The East Rochester Congregational Church, our museum, is on the National Register of Historic Places due to the hard work of Betty Beaulieu. Looking through the material that she collected during the application process, I developed an appreciation for the church’s Ladies’ Sewing Circle.
The church that was built in 1857 has undergone many changes, as would be expected of any building of this age. The biggest changes came in 1892 when the gallery was taken down, a portico was put on the front, the platform was enlarged, and new pews and new pulpit furniture were put in. Here’s where the Ladies’ Sewing Circle comes in. They were the ones who ran the campaign to raise the $500 needed to pay for the repairs and improvements.
In 1900, the inside shutters were put up and in 1907, the annual meeting voted to patch the roof, rebuild the outside chimney, and put a new brick underpinning beneath the church entrance. The Ladies’ Sewing Circle, seen in the accompanying picture, again raised $500 in 1911 for more repairs. The church was shingled, and a new metal ceiling was installed. In addition, the walls were papered, all the wood was painted, and an old chimney was removed. New carpets and lamps were also installed. The women in the picture that have been named are front and leaning left: Lillian Kelly, second row Ella Beaton, ?,?,? and standing from left, ?, Clara Thomas Galt, Jemima Beaton, and Grace Cowan.
Work on upgrades and repairs was constant over the years. Some highlights were 1915 when electric lights were installed, 1928 when a new door was placed at the southwest corner and a memorial stained-glass window added, in 1932 when an organ was donated, 1940 when the kitchen was updated, 1963 when a new furnace was installed, and 1986 when a bathroom in the