Congregational Church Celebrates 200 Years!
All throughout the year of 2022 members of the First Congregational Church have been celebrating the rich history of their church’s heritage and congregation. The North Ridgeville Historical Society would like to recognize this important chapter in the history of our town. Many of you have already heard the story of the founding of North Ridgeville-a small group of dedicated pioneers who traveled from Waterbury, Ct. to settle this area of the Western Reserve and how they became our earliest settlers. It is from here we take up the story of the church.
The first Sunday after completing their journey- May 15, 1810, a religious service was held. Records state Joel Terrell took out his Testament, read a chapter, prayed and read a psalm. David Beebe pitched a tune, and they all sang. From this date onward services were held regularly in the homes of these pioneers.
After 12 years of worshiping in homes, with Joel Terrell usually leading, a church was born. The first church was formed December 20, 1822, with Rev. Alfred H. Betts of Brownhelm and Rev. Lot R. Sullivan officiating in the organization. The people assembled at the schoolhouse located on the southwest corner of what are now Rts. 83 and 20. The schoolhouse was too small to hold the many worshipers this day, so the meeting was moved to the barn of Joseph Humphrey on the opposite side of the road. A sermon appropriate for the occasion was delivered by Rev. Dr. Betts. The church was given the name First Presbyterian Church of Ridgeville. The first members were Chester Beebe, his wife, Marcia, Hezekiah Case, Samuel Eldred, Seth Alcott, and Lucinda Cahoon. The following sabbath Mrs. Hezekiah Case, Marcus Case, his wife Lora and Ora Case were received as members. On May 15th, 1823, Ebenezer Porter and his wife Eunice became members and on August 31, 1823 Jeremiah Womren and Lydia Morgan also became members.
All members adopted a covenant or code of religious discipline. These matters were not taken lightly. There were multiple cases of excommunications and public humiliation. Article 7 of the covenant declares, “This church considers collection of hay or grain on the Sabbath, attending to any part of the business of making sugar, visiting friends except in case of sickness and prosecution of journeys on the day without special necessity, as violation of Christian duty”. For three years from 1822-1825 services were conducted by missionaries or pastors from churches of the surrounding area. When the schoolhouse where the first meetings were held burned down in 1825, the congregation moved to another schoolhouse. This was the year the church obtained its first resident pastor, the Rev. B. W. Lathrop, who was installed on June 25, 1825. The Rev. John Monteith replaced Rev. Lathrop in 1832 and remained until 1835. It was about this time that the church built its first log meeting house on the site of what is now the Old Town Hall on Center Ridge Rd.
Hard years fell upon the church and it began to struggle. During the next six years the congregation depended upon “supply” pastors and limped along under adverse conditions. By 1849 it had become almost extinct; to quote the record, “the cause of Christ was very low”. The affairs of the church were conducted in a loose manner and at least part of the time its record was not very regularly kept.
It was February of 1841 when a layman named D. C. White entered the scene and became a rescuer of sorts to the floundering congregation. Under Mr. White’s leadership the record said, “the church seemed somewhat resuscitated and agreed to renounce its creed or articles of faith and covenant and take the simple word of God, as reported in the Bible, as its only rule of faith and practice”. An attempt was made to heal some of the differences among the brethren and a return of those who had strayed. “Although some cases of discipline existed, the past should be forgotten and each member should receive his brother and, for the future, walk in love, one with another” the record said. By unanimous vote of its 55 members, D.C. White was invited to become pastor of the church. He accepted and on September 1, 1841 was ordained and installed by the committee of “The Lorain County Association”. The Rev. Charles G. Finney of Oberlin preached the sermon at the ceremony, which was held in Levi Terrell’s orchard- the log house being too small for the assembled crowd.
