Building date: 1836, demolished 1861. Replaced with frame church.
Original use: Church and school
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Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 42°50'42.90"N 77°25'26.52"W. Current owner of record, United Church of Bristol.
Town of Bristol and Ontario County Maps
Editor's Note: My thanks to cobblestone researcher and co-editor of the Cobblestone Info Base, Karen Crandall, for providing the research documentation for the no longer existing (1836-1861) cobblestone First Universalist Church, Bristol (Baptist Hill), New York.
The First Universalist Church in Bristol dates its origin far back to the early years, but its organization is quite recent. In 1828, Rev. Oliver Ackley, of the Universalist denomination, held meetings at the school-house on Baptist Hill, and, in warm weather, in the grove near the residence of J. W. Nichols. There had been occasional meetings held prior to 1828 by Rev. Mr. Morton. Within a few years, William J. Reese, G. W. Montgomery, and William Queil held stated meetings in the school-building mentioned. Rev. Queil was one of the first resident ministers. In the year 1836 a church edifice was erected. It was built of cobble-stones, and stood near the site of the present structure. The money to build was mainly raised by subscription. The deed was given to Joshua Phillips, Lyman Hawes, and about seventy others, to be used and occupied as a site for a meeting- or school-house, and for no other purpose. All subscribers of notable amounts are named in the deed. It was a two-storied building; the upper room was for the society, and would seat about two hundred and fifty persons; one room below was occupied as a school-room. In the spring of 1837 it was deemed advisable to organize a society; accordingly, a meeting was held. April 10, 1837, and such society formed. Nathan West was chairman, and Nathaniel Fisher, Benjamin Simmons, and Anson Packard were elected trustees. In 1861, the interest of the school district was purchased by the society; the old church was taken down, and the present frame built, with a seating capacity of three hundred. At a meeting held February 2, 1872, a church was organized, called the "First Universalist Church" of Bristol, and consisted of the following-named individuals: Rev. L. P. Blackmore, Lida Blackmore; Aaron F., Eunice, and A. Carlisle Orcutt; Elkanah and Sarah S. Andrews; W. Scott and Eleanor A. Hicks; A. C., H. A., and Mary Hathaway; Almeda Park; Mrs. May E., Thomas, Ellen M., Samuel B., and Roxanna Dorrence; Robert B. Simmons, P. F. Hicks, Maria L. Francis, M. E. Paull, E. M. and George Bailey, S. A. Jones, Eliza Phillips, Zadia Case, Prudence Adams, and Looice Fletcher. The officers chosen were: Rev. L. P. Blackmore, moderator; Mrs. Lida Blackmore, clerk; George Bailey, treasurer; and Aaron F. Orcutt and Robert B. Simmons, deacons. A hundred families are now represented in the parish. The pastors, in the order of their succession, have been as follows: Oliver Ackley, Jacob Chase, William Queil, Samuel Goff, Orin Roberts, J. R. Johnson, C. H. Dutton, George W. Gage, U. M. Fisk, J. W. Bailey, J. R. Sage, W. W. Lovejoy, L. C. Brown, L. P. Black more, Henry Jewett, and John F. Gates, who came to the church October 11, 1874. A large and flourishing Sabbath-school has been organized since 1862, with Richmond Simmons for the first superintendent, and Elkanah Andrews for the present officer. The school numbers one hundred members, and is kept up throughout the year.
Excerpt from History of Ontario County, New York, pages 242-243, Everts, Ensign & Everts, Philadelphia 1878. Editor's Note: Be patient, the link may take some time to complete and display.
Historical Roadmap of the United Church of Bristol.
"Baptist Hill School in 1840"
(Copied from an old, handwritten paper, author and date unknown.)
The schoolrooms were in the basement of the Universalist Church, very pleasant rooms and commodious, with four large double windows, so plenty of light and room.
The few that are living called us class 1850 when it really was six or seven years preceding in the early forties, that I remember an illumination of the church, cobblestone church with cathedral windows. It was a beautiful sight. It must have been in 1840, the last I remember of church.
Now, will see how we can explain those wonderful rooms (and they surely were) where from 30 to 50 wild boys and girls worked to get a little knowledge, and they did. Had good teachers, good discipline, with so many to look after. The seats were long benches, with desks in front, with an aisle coming through the center from the south, with step down to each floor until you reached the center of the mom the lowest "where children could sit with feet on floor." On north side two long rows of seats with an aisle in center, with desks in front. We used Sanders' series of books, called then, good. The Speller, which was studied from first to last, with not much passed by. The school was noted for the good spellers. A class of fifteen or twenty standing on a mark, striving to outdo each other, especially when we had (spelling bees) "especially when we had company which we had often." The parents came often, that encouraged and inspired teacher and scholars, as it should. Every student will do better if the parent is there to see him or her. Then we had public days when we would spell down, have a paper, radiation, etc. Then we had great mathematicians, we had schools from around would bring problems, examples, and would have very exciting times, it was very much enjoyed by all.
The north room had tables and seats around, used for anything useful, a painting class, drawing and writing. Many of the boys and girls have gone from this school well equipped to take their life work and succeeded, making the most useful, intelligent, manly men that the world needs.
Bristol Hills Historical Society Archives (originally posted on website but later withdrawn)
The First Universalist Church of Bristol, having its edifice and seat of operations at Bristol Post - office, dates its actual organization back to the year 1837, though its teaching and preaching in the town ante-dated that time by nearly twenty years. The early ministers of this denomination to labor in this locality were Oliver Ackley, Rev. Morton, W. J. Reese, G. W. Montgomery, and William Queil, the latter being one of the earliest resident ministers. The first church edifice was built in 1836 of cobble stones, and in the year following a society organization was effected, and the complete church organization was delayed until February 2, 1872, the name "First Universalist Church of Bristol" being then adopted. The church edifice was built in 1861. History of Ontario County, New York, Lewis Cass Aldrich, George Stillwell Conover, Jan 1893, D. Mason & Company, pages 437-438.
 1852 Ontario County Map Bri-2 Excerpt.jpg ¹ |  1859 Ontario County Map Bri-2 Excerpt.jpg ² |
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¹ 1852 Ontario County Map Bri-2 Excerpt courtesy Library of Congress.
² 1859 Ontario County Map Bri-2 Excerpt courtesy Library of Congress.
