of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints in Broad River. Although the latter is an outgrowth of the former, the two now have no connection whatsoever. Members of the reorganized body are in violent opposition to the Mormons in two main beliefs. First, they do not recognize polygamy; second, they do not place Adam as the Supreme Being, but rather Jesus Christ or God. On Mills st., in Broad River, there is a branch of this Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints. The little chapel was founded in 1896 with Elder A. E. Stone as the first president. Charles W. Frank, barber BANKS— CHURCHES 235 of 132 Main st., is now elder and he preaches every Sun¬ day to his flock of 60 members. Tuesday nights, Bible study meetings are held and Thursday nights, prayer gatherings. Mrs. Homer Buttery of Ponus ave., one of the hardest working members, in discussing the local institution, ex¬ plained that the followers do not call their smaller institu¬ tions churches, but rather branches. Thus we have, “The Broad River Branch of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints.” Baptism by immersion for the washing away of all sin, is a belief of this faith, even as it is of the Mormon religion. In Norwalk, the immer¬ sions usually take place in the Silvermine river. Broad River has within its boundaries a second little re¬ ligious group which supports the Protestant Union Broad River Chapel on Bartlett ave., organized in 1885. It is non-denominational and was founded to take care of those religiously inclined who could not make the journey down into Norwalk every Sunday. At its dedication, Protestant ministers from all different churches in Norwalk took part in the program. EPISCOPAL CHURCHES After building Trinity Episcopal church, assisting in the erection of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic church and help¬ ing to build at least one other religious institution in the community, Rev. William Cooper Mead of St. Paul’s Episcopal church built his own tomb. An account of the founding of Trinity church does not rightly belong in this chapter, which covers the period from 1828 to 1840, since it was not considered until 1858, but since it will be less confusing to keep the accounts of Norwalk churches all together, it will here be given. Trinity church was the result of expansion, an outgrowth of St. Paul’s Episcopal church, of which mention has pre¬ viously been made. St. Paul’s, it will be remembered, was the second oldest ecclesiastical organization in this com' 236 ROMANCE OF NORWALK munity. As early as 1729 it is believed Episcopal services were held here, with the Rev. Henry Caner of Fairfield as the first clergyman in 1737. At that time services were helci in a small frame building in the vicinity of the present St. Paul’s church, on the green between Park st. and East ave. In 1742 the first real church building was erected only to be destroyed by fire during the Revolutionary War when Tryon burned the town. In a few years another building was erected to be supplanted by the wooden Gothic church of 1840. This gave way during the year 1929 to the stone Gothic church on the same ground, the Green, between Park st. and East ave. Rev. William Cooper Mead, D.D. assumed charge of St. Paul’s church in 1836, continuing in that position for 44 years. Rev. Charles Selleck who had been assistant to Rev. Mead for 14 years became pastor in 1879. Rev. Selleck, in 1886, delivered an historical ad¬ dress at the centenary of St. Paul’s, which later inspired him to write the volumn known as “Selleck’s History of Nor¬ walk.” Rev. Louis Howell is the present rector, of St. Paul’s. It is worthwhile to note, before leaving the discussion of St. Paul’s that it was in the churchyard of this noted religious temple, after the Revolutionary War, that the American version of the Episcopal prayer book was written. It was a midsummer’s day, very hot, so hot that the clergy¬ men who had gathered to confer on the matter of the new prayer book, with Bishop Seabury of Connecticut, could not work inside. So they selected the coolest spot they could find, under a great tree in the churchyard, and there, with their books and papers spread out on a square flat cenotaph, diligently went through the English prayer book and wherever they found a “God Save the King,” painstak¬ ingly changed it to “God Save the President of the United States.” Thus occurred the birth of the American Episcopal prayer book. A “Missionary and Benevolent Society for the Purpose of Establishing Services of the Church and Building a Chapel BANKS— CHUR CHES 237 for that purpose in South Norwalk” was organized Septem¬ ber 5, 1858 by a number of parishioners of St. Paul’s, who felt it was time South Norwalk had its own Episcopal church. Rev. William Cooper Mead was named president ex-officio. A piece of ground was purchased for $1,163.37, according to the Rev. Romily F. Humphries, former minis¬ ter in the church. In March, i860 it was decided to build a chapel in South Norwalk, and a few months later the cornerstone was laid. The Rev. Thomas Edward Pattison, curate at St. Paul’s church, was placed in charge of the serv¬ ices in the new chapel. Up to this time meetings had been held in Ely’s hall, South Norwalk. April 7, 1868, a new organization was formed and the Episcopal Society of Trinity Church, South Norwalk, came into being. Rev. Curtis T. Woodruff, curate at St. Paul’s, became the first rector at Trinity church. In 1890 a move¬ ment was started for a new building. The corner stone of the new Trinity church was laid October 1, 1899 by the Right Rev. Chauncey Bunce Brewster and the building was consecrated by him May 26, 1900. It is situated on the corner of Flax Hill road and Fairfield ave. Rev. Chapman Lewis is the present rector. A rich dark-brown building, made entirely of wood and shingled from roof to cellar, is the Grace Episcopal church of Norwalk, erected as the result of a petition sent in the spring of 1890 to the Bishop and Standing Committee of the Diocese of Connecticut, asking for a new parish in the town of Norwalk. The petition was signed by 125 persons, many of whom were prominent members of St. Paul’s Epis¬ copal church. The Belden property on the angle of Belden ave. and Cross st. was purchased. April 20, 1891 saw the completion of the church which was dedicated by the Bishop on April 27. The Grace church rectory is the former Henry Belden house. Although not so pretentious as some of the other buildings, Grace church is nevertheless a pretty edifice, inside and out. Rev. S. H. Watkins of ROMANCE OF NORWALK 238 New Haven was named rector February 17, 1891. Rev. J. Benton Werner is the present rector.