LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 200th Anniversary of Christ
Episcopal Church, Binghamton, New York, to be celebrated September 18,
2010

WHEREAS, Religious institutions, and the many spiritual, social and
educational benefits they confer, play a vital role in the development
of the moral fabric of a responsible citizenry; and
WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this State and this Nation to pay
tribute to those institutions and individuals who have contributed to
the ethical and spiritual values of their communities; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body takes pleasure in commemorating the
200th Anniversary of Christ Episcopal Church, Binghamton, New York, to
be celebrated on Saturday, September 18, 2010; and
WHEREAS, Christ Episcopal Church, the oldest church in Binghamton, New
York, was founded in 1810 shortly after Chenango Point, the original
name for Binghamton was founded; and
WHEREAS, A small group of the town's residents met in the Courthouse
to form a church and named it St. Anne's; this first church folded
shortly after its beginning, due to the lack of a building and the
infrequency of visits by the Reverend Daniel Nash, the circuit rider
assigned to the parish; and
WHEREAS, In 1816, a group of people consisting of some of the original
parishioners met to reconstitute the church; this time they were able to
obtain, at the cost of one dollar, an old academy building and a parcel
of land from Joshua Whitney, the land agent for William Bingham; and
WHEREAS, The church was consecrated in 1818 by Bishop Hobart and named
Christ Church; this tract of land is the site of the present day church,
although the congregation was to build another church before the current
church building; the second church was an attractive wooden structure in
the Gothic Style; and
WHEREAS, Joshua Whitney did not live to see the present church build-
ing constructed; he passed away in 1845, having dedicated his life to
the building of the city; he had been the moving force in the establish-
ment of the city of Binghamton, having built the first Courthouse and a
bridge over the Susquehanna River, and having assisted in the establish-
ment of St. Patrick's Church; and
WHEREAS, He had been a long-time member and vestryman of Christ
Church; in his later years, he became so heavy, weighing 300 pounds, he
was no longer able to fit into his pew; in those days, parishioners paid
a yearly rent for their pews; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Whitney asked the vestry if he could rent several pews
and have the seats removed to create a larger space for him; the vestry
refused and Mr. Whitney was forced to forego attendance at church
services; thus arose the story that Mr. Whitney's ghost haunts the
church to this day; and
WHEREAS, In 1851, the Reverend Amos Beach was called as rector; he was
a very strong and persuasive man and saw the need for a more substantial
building; in a village with a population of 5000, where most of the
buildings were wooden and none was of particular significance, Christ
Church was to have a stone church designed by an architect of national
importance; and
WHEREAS, The architect's name was Richard Upjohn; among the many
churches Mr. Upjohn designed is Trinity Church on Wall Street in New
York City; the builder of Christ Church was John Stewart Wells, a young
man of 31; his commitment to Christ Church was to span his entire life-
time; not only did he serve on the vestry for many years, but also

in1903, at the age of 81, he had the stone quarries in Guilford, New
York opened and stone cut to build the Christ Church steeple; and
WHEREAS, The steeple had been in the original plans, but hadn't been
built due to the lack of funding; the entire construction was done at
Mr. Wells' expense; the interior of the church was different from the
way it looks today; the communion rail was curved at that time and the
marble, which today adorns the altar, had not yet been installed; and
WHEREAS, Behind the altar was a window, which has since been removed;
other windows in the sanctuary were clear glass with occasional red and
blue glass outlines; additionally, the choir stalls and organ were
located on either side of the chancel in the nave; and
WHEREAS, The next major change to the building occurred in 1910 at the
celebration of the church's centennial; under the leadership of the
Reverend Harry Longley, the Italian marble altar and redos (the ornamen-
tation on the walls of the chancel) were added, as well as the choir
stalls, mosaic floor, altar rail and several stained glass windows; and
WHEREAS, Wooden support columns in the sanctuary were replaced with
columns made of Indiana limestone; the rood beam over the chancel steps
and a Gorham rose window in the back of the church were added in 1918;
and
WHEREAS, Christ Episcopal Church stands on the threshold of tomorrow,
prepared to meet the challenges of the coming decades while retaining
that spiritual resolve which characterizes its past; and
WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to take note of
enduring religious institutions and to bring such institutions to the
attention of the people of this Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 200th Anniversary of Christ Episcopal Church, Bingham-
ton, New York, to be observed on September 18, 2010, fully confident
that this commemoration reflects the belief in those values which
enhance the dignity and purpose of life; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to Christ Episcopal Church, Binghamton, New York.