By Charles H. HaswellActive in NY's civic and cultural life a half-century, Haswell's meticulous notes on it were published in 1896, the same year Correction emerged as a separate agency. A century later Jackson Era devotee Hal Morris posted them on his Tales of the Early Republic web site, from where these passages have been excerpted with permission. | NYCHS posts
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Chapter X: 1827 - William Paulding, Mayor
ALTHOUGH I have very distinct recollections of the
existence of the churches here referred to, and of the removal
or destruction of some of them, I am unable to give the exact
periods, etc., in all cases, and in consequence of the lapse of
time (seventy years), deficiency in records, and the change of
ministers, etc., I have had much difficulty in presenting this
record. . . . Episcopal: "Trinity," 1696, Broadway, facing Wall Street; 1776, burned; 1788, rebuilt and furnished with a chime of bells; 1839, taken down; rebuilt and opened May 21, 1846. . . . The Episcopal Charity School, "Trinity," was founded in 1704. . . .
Many Episcopal churches at this time were without
chancels proper. There was an altar at the rear, with railings
around it, where children were catechised. confirmation was administered,
and the Communion'` received In front was the pulpit, surmounting
a column, in front of which was the reading desk, which effectually
hid the altar from tile view of the congregation.
In the lower end there were two or three pews assigned
to colored persons, and the doors were lettered "For B men."
Roman Catholic "St.
Peter's," formed, 1783; opened 1786, corner of Barclay and
Church streets; 1838, rebuilt. "St. Patrick's," 1815,
corner of Mott and Prince streets; later lengthened. "St.
Mary's," 1826, formerly Seventh Presbyterian, in Sheriff,
between Broome and Delancey streets, first Roman Catholic bell
in the city; 1831, burned by a burglar; 1833, Grand, corner of
Ridge Street. . . .
Lutheran: "First,"
1660, in Fort Amsterdam. "Trinity," 1671 log church
southwest corner of Broadway and Rector Street; 1741, rebuilt;
burned in the great fire in 1776; 1805, ground sold to Grace Episcopal
Church; 1744, congregation divided, part to an old brewery in
Skinner Road (Cliff Street); 1767, reunited as "Christ"
or "Old Swamp Church," corner of Frankfort and William
streets, sold to colored Presbyterians; 1822, removed
to "St. Matthew's" (Evangelical) Lutheran, Walker Street,
between Broadway and Elm Street, now corner of Broome and Elizabeth
streets; 1826, sold. . . .
The trustees of the Lutheran "Old Swamp Church"
in its early days were offered a plot of ground of about six acres
in Canal Street near Broadway, a part of the Lispenard Meadows;
and the Board passed the following resolution: "That it was
inexpedient to accept the gift, inasmuch as the land was not worth
fencing in." . . .
In Garden Street (Exchange Place) there was a free school organized in 1663, and in 1784 the Church built one opposite to it, which was removed to Duane Street and in 1835 to Canal, corner of Elm Street; 1847, on Fourth Street; 1861, Twenty-ninth Street and Seventh Avenue; now (1892) corner of Seventyseventh Street and West End Avenue, and known as the Collegiate School."
Presbyterian: "First."
City Hall, 1716 Wall Street, near Broadway; 1748, enlarged; 1810
rebuilt; 1834, burned and rebuilt; 1844, sold; 1846, Fifth Avenue,
between Eleventh and Twelfth streets. . . .
Methodist Episcopal: 1767,
Rigging loft in Horse and Cart Street ( 120 William), between
John and Fair (Fulton) streets; . . .
African Methodist Episcopal: "Zion,"
1796, occupied a house in Cross (Park), between Mulberry and Orange
(Baxter) streets; 1800, organized, then at corner of Church and
Leonard streets; 1820, rebuilt; 1839, burned; 1840, rebuilt; 1864,
removed to Bleecker, corner Tenth Street; 1813, a branch formed
in Elizabeth near Pump (Canal) Street; 1820, rejoined; 1822, again
separated.
