St. Joseph's Parish History Part I
The history of Saint Joseph Church began more than 150 years ago with a small group of catholics who resided in the area of the Village of Middletown. They were few in number, but strong in their faith. In 1848 a Mass was held at Tandy Lodge, located on Academy Ave. and East Main St. with seven people in attendance. For the next nine years Masses were held at Burke's Assembly rooms on Union and Franklin Streets every four to six weeks. There was no priest assigned to Middletown at the time and the nearest Catholic Church was St. Johns Parish located in Goshen. The Rev. Benjamin O'Callahan was the mission priest assigned to Goshen and he traveled to the surrounding areas to say Mass.
In 1859 the Saint Joseph Society was organized in Middletown with plans to build their own church. A lot was purchased on the corner of Linden and Wickham Avenues and Joseph Crawford was hired to lay a stone foundation ninety by fifty - two feet. Michael Mahoney, John Kearns, and Terrence Costello, officers of the Society, decided to halt building during the Civil War. From the inception of the Saint Joseph Society to the conclusion of the Civil War, the Catholic population of the Middletown area continued to grow and it was decided that the church under construction would not be adequate. This land, with the foundation, was sold and became Slauson Hall, later renamed Linden Hall.
In January 1865, the Saint Joseph Society sent a request to John Cardinal McClosky, Archbishop of New York, asking permission to establish a parish in Middletown. The Cardinal granted this request and assigned the Rev. Andrew O'Reilly of Newburgh as rector of Saint Joseph Parish. The following month thirteen acres of land was purchased on Cottage St, the outskirts of the village, for $7,000 from Judge John G. Wilkins. The wood frame house on the property was remodeled for use as a rectory at a cost of $2,500. This was financed by the $2,000 realized from the sale of the Linden Ave. property and contributions of the parishioners. During this period Mass was held at Gothic Hall at 54 North Street.
A wood frame church was built at a cost of $7,000 a few feet north of the present building. It was a long narrow structure about half the size of the present church and had a seating capacity of 400 - 500. This building was financed in part by $1,060 earned at achurch fair held in April of 1865. On October 2, 1867 Archbishop McClosky dedicated the new church and blessed the cemetery which opened the same year. Father O'Reilly remained in Middletown for nine years as Pastor of the parish and was replaced by the Rev. Richard O'Gorman, who was administrator until September of 1875.
In 1875 St. Joseph's received its second pastor, the Rev. Peter J. Prendergast. He was born in County Tipperary, Ireland and all six of his brothers became priests. One brother eventually became the Archbishop of Philadelphia. Father Prendergast was joined at St. Joseph's by the Rev. John Patrick McClancy in 1877. Both priests realized that the church building was inadequate for the growing population of St. Joseph's. The building itself was in disrepair and large beams that looked like telephone poles had been installed to support the walls. These were referred to as, "the pillars of the church." A building committee was formed and Mr. Arthur Crooks was employed as the architect for the new building.
Messers Magill and Binnie, stonecutters from the city of Brooklyn, were hired to construct a foundation of Ohio Bluestone measuring 130 by 62 feet for the fee of $1,900. Messers Malcolm and Russell, masons from Newburgh, were contracted to lay the brick and complete the plastering of the new church for $5,700. Mr James Thompson, a carpenter from Clifton, NY was hired to set the window frames, raise the roof, slate and tin the roof and lay the floor. His fee was $9,550 and he employed a number of carpenters and joiners to work on the building. Father Prendergast engaged the firm of Aicken and Godwin of Philadelphia to install the stained glass windows. He had, no doubt, appreciated the windows this firm had installed in the Cathedral in Philadelphia while visiting his brother, the Archbishop.
The specifications called for onw window in each of the lower side sections; ten in all, eight in the clearstory, five in the front gallery, two in the lower front gallery, three in the sacristy and one between the side porch and sacristy; twenty nine windows in all. They were to be of the finest stained glass thoroughly glazed and put in lead sash. The windows were to be supplied with double non-iron galvanized spring locks. These twenty nine windows, designed and installed, would cost $909 when completed.