History of the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton

Transcription

1 History of the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton Adapted from the 150 th Anniversary Presentation October, 2011 Michael Petri 1

2 Introduction The congregation of the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton was officially organized as a church on Saturday, October 29,1861, by the Presbytery of West Jersey. Here's a little background about Presbyterians, for those of you who might wonder where that strange name "Presbyterian"comes from. The word "Presbyterian" is derived from the Greek word "presbuteros," often translated as "elder." Presbyterians have a representative form of government based on the 14 th century reformer John Calvin's belief that church leadership should be placed neither in the hands of an individual, nor in the hands of the masses. In Presbyterian churches, the offices of ruling elder and deacon are reserved for the laity (not the clergy). Ruling Elders are elected to a council called The Session, where they, in conjunction with the minister, govern the individual congregation. Presbyterians have a pyramid structure: each church has a session. Above each congregation is the Presbytery, which consists of ruling elders and ministers from each congregation. Above the Presbytery is the Synod, and finally the governing authority is the General Assembly. It is crucial to Presbyterians that at each level both clergy and laity are equally represented. This derives from the Reformed principle of the priesthood of all believers. There are no intermediaries between individuals and God, each human is equally a sinner, and each saint (that is, each saved human) has equal status. Ministers, or teaching elders, are called to their offices because of special gifts (preaching, for example). Ministers enjoy no special status. Of course, that church structure didn't spring up immediately here in the new world. Around 1700, the population of the entire province of New Jersey was estimate at 20,000, with 8,000 living in West Jersey (as South Jersey was known then). The first Presbyterian church in West Jersey was formed around 1680 in Fairfield. Other early churches were in Greenwich, Cape May at Cold Spring, Gloucester, Woodbury, Quihawken, Pilesgrove and Deerfield. Also, the synod had a number of Indian missions in New Jersey during the 1700's, primarily led by brothers David and John Brainerd. The Presbyterian Churches in West Jersey did not exactly thrive during this early period. There were very few preachers available, largely due to the lack of educational facilities in the new world. Those few pastors had to travel long distances between the churches of West Jersey. The Presbyterian churches were significantly weakened during the revolutionary war, as pastors were killed or taken prisoner, churches were damaged or destroyed by the war, etc. This was followed by schisms and reorganizations within the church as the new country developed. Eventually, the Presbytery of West Jersey was formed in Very soon after this, the new Presbytery set forth the idea of spreading the gospel into the newly 2

3 developing lands of West Jersey by designating a presbytery missionary. This was the Reverend Allen H. Brown. Rev. Brown pioneered the formation of the Presbyterian churches at Elwood, Hammonton, Cape May, Wildwood, Leeds Point, Atlantic City, Elmer, Woodstown, Swedesboro, and Woodland Avenue in Camden, and also assisted in the formation or upbuilding of churches at Mays Landing, Ocean City, Waterford, Atco, Berlin, Haddonfield and Merchantville. Rev. Brown was joined in this work by Frederick Richard Brace. Around the time that the Town of Hammonton was formed, Rev. Brown and Mr. Brace were working in this area, at Batsto, Elwood and Hammonton. The Brainerd church in Elwood was organized in On August 6 of that same year, the Corporation of the Presbyterian Church at Hammonton was formed. This is unusual, since there was no official Presbyterian Church in Hammonton at the time. I wonder if the corporation was formed because there needed to be some entity to own land, as the corporation owned a lot somewhere on Broadway in this early period. Mr. Brace was ordained as a minister by the Presbytery, in Hammonton, on the same day our church was organized, and became our first pastor - he also continued to work with other churches. According to church records, Rev. Brace had four preaching places: Hammonton, Elwood, Pleasantville and Waterford. He also preached at Atlantic City, Mays Landing and Tuckahoe, and received less than $500/year from all. In 1861, some members of the Elwood Church petitioned the Presbytery to form a church in Hammonton. Seven of the original 9 founding members transferred their memberships from Elwood. The names of the founders were: Morris and Nancy Sutherland, Alonzo and Ann Potter, Mary and Betsy Wetherbee, Clarissa Dean, and Mrs. E. G. and Miss Annette Canfield. You might notice that 7 of these founding members were women, and none of the names sound Italian. Several days after the congregation was organized, the only two men in the new congregation were ordained as ruling elders of the church, and the Session was formed. At this point, the church was organized, had a session and a board of trustees, and a piece of land on Broadway. The congregation met in Union Hall, which was located at the corner of Central and Peach streets, until 1863 when they started meeting in the new Baptist Church building. Building a Church Home 3

4 Even before the congregation was officially organized, there was talk of finding a more suitable location for a church than the lot on Broadway. In 1863, a lot was purchased on northern Bellevue Avenue. Planning for the church building started the next year, but there was some question about what size the building should be. They started off with 30' by 40', then changed it to 35' by 45', then changed it to 33' x 45'. It appears that, after the foundation was laid, they decided to add another 2' to the length, so I think the final size was 33' x 47'. 3- Photo of original church building but at location of current church building at 326 Bellevue Avenue The building was dedicated in April of Later that year, the church allowed the edge of the lot to be used for half of a new street, Liberty Street. 4

