Worcester County, Massachusetts - Chapter 114: Gardner - (g?«//««i'a'.), 1889

Religion, Houses Of Worship, Parishes, Etc

" It concerneth New England always to remember," said the pious old minister of Salem, John Higginson, " that these are a plantation religious and not a plantation of trade." And this she did remem- ber through all her earlier history, to her own eaduring honor and glory and to the welfare and happiness of many generations, over whose fortunes and destiny she exercised, unconsciously to herself, magic and mighty influence. And so it was that the founders of the town of Gardner, sons and daughters of New England, true to their ancestral heritage, regarded well at the outset the moral and spiritual interests of the people at large and took active measures to have them properly guarded and promoted. One of the first things done by the new town as a corporate body was to provide a place for the public worship of God and a minister to serve at the altar of religion. A site for a meeting-house, with a burying-ground and Common or train ing-field adjoining, according to the custom of the time, had been selected midway between the extremes of population, so as to accommodate the largest possible number of people, probably by mutual arrangement of those most interested, and at a Jegal meeting held on the 7th of November, 1785, four months after the act of incorporation was granted, steps were taken to secure the same to the perpetual use of the town by proper title deed. That site was very near the spot where the present church of the First Congregational Parish stands - the buryingground in the rear and the Common in front substantially as they are to-day. At the same meeting Joseph Bacon, John White, Captain Kelton, Moses Hill and David Foster were chosen a committee " to draw a plan of a meeting-house and to see what stuft'it will take; " and Simon Gates, Elisha Jackson and Captain Kelton a committee to hire preaching. It was also voted " To hire four days' preaching." At an adjournment of this meeting a week later, the committee on a meeting-house reported, whereupon it was voted " to build a meeting-house, forty feet wide and sixty-five feet long, with three porches," the size of which was afterwards modified to forty-five feet by sixty, with two porches. The material for the construction of said house was divided into more than a hundred lots, according to a schedule still preserved, and let out by auction to the lowest bidder. The work of providing material for and laying the underpinning was divided into ten lots and let out in thesame way. The material was to be delivered before April 1, 1787, and the underpinning was to be completed June 20, 1787. The responsibility of erecting and finishing the building to the extent of framing and covering it, setting the glass, painting the outside, laying the lower floor and making the inside doors was committed to Joseph Bacon, the leading carpenter in the place, who was to do it for £172 10«., "he assisting with his hands in raising " it. On the 27th of June, 1787, the frame was ready to be put up, and that part of the work is supposed to have been done on that day. It was a great occasion. Help from neighboring towns had been sought and was on the ground in due season. A crowd of spectators gathered to witness the proceedings, which began early in the morning and continued lill sundown. With commendable forethought, authority was given Joseph Bacon by the town to keep the Common so far clear of spectators as that they should not interfere with the raising of the house. With equal forethought, a committee was appointed to furnish food and drink for the workmen and instructed, with prudent hospitality, "to give the spectators one drink." An accident, whereby a Mr. Day, of Winchendon, and a Mr. Gregory, of Templeton, came near losing their lives by the falling of a stick of timber, marred somewhat the harmonies of the day and gave it a tinge of sadness. Neverthe - le;s, the frame was up, strong and sure, bsfore night, its pitiih-pine sills twelve inches square and posts of oak of equal size and other timbers in proportion , including two hundred oak braces, giving it a sol idity and power of endurance which might defy storm and tempest, if not time itself.

But the building, though raised and soon after enclosed and covered, and so made available for public uses, was not completed according to the original plans for several years. Work in the way of finishing it and making it comfortable was done upon it as the means of meeting the expense involved would allow. To raise money, the pews, seventy-one in number, were sold in 1788, long before they were put in, a method of dealing in "futures" not unknown to the modern commercial world. At that date, indeed, the galleries were not built, nor the floors wholly laid, nor the doors and windows cased, nor the lathing and plastering done. There was ihe shell of a building and nothing more. At length, in January, 1789, the town closed a contract with Lieutenant Foster to finish it, "as Westminster Meeting-house is finished," by the 1st of November, 1790, for £199,10s., all the material to be furnished as he needed it. Under this arrangement, the house was finally completed, though not to the satisfaction and acceptance of the town, till the summer of 1791, four years after the frame was erected. It was a plain, unpretending structure, scarcely larger than a moderate-sized chapel of these days, painted stone-color, with green doors and white trimmings, quite unlike the elaborate, complex, highly decorated, fully-equipped piece of ecclesiastical architecture which no w stands in its place.

During these years of the building of the meetinghouse, preaching had been maintained the greater part of the time, for awhile in private houses, but afterward in the unfinished building, seats and pulpit being improvised in true primitive style. Four days' preaching were provided for at first, then three months, then a year. There is no record of any action of the town in regard to the employment of a minister during the year 1787. Whether this was an omission of the clerk, or whether the citizens felt obliged to economize in this particular on account of straitened circumstances, is left to conjecture. If the latter, the experiment was never tried afterward, no year having transpired since in the town, and but very few Sundays, when the voice of the preacher has not been heard, when public prayer and praise have not been offered to God.

