Some old time meeting houses of the Connecticut Valley . onstruction of thebuilding, but brains were. He had however a staunchsupporter on the committee in the person of JustinEly, Jr., for whom he had but recently completed apalatial residence in the most approved style and work-manship. At any rate, he secured the contract, as therecords state, for $1,400 and ten gallons of St. Croix rum The edifice was two years in building and wasdedicated June 20,1802. Until the year 1870, very fewalterations had been made, except that of changing thepews. In this year the question of repairing andremodel
Some old time meeting houses of the Connecticut Valley . onstruction of thebuilding, but brains were. He had however a staunchsupporter on the committee in the person of JustinEly, Jr., for whom he had but recently completed apalatial residence in the most approved style and work-manship. At any rate, he secured the contract, as therecords state, for $1,400 and ten gallons of St. Croix rum The edifice was two years in building and wasdedicated June 20,1802. Until the year 1870, very fewalterations had been made, except that of changing thepews. In this year the question of repairing andremodeling the old building, or of building a newstructure, arose and the church voted to build a newplace of worship. The parish later voting not to con-cur resulted in a division of the church and the erectionof the Park Street edifice; following this the old-white church was extensively remodeled. The oldgalleries were removed and a floor laid, making twostories, with the audience room above and the socialrooms below. At this time also the upper windows 98. .Of _±_ rCKUHBUCK j£P^_^-i-^ — First Mekting-House in West Springfield. i were cut down, giving a more modern exterior. In1902 a clock was donated for the tower by Mrs. E. J-Nichols, heir of John Ashley, the original donor ofthe building. In 1909, the constituency of the old First Churchgradually growing less and the Park Street church alsofeeling the effect of a changing population, a union ofthe two was effected. As a result of this action theservices were transferred to the larger and more modernbuilding on the common, at which time, April 1,1909,regular services were discontinued in the old meetinghouse. Since that time it has been used as the head-quarters of the First Parish Historical Society, andhere are kept the valuable historical paintings be-longing to the society. Services are also held duringold home week and on anniversary dates. It is alsothe headquarters of the Boy Scout movement. 99 First Church of Christ i
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, bookpublisherslsn, bookyear1911