5 The Baptist and Methodist Churches were located close by. These three churches maintained a close relationship, with many joint services and events. Just a few weeks before the Presbyterian building was completed, the pews were rented at prices ranging from $6 to $21 as a means of financing church operations. However, the renters were not always so good about paying up, and by June of 1872, the pew rent was $135 in arrears. The church was having trouble paying the pastor. The next year, the church decided to replace the pew rent with collection boxes placed by the doors. In December of 1880, the church changed to the "envelope system" to collect weekly donations to the church by pledge. This is basically the same system we still use today. It appears that worship services were typically conducted three times a week. This included a morning and evening service on Sundays, and a prayer meeting on Thursday. Special weeks with services each night were scheduled several times a year, often in coordination with the Methodist and Baptist churches. Moving Downtown As the downtown area of Hammonton was growing closer to the railroad, the congregation felt that the church should move closer to the action. The main supporter of this idea seems to have been trustee Eli Stockwell. The church was unable to raise the necessary funds for the move, though. Eventually, Mr. Stockwell offered a lot, and to pay the cost of moving the building - if the church would eventually pay him back one half of the expenses. The congregation took him up on his offer, and the church building was moved to our current site in the early fall of The total cost of the move and new lot was apparently $375. When the building was built in 1866, it was on a simple foundation. When it was moved here, it was placed on a higher foundation that allowed for a half-sunken basement with room for classrooms, etc. The only photo we have of the old church is, therefore, at this location, as the basement can clearly be seen. As part of the offer to move the building downtown, Eli Stockwell's deal included building horse sheds behind the church. These were rented out, with Mr. Stockwell collecting the rent. Following the building move, Eli Stockwell offered to forgive the moving debt if the congregation would paint the building, finish the basement so it could be used for classes and such, and install blinds in the church. The congregation accepted the offer. Later, Mr. Stockwell proposed that if the church would buy the horse sheds from him, he would pay to furnish the finished basement of the church. The congregation took him up on this, and began collecting rent on the horse sheds. Within a year, Mr. Stockwell offered to forgive the debt owed to him on the horse sheds under the condition that the church keep his grave plot in the Oakdale cemetery in a "neat and tasty condition in shrubbery grass and flowers as may hereafter be considered best. The next year, Eli Stockwell offered to loan the church for the lot in back of the church, plus $700 in cash, toward building a new parsonage there. The term of this loan was for 99 years, with only semi-annual interest payments required. It's interesting to note that Mr. Stockwell was 80 years old at the time this offer was made. 5

6 The congregation took Eli up on the offer, and the new parsonage was completed by Spring of You can see it on the insurance map. In 1883, Mr. Stockwell provided a list of improvements he felt were needed to the church building, and offered to pay for half of the work. This included items such are repairing the lightning rod, putting matching cushions on the pews, and providing an organ that will suit the choir. By 1884, the work was not yet done, and Mr. Stockwell offered to pay for all of the work. Not much more is mentioned about Eli Stockwell in the minutes after this. He died about five years later, in April Mission Work The church was involved with a lot of mission work in the late 1800's. Much of the mission work appears to have been done in concert with the Presbytery, synod, and even the general assembly. In 1887, missions were established in DaCosta, Magnolia, and Folsom. Sunday Schools and occasional preaching services were conducted. Members of the church and Sunday School personally assisted in carrying out this extension work. Very few details of these missions are provided in the minutes, but records from 1894 indicate that the Magnolia Mission Sabbath School had thirty five enrolled in the school with an average attendance of eighteen. The Folsom mission Sabbath School reported thirty five were enrolled in school and fifteen in the infant class. The Christian Endeavor Society at Folsom reported that they had done some missionary work, including contributing to the mission fund and sending some clothing to the poor of New York City. According to previously written church histories, mission work among the Italians in Hammonton started in I found no mention of this start in the minutes, but the May 1894 congregational meeting minutes includes a Report from the Italian mission stating that they had an average attendance of thirty five and that those attending showed great interest in the meetings. At the annual meeting of our church in 1895, the pastor reported that the prospects for the future of the Italian mission were good. He wrote, "Eight young men were received from the mission into our church and some action was soon to be taken in regards to building a chapel." In May, a committee of the Presbytery that included our pastor and Rev. Allen H. Brown, met at our church to organize the new Italian church. (Recall that Rev. Brown was one of the Presbytery missionaries that started our church about 35 years earlier). Eighteen people "were received by the committee and organized into a Church to be known as the Italian Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Hammonton New Jersey". Eight of the 18 members were received by letter of dismissal from our church. 6

