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The Old Unitarian Church

The Old Unitarian Church image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
June
Year
1882
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Rev. Mr. Sunderland delivered the laat sermon at the Unitarian church last Sunday morning and the work of distnanteling the church, taking out the furniture and fitting the building over into dwelhnga haa been begun. Mr. Sunderland in his discourse gave many historical facts relating to the church which are of general interest. The building has been used as a church for forty-fi ve years, thirty years by the Methodist aud fifteen yeara by the Unitarians. It was built as the flrst M. E. church, when the place waaa mere frontier village, being enlarged aa the towrn continued to grow, and was long jhe most commodious place of public gathering here, where eminent lecturera very generally epoke, and where the commencemems of the University were held - altogether a csnspicuous land mark - a building of the greateat historie interest remaining in the city. The building dates from the year 1837 wheu the basement was completed and occupied, the upper part. or main audience room, not being finished until 1839, something over a dozen yeara alter the firat aettlement of ihe town - two families having located here in 1824. The first sermón preached in Ann Arbor by a regularly ordanied minister seems to have been by a Baptist, named Moses Clark, in 1825. Rev. John A. Baughman, an M. E. miniater, preached here the same year, the servicea of courae being held in private houaea, and the attendance being but email. The first church organized here was Presbyterian in 1826, with a mewbership of seventeen. The next was the M. E. church, organized with five members; the following year the Baptist The first Germán church, the Lutiieran, waa organized 1830 ; the Catholic in 1839 or 1840; the Congregational not until 1847, it having arisea Trom a división in the Pre8byterian society. The Unitarian church carne into existeuce in 1867, it having been preceded however in an early day, by a Universalist church, "which for some years stood for liberal religious principies in the town, but finally suspended." The frame structure erected by the Presbyterians on the site of their present building, was the firat Protestant church building west of Detroit. The first Presbyterian aynod of Michigan was organized in this church. The flrst brick church in town was built by the Catholics in 1843; the first stone church by the Episcopalians in 1869. The M. E. church was without a building until 1837, in the spring of which year they began the erection of the present Unitarian church, originally only twothirds its present Bize, and by autumn the work was far enougk advanced to allowr of the occupancy of the vestry below. That fall the Michigan II. E. Conference held its session in Ann Arbor for the first time, the distinguished Bishop Soule, afterwards so conspicuous in connection with elavery, was present and was invited to take part in the dedicatory services which occurred at the same time, but declined because "musical instrumenta" were to be used, his conscience however permitting him a few years later to not only affiliate with southern slave holders, but to help divide the M. E. church of the United States on the slavery question; battling with tremendous earnestness for the diviue institution. Alter the dedication there began a revival - the most powerful in proportion to the populatiou of the place that Ann Arbor has ever seen.the whole number unitiDg with the M. E. church as a result, being 118. Many of the ablest Methodist preachers of Michigan have been pastors here and have officiated at the desk, Henry Calclazen, E. H. Pitcher, D. D. "Whedon, who is now regarded as one of the flrst M. E. writers, preachers and theologians in America, Dr. Cocker and others. The church edifice was dedicated in the same year that Michigan became a state, that the University was located here,and that Rev. John D. Pierce reported to legislature the code of school laws for the state, which gave to Michigan its admirable edueational system. The first railroad reaohcd Ann Arbor in 1839. The year that saw this edifice rise from the ground saw the first jail built in Ann Arbor. The first cuurt house was built three years earlier. In this church, the speaker was told, the first and perhapa the only company of studente that went from the University into the war bade adieu to their Alma Mater ata commencement held in this room. The M. E. Society completed its new church in 1867, soon after which this building was Bold to the Unitarians. The first Unitarian preaching in Ann Arbor, so far as known, was a series of sermons at the court house, by Rev. A. G. Hibbard, in April 1865, under the auspices of the can UniUrian Aaaociation. ín tlie following August Rev. Charles H. Brigham carne anc carried on, with great ability and Bucees, for twelve yeara the good work of the Aasociaiion already begun, until his health failed. The organization of the society wag effected in Jauuary, 1867. Meetings were held for nearly two year8 in the old court house, since which time this ediñee haa been the Unitarian church of Ann Arbor, and among the notable persons who have preached liere iu thia time are Dr. Hedge, of Harvard Univeraity; President Livermore, of Antioch college; Professor James K. Hoamer, of the same college, now of Washington University, St. Louia ; Rev. Robt. Collyer, Rev. A. D. Mayo, of Cincinnati ; Rev. J. H. Alien, of Cambridge; Rev. T. J. Mumford, Mrs. Mary Livermore and others. On Thanksgiving Day, 1872, the building was partially burned. Thia is but an outline of the hiatorical portion of an excoedingly interestiDg diacourse, but of the great work which has been done ín and through the church space doea not permit men tion. m i ■ i m -

Article

Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Democrat