Unitarian: "First
Congregational," 1821, Chambers, near Church Street; 1843,
sold; now "All Souls," corner Twentieth Street and Fourth
Avenue. "Church of Divine Unity," 1845, Broadway, between
Prince and Spring streets. "Church of the Messiah,"
a colony from the First Congregational, 1826, Prince, corner Mercer
Street; 1837, burned; 1839, Broadway, near Waverly Place, then
1865 sold; 1867. Park Avenue and East Thirtyfourth Street.
Baptist: 1724, a church
organized, then a house on Golden Hill (Gold and John streets);
1732, dissolved and church sold. "First," 1760, 29 Gold,
between Fulton and John streets; 1802, rebuilt; 1840, sold and
taken down; 1841, Broome, corner of Elizabeth Street. "Second,"
1770, Rose Street; 1791, then divided as "The Bethel Church,"
and the Rose Street party as the "The Baptist Church in Fayette
(1821, Oliver) Street." 1806, the Rose Street congregation
built in Broome, near the Bowery; 1820, Delancey, corner of Chrystie
Street; 1830, divided, one party going to Mott, then to Chrystie
Street; the other retained the church in Delancey Street, which
was abandoned, and ultimately sold for a stable; and the congregation
removed to "The Sixth Street." . . .
Universalist: "First,"
1796, Vandewater Street, near Frankfort; 1803, purchased from
the Lutherans, No. 488 Magazine (Pearl) near Cross Street; sold
to "Zion" (colored) Presbyterian, prior to 1810, corner
Augustus (City Hall Place) and Duane streets; . . . .
Synagogue: Prior
to 1682 "Shearith Israel," 19 Mill (South William) Street;
1706, removed; 1729, rebuilt; 1818, rebuilt; 1834, Crosby, near
Spring Street; 1860, Nineteenth Street, near Fifth Avenue. "Benai
Jeshurun," 1824, Greene Street.
It was reported that the "Holy Light" in
this synagogue had by some accident or unavoidable occurrence
been extinguished, and as a consequence it became necessary to
obtain a like light from the nearest synagogue, and one was received
from Philadelphia.
This synagogue possesses four graveyards, the continued
retention of which, in view of the readiness with which some Christian
churches have sold theirs, has evoked much comment. The "First"
(Beth Haim) 1656, corner of Bancker and Fayette (Madison and Oliver)
streets; 1729, more ground adjoining was purchased, some of which
was subsequently sold; a "Second," corner of Gold and
Jacob streets, but not used; a "Third," on Sixth Avenue,
near Eleventh Street, but partly used; and "Fourth,"
on Twentyfirst Street, near Sixth Avenue. When the Common
Council prohibited interment within the city limits, 1852, removed
to Cypress Hills, L.I.
While some Episcopal, Dutch Reformed, Presbyterian,
and Unitarian churches have been removed from the lower part of
the city, their sites sold, and new edifices constructed uptown-apparently
with greater regard to the prominence of the location than to
the field of their usefulness-the Roman Catholic Church, with
that zeal and singleness of purpose in its advancement which has
ever distinguished it, has not deviated from its mission here,
by the blandishment of a fashionable congregation. It has not
only retained existing churches, but has obtained others, in locations
where a dense population and the prospect of useful work seem
to have been the guide. "St George's" and the "Brick
Church" in Beekman Street; the "Cedar Street" in
Duane, and the Dutch and Presbyterian churches in Murray Street,
were removed more to meet the wishes of a portion of their members
than to the advantage of their churches; the latter, removed to
head of Lafayette Place, was converted to a theatre. . . .
The service in these churches was very different
from that observed by nearly all of the present time (1895). Thus:
the ritual of the Common Prayer Book was uniformly and strictly
adhered to at all times, whether Communion was to be administered
or not, which Sacrament was administered only on the first Sunday
in the month, and at Christmas and Easter; and, excepting during
Lent, the church doors were never opened for other than burial
service from their closing Sunday evening to the next Sunday morning,
and in religious, moral, social position, and in integrity, I
fail to recognize any improvement in the people at this time.
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