St. Peter's Presbyterian Church
Encyclopedia
St. Peter's Presbyterian Church is located at the junction of New York State Route 203
and South Street (Columbia County
Route 7) in Spencertown
, New York
, United States
. It is a tall frame
building in a style similar to those found in New England
, the native region of many of the area's original 18th century settlers. Just to its east is Spencertown Cemetery, with graves dating to 1760, shortly after the area was settled and the congregation formed.
The church was built in 1771, across the road from where it now stands. It was moved to its present location and expanded slightly in 1826. Over the rest of the 19th and 20th centuries it was renovated and modified slightly. In 2002 it and the cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
Town Hall and other buildings of the small rural hamlet. The former comes right up to the edge of the roadway, with little setback
. To the south the ground slopes downward slightly to the edge of the Punsit Creek gorge, offering views of hills in that direction. The cemetery is set off by a cast iron
fence. Both it and the church are contributing resources
to the Register listing.
building is two stories high, sided in clapboard
. Its gable
d roof is topped with a centrally located engaged steeple
. A brick chimney rises on the exterior eastern wall.
On the north (front) facade
, the middle three bays project slightly, topped by a pediment
above the eaves. The centrally located main entrance has a molded
surround and Greek Revival
cornice
. There are windows next to it but not at the corners. A Palladian window, with two regular sash window
s on either side, is above it. There is also a wheelchair ramp
.
The belfry has three stages. The lowest is 10 feet (3 m) square, with clapboard siding similar to that on the church. On three sides it has clock faces with Roman numerals. The next stage is octagonal with green louver
s and white segmental arches and corner posts. Above it is a smaller octagon, with green louvered ovals. On the hexagonal steeple is a metal ball and weathervane.
On the rear, one window on the first story and three on the second have been boarded over. Modern fire doors flank the first window on the first story. There is also a small attic window in the gable field. Both sides are fully fenestrated.
Behind the double entry doors is the full-width vestibule
. On either side are paired double-run stairs with their original rails and baluster
s. An elevator, for disabled access, is on the southeast corner as well. All lead up to a partitioned room where the bell rope hangs through a hole in the ceiling. Off it is the balcony, with a paneled railing. A smaller, narrower stair leads to an attic where king post
trusses support the church's ceiling rafters. At the top stage of the belfry is a Meneely bell, with "1858" stamped into it, supported in an iron cage.
Doors in the corners open into side aisles that lead all the way to the elevated pulpit
, past white pew
s with walnut
railings. More walnut railings and white balusters extend across the front of the platform. A long recessed arch is behind it. The windows have simple vernacular
Federal style molding. Wall sconce
s are behind each of them in the gray plaster wall.
on those stones ranges from the death's head common on most New England tombstones of the period to arabesque
s and engraved
Roman letters. Later stones, from the end of the 19th century, have human or angelic figures.
Some decedents have more elaborate memorials. Two tall obelisk
s are in use, one from 1772 and another for the Beale family in the 1870s and 1880s. Near the rear of the cemetery is a low stone crypt
.
around 1750, and soon acquired the name "Spencer's Town", after one of them. The settlers formed a company and divided the land it owned into hundred-acre (40 ha) lots
called "rights", with each owner having a vote in company decisions. In 1760 the settlers voted to grant one and a half rights to the first minister to settle in the area. The following year one, Jesse Clark, did. The minutes of the meeting where his salary was set also make the first reference to the cemetery, suggesting it had been in existence for at least a year at that point.
Another meeting was called to select a site for a meeting house
, but it was never held. Services were held in private homes until the church was built by a local carpenter, William Babcock, in 1771 on the town green, facing northwest. At that time the church was one bay shorter and did not have a steeple.
Further development of the church and congregation soon stalled as the Revolution
began and some area families left for Canada as Loyalists
. Settlement of Spencertown began anew after the war and by 1789, when its first trustee
s were chosen, the church had again become the focal point of the community. Membership continued to grow under a new pastor, David Porter, and in 1803 the church was formally incorporated
. At that time it was primarily a Congregationalist church, like the ones in the New England communities the settlers had come from. Anglicans and Presbyterians also worshipped there, since it was the only church in Spencertown.