7 4 - Photo [Italian church members?] in front of the old church building Owing to confusion of having two Presbyterian churches in town, our church (the first Presbyterian church in town) began to refer to itself as the First Presbyterian Church of Hammonton. From the minutes, it is difficult to discern the level of connection between the two churches. Earlier histories indicate that the Italian church was supported both financially and through volunteer work by the First Church. The Italian church did not thrive. By 1912, the Session of the First Church was acting as the session of the Italian church, which did not have a session of its own. The Italian church's pastor was employed by the Presbytery as a mission pastor. In 1916, the Presbytery offered the Italian Church lot and building of to First Church. Work among the Italians continued at First Church for a number of years. The final statistical report from the Italian church was in 1919, and mentions only that there were 26 members. These members were then transferred to the First Church, and the Italian Evangelical Presbyterian Church became extinct. In June 1920, the Presbytery offered our church the bell from the steeple tower of the Italian church. The Trustees decided that it would be too expensive to repair the old building after removing the bell, and did not take it. And that is why we do not have a church bell. This was the last mention of the Italian church building, which is still located at the corner of Tilton and Pleasant Streets 7

8 5 - Original church building N corner of Tilton & Pleasant Streets The NEW Church Now, let's jump back to 1895, the year that the new Italian church was formed. That same year, our congregation decided that the time had come to build a new church. The old building was not large enough to handle the growing congregation, and there were maintenance concerns with the old building. One of the boards of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America at that time was the Presbyterian Board of Church Erection. Started in 1870, this organization's main purpose was to provide fledgling congregations with a home to support their ministries, debt-free. While much of their work was in the expanding western states, one of their projects provided funding for a building for the new Italian Evangelical Presbyterian Church. So, what does this have to do with our church and this building? In May 1895, the congregation acted on a proposal to sell the old church building to the Presbytery (with funds coming from the Board of Church Erection) and have it moved to a new lot for use by the new Italian church. This was accompanied by the decision to build a new building. In other words, the impetus for the new building was that there was the opportunity to sell the old one. The congregation made all the arrangements for the move of the old building, and received proceeds of about $700 from the sale. A number of furnishings, including the church bell, were sold with the old building. 8

9 Of course, the congregation didn't actually have any plans for a new building at this time. Following the decision to sell the church and build a new one, the minutes state that the congregation looked over some plans for church buildings. We don t know what those plans were, but a sideline of the Board of Church Erection was providing plans for the construction of appropriate church buildings. The Board's members included several prominent architects, including Philadelphia architect Isaac Pursell, who designed the building in this drawing, the United Presbyterian Church of Oxford, Pennsylvania: 6 - Oxford PA church. This is likely the plan reviewed by our congregation. It was included in the Board of Church Erection s report to the General Assembly in the summer of While the styling is somewhat different, including extensive use of Roman (rounded) rather than the Gothic (pointy) arches used in our church, the floorplan and overall description of the building are virtually identical to our building here in Hammonton. However, it is a mirror image. So, I have flipped the image of the Oxford floor plan so you can see the similarity. 9

10 Floorplan of United Presbyteriam Church of Oxford, PA (flipped to show similarity with Hammonton) Floorplan of Hammonton church The congregation of the United Presbyterian Church in Oxford went extinct in the 1920s. The building was sold to the First Baptist Church of Oxford in The building is largely still in original condition. 10

11 9 Concept drawing of the church. Note the terra cotta topped wall, as compared to the overhanging eaves as built. This is the plan for our church, as published in the Board of Church Erection report to the General Assembly in If you compare this to the Oxford church plan, you'd find that some changes were made to make the Hammonton church fit on our narrow lot. The steeple tower is set closer to the building, and the side stairs exit parallel to the building. Our building is somewhat larger than the Oxford Church, especially the Sabbath School room. One other interesting thing about this drawing is that it shows an extension on the left side. That would not fit on our lot, and is not indicated on the accompanying floor plan. Unfortunately, bids for this new church building were higher than hoped and beyond the means of the congregation. The architect worked with the low-bidder, William Bernshouse, to reduce the price of the building. Money saving changes included removal of the terra cotta detail, extending the roof out over the walls instead of providing wall parapets, replacing the stone foundation with brick and the stone steps with wood, and replacing the stone window sills with wood. This brought the bid price down to $8,375, an $800 reduction. The congregation then negotiated to restore the stone window sills at cost. 11

12 10 - Map of old church building moves in 1879 and 1895 In September of 1895, the old building was moved to the corner of Tilton and Pleasant Streets, and construction was underway on the new building. The congregation continued to meet in the old building during construction. The new cornerstone was laid on October 4. The contents of the cornerstone were reported in the local newspaper, and include items from the organization of the church in 1861, the cornerstone laying for the original church in 1865, the new cornerstone laying when the church was moved downtown in 1879, and items current in The cornerstone is located at the corner near the park on the front of the building, hidden behind a downspout. Bricks for the church were manufactured by the Eastern Hydraulic Pressed Brick Company at Winslow Junction, and made from clay mined right there at the plant. The local newspaper, reporting on the progress of the construction of the church, reported " Those Winslow pressed brick are beauties." Different clays mined at Winslow produced different brick colors. The lower part of the church, which was originally planned to be made of Trenton brown stone, is made of darker bricks. 12

