A Little Rowe and Unitarian History
The Native Americans often came to the Rowe area in the warm weather, but wintered where it was warmer. Fort Pelham was the first settlement, founded in 1744. There were 30 soldiers there in 1748, when King George's War ended.
In 1762 a parcel of land about four miles by four miles was deeded to the Reverend Cornelius Jones for 380 pounds. According to Percy Whiting Brown's History of Rowe, Massachusetts, he called the settlement Myrifield. According to legend, this meant "My rye field," though others say it was a poetic spelling of Merryfield. The Rev. Jones invited others to homestead there for very modest sums. By 1770 the eight families erected the first meeting-house. Tradition says the town was named in honor of John Rowe, a well-known Boston merchant who promised to give the town a bell. There was no place to hang it, so the bell was never sent.
In 1787 the first regular pastor was hired to minister to the citizens of the town, one Preserved Smith, a recent graduate of Providence (Brown). He was loved and respected and did much for the education of the citizens, especially the young people. In 1797 he helped found the Rowe Library, one of the earliest in the country. By and by he asked to be dismissed from his post in protest to not being paid his promised salary, but his request was denied; the problems persisted and he preached his final sermon in 1804.
He moved to Mendon and "became interested in Arminianism," the belief that humans were free, not predestined. The next minister in Rowe was dismissed in 1812 and the Reverend Smith was recalled. He preached, to great appreciation, another twenty years until he retired at the age of 73. Somewhere between 1814 and 1821, he led the congregation from Calvinism to Unitarianism. Chances are the latter date signifies the formal change.
Smith was an early and loyal member of the band of early Unitarians who converted churches all over New England to the Unitarian faith. Sometimes there was a schism in the church and a dissident group would go off and form a Trinitarian (or Unitarian) church, but when a leader was strong and clear and loved by his congregation, he could bring the whole flock along. So it was in Rowe.
"He was a great student, and talked face to face with the citizens of Rowe one and a half hours discourses, twice a Sunday for 36 years, which with weekly lectures and other public discourses, makes it that his voice must have vibrated on this Rowe air some eight to ten thousand hours. And judging from this, together with the way his memory was revered, there must have been a great deal of Preserved Smith left in Rowe." (Percy Brown)
The congregation occupied its second building in 1793 and its third in 1845, but it fell into disrepair. 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.
Influenced by the Iles of Shoals Unitarian Conference Retreats, the Rev. Charles Wellman and his wife in Deerfield introduced the idea of a local retreat for young people to the Connecticut Valley Federation of Unitarian Churches. Both the Revs. Barnard and Pickett had dreams of the church becoming a regional center for Religious Education, so they supported the new Unitarian Camp idea. The dream of the Rev. Charles Wellman was realized in 1924 when the first gathering of Unitarian young people convened for a week in Rowe. Chapel services were held every night in the church, and they still are. The Rev. Anita Pickett, who was the summer minister in Rowe, had a big hand in founding the camp, as did a great number of other ministers and lay people throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut.
The camp prospered, but the town was in decline with the closing of the talc mines, as well as the exodus of farmers who left the rocky mountain towns for the plains states. The exodus happened despite the proven and unsurpassed abilities of these hills to grow rocks in great abundance.
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. According to a story often told, there were only three Unitarians in town and one was secretly a Trinitarian, so the other two got together and deeded the Memorial Church to the camp, with the provision that there be at least six services held there every year. This number is exceeded almost ten fold every year with the nightly chapel services held throughout the summer, concerts, workshops, weddings, memorial services, and occasional open Sunday services there.
Rowe Camp and Conference Center is able to meet its operating expenses from income from fees, but we must look to the generous gifts of friends and neighbors in order to do major capital improvements. Help us keep this history alive by helping us restore this beautiful old Rowe landmark.
To see what others have done to support the Chapel, click here.
By Phoebe Westwood
Amidst the craziness and spontaneity that flood Rowe Camp, chapel exists as a time to relax, reflect, reconnect with oneself, and explore what is truly important. Chapel has been a defining element of my life, allowing me to become aware of what makes me go, of what I love, of why I love, of what I want to change, of who I want to become. While most of my experiences from chapels have merged into a unit of indistinguishable moments, one chapel from last summer has remained an entity of its own.
Power Shuffle chapel was designed for each individual to become intimate with him or herself. A series of questions was asked to the entire group, and if we answered affirmatively we were to stand up. Standing up was not a statement to the other campers or staff, but a personal declaration to oneself.