Shortly thereafter the church became known as The First Congregational Church and Society of North Ridgeville. It is interesting to note that the salaries of the early ministers included food stuffs and firewood. Part of the Rev. White’s compensation included two suits of clothes which were made by Mrs. Serepta Terrell, who had learned the tailoring trade in her New England home. The Rev. White remained until 1848, and afterwards “filled the desk” when no minister could be obtained. He died in 1880 and is the only pastor who served the Congregational Church to be buried across the street in the Ridgeville cemetery.
In 1842 Ebenezer Porter and his wife conveyed to the trustees of the church a tract of land on Center Ridge Rd. for the sum of $60. A frame church building was erected on this site- which is where the current church stands. In 1845 temperance resolutions were adopted and in June of 1846 the church was enlarged and repaired. Also that year the present church bell was purchased. Records state that the “Meeting house was dedicated” in November of 1846. No records have been found acknowledging the beginning of the Sunday School, or Sabbath School as it was known then, but one existed around 1846. Records show that “A. W. Ingalls taught a select school in the old church” and the upper painted glass window in the front of the church has a panel at the bottom center that reads “Presented by the Sabbath School”.
In 1849 the Ladies Benevolent Society of North Ridgeville Congregational Church was formed. The group met at the home of Mrs. Joel Terrell, where they wrote a 13 article Constitution which read in part; “Whereas we are bound to promote the extension of science, morality and welfare of humanity and especially to be liberal to the poor”. Membership dues were charged with the ladies paying annually 12 1/2 cents and the gentlemen were charged 25 cents. The list of members had 47 women and 23 gentlemen. The Society held many fairs and suppers raising money to be used to enhance the church and help others less fortunate. The first fair raised $225 and enabled the group to purchase a melodeon for the church. In 1850 they purchased and circulated books for a library and in 1876, when the church was completed, the group had the money to furnish it. In the 1940’s they packed food for the needy, ordered dishes for their various suppers (still in use today) ordered 50 folding chairs and sent food to the Freedom Train.
The 1850s saw much growth in our little town. The most important to the pioneers were the grist mills and sawmills. The Ridgeville Chair Works was established next door to the church in 1853. The only cider mill in the township was owned and operated by W.H. Eldred. It was built in 1856 and could make 80 barrels of cider a day. The Rev. I. L. Tomlinson was pastor from 1849-1852 when strong resolutions against slavery and intemperance were adopted. The church not only talked against slavery, but its members tried to do something about it. It is recorded that Turland T. Winckles, one of the builders of the new church, concealed slaves in loads of hay on trips to Oberlin as part of the underground railroad. The resolutions against slavery and intemperance as recorded by church clerk I. Tomlinson, read as follows:
Resolved that for the voluntary act of enslaving a fellow man, otherwise than for crime, we know of no justification, God having made of one blood all nations, every man owes directly to God, the right and free use and improvement of his powers, physical and mental, and therefore cannot rightfully be made to use them in entire subserviency to the will of any of God’s creatures and especially to those whose will, by the act of forcibly reducing and holding their fellow in slavery is proved to be at variance with their Makers.
Resolved that neither as a church nor as individuals, will we knowingly hold fellowship with such slaveholders nor do any act, which can, in any reasonable way, be construed into an approbation of palliation of the inhuman practice.
Resolved that we deem it an imperative obligation on every Christian to discountenance the above and all other immoralities and sins by all lawful means, at all times and in all places, and therefore true Christian faithfulness requires of every man in a country of laws to see to it that in the part he takes in choosing law makers and so far as his is called directly to act in making laws, he exerts his influence and weight in such a manner as to bear the strongest testimony against sin in all its forms.
In 1873 the congregation voted to build a new church and the frame church building was moved across the street and to the west of Stoney Ridge Rd. The building cost was divided into shares of $10 each and work began in June of that year. The ground was broken by Deacon Tomlinson and it was Ed Ames who plowed the first furrow. The pastor’s crippled son, Earnest McCarthy spent all day throwing dirt out of the furrow with a fire shovel. The building was not completed until 1876, the delay in completion being due to the fact the majority of the labor was donated and the congregation’s unwillingness to go into debt. The total cost to build the church was $10,800, and the remaining debt was quickly liquidated by its members. The first service was held on Christmas Day 1875. At its dedication the following month the new church was renamed the First Congregational Church of North Ridgeville. The new church was lit by kerosene lamps which had to be raised and lowered making an attic necessary, and heating was by a pot-bellied stove. A coal furnace was eventually installed in the basement with a single grate in the middle of the center aisle.