13 11 Note different brick color on lower part of church building. Original plans called for stone. The contract for the church called for the re-use of as much stone from the old church foundation as possible. The construction price of the building did not include the windows, pews, heat, etc. A bid of $673 was accepted for the steam heat. Only the sanctuary included steam heat. Stoves were used in the Sabbath School rooms, and there was either no heat or a stove in the basement. The Columbus Stained Glass Works of Philadelphia supplied the windows for the church. It is likely that the difference between the shape of the windows as installed from the architect's plan was another costsaving measure. 13

14 12 - Stained glass windows over Narthex doors The price was $172 for the main room and transoms, and $52 for the Sunday School. (The Sunday School rooms originally had leaded glass windows. These were replaced in 1957.) Plans for the arrangement of the pews were altered several times, with the debate being over the two partial aisles seen in the floor plan. It was agreed to remove the partial aisles to permit more seats, although I suspect this also reduced the price of the pews because the pew ends were expensive. The pews were made by the Excelsior Church and School Furnishing Company for $554. Pipe was added to the building for acetylene gas lighting, which was a brand-new lighting technology at the time. The new church was dedicated in a week of special service from March 16-21st, However, oil lamps were used because equipment to make acetylene gas was unavailable. Water leaks plagued the building for quite some time, so the final payments to the builder were not paid until two years later. A mortgage of $4,500 was taken out to pay for construction of the new church. Additional money was borrowed to pay the final payment to the builder. By 1903, the church was in financial difficulty, unable to pay the debt. The Sabbath School missions were all shut down. The church was trying to "liquidate" the mortgage, which was held by a private 14

15 individual. The trustees repeatedly asked the pastor to resign because they can't afford to pay his salary. It also appears that the church could not meet the payments on the parsonage mortgage. In 1906, a friend of the church, Henry D. Moore of Haddonfield, offered to pay half of the remaining $3,000 mortgage balance if the church could raise the other half. Later, he offered to pay the entire mortgage if the church would raise $1500 for repairing the church and repairing and making additions to the parsonage Parsonage on Vine Street (aka Manse II) (current) Note odd roofline resulting from adding the bathroom to the front left corner of the house. This offer resulted in an addition for a bathroom on the front corner of the parsonage, which can be easily seen in the roofline of Manse II. It does not appear that the $1500 goal was quite reached, but Mr. Moore paid off the entire mortgage, anyway. I should add that Henry Moore appears to have contributed significantly to the other $7,000 or so that the church building cost. In the same year, Mr. Moore also completely funded a new church building for the Haddonfield Presbyterian Church, where he was a member. That church was also designed by Isaac Pursell, although it is a much grander design than our church. 15

16 Isaac Pursell designed many, many churches, especially in the Philadelphia area. Our church is one of five similar Presbyterian churches within South Jersey. Three of these, the Olivet church in Atlantic City, and the churches in Cape May and Wenonah were likely based on the design of our church, while the Millville church pre-dates our building. Our building appears to be the most modestly built (that is, the cheapest) of the five. All the others were built of stone instead of brick, and are more ornate. Only the Wenonah church is still in nearly-original condition. The Olivet church in Atlantic City closed, was converted into a restaurant, and then demolished in the 1980s. It's not clear from the minutes if our church ever did have acetylene gas lighting. Mention of intent to buy an acetylene gas generator was made several times, including the possibility of sharing equipment with the Methodist church Old photo of sanctuary (undated) Oil lights were used in the church for some time, as can be seen in this photo of the sanctuary. These fixtures may have been from the old church building. Electric lights were installed sometime in the early 1900s. The first evidence of the installation of electric lights in the minutes is from 1908, although an insurance map of the town indicates that the church had electric lights in

17 The decorative sexfoils in the center of the ceiling conceal large doors that could be opened to allow hot air to rise up out of the sanctuary for better ventilation. Ceiling vents such as these were featured in all of the similar Isaac Pursell designs, with the idea to allow the hot air of the minister to rise up and out of the sanctuary. A number of the stained glass windows could be opened, and there were screen doors on the exterior doors. Prior to the installation of air conditioning around 1969, there was consideration of installing fans in these vents for better air circulation in the summer, but it was considered to be too expensive. The vents are inoperable now because insulation has been added to the ceiling. 15 Sanctuary ceiling (2014) Replacement with better lighting was considered in 1935, but it was decided to wait until repairs were made to the leaking roof. Just 6 years later, in 1941, the slate roof was finally replaced. The trustees investigated installing fluorescent lighting in the sanctuary at that time, but were unable to obtain bids for any suitable fixtures. Then, just another 8 years later (in 1949), the electric lights were replaced with these snazzy new hanging torch lights Torch lights prior to removal of peeling decoration 17

