History of Fairfield County, Connecticut

"When coming to Xorwalk station it was his custom to notify the passengers of th(> fact by im- pressively rcnuirking, as if in the presence of some great mechanism, 'The train will ])re.sently reach Xorwalk Bridge.' After leaving liefhel he would ex- plain, ' We are now approaching the village of Dan- bury, which is the terminus of the road.' "The citizens of Winidpauk were very much 210 HISTORY OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. offendod by his pronunciation of their station, wliich he unfortunately called Wiime]i;i;(k. " In 1844 the New York and Ilartfonl mad was pro- jected. It was to pass throufrh Danbury and thence to New York rin >\'hite I'lains, N. Y. We can now see what a splendid piece of iirojierty it would have become had it lived. But it fell through, and a goodly portion of the contemplated line between here and Hartford is now occupied by the survey of the New York and New England Railway. " The committee appointed to secure the survey of the roa<l made an estimate of the business in the cir- cular to the public which they issued. Our readers remember it. Tliese figure.s, made in 1835, are in- teresting comi)ared with what the road did the first year after it was finished, 18r)2— 5.3. The circular esti- mated its first year's business in freight to be $32,000. The passenger-traffic the circular fixed at $10,()2o, making a total of i-'42,62o. The first rei)ort of the busi- ness of the road showed that the earnings for the first fifteen months of its existence were §51,237.70. So the authors of the circular had made a remarkably close estimate. The second rejjort covered a period of eleven months, in which the earnings were $52,- 706.68. The through-fare was seventy-five cents. " It is not often a new road so fully answers the expectation of its projectors as did the Danbury and Norwalk road. The directors, in the report referred to above, say, — " ' T!ic result of the ox|Mjrience of tlie eompany since the cominoncemcnt of the operationR upon the road hiu been fully to corrotiornte theopinioD uniformly expresaod by the tlireclors, llmt the Piinbury and Norwalk Railroad will prove a ttnccessful and prolltable enterprise, and the fuvor- nblc incronse of the iMwt year demonstrates that, but for the disa^itrous AoimIh And the unusual expcndilurc« rendered necessary thereby, the net earnings for the year would have warranted two divideu<ls of three per ceut. each, paid interest and taxes, and left a suqilns of ^VJ4U.* " The floods referred to were three in number. The.se occurred iu the fall of 1853 and the spring of 1854. They were disastrous in effect, delaying travel for sixteen days, and causing an expense of four thousand dollars for temporary repairs, and nine thousand dollars in addition for a thorough recon- struction of the damaged i>ortions.* " RuUjefirhl Brniirh.— In 1870 a branch road from Branchville to Hidgefield Village was built, with a view to accommodating the business of that place. Heretofore the connection had been made by stage. The distance is four miles. "In 1872 another l)ranch was built, running from Bethel to Hawlcyville, to connect with the Shcpaug Railway, which runs from Litchfield to Hawlcyville. This wius done to control thi' business of the Shepaug valley. The length of the branch is six miles. The cost of both these extensions was at the rate of forty thousand dollars a mile. " The business of the road increased from year to * The cani|>-inet>tlng Kt^unidnit Bniuksldo Park, in Reildiufcnrettwnnl Ity this et>mpiiny. year, and the careful management that signalized its course made it one of the soundest cor|)orations in the State." CHAPTER XX. DANBURY (Continued). ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORT.t The First Baptist Clinrch— The Second Baptist rhurch— Mill Plain Bap- tist Church — The ^lethodist Kpiscopal Churcli — The First Conifreya- tional Church — The West Street Church — St. James' Kpi^opal Cliun-h — The Finit Univer«alist Church — The Sandenianian Society — The Catholic Church— The Disciples of Christ Church— The German Meth- odist Church. THE FIRST liAPTIST CHURCH. The following sketch of this church is taken from the minutes of the first se.ssion of the Fairfield County Baptist Association, in October, 1838 : " The Fir?t Baptist Church iu Panburj' was constituted Nov. 16, 1785, with thirteen members,— seven males, six females. There were formerly two branches couueclHl with this chiiivh, — one in New Milfonl, the pres- ent New Milftird Church ; the other iu Fredericksburg, N. Y., the present Patterson Church. In 1790 tlio church hiul about one liundreil and twenty niemlwra ; from 1815 to 18-'to its average number was fr»>m fifty to sixty; but after this period a division threatened llie di-struction of the church. In July, 1837, there were only twenty-two menil'ers, — ft ve nuilcs, soventecn females. Theirpreseut jMistorwasordained with them Nov. 15, 1837. Since that time there has tieen ndde<l twenty-six. Their prospects are now very encouraging: whole uumtier, forty-eight. They