One map suggests a steeple was added by 1808, although it may have been a mapmaker's convention rather than a depiction of the actual building. The town of Austerlitz
was formally established by the state in 1818, with Spencertown serving as its center. In 1826 an African-American woman, Lilla Van Buren, was baptised
and became a full member of the congregation.
A local contractor, Philo Beebe, handled not only the move but a $2,500 ($ in contemporary dollars) expansion, adding the current front entrance and Federal style projection. The church still faced the road but was now looking east, as Christian churches generally tend to. The present steeple was built at this time as well, its design an echo of the Belfry on Philip Hooker
s' Albany
North Dutch Reformed Church.
The new church was dedicated on New Year's Day
of 1827. Four days later, it changed denominations to Presbyterianism. Congregants who wished to continue as Congregationalists went instead to a church in that denomination that had been started in 1792.
The Greek Revival entrance detail was probably added afterwards, between 1835 and 1840. The church at this time was also used for community functions such as fairs. Timothy Woodbridge, who wrote a memoir of his 1843–52 tenure as pastor called Autobiography of a Blind Minister, recalls an ornate floral wreath in what he describes as a German style on the rear wall over the pulpit
. It likely dates to 1824 and is no longer extant, although traces have been discovered. Woodbridge, during his tenure, successfully lobbied the state legislature for the creation of Spencertown Academy
a short distance to the east to train teachers.
A cemetery association was incorporated in 1850, following a pattern around the county. This seemed to ignore the cemetery's inclusion in the church's original incorporation 46 years earlier. It may have been done to ensure that the cemetery remained nondenominational.
Another set of repairs and renovations were made around 1863. It is possible from the date on the bell that it was installed at this time. The work cost another $2,500, but its exact nature is not known. It may have included a new rear wall and a reconfiguration of the interior layout. Since it was during the Civil War
, when building materials were generally scarce and costly, it has been surmised that this was an emergency repair rather than one that had been planned for some time.
The iron fence may have been added to the cemetery at that time, since it is mentioned for the first time in an 1878 account by the county historian. He also refers to it as being jointly owned by the Presbyterian church and a Methodist
church across the street, on what is now Route 203. In 1905 the church's trustees voted to transfer their interest in the cemetery to the association.
Church records indicate little more than routine repairs and maintenance throughout the first half of the 20th century. The building was equipped with electric light in 1926, and three years later the basement was dug to provide space for social events and a kitchen. During construction, bones were found, indicating that the 1826 relocation had been done over existing graves. All the gravestones and bodies were re-interred elsewhere in the cemetery.
Women of the church formed the Tower Club in 1930, as a response to the Depression
that was beginning at the time. At first a social club that met in the tower (hence the name), they eventually began raising money for the church at Easter breakfasts and other events. Their fundraising made it possible for the church to insure
the building, purchase a piano, electrify and waterproof the basement and furnish and later move the kitchen. After World War II
, in the 1950s, they started an organ fund, which helped the church buy one in 1954. The organization continues today, helping to improve the church.
. After studying similar churches in nearby Bennington, Vermont and Connecticut
, they recommended that the church use the 1826 post-relocation interior as its template, not the 1771 original. They also recommended removing a wall in the tower room and moving the organ and choir stairs to the side balcony from the rear after restoring the balcony. All of its recommendations were implemented. The work that was done uncovered paint traces in the rear suggesting the floral wreath Woodbridge had described.
Since then there have been a few more repairs and changes. The steeple was again repaired in 1974, and part of the balcony was set off for use as an office and conference room in 1989. A special capital-improvement fund was tapped in the early 1990s to add the wheelchair ramp, elevator, and other features required by the new federal legislation. During this project, the building was also repainted and the ceiling stabilized.
New York State Route 203
New York State Route 203 is a state highway in the Capital District of New York in the United States. It begins at an intersection with NY 22 in the Columbia County hamlet of Austerlitz and ends at a junction with US 20 in the Rensselaer County village of Nassau. NY 203 was...
and South Street (Columbia County
Columbia County, New York
Columbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
Route 7) in Spencertown
Austerlitz, New York
Austerlitz is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the Battle of Austerlitz.The Town of Austerlitz is in the east part of Columbia County.- History :Ellis, Capt...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is a tall frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
building in a style similar to those found in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, the native region of many of the area's original 18th century settlers. Just to its east is Spencertown Cemetery, with graves dating to 1760, shortly after the area was settled and the congregation formed.