18 During our recent renovation, we removed the glass from the fixtures, scrubbed off the peeling design from the glass, and outfitted the lights with new compact fluorescent bulbs. The square recessed lights were installed shortly thereafter to light the choir. Additional lighting was added in 1969, and then most of the recessed lighting was added or updated in the renovation of Horse Sheds 17 Side of church with horse sheds visible in the back When the old church building was moved downtown in 1877, horse sheds were built behind the church and rented. The horse sheds provided income to the church for many years. The sheds were moved after the new church was constructed, and repaired and reconstructed numerous times. You can see a bit of one in this photo. In 1917, the trustees voted to tear down three of the sheds. The remaining three were ordered torn down the following year. 18

19 ORGANS and SANCTUARY RENOVATIONS Thanks to the nudging of Eli Stockwell, the church purchased a used pedal reed organ in At the time, the organ was about ten years old, and was expected to last for at least "50 or 60 years, as that class of organs were made very substantial." There is mention of a new organ being installed in 1905 in some previous histories of the church, but I have found no mention of this in the minutes. It would seem odd to purchase a new organ when the other finances were in such bad shape. 18 New pipe organ The first big change to the sanctuary came in 1917, when a pipe organ was installed for $2,150. The organ was largely paid for by the Carnegie Corporation and Henry D. Moore. The pipe organ filled up the space formerly occupied by the choir, so the chancel area was built out into the sanctuary seating area. The choir area was enlarged again some years later. 19

20 19 - Larger choir loft The next big change to this room happened in 1969, when the entire room was modernized. Plans for the renovations were developed by an organization of the Lutheran Church in America, Ecclesiastical Arts. Aspects of the furniture design are peculiarly similar to the new Trinity Presbyterian Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. Perhaps this is why the architectural drawings mistakenly call the church Trinity Presbyterian Church, Hammondton, NJ. As part of the renovation, the large doors that opened between the sanctuary and the Sunday School room were removed, as well as a smaller door in the corner. A new door was made for access to the chancel from the hallway. 20

21 20 Note the original curved pews, the three large doors and smaller door to adjacent hall. 21

22 21 - Sanctuary (2004) This photo was taken long after the 1969 renovation. The large and narrow doors are gone, the pews are replaced, and the beadboard wainscot is replaced with paneling. Air conditioning was added to the sanctuary, with the vents in the wall above the old large doors. 22

23 22 - This photo shows the original configuration of the doors to the narthex. 23

24 23 - Narthex door configuration following 1969 renovations This photo shows the post-1969 configuration, similar to the plans shown before. The alcoves created in the larger narthex were used for coatracks, rather than closing off the front door. Note that two of the windows were blocked off from the sanctuary by this reconfiguration. The wall color was changed to a mustard color, which was dark and intended to focus attention toward the light colors of the new organ screen. The walls were repainted a lighter color not long after the renovation, but this color is still present beyond the decorative sexfoil vents in the ceiling. 24

25 renovation. Note hidden door to choir loft on the right side. The carpet was a blend of burnt orange, harvest gold, and avocado green as was popular at the time. The new pews had cushions covered in a tan fabric. Recessed lights were added over the narthex and side door entrance. In 1974, a new pipe organ was installed for about $33,000. Concerns about handicapped accessibility to the sanctuary were expressed for years, with various ideas to remedy the situation. The multi-level chancel area was not accessible, and there was considerable concern about people falling on the steps when serving communion. Also, there were at least two injuries when people fell into the organ pit. These concerns, along with the deteriorating condition of the interior over 30 years, prompted the church to investigate another renovation to the sanctuary. Goals of the renovation were to make the whole church facility handicapped accessible, and the sanctuary more flexible and aesthetically pleasing. The church hired architect W. Michael Campbell, and the renovation plans were designed over a period of years. Following a successful fund drive, which resulted in pledges of over $330,000, construction on the renovations started in late 2009 with work toward the installation of the elevator and the two new accessible restrooms. Construction quickly spread into the sanctuary, with the removal of the old chancel and 1969 narthex walls, and installation of more recessed lighting throughout the sanctuary. 25

26 25 - Blind tracery (with air conditioning vent) under construction. 26

27 26 - New lighting in sexfoil vents, near-complete organ screen, completed blind tracery 27

28 27 - Nearly completed renovation Basically, all that is left of the 1969 renovation are the pews and the symbols of the apostles surrounding the organ screen. The spinning apostles Some of the apostle symbols have been a source of controversy at the church since they were first installed during the 1969 renovations. It was rumored that one symbol was upside-down. Actually, it turns out that two of the symbols were upside-down, which can be seen if you compare the drawings for the 1969 renovation with what was actually built. 28

29 screen detail The symbols for Peter [top left] and James (the greater) [2 nd from top on left] are both upside-down in this photo, and remained that way for 40 years. 29