A place of worship having been provided, even though it was as yet unfinished and in a crude condition, some one must be found to preside at its altar and lead in its service as the permanent minister of the town. A church had been formally organized February 1, 1786, but under what auspices or by who.se agency, no one can tell. And who were the first preachers in the place - "the transient supply " - has not been ascertained. But after a time, Mr. Frederick Parker seemed to commend himself to the people as a suitable man to fill the responsible position, and received from the church a formal call " to settle in the work of the Gospel ministry in this place." Tile town, at a meeting held May 11, 1789, concurred. The terms of the proposed contract were : " for the settlement £150, to be paid in neat stock at the market-price, and for the salary, £60 a year for five years, and £66 afterwards; one-half to be paid in produce from the farm, viz. : beef, pork, grain, butter, cheese at the market-price ; also twenty cords of hard wood yearly, cord-wood length, delivered at his dwelling-house." Mr. Parker seems not to have been I'eady to accept the invitation on the terms proposed. The call was renewed the next year with the same result, and that ended all negotiations with Mr. Parker.

The town in appropriating money for preaching the following year, 1791, instructed the committee on pulpit supply, in terms indicating a wise caution worthy of emulation in later times, " to hire some person of good character for four Sabbaths." The person of good character very soon appeared, and proved so satisfactory that he received an invitation to settle from the church in the usual order, which was ratified by the town, July 21st, the same year. The acceptable candidate vvas Jonathan Osgood, a native of Andover, Mass., and a graduate of Yale College in the class of 1789. The terms upon which the call of Mr. Osgood was offered, were, " £160 for his settlement and £75 annual salary," to which was subsequently added " twenty cords of hard wood, to be delivered at his dwelling-house, beginning three years after his settlement." On those conditions Mr. Osgood accepted the invitation in a letter dated September 21, 1791, which is preserved in the town records, with the proviso that "if at any future period, as you increase in wealth, I should stand in need, I trust you will be ready to afford me relief," adding significantly, "I shall depend that you punctually fulfill the proposals you have made." Mr. Osgood was duly ordained and installed as minister of the town of Gardner, October 19, 1791, the five neighboring churches, together with the two churches in Andover, the second church in Boxford, the church in Littleton and the church in Bolton, ten in all, with their pastors, being invited to representation in the council called to aid in his settlement. Mr. Osgood was a "cure" ofbodiesaswell as of souls, and served in both capacities with such skill and efficiency as to secure the confidence, esteem and cordial support of the people of the town and community at large. For over thirty years he filled the two positions of minister and physician, his labors ending with his life, May 21, 1822.

For two years the town was without a minister, at the expiration of which period Mr. Sumner Lincoln, a native of Warren, and a graduate of Yale College, in the class of 1822, having studied theology at New Haven, and qualified himself for the profession, was invited to the vacant place with the offer of "a salary of five hundred dollars and a pew in the meetinghouse." Mr. Lincoln accepted the call and was regularly ordained and installed as pastor of the First Church in Gardner June 16, 1824. Mr. Lincoln was settled as minister of the whole town, according to the old custom, and served in that capacity for about three years, when the secular and religious interests of the inhabitants were separated, the town yielding all its hitherto exercised rights in ecclesiastical affairs to the newly-formed religious society called the First Parish of Gardner, which became the lineal successor of the town in such matters. Under this new regime things went on as before Until 1830, when the controversy between the Unitarian and Trinitarian branches of the Congregational denomination, which had been going on elsewhere in the State for several years, reached the place and became so decided and marked in its expression as to cause a division among the members of the church and parfsh, which resulted in a separation of the two opposing parties and the formation of a new religious organization, representing the views of those who withdrew from the previously existing body. The turning-point of this matter was the vote of the parish, dismissing Eev. Mr. Lincoln, who had assumed the Trinitarian position in the discussion, thereby committing itself fairly and unmistakably to a strictly Unitarian position. In accordance with the now declared views of the parish - the dissenting members having severed their connection with it - the Rev. Jonathan Farr, a minister of pronounced Unitarian views, was settled December 9, 1830, by a council composed wholly of ministers and delegates in full theological sympathy with himself. He was dismissed, after a pastorate of two and a half years, in July, 1833. His successor was Eev. Curtis Cutler, a native of Lexington, and a graduate of Harvard College and Divinity School, who was settled October 30, 1833. This relation was dissolved in 1839, when Rev. George W. Stacey took charge of the pulpit. He remained but a year or two and was followed by Rev. William H. Fish, who was the last acting minister of the First Church and Parish of Gardner in its distinctively Unitarian character and fellowship.

suspended animation, whicli continued for several years, no minister being employed and none of the functions of a church being exercised, when, in 1846, the house of worship having been remodeled and made convenient and suitable for religious services, the question of a resumption of the public exercises of religion within its walls arose, awakening considerable interest and feeling in the community. This question involved another of deeper import, to wit: Under what auspices, theologically considered, shall the re-constructed edifice be opened ? In other words, Shall the old lines of religious opinion and affiliation be taken up and followed out, or shall a new departure be made, ignoring the history of the sjciety for the past sixteen years and starting out independently of all previous professions, declarations and alliances? It was finally decided by those who had been chiefly instrumenlal in re-constructing the meeting-house, and who had the larger pecuniary interest in it, that thenceforth the parish should act in sympathy with the more popular branch of the Congregational body, and maintain ecclesiastical relations with the so-called Orthodox Churches of the general community, retaining its old name and all the prestige, historical and ecclesiastical, properly belonging to it.