have licensed three to preach the gospel, — Noah Sherwood, now in Western New York ; Nathan Benedict, now in Northern Connecticut; John Mitchell, now in Michigan. They have had five pastors, — Brother Ferris, ordtuued in 1788; Brother Norton, onlained in May. 1780 ; Brtdber Wadhams. ordained iu February, 1791 ; Brother Bulkly, imlained in May, 1800 ; and their pres- ent pastor. Brother Lucius Atwuter." The following additional history of this chiinli w;us furnished by Rev. S. G. Silliman : "The following is a list of the members of the church in September, 1798 : Matthew Wilkes, David Pcarse, Benjamin Bcar.ss, William Bundle. .Joseph Hamilton, Jr., Oliver Kiiapp, .lo.seph liearss. Nathaniel Harniim, Israel Stevens, Matthew Wilkes, .Jr., Oabricl Har- num, Benjamin Bcar.ss, Jr., Joshua Pear.se, .lohn Bebee, James Knapp, Jr. Their fir-t moderator, Sep- tember, 1798, was Israiel Stevens, and clerk James Knapp, Jr. That is the first meeting of which any record can be foiinil. "June 26, 1842, it was ' \'i,/ol. that wc pull down the old meeting-house for the purpose of erecting a new meeting-house, and work in as much of the old one as is thought proper." " According to old minutes of .V.ssoeiations, " Brother Ferris wa-s ordained in 1788," and "Elder Enorh Fer- ris" was present from that church in 1701 ; " Brother Norton was ordained 178!t;" " Elder Nathanael Nor- ton" was present at the Danbury .Vssociation in 17","1. But I judge tliat lu'ithcr of them w:is pastor, for thi-ir t Tills rhiipi.r. exioptiiii: 111.' in-l..iy of Ihi' Kir-1 lta|ili^l i l,ui. Ii and the t.ernian MelhodiMt church, is taken frt>m tb< lunins of llie f*<iH- hurtf ltei>ul>ticitH, Uiruugh the courtesy of ila editor, Mr. F. W. llartnim. DANBURY. 211 names urr preceded in tlie luiiuitt'S (if the AsMieiutioii tliiit year by the name nf " Elder Xathanael Fineii." Rev. Nathan Bulkly was orthiined in ISOO, and was pastor till 1830; Rev. John Mitehel was pastor in l.s:il; Rev. Lucius Atwatcr, in 183X, and till ISIT; Rev. Fred L. Barlow, in 1851; Rev. Henry I\I. I'.ar- low, in 1852; Rev. D. F. Chapman, in IS75 and l.^Tii. The remainder of the time since 1M47 tin y have had occasional supplies, or unordained men liav<' (H'cu|>ied the i)ulpit. Alan.son A. lloyt is church clerk ; ( ieorfre W. Wilkes is society's clerk. There are now thirty memliers, — ten nuiles, twenty females. In 17!)0 there were present, as messengers Irom the First Baptist Church of Danlmry, Fld<'r Na- thanael Finch, Elder Nathaniel Norton, Elder Enoch P"erris, in the ahove order, and in ITilO tione of thcni were present, and as "Deacon David Pearse" is the only officer among the delegates of that year, they were dotditless then without a jiastor. In IT'.llt re|iorteil une hundred an<l twerity-ti\e members, and in 17'.n tin'y report only tifly-two members and no pastor. SECOND BAPTIST ClltlllCH. Just after tlie conclusion of the tri'aty id' peace which terminated the war of the ReV(dntion, on Nov. ix, 17S5, the first Baptist church within the limits of the town of Danbury was eon,stitut<'d in tin- dis- trict of King Street. For years this churc h was pros- ]ii'rous, new mendiers from time to time being addeil. Tlie mother-i hurcdi still nmintains its visibility, and, though rednciMl in niendiersliip, is still struggling to slreiiglheM the things which remain. There were residing at this time, in the westnii part of the town — Miry Brook District — a nnndier oi' persons who were attached to this faith. Among these were Peter Andjler, Bracey Knapp, ami lienja- nnn 8hove. Meetings were occasionally luld, before a chnrdi was organized, in the dwellings of some ol' the mendiers (if the faith. Revival influences ciin- verted many who liave long since departed this life. Ab<iut the year 17.SS a church was organi/.ecl under the name of the Ridgetield and Miry P.ronk Baptist Chunli. The Second Bajitist Church of Danbury was constituted from this, April :;. 17!l(l. Soon alter, it was adndfled into the Hartford Baptist Associa- tion. Tlie nuiiilier of constituent iiienibers was aliont twenty. The first regular ]iastor was Rev. Thaddens limn- son, who continued from the organization until 17113, when he removed to Schoharie Co,, N. V, The first deacons were Benjamin Shove and Daniil Wildiiiaii, who were appointed Oct. 2, 17!»0. Tii Maich, I7'.i;:, Calvin Peck was added to the number. The first meeting-house was_ erected in 17'.M, on a lot presented to the society by Bracey Knapp, and was situated in Miry Brook District, about two miles and a half west of Danbury. The building was twenty-fciur feet sipiare, with galleries. Its architec- ture and interior arrangements were of the most ]irinutive style. It had no .steeple, and no permanent seats inside. Loose boards made a floor. The gallery had no railing or .stairs, and was reached by means of a ladder. The seats below were boards resting on logs and stones. The pulpit was made of oak boards, and was elevated two steps above the main floor. l'co].le came to the churcli on foot or horseback, with tlu' cxcejition of an occasional ox-cart.