30 29 - Drawing of symbol location and orientation prepared for contractors During the recent renovations, a new drawing to indicate the proper orientation of the symbols was made for the contractors, but the workmen did position one symbol upside down the three knives representing Bartholomew. 30

31 30 - Symbol on August 9, 2009 Peter symbol properly oriented, Bartholomew symbol upside-down. When told that they had positioned one symbol incorrectly, the workmen corrected the problem by flipping the Peter symbol upside-down again. In this photo, you can see the two upside-down symbols Symbols on January 8, 2010 Peter and Bartholomew symbols upside-down. The symbol orientations were eventually corrected, and are all in the correct orientation just 40 years later. 31

32 Manses The church has had quite a few manses. There was at least one manse prior to the construction of the new parsonage in 1881, but no locations are known. In 1926, the church sold the parsonage behind the church, replacing it with the house next door to the church. Then in 1951, that house was sold and moved to Packard Street, just west of Pratt Street., where it still sits today newspaper story about moving the old manse to Packard Street. The house next door to the manse was purchased and moved over one lot to become the new manse, and make way for the new Acme supermarket. 32

33 33 New manse moved to church property (1951) In 1961, the manse building was again sold and moved to Colwell Avenue to make way for the education building. 33

34 34 Blue line shows move of older manse used until Green line shows move in 1951 of newer manse used from 1951 to Red line shows move of newer manse off church property in 1961 to make way for Education Building. The church bought a house on Peach Street that served as the manse until the current house on Central Avenue was built in In 1976, the church re-purchased the old 1881 parsonage for the land, and in 2006, the church renovated the house for use by the new associate pastor. That returned the house to use as a parsonage for the first time in 79 years. Education Space When this new building was constructed in 1896, it provided substantially more space for both worship and Sunday School. The upstairs consisted of a large Sunday School room, with one, and perhaps two smaller classrooms in the back corner. It's difficult to say how the lower level of the building was configured when it was built. Evidence shows that there was a kitchen there when the building was built, but not where, and that it has been moved several 34

35 times. It appears that the area under the large Sunday School room was finished as a hall, while the area underneath the sanctuary (below us right here) was unfinished. It's unclear if the building originally had any toilet facilities when built. The 1910 minutes suggest that the Ladies Aid Society was considering installing a water closet. In 1911, it was voted to have a toilet installed in the basement. In 1915, there is some mention of the "men's toilets", and Sewer hookups were ordered that year. Several other records indicate that a toilet was located in what is now the kitchen. Over the years, as the church grew, additional rooms were constructed in the unfinished areas of the basement to support organizations and Sunday School classes. Additionally, partitions and walls were added to the large Sunday School room adjacent to the sanctuary for a study for the pastor, a church office, and another classroom. By the 1950's, Sunday School classes met in all rooms of the church, including the kitchen, the pastor's study, and even at the manse. Membership in the church and Sunday School programs was well over twice what they are today. 35 Membership / Sabbath School figures The building was overflowing with people. Due to the lack of space, a committee was appointed in 1956 to study the entire Church for needed facilities. They recommended building a new church to include a new sanctuary, educational facilities, administrative facilities, a study for the Pastor, and consideration for further expansion. The shortcomings of the church building were detailed, included fire safety concerns in the Sunday School rooms, poor lighting and heat, lack of space, etc. A conceptual plan for a new church, to be built in three phases, was prepared by noted church architect T. Norman Mansell. 35

36 In Phase 1, a new education building would be built behind the existing church and manse, providing space for an office and 9 classrooms. In Phase 2, the manse would be removed, and additional classrooms and restrooms constructed. The sanctuary would be modified to include a new choir area in the old Sunday School room. Phase 3 would be the largest phase. Additional classrooms would be added, a large new Fellowship Hall is built at the back of the facility, and the ugly old church building is demolished and replaced with a larger sanctuary. In 1957, two committees were formed: One was to explore building a whole new church facility, and the other was to look into improvement of the present facility. In 1958, it was reported that the price of purchasing the two properties behind the church for the church expansion envisioned in the 1956 concept was "too high". A number of resolutions were passed to build a new church, not to cost more the $200,000. It was to be built in three phases. This is likely why the education building does not match the church building, and why the church later bought the two houses behind the church (325 and 329 Vine Street). Building the Education Building In January 1960, the first phase was started when the congregation approved building the Education building, and hiring a fund-raising consultant. In June that year, the Session hired Philadelphia architect Harold Wagoner ( ) to design the project. Prior to his death, he was referred to as "the foremost living church architect in America and probably the world". Harold Wagoner designed approximately 600 churches nationwide, in styles from Gothic to colonial to modern, including the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC and the Cathedral of the Rockies in Boise, ID. One local example (in colonial style) is the Margate Community Church, which was recognized by the Architectural Guild of America with the Architectural Excellence Award. He also designed the liturgical furnishings for both the Protestant and Catholic chapels in the Cadet Chapel at the United States Air Force Academy (near Colorado Springs, CO). To make way for the education building, the manse building was sold and moved offsite. The lounge currently covers the old manse foundation. The Education building was completed in January It added 8 classrooms, an office, conference room, study for the pastor, lounge with prep kitchen, and improved rest rooms. It also was designed to allow for expansion; The portion of the building with a flat roof was designed to allow for the addition of a second floor, with two staircases to be located in space currently part of classrooms 4 and 8. 36