In accordance with that decision, overtures were made to the Evangelical Congregational Society, under which name those withdrawing from the First Parish in 1830 had organized and were legally known, for a union of the two bodies, which were favorably received, but which finally failed, by reason of the inability of the two parties to agree upon the conditions of the proposed intermarriage. Whereupon a call was extended to Rev. Mr. Banister to become the pastor, which was so far accepted as that he acted in that capacity for about a year, when Rev. John C. Paine, a native of Ashfield, succeeded him, being formally installed in office January 12, 1848. Mr, Paine proved to be a man of ripe cultui-e, of pleasing manners and a popular preacher. After sixteen years of service he left, in May, 1864, and in the following October Rev. Wm. D. Herrick, a graduate of Amherst College in 1857, who had studied theology at Andover, and been settled four years at Redding, Cnnn., was installed in his place. Rev. Julius H. Seelye; D.D., president of Amherst College, preaching the sermon. He remained four years, when the union of the two societies, attempted twenty years before, was consummated, and he was dismissed, agreeably to the terms of the consolidation of the two distinct organizations and the churches connected with them referred to. The Articles of Faith and Covenant of the Evangelical Church were to be retained, while the names of the religious and secular departments, under the new arrangement, were to be the First Congregational Church and the First Parish in Gardner, respectively.

Thus it came to pass that, after t\fenty years, during which time there had existed two churches in town nominally of one form of theological doctrine and both struggling for existence, their houses of worship only a few rods apart, yet with more or less of alienation, if not bitterness of feeling, between the members of them, not altogether becoming those who the same faith profess and " the same Lord obey," these separate religious bodies came together, their two lives blending in one common life thenceforth as time went on. If, at the time of the union there was not, as the historian of Gardner intimates, that spirit of cordiality and co-operation between all the parties concerned that could be desired, yet since then, we are assured, "the old lines of separation have become less distinct," a growing harmony is displacing former unfriendliness or distrust, and there seems to be a disposition prevailing more and more to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace."

Under the new dispensation a call was extended to Rev. William Belden to become the pastor of the united Church and Society, which was accepted by him, and he was installed January 22, 1868. His pastorate was brief, being terminated by his dismission, March 22, 1869. August 25th, the same year. Rev. John E. Wheeler, a native of Amherst, N. H., and a graduate of Amherst College, was clothed with the honors and assigned the duties of the same office. He remained but about three years, closing his labors early in July, 1872. The parish was without a minister for nearly two years, several attempts to obtain one proving ineffectual. At length, on the 15th of May, 1874, the parish united with the church in extending a call to Rev. AVm. D. Herrick, pastor of the First Parish and Church at the time of the consolidation seven years before, who, although he had declined a similar one made a few months previously, finally accepted. Mr. Herrick was installed the second time in Gardner, June 11, 1874, and entered at once upon an active and useful career in the church and community. After two or three years' service, however, his health began to give way, and he was obliged to curtail his labors and, after a time, to suspend them for a season altogether, in the hope that he might find complete restoration of his depleted energies and be able to resume his ministerial work with his old-time vigor and promise of success. But he only partially recovered, and on taking up his professional duties again found himself unequal to the task of performing them to his own satisfaction, and seeing no prospect of entire recovery, deemed it due to his people as well as to himself to profler his resignation. It was reluctantly accepted, and he closed his labors not long afterward. During his ministry he prepared, under directions from the town, an elaborate and detailed history of Gardner from the date of its incorporation, including a genealogical record of many of the principal families, which was published in a large volume of five hundred and thirty-five pages, in 1878.

During the same period the parish greatly improved its property and facilities for prosecuting the various departments of ministerial, church and parish work. In 1875 it erected a commodious and attractive parsonage, with stable and other conveniences attached, at an expense of about six thousand dollars. Early in the year 1878 the project of a new house of worship was started, which resulted in the completion, the year following, of the present spacious, well-arranged and well-equipped, imposing edifice, located at the head of the Common, very near, if not on the exact site, where the original town meeting-house was built. Until this was ready for occupancy, the church and society, subsequent to the union of the two parishes in 1867, had worshipped in the sanctuary of the Evangelical Congregational Parish, which stood on the east side of Green Street, fronting the Common. The present edifice is one of the finest pieces of church architecture in the northern part of Worcester County. It is of Gothic style, with steep, slated roof, and covers an area of sixty-four feet front, which is the width of the structure, and a length of one hundred and eighteen feet, having, at the southeast corner, a tower one hundred and twentyfive feet high, in which is a clock with four dials. The material is principally brick, with underpinning and steps of light-colored granite and brown sandstone trimmings. The building is lighted by stainedglass set in lead sashes, a large rose window adorning the front part. It has convenient entrances in front and at the sides, the latter leading to the main audience-room and to the chapel in the rear. There are six hundred sittings in the auditorium, all facing the preacher's platform and desk, at the right of which is the choir and organ-loft, and at the left a pastor's room. Nearer the walls there are ample passage-ways to the other parts of the building, where there are on the lower floor a spacious lectureroom, an infant classroom, library room and parlor, with a stairway to the second floor, where may be found a dining-room, kitchen, lavatory and all the modern improvements and conveniences. The whole is warmed by hot water and steam and lighted by electricity. The cost of the building, including organ and furnishings, was thirty thousand dollars, which amount was raised by the persevering efforts of Mrs. Henry Heywood and Mrs. Alvin M.Greenwood- The present pastor is Rev. Lawrence Phelps, who has served the church and society about five years. Everything betokens prosperity and usefulness.

