According to all records, Dr. McCook held the first Episcopal services in the village of Niantic in this new house in 1872.  An Alcove leading from the large front parlor was arranged as an oratory with a stained glass window and an altar containing a consecrated stone.  This altar is now a side altar in St. John’s Church .  Dr. McCook conducted three services each Sunday during the summer months in the “Oratory Parlor”.  Holy Communion was at 7:00A.M. , Morning Prayer at 11:00A.M. and Evening Prayer at 5 o’clock .  His children have recalled that he always officiated in full vestments, and also celebrated the Holy Communion of Saint’s days and on special feast days.  Their duties entailed collecting and arranging chairs in the parlor and setting out the hand-made flags of all nations on red, white and blue stakes on the front lawn to announce the impending services.  The four boys acted as an acolytes and ushers, while the girls took turns playing the organ.  The children were also responsible for reverently storing away the Altar Stone and the altar vesting when autumn forced the closing of the summer home.

            At first, these services were attended only by the family and guests staying in the house, but gradually people of the Anglican faith came from both near and relatively far to join them.  Among the neighboring families were those of Mr. James Norman Bond and Mr. Arthur C. Liebert, a vestryman of St. John’s Church in East Hartford .  The McCook children have estimated that between 60 and 80 people used to come to these services, filling the parlor and overflowing to the broad hall and wide porches.

            With the hope of someday building a chapel, Dr. McCook put a lacquer box on the hall table for voluntary offerings.  No formal records were kept until 1891 when Reverend Theodore M. Peck was assigned to the Mission from the Archdeaconry of New London.  There was as yet, no chapel.  In winter, services were held in the Millstone Point Schoolhouse and the house of a Mrs. Warren on Main Street , Niantic.  The Reverend Mr. Peck, it seems, conducted these winter services, while Dr. McCook continued to officiate in his own house in the summer.

            By 1899, the offerings had reached a sum of several hundred dollars.  The Archdeaconry of New London gave $250 toward a building and other sizeable contributions were made.  To this growing fund was added a gift of $500 from Miss Celeste E. Bush, member of an old Niantic family, who was born in 1846 and received her early education at the Toad Rock School near Pennsylvania Avenue .  She was a teacher and historian and was influential in urging a site in the village for the proposed chapel.  Dr. McCook and the Bond family of Black Point favored a location nearer at hand in Crescent Beach , but in the interest of harmony, yielded the point.  Plans went forward in the spring and early summer of 1899.

              St. John’s Chapel was designed by an architect of Hartford , Mr. Melvin Hapgood, a friend of Dr. McCook, and was built in the autumn of 1899.  The original building still stands as part of our old Church.  It is described in contemporary records as a wooden building, painted green with white trim as we see it today.  The style has been tenderly called “Carpenter Gothic”.  The architect’s fee was $25 and the total cost of the building was $1172.  Mr. Hapgood had in storage a circular stained glass window which he had made for one of his clients, Mrs. E.C. Hilliard, and which had never been used.  This “rose window” was graciously given to the chapel by Mrs. Hilliard and was installed in the wall above the altar.  When the building was nearing completion, on November 17, 1899 , Dr. and Mrs. McCook deeded the property on which it stood to the Trustees of Donations and Bequests for Church Purposes, a corporation incorporated under an act of the Assembly of the State of Connecticut in 1863.  Inquires as to the choice of the name, St. John’s, have been made to McCook descendents, who could only suppose that it was intended to show regard for Dr. McCook’s  Church in East Hartford.

            The first baptism recorded in St. John’s Chapel was that of Margaret Stevens on December, 1899.  Her mother, Mrs. Louis Stevens, taught in the first Sunday school when it was organized by Miss Celeste Bush, succeeded Miss Bush as superintendent in 1910 and served until 1928.  She was also organist from about 1915 to 1928.  Another devoted worker in those very early years was Miss Janie Manwaring, who for forty years acted as custodian and tended the altar.