In January of 1879, there were 47 members in the church and 150 students in the Sabbath School. Joshua Lickorish was Sabbath School Superintendent. There was no settled pastor at this time and the pulpit was filled every Sabbath with ministers from Oberlin. In 1888 a local chapter of the Christian Endeavor Society was organized in the church. This was a youth group and few records are available until 1916, when some of the members were Doris Terrell, Ruth Winckles, Louise Fitts, Ivah Hadaway and C Gilder.
The 1890s showed the church in a period of prosperity and well-being. Membership had risen to 106, the building was repaired and carpeting was laid. In 1900 the church was able to install a pipe organ- the gift of Judge Stephenson Burke of Cleveland, a former North Ridgeville resident. He gave $1000 and the remaining $350 was given by the Ladies Benevolent Society and the Christian Endeavor Society. There was no electricity at the time of installation and the bellows had to be pumped by hand, usually by the boys of the church. In 1914 the beautiful stained-glass “Mary Martha Window” was installed in the southeast corner of the sanctuary. The window was given to the church by Mrs. James Paddock in memory of her husband and son Harvey M. Paddock. The 1920s brought electricity and in 1922 the building was redecorated in honor of the 100th anniversary. In 1931 the city organized its first Fire Department with Lewis Hadaway, a member of the church as chief. In 1932 Center Ridge Rd. was paved with bricks and in 1934 the Carey Winckles family financed the addition of a social room and kitchen to the church.
The Rev. E.C. Young was pastor from 1920-1940. Buescher’s Feed Store opened in 1936, just east of the Town Hall and North Ridgeville saw its first bookmobile. During the war years Erston Butterfield became the pastor. He delivered a message to the congregation reminding them of the great responsibility to send the world the message of faith, hope and love. The following year he reminded them of all there was for which to be thankful. In the late 1940s the sanctuary was remodeled with new wiring and lights and a new furnace replaced the coal furnace.
In 1948 Rev. Ralph Chapman was called to serve the church. He was 39 years old, married, a graduate of Boston University and had completed about two years of study at Oberlin Theological Seminary. His wife, Ruth had a master’s degree from Boston University and they had two children- Judy and Jack. Rev. Chapman became active in not only church groups, but also many civic groups- the PTA, the North Ridgeville Recreation Council, Scouts, Hot Stove baseball and he was director of the local council for intellectually disabled children.
