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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Brewster, NY
"We Are The Church Together"
In 2006, the Episcopal parish of St. Andrew's Church in Brewster, NY marked the 125th anniversary of its incorporation. The roots of the parish, however, go back further, to 1872, when a small group of townspeople, led by Mr. Smith G. Hunt, organized a Sunday School. Classes were held in what was then Brewster's new town hall. The first spiritual leaders of the group were the Rev. William Moore, the Rev. Wilberforce Wells, and the Rev. Matthew Bailey, M.D.
This arrangement worked well until the town hall burned down in 1880. The young congregation rallied and, under the leadership of Mr. Seth B. Howes, funds were raised to build a small wooden frame church on Prospect Street. Seth Howes (1813-1901), a founder and major benefactor of St. Andrew's, had made his fortune in real estate development in Chicago, but earlier had been a founder of the American Circus. He and his brother, Nathan Howes, had run early circus and hippodrome ventures in New York State and New York City and his animal exhibitions toured up and down the East Coast. By the 1880s, Howes had sold his circus acts to P.T. Barnum and had retired to his birthplace in Brewster.
On August 16, 1880, the cornerstone of what become known as the "Old Church" was laid. The first services took place in January, 1881, led by the Rev. R. Condit Russell, Rector of North Salem and Somers, who had regularly traveled to Brewster to minister to the congregation.
In August 1881, a meeting was called for the incorporation of the parish under the title of "St. Andrew's Episcopal Church of Putnam, State of New York." In 1882, the Parish of St. Andrew's was admitted into union with The Episcopal Diocese of New York. This was the true beginning of the parish.
In 1882, the Rev. Ralph W. Kenyon came to serve as the first Rector of St. Andrew's. He was followed a year later by the Rev. Frank Heartfield. During this time, mission services were begun at the schoolhouse at Tilly Foster, a hamlet located just west of Brewster. In 1885, the Rev. Eli Sutcliffe was called as Rector and church built a rectory across from St. Andrew's.
In 1893, the Rev. Frank Heartfield again came to St. Andrew's to serve as Rector and remained for the next 17 years. During this time, a second mission was begun at Dean's Corner. Both Missions of the church flourished. St. Paul's Chapel was built at Tilly Foster in 1896 and the Chapel of St. Peter was built at Dean's Corner in 1898. In 1906, St. Peter's ended its mission life when the land it was on was released to New York City for a reservoir. Both Missions were eventually united back into St. Andrew's.
By the late 1990s, Seth Howes, then a Senior Warden for the church, had purchased a large piece of property south of the village of Brewster to build a Tudor Revival style castle out of gray granite. Completed in 1901, he called his estate Morningthorpe, and it still exists today on Turk Hill Road, south of Brewster.
Seth Howes, First Warden of St. Andrew's Parish
While Morningthorpe was under construction, Howes offered to replace the wood frame structure of St. Andrew's Church with a more stylish stone church in the Gothic Revival style. The same granite that was used for Morningthorpe was also used for the church. Howes hired two well known architects of the day: Edward Pearce Casey, best known for his completion of the Library of Congress in Washington, and Arthur Durant Sneden, who was the chief designer for the New York City Board of Education. Casey was the chief architect for the church and Sneden was responsible for designing the details.
The new church incorporated memorial windows of fine cathedral glass that were donated in honor of the church's early founders. A large bell, weighing 1,576 pounds, was donated and placed in the tower.
The new church was completed in time for Easter in 1901. Sadly, the church's benefactor, Seth B. Howes, died shortly after on May 16. Sadder still, just months later, on July 3, 1901, a fire gutted the interior and the building was destroyed. However, the spirit and determination of the St. Andrew's congregation prevailed and the church was restored according to the original design. The new structure was consecrated in 1903.
In 1927, the Rev. F.A. Coleman began a long tenure as Rector of St. Andrew's. During his 21 years as rector, the parish expanded its membership and the scope of its activities. A number of organizations were established including a Girl's Friendly Society, The Women's Auxiliary, and the St. Andrew's Guild.
More recently, the Rev. Lawrence A.A. Larson, came to St. Andrew's in October, 1981 as a part time Priest-in-Charge and then became Rector in July 1986. Father Larson brought a fresh emphasis on the missions of the parish.
In the 1980s, the parish started a nursery school. The St. Andrew's Nursery school, a nonsectarian cooperative school, is still going strong. It is open three days a week for 3- and 4-year-old children.
To help meet the needs of the community, St. Andrew's helped found the Brewster Community Food Pantry, a cooperative effort of St. Andrew's, St. Lawrence O'Toole Roman Catholic Church in Brewster, and St. James Episcopal Church in North Salem. Each week, the pantry distributes groceries to individuals and families in need from the community.
In 2000, the parish called the Rev. Terri Heyduk to serve as Rector. She is the first woman to serve the parish as Rector, although the Rev. Susan Richmond served as an interim leader for the parish after the retirement of Father Larson.
In 2001, St. Andrew's purchased the house and property next door, at 32 Prospect Street.