The Evangelical Congregational Church AND Society. - As the history of the religious enterprise represented by this name is so closely interlinked with that of the First Parish and Church, it is noticed next to it in this review, although, chronologically considered, it would be assigned a later place in the list of the religious organizations of Gardner. The members of the First Parish who, as has been said, withdrew on account of marked theological differences in the year 1830, were legally organized on the 25th of June, the same year, under the title given at the head of this paragraph. A constitution was drawn up, approved and signed by fortyone male members, who were thus qualified for the transaction of business. Steps were at once taken toward the erection of a meeting-house, which was accordingly built and dedicated June 16, 1831. The church connected with this parish was instituted agreeably to Congregational usages August 11, 1830. Rev. Mr. Lincoln, who had been minister of the old church and society, withdrew with the seceding members and by previous arrangement was at once chosen minister of the new body. The same council which was called to formally dismiss him in ecclesiastical order from his former pastorate installed him in the later one the same day, August 11, 1830. In addition to the regular salary of four hundred dollars in money voted Mr. Lincoln for his services, he was granted " his choice of all the pews in the house for his use." He remained pastor of this church and society until February 23, 1842, when the relation was dissolved. Mr. Lincoln is still living in the enjoyment of a fair degree of bodily and mental vigor, his heart warm as ever towards all generous and noble things, at the advanced age of eighty-nine years. Although at the time of the division in the First Parish of Gardner he sympathized with and became the minister of the Trinitarian party, he yet subsequently entered the fellowship of the Unitarian denomination and has been for a long time one of its most devoted and honored clergymen.

The several pastors of the Evangelical Congregational Church and Society succeeding Mr. Lincoln were. Rev. AVm. B. Stone, settled February 23, 1842, and dismissed in August, 1850 ; Rev. D. C. Frost, who served as acting-pastor about two years ; Bev. Abijah Stowell the same for five years ; Rev. J. W. Healey, who was installed December 3, 1857, and was dismissed July 11, 1859; Rev. Samuel J. Austin, installed December 8, 1859, and dismissed in May, 1864. Subsequenfto this date there was no regular minister for about two years. Several persons had been favored with an invitation to the vacant place, but declined. At length Mr. George F. Stanton, of Lowell, a recent graduate of Bangor Theological Seminary, accepted a call extended to him, and was ordained to the work of the ministry and installed pastor of the church under notice, June 6, 1866, the sermon being preached by Rev. E. D. Foster, D.D., of Lowell. In the following May he retired in order to facilitate the union of this church and society with those represented by the First Parish, which was at that date accomplished. Thus, after an existence of thirtyseven years, this body was reunited to the lineal descendant of that from which it seceded, the changed theological attitude of the latter making this step possible without offence to the distinctive religious convictions of the members of either party.

It is a fact worthy of record and remembrance, that this Evangelical Church and Society, besides representing its own characteristic form of Christian faith, and doing the work incumbent upon it in its religious capacity, was, from the beginning, earnestly devoted to the reform movements of the age, maintaining a consistent and unequivocal position in their behalf, and displaying unusual fidelity, zeal and courage in the support and furtherance of the cause of temperance and of the abolition of American slavery.

The first meeting-house of this parish, built in 1831, was remodeled in 184(5, and finally supplanted by a new one, more favorably located and better suited to existing needs, which was dedicated May 8, 1856. This house was used by the parly erecting it until the union spoken of was eflected, and by the consolidated churches until the occupancy of their present place of worship.

The First Baptist Society and Church. - In the year 1827 a few individuals living in the village of South Gardner and vicinity, desirousof having better religious privileges than they had previously enjoyed, inaugurated measures for the formation of a new society in that part of the town. In a brief time the object aimed at was accomplished, the organization taking the name of The Baptist Society of Gardner, as an indication of the religious convictions and preferences of its members, who were encouraged in their eflbrts by the sympathy and co-operation of the Baptist Church and Society in Templeton. The original membership consisted of ten persons, among whom Messrs. Sullivan Jackson and George Scott occupied the most prominent position. The immediate object of the association was to raise money for the purpose of sustaining a meeting and supporting the preaching of the Gospel in South Gardner village. To more effectually promote this object, an auxiliary association, called the Parochial Society, which is still connected with the church, was legally instituted January 30, 1828, for the management of the business interests of the enterprise. Moneys were raised, and regular religious services were opened at once in the house of Mr. Jackson, and continued for several years. Other activities of church life were established, among them a Sabbath-school, which consisted, to begin with, of fourteen members. The movement, once fairly started, attracted public attention and increased in numbers and importance. The need of a house of public worship was soon recognized, and steps were taken to provide one. Money was raised and a building was erected in 1833, at a cost of three thousand dollars, which amply met the wants of the society for many years, and was used as first constructed, with slight improvements, till 1872, when it was much enlarged and greatly improved in many ways, at an expense of over seven thousand dollars. The audience-room \*a3 entirely remodeled and newly furnished, and a commodious vestry with ante-rooms in the basement, was fitted up. A new and graceful spire supplanted the former inartistic cupola or belfry, in which was placed an excellent clock for the convenience of the neighborhood. Ten years later, in 1882, a good pipe-organ was introduced and other improvements made, at an aggregate cost of three thousand dollars. At present the edifice is exteriorly neat and attractive, and also well-furnished and equipped within, rendering it admirably adapted to the uses of a living Christian body of believers.

The church connected with this society was established in the year 1830, when twenty-three members of the Baptist Church in Templeton, who resided in Gardner, withdrew from that organization by mutual consent and in the spirit of brotherly love, for the purpose of having church privileges nearer at hand, and of exerting a greater influence for good upon the public mind and heart. An ecclesiastical council convened at the house of Sullivan Jackson on the loth of November of that year, under whose authority the First Baptist Church in Gardner was organized, Mr. Jackson being chosen the first deacon. Its present deacons are Marcius A. Gates and Elmer L. Lovewell. The total number received into the church from the beginning is five hundred and forty, the present merabershi|) being one hundred and ninetyfive.