The church was built in 1771, across the road from where it now stands. It was moved to its present location and expanded slightly in 1826. Over the rest of the 19th and 20th centuries it was renovated and modified slightly. In 2002 it and the cemetery were added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Property
The church and cemetery are on a 1.1 acres (4,451.5 m²) parcel on the south side of Route 203 at the fork with South Street. It is across from AusterlitzAusterlitz, New York
Austerlitz is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the Battle of Austerlitz.The Town of Austerlitz is in the east part of Columbia County.- History :Ellis, Capt...
Town Hall and other buildings of the small rural hamlet. The former comes right up to the edge of the roadway, with little setback
Setback (land use)
In land use, a setback is the distance which a building or other structure is set back from a street or road, a river or other stream, a shore or flood plain, or any other place which needs protection. Depending on the jurisdiction, other things like fences, landscaping, septic tanks, and various...
. To the south the ground slopes downward slightly to the edge of the Punsit Creek gorge, offering views of hills in that direction. The cemetery is set off by a cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
fence. Both it and the church are contributing resources
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Register listing.
Church
The five-by-six-bayBay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
building is two stories high, sided in clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
. Its gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof is topped with a centrally located engaged steeple
Steeple (architecture)
A steeple, in architecture, is a tall tower on a building, often topped by a spire. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure...
. A brick chimney rises on the exterior eastern wall.
On the north (front) facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
, the middle three bays project slightly, topped by a pediment
Pediment
A pediment is a classical architectural element consisting of the triangular section found above the horizontal structure , typically supported by columns. The gable end of the pediment is surrounded by the cornice moulding...
above the eaves. The centrally located main entrance has a molded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
surround and Greek Revival
Greek Revival architecture
The Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
cornice
Cornice
Cornice molding is generally any horizontal decorative molding that crowns any building or furniture element: the cornice over a door or window, for instance, or the cornice around the edge of a pedestal. A simple cornice may be formed just with a crown molding.The function of the projecting...
. There are windows next to it but not at the corners. A Palladian window, with two regular sash window
Sash window
A sash window or hung sash window is made of one or more movable panels or "sashes" that form a frame to hold panes of glass, which are often separated from other panes by narrow muntins...
s on either side, is above it. There is also a wheelchair ramp
Wheelchair ramp
A wheelchair ramp is an inclined plane installed in addition to or instead of stairs. Ramps permit wheelchair users, as well as people pushing strollers, carts, or other wheeled objects, to more easily access a building....
.
The belfry has three stages. The lowest is 10 feet (3 m) square, with clapboard siding similar to that on the church. On three sides it has clock faces with Roman numerals. The next stage is octagonal with green louver
Louver
A louver or louvre , from the French l'ouvert; "the open one") is a window, blind or shutter with horizontal slats that are angled to admit light and air, but to keep out rain, direct sunshine, and noise...
s and white segmental arches and corner posts. Above it is a smaller octagon, with green louvered ovals. On the hexagonal steeple is a metal ball and weathervane.
On the rear, one window on the first story and three on the second have been boarded over. Modern fire doors flank the first window on the first story. There is also a small attic window in the gable field. Both sides are fully fenestrated.
Behind the double entry doors is the full-width vestibule
Vestibule (architecture)
A vestibule is a lobby, entrance hall, or passage between the entrance and the interior of a building.The same term can apply to structures in modern or ancient roman architecture. In modern architecture vestibule typically refers to a small room or hall between an entrance and the interior of...
. On either side are paired double-run stairs with their original rails and baluster
Baluster
A baluster is a moulded shaft, square or of lathe-turned form, one of various forms of spindle in woodwork, made of stone or wood and sometimes of metal, standing on a unifying footing, and supporting the coping of a parapet or the handrail of a staircase. Multiplied in this way, they form a...
s. An elevator, for disabled access, is on the southeast corner as well. All lead up to a partitioned room where the bell rope hangs through a hole in the ceiling. Off it is the balcony, with a paneled railing. A smaller, narrower stair leads to an attic where king post
King post
A king post is a central vertical supporting post used in architectural, bridge, or aircraft design applications.-Architecture:...
trusses support the church's ceiling rafters. At the top stage of the belfry is a Meneely bell, with "1858" stamped into it, supported in an iron cage.