St. Andew's Day, 2006, the 125th Anniversary of the parish
St. Andrew's Parish is a vigorous spiritual fellowship with an active schedule of worship services and a variety of programs involving parishioners and others in the service of God. The church has an active Sunday School and Youth Group and also serves as a home for several Alcoholics Anonymous groups that meet each week.
The parish is recognized as a vital force in the Brewster community, bringing the word of God's love to people in all avenues of life.
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, A National Landmark | ||
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St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is listed on both the New York State Register of Historic Places and the National Register of Historic Places. The current stone church is the third church of the parish at the same site. A wooden church was built in 1881 and was replaced in 1901 with a stone structure. That stone building, almost identical to the one existing now, burned down within a few months of being consecrated, but was almost immediately rebuilt with virtually the same design.
The church building exists as it is today because of the generosity of Seth B. Howes, who made his fortune in real estate and as an early circus entrepreneur. While he was building his estate, Morningthorpe, he offered to replace an earlier wood frame structure of St. Andrew's Church with a more stylish stone church in the English country gothic Revival style. The same granite that was used to create Morningthorpe was also used for the church. For St. Andrew's, Howes hired two well known architects of the day: Edward Pearce Casey, who is best known for his completion of the Library of Congress in Washington, and Arthur Durant Sneden who was the chief designer for the New York City Board of Education. Casey served as the chief architect and Sneden was responsible for designing the details. The builder of the church was A.W. Burritt Co. of Bridgeport. The church exhibits the characteristic features of early English gothic country church architecture, including a stone construction, a prominent square tower, heavy buttresses, simple pointed arch openings, and an exposed roof system in the interior with hammerbeam trusses. The choice of this architectural style was probably made by Howes, who had been a world traveler and was a great admirer of English country architecture. St. Andrew's is perhaps a unique example of this type of gothic church in Putnam County. In design and construction, every effort was made not to strain after mere effect, but to depend on sweeping lines for the beauty and seriousness of the church. The result is a church building that is elegant and elevating, yet spare. There are no gargoyles, flying buttresses, or ornate columns, since it was felt that these would detract from the true prototype of the English country church. The craftsmanship in construction throughout is superb. All of the decorative elements, such as the oak doors with ornamental hardware, the large hammerbeam truss roof, simple oak pews, and the traditional stained glass windows, complement the church's picturesque stone exterior. As with many traditional churches, the building is situated so that the altar is at the east end of the building. The main east-west part of the church is cross-shaped with two transepts (wings). The south transept houses the chapel, which was taken intact from. Howes' Morningthorpe castle, and features a priceless collection of ornaments from the eighteenth century. The roof is of North Carolina pine worked into impressive hammerbeam trusses. The outside of the roof is clad in slate and the two-foot thick walls are supported by massive granite buttresses.
A prominent feature of the church are the stained glass memorial windows, which are the work of Calvert & Kimberly, two artists who were trained by Louis Comfort Tiffany. The massive chancel window behind the altar is thought to be a Tiffany product. Some of the other windows in the church are from the earlier wood structure church built in 1881. The windows that line the nave form a continuous story and feature scenes from the life of Christ, including His birth, baptism, crucifixion, and resurrection. Several are dedicated to members of the Howes family. The magnificent chancel window shows Christ enthroned. One of the windows in the chapel shows St. Andrew, patron of the church. The window above the south balcony over the altar shows Christ breaking bread at Emaus. The choir houses the Lamb & Hanson organ, one of its banks, and an ornate altar that had been saved from the wooden church. The carved wooden pulpit is one of the few items saved from the fire that gutted the earlier stone church. The altar area also features two highly decorated balconies. The sacristy, an adjunct to the south transept, has been updated to meet the needs of today's liturgy. The narthex (foyer) of the church is under the bell tower. The main bell of the tower weighs almost 2,000 pounds. The F. Howard Company clock above the narthex, was, at one time, the "time lighthouse" for the entire village of Brewster. It struck not only the hours, but the quarter hours as well and could be heard all over the village. The portrait hanging in the narthex commemorates the church's benefactor, Seth B. Howes. Throughout the church and Great Hall are huge ornately decorated doors throughout the church. Some of the doors weigh up to 650 pounds. The Great Hall, located on the north side of the north transept, is one large room with handmade glass windows. It serves the church as a meeting hall and location for gatherings and parties.
Dedication: To the Glory of God and in
loving memory of
Dedication: In Memory of
Dedication: In Memory of Daniel Howes
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Chancel Window dedication: To the Glory of God and in
Loving Memory of | ||
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Dedication: Erected in memory of Clara Maria Drew by her daughter Catherine Drew Illingsworth | ||
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Dedication: In Memory of Reuben Wing Howes
Dedication: Frederic Reuben Howes
Dedication: In Memory of Smith G. Hunt
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Copyright
2001-2009. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. All Rights
Reserved.
Last
updated: March 2010
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questions about this Web site, contact the church office at (845) 279-4325
