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HistoryIn the late 1800s, Schenectady was a prosperous industrial city with a locomotive works and Thomas Edison's electrical works. The formation of the General Electric Company here in 1892 included the Edison Electric Company and the Thompson-Houston Company of Massachusetts and brought to Schenectady professionals and their families from the New England area. The earliest and most prominent Unitarian to join GE was Albert L. Rohrer, who came here in 1893. Rohrer was followed by other Unitarians in 1897. Schenectady in 1900 had a population of 32,000 with many Protestant churches, a few Catholic churches, and one or two Jewish temples. In late 1900, Reverend Morehouse of the Unitarian Conference of the Middle States and Canada visited the Unitarians in Schenectady, urging them to start a local church. They acted immediately, starting church services in rented quarters in late 1900; applied for and received a certificate of incorporation from New York State on March 15, 1901; and, on June 3, 1901, chose a permanent church building site at the corner of Union Street and Wendell Avenue. The Society grew in numbers over the next
15 years and, after numerous fund-raising appeals and a $10,000 20-year
interest-free loan from the AUA, $22,300 was available in 1917 to begin
construction at the new site. The cornerstone was laid by ex-President
Taft in June 1917 (see photo to the right), and the first use of the new
auditorium took place in January 1918, for the 17th Annual Meeting of
the Society. Membership continued to grow in the ensuing years under the ministerial leadership of Ernest Caldecott, Robert Weston, Edwin Wilson, and Robert Hoagland. When Rev. William Gold began his ministry at our church in September 1956, membership stood at 451 and was growing. The auditorium of 200 seats and the adjoining chapel were often not adequate for services and events, to say nothing of the church school, which had to use rented quarters. Reverend Gold From March 1965 , when Rev. Gold resigned, until September 1973, our ministers were Carl Storm, Anthony Perrino, and Robert Eddy. In keeping with national trends in most churches, membership dropped during this period. Reverend Rudolf Nemser served as minister from September 1973 to December 1983, at which time the membership was 482 plus 43 contributors. Dr. Charles Slap became our minister in January 1985. He retired in May 1992, because of increasing disability as a result of AIDS, and he died in November 1992. During this difficult time, we were fortunate to have the services of Rev. Linda Hoddy, who had been ordained in our church in 1992, as Assistant Minister until August 1993, and of Rev. Fred Campbell as Interim Minister, starting in September 1992. Reverend Hoddy and Reverend Campbell helped the congregation accept the loss of a much-loved leader. Reverend Andrew Backus served as our minister from September 1994 until his decision to pursue interim ministry in 2000. Reverend Mary Hnottavange served as our Interim Minister until Rev. Russ Savage began his service as minister in 2001.
FUSS member Beth Hillig created this dramatic stained glass work that was purchased in celebration of the centennial year of the Society, in 2001. The beautiful lighted wooden stand for the stained glass was custom crafted by Bill MacTiernan. The photo is by Judy Clough. You can read the Centennial Booklet of the history of FUSS in PDF format. It is divided into three parts: |
inspired the members to contribute to a $300,000 fund drive for a new
building located on Wendell Avenue, adjoining Union College. The work
of many members over five years culminated in a unique structure, designed
by Edward Durell Stone. The building was dedicated on October 1, 1961,
and the mortgage was burned about 20 years later. By 1964, membership
had risen to 700, with 450 children in the church school.