In 1953 the Whitcomb family donated to a new building fund 22shares of Goodyear Tire Co. stock which provided $1,104. Also at this time the congregation was deciding what could be done with the organ, which was in the front of the sanctuary and was deemed inadequate. An organ committee was formed with Barbara Carpenter, assistant organist as chairperson. Serving on the committee were Mrs. Hugh Amidon, Mrs. Richard Redstone, Clarence Steller, Vern Andrews Jr., Ethan Brown, and the Reverend Chapman. After a long study, expert organ builder, Dr. Homer Blanchard of Oberlin was employed to create an entirely new instrument and it was decided to move the new instrument and the choir into the upstairs balcony. The church members sprung into action raising funds and pledges to allow the work to be done. The men of the church worked together to prepare the balcony for the additional weight of the organ and the choir. Many of them gave time and skills necessary to do carpentry, wiring, and even helping with the construction of the organ itself, including Michael Auer, James Wood, Emmett Conn, Wilson Moore, Alfred Foote, Howard Gould, Steve Adam, Robert Johnston, Walter Reinhart, Dana Fox and Jack Spirek. The new two-manual organ was unveiled on March 20th, 1955 during a recital with Danford Byrens playing. Soon after many improvements were made to the church. A new kitchen and fellowship hall were added. The building was dedicated in February of 1957 at a well-attended open house. The three sons of Mr. and Mrs. Wade Wilford and the children of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Richards and Mr. and Mrs. William Richards were presented. The Richards children were descendants of T. T. Winckles, one of the men responsible for the building of the present sanctuary in 1873-1875. The Wilford boys are the sixth generation of the Terrell family, among the original settlers of Ridgeville and founders of the early church. Ten year old Bruce Wilford, eldest of the group, offered a brief prayer for the parents and children of tomorrow. The service benediction was led by Rev. Chapman. Mrs. Sterling Mills and members of the social committee served refreshments. Earle Goodwin, choirmaster, accompanied the music for the day. The building committee consisted of Raymond Boey, Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Adam, Mrs. Harold Carpenter, Mrs. W. K. Johnson, Emmett Conn, Howard Gould, Walter Reinhart, Michael Auer and Charles Hoskin. Stephan Adam was chairman of the finance committee, and the dedication committee was comprised of Charles Hoskin, Mrs. Adam, Mrs. Hugh Amidon, Mrs. W. R. Englehart, Mrs. Robert Haehl, Joseph Carter, Howard Gould and Robert Johnston.
Rev. Gene Wilson, his wife Jeanette and their four children were the first inhabitants in a new parsonage, which was built in 1961. It was directly behind the church and cost $25,000. A few years later Rev. Robert Peters was called to take over the leadership. In 1966, the “Lasch House” property was purchased for $25,000. The house would be utilized to hold six classrooms of Sunday School students and the girl scouts could use it during the week. The house was originally built in 1857 by Alton Mooers, who operated the Ridgevillle Chair Works. Mr. Mooer’s wife, Arlette, was the daughter of Wyllys Terrell, Jr., an early pioneer. Sometime following the death of Mr. Mooers, a family named Oakes bought the house and operated it as the “Inn of the Four Chimneys”. The Lasch family purchased the property in the 1930s and owned it until they sold it to the church. Early in 1970 concerns were made over the issue of safety at the Lasch House. The upstairs classrooms were deemed unsafe and the cost to renovate them was prohibitive. The decision was made to sell the house and keep the land. The house was offered free to anyone who would move it, but there was no interest and the house was demolished in 1971. An addition to the rear of the church featuring eight new classrooms, a pastor’s study and a relocated stairwell was opened in 1970.
Pastor Rev. Harold Freer came to the church in the early 1970s and became very active and innovative in his ministry and sermons. During his time the church had 214 active members. Rev. Freer enjoyed leading youth groups on tours and the church youth visited Washington D.C., Montreal Canada and Michigan during these years. Rev. Freer also exchanged pulpits with Dr. Clifford Hill of London England for a month.
The 1970s also saw Rev. Ivan Morrin and the first woman pastor in this area- Priscilla Shoup. In 1977 a sink hole developed on the old Lasch Property. It turned out it was due to an abandoned well located there and was 10-12 feet deep. Member, Bob Gilder, arranged to have two tons of stone delivered to fill the hole, but it required two more tons to finish the job. Bob said, “Just send the bill to my house.” Membership had increased to 280 by the 1980s and the Sunday School averaged about 75 children.
In its 200 years of existence the church and its members have faced many challenges and hardships, but they have been able to persevere and face each problem with renewed energy. The church building has been utilized by many community groups over the years- most recently groups such as a nursery school, Lions Club, AA, Jazzercize, 4H, Scouts, PTA and the North Ridgeville Arts Council. In addition, the North Ridgeville Community Care was started in the basement of the church. Thousands of people over the last 200 years have helped finance and dedicated their time and talents to make the church not only a place of worship, but a gathering place for people of all ages, races and backgrounds.
We congratulate the First Congregational Church on this milestone!