Page 5 - February 2013 Spire
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5
150
th
Anniversary Celebration
B
enjamin Weed and Frederick Bruggerhof were
neighbors living on the Post Rd. in Darien. The
Weed house was located where the Christian Science
church is today and the Bruggerhof house, now called
“Garden Gate”, still stands just east of that church. Both
men had great vision for the new church in Noroton as
well as great generosity in time and money in helping to
secure its future.
Benjamin Weed was the ninth and last child born in the
house his father (also Benjamin Weed) built on Hollow
Tree Ridge Rd. He commuted all his life to New York
City for business, first by sailing vessel and stage coach,
and then by the new railroad which came to Darien in
1848. He retired in 1904 at the age of 83 and died five
years later. Census records show that in his later years
he was also involved in real estate in Darien. Weed’s
NY Times obituary said “He founded the Presbyterian
Church in Noroton.” Benjamin Weed served the
church as clerk of Session and elder, Secretary of the
Board of Trustees for 46 years, and as Superintendent
of the Sunday School. In his will he left the church
$2000.00 (nearly $50,000.00 today) and a house he
had bought from his sister and brother-in-law, John and
Sarah Waterbury. This house is known to NPC as the
Benjamin Weed house and was located where the Post
Rd. manse is now located, opposite Nearwater Lane.
Benjamin and his wife Mary, his brother Isaac and wife
Sally, his sister Rebecca (Isaac’s twin), his brother Rufus
and wife Phebe, and Benjamin’s mother Hannah were
eight of the original 21 members of NPC.
Frederick Bruggerhof was born in Prussia. He was the
president of a large seed business in New York City
and was credited with establishing a code of ethics for
the seed industry. He was also a CT state senator and
Chairman of the State Finance Committee. In 1856 he
built his house on 17 acres on the Post Rd. which he
named “The Lindens” after the trees which still grow
there today. He became a trustee of NPC in 1868 and
served as President from 1883-1899 and again from
1906-1917. When he died in 1921 he had served 52
years as trustee and the Session minutes recorded, “He
was identified with our church from its beginning”. In
1870 Mr. Bruggerhof purchased six acres from the Clock
family. This included all the property the church now
owns except the one acre tract that Lewis Clock had
already sold to the church in 1865 for today’s chapel
and the land which now contains the Memorial Garden
and the Post Rd. manse. In 1894 Bruggerhof sold this
entire tract to his daughter Carrie Bruggerhof Jones (Mrs.
Franklin Jones). Four years later Carrie’s husband died.
In 1921 she married General Henry Hodges after he
returned from military service in World War I. In 1945
Carrie gave the corner lot to NPC for the new sanctuary
and willed all the remaining property to the church. She
predeceased her second husband in 1961. General
Hodges continued to live in the house (now the manse
where the Doll family lives) until his death in 1963 when
he was 103 and the oldest living graduate of West Point.
Frederick Bruggerhof, in addition to his leadership and
time, provided for the future of the church by purchasing
the land and raising a generous daughter who became
one of the first women trustees of the church.
150
th
Anniversary Committee
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us run with perseverance the
race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy
set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of God.”
Hebrew 12:1,2
Neighbors Who Shared a Property Line, Faith and Vision!
