{"1": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3150", "width": "2043", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0001.jp2"}, "2": {"fulltext": "", "height": "2973", "width": "1868", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0002.jp2"}, "3": {"fulltext": "GOOD LUCK.\\nNE\\\\A JERSEY.\\nTHE BIRTHPLACE OF THE\\nUNIVERSALIS! CHURCH IN AMERICA.\\nBy rev. EDWARD G. MASON.\\nPRINTED FOR THE MURRAY GROVE ASSOCIATION, 1896.", "height": "2973", "width": "1868", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0003.jp2"}, "4": {"fulltext": "The Gate to the Sea\\n57310\\nMIKKAV GRUVE lIOUsE.\\noi\\nJ/\\n0)\\nOj en during\\nJ LI. V and\\neach year\\n1 erms. SI\\nrjr further\\napply\\nM\u00c2\u00a3S B\\nPres.. Ra\\nMrs. 11. A.\\nSvcr\\nForked\\nmonths o\\nLdL ST\\nAU\\nC )l\\na Day\\nifurmatloi\\nto\\nSEAL,\\nlore, Md.\\nLISS,\\ntary,\\nher. V. .4", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0004.jp2"}, "5": {"fulltext": "Good Luck, New Jersey\\nGOOD LUCK, NEW JERSEY.\\nTHK HlKTliri.ACK OK TIIK U.Nl VERSAIJST ChURCH IN AMERICA.\\n/f^ To the ordinary observer, the little settlement\\nX of Good Luck, on the eastern shore of New\\nJersey, does not suggest itself as a place of un-\\nusual importance or interest. The leading\\nfeatures of the hamlet a few scattered farms\\nwith green fields adjoining, roads in which the\\nfine sand lies two or three inches in depth, a\\ngrove of beatitiful oaks, two churches, near the\\nolder of which is a small cemetery, and a large,\\nplain, but neat-looking summer hotel are all\\nmore or less characteristic of the average\\ncountry village on the coast line of the pine-\\nlands of New Jersey. Only the more modem\\nof the two churches, a pretty gothic chapel of\\nbrick, with heavy buttresses and a massive^\\nsquare tower, seems somewhat pretentious\\namid its commonplace .surroundings.\\nBut notwithstanding its similarity to many other settlements of its kind. Good\\nLuck enjoys special distinction from the fact that it was here that the movement\\nwhich culminated in the formation of the Universalist Church in America, had its in-\\nception. On the very spot occupied by the older of the two church edifices, upon the\\nREV. JOH.S MUKKAV.\\nTHE POTTER MEETrNG UOLSE.\\noutskirts of the grove of oaks, John Murray, the founder of the denomination, began\\nhis labors in the new world. The story of the meeting of Murray and Potter under\\nmost peculiar circumstances is already well-known.\\nIn the latter part of September, 1770, the English brig H and- m- Hand, from Lon-\\ndon, having failed to dispose \u00c2\u00a9f its cargo at Philadelphia, sailed up the coast of New", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0005.jp2"}, "6": {"fulltext": "4 The Gate to the Sea\\nJersey on its way to New York City. In the midst of a dense fog the captain of the\\nvessel lost his bearings and it struck the bar, but passed over into a small arm of water\\nknown as Cranberry Inlet, which then connected Barnegat Bay with the ocean. The\\nship was jirevented by anchors from being driven on shore and a part of the cargo\\nwas removed to a sloop which chanced to be near by and which was engaged for the\\npurpose. At the request of the captain, John Murray, who had sailed from* London\\nas a passenger, went on board the sloop to take charge of certain articles which were\\ndeemed too valuable to be intrusted to irresponsible and unknown persons. On the\\nfollowing morning the Hand-in-Hand, aide^ by a high tide and favoring wind, again\\nPOTTER MKMORIAl. CHLKCH.\\nput to sea, but the wind suddenly changing, the sloop was unable to follow the larger\\nvessel. There being no provisions on board the sloop, later in the day Murray went\\non shore in search of food. He was directed to the house of Thomas Potter, a well-to-\\ndo planter, who not only furnished him freely the desired supplies, but warmly invited\\nhim to pass the night at his home. On the return from the vessel of his new-found\\nfriend. Potter informed him that he had been awaiting his coming for a long time and\\nthat on the following Sunday he would be e.xpected to preach in a meeting-house near\\nby. From the conversation which followed, Murray learned that the planter, who,\\nthough illiterate was a man of unusual mental ability, had from his own reflections\\nl)ecome a believer in the doctrine of universal salvation, and that he had erected a\\nmeeting-house in the full belief that God would send a minister of his own faith to", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0006.jp2"}, "7": {"fulltext": "Good Luck, Ne-iv Jersey 5\\nproclaim the gospel from its pulpit. This minister, he affirmed, had at last arrived.