Saint George's Church Pamphlet

This information was provided by Dan Carman

A recent pamphlet from Hempstead, Long Island's Saint 
George's Church
Cover Page:
"And old parish with a young sririt" 
[spririt was misspelled and below the quote is
 a sketch of the front of the church]
              HISTORIC
        SAINT GEORGE'S CHURCH
in the Episcopal Dioese of Long Island
       THIS OLD PARISH throughout the years has borne 
witness to the Faith in the Triune GOD which was the 
Foundation of Lives and noble works of our Fathers.
It continues today to witness the same Truth supporting 
us.
          HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK
[Inside Left page:]
"Unity, perseverance and public spirit, laus deo"
               (The Parish Motto)

  Five years after Hempstead was settled in 1643, the 
first meeting house was built by the Town on what later 
became the lands of Historic St. George's Church.  The 
building was located within a stockade which is now the
Main Street area between Fulton Avenue and Front Street. 
Here all faiths attended services and the problems of the 
early settlers were discussed.
  Hempstead and surrounding areas were under Dutch control 
until 1663 and then English rule until after the 
Revolutionary War. Under Dutch rule all settlers had to 
attend worship at the Meeting House or risk a fine of 5 
Guilders, corporal punishment or banishment. Religious 
services continued under the British in a second meeting 
house built in 1673 at public cost.
   Missionaries sent by the Society for the Preservation 
of the Gospel and others ordained in the Church of England
preached in Hempstead.  They are credited with establishing 
St. George's Church in Hempstead in 1702.  Soon thereafter,
Queen Anne of England presented a coin silver Chalice,
Paten, and prayer book to the newly founded Church.  
Pirates captured these gifts and used the silver service 
until they were recovered on the island of Jamaica in 1706.
Scratches are still visible on the Paten when it was used 
as an eating utensil.
    In 1710 St. George's received a baptismal font from 
England that is still in use and in perfect condition.  In
1735, St. George's Church was given a silver baptismal bowl 
made by Simeon Soumaine.  All silver made by Simeon Soumaine
is extremely valuable.
    The "third church", built in 1735 on a half acre deeded 
for such purpose, measured fifty feet by thirty-six feet and
contained eighteen pews.  An additional half acre plot to the
east of the church was added by the town in 1763 for
additional burial plots.  In this resting place sleep the 
pioneers of yesterday; the oldest marked grave bears the 
date 1727.
   King George II of England granted a Royal Patent and 
Charter to the Parish in Hempstead, Queens (now Nassau) 
County in 1735.  St. George's is very proud of this Royal 
Charter, still in its possession, which governs the Church 
to this day.
   Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopal Bishop in the United 
States, grew
[Inside right page:]
up in Hempstead where his father served as Rector of St. 
George's Church from 1742 until 1764, As Bishop, he returned
to the church of his boyhood in 1785 to officiate at the 
first ordination ever held in New York State.
    The Golden Cock weather vane has been resting on the 
steeple of St. George's for more than 250 years. During the 
Revolutionary War, Continental soldiers used the weather vane
for target practice.  The sixteen bullet holes can still be
seen.
   It is written that in Revolutionary times "the thriving 
community, known as the village of Hempstead has 3 taverns 
and 9 houses." St. George's Church was used as a military 
store house during the Revolution - and the communion table
was used as an eating table in spite of protests.  The 
British used the gravestones, from the graveyard, as hearth
stones.
   The present Rectory was built in 1793 and is a splendid 
piece of early architecture.  It replaced the small first 
parsonage built in 1682. The Rectory had eight working 
fireplaces but was built with no closets.
   The present church was built in 1822 and an extension 
added in 1856.  Remodeling occurred in 1893 and again in 1906.
St. George's is considered to be one of the purest examples
of Georgian Architecture.  The great columns within are the 
original ones - shaped from oak trees cut on Long Island.
   The clock in St. George's Tower is as old as Big Ben in 
London.  It was made by Sherry and Bryan of Sag Harbor, L.I.
in 1854.  The Village of Hempstead became incorporated about
this time in 1853.

   St. George's churchyard has some beautiful old trees and 
plants.  This peaceful setting stands in contrast to the 
hustle and bustle surrounding it in modern day Hempstead.
   In 1952 and 1976 special events were held to commemorate 
the 250th anniversary of St. George's Church and the country's 
bicentennial.  The members of the Church wore colonial 
costumes during the events, and have since taken up the 
habit of wearing the customs on special occasions. They wear 
the colonial costumes in pride of their American Heritage.
    Surrounded by the graves of the Pioneers of Hempstead, 
the church stands as a monument to the strong and sturdy 
hearts of long ago. May we be as strong as our forefathers 
and keep Historic St. George's going and ready for her 
Tercentenary Celebration in the year Two Thousand and Two.
[End Page]
             HISTORICAL
               NOTES

1643 Village of Hempstead settled.
1648 First Meeting House built by Town.
1673 Second Meeting House erected at public cost.
1682 First Rectory built.
1702 Saint George's Church founded.
1706 Silver Chalice, Paten, Baptismal Font and Prayer Book 
     presented by Queen Anne of England.
1734 Third Church erected by members of Saint George's Church.
1735 King George II of England granted Saint George's Church 
     a Royal Charter which governs the Church to this day.
1775 The American Revolution Years.  Colonel Cornell of George 
 to  Washington's heroic Continental Army wrote of Saint 
1782 George's: "We established with one hundred men,  
     headquarters at Hempstead, seeking out Tories.  We 
     converted the Episcopal Church into a storehouse...
     and made use Of the Communion table as a convience for
      Yankees to eat upon."
1784  The Right Reverend Samuel Seabury, son of the third 
      Rector of Saint George's Church, became the first 
      Bishop of the Episcopal Church in America.
1785  First Ordination in the State of New York held in 
      Saint George's Church, with Bishop Seabury presiding.
1793  Second rectory built.  The Rector resides in this 
      historic old home.
1822  Present Church erected.  Atop the Tower stands the 
      "Golden Cock" weathervane, fired on by Soldiers in the 
      Revolutionary War. The bullet marks on the weathervane 
      can still be seen.
1828  Saint George's Church School was the first one 
      organized in the Town of Hempstead.
1838  Old Guild Hall built.
1854  Tower Clock purchased from Sherry and Bryam, Sag Harbor.
      This clock is older than "Big Ben" in London, England.
1876  Rector and Vestrymen of Saint George's Church given 
      consent for building of Cathedral of the Incarnation 
      in the Garden City.
1905  Parish Hall built.  Enlarged in 1910. 
1949  Mulford hall built.
1957  Old Guild Hall demolished.
1958  Christian Education Building built on the site Of Old 
      Guild Hall.  Dedicated on Saint George's Day, April 23, 
      1958.
1973  Church entered on the National Registry of Historic 
      Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
1989  Rectory entered on the National Registry of Historic 
      Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
[Thats the pamphlet, Dan]