St. John's Episcopal Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
Encyclopedia
The parish of St. John's Episcopal Church
, Hartford, Connecticut
, was formed in 1841. Its first building, designed by Henry Austin (architect)
, was constructed on Main Street just south of the Wadsworth Atheneum
in 1842. The parish left Hartford in 1907 and is now St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
.
, somewhat in response to overcrowding at nearby Christ Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
. An activist organization, St. John's was instrumental in the development of other prominent Hartford area churches including the Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House
(Hartford, Connecticut
), St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
, and St. Monica's, the second Episcopal
congregation in the state for African American
s. As the nineteenth century progressed, the western suburbs became increasingly popular as a place for city dwellers to live with the result that the number of St. John's worshipers was in decline. In 1907, financier J. P. Morgan
purchased the church building and its property for the construction of a memorial gallery to be added to Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum
. The parish then moved to suburban West Hartford, Connecticut
, which was undergoing steady growth.
, St. John's (Hartford) was the first church building attributed to that prolific artisan. Having completed design work for the nearby Wadsworth Atheneum
, Austin created plans for a church building with a seating capacity of 850. At the time of its construction, St. John's reputedly had one of the tallest spires in New England. The Hartford Courant, in an article about St. John's consecration, described the church as "a chaste and beautiful structure in the early pointed Gothic style, built of Chatham free stone..." and its interior as having a "chancel, with a massive rail, supported by mullions finished on either side." Additionally, "there are side galleries, with a convenient choir over the vestibule, in which is placed an organ of superior finish and tone." That first organ was Opus 47, consisting of two manuals and twenty-two stops, by E. and G.G. Hook Organ
of Boston. In 1861, the first Hook organ was replaced by Opus 295 of two manuals and thirty stops by the same manufacturer.
As the years wore on, the church building began to show its age. The spire would eventually be removed as the result of structural decay, the boiler became increasingly noisy, and finding space for the parish's many activities was becoming difficult. These, and other factors, figured into the parish's ultimate decision to build a new church in suburban West Hartford, Connecticut
. The last services were held in the Austin edifice in 1907 and it was subsequently demolished. Many of the original St. John's furnishings, including its bell and, at first, its altar rail, pulpit and lectern would be utilized in the new St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
building, designed by noted architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.
, St. John's had many notable clergy including Arthur Cleveland Coxe
, St. John's first Rector (1842-1854), who later served as the second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York
. During his tenure at St. John's, Coxe penned "Saviour, Sprinkle Many Nations" , a hymn text later set to music by Arthur Sullivan
. William Croswell Doane
, who served as Rector from 1863 to 1867, eventually became the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany
, New York. Doane, who is known to have later visited the Hartford area at least once during Mark Twain
's years there, is the subject of a Twain anecdote set in that city. As reported in The Independent, after hearing one of Bishop Doane's sermons Twain informed him he had "a book at home which contains every word of it." Following Doane's protests, Twain "showed the clergyman an unabridged dictionary and said he 'stood ready to prove it'".
A number of talented musicians were affiliated with St. John's (Hartford) including organists and composers such as Dudley Buck
and Henry Wellington Greatorex
.
Prominent parishioners of the church's Hartford years included Harriet Beecher Stowe
, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
, who purchased a pew at St. John's in 1864 and regularly attended Sunday services with her twin daughters Hattie and Eliza. Gideon Welles
, President Abraham Lincoln
's Secretary of the Navy, was also a congregant.
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
, Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, was formed in 1841. Its first building, designed by Henry Austin (architect)
Henry Austin (architect)
Henry Austin was a prominent and prolific American architect based in New Haven, Connecticut. He practiced for more than fifty years and designed many public buildings and homes primarily in the New Haven area...
, was constructed on Main Street just south of the Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
in 1842. The parish left Hartford in 1907 and is now St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Connecticut, is located at 679 Farmington Avenue near the Hartford, Connecticut, city line. The parish was founded in 1841 as St. John's Episcopal Church . The church's present building, designed by famed architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, opened in 1909...
.
Congregation History
St. John's was founded in 1841 in downtown Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, somewhat in response to overcrowding at nearby Christ Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
Christ Church (Hartford, Connecticut)
Christ Church is a historic church at 955 Main Street in Hartford, Connecticut.The Gothic Revival church was built in 1827 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.-External links:*...
. An activist organization, St. John's was instrumental in the development of other prominent Hartford area churches including the Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House
Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House
Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House is a historic church at 155 Wyllys Street in Hartford, Connecticut.It was built in 1867 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.-References:...
(Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
), St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (East Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church is a High Victorian Gothic architecture church at 1160 Main Street in East Hartford, Connecticut. It was designed by Edward T. Potter and was built in 1867....
, and St. Monica's, the second Episcopal
Episcopal Church (United States)
The Episcopal Church is a mainline Anglican Christian church found mainly in the United States , but also in Honduras, Taiwan, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the British Virgin Islands and parts of Europe...
congregation in the state for African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
s. As the nineteenth century progressed, the western suburbs became increasingly popular as a place for city dwellers to live with the result that the number of St. John's worshipers was in decline. In 1907, financier J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
purchased the church building and its property for the construction of a memorial gallery to be added to Hartford's Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
. The parish then moved to suburban West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
, which was undergoing steady growth.
