Mount Salem has a history that dates back to 1847, when James Riddle led
the congregation in a fund raising effort to construct the church.
In 1948, Frank P. Gentieu wrote the "History of Mount Salem Methodist
Church, Wilmington, Delaware 1847 - 1947". Through this book, we are
able to connect to our past.
Much of the history recorded centers around the Brandywine Mills and the
Brandywine Manufacturers Sunday School.
"The Gilpin Paper Mill was established in 1787 and in 1817 began to turn
out the first paper made in a continuous roll in the United States,
through the invention of Thomas Gilpin. This mill enters into our
history because James Riddle located in this section and took over this
mill in 1845, turning it into a cotton weave mill. After his death in
1873, it was operated by his son Leander Riddle and William Field, until
in 1895 it became part of the Joseph Bancroft Company's enlarged plant.
The Joseph Bancroft Company, dating back to 1831, both past and present
enters very largely into the life of our Mount Salem Church, as numbered
among its employees have always been a goodly portion of the membership
of our church." Gentieu p.4
In a letter from Rev. Thomas Kerr, who served Greenhill Presbyterian
Church from January 1918 to November 1924, Frank Gentieu was referred to
a Mr. Brown for more information about the Brandywine Manufacturers
Sunday School.
There are several people of note, other than Mr. Brown,
who are identified in this letter. The names include Mr. Frederick
Bringhurst of the Wilmington Savings Fund, Mr. Victor Stirling who owned
a store on the Brandywine, and Robert Raikes, the founder of the Sabbath
School.
Mr. Samuel Brown, of Haverford, Pennsylvania responded to Frank
Gentieu's request with "Recollections of a conversation I had with the
late Mrs. Admiral duPont, about 1885 to '87." With particular reference
to the Sunday School, Brown recorded the following:
"Mrs. DuPont began... One Sunday morning my father (the original E.I.duPont
de Nemours) about 1814 or '15 walked down the Brandywine a mile from his
home to see one of their tenants, the lessees of the Simsville Cotton
Factory, across the Brandywine near where the "New Bridge" now is."
"When he came to the house, he (the manufacturer) was not in, but his
wife said, "My husband is down at the Sunday School." As there were no
public schools of any sort anywhere at that time and Sunday Schools had
not even been heard of in that region, my father was curious to know
just what it was and what they taught there.
The lady explained that
they had a workman in the cotton Mill who had emigrated from England and
who had as a boy attended Robert Raikes' Sunday School in England, (the
founder of the first Sunday Schools in 1780) and that Raikes, when this
man was leaving England to come to America, had made him promise to try
and start the same sort of a Sunday School wherever he happened to
locate himself. And when he, the young man, got to their factory, he
found conditions that needed just such a Sunday School. After some
time he had succeeded in getting it under way, and now everyone about the
mill seemed greatly interested, including my husband. Gentieu p.7-8
The First Sunday School met over the mill in "a space that had been
cleaned of machinery", and employees (men, women, and children) were
being taught not only Sunday School lessons, but reading, writing and
ciphering. When it became too large for that space they moved to the
Henry Clay Factory, on the top floor. Eventually, they managed to get a
building of their own. This building was near the entrance to the Hagley
Yard.
No denominational work was attempted, except that the Catholics,
Presbyterians, Methodists, Episcopalians and other denominations taught
their individual groups at a given hour. A teacher of the denomination
would give them each their own Catechism. At that time, there were no
churches near the works.
The daughters of E.I. duPont got involved in the Sunday School work,
especially Victorine, who eventually took over management of it. By now
it was called the "Brandywine Manufacturers Sunday School". Gentieu p.9
"The Methodists built their Mount Salem Church, near the Rising Sun, and
they then withdrew their people and children." Gentieu p.10
Mount Salem Methodist Episcopal Church was organized April 24, 1847 and
dedicated April 23, 1848.
Incidentally, Greenhill Presbyterian Church was organized June 5, 1849,
and Christ Church was opened on May 4, 1856.
** First Church Dedicated April 23, 1848
** Second Church, Dedicated November 3, 1878 (Destroyed by fire February
2, 1879)
**Third Church, Dedicated July 13, 1879
Recorder of Deeds Office of New Castle County
Deed Record Z, Vol. 5, Page 43.
Banks of Brandywine, April 24, 1847.
