Bradley Memorial Church

Keeping Memories of the Disenfranchised Alive

Peggy King Jorde, an expert on African burial grounds, has dedicated her life to ensuring memories of the disenfranchised are kept alive.

Treasure Buried Under Decades of Dust; Denniston Treasures Go to Museum

Linsey Lee emerged from what was once the Vineyard’s first African American church last week peeling a respirator from her face. By her count, she had spent more than 150 hours in the Bradley Memorial Church in Oak Bluffs, and the mask stood as a shield between her and decades of dust.

A New Day Dawns for the Bradley Memorial

The Bradley Memorial Baptist Church of Oak Bluffs is happy now to be in possession of a new church home where services have been held the past three Sundays. The structure which stands opposite the Oak Bluffs town hall on Pequot avenue, was built by the First Baptist Church and I used for many years until this congregation disbanded and sold the property to the Odd Fellows Fraternity.

Bradley Memorial to Have New Home by Summer

The old Oak Bluffs Baptist church, lately re-purchased by the New Eng­land Baptist Convention from the Vineyard Lodge of Odd Fellows, has been officially transferred to the new owners, and will be occupied by the Bradley Memorial Church of Oak Bluffs, as soon as some slight changes can be made to the interior.

Representatives from the convention were on the Island over the weekend, attending to the final arrangements, and services will start in the church before summer, according to the announcement.

Church Sound and Safe, Rumors Publicly Denied

Members of Bradley Memorial Church, Oak Blufs, are greatly distressed over the report which has circulated to the effect that their church building has been condemned as un­safe. Mrs. Mabel Hughes, one of the extremely active members of the church, approached the Gazette this week with the request that this might be publicly denied. Mrs. Hughes was furnished with official statement signed by all three members of the board of selectmen of Oak Bluffs, .which stated that the building has not been condemned for this or any other reason.

Mr. Denniston Dies: Church Is Monument to Oak Bluffs Pastor

Rev. Oscar E. Denniston, founder of the Bradley Memorial Church, Oak Bluffs, and pastor for the past forty years died at Martha's Vineyard Hospital early Tuesday morning, following a brief confinement which came at the end of some nine years of gradually failing health. He would have been 67 years of age on April 5. He had devoted his life to religious teaching.

His Dreams of America Have Been Realized Even If It Isn’t as Rosy as His Visions

On Thursday, Rev. O. E. Denniston, founder of the Bradley Memorial Church, celebrated his fortieth anniversary as pastor of that Baptist church in Oak Bluffs. Mr. Denniston is the oldest minister in the service of the Massachusetts Baptist Convention.
 
“I’m not the oldest minister in service in Massachusetts,” he hastened to say, “but the oldest member of the convention, because I have stayed in the same place while other ministers have moved from state to state.”
 

Interesting Vineyarders: Rev. Oscar E. Denniston

The student of Vineyard history, at least such history as has been published, will recognize the fact that it was largely through the clergy that things were accomplished during the first hundred and fifty years of the Island’s existence as a colony and province. Not only did they preach the word of God to whites and Indians, but they worked energetically to promote various industries and acted as advisors in settling all manner of disputes which arose, besides writing wills and other legal documents and keeping records, in many cases, being the only ones now existing.
 

Death of Mrs. Susan C. Bradley

On Thursday, Sept. 3, a special message was received at Oak Bias, announcing that Susan Clapp Bradley had passed away at her late residence, 82 Green street, Brockton, Mass. Mrs. Bradley was well known in Oak Bluffs (Cottage City) as an earnest, active christian worker, one who had the interests of the people as well as the community at heart. Mrs. Bradley was born at Stoughton, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of the late Benjamin Clapp and Ruth (Drake) Clapp and was a direct descendant of Roger Clapp, who came from England in 1632, and settled in Dorchester.

Oakland Mission

It seems likely to be a lively week at Oakland Hall. Last Sabbath a delegation from the New Bedford corps of the Salvation Army held three services. They arrived on the last boat Saturday and marched with flag, drum and tambourines to their temporary barracks. On Sabbath they marched the streets previous to each service, and held short open air services. A large audience, numbering not less than two hundred, attended the 8 o’clock service at the Mission. It was held on the lovely lawn, the Army using the spacious piazza for their platform.

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