Preserved Smith Memorial Chapel History
Rowe Chapel to Celebrate 100th Anniversary
The Rev. Margaret Barnard, dynamic and dedicated, came to Rowe in 1902 and held services in the new town hall. Through her efforts and those of Mary Wells Smith of Greenfield, a donation of $5,000 was received from Frederick Smith as a memorial to his grandfather, the Rev. Preserved Smith. In 1907 the cornerstone was laid for a beautiful new structure in the center of town – the First Congregational Unitarian Society of Rowe.
The building stone and much of the wood was native but the other materials had to be brought in from the train by horse and wagon. Pews, pulpit furniture, and the lovely stained glass windows were all given by or in memory of Rowe citizens and their families. Truly a community project, the church was dedicated November 11, 1907. The Rev. Barnard’s ministry covered fourteen years during which time Rowe and the new church became a religious and cultural center. Later the Rev. Anita Pickett became the minister, but changing times and the decline of the talc mines caused the congregation to dwindle.
The dwindling Rowe congregation deeded the Rev. Preserved Smith Memorial Chapel to Rowe Camp in 1932 under a lease agreement and the camp agreed to hold Sunday services for the remaining congregation. In 1946, by a vote of the few remaining members, The First Congregational Unitarian Church of Rowe was disbanded and the remaining assets were turned over to the camp.
Now it remains to Unitarian Universalist Rowe Camp & Conference Center to keep this important piece of Rowe and Unitarian history alive. In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the building of the Chapel, we are raising funds to bring the lovely stone chapel back to the condition it was in when Rev. Barnard first preached there.
The Chapel has been an integral part of Rowe Camp since 1924. Every night the campers walk arm-in-arm in silence to the Chapel. It is emotionally moving to observe these otherwise boisterous young people embrace this solemn tradition with such respect. Chapel is a place where you can touch the depths of your feelings, share your most cherished hopes and fears, and feel the threads that connect us to each other and the universe.
The Chapel is also used for conferences. The exquisite acoustics enhance the experience of sound and music events. It’s a place where folks come to be married, to memorialize departed loved ones, and to celebrate new births. Most of all, the Chapel holds our ties with history, as a symbol of our heritage. It is our link to the past and the grounding of our values in the present.
In 1996, we were faced with the loss of this sacred space, when the building inspector withdrew our occupancy permit. Several years before we had put on a new roof and installed a beam and seven tie rods to counteract the spreading of the exterior walls, but the plaster was still falling off and the stonework was crumbling. Allison Cornish, a Preservation Specialist, did a thorough inspection and provided a complete report detailing the work that needed to be done to preserve and restore this historical site. We fixed some of the stonework and repaired the interior plaster. The occupancy permit was reissued, but more work is needed. Help us keep this history alive by helping us restore this beautiful old Rowe landmark.
The goal of the Chapel campaign is to ensure that the Chapel can continue to fulfill it’s function as a place for worship, sharing, and celebration, in an inclusive way, for many years to come. Funds will be used to add a heating system so that the Chapel may be used year round and to replace wiring, re-shingle the siding, re-point the brick and stonework, add a fire detection system, and to bring the building into conformity with American Disability Act guidelines.
Leak at chimney