Town of Halcott Churches
As Identified in J.B. Beers' History of Greene County, published in 1884
Retyped by Arlene Goodwin
The Methodist Church
Methodism in Halcott
dates from the year 1829, when Rev. John P. Van Volkenburg experienced religion
and became an exhorter among the people. The first Class, organized by Rev. Mr.
Calder in 1830, consisted of Thomas Halcott, Reuben Gordon, Archibald Morrison,
Nehemiah Covel, Joseph Halstead, John Moseman, Gibbons Griffins, and their
wives; Timothy Tyler and Joseph Brooks, with Mr. Van Volkenburg as leader.
This class and
congregation met in private houses, school-houses, and barns, for twenty years,
when the present church building was erected. It was dedicated on the 29th
of December 1849. The appointment has always been a part of the Clovesville
circuit, and regular services have been held by their pastors, whose names
appear in the history of the circuit. Mr. Van Volkenburg has been their local
preacher; generations have grown up under his ministry, and the sermons he has
preached, as precept, and the life he has lived, as example, have left their
impress for good upon the minds and the hearts of the most of them. He was
licensed to preach in 1833, and ten years after was ordained.
Baptist Church of
Halcott
Letters of dismission
from the First Baptist church of Roxbury were granted to some members, March 30th
1822, for the purpose of forming a church nearer Middletown. Steps were
immediately taken for the organization of such a church, and a meeting called on
the 1st of May following, at the house of Noah Dimmick, where the
feasibility of organizing this new church was discussed. The meeting adjourned
to the 29th of the same month, when the church was organized by a
council composed of delegates from Marbletown, Lexington and Roxbury churches.
It is recorded that “The Middletown and Roxbury church was organized at the
house of Noah Dimmick of Middletown, on the 29th of May 1822, with
Elder James Mead as pastor. The members to be those who had taken letters from
the First Baptist church of Roxbury for this purpose.”
Elder Mead continued as pastor until his death, which occurred May 17th 1856. On the 18th of March 1841, Daniel Morrison, of Halcott, was ordained. He occasionally supplied the pulpit for Elder Mead. In June 1856, he became the pastor, and continued in that relation until his death, October 30th 1859.
Elder Hewitt and Elder Alling supplied the society occasionally, and in 1861 arrangements were made for preaching once monthly, Elder Hewitt and Elder Fuller alternating. In 1870 Elder Buel Maben was ordained to preach. The first deacon was Shubal Dimmick.
At first meetings were held in private houses; Mr. Noah Dimmick and Mr. James Blish being the earliest who opened their houses for religious services. In 1823 Mr. Dimmick built a school-house known as the Dimmick school–house, where meetings were held, and some are living who speak of the school-house, with the cushioned seat by the rostrum for Deacon Dimmick, who was a cripple. In 1847 a church was built in the town of Halcott, but the “old church” was long since abandoned, and the society now hold their meetings in what is known as the Fly school-house.
Of the original members, of whom there were seventy-two, it is thought that none are living. The church was known as the Middletown and Roxbury church until 1860, when the name was changed to Middletown and Halcott, and still later to Halcott.