Three Churches Influence 19th Century Life
In a town long accustomed to multiple religious denominations and the complete freedom of religious expression provided by the U.S. constitution's fourth amendment, it is difficult to realize that the Scioto Company founders expected Worthington to be a religious community, and specifically an Episcopal community.
As specified in the articles of agreement when the Scioto Company was organized, the 1804 partition designated the southeast side of the public square for the Episcopal church. The farm lot directly west of the village, currently the Kilbourne Village subdivision, was set aside for its support.
As early as February 7, 1804 when Kilbourne was reporting the settlement's progress to Senator Thomas Worthington he indicated, "We have formed a regular Society for religious purposes & have Divine Service performed every Sunday in Public." This society was officially incorporated as St. John's Episcopal Church by the Ohio legislature on January 27, 1807.
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St. John's Episcopal Church
The oldest church structure in Worthington, on the southeast quadrant of the public square, occupies the church lot set aside by the Scioto Company members who founded Worthington in 1803
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The first burial in the village took place on this church lot in November 1804 when Abner Pinney, one of the Scioto Company pioneers, died soon after his arrival. St. John's was clearly the community burial ground well into the 1830s and 40s when George Griswold's sexton records included traveling strangers, and known members of other congregation such as the wife and children of Methodist Ansel Mattoon.
But western communities did not have the homogeneity of colonial New England. Methodist and Presbyterian doctrines were popular among western migrants and both denominations authorized ministers to ride a circuit on the frontier, preaching in homes until congregations could be organized.
Official records of early Worthington Methodist and Presbyterian congregations were lost while in private hands, but both were apparently visited by traveling ministers prior to the War of 1812. Oral traditions strongly suggest several Scioto Company members or their sons became active in forming these congregations, particularly the Beaches and Slopers as Methodists, and the Cases with the Presbyterian denomination.
For years, the St. John's Episcopal congregation met in the Worthington Academy building on the northeast quadrant of the public square, and early meetings of the evolving Methodist and Presbyterian congregations were held in homes.
The Methodists were first to erect a building specifically for church services. It was on lot 155, the present northwest corner of Hartford and South streets, and was clearly completed prior to August 1, 1823 when a mortgage deed from Stephen Frothingham to Gustavus Swan referred to the lot "on which is situate the Methodist Episcopal Church."
Church histories describe this as a small brick building facing south with two entrances leading to aisles separating three sections of pews. It was lighted by four windows on each side, four lamps suspended from the ceiling, and candle scones between the windows. It was heated by two large tin-plate stoves. An elevated rostrum, altar, and pulpit were on the south end between the entrance doors.
In March 1829, trustees Job W. Case, Samuel Abbott, and Kingsley Ray of the Presbyterian Church purchased lot 70 and the north half of 72 to build their first building on the northwest quadrant of the public square. This was a frame building, perhaps because the Barkers, active members of the congregation, were skilled carpenters.
Church histories suggest the building was completed April 17, 1830 with two doors facing the public square and windows on both the north and south sides. It likewise had its pulpit between the entry doors and reportedly had a raised seat across the west end for singers commonly known as the "gallery." The only pictures of the "old church" were taken after it had been enlarged and a steeple added in the 1840s.
Historic St. John's Episcopal Church on the southeast corner of the village green was actually the last of Worthington's early 19th century church buildings to be completed, but the only one to survive in something closely resembling its original form.
Its construction dates to 1830 with various members of the congregation contributing materials and labor. One can still see the intricate brickwork directed by Arora Buttles, some of the original supporting timbers, and portions of the original pews.
An 1839 Ohio gazetteer refers to these three churches and a Universalist society which had not erected a building in Worthington . No record has been found for the latter, and its influence was apparently fleeting.
But the three religious congregations which built church structures by 1830 made significant contributions to the life of the community throughout the 19th century. The Episcopalians built the original academy building and chartered a college which did not prosper. The Presbyterians established academies for both young men and women. The Methodists played a significant role in the antislavery movement, and established a female seminary which prospered until Ohio Wesleyan became coeducational.
Today, the separation of church and state is such a strong concept that few people realize how closely many of the thirteen original colonies were identified with a specific religious group. The attempt by the Scioto Company to found an Episcopal village in the west dramatically illustrates how impractical this was in the diverse society settling frontier states like Ohio.
SOURCES:
James Kilbourne's letter 7 Feb. 1804 to Thomas Worthington is in the Thomas Worthington Papers, MIC 91, Roll 3, Box 2, Folder 6, Ohio Historical Society. The incorporation of St. John's Episcopal Church 27 January 1807 is in Laws of Ohio, Vol. 5, pp. 56-60. A photocopy transcription of G. H. Griswold's sexton records 1825-1843 for St. John's Episcopal Church cemetery is located at the Worthington Historical Society.
Frothingham's deed of 1 August 1823 referring to the Methodist Episcopal Church is in Franklin County Deed Records 4, pp. 369-370. Several sources describe the history of Methodists in Worthington. Early recollections by Louise Heath Wright, daughter of the mid 19th century minister, are in the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly, Vol. 3 (1903) pp. 28-32. The first building is described in C. J. Cummins, Methodism in Worthington, 1953, p. 5.
The deed for the Presbyterian Church lot purchases 9 March 1829 and 18 March 1829 is recorded in Franklin County Deed Record 36, pp. 354-355. Recollections and records of early members were published by Julia L. Nelson in the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly, (January 1904) pp. 33-35. A description of the first church building is in Shedding Light on Worthington, Woodrow Guild of the Worthington Presbyterian Church, 1931, pp. 58-61. A photograph of the church as remodeled in the 1840s appears in the Program of Dedication, First Presbyterian Church, Worthington, Ohio, January 1927, p. 15.
Worthington churches are listed in Warren Jenkins, The Ohio Gazetteer and Traveler's Guide, Columbus, 1839.
This article is one of a series of 31 articles originally published in the Worthington News and then in the book "Probing Worthington's Heritage" copyright by Robert and Jennie McCormick. The 1990 book is out of print, but copies are available at the libraries of the Worthington Historical Society and the Old Worthington Library. Much of this content was later included in the book "New Englanders on the Ohio Frontier" which can be purchased at our Gift Shop.
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