\\nSurprised beyond measure at his peculiar reception, Murray, who had resolved before\\nleaving England that he would never preach again, declined the invitation, but the\\nwind remaining the same and preventing his departure, he finally consented, believing\\nthat Providence directed him to grant the old man s request. On the next Sunda)\\nSeptember 30. J770, John Murray preached his first sermon in America, and although\\nthe earliest denominational organization was not formed until many 3^ears later and in\\nanother section of the country, it was on that memorable day when Murray first pro-\\nclaimed his message in the little rude chapel in the New Jersey wilderness, that the\\nfoundations of the Universalist Church were laid.\\nOLD POTTER DWELLINf^ HOUSE.\\nTo the many followers of Murray who annually visit the spot, there are numerous\\npoints of interest. As the visitor alights from the train upon the rude platform which\\nserves as a depot during the summer months, he is met by a coach from the Murray\\nGrove House, and on the way to the hotel the original site of the cabin where Murray\\nfirst called to buy food, is pointed out to him. It was here that he was directed to\\nThomas Potter s house, and the meetinghouse near by first attracted his attention.\\nBut a few rods from the site of the old Potter Church is the Potter Memorial Church,\\nand a little distance beyond is the Murray Grove Hotel.\\nContinuing on his way Murray must have passed by the meeting-house and\\nthrough the grove already mentioned, to the planter s house. The Potter dwelling\\nhouse is still standing and is in a good state of preservation. With the exception of an\\naddition which was erected several years ago, and some few minor changes recently", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0007.jp2"}, "8": {"fulltext": "6 The Gate to the Sea\\nmade in the interior, it undoubtedly presents much the same appearance that it did\\non that memorable day when the weary stranger was received within its hospitable\\nwalls as a welcome guest.\\nThe guest chamber, which was fitted up fur Murray, is on the second floor. A fire-\\n]ilace occupjing a large section of one side of a room, was boarded up many years ago.\\nIn repairing the house recently the boarding was removed and an old cane, once, doubt-\\nless, the property of Thomas Potter, was found in the recess. It was recently purchased\\nbv the Baltimore Universalist Sundav-school and added tf) the Tiood I^uck collection of\\nI OTTKK CHURCH IN lS ;5.\\nRebuilt in 1842 on the site of original Meeting House.\\nPotter and MuiTay relics. Near the house are several sheds, the roof of one of which\\nis said to have been the original covering of the old church. A little to one side of the\\npath which leads from the house to the church is a bubbling spring of pure, cold\\nwater, which has doubtless been a favorite source of water supply since the earliest\\nsettlement in the vicinity.\\nThe old meeting-house was located at a distance of. perhaps, one-third of a mile\\nfrom the Potter House. The f riginal edifice was a frame building of moderate size.\\nRev. Abel C. Thoma.s, writing of its appearance in 1S33, says it was small, plain,\\nand un]iainted, and could hardly be termed elegant. The seats were of pine, with high\\nbacks, excejjting one large square jiew, which was reserved for Thomas Potter and his\\nfamily. The original building was torn down in 1842 and a new one erected on the\\nsjwt, partially of the old material. The oak grove mentioned by Murray is still stand-\\ning near by, but the trees immediately surrounding the church have been cut away.", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0008.jp2"}, "9": {"fulltext": "Good Luck, jVe7c.i Jersey 7\\nThrough the dishonesty or mismanagement of Potter s executors, the church, which\\nwas willed to Murray, was sold to the Methodists and has since been held by them.\\nFor many years it was opened to all denominations, as its builder had intended it ever\\nshould be, but some years ago a young Methodist minister induced his people to close\\nthe house to the Universalists. The fact that during the early struggles of Methodism,\\nwhen its adherents were persecuted and despised both for their heresy and supposed\\ndisloyalty to the American cause, Thomas Potter fearlessly opened the doors of his\\nchurch and bade the preachers of the hunted sect make free use of his house of worship,\\nrendei-s this act on the part of the Methodists the more reprehensible. Nor can there\\nbe a reasonable doubt that the property does not legally belong to its present holders.