The first several questions were simple: subjects such as race, ethnicity, religion, experiences. "Are you African American?" No. "Are you Jewish?" No‑‑I remained seated. "Do you consider yourself a Unitarian Universalist?" Yes. I stood up. But as the topics shifted toward family, friendships, emotions, and passions, my answers were not as clear. I was thinking vigorously, searching myself to be certain I was answering correctly.
"Do you have a medium through which you can express yourself?" I knew I did. I was an artist. But I didn't stand up; I hadn't been enjoying art as much as I once did. I defined art as my passion, but had been struggling to justify the lack of fulfillment. I abandoned thoughts of drawing, painting, and photography, frantically searching my mind for another medium. Writing? Yes. I express myself through writing. I stood up. I sat back down, in shock. I hadn't been passionate about making art because I wasn't able to express myself. Writing, however, provided me with an enormous feeling of contentment. I remembered the drive I felt when I worked on a piece of writing: the persistence to make it personal, to make it me; to allow the reader not only to become aware of the subject, but intricately aware of the author, of who I was. I wanted the reader to live my life vicariously through my writing. My passions had drifted to their true home.
Power Shuffle encouraged me to truthfully answer questions about myself, and if I had doubt about an answer, to ask myself why. I was surrounded by loving people who accepted and embraced this revelation: I didn't have to be an artist -- I knew I was a writer. In this one moment I became certain that writing was going to be a central component of my life.
A Parent's View of Chapels
"My husband and I would like to thank you for giving our son a wonderful LIFE experience. Your `magic' has certainly worked for us. Before going to Rowe, he suffered with severe asthma and the psychological problems associated with this condition. A sensitive, aware child, he has always felt like an `oddball,' and feeling this way caused him to be anxious and depressed, thereby exacerbating the asthmatic condition.
At Rowe, he found a spiritual home, and he was able to get in touch with his own spirit and now his asthmatic condition is significantly better. Of course, he is still allergic to many things, but his reactions are not as severe, and he handles stress much better, He seems so peaceful, so happy with himself, so mature. Our relationship with him is so much smoother, as he enjoys family conversations, rather than overwhelming us with his monologues. He actually likes us as people! He is not constantly rebelling, as he was, but instead appreciates the value of every one in the family. We feel blessed that he trusts us enough to talk to us about his concerns. Your discussions in Chapel helped bring this about.
He is more assertive. He appreciates his `differentness,' which is just the goodness and lovingness we are all born with, but tend to lose because the world can be so harsh. Rowe has blessed him with a community of `different' people who are loving, kind, caring, healing, enriching. We want to thank you and thank you again for giving us the gift of GRACE. He will be with you again next summer."
A Sacred Place
It is the summer after seventh grade. I am nearing my thirteenth birthday. This is my first evening at Rowe Unitarian Camp. Sixty campers and a dozen or more counselors and staff are walking quietly down the hill from camp to town where we file into the Preserved Smith Memorial Chapel. An ancient bellows organ is wheezing away. My friend from home, the only person here I know, whispers a comment about a sour note. I didn’t hear it. What I notice is the smell, an irresistible and evocative blend of dusty old books, musty corners and a faint aroma of wood smoke.
We slide into the pews in the flickering candlelight. The furniture on the platform is wooden, upholstered with dark blue velvet. I won’t notice the stained glass windows till the next morning when we have theme talk there. But I will be endlessly fascinated by the intricate geometric pattern forming the background to the symbols of faith, hope, and love.
Another thing I don’t know yet is that I am home. Years of feeling alone and unsettled are ending. This is my community. In this chapel, in the dark evenings and the sunny mornings we will weave the web of connection. We will share ideas and feelings. Everyone is accepted. All are loved. We enter a state of true worship. Once again the Spirit of Rowe will grow up and through and among us. (A quarter of a century later I make a casual visit to Rowe. A young woman says hesitantly, “I don’t know if you had it, but we have something here called the Spirit of Rowe.” I smile, and am home again.)
A lot of things happen at Rowe. We have theme talks and discussion groups, workshops and swimming, field trips and dances, kissing on the steps. But the heart of Rowe is here in the Chapel where we have nightly services, mostly led by the campers who choose the Worship Workshop. Here we express our deepest longing, what A. Powell Davies calls the language of the heart. The night before the session ends, we always have a Quaker service. We sit quietly in the dark and share our thoughts and feelings about our community. Most of us are weeping.