Fifteen pastors have served this church and society during the fifty-eight years since they were organized, the Kev. Robert F. Tolman being the present incumbent of that office. In addition to the Sabbath-school, whose fourteen original members have increased to three hundred and ninety-six, there are, as auxiliary agencies for interesting and benefiting those who may be reached and helped to the better life, and especially the children and youth, " The Band of Hope," " The Cheerful Workers," " The Young Ladies' Mission Circle " and " The Society of Christian Endeavor." It is proper to add that legacies left by Abijah M. Severy, Mrs. Susannah Stone and Mrs. Rebecca Greenwood, the benefits of which are now being shared by this church, are fully appreciated as assisting very substantially in maintaining " the preaching of a Gospel of Salvation, of Anti-Slavery, of Temptrance and of Peace."

Church of the Sacred Heart. - Who the pioneer Catholics were, or when they settled in Gardner, is involved in mystery. The most reliable information dates their coming in the year 1845. For many years they were few in number, and it was not till 1856 that the first Catholic service held in town took place in a grove west of Baker's Lane, Rev. Edward Turpin, of Fitchburg, officiating. Subsequently Mass was celebrated from time to time in private houses by |)riests from neighboring parishes. At length Bishop Fitzgerald, seeing the need of a clergyman to minister to the steadily increasing Catholic population of the northern part of Worcester County, sent feather Bannon to make his residence at Otter River, giving him jurisdiction over all the outlying districts north of Worcester and west of Fitchburg. Thither the Catholic people of Gardner went to attend divine worship until they became sufficiently numerous to warrant a separate service for themselves, when the town hall was secured for that purpose and used at stated intervals. Meantime the Catholic population grew apace, with which came a demand for more clergymen. Therefore, in 1872, Winchendon, Gardner and Ashburnham were set off as a new parish, and Rev. D. C. Moran was appointed to administer its affairs, with headquarters at Winchendon. Father Moran was a man of great executive ability, and threw himself at once into the woik of building up the spiritual interests of his people, and of putting the affairs of the parish into good working order. One of his first cares was to provide a suitable place of worship for his people in Gardner, who were adding to their numbers daily. He caused funds to be raised, selected and purchased a lot an Cross Street, and secured plans from Architect James Murphy, of Providence, R. I. In 1874 ground was broken, and before the end of the following year a handsome wooden structure of Gothic style, capable of seating six hundred people, was reared and dedicated to the service of God under the title of the " Sacred Heart of Jesus." Its total cost was about $26,000, and it was, at the time, the finest church edifice in town, a monument of which both pa.stor and people might be proud.

Gardner continued as a mission of Winchendon till 1880, when it was deemed able to maintain a resident pastor, and Rev. M. J. Murphy was placed in charge. Father Murphy soon became a great favorite. He took an active part in everything calculated to promote the best interests of the town, being a member of the School Board several years. He directed his efforts at the outset to a thorough organization of the parish, in order that his labors for the spiritual welfare of the people might be more efl'ective, and the beautiful ritual of the Catholic Church be carried out in all its splendor. Sodalities, literary and temperance societies were established, so that the old and young of both sexes might benefit by their good influence.

The erection of a parochial residence next claimed his attention. Funds were collected, and the present substantial and commodious house was completed. The grounds about the church were graded at the same time, and concrete walks were put in. Much praise is due Father Murphy for the good taste displayed in the laying out and care of the grounds, which made the site one of the most attractive spots in town. Not long after, the French Canadians, who had formed a large portion of the growing congregation, wishing to have a clergyman of their own nationality, who could speak their own language and enter more fully into their feelings and sympathies, expressed themselves to that effect. Their desire was favorably considered, and in 1884 they withdrew, organized a church by themselves, and had a pastor installed over them. The Sacred Heart Church went on enjoying an era of prosperity, when, lo! on the evening of May 28, 1887, flames were seen to issue from the church edifice, and in one short hour it was in ruins. Soon after this, Father Murphy was transferred to another field of labor, and Rev. J. F. McDermott was intrusted with the work of rebuilding the church. On assuming his duties, the scene of desolation which met his view might have disheartened a less intrepid spirit ; but nothing daunted, he threw all his energy into the task before him. Infusing into his people soniething of his own hope and confidence, they met his appeals for funds with a liberal response, while willing hands volunteered to clear away the dSris and make ready for a new structure. Architect P. W. Ford, of Boston, furnished plans therefor on the old lines, with a slight addition to the rear, which will not only improve the outward appearance of the building, but give a hundred more sittings in the main auditorium. Work was soon begun, and pushed forward with such vigor that the congregation were enabled, in the following January, to occupy a handsomely, finished basement, which has since served an a place of worship. The superstructure will be completed in the near future, and will surpass its predecessor both in beauty and design. Thus it will be seen that the Catholic Church has made wonderful progress in Gardner since the sowing of the little mustard-seed in 1845, which has grown to include in 1888 nearly half the population, numbering now about thirtyeight hundred souls, and destined, under favorable conditions, to keep abreast of the general advance of the town in years to come.