37 36 - Flat roof of CE building Owing to confusion about the actual founding date of the church at that time, the 100th anniversary was not celebrated. Instead, the 101st anniversary was celebrated with the dedication of the Education building in January, The total project cost of the education building, including purchase and renovation of the new manse, was about $137, CE building As with every new building, there were problems. In 1965, it was reported that there were leaks in the roof around the fireplace chimney in the lounge, and that plaster was loose on the ceiling of the service kitchen. 47 years later, it's still a problem. In 1966, the heater exploded, causing considerable damage. Repairs and clean up to the building totaled about $3,400. There were problems with people slipping on the solid flooring of the new building, so carpeting the hallways became a priority. 37

38 The addition of the new Education building led to substantial changes to this building, as a new staircase was cut through the floor to join with the addition. Following the completion of the addition, the old stairway to the basement in the church building was covered over, and the church sacristy was constructed in the original small-classroom space. This staircase is still there, though, and it can be seen in the basement. A lounge was constructed in the former Sunday School room, with the air conditioning for the sanctuary hidden above the lowered ceiling. Classrooms in the basement were vacated, which provided space for other organizations. The pledge period for the education building fund was extended several times. An additional building campaign was undertaken to pay for the 1969 renovations, and these loans were eventually combined into one loan, which was finally paid off in a mortgage burning ceremony in Pastor Randall Peyton burns the mortgage (Summer 1989) The renovations of 1969 also included a number of other projects, such as the replacement of the front church steps with the current stone and concrete stairs. In 1998, a car drove across the wall of the county parking lot and smashed into the side of the building, destroying the solid wood doors and damaging the wall. Aside from the main use of our Education space for the Christian Education program, space in the buildings was used for Hammonton school classes for a number of years, and later for the Head Start Migrant Farm Worker program. 38

39 39 - Floor plan of entire facility (prepared for 2010 renovation) As mentioned earlier, one of the major goals for the recently completed renovations was to make the facility handicapped accessible. To that end, and elevator was added to the church building, allowing access between all three levels. Two new accessible restrooms were built, one in the former ladies lounge in the education building. The other restroom and the elevator use space from the old Sunday School room and Fellowship Hall, below. Total cost of the renovations, including architectural fees, was about $440,000. This is an excellent drawing to see how much additional space was added to the church facilities by the addition of the Education Building, and also shows the current configuration of the original building space. Name of the church In 1965, with the Italian church long gone, the congregation moved back to using the original name of the church, dropping "first" from the name. It's difficult to say whether the name should be the Presbyterian church "at" Hammonton, or "of" Hammonton, as records indicate that both were used at the founding. We currently use Presbyterian Church at Hammonton now, and the name implies that this is not so much a church of the community, but a portion of a larger church community that meets at Hammonton. Spanish Ministry 39

40 1965 marks the first mention of reaching out to the Spanish-speaking people of the community, when a program of Spanish ministry was approved for Friday evenings. In the annual report that year, the pastor wrote that "The ministry to our Spanish speaking neighbors has been a time consuming venture with its ups and downs." In 1966, a Presbytery-sponsored pastor began work ministering to the Spanish-speaking people of the area. The ministry soon led to 50 Spanish-speaking children in the Vacation Bible School program, Spanish Bible and Sunday School classes, the formation of a clothing ministry, and English as a second language classes. In December of 1969, the first two Spanish-speaking members were accepted into the church through this ministry. In 1975, the Presbytery formed the Greater Hammonton Spanish Ministry, with the ministry pastor becoming the associate pastor of our church, rather than working for the Presbytery. All of the church committees were encouraged to seek Spanish-speaking members, and the Session recommended that the nominating committee nominate Spanish-speaking members to the Session. The first joint English/Spanish worship service mentioned in the minutes was held on December 7 that year. In 1979, the Board of Deacons was expanded from 6 to 9 members to allow for additional Spanish-speaking deacons to better serve the church family. By 1991, after 26 years of providing most of the funding for the Spanish Ministry, the Presbytery indicated that it wished to use more of its limited mission money to focus on new church development. Funding for the Spanish ministry was significantly reduced, resulting in the loss of the full-time associate pastor. Funding levels from the Presbytery remained low (around $10,000 per year), and support for the Spanish Ministry was supplied by a number of lay leaders, and then a part-time pastor. In 2006, the congregation voted to re-establish the part-time associate pastor position, and spent about $65,000 renovating the historic parsonage for use by the new pastor. In 2008, the congregation received a five-year grant in 2008 to support the transformation of the church into a fully multi-cultural church. This allowed the associate pastor to work full time in the hope that membership gains would make the Spanish ministry program self-supporting. This did not happen, though, and financial problems including the end of the grant caused the church to return the associate pastor's hours to part-time. Continuing financial difficulties led to further reduced hours for this position in will be the first year ever that the Spanish ministry will receive no funding from outside of our church. Currently, about 13% of our church members are Hispanic. We have worship services on most Sunday mornings in Spanish and in English, and worship together in bi-lingual services about 3 times a year. Leadership 40

