Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 10.djvu/172

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l62

��Christ Church.

��but was opened for the occasion, and I believe that she was the last bride to stand before the altar in Christ church.

The first person baptized in Christ church was P^lizabeth Ann Carpenter, daughter of Wra. and Elizabeth Car- penter, born March 3, 1831,— Ann Blackaller god-mother, and the parents sponsors. The baptism occurred July 31, 1831, only a few days after the dedication of the church.

In the record of deaths I find two infant children of J. W. and E. S. Pierce recorded.

During the years intervening be- tween 1855 and 1883 only an occa- sional service was held in the church. It began to show the traces of time and neglect. But there was some- thing brewing, and the old church was the cause. For some time there had been no regular Protestant service in the village, and the people went over the river into Maine to worship in the different churches, in the long-settled village, South Berwick. For some reason the little Episcopal leaven left in Salmon Falls besfan to work in the autumn of 1883, and it has leavened the whole lump.

The prominent men of the village, among whom can be mentioned Wm. H. Morton, cashier of the Salmon Falls Bank, O. S. Brown, agent of the S, F. INlanufacturing Company, W. B. Mack, M. D., and many others, took the matter in hand. The old church was looked over, and was found to be in such a shattered con- dition, that, after due deliberation, it was decided by those who held the power to decide^ to sell the old church, and to build a new one in a more quiet locality, away from the noise

��and bustle of the railroad and town's highway. The corner-stone of the new church was laid June 21, 1884. From "The Living Church" I copy the following :

"The laying of the corner-stone of the new church building was an event which o;laddened the hearts of all who were interested in the revival of the Church's work in the community. Generous contributions were made for this purpose by friends outside of the place, and soon sufficient funds were secured to warrant the beginning of the work. As the Bishop and Clergy, preceded by the Wardens and the architect, approached in proces- sion, 'Onward, Christian Soldiers,' was sung with spirit, and the service which followed, including the 87th psalm and hymn 202, 'The Church's One Foundation,' was entered into heartily by the assembled congrega- tion. After the stone had been laid in its place, interesting addresses were made by the Eev. Messrs. Beard of Dover and Hovey of Portsmouth, who spoke pleasantly of the relation which had existed between their own parishes and the old parish in this place, St. Thomas's, Dover, having been a daughter, and St. John's Ports- mouth, the parent of Christ church, S. F. They were followed by the Bishop of the Diocese, who spoke with unusual warmth and earnestness. After the Bishop's address, the Gloria in Excelsis was sung, and the service closed with the benediction. The new church is to be erected by Messrs. Fall & ]\Ioulton, of So. Berwick, Maine. Mr. Henry Vaughan, of Bos- ton, is the architect. The building will be of wood, cruciform in shape, 74 ft. long, 23 ft, wide. The Rev,

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