            The Chapel was served by a succession of priests, known as the Lyme Missionaries, who were responsible for services at Blackhall in Lyme, at the Seabury Memorial Chapel in Groton , at the Millstone School Mission and at St. John’s .  The distances involved and transportation by horse and buggy limited the number of services in all the Missions, twice monthly it appears at St. John’s .  The modest salaries of these priests were provided by contributions from the Missions, amounting to very little indeed by present standards.

            At St. John’s , a small lay Executive Committee managed its worldly affairs, under guidance of the priest-in-charge, who was ex officio the Chairman.  Hand-written minutes of the committee’s meetings from 1906 still exist.  Here can be seen the devoted efforts of Mr. Phillip J. McCook, and of Mr. And Mrs. James N. Bond and of Mrs. Frederick H, Dart, the former Maria Bond.  In later records, the names of other loyal supporters recur throughout the years.

            In 1900 the Chapel was used by the Niantic Public Library at a rental of $25 a year to cover expenses and to preserve the nondenominational character of the library.  The rent was raised in 1902 to $30 year and the library continued to operate in these quarters until its own building was completed in 1921.  In 1908, the Chapel was formally dedicated.  It was heated by a coal stove; records show a long agitation to try to finance a furnace.  In 1913, electricity was installed, and in 1916, an automobile was provided by all the Missions for the use of their priest.  The early records are full of references to necessary repairs, to efforts to raise money, to questions of ways to meet the missionary assessments, to discouragement in the Sunday School and the Girl’s Friendly Society, and to many problems which have their echo today.  They also reflect the untiring energies of a small devoted group who kept the Mission alive in those first difficult years.  In 1916, Mr. Steven N. Bond gave to the Trustees for donations and Bequests the land adjoining the Chapel and running to Prospect Place on the west and to McCook land on the South. A right of way was reserved.

            Priest-in-charge came and went during these years, some stay only for a short time. The ministry of Reverend Arnold F. Fenton from 1932 to 1934 seems to have been an especially happy time.  Two women’s group, St. John’s Guild and the Woman’s Auxiliary, were started in this period, later to make important contributions to the church‘s life.  The mission was now firmly establishes and a new chapter was about to begin with the coming of the Reverend Clarence R. Wagner, whose long and dedicated service lasted from 1934 to 1963.

            These three decades marked, one might say, the “growing up” of St. John’s Niantic itself was expanding, and the larger population brought new families and new strength to the Mission congregation.

            On May 7, 1937 , St. John’s was recognized as an organized Mission of Diocese of Connecticut in a letter signed by Bishop Frederick G. Budlong.  The alteration of status was more formality than an actual change of St. John’s .  The assessments for missions remained the same as formerly, but the right to send delegates to the Dioceses and Convention accompanied the recognition.

            It soon became apparent that the little original building was no longer adequate for the needs of he congregation.  Temporary relief was found in 1937 by permission to have the Sunday School meet in the library Building across the street and by the use of Mr. Stephen Bond’s “little house on York Street” as a Parish Hall.  The three woman’s organizations began to set aside a fund from the proceeds of their cake sales and benefits.  Mr. Phillip J. McCook privately collected a considerable sum of money and the American Church Building Fund contributed $1000 toward a Parish Hall.

            Plans for an addition were drawn up by a Mr. Price, and the estimated cost was to be $3000, including furnishings.  A door-to-door canvass of the congregation brought the fund up to the amount required and in 1938, the Parish Hall came into being.  It contained a small kitchen, sanctuary and assembly room, - the overall dimensions were 24’ X 40’.  Great as was this improvement for the Sunday School and for lay activities, it did not long meet the needs of St. John’s .  By 1953, these needs became too insistent to ignore and a new kitchen and other facilities were installed according to plans made by Mr. Albert G. Clay.  This work was finished in 1954.  Other improvements to the old building were made in the following year, including a new heating system and new front steps.

