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Trinity Episcopal |
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| THE ANGLICAN COMMUNION | ||
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There are over 70 million members of the Anglican family in 38 self-governing Member Churches or Provinces in over 160 countries. (The Episcopal Church USA is one of these.) The Archbishop of Canterbury is the spiritual head of the Anglican Communion. Anglican Churches are committed to proclaiming Christ as risen and alive in our midst. The foundation of the Anglican Communion is scripture, tradition, reason and scholarship. We find our commonality in Baptism, Holy Communion, Apostolic Succession of Bishops, and faith and order as expressed in The Book of Common Prayer. |
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| THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH | ||
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The Episcopal Church was called into being by God’s Spirit in Philadelphia in 1789 following the War of Independence and the formation of the United States of America. We are one of the 38 Provinces of the world-wide Anglican Communion. We have over 100 Dioceses, each with a Bishop as spiritual leader. The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church USA is spiritual leader for the entire Episcopal Church. We are inclusive and encompass many traditions (Protestant, Roman Catholic, conservative, liberal, etc.). Our church is a modern faith with roots that go back to Jesus and the early church. With other Christians, we share faith in and proclaim Jesus as Savior, and we follow flexible guidelines in practicing our faith. We believe in the ministry of all of God’s people. In our diversity we are united through Baptism, Holy Communion and the Book of Common Prayer, and our desire to be disciples of the Lord in our world. |
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| TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH | ||
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Trinity Episcopal Church is a beautiful example of 19th century ecclesiastical gothic architecture, not to mention a building that connects the city's present with two of the most illustrious names of its past: Peter Herdic and Eber Culver. Herdic, of course, was the maverick entrepreneur and Williamsport mayor who had a hand in virtually every business enterprise in the city in the 1860s and 70s. |
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Culver was his in-house architect for many years, designing the Herdic Hotel, Herdic's house and the Weightman Block for his mercurial employer. |
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Herdic, like many of the great Victorian robber barons, would take with one hand, and give munificently with the other. Trinity Episcopal Church was perhaps his greatest bequest. The church organization was formed Dec. 28, 1865, and was meeting in (and outgrowing) a chapel on Vine Street, known as the "Church-in-the-Fields." Herdic deeded the land at West Fourth Street and Herdic Street (now Trinity Place) for the construction of a new church. Fred G. Thorn drew up the floor plans; Culver designed the 218-foot spire and supervised construction. |
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The cornerstone was laid on Saturday, July 15, 1871. Oddly, it seems to have been misplaced during subsequent renovations, and today no one knows where it is. The building stones for the project were quarried from Bald Eagle Mountain. Herdic underwrote the cost of construction, which ran 200 percent over budget, and donated the organ and tower clock, which was guaranteed accurate to within two seconds a week. He spent $80,000 in total. |
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Tuesday, Feb. 22, 1876, was consecration day. "When services commenced there was not even standing room," reported the Williamsport Daily Gazette and Bulletin. Judge John W. Maynard read the deed in which Herdic granted the church and land to the Trinity Corporation for the sum of one dollar, on condition "that it is to remain a permanent site for the Protestant Episcopal Church, and the pews in the same are to remain forever free." The free pews were a noteworthy gesture. At that time, it was a common custom for churches to raise money by renting pews, the most expensive ones being at the front of the church. |
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The Rectory was built in 1884 on land given by Judge Maynard. In 1875, Peter Herdic donated the clock and Judge Maynard donated the nine-bell chime. The Howard Clock Company designed the mechanism to sound the "Cambridge Quarters" (commonly known as "Westminster" chimes). The Howard company informed the parish that Trinity would be the first tower clock to sound this sequence in the United States. This sequence is the one heard in London at the Clock Tower of the Palace of Westminster. The chime is played by use of a clavier in the tower and is featured on special occasions. The combined weight of the bells is 8,500 pounds. The largest bell weighs 2,300 pounds and is capable of being swung. The chime was first played merrily on Christmas Eve, 1875. |
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The Parish Hall and Chapel were built around 1914 by the estate of Amanda Howard. In the foyer there was a box office window where tickets could be purchased for community events held upstairs in the "gothic-style" banquet hall/gymnasium. The gym is ringed overhead by old- fashioned wooden balcony bleachers. In fact, the first motion picture shown in Williamsport was shown in this facility. Today, the gym plays host to numerous community activities. In the winter, basketball is played there nearly every day. |
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The Red Cross in the gymnasium—1919. |
Our Pee Wee Basketball team—2001 |
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Today Trinity Church is, perhaps, the most beautifully appointed example of 19th Century amended American Gothic architecture and art in eastern Pennsylvania. The church features numerous beautiful stained glass windows, an impressive "rood" or cross- bearer beam between the chancel and the sanctuary, and a massive organ with a total of 2,031 pipes. The pipes you actually see are not part of that total: they are purely decorative mutes, having been "borrowed" from previous organs. |
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The Main Church A view down the main aisle from the rear of the church. The rood beam, the large horizontal beam supporting the cross in the center, divides the chancel (where the choir sits) from the sanctuary (the area behind the altar rail). The rood beam was erected in 1917 and is dedicated to J. Lewis Hough. The inscription over the chancel arch, “God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth” dates from 1876. |
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| A corresponding inscription on the rear wall of the church reads: “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” | ||
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In the wee hours of the morning of Sunday, Feb. 13, 1977, as firemen doused the last few embers of the blaze that destroyed the Pine Street United Methodist Church, another alarm sounded: the Trinity Episcopal Church was on fire. |
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An arsonist had set a pile of hymnals and prayer books alight in the church chapel. Firemen acted quickly, and damage was limited to the chapel and choir room office area. But there was scorching throughout the chapel, and the heat damaged a number of organ pipes. |
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The congregation is making every effort to maintain the church, recognizing the structure's significance to the community. One substantial restoration project was completed in 1982. Another, which involved the cleaning and repointing of the exterior stonework, finished in the summer of 2000. |
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Steeple before repointing |
Steeple after repointing |
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The clock tower of Trinity Episcopal Church rises about 218 feet into the air, making it the tallest edifice in Williamsport. The date of construction “1875” can be read between the windows. Peter Herdic donated the clock, which was electrified in the early 1940’s, having previously been wound by hand. |
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All in all, Trinity has spent about $1.5 million on renovations over the past two decades. The money had to be raised entirely through voluntary contributions; the church has only recently begun an endowment fund for future projects. |
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Trinity's worshippers are mindful of the need to conserve tradition. Today, direct descendants of Judge Maynard sing in the choir. The church building looks as fresh as one imagines it did on its consecration day 130 years ago. Its members are an active force in their community. Oh—and yes, the pews are still free. Peter Herdic would be proud. |
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