41 40 - undated photo of trustees In the early days of the church, elders and trustees basically served for life, although they were re-elected every three years. It was not until 1955 that the church moved to a "rotary" system for elders and trustees, requiring a break in service between terms. At this same time, the first women were elected as elders. In 1971, the first women were elected to the Board of Trustees. This was apparently too much for the men, as the following year, the congregation voted to change the form of government to eliminate the separate Board of Trustees. Since 1972, the Session of the church has acted as the head of both the congregation and corporation of the church. The Board of Deacons was first established by the congregation in 1976, although there was one deacon elected in 1898, and there are two Deacons reported in the annual statistical reports to the General Assembly for some years. The Board of Deacons helps the Session minister to the congregation and community, and operate our clothing ministry and food pantry. Women 41

42 41 - Undated photo of women's Sunday school class in front of church door. Through several women s organizations, women had a strong impact on the work and life of the church long before any were elected as officers. The Ladies Aid Society, in particular, suggested and paid for many improvements to the church buildings and manses, and also took charge of raising funds for the pastor s salary at times. They were frequently called upon to help bail out the church during times of financial distress. In 1947, the Ladies Aid Society and the Women s Missionary Society were merged to become the Women s Association. 42

43 The Women's Association eventually petered out, but was rejuvinated by some our Hispanic members several years ago. This led to a resurgence of the Women's Association in the English-speaking part of the congregation, as well. The Women's Association has, once again, been assisting the church financially. They raised funds to pay for the cost of the new pew cushions in the sanctuary, and are currently devoting their efforts towards the remaining mortgage balance from the recent church renovations. Signs of the Times The church has continued to serve throughout all sorts of worldly troubles, and there tends to be little in the records reflecting the situation outside of the church. Some problems do get noted, however. Some examples: Around the end of World War I, there was a world wide coal shortage. The church closed off some rooms that couldn t be heated for lack of fuel, and apparently bought wood as an alternate fuel source for the boiler and stoves. Special fund-raising events for liberty bonds were allowed in the church, and to improve citizen morale. Tight money during the depression results in significant arrears to the pastor s salary, and no money to replace the leaking church roof. During World War II, the deteriorating manse could not be replaced, and new communion trays couldn't be procured. The church admitted several servicemen into membership via communication with their military chaplains. Responses to social issues, humanitarian crisis, and disasters were frequent. The church took special offerings to support disaster recovery, support rebuilding after the wars, and participated in the civil rights movement. 43

44 42 The White House in Farmworkers newsletter 44

45 Space in the basement was used for a Community Action Council starting in The offices were relocated to the house at 325 Vine Street in (The house was purchased in 1973 for the land, and the official name given to the building was "Parish House" although usually just called "the white house". It was demolished in 2013.) The church continues to support outside organizations, providing a home for Alcoholics Anonymous groups, scouting organizations, and a Multiple Sclerosis support group. 45

46 43 Old church picture with horses The Unanswered Question The creation of this history was prompted by the examination of the old postcard photo of the church building. I looked at it for a very long time before noticing that something was very different about the steeple tower in this photo. The tower is all brick. It is not all-brick now. 46

47 44 Comparison of towers: As originally built on left (all brick), as currently exists on right (all slate). At some point, the upper half of the tower was changed to slate. I have been unable to determine when or why the tower facing was replaced. From the minutes, I do know that the tower was a source of substantial water leakage when the building was constructed, so it is my guess that the tower was altered in However, it seems peculiar that a number of old photo postcards of the brick tower exist if it was there for such a short period of time. Dated photos of the church are very hard to come by. In Closing This history was prepared using the 150 years of meeting minutes of the Trustees, Session, and Congregation. The minutes largely reflect spending, building use, membership and baptism records. The minutes don t reflect very well the life of the congregation, the worship, Christian education, mission programs, and the ministry of the church that have led us to this 150 th anniversary. 47

48 45 - members on old church building steps Occasionally, the minutes have included some remembrance of a particular member, such as this record from October of 1953: Mrs. Alma [?] Joslyn died "within three days of her 98th birthday. If to live many years be counted a blessing, how much more blessed to have lived so many years and lived them well. Her long life of Christian faith and loyal devotion to Christ and His Church was an inspiration to all who were privileged to know her." The Presbyterian Church has been part of the Hammonton community throughout most of the history of Hammonton. It is our hope that we, as a church congregation, continue to serve Christ and His church, and inspire all who are privileged to know us. 48