The Universallst Church. - In the year 1864, Rev. Jacob Baker, State missionary of the Universalist denomination, began holding religious services in Gardner, at which he preached with earnestness and emphasis the distinctive doctrines of the body represented by him. Those doctrines met with a hearty response in certain directions, and an effort was very soon made to bring together those who were in sympathy with them, and to provide for the regular and permanent advocacy of them in the community. On the 4th of June a society was organized pursuant to that effort, and a constitution was adopted for the orderly government of its affairs. One of its first acts was the api)ointment of a parish committee, who were subsequently instructed to secure, if possible, the services of Mr. Baker for half the time during the ensuing year. This purpose was carried out, and Mr. Baker's labors continued till the spring of 1867. Considerable interest having been awakened in the movement among the people of the town, and the society having increased its membershipproportionally.itwas deemed advisable, for the good of those concerned and to help on the cause, that a permanent minister be employed, and the Rev. Harrison Closson was called to that office with the understanding that he was to serve the

Gardner Society on alternate Sundays, the others being at his disposal to devote to the more general work of his profession, as opportunity oflTered. This plan was carried out for a year, when the financial condition of the society had so much improved as to warrant the engagement of Mr. Closson for the whole time. Soon after this was done, the minister, who was possessed of much religious fervor and zeal, was instrumental in establishing a church in connection with the society in accordance with New England usage, which was organized April 23, 1868, and publicly recognized with appropriate solemnities on the first Sunday in June following. This body was called " The Church of the Unity and Restoration," adopting a "Covenant'' which embodied in a general way the principles of the Universalist branch of the Christian church.

A year later, Mr. Closson, who had been thus far employed annually as the incumbent of the ministerial office, was installed as pastor of the church and congregation according to Universalist custom, the Rev. A. A. Miner, D. D., of Boston, preaching the sermon. Under the ministry of Mr. Closson the movement was greatly prospered for a time, though later there was some decline of interest occasioned by differences which grew out of the matter of a place of worship. Services had been held for several years in what was called "the bell meeting-house," which was the former house of the First Parish. But the time had come for a change, as was recognized by all. The old house must be repaired where it was, or moved to a new site and refitted, or a new house must be built. Failing of an agreement upon any one of these propositions, disaflection arose and the organization became much weakened. Mr. Closson left in 1871 and for three years there was no regular religious service. But at length new interest arose, and measures were taken to build a church edifice. Funds were raised to that end. Mr. Wm. S. Lynde, an influeutial member of the parish, gave an eligible site at the corner of Cross and Maple Streets and one thousand dollars in money, which revived the hearts of all engaged in the enterprise. The house was erected and dedicated on the 26th of May, 1874. Soon after. Rev. Royal T. Sawyer became pastor and remained three years. He was an earnest, able preacher and a faithful worker in and out of the pulpit, and the church and society grew and prospered. Rev. Ephraim A. Reed was his successor, who rendered good service to his people for about two years, when he left and was followed by Rev. Mr. Barber, who gave way to Rev. James Taylor, a devoted minister and an excellent man, honoring his calling and sharing the esteem and confidence of the public. He took charge of the pastorate in 1884 and remained about three years. Rev. H. W. Smith is the present pastor, who is laboring with energy and ability for the people of his charge and the building up of the " larger hope " in the hearts and lives of men. The pari-h has a pleasant place of worship, commodious and convenient, an efficient Sundayschool and various healthful activities tor the prosecution of its own distinctive work and for the promotion of " peace and good-will among men."

The Methodist Episcopal Church. - According to the records of the town clerk of Gardner, there were disciples of John Wesley and adherents of the so-called Methodist form of religious doctrine within its borders at an early period of its history. In the year 1797 Philip Wager, elder of a Methodist Society in Ashburnham, certified to the fact that Samuel Stone, of Gardner, "attended public worship" with that society and "contributed to the support of its ministry," which, under the provisions of a recently enacted law of the State, absolved him from the duty of paying a " ministerial tax " in his own town. In the following year a similar certificate was filed in reference to Mr. Simon Stone, also a resident of Gardner. It would seem, furthermore, from the same records, that in the year 1800 there actually existed in town a society of the same persuasion, of which one Henry Eames was public teacher, and Ebenezer Richardson and Samuel Sione were a standing committee. Further than this, touching this organization, nothing has come to light, and it is probable that it had but an ephemeral being, of which no account has been preserved.

During the first quarter of the present century a growing interest in the doctrines of Methodism prevailed in the north part of Worcester County, and what was called a "circuit" of preaching stations was established, extending through about a dozen towns, of which Gardner was one. It was known as the Ashburnham Circuit, that town having an established church, as others had not, and being the centre of operations.

In the year 1826 Rev. John E. Risley was the preacher of this circuit and Rev. John Lindsay presiding elder of the district under the auspices of which its activities were carried on. It is understood that about that date, religious services were held from time to time in the town, though so far as is known no attempt was made to found a church. Occasionally a preaching service would be held in a school-house or private re-idence by some itinerant, temporarily in the place, zealous in broadcasting the seed-grain of the Methodist faith. Finally, the town having grown considerably, and evincing signs of increasing prosperity. Rev. Wm. P. Blackraer, preacher in charge at East Templeton, seeing, as he thought, an opportunity for instituting a church representing his own conception of Christian truth, early in 1869 conducted a few meetings in the lower town hall. A good interest was awakened and a stated preacher was asked for, of the proper authorities, to enter aud occupy the newly-opened field. In response to the request, the New England Conference, which met at Lowell, March 24, 1869, appointed Mr.