Doors in the corners open into side aisles that lead all the way to the elevated pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, past white pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s with walnut
Walnut
Juglans is a plant genus of the family Juglandaceae, the seeds of which are known as walnuts. They are deciduous trees, 10–40 meters tall , with pinnate leaves 200–900 millimetres long , with 5–25 leaflets; the shoots have chambered pith, a character shared with the wingnuts , but not the hickories...
railings. More walnut railings and white balusters extend across the front of the platform. A long recessed arch is behind it. The windows have simple vernacular
Vernacular architecture
Vernacular architecture is a term used to categorize methods of construction which use locally available resources and traditions to address local needs and circumstances. Vernacular architecture tends to evolve over time to reflect the environmental, cultural and historical context in which it...
Federal style molding. Wall sconce
Sconce
Sconce may refer to any of the following:* Sconce , a military fortification* Sconce * Sconcing, imposing a penalty in the form of drink* SCoNCe, , University of California, Irvine...
s are behind each of them in the gray plaster wall.
Cemetery
Gravestones in the cemetery date to the time the church was built to the present, as the cemetery has not been filled yet. The earliest, that of Hannah Lawrence, is dated 1760. The funerary artFunerary art
Funerary art is any work of art forming, or placed in, a repository for the remains of the dead. Tomb is a general term for the repository, while grave goods are objects—other than the primary human remains—which have been placed inside...
on those stones ranges from the death's head common on most New England tombstones of the period to arabesque
Arabesque
The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements...
s and engraved
Engraving
Engraving is the practice of incising a design on to a hard, usually flat surface, by cutting grooves into it. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an intaglio printing plate, of copper or another metal, for printing...
Roman letters. Later stones, from the end of the 19th century, have human or angelic figures.
Some decedents have more elaborate memorials. Two tall obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
s are in use, one from 1772 and another for the Beale family in the 1870s and 1880s. Near the rear of the cemetery is a low stone crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
.
History
The church's history has three eras: from its founding and contstruction to its move to its present site, from that time to the interior renovations of the mid-20th century, and from then to the present1760–1826: Founding and construction
The area was first settled by emigrants from New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
around 1750, and soon acquired the name "Spencer's Town", after one of them. The settlers formed a company and divided the land it owned into hundred-acre (40 ha) lots
Lot (real estate)
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner. A lot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property in other countries...
called "rights", with each owner having a vote in company decisions. In 1760 the settlers voted to grant one and a half rights to the first minister to settle in the area. The following year one, Jesse Clark, did. The minutes of the meeting where his salary was set also make the first reference to the cemetery, suggesting it had been in existence for at least a year at that point.
Another meeting was called to select a site for a meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
, but it was never held. Services were held in private homes until the church was built by a local carpenter, William Babcock, in 1771 on the town green, facing northwest. At that time the church was one bay shorter and did not have a steeple.
Further development of the church and congregation soon stalled as the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
began and some area families left for Canada as Loyalists
Loyalist (American Revolution)
Loyalists were American colonists who remained loyal to the Kingdom of Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. At the time they were often called Tories, Royalists, or King's Men. They were opposed by the Patriots, those who supported the revolution...
. Settlement of Spencertown began anew after the war and by 1789, when its first trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
s were chosen, the church had again become the focal point of the community. Membership continued to grow under a new pastor, David Porter, and in 1803 the church was formally incorporated
Incorporation
Incorporation may refer to:* Incorporation , the creation of a corporation* Incorporation of a place, creation of municipal corporation such as a city or county...
. At that time it was primarily a Congregationalist church, like the ones in the New England communities the settlers had come from. Anglicans and Presbyterians also worshipped there, since it was the only church in Spencertown.
One map suggests a steeple was added by 1808, although it may have been a mapmaker's convention rather than a depiction of the actual building. The town of Austerlitz
Austerlitz, New York
Austerlitz is a town in Columbia County, New York, United States. The population was 1,453 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the Battle of Austerlitz.The Town of Austerlitz is in the east part of Columbia County.- History :Ellis, Capt...
was formally established by the state in 1818, with Spencertown serving as its center. In 1826 an African-American woman, Lilla Van Buren, was baptised
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and became a full member of the congregation.
