Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Brooklyn, NY

A few months ago I visited a very interesting and historical church that was part of a "Walking Brooklyn" tours my friends and I took this past winter.  Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, located at 75 Hicks Street, in the Brooklyn Height neighborhood of Brooklyn , New York, was built in 1849. It was founded in 1847 by transplanted New Englanders who wanted a Congregational church like those in which they had been raised, with a simple order of worship, governed by the congregation.

The 21 men and women who founded the church in Brooklyn Heights called as their first pastor Henry Ward Beecher, who soon became considered "The Most Famous Man in America," through his powerful preaching and outspoken opposition to slavery. The preacher and abolitionist's church was also “the Grand Central depot” of the Underground Railroad. Beecher was also the brother of the author Harriet Beecher Stowe, who wrote the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Published in 1853, it was the anti slavery novel that helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War.

An informational placard on the outside wall of the church. As you read, a piece of Plymouth Rock is in the adjoining building, which I will show you later in this post.

Many celebrated Americans became a part of Plymouth Church's history.  It is the only New York City church that Abraham Lincoln worshipped in before he became president.  Mark Twain spoke at Plymouth, as did many other famous writers and activists, including Clara Barton, Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Horace Greeley, and William Thackery. In February 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached a sermon on "The American Dream."

The original organ inside the church, installed in 1847, was replaced in 1866 by what was then the largest pipe organ ever built in the United States. The casework and pipes visible today are part of that organ, made by E. and G.G. Hook of Boston. The present Aeolian-Skinner Organ is a four-manual, 59-rank, 4162 pipe instrument.

When fire damaged Plymouth's original church on Cranberry Street, a new red brick Sanctuary seating 2,800 was quickly constructed, fronting on Orange Street behind the ruined original. That first building, now called the Church House, was later rebuilt to house offices, parlors and Sunday School rooms.

It also houses a small museum in its arcade consisting of interesting artifacts from the church's history.

There hangs one of the last known portraits of Henry Ward Beecher.

Henry Ward Beecher made headlines by concluding many sermons with a mock slave auction where he would act as a fast-talking auctioneer in search of donations towards the purchase of slaves' freedom.  Pictured above is Sarah, a 21 year old daughter of a white father and slave mother in Virginia who was going to be sold further south until Beecher heard about her situation and arranged for her to be brought to the church.  The parishioners passed forth donations to raise her $1,200 fee and buy her freedom as well as a small house in upstate New York where she supported herself by keeping chickens and growing vegetables to sell..

One of the most notable slaves whose freedom was bought at Plymouth Church was a young girl named "Pinky." A parishioner placed a small gold ring in the offering plate for her and Beecher placed the ring upon the child's finger.   Pinky, who was renamed Rose Ward, lived in Washington  DC and became a school teacher.  She returned to the church in 1927 to give thanks to the church , and to return the ring, which is now on display.

Photos of a slave pen in Virginia, a painting of President's Abraham Lincoln worshipping in Plymouth Church, and Ulysses S Grant, who visited the church following his Presidency.

A photo of Harriet Beecher Stowe and her novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin," and also a book of her letters and journals

In 1934, Plymouth Church merged with the neighboring Church of the Pilgrims, the first Congregational church in Brooklyn, becoming Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims. Organized in 1844, the Church of the Pilgrims had as its founding pastor Richard Salter Storrs, who served the Church until 1900.  A piece of Plymouth Rock was given to the Church of the Pilgrims in 1840. It was placed here on a pedestal in the Plymouth Church building in 1940 after the merger.

A close up of the Plymouth Rock fragment.

Neighborhood Beat: Plymouth Church
- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

The video above from Brooklyn Independent Television with more interesting information about Plymouth Church, including the first hymnal in the United States with words and music on the same page, that was invented by Henry Ward Beecher.

Tours of Plymouth Church are available by appointment Monday through Friday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, and on Sundays after morning worship without an appointment. Please email Lois Rosebrooks, Director of History Ministry Services at loisrosebrooks@plymouthchurch.org or contact her by phone at 718-624-4743 to make an appointment.

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:
 
Mosaic Monday
Blue Monday
Our World Tuesday
Outdoor Wednesday

Many thanks to the blog hosts of these events!