Hartford Church Building
Designed by Henry Austin (architect)Henry Austin (architect)
Henry Austin was a prominent and prolific American architect based in New Haven, Connecticut. He practiced for more than fifty years and designed many public buildings and homes primarily in the New Haven area...
, St. John's (Hartford) was the first church building attributed to that prolific artisan. Having completed design work for the nearby Wadsworth Atheneum
Wadsworth Atheneum
The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest public art museum in the United States, with significant holdings of French and American Impressionist paintings, Hudson River School landscapes, modernist masterpieces and contemporary works, as well as extensive holdings in early American furniture and...
, Austin created plans for a church building with a seating capacity of 850. At the time of its construction, St. John's reputedly had one of the tallest spires in New England. The Hartford Courant, in an article about St. John's consecration, described the church as "a chaste and beautiful structure in the early pointed Gothic style, built of Chatham free stone..." and its interior as having a "chancel, with a massive rail, supported by mullions finished on either side." Additionally, "there are side galleries, with a convenient choir over the vestibule, in which is placed an organ of superior finish and tone." That first organ was Opus 47, consisting of two manuals and twenty-two stops, by E. and G.G. Hook Organ
E. and G.G. Hook Organ
E. and G.G. Hook was a pipe organ designing and manufacturing company, located in Boston, Massachusetts, which operated from 1827 to 1935. It was started, and originally run, by brothers Elias and George Greenleaf Hook.-History:...
of Boston. In 1861, the first Hook organ was replaced by Opus 295 of two manuals and thirty stops by the same manufacturer.
As the years wore on, the church building began to show its age. The spire would eventually be removed as the result of structural decay, the boiler became increasingly noisy, and finding space for the parish's many activities was becoming difficult. These, and other factors, figured into the parish's ultimate decision to build a new church in suburban West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
. The last services were held in the Austin edifice in 1907 and it was subsequently demolished. Many of the original St. John's furnishings, including its bell and, at first, its altar rail, pulpit and lectern would be utilized in the new St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church (West Hartford, Connecticut)
St. John's Episcopal Church, West Hartford, Connecticut, is located at 679 Farmington Avenue near the Hartford, Connecticut, city line. The parish was founded in 1841 as St. John's Episcopal Church . The church's present building, designed by famed architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, opened in 1909...
building, designed by noted architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue.
Notable people
While in Hartford, ConnecticutHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, St. John's had many notable clergy including Arthur Cleveland Coxe
Arthur Cleveland Coxe
Arthur Cleveland Coxe DD LLD was the second Episcopal bishop of New York. He used Cleveland as his given name and is often referred to as A. Cleveland Coxe.-Biography:...
, St. John's first Rector (1842-1854), who later served as the second Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western New York
Episcopal Diocese of Western New York
The Episcopal Diocese of Western New York, is the diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America with jurisdiction over the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming in western New York. It is in Province 2 and its cathedral, St. Paul's...
. During his tenure at St. John's, Coxe penned "Saviour, Sprinkle Many Nations" , a hymn text later set to music by Arthur Sullivan
Arthur Sullivan
Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan MVO was an English composer of Irish and Italian ancestry. He is best known for his series of 14 operatic collaborations with the dramatist W. S. Gilbert, including such enduring works as H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado...
. William Croswell Doane
William Croswell Doane
The Right Reverend William Croswell Doane was the 1st Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany in the United States. He was bishop from 1869 until his death in 1913. As a student at Burlington College, New Jersey , he was a founding member of a chapter of the college society St...
, who served as Rector from 1863 to 1867, eventually became the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany
Episcopal Diocese of Albany
The Episcopal Diocese of Albany is part of Province 2 of the Episcopal Church.-History:The Church of Englandarrived in 1674 with a chaplain assigned to the British military garrison at Albany, New York. In 1704 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel sent two missionaries to the Mohawk...
, New York. Doane, who is known to have later visited the Hartford area at least once during Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
's years there, is the subject of a Twain anecdote set in that city. As reported in The Independent, after hearing one of Bishop Doane's sermons Twain informed him he had "a book at home which contains every word of it." Following Doane's protests, Twain "showed the clergyman an unabridged dictionary and said he 'stood ready to prove it'".
A number of talented musicians were affiliated with St. John's (Hartford) including organists and composers such as Dudley Buck
Dudley Buck
Dudley Buck was an American composer, organist, and writer on music. He published several books, most notably the Dictionary of Musical Terms and Influence of the Organ in History, which was published in New York in 1882. He is best known today for his organ composition, Concert Variations on the...
and Henry Wellington Greatorex
Henry Wellington Greatorex
Henry Wellington Greatorex was a musician, born in Burton upon Trent, England, and died in Charleston, South Carolina. In 1849, he married the artist Eliza Pratt.-Career:...
.
Prominent parishioners of the church's Hartford years included Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American abolitionist and author. Her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was a depiction of life for African-Americans under slavery; it reached millions as a novel and play, and became influential in the United States and United Kingdom...
, the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
, who purchased a pew at St. John's in 1864 and regularly attended Sunday services with her twin daughters Hattie and Eliza. Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869. His buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory of the Civil War...
, President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
's Secretary of the Navy, was also a congregant.