The Old School Baptist Meeting House
The Old School Baptist Meeting House is perhaps the most well known building in the Village of Warwick. It was designed by English architect, William Foght and built in 1810 by woodworker, Azariah Ketchum.
The term “Old School” refers to the congregation’s belief in teaching their children about their faith at home rather than at Sunday school and also for their reliance on a literal reading of the bible to guide their lives.
View of The Meeting House from Fuller Mountain.
Sunday services lasted two hours or more; there was only silent reflection, praying, speaking and some singing; no musical instruments were used in the Meeting House at that time.
Repairs to the steeple after being struck by lightning in 1925.
From The Historical Society’s 50th Anniversary Book - 1957
Deed To Old Church Given To Historical Society By Delia C. Houston
One of the achievements of which the society feels it has the most right to be proud was taking over and preserving the Old School Baptist Church.
At the annual meeting in April, 1951, when Albert W. Buckbee was president, the society was informed that the church, which now had but two remaining members, could at some future time revert to the state unless the society took it over and agreed to make repairs.
At a special meeting called on the fourth of May, it was decided to accept this responsibility and raise $1150.00 for repairs. Two committees were appointed, - one, Publicity and Fund-Raising and a second was a Supervisory Committee. In the months following the members worked hard, raising funds that were spent on improving the church.
On Washington Day, July 26, 1952, at the Old Shingle House, the deed to the Old School Baptist Church was presented to the Historical Society by Mrs. Isaac Dolson, one of the two members of the congregation.
She gave it to Lawrence Stage, the custodian of records. - What a great day that was for the society which had preserved for Warwick her finest landmark!
Clifford Haight, a past president, celebrated the event by giving an address in which he traced the early history of this church. He dwelt on the importance of sentiment for the past which enables each one to grasp his own true heritage by reliving the lives of those in times gone by.
The Meeting House was sold to the Warwick Historical Society in 1951 for $1 with the stipulation that they care for it in perpetuity.
Old School Baptist Church By Vernon Ives
In the summer of 1957, work was begun on the restoration of certain features of the church's original appearance. This consisted largely of the removal or alteration of changes which had been made in the Nineteenth Century.
The chimneys at the four corners were taken down to below the roofline, and the roof repaired. The concrete entrance steps and platform, extending across nearly the entire front of the church, were removed and replaced by simple wooden steps at each of the three front doors. The side front doors were recessed and rehung as they had been originally, and the molding of the door frames repaired. The double doors at the main front entrance and the fanlight over them were removed and replaced by a single door surrounded by framing and a projecting cornice built to match those of the doors on either side.
Inside the church, the coal stoves used for heating were removed.
Stovepipe holes in the corner chimneys were plastered over, and the wall plaster patched where necessary. The interior walls of the main body of the church and the ceiling underneath the balcony were scraped and painted a soft green as formerly. The central electric chandelier was replaced by a six-armed wooden candle chandelier, and the two electric fixtures on the pulpit replaced by brass candlesticks. The interior woodwork, carpeting, and pew cushions were given a thorough cleaning, as were the areas immediately inside the side front doors which had formerly been used as coal bins.
Meeting House FAQ
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The Steeple
The measurements of The Meeting House are 65 feet long and 45 feet wide. It has a 94 foot high steeple that is topped by a 9 foot weather vane. The weathervane was struck by lightning and a segment of it was found down the road by the railroad tracks. This is periodically on display in the gallery at the 1810 House.
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The Windows
The Meeting House has eleven windows. Some with as many as NINETY-NINE panes.
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The Pulpit
The most prominent feature in The Meeting House is the “wine glass” pulpit with a backerboard above to improve the projection of the speaker’s voice. The height of the pulpit was to emphasize the word of God being spoken from atop being the Light. The original pulpit was removed in 1865. It was restored in 1960 by a WHS committee led by President Roy Vail modeled after the pulpit of the Old School Baptist Meeting House in Slate Hill, N.Y.
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The Dove
Above the pulpit is a golden dove with an olive branch in its beak with the inscription: “Hitherto hath the Lord helped us - Praise Ye the Lord.” This emblem of peace was carved by Deacon John Morris Foght who also designed the windows. It is the only religious symbol incorporated into the building.
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The Pews
Members of the congregation paid for the privilege to always sit in the same family pew. They had to pay for this right. Some of those receipts of purchase are framed at the back of the sanctuary. Three pews from the original Meeting House are on display in the sanctuary.
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The Heirlooms
James Benedict (1720-1792) came over from Stratfield, Conn., to visit friends who had settled in this wilderness. He was asked to preach and held a service every day during the three weeks that he stayed. After his return to Stratfield, the Warwick folks, having been so well pleased with his preaching, sent word for him to return and stay. Benedict was ordained November 7, 1765 and installed as Elder and pastor of the Baptist Church of Warwick. He thus became the first minister and this Church the first church in the Valley. For eleven years Elder Benedict was the pastor of this flourishing church in the wilderness. During the Revolutionary war his log meeting house stood in a grove of oak trees to the Eastward of the village. Passing away in 1792, he never got to see this glorious Meeting House. His pocket watch, cufflinks and eyeglasses are framed at the back of the sanctuary.
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The First Location
The original Meeting House was a small, one room log house located near what is now the intersection of Forester Avenue and Galloway Road. There are two plaques commemorating this and noting the nearby burial site of original pastor, Elder James Benedict.
Roof Restoration
Witness a momentous achievement for the Warwick Historical Society! In 2024, thanks to a generous grant from Senator Skoufis, restoration to the roof of the Meeting House was able to happen. The project was undertaken by Eden Restoration and they were kind enough to capture the drone footage for posterity.
In September 1996 the movie “In & Out” starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck & Debbie Reynolds filmed scenes in around Warwick. The hilarious wedding scene was shot in the beautifully decorated Meeting House and a reception scene in the backyard of Joe and Kathy Tousignant, owners at that time of a picturesque farmhouse just off Wisner Road.
DID YOU KNOW?
Joan Cusack and Kevin Kline under the wine glass pulpit.
Beautiful florals and Hollywood lighting made The Meeting House a perfect location for this adorable film.
Joan Cusack, Kevin Kline and Debbie Reynolds in Warwick during the filming of “In & Out”. Photo by Roger Gavan for Warwick Advertiser.
Crowd (including Debbie Reynolds & Walter Brimley front) sitting in the pews at The Meeting House.
Tom Selleck stands in the back of The Meeting House next to some WHS artifacts that still hang on the walls today!
Rent The Meeting House
Rent The Meeting House
You can rent The Meeting House for a wedding, concert, awards program or any other special event. Click below for more information.