The Little Church Around the Corner

It has been raining quite a bit lately here in New York City. The dark gloomy days of winter have been unseasonably warm, and I'm thankful we have not been besieged with snow and ice instead, but the rain does nothing to lift my spirits, as I miss and mourn my Mother. To lift my spirits, my husband invited me to have dinner this week at our favorite Italian restaurant in Manhattan, I Trulli, which is located in the Flatiron Gramacy neighborhood.  I took the express bus into Manhattan from Brooklyn and arriving little early I decided to walk around a bit.  At One East 29th Street (Between Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue) I came upon the Church of the Transfiguration, also known as "The Little Church Around the Corner." 

The church history is explained briefly on its website: "Founded in October 1848, The Church of the Transfiguration is one of the most famous Episcopal parishes in the United States. For more than 160 years, The Church of the Transfiguration has been known for its inclusivity – welcoming individuals from all races, classes, sexual orientations, and other backgrounds. Established on what had been the outskirts of New York City in the mid-19th century, the church today is a visible worshipping community near the geographic center of Manhattan.

The Church of the Transfiguration was founded by the Rev. George Hendric Houghton, sometimes called one of the Saints of the American Church, who served as its rector for 49 years. In his ministry to those in need, he sheltered escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad and African-American families during the Draft Riots of the Civil War and welcomed members of the theater profession, something not common at the time."

"The Church of the Transfiguration is often called “The Little Church Around the Corner.”  The nickname dates back to 1870, when Joseph Jefferson – famous for his portrayal of Rip Van Winkle on stage – had requested a funeral at another church for his fellow actor and friend, George Holland.  Upon learning that the deceased had been an actor, the priest refused.  At the time, many considered actors to be unworthy of Christian burial. After some prodding by Jefferson, the priest suggested that “There is a little church around the corner where it might be done.”  Jefferson responded, “Then I say to you, sir, God bless the little church around the corner.”

"To this day, The Church of the Transfiguration maintains close ties to the theater.  The church has served as the national headquarters of the Episcopal Actors' Guild since its founding in 1923, by the third Rector, Dr. Randolph Ray.  The church itself was designated a United States Landmark for Church and Theater in 1973."

Such theatrical greats as Basil Rathbone, Tallulah Bankhead, Peggy Wood, Joan Fontaine, Rex Harrison, Barnard Hughes, and Charlton Heston have served as officers or council members of the Episcopal Actors' Guild. The Little Church's association with the theatre continued in the 1970s, when it hosted the Joseph Jefferson Theatre Company, which gave starts to actors such as Armand Assante, Tom Hulce, and Rhea Perlman.

The story of the church's nickname and its quiet little garden have attracted many couples from around the world who have chosen to be married here.

I decided to stop in for a few moments to reflect and pray.

Unfortunately, the main body of the church was closed and I had to take the photo above through the wavy glass window of the locked gate that was across the back of the Narthex.

The smaller "Chapel of the Holy Family," also known as The Bride's Chapel," was open, however, and I sat there in peace for awhile. Thousands of marriages have taken place before this altar!

I found this short Youtube video that shows more detail from inside the church, including the iconic Jefferson "Little Church Around the Corner" stained glass window.

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photo source

There is also a stained glass window inside the church called  the "Edwin Booth Window" by John La Farge, which portrays the noted actor in the role of Hamlet, which was given as a memorial by members of the Players Club in 1898. Booth was a member of this parish and the founder of the Players Club, which was formed, partly in reparation for his brother John Wilkes Booth's assassination of Lincoln, to provide a place where actors and non-actors could meet

A photo collage of the stained glass windows in the Chapel of the Holy Family.

The stained glass window in the Lady's Chapel.

Once again outside I left through the church's unusual Lychgate. Mrs. Franklin Delano (nee Laura Astor), great aunt of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, funded the construction of this gate in 1896. The gate is in need of repair and restoration, so the church has set up a fund to collect money to do both.  If you are charmed by the story of "The Little Church Around the Corner" and wish to learn how to contribute to this fund, I'm sure you can contact the Church through their website.

By the time I left the church the sky had brightened considerably, and so had my mood.  I walked south through Madison Square Park.....

...and waited for my husband at the subway stairs across from the Flatiron Building.

We then walked a few blocks over to the restaurant on East 27th Street. Can you see the Chrysler building in the photo above?

A closer view of the Chrysler Building's ornate top.

The glow emanating from the restaurant windows was welcoming ....

...as was the warm fire inside.

I have to say the day brightened for me in many ways. There is peace to be found in many ways in New York City -- a quiet church, a lovely park, the uplifting vistas of landmark buildings, and a favorite cozy restaurant where we have shared many good memories, all helped me feel better.

Where do you find the same experiences where you live? Where do you go to brighten your spirit?