Blackmer to take charge of the work already promisingly begun. He at once commenced his labors and prosecuted them with such success as that in July of the same year the Rev. Loranus Crowell, presiding elder of the Worcester District, formally organized a church with a membership of eighteen and aSundayschool of fifty persons, thus forming the nucleus of what has grown to be a large, active, useful branch of the religious brotherhood of Gardner.

In April, 1870, Rev. W. M, Hubbard was appointed to succeed Mr. Blackmer. During his administration of affairs a chapel was erected upon a site on West Street, donated for the purpose by Mr. Lewis H. Graham, which was dedicated September 14, 1870. Rev. Daniel Atkins followed Mr. Hubbard, who, at the end of a two years' pastorate, in 1875, reported ninety-nine members of the church and thirteen probationers. Rev. Seth C. Carey became pastor in 1875. The growth of the movement had been so great that larger accommodations for public worship and other departments of the general work were needed, and measures were started to meet the existing demand in that regard. A lot on Chestnut Street was procured, ground was broken September 20, 1876, a new edifice with a seating capacity for six hundred persons was built and dedicated August 9, 1877, Bishop R. S. Foster, of Boston, preaching the sermon. The cost of the building, with its various appointments for the use of a living, active body of Christian believers, was less than thirteen thousand dollars. At the close of Mr. Carey's ministry the church had one hundred and twenty-three members and thirtyfour probationers. Revs. W. D. Bridge, W. P. Ray, J. H. Tworabley and M. H. A. Evans have successively had charge of the field since Mr. Carey's retirement. Rev. E. P. King is the present pastor. Under wise and energetic administration all the interests of the church are well cared for and effectively promoted.

St. Paul's Episcopal Chuech. - The Episcopal services in Gardner are yet held under the auspicej of the Missionary Society of the Diocese of Ma8.sachusetts. There is, therefore, no organized parish. The first service ever held here was conducted by the Rev. J. S. Beers, the Diocesan Missionary of this State, on December 10, 1882, in the Lower Town Hall. After said service, the Holy Communion was celebrated at the house of David Parker, M.D. The following persons beside the Missionary partook : Dr. Parker, Mrs. L. D. Rose, Miss Kate Skein and Miss Sarah Muzzy (now Mrs. H. P. Upham).

The work was put into the form of an organized mission February 9, 1883, at a meeting in the Town Hall, presided over by Rev. W. R. Huntington, D.D., then of All Saints' Parish, Worcester, but now rector of Grace Church, New York City. The mission was named St. Paul's by the suggestion of Mr. Wm. Briggs, a gentleman interested in the movement, who so named it after St. Paul's, New Castle-on-the-Tyne,

England, v/here his father is buried. At its organization an Executive Committee were chosen, as follows : David Parker, M.D., Mr. Briggs, Jlrs. Geo. A. Ellis, George W. Black, J. W. Jefts, James H. Rose and Miss Kate Skein. Dr. Parker was elected senior warden ; Wra. Briggs, treasurer, and Mrs. G. A. Ellis, secretary. From February 9, 1883, services were led by different clergymen and lay-readers until July 16th, when the Rev. John C. Hewlett took charge by appointment of the Massachusetts Diocesan Missionary Board. After a time Mr. J. W. Jefts and Miss Skein resigned by reason of removal from town, and Messrs. M. Shumway and Frederick Conant were chosen to fill the vacancies. May 25, 1883, Miss Sarah Muzzy was added to the Executive Committee.

In the month of July, 1883, a Sunday-school was organized with the Rev. J. C. Hewlett, superintendent; Mr. Wm. Briggs, treasurer, and Mr. W. B. Ellis, librarian. Soon Mr. Ellis resigned, and Mr. Frank Allen succeeded him. The first person baptized was Mrs. Mary A. Van Benthuysen, by the Rev. J. S. Beers, in the Town Hall, April 15, 1883. The first confirmation service was held April 16, 1883, by the Rt. Rev. B. H. Paddock, D.D. Dr. David Parker and Mrs. Mary A. Van Benthuysen were then confirmed.

The Rev. J. C. Hewlett was in charge for about one year. He was followed July 22, 188-t, by the Rev. Thomas A. Hyde. During the pastorateof the latter the chapel on North Main Street, now occupied, was built. He continued in charge about one and three-fourths years. May 1, 1886, Rev. J. S. Lemon was appointed to follow the Rev. Mr. Hyde. The first marriage in town, by an Episcopal clergyman, was that of Mr. E. J. Rose and Miss Libbie E. Jacob, November 21, 1883, by Rev. J. C. Hewlett.

Tlie first serious loss met by the parish was the death of the senior warden, David Parker, M.D., May 8, 1886. The origin of the mission was largely due to his efforts, and was the realization of hopes indulged for over sixty years. He lived, however, only a short time to enjoy the services of his choice. . The next serious loss of the parish was the death of the general Diocesan Missionary, the Rev. J. S. Beers. At present, the Executive Committee consists of Messrs. William Briggs, G. W. Black, Frederick Conant, Alfred Wyman, Herbert Morse, George Glazier and Mrs. George A. Ellis. The Sunday-School superintendent is the pastor; the assistant superintendent and treasurer, Mr. Briggs; the secretary, Alexander Hamilton ; the librarian, William Kennedy. The organist and choir-leader is Mrs. A. A. Williams. The treasurer of the mission is Mr. G. W. Black. The parish has a pleasant place of worship worth more than six thousand dollars. There are about fifty communicants, Rev. J. S. Lemon still filling the office of pastor. With the exception of the French congregation, St. Paul's is the only church in West Gardner.

