NIAGARA DISCOVERIES: Universalist churches in Niagara County (2024)

With the recent destruction of the former Cambria Universalist Church, this is a good time to examine the rise of the Universalist denomination in Niagara County and the congregations that were organized in the 19th century. By the late 1830s, although the beliefs of the Universalists were still considered radical, some people, such as the working class, abolitionists and advocates for the poor and disenfranchised, were drawn to the principles of Universalism. Their belief system centered on the tenet that salvation was not predetermined but was open to everyone, even sinners. The Unitarians, with whom the Universalists merged in 1961, also believed that salvation was not predetermined and had to be earned. This doctrine appealed to a more educated, middle/upper class society. Although the two churches are now joined as one, in the 19th century, and throughout most of the 20th century, there were distinct difference between the two religious organizations.

The first attempt to form a Universalist Society in Niagara County was in Lewiston in 1822, and it was unsuccessful. Fifteen years later, another effort was initiated which proved to more fruitful.

From the records kept by the New York State Convention of Universalists (NYSCU), the Lewiston congregation erected a meeting house before it was officially organized. The Evangelical Magazine & Gospel Advocate of Utica reported on June 23, 1837, “Our friends in Lewiston have completed their neat and commodious meeting house—it is an ornament to the village, and a credit to themselves.” Six years later, on Nov. 3, 1843, the same paper stated, “The meeting house in Lewiston, erected by our friends several years ago, has lately been finished and dedicated.” (That building still exists as an apartment house at 712 Center Street.) Between those two events, the First Universalist Society of the Town of Lewiston was officially organized on June 17, 1839 with three trustees being unanimously elected: Lemuel Cook, Joshua Fairbanks and James Murray.

As with several of the Universalist churches in Niagara County, an exact date of dissolution is difficult to pin down. NYSCU is attempting to research these churches to find more about their activities and important dates in their history.

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A few years after Lewiston established their church, a congregation was formed in the town of Royalton. Although some families had met earlier in other locations, the First Universalist Association of Middleport was not officially organized until April 29, 1841. An impressive, pillared cobblestone church was built later that year. According to documents at NYSCU, in the first few years of existence, only men were allowed to attend meetings due to sometimes violent harassment by members of other denominations. By the 1850s, women’s attendance had returned.

The Middleport congregation thrived when others did not, even in the 1870s and 1930s when other Universalists churches were struggling. In 1961, when the Universalists and the Unitarians merged, the Middleport congregation voted to not join the new association and instead remain an independent church. Over the next 50 years, the number of members dwindled from nearly 200 to only about a dozen in 2014. The small congregation made the difficult decision to disband and close the church in 2015 after nearly 175 years. Almost 10 years later, the former church building is still vacant.

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Next in chronological order of official establishment is the Niagara Falls Universalist Society. This church has a long and complicated history and further research is needed to give a more accurate record of this church.

The next Universalist church to be founded in Niagara County was in Olcott. As with many Christian churches of the early to mid 19th century, sometimes the congregation predated an official organization or building of a church by many years, or even decades. NYSCU records show that a congregation and Sunday school were in existence as early as 1833. In most cases, the members met irregularly, or only when a preacher was available, usually in other church sanctuaries, private homes or public halls. According to an account from 1864, the congregation had “almost died out” when in 1854, Brother Royall H. Pullman (brother of George W. Pullman of railroad car fame and founder of the Universalist Church in Albion) came to preach at Olcott resulting in a “season of prosperity.” With this renewed spirit, the congregation raised the necessary funds to build a permanent worship site in Olcott.

The 40-by-50-foot brick church, including a tower, bell and stained glass windows, was dedicated in November 1858. What was especially noteworthy was the inclusion of a woman, Rev. Lydia A. Jenkins, in the dedication ceremony and in preaching later that day. A man who was present later wrote, “…this is probably the first instance in which a woman was ever known to take part in the dedication of a church.”

From brief notices in the newspapers, the First Universalist Society of Olcott was a particularly active congregation as mentions of various types of events are frequently noted. In 1915, the society incorporated under the laws of New York State. As of 1929, services were no longer being held at the church and the building was sold to Olcott Volunteer Fire Company in 1936 for its headquarters. A fire in 1953 destroyed the building and a new structure was built on the site which has since been replaced with the present fire station further south on Lockport-Olcott Road.

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The last of the churches to be reviewed this week is the one that began this article, the First Universalist Society of the Town of Cambria. This congregation was also founded much earlier (1831) than the society was formally organized and the church built. In applying for incorporation, two members, D. S. Fellows and John M. Eastman, stated that “a meeting was held on the third day of Jan. 1859 of the male members of full age…at their usual place of meeting for Religious Worship…” The Society was incorporated within the Niagara Association of Universalist Churches in 1859 and reorganized in 1867, a year before the brick church on Church Road in the North Ridge section of Cambria was built.

Very little is known about the Universalist Society of Cambria. Social events, special worship services and change of pastors were recorded in the newspapers but as the 20th century wore on, fewer and fewer notices appeared in the papers. The last member of the church died in 1962, and for many years prior to that only an annual worship service was held in the church.

According to information in the NYSCU archives, the church became the property of the North Ridge Burial Association in about 1953. Until its recent demolition, the association used the church as a storage building with the structure appearing to be in good repair, calling into question the reason for its surprise razing in early July.

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