I'm adding this post to Spiritual Sunday, Scenic Sundays, Seasonal Sunday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Blue Monday, Mosaic Monday and Our World Tuesday. Many Thanks to the blog hosts!

Saint Mark's Church In The Bowery, East Village NYC

I read this fascinating historical book recently about an almost forgotten period in American history, called "The Island at the Center of the World." It is about the Dutch colony of New Netherlands that was located on the east coast of North America in the seventeenth century for over fifty years, until the English gained control of it in 1664, and turned its capital, New Amsterdam, into New York City.  Journalist and historian Russell Shorto was inspired to write this book when he learned about the New Netherlands Project which is based at the New York State Library in Albany, New York. For the last 30 years historian and linguistic scholar, Charles Gehring, has been translating 400 year old documents from New Amsterdam that were stored in the library for the project, and Shorto then interpreted them into a enthralling tale of the beginnings of the greatest city in the world.

Inspired by this book, I went out to find a little bit of the Dutch history that I read about, and I took a trip into the East Village/Lower East side neighborhood of Manhattan to visit Saint Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, located at 131 East 10th Street, at the intersection of 10th and Stuyvesant Streets and 2nd Avenue.   It is located on the oldest site of continuous worship in New York City and it is the second oldest church in Manhattan.

The church history from it web site states: "The St. Mark’s Church and its yards are just a few reminders of the once vast “bouwerie,” or Dutch plantation, which Peter Stuyvesant, governor of New Amsterdam purchased in 1651 from the Dutch West India Company. When Stuyvesant died in 1672, his body was interred in a vault under the family chapel he’d had built in 1660. In 1793, Stuyvesant’s great-grandson, Petrus Stuyvesant, donated the chapel property to the Episcopal Church with the stipulation that a new chapel be erected and on April 25, 1795, the cornerstone of St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery was laid."

The site is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places and was designated a New York City Landmark in 1966.

An information plaque on the exterior of the church giving a brief account of its history.

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The bust of Peter Stuyvesant is located in the churchyard. He served as the last Dutch Director-General of the colony of New Netherland (New York) from 1647 until it was ceded provisionally to the English in 1664. The bust was designed by Dutch sculptor Toon Dupuis, and presented to St.Mark’s by Queen Wilhelmina of Holland and the Dutch Government on December 5, 1915.

After losing the New Amsterdam colony to the English, Stuyvesant was recalled to Holland. He later petitioned to return to his beloved renamed New York, and died here in 1672. He is entombed in a wall in the St. Mark’s Church east yard, and and six generations of his descendants are also found in the churchyard. The black marker in the photo above shows the location of his tomb.

"Here (Peter Stuyvesant) built a manor and chapel. Here he would live out his life and be buried, and here, over the parade of centuries, flappers, shtetl refugees, hippies and punks – an aggregate of local residents running from Trotsky to Auden to Charlie Parker to Joey Ramone – would shuffle past his tomb.

-- Russell Shorto, from his book "The Island at the Center of the World."

There are other historical notables buried in the churchyard, one being Daniel Tompkins, a former governor of New York (1807-1817) and Vice President of the United States (1817-1825).

Some contemporary Memorial plaques on the church facade in the east churchyard.

The church web site states: "Support for the arts is an integral part of St. Mark’s community-based mission. Poetry, theatre and dance have co-existed at St. Mark’s providing a neighborhood and national forum for original and provocative performances. W.H. Auden, William Carlos Williams, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Kahil Gibran, W.H. Auden and Allen Ginsberg have taken part in poetry readings. Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham danced at St. Mark’s, and Sam Shepard produced his first plays here. Today three innovative projects are housed at St. Mark’s: The Poetry Project, Danspace Project and Ontological-Hysteric Theater."

The Saint Mark's in-the-Bowery west churchyard is a lush green space in summer, shaded by a canopy of many trees. It is a little "secret garden" of sort, a quiet oasis where you can sit and rest and retreat from the crowded city. I think it's a fitting that it is known as "The Healing Garden."

A sign in the churchyard.

Another view of the west churchyard.  The white building in the rear is the historic Ernest Flagg Rectory of Saint Mark's. There were quite a few people enjoying a Sunday afternoon in the yard.

One of my favorite photos of the day: a beautiful red rose resting above the rusted iron fence of the churchyard.  In a place with so much history it was a small reminder to me to enjoy each precious moment, as life, and the world, are ever changing.

I'm adding this post to the weekly "Outdoor Wednesday"event on Susan's blog A Southern Daydreamer. Please visit Susan's blog today to see links to all the blogs participating with their wonderful outdoor posts.