First-Annual John Lewis Day Celebration

In what promises to be the start of a great annual tradition
in the Town of Lewisboro,  the first-ever John Lewis Day will be inaugurated on Saturday, October 5, 2013  during a celebration beginning at 5pm at St. Paul’s Chapel on Route 123 in Vista, NY.  All local residents are welcome to attend.

The brainchild of a young member of St. John’s Episcopal Parish (of which St. Paul’s Chapel is a part), the event will honor Lewis for his great generosity toward the town and the parish.  Lewisboro Town Supervisor Peter Parsons will be present to officially proclaim the first Saturday after October 1 (the date of Lewis’ death in 1871) henceforth as John Lewis Day and encourage “all residents to celebrate on this day their Town’s rich history, and the volunteers and supporters who have made, and continue to make,
this community a success.”  An ecumenical
service, featuring hymns and prayers that Lewis would have been very familiar with, will include remarks by Town Historian Maureen Koehl, who will provide lively insights into the fascinating man after whom our town is named.

Lewis, born in 1793 in a tiny farmhouse at the intersection
of Smith Ridge Road
(now Rt. 123) and Elmwood Road,
was a prominent member of the community and of St. John’s parish.  After moving to New York City and making his fortune on Wall
Street, he became a champion of public education.  In 1840, he returned to South
Salem and made an enormous cash donation to improve local
schools.  The grateful town fathers were more than happy to rename the town Lewisborough (since streamlined to
Lewisboro) in his honor.

In 1870, he deeded the farmhouse in which he was born and 8 surrounding acres to St. John’s parish, on condition that a chapel be built on
the site for the use of members who lived nearby and for whom travel to the
main church on Spring Street was a hardship. 
It took nearly thirty years to compile the necessary funds, but in 1899,
the construction of St. Paul’s was completed.

Father Joseph Campo, rector of St. John’s Parish, said “Our parish’s history and John Lewis’ life are deeply
intertwined in so many ways, and both are filled with examples of volunteerism
and civic involvement.  John Lewis Day is a long-overdue celebration that everyone in our town can enjoy and St. Paul’s
Chapel is the perfect place to kick it off. 
We expect to see this event grow year by year.”

For
additional information, please contact the parish office at (914) 763-8273 or via email at
stjohnsch@cloud9.net.  Please visit us at www.facebook.com/StJohnsLewisboro, ,www.youtube.com/user/StJohnsLewisboro and www.stjohnschurchonline.com.