\\nNear the old church is the grave of Thomas Potter, now inclosed by an iron fence\\nand marked by a tombstone erected by Rev. Abel C. Thomas in 1833. Upon the\\nstone is the following inscription\\nIn Memory of\\nTHOMAS POTTER,\\nThe Friend and Patron of\\nJOHN MURRAY,\\nAn Early Advocate of\\nUNIVERSALISM IN AMERICA.\\nHave we not all one Father\\nErected Maj 15, 1833.\\nThe exact date of Thomas Potter s death is not known, but is supposed to have\\nbeen between 17S5 and 1790. His widow surrendered her property to a relative, he\\npromising to care for her during the remainder of her life. The promise was broken\\nshe died in poverty and her resting place is not known.\\nOf the personal appearance of Potter and his good wife, little is now known.\\nMurray speaks of his genuine politeness under a rough form, and at another time\\nmentions his benevolent countenance. He was, wrote Murray in his Notes and\\nSketches, a gem of the first quality, and notwithstanding the crust which from his\\nbirth enfolded him, this crust was so far broken as to emit upon almost every occa-\\nsion, the native splendor of his intellect. An old lady, the niece of Thomas Potter s\\nwife, in conversation with the writer of this article, said that she had often heard her\\nmother describe Potter as a tall, large-framed man, with a decidedly sandy complex-\\nion, and his wife as a very large woman.\\nTko Potior ilomorial CWvii-oK w.- xa oroctod. by tho J^ow Jorooy Convention o\u00c2\u00a3 Uni-\\nversalists, with the aid of friends outside the State, and was dedicated in 1S86. The\\nedifice is a very handsome one. The interior is nicely finished with overarching\\nbeams in the natural wood, and frescoed walls. Over the pulpit are pictures of John\\nMurray and Hosea Ballou the former an engraving, the latter an oil painting. In a\\ncase in the rear of the church is a valuable collection of relics, including among many\\nother mementoes of interest, a picture of Murray presented by himself to a friend in\\nPhiladelphia, two Murray letters, the Potter cane already mentioned, and several rare\\nbooks. The Murray Grove Association is adding to the collection as fast as possible.\\nNearly everything of historic value has been secured by the Association or by private\\nindividuals, but the original key to the old meeting house is still in the possession of a\\nfamily in the neighborhood. A few of the old pews are still in existence. Of one\\nof these, now in the vestry of the Hightstown (N. J.) Church, the gavel used at the\\nBoston 95 Y. P. C. U. convention, was made.", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0009.jp2"}, "10": {"fulltext": "LIBI^ARY\\nT/n- Gate to the Sea\\nOF\\nCONGPES\\n014 206 356 6\\n^han thirty years ago several influential Universalists endeavored to\\nmtrol of the old Potter meeting house. The church, however, could not be\\nput^^^H, and nothing further was accomplished than to secure an acre of land near\\nby. ^I^^wvard the Murray Grove Association was formed for the purpose of develop-\\ning a sHJfcer grove meeting and resort, as well as to acquire anything in the vicinity\\nwhich would be of historical interest to the Universalist Church. Though struggling\\nunder maiiy difficulties, the society has thus far been ver\\\\- successful. It has succeeded\\nin collecting many valuable relics, and through its labors the Grove is rapidly be-\\ncoming a pleas,mLand popular summer resort. Religious services are held during the\\nentire montli of August, and each summer the list of speakers includes the names of\\nseveral of the most eloquent and well-known preachers in the denomination.\\nThe Murrny Grove House is a neat, large, three-story building, with a broad piazza\\nand i)leasant rooms. It stands in the edge of a pleasant grove and is but a few^ rods\\nfrom the Potter Memorial Church. Recently a house and lot near the hotel property\\nhave been purchased, and will be in use this season. Upon the nicelj -kept grounds\\nfre tennis courts and a f^roonet ground for all who eniov these games.\\nTo tbe AssociaiK a tl\u00c2\u00abe niversalist Church certainly owes a debt of gratitude be-\\ncause of its efforts to Secure for future generations of Universalists, whatever remains\\nto remind them of Thomas Botter and John Murray, and of the beginning of the\\nUniversalist movement in A/ ica.\\nq^J Ug gSi^V-!\\ntHK liKAVE OK THUMAS POTTER.", "height": "3300", "width": "2014", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0010.jp2"}, "11": {"fulltext": "", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0011.jp2"}, "12": {"fulltext": "LIBRARY OF CONGRESS\\nI 014 206 356 6", "height": "3215", "width": "1999", "jp2-path": "goodlucknewjerse00maso_0012.jp2"}}