The Rowe Chapel has been my sacred space since I first entered it. When I went to take my daughter to Rowe as a camper, I visited the chapel. One deep breath brings me back to that island of safety and connectedness. My call to ministry began here. Thirty-five years later, I still carry the Chapel around with me. I see my adolescent self. I kiss her brow in blessing. I reassure her. She will have to leave Rowe, this special community. But she will be able to find and build community in her life. The spirit will never fade It will turn out alright.
------------ Kerry Mueller
For more information on Rowe and Unitarian History, click here.
Special Thanks
Derby Oden Memorial Chapel Fund Raising Project
A group of camper and staff alumni from the 60’s and 70’s have raised over $20,000 to restore the Preserved Smith Memorial Chapel and to make it wheelchair accessible. The campaign honors the lives of two people who were integral to the evolution of the camp in the early Seventies: steve oden and Berna Derby.
Berna Derby was a pioneering UU Religious Educator, one of the women who helped to achieve professional status for religious educators within Unitarian Universalism. She was also co-director of the Senior High Camp and was instrumental in giving the camp the flavor of youth empowerment, which was her legacy to us.
Steve Oden attended Rowe from 1963-1967, and was chosen as a Rowe Spirit in 1966. steve was known for his deep sense of humor, poetry, love of music and his fine intellect. All of these qualities manifested themselves in the chapel services he loved to prepare as a camper and staff member. steve loved to share his enthusiasms and introduced many people to poets, writers, social critics, gospel quartets and soul singers. steve died in 1994.
The goal of the Chapel campaign is to honor Berna and steve and 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 help with the Chapel restoration as well as to commission stained glass windows to honor Berna and Steve.
We thank Fred and Betsy Sokol, Tom Hallock, Lisa Derby Oden and Hillary Derby for their efforts in organizing this campaign.
Donations may be made payable to “The Derby Oden Chapel Fund” and sent to: Rowe Camp and Conference Center, Kings Highway Rd., Box 273, Rowe MA 01367. The Fund accepts MC/Visa, and personal checks. All gifts are tax deductible.
Chapel Project Gifted with Exterior Masonry Restoration
Restoration of the exterior masonry at the Chapel was completed thanks to an in-kind gift from Chapman Waterproofing Company of Boston, Massachusetts. Incorporated in 1925, Chapman is a third generation family-owned company and one of the premiere masonry restorers in the country.
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The efforts of folks like Rickie Peterson have kept the Chapel Project moving forward.
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This generous gift values at over $90,000 was initiated by Walter Packard, a former camper. Walter attended Senior High Camp back in the early fifties. One year he worked in the kitchen as a “pots and pans” person, assisting Mrs. Johnson who was the camp cook. When he recently read in The Rowe Zone, Rowe’s member’s newsletter, about the Derby/oden Memorial Chapel Restoration Project, he came to check out the condition of the stonework. Though he didn’t know Berna Derby or steve oden, he was moved by fond memories of Rowe Camp and his experiences in the Chapel.
Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to Walter Packard and his family for this most generous gift. We invite you also to help preserve this beautiful old Chapel, which holds the spirit of so many campers. All gifts are tax deductible. Thank you for your stewardship.
Click here to make an online donation.
Memorial Day Phone-a-thon Raises $25,000 to put on a new roof in the Chapel.
In the largest phone campaign Rowe has ever done, former campers reached out to alumni to ask for support in restoring the Preserved Smith Chapel. The Chapel is an important part of each camper’s experience and camp alumni from the 60’s through today volunteered to call their long ago camp friends to raise money to put a new roof on the Chapel.
Some folks are still making their calls, but don’t wait. You can still contribute to this campaign. Special thanks to the following alums who made calls and to all who answered the call:
Junior High Camp
Sam Lee
00-05
Simon Delekta
98-04
Beth Berrien
95-00
Nadia Bolz
90-94
Jaco b Ten Hove
early 80's
Senior High Camp
Dan Ross
00-05
Kieran Lally
95-00
Maggie Salzberg
81-93
Jen Deaderick
85-88
Sharyn DiGeronimo
78-81
Bob Scheier
74-78
Karen Traub
early 70's
Allison Grannucci
65-70
Karen Lee Shelley
late 60's
Other
Jonah Spear
YPC & T-Camp
Margaret Woodside
timeless
For more information on Rowe and Unitarian History, click here.
To hear what parents and campers say about Chapel, click here.