            Later, it was decided that a substantial enlargement of the Chapel was mandatory.  In January, 1957, Mr. Clay and Mr. Nicholas G. Staub, members of the Executive Committee, outlined a proposed expansion and estimated its cost at $20,000.  Under professional fund-raising direction, within a week a sum of $27,654 was either pledged or given in cash.  The sum grew to 31,800, in a few months.  Mr. Alexander Lindsay drew the construction plans for moving the Chancel area to the West and adding five new rows of pews, thus increasing the seating capacity by 50 percent.  While the work was in progress, services were held in Mrs. Stephen Bond’s barn.  The enlarged church was dedicated by the Right Reverend Robert McC. Hatch, Suffrangan Bishop of Connecticut , on October 13, 1957 .

            With the more ample space and a stronger financial position, the question of applying to the Bishop of Parish status was discussed at intervals.  This change would remove St. John’s from Diocesan monetary assistance, and for some time it was felt to be premature.

            The Reverend Clarence R. Wagner completed twenty-five years of service in 1960, and announced his forthcoming resignation, to the deep regret of his congregation.   Mr. And Mrs. Wagner had always resided in their home in Waterford , so in preparation for the calling of replacement, a house was purchased at 53 Society Road , Niantic.

            During the summer of 1963, Mr. and Mrs. Wagner made their farewells to St. John’s amid a great outpouring of respect and affection.  And on August 3rd of that year, Reverend Richardson A. Libby took over the duties of Priest-in-charge of the mission church.

            From that date, St. John’s began a process which can be best described as its “coming of age”.  This was greatly accelerated by a large bequest under the will of Mrs. Maria B. Pinches.  Upon the death of her husband in September, 1963, this inheritance came to St. John’s .  As a young woman, Mrs. Pinches had lived in Niantic, taught school and attended the Mission Chapel.  In later life, although no longer a resident of the village, she never forgot her early attachment and left her estate for the benefit of St. John’s .  Because it was still a Mission , the Pinches fund, with other bequests, was administered by the diocese, the income only being made available to the beneficiary.  But the very existence of the Fund added greatly to St. John’s growing independence in financial matters.

            In 1965, with financial stability established, application was made to the Bishop of Connecticut and St. John’s Mission was declared a Parish on March 31^st.  Of that year, the Reverend Richardson A. Libby was instituted as its first rector on June 6th  by the Right Reverend Warren J. Hutchins, then Suffragan Bishop of Connecticut .

            The organization of the Church had to be adjusted to this new and permanent status.  The former Lay Executive Committee became the Vestry and the former Vice-Chairman, the Senior Warden.  The office of Junior Warden also became a part of the parish administration.  Mr. J. Hull Manwaring was St. John’s first Senior Warden; Mr. Albert G. Clay, St. John ’s first Junior Warden.

            Almost once, and with encouragement of the Bishop’s office in Hartford , the question of building a new church commanded the attention of the congregation.  Various preliminary steps were taken; an old house on the corner of McCook Place was purchased to provide office space and rooms for Sunday School classes called St. Michael’s House, while shortly afterwards a strip of land and a small store adjacent to it were also acquired.  The arguments for and against the commitment to a new church were debated at length, but in 1966, the decision to build was reached.  A building Committee was appointed and a study of possible sites was instituted.  The firm of architects headed by Mr. Charles King and Mr. Theodore Ariev of Hartford was selected.  The plans and choice of site submitted by this group were finally accepted by a parish meeting on March, 1969 and groundbreaking ceremonies took place a few weeks later on Sunday, March 23.  A building Fund drive, under professional direction, approximately $275,000 was met by pledges and gifts, by the sale of securities held by the Church Memorial Funds, a loan from the Diocese and a bank loan covered the balance.  The contract for the building was let to the George C. Field Company of Madison and construction began during this summer.  The site had to be prepared by razing the old house called St. Michael’s and the small store next to it: extensive grading also had to be done before the foundations could be laid.  Despite some delays, the building was completed by spring of 1970, and the new Church was dedicated by the Right Reverend John H. Esquirol on June 14, 1970 .  This ceremony was celebrated with full solemnity in the presence of the congregation, distinguished visitors and clergy from the Diocese and nearby parishes.  Most appropriately, The Reverend Arnold F. Fenton and the Reverend Clarence R. Wagner, both former priest-in-charge of the old Mission , participated in the service.

