The Webster Baptist Church History
An important visual landmark in the village of Webster is the Webster Baptist Church with its majestic tower, which is only a part of the building's beauty. This present cobblestone structure was completed and dedicated on January 1, 1857, The late period cobblestone masonry building with its interior of Greek Revival tradition has seen many changes since its construction in 1857.
The church had its beginning in 1829 when a group of thir teen members from the Ontario and Penfield Baptist Churches met in a room above the wagon shop near the four corners in the present village of Webster. Their purpose was to organize a branch of the church which would be more accessible to those who lived in the northern section of Penfield and also reflect more liberal ideas than their parent churches. Several of these people had been forced to leave the Penfield Church because of dissension and difficulties arising from the then popular "Anti Masonic Movement."
Because Elder Jason Corwin and thirteen other members could not accept bigotry, they were particularly anxious that a new, more tolerant church be established. When membership of the initial group reached about fifty, it was apparent that a new church or congregation should be formed. At the request of the members from North Penfield, a meeting of the Ontario and Penfield churches was called on November 10, 1830, These established churches then officially recognized the North Penfield "dissidents" as an independent congregation and helped organize the North Penfield Baptist Church.
One of the first items of business of the "North Penfield Baptist Church" in 1830 was to consider purchasing property and erecting a lasting church building on the present site. After searching, members bought a 132' x 190' lot on South Avenue in Webster, the site of the present building.
By early 1832 a wooden building had been erected at a cost of two thousand dollars, and in spring of that year the new church, which could seat three hundred people, was dedicated,
In 1840 when the north portion of the town of Penfield became a separate township named Webster, the name "North Pen field Baptist Church" seemed inappropriate. However, no change was made until May of 1846; then the "North Penfield Baptist Church" became the "Webster Baptist Church,"
The first church bell in the village was erected at the top of the Webster Baptist Church in 1851. The bell was rung not only to call people to church but also was tolled for funerals. If the bell tolled the age of the deceased, a two-dollar charge was levied. Unfortunately, this first bell was cracked by boys ringing it for a Fourth of July celebration during the Civil War. The present bell replaced the original shortly after the war and was moved from the wooden church to the present cobblestone building when it became apparent by the spring of 1855 that the old structure was no longer large enough for the growing congregation.
The church members decided to dispose of the old meeting house but, wishing to continue its usefulness, moved it to a site donated by William J. Corning just behind his country house on the west side of the present Corning Park. There, under the supervision of the church and Brother Spencer Holt it was to be maintained as school for at least five years, Actually, the old church building, now known as the "Webster Academy" continued to exist until destroyed by fire in 1872.
Early in the spring of 1855 members of the Baptist congregation decided that a sound fieldstone and cobblestone church should replace the old wooden building and they began drawing in fieldstones donated by citizens of the community. These rough stones formed the inner shell of the building. They may be seen today in the stairway leading to the bell tower.
The gathering, sorting and transporting of cobblestones used to face the building was a more complex procedure. After each heavy rain or lake storm, groups of adults, assisted by young boys and girls from the congregation went to the shoreline of Lake Ontario, combing the beaches from Sea Breeze on the west to Lakeside on the east, a stretch of more than eight miles.
They looked for washed stones of a certain size, Each stone had then to be passed through a hole in a board to make sure it was the correct size and shape. The stones were then placed on barges and were moved on these rafts to several landing places along the shore. Luther Curtice and Horace Holt church members who had contracted to haul the stones by horse and wagon to the church site later donated their $150 fee to the church building fund.
The work which began in 1855 under the leadership of pastor Brother Spencer F. Holt was completed in 1856. Brother Holt conducted an all-day dedication service on January 1, 1857.
During the year 1902, the interior of the church was completely renovated. The plastered ceilings were covered with a new pressed tin ceiling. Leaded glass memorial windows were put in; the basement, including a new kitchen, was modernized and a central heating plant was installed. In addition, the roof was replaced. Dedication of the renovated building took place in February, 1903, All church activities, including programs and services for the one hundredth birthday of the church, celebrated by the congregation and the public May 11 - 13, 1930, were conducted in this cobblestone building.
In 1938, an Aeolian Pipe Organ with eight separate but combined units was given to the church by the W, W. Chapin family in memory of William Wisner Chapin and Elizabeth Lyon Chapin. In order to provide chambers and room for the eight organ units, extensive alterations were made at both the front and the rear of the church sanctuary. The Chapin organ sound was not new to church members, for during the late 20's and early 30's many radio programs had been broadcast for the Rochester area from the Chapin home. Tom Grierson, noted Rochester organist, often played the organ, before and after its installation and dedication on Sunday, November 20, 1938, in the Webster Baptist Church.
Modernization, repairs, and additions have been consistently made to enhance the beauty of the church and increase its use as a community as well as a church facility. Before the building of the present Spry School Building on South Avenue in 1925, the Webster Baptist Church held not only the baccalaureate services but also Webster High School graduations.
As the years passed, changes in the building were continued.
In 1951 - 52, there was another extensive interior renovation. In 1957 a huge education wing was added to the back and to the south of the original cobblestone structure" In 1965 a major restoration project was approved, bringing the church to its present basic form. The sanctuary was restored, as much as possible, to its original design. A gallery-type balcony was opened at the rear of the church and the organ console was lowered to make it less visible to the congregation. Padded, colonial style pews replaced the curved, solid oak pews of a previous restoration. The central, major focal point of the sanctuary, the baptistry, was given a new and more significant prominence. The entire redecoration, which included removing the pressed tin ceiling, established and provided an interior design (Greek Revival) which complemented the exterior cobble stone architecture. An elevator was also added to accommodate the elderly and afflicted and to provide access not only to the sanctuary but to all areas of the building.
Another major restoration of $38,000 was begun in 1965.
The gifts by many members or former members of the Webster Church have supported and financially underwritten most of the major expenses of restoring and preserving the 1856 local landmark.
Cecile Wright, with her endowment to the church, has ensured the security of the structure.
Throughout the years the dedication and willingness of members of the congregation to work together, to effect physical changes that remained faithful to the original architecture and history of the Webster Baptist Church have made possible the construction and preservation of the stately cobblestone structure that embodies much of Webster's past.
Members of the church, village and town continue to enjoy Webster's most visual, historic, and significant landmark.
Compiled by Doug Klick and Dick Batzing edited and typed by Jean Lyng and Ruth Langdon