Presbyterian Church to Build Church Parlors, April 1914

To Build Church Parlors

Presbyterians Raise $1,200 for That Purpose

Much Needed Improvement

April 9, 1914

 

Last Sunday morning at the Presbyterian Church [Bainbridge, Chenango Co., NY] was an occasion long to be remembered.  At the close of the regular service, the pastor called a meeting of the congregation to consider and undertake the work of building church parlors.  He said that this proposition has been under discussion for a long time, as the church had felt for many years the lack of a suitable place for prayer meetings, church suppers and socials, and now was the time to act as several subscriptions had been pledged for this purpose, so he called for pledges from the congregation to raise if possible $1,000 to meet the expense of the work.  A blackboard was used and the treasurer of the church recorded the amounts as they were subscribed.  There were four pledges of $100, eight pledges of $50, twelve pledges of $25, and the remainder in pledges of $10 and $5.  In fifteen minutes  $1,175 was subscribed for the building.  Since the meeting on Sunday several more have pledged bringing the total amount over $1,200.  The interest in the work seemed remarkable, as was shown by the responses and generosity of the people.

 

It has not yet been decided whether the parlors shall be an addition to the present edifice or shall be in the basement of the building. 

 

A building committee will be appointed to take charge of the work and start construction as soon as possible.

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The land situated upon the east side of the Presbyterian Church and used by Henry A. Clark as a lawn, was subject to a lease of 99 years made in 1832, the Presbyterian society which owned the land, leasing it to Jabez S. Fitch, a merchant of Bainbridge.  Mr. Fitch died after about twenty years' possession, when after a short interval Mr. Clark bought the lease and has held the land ever since, being nearly fifty years.  The lease does not expire under twenty-nine years, but Mr. Clark has bought the property outright for the sum of $400, the church cancelling the lease.  Mr. Fitch was actively interested in building the present Presbyterian Church, which was constructed in 1831, and after leasing the ground, above mentioned, he purchased the old disused church, which stood near the location of the Episcopal Church, and moved it thereto. It was used for public purposes in a variety of ways until 1856, when Mr. Clark removed it.