            The physical reality of the new church, with adjoining generously proportioned Parish Hall, represented a great achievement for St. John’s . Problems, quite naturally, followed in the wake of achievement to challenge the congregation.  First of these was the process, which only time and good will could resolve, of growing accustomed to the new surroundings.  Then the indebtedness, in terms of the bank mortgage and the loan from the Diocese, laid a responsibility upon the Parish which had to be seriously faced.  In both cases, and in all adjustments, the spirit of St. John’s was one of confidence and thankfulness.

            With the new Church established and functioning, the Reverend Mr. Libby resigned as Rector in April, 1971 to take over other duties in the diocese, and a period of searching for a new Rector extended throughout the summer.  The Senior Warden, Mr. Albert G. Clay, assumed the direction of Parish affairs, while the Reverend Dr. Lawrence B. Larsen, who had served St. John’s for many years as “sometime” assistant, conducted the services and attended to pastoral duties, to the comfort of the congregation.  The Calling Committee, elected in May and headed by Dr. Edward Wiseman, put in many weeks of investigation and interviewing and in Sepetember announced to the Vestry their unanimous choice of the Reverend Steven E. Hulme embarked on his new duties on October 1, 1971 .

            The Reverend Clarence R. Wagner conducted the new rector to the Chancel on the occasion of his first service on Sunday, October 6, thus making a happy association for the new pastorate with the one of the past.  The ceremony of institution took place on November 21.

            With the installation of its second rector, and lacking only a few months, the Parish of St. John’s, Niantic completed its hundred year span of service.  In looking over this long period of time, several different features should be emphasized.  Of these, one of the most striking is the strong personal atmosphere of the church.  The factual account of its growth cannot fully do justice to the spirit of men and women whose loyalty and active work have made St. John ’s a living organization.  Many bequests and gifts were made to the church through the years.  Its is well to remember the generosity of Dr. and Mrs. McCook, of Mr. And Mrs. Stephen N. Bond, of Mrs. Maria B. Pinches and Sophie Crocker, as well as many others.  Memorials abound and are recorded in a special book; they cover a vast range, from Eucharistic vessels to recent plantings around the new Church.  The Women’s groups and the Men’s Club of the Parish have made enormous contributions time and effort and support, far beyond what can be listed in limited space.  Not ever to be forgotten are the valiant works of the Sunday School teachers and those of the choirs and organists who have greatly enriched the services.

      A whole essay could be written about the organs which have graced the worship of St. John’s from its earliest days.  It would tell of a succession of instruments, beginning with the “harmonium” in the McCook Parlor.  It would describe the pump type of the Mission Church , replaced by an electric Hammond organ in about 1916.  Nearly fifty years later, a concert model organ was presented to St. John’s , the gift of Mr. Ralph A. Powers, Jr.  He had assembled this instrument over quite a length of time, combining his skills as a high fidelity enthusiast and an accomplished organist.  A glorious climax in the musical history of the Church was reached in the gift of a magnificent electric pipe organ, which was installed in the choir gallery of the edifice.  It was built from antique pipes by the present organist and musical director, Mr. Alan D. McNeely, and given by him to St. John’s .

            In this brief account of development and growth during the past of hundred years, there may have been omitted, unwittingly, some events and personalities which should have been mentioned.  Forgiveness must indeed be asked in all such cases, and a general tribute is here offered to all the men and women who have so faithfully served the Church.  It seems fitting to record at the close of this first century the names of laymen who have guided and administered St. John’s :

Vice-Chairmen of the Lay Executive Committees:

Senior Wardens of the Parish:

All these men have given unstintingly of their time and talent, and in many cases over much longer periods of time than the formal dates here cited.

            While reviewing and saluting the past with affection and in thanksgiving for all that has taken place since 1872, St. John’s Church can now look forward to opening its second century of service, dedicated to the glory of God and directed toward the brotherhood of man.

Priests and Pastors who have served St. John’s