Chapter Four – St. Peter’s: 1854-1932

In 1854, longtime rector Rev. John Hall, feted as one of the most revered and successful ministers in parish history, reluctantly tendered his resignation because of ill health. Rev. Hall, 80, died in January 1869, buried at Ashtabula’s Chestnut Grove Cemetery following “an exceedingly impressive but simple funeral” at St. Peter’s. At Chestnut Grove, about a mile from St. Peter’s, Rev. Hall is buried alongside St. Peters’ founding rector, Rev. Roger Searle, atop a hill overlooking downtown Ashtabula and St. Peter’s Church.

Rev. Homer Wheeler was called to succeed Hall in April 1854. Strongly committed to the ministry of St. Peter’s School, Wheeler taught the school’s Christian ethics and ancient languages curriculum. During his tenure, Wheeler drove the expansion of the school’s enrollment, which grew from parish children to eventually include a large enrollment of children encompassing all the major denominations in Ashtabula.

During his short 4-year tenure, Wheeler also oversaw construction of an 1856 addition to the church that added 16 feet to the back of the church, which allowed for the creation of a recessed chancel.

With Wheeler’s 1858 resignation, Rev. James Bonnar was called in August 1858 from New York City. Regarded as “a deep student, devoted to his books” and “considered a fine counselor” with “a kind, gentle and unostentatious manner,” Bonnar enjoyed a 14-year tenure akin to that of the beloved Rev. Hall. Rev. Bonnar’s gentle and devout manner was said to have contributed greatly to the parish’s continued growth.

In 1872, the parish called Rev. James Moore to succeed Rev. Bonnar as rector. It was during Rev. Moore’s rectorate that a mission was established to serve the city’s North End at Ashtabula Harbor. Organized in 1876 as St. Michael’s Memorial Mission, the self-supporting mission congregation was renamed Grace Memorial Mission in memory of the Rev. Dr. Washburn, rector of Cleveland’s Grace Church, who died in the horrific December 1876 Ashtabula Bridge Disaster.

Also during Rev. Moore’s rectorate, the original c. 1832 bell was retired in 1874, said to have “lost its usefulness” as it became “worn and weak.” The original bell was inscribed with the names of the parish’s 1832 wardens and vestrymen --

From 1880-87, St. Peter’s was served by the Rev. Hugh Bailey, who oversaw several minor additions and changes to the c. 1829 church, including the installation of a new pipe organ. Under Rev. Bailey’s successor, Rev. George Holbrook (1888-91), a rectory was built on land north of the church near West 49^th Street. St. Peter’s continued to prosper under a successor of rectors including Rev. B.M. Burridge (1891-93), the Rev. James Sheerin (1893-95), the Rev. John W. Hyslop (1895-1901), the Rev. Charles Powell (1902-03), the Rev. James Miller (1903-07), and the Rev. James A. Forbes (1908-12).

It was during Rev. Miller’s rectorate that the memorial windows commemorating Rev. John Hall’s 28-year ministry were installed in the chancel. The windows, depicting the elements of the Holy Eucharist to which High Churchman Rev. Hal was greatly devoted, were later incorporated into the chapel of the current c. 1964 church.

A much loved rector came to St. Peter’s, Ashtabula in 1913 with the calling of the Rev. Creetus A. Dowell, who would serve a 19-year tenure as rector, second only to that of the much-loved and respected Rev. John Hall. Under Rev. Dowell’s leadership, the parish prospered and became more vital to its members and the Ashtabula community. Youth and women’s activities greatly increased, due in part to the work of Rev. Dowell’s wife, Olive.

In 1923-24, plans were made to replace the parish’s outgrown c. 1850 woodframe Parish House with a larger, 2-story brick Parish House at a cost of $65,000. On May 6, 1923, Bishop William A. Leonard laid the cornerstone for the new Early English-styled Parish House during his episcopal visitation, at which he confirmed a class of 77, the largest put forward in parish history.

Noted an unknown parishioner of the cornerstone laying ceremony in an early parish scrapbook, “At the close of the church service, the congregation adjourned to the scene of the corner-stone laying, led by the senior warden, Mr. George Hubbard, and other vestrymen, the crucifer, choir and the Rt. Rev. William A. Leonard, Bishop of Ohio, and the rector of St. Peter’s, the Rev. Creetus A. Dowell.”

The original exterior construction of the 2-story 58x106-foot Parish House was of red tapestry brick, heavily trimmed with cut stone. Interior construction included beam ceilings with panel work and hardwood floors. The building, said to be “complete and modern in every way,” included main floor offices, second floor Sunday School classrooms, a basement Fellowship Hall dining room, an attractive main floor Guild Room for small group meetings, and a large main floor “assembly room” Parish Hall, featuring a stage and gymnasium.

Construction of the $65,000 Parish House, feted as “one of the best and most attractive in the diocese,” completed in 1924, was overseen under the able leadership of Dowell and senior warden George C. Hubbard, Sr. The c. 1923-24 Parish Hall, refaced with a new brick façade in 1963-64 to match the rising new Colonial-styled c. 1964 church, continues in use today.

At the time of Dowell’s resignation in 1932, St. Peters’ membership and Sunday attendance figures were the largest in the parish’s history to date. It was noted that Dowell could have easily become bishop of the Diocese of Ohio if he had wanted the office, but his heart was close to his Ashtabula parishioners whom he chose to continue serving.

Dowell’s son Rev. D. Maxfield Dowell also enjoyed a long and distinguished ministry in Ohio, including a 22-year tenure as rector of Christ Church, Shaker Heights.

A long-lasting association continued with the families of several early St. Peter’s clergymen.

Members of the family of the Rev. John Hall (1824-34, 1836-54) were active members in the parish until the death of Rev. Hall’s great-great-granddaughter, Mary Hall, in August 1966. Two years before her passing, Hall donated her lifelong collection of crosses to the Diocese of Ohio, which subsequently displayed the collection at Trinity Cathedral.

The grandson of Rev. James Bonnar (1858-72), James D. Bonnar, was active in the parish into the 1960s, having served numerous terms as a senior warden and vestryman.

The widow of Rev. James Miller (1903-07) returned to Ashtabula following her husband’s death, a member of the parish until her January 1966 death. Their two daughters, Mrs. Myron S. Young and Mrs. Albert W. Callendar, also long continued in active membership with their husbands and families.