The latter part of the Winter in 1847, the Members of the Methodist
Episcopal Church on the Brandywine (from Riddle's to DuPont's Bank,
having laboured under considerable inconvenience, for the want of a
suitable House of Worship Resolved to make an effort to collect money
and build a church, considerable sums were subscribed and some of the
money paid down. When due notice was given, according to an Act of
Assembly passed February 3rd,1787. By advertisement set up in public
view. At or near their regular Place of Meeting Ten Days before the
time appointed, for a Meeting to ellect Trustees. And being so met and
Assembled at the Small Meeting House at Riddles Bank, on Saturday
evening at 8 o'clock, April 24, 1847. On Motion, Rev. James Riddle was
Appointed President & Franklin Supplee was appointed Secretary. On
Motion it was Resolved that We go into an Ellection of Seven Trustees,
which resulted in the choice of the following persons:
"Franklin Supplee, Rev. James Riddle, Rev. Richard Martin, Thomas Smith,
Jesse Elliot, John Miller, Samuel Montgomery, Every one of the above
named persons having a majority of All the Votes. And being Members in
full standing were Declared Duely Ellected, Trustees for the New Church,
to be Erected on Ground Purchased of Mr. William Law, To be called Mount
Salem M.E. Church.
"IN TESTIMONY of the Above proceedings, We the undersigned, (Being Heads
of Families and Members in full standing of the M.E. Church and in the
habit of Attending Worship with our Neighbors at their Places of Meeting
on the Banks of Brandywine) have hereunto set our names.---
quoted verbatim from Gentieu p. 16
Ministers
After the dedication in 1848, "the pulpit was supplied by Local
Preachers of the Wilmington and Chester Circuit." Gentieu p. 24
The names of those preachers are as follows:
Revs. John Talley, Jess Ford, Samuel Hance, Solomon Prettyman, Marcellus
A. Keene, Beverly Waugh, Richard martin, James Riddle, Franklin Supple,
William Kirkman, and others.
Mount Salem Ministers (From 1850-1946):
Rev. William Laws Boswell 1850 Rev. Theophilus L. Tompkins 1880-82
Rev. William Mullen 1852-53 Rev. John E. Smith 1883-84
Rev. Thomas W. Simpers 1854-55 Rev. Richard E. Jones 1885-87
Rev. Wm. W. Dalrymple (Jr. Preacher 1854) Rev. Walter E. Avery 1888-91
Rev. John Dyson (Jr. Preacher 1855) Rev. Stephen M. Morgan Jr.1892-96 & 1910-13
Rev. James Hand 1856 Rev.Harvey W. Ewing 1897-98
Rev. Isaac R. Merril 1857 Rev. Edward H. Dashiell 1898
Rev. Goldsmith D. Carrow1858 Rev. John P Otis 1899-1900
Rev. Alfred T. Scott 1858-59 Rev. Theo A.H. O'Brien 1901-03
Rev. Nathan B. Durell 1860 Rev. Frank F. Carpenter 1904-08
Rev. Daniel George 1861-62 Rev. William L. White 1909
Rev. Williams S. Pugh 1863-65 Rev. Thomas R. Van Dyke 1914-16
Rev. Wesley C, Johnson 1866 Rev. William E. Habbart 1917-18
Rev. John D. Rigg 1868-70 Rev. Leonard White 1919-22
Rev. George D. Watson 1871-72 Rev. Luther E. Poole 1923-25
Rev. John France 1873-74 Rev. W. Vaughan Moore 1926-30
Rev. John Weston 1875-76 Rev. John W. Jones 1931-35
Rev. Charles Sheppard 1877-79 Rev. Lester E. Winsdor 1936-39
Rev. F. Douglas Milbury 1940-43 Rev. Frank A. Baker 1944-45
Rev. Winfred P. Roberts 1946
[On January 13, 1946, Mr. A. Felix duPont and Mrs. Irenee duPont
presented Mount Salem with two volumes on the life of their Grandfather,
Mr. Alexis I. DuPont. Gentieu p.13]
This portion of the History of Mount Salem has been obtained from:
Frank Gentieu's
History of Mount Salem Methodist Episcopal Church Wilmington,Delaware
1847-1947
(Hableton Company, Inc.: Wilmington Delaware, 1948)
