Vermont Churches

Derby Line Universalist Church // 1840

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Located adjacent to the former IOOF Hall of Derby Line, Vermont, the Derby Universalist Church stands as an well-preserved example of a New England village church in the Greek Revival style. The church was erected in 1840 as the Derby Line Free Church for local Episcopalians. In 1871, Universalist Unitarians were able to acquire the church and they have remained here ever since. The building has a boxed belfry with projecting pilastered facade and smooth siding, all hallmarks for Classically designed churches of the 1840s.

Whitingham Community Church // 1862

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This simple, Greek Revival, frame church has a prominent pediment, corner pilasters, and two part steeple. It is built into a steep bank at the side of the road as it curves and descends into Whitingham Village, making it one of the most visible buildings in town. This church was originally built in 1862 by the Methodists who moved their congregation from their old and deteriorated church in the original Whitingham settlement on Town Hill. By the 1870s, the Methodist congregation was in decline. The Baptist congregation started holding meeting at this church regularly in Sadawga Village in 1879 and then purchased it. They made repairs and alterations in 1881. In historic photographs c. 1890- 1920s, the church’s steeple had third and fourth sections consisting of a narrow octagonal section topped by a small bell shaped dome. By the 1940s photographs show these had been removed. The building now serves as the Whitingham Community Church. My friends who tag along with me on visits throughout New England always say that every town has at least one old, white church. They aren’t wrong!

United Church of Christ, Waterbury // 1824

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As soon as settlers arrived in Waterbury, they began worshipping their respective religions, largely out of private homes. The town’s meeting house was occupied by some congregations, but there was no real union church for the many growing congregations. This edifice was originally erected in 1824 as a united Congregational church by local builders, the Carpenter Brothers (how perfect is that?) The church was modernized in about 1860 with Gothic Revival detailing, which included the raising of its foundation, bargeboard, spires, and a new steeple. It was updated later in 1880 with a new chapel and ten years later, with stained glass windows. It remains today as an active church and is in a great state of preservation.

Union Christian Church of Plymouth Notch // 1840

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Located next to President Calvin Coolidge’s birthplace and the Coolidge Family store, the Union Christian Church of Plymouth Notch in Vermont stands as another of the village’s well-preserved buildings with direct ties to the former president. The church was built in 1840 as a modest, vernacular Greek Revival building with a two-stage tower and originally was the town’s meetinghouse. The building was dedicated as a Congregational church in 1842. President Coolidge attended services here as a child and later when visiting his hometown as Governor of Massachusetts and President of the United States. In 1942, the
building became a union church for all congregations.

Dorset Congregational Church // 1909

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Arguably the most high-style building in the quaint village of Dorset, Vermont is the Congregational Church, which appropriately sits on Church Street. The original congregational church in Dorset was located in nearby Maple Hill Cemetery. When the wood structure burned in 1832, an new wooden church was built on this site. The second wooden building burned in 1907, and then this church was built, but of fireproof construction. Jordan Greene, an architect from New York, designed this Neo Gothic Revival style in the historic district. The church was constructed by the contracting firm of O. W. Norcross, partner in the Norcross-West Marble Company, which donated the building stone from its South Dorset quarry. The design is dominated by a massive square central tower that ascends its facade and is capped by pinnacles. Behind the tower, the gable-roofed church is built of rough-faced Dorset marble laid in patterned coursed ashlar and trimmed with dressed stone. How many other marble churches can you think of?

Congregational Church of Peru // 1845

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The centerpiece of the Village of Peru, Vermont is the Congregational Church, a stunning edifice and example of Greek Revival architecture in the small town. Construction on the church began on the Fourth of July in 1845, with contractor and resident J.J. Hapgood utilizing much of the timbers of the former church building in the new church. Since the interior of the old church had been left natural, they decided that wood in the new building should be left unpainted as well. The bell was financed by contributions, most particularly by J.J. Hapgood. In 1853, a tornado swept through Peru, damaging the west end of the church and moving it from the foundation, it survived. The church remains a center of Village life in Peru and is well-maintained by the congregation.

Landgrove Methodist Church // 1857

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Built in 1857 as the Landgrove Methodist Church, this absolutely charming church sits in the middle of Landgrove, a town with a population of just 177. The town’s small population acquired funds to erect a church in their town, opting to not make the trip by horseback or foot to the churches in surrounding towns. The vernacular Greek Revival building was likely constructed by the members of the congregation and possibly the work of a local builder. Methodists commissioned the 30 × 40–foot building to attract a regular circuit rider, and by 1870 it had become a Union church with other denominations. There is something so enchanting about these old white churches in small New England towns!

Cavendish Universalist Church // 1844

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Oh Snecked Ashlar… the iconic vernacular building style that was seen in south-central Vermont in the middle of the 19th century. The Cavendish Universalist Church was built in 1844 by Scottish immigrant stonemasons who had moved to the area ten years earlier from Canada. These builders constructed houses, schools, and churches in Windsor County and nearby, using traditional building techniques they likely brought to North America from Scotland. This church in Cavendish was built under the leadership of Rev. Warren Skinner, an avid abolitionist and was part of the “above ground” railroad in Vermont. The church was decommissioned in the 1960’s from a shrinking congregation and was leased to the Cavendish Historical Society in the 1970’s. While work has been done to maintain the building, it is in need of repairs. In recent years, the Universalist Unitarian Convention of Vermont and Quebec has agreed to deed the building to the town of Cavendish on May 11, 2013. The structure has been restored, and apparently houses exhibition space inside.

Union Hall // 1832

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When the village of Newfane, Vermont moved down the hill to the flat of town, new buildings were constructed for county and religious uses almost immediately. The local Baptists, Congregationalists, and Universalists together pooled their funds together to erect this church building, which became known as Union Hall as they organized together to construct it. The design follows Gothic Revival principles with the lancet windows and crenelated tower cresting. The design features were later expanded into the larger Congregational church constructed years later when that group built their own church on a nearby site (featured in the last post). The “Union” did not last long as all the congregations built new structures. This building was vacant for years and was later converted to a Grange Hall and town meetings were held in the structure.

Newfane Congregational Church // 1839

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The town of Newfane, Vermont was chartered on June 19, 1753, by Governor Benning Wentworth, who named it Fane after John Fane, the 7th Earl of Westmoreland. But hostilities during the French and Indian War prevented its settlement, and because a first town meeting was not held within the required five years, the charter was annulled. From this, Wentworth issued an entirely new charter in 1761, as New Fane. The town was eventually settled in 1766 from families that moved there from Worcester County, Massachusetts. Newfane became the shire town of the county before 1812 and county buildings were constructed. The village’s location up the hill was not ideal and was difficult to access in the winter, so many new buildings were constructed on the flat of town. The village has retained its rural character, but packs a punch in terms of architecture, especially for a town of under 2,000 people. One of the landmarks in town is the Newfane Congregational Church, constructed in 1839 in the Gothic Revival style. The large lancet (pointed arch) windows with corresponding shutters and spire are eye-catching.