1826–1956: Relocation and expansion
A new pastor, Joel Osborne, began his tenure that year. He immediately oversaw the relocation of the dilapidated church building across the road. Its former site became the village green, a purpose it still serves.A local contractor, Philo Beebe, handled not only the move but a $2,500 ($ in contemporary dollars) expansion, adding the current front entrance and Federal style projection. The church still faced the road but was now looking east, as Christian churches generally tend to. The present steeple was built at this time as well, its design an echo of the Belfry on Philip Hooker
Philip Hooker
Philip Hooker was at one time the leading architect of New York State outside of New York City. He designed Hyde Hall, the facade of the Hamilton College Chapel, The Albany Academy, Albany City Hall, Hart-Cluett Mansion and the original New York State Capitol building. He is believed to have...
s' Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
North Dutch Reformed Church.
The new church was dedicated on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
of 1827. Four days later, it changed denominations to Presbyterianism. Congregants who wished to continue as Congregationalists went instead to a church in that denomination that had been started in 1792.
The Greek Revival entrance detail was probably added afterwards, between 1835 and 1840. The church at this time was also used for community functions such as fairs. Timothy Woodbridge, who wrote a memoir of his 1843–52 tenure as pastor called Autobiography of a Blind Minister, recalls an ornate floral wreath in what he describes as a German style on the rear wall over the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
. It likely dates to 1824 and is no longer extant, although traces have been discovered. Woodbridge, during his tenure, successfully lobbied the state legislature for the creation of Spencertown Academy
Spencertown Academy
The former Spencertown Academy is located along the NY 203 state highway in Spencertown, New York, United States. It is a mid-19th century building in the Greek Revival architectural style....
a short distance to the east to train teachers.
A cemetery association was incorporated in 1850, following a pattern around the county. This seemed to ignore the cemetery's inclusion in the church's original incorporation 46 years earlier. It may have been done to ensure that the cemetery remained nondenominational.
Another set of repairs and renovations were made around 1863. It is possible from the date on the bell that it was installed at this time. The work cost another $2,500, but its exact nature is not known. It may have included a new rear wall and a reconfiguration of the interior layout. Since it was during the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, when building materials were generally scarce and costly, it has been surmised that this was an emergency repair rather than one that had been planned for some time.
The iron fence may have been added to the cemetery at that time, since it is mentioned for the first time in an 1878 account by the county historian. He also refers to it as being jointly owned by the Presbyterian church and a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
church across the street, on what is now Route 203. In 1905 the church's trustees voted to transfer their interest in the cemetery to the association.
Church records indicate little more than routine repairs and maintenance throughout the first half of the 20th century. The building was equipped with electric light in 1926, and three years later the basement was dug to provide space for social events and a kitchen. During construction, bones were found, indicating that the 1826 relocation had been done over existing graves. All the gravestones and bodies were re-interred elsewhere in the cemetery.
Women of the church formed the Tower Club in 1930, as a response to the Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
that was beginning at the time. At first a social club that met in the tower (hence the name), they eventually began raising money for the church at Easter breakfasts and other events. Their fundraising made it possible for the church to insure
Property insurance
Property insurance provides protection against most risks to property, such as fire, theft and some weather damage. This includes specialized forms of insurance such as fire insurance, flood insurance, earthquake insurance, home insurance or boiler insurance. Property is insured in two main...
the building, purchase a piano, electrify and waterproof the basement and furnish and later move the kitchen. After World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, in the 1950s, they started an organ fund, which helped the church buy one in 1954. The organization continues today, helping to improve the church.
1956–present: Restoration and preservation
In 1956 the church convened a new committee to study its interior and guide its restorationBuilding restoration
Building restoration describes a particular treatment approach and philosophy within the field of architectural conservation. According the U.S...
. After studying similar churches in nearby Bennington, Vermont and Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, they recommended that the church use the 1826 post-relocation interior as its template, not the 1771 original. They also recommended removing a wall in the tower room and moving the organ and choir stairs to the side balcony from the rear after restoring the balcony. All of its recommendations were implemented. The work that was done uncovered paint traces in the rear suggesting the floral wreath Woodbridge had described.
Since then there have been a few more repairs and changes. The steeple was again repaired in 1974, and part of the balcony was set off for use as an office and conference room in 1989. A special capital-improvement fund was tapped in the early 1990s to add the wheelchair ramp, elevator, and other features required by the new federal legislation. During this project, the building was also repainted and the ceiling stabilized.