years after the close of the labors of Rev. AVilliam H. Fish as minister of the First Parish there was no distinctive Unitarian preaching in the town. At length, on the 27th of January, 188-1, the Rev. A. C. Nickerson, pastor of the First Church and Society in Templeton, to test the question of the existence in the community of sympathy with that form of Christian faith, held a service in the Lower Town Hall, the birth-place of several religious enterprises, with an attendance of thirty-five persons. A good degree of interest was manifested on the occasion and more was developed afterward, so that two months later, March 27th, a legal organization of a society was effected, the necessary papers having been drawn up and receiving many signatures. At a later date the tirst permanent officers were elected, as follows: Webster Cowec moderator; Edgar V. Reynolds, cleik ; Edwin A. Colby, M.D., treasurer; Orange F. Smith, collector; Orange F. Smith, Jonas R. Davis and Julian P. Dunn, parish committee. Before the expiration of the year, steps were taken in reference to a site for a church edifice which resulted in the purchase of a lot in the Central Village, at the corner of Elm and Cherry Streets, on which a house of worship was subsequently built.

From the time of the first meeting in January, 1884, until April, 188G,the movement was in charge of Rev. Mr. Nickerson, who supplied preaching regularly; the service being held in the afternoon for his accommodation. Upon his removal from Templeton, at the date named, it was deemed wise to have a resident pastor, who should devote his entire time to building up the enterprise and establishing it upon a permanent basis. After hearing several candidates the society, on the 19th of July, by a unanimous vote, instructed the Executive Committee " to extend a call to the Rev. Wm. C. Litchfield, of Berlin, to become our Pastor." The committee acted according to instructions, and the call was accepted. The regular labors of Mr. Litchfield began on the first Sunday in August, and on the 28th of October he was duly installed as the first pastor of the Unitarian Society of Gardner, Rev. Austin S. Garver, of Worcester, preaching the sermon.

The need of the society for a house of worship becoming more and more imperative, the effort to secure one was renewed and charged with fresh vigor and zeal. The necessary funds were soon pledged and the project was urged forward with commendable rapidity. On the 7th of May, 1887, ground was broken on the lot already bought, and on the evening of January 25, 1888, the building, which, with the exception of the basement, was finished and furnished suitably for church purposes, was dedicated with appropriate exercises, the sermon being delivered by Rev. Minot J. Savage, of Boston. It is a substantial structure, eighty feet by forty in measurement, built of brick with granite trimmings and having a circular tower of ample height at one of the front corners, through which entrance is gained to the main auditorium and parlor adjoining. These, when opened as they may be to form one audienceroom, will accommodate three hundred persons, constituting, with the furnishings and adornings, a neat, convenient and attractive place of religious service. The basement when completed will have pleasant, well-arranged and appropriate rooms for Sundayschool and other purposes. The society is slowly gaining in numbers, in public confidence, in efficiency of administration, in power of usefulness and in promise of future growth and prosperity. The congregation has more than doubled during the last two years; the Sunday-school, with a proportionate increase, is well organized and doing good service, and other activities are in successful operation. On the 1st of April, 1888, one hundred families were connected with the various departments of the institution.

The French Catholic Church. - Some twentyfive or thirty years ago the first installment of French Canadians came to Gardner seeking employment and a chance to better their worldly fortunes. The success attending their search induced others to follow them, and others still in constantly increasing ratio, until at the present time this element of the population numbers about eighteen hundred souls. At first, and for many years, these people contemplated only a temporary sojourn here, as was the case in other places, - one long enough to acquire a competency or what was deemed such, then going back to their native boroughs to enjoy it. But latterly they are more disposed to a permanent residence in their new homes, and a desire and purpose of becoming part and parcel of the community in which they dwell and of the American people, by naturalization and other processes of afliliation and coalescence, have become widely prevalent and are shaping their lives to new issues, in all social and civil respects.

These new-comers, by inheritance, education and conviction are, generally speaking. Catholics, and strongly committed to the faith and polity of the Papal Hierarchy. Very naturally, they at first attached themselves to the movement which ripened into the " Church of the Sacred Heart," becoming members with others of that church when it was finally established and domiciliated in the community. This relation continued till 1884, when, the congregation having greatly outgrown the accommodations of the church building, and the French members feeling that they were able to maintain a church of their own, which should have a minister of their own nationality, a separation of the two distinct elements of the church was effected, with the approval of all parties concerned, and the French Catholic Church was organized, the Rev. F. X. Soly being installed as pastor in November, 1884. The new parish first worshipped in the skating-rink, but soon built the structure now iu use on Nichols

Street, which is designed to serve its needs until a more commodious and substantial edifice can be erected, in the near future. In this building, which, with the grounds, cost about eight thousand dollars, besides the main auditorium, with a seating capacity for five hundred persons, there are rooms for a pastor's residence, schools, social and society meetings, etc., etc. After two years of faithful service, Father Soly, on account of failing health, resigned his pastorate, and was succeeded by the Rev. C. E. Bruuault, the present incumbent. Under his wise and prudent management the parish has flourished, and grown to be the leading one in town in respect to numbers. Various activities have been instituted for purposes of charity, and to promote the material, intellectual and moral welfare of the people, among which are St. John the Baptiste's Society, for mutual help, a temperance society for men and also one for buys, a literary club, a club for naturalization purposes, the League of the Sacred Heart, St. Ann's Society for married women and a Society of the Immaculate Conception for girls. Two day-schools are in operation, haviijg both French and English teachers, over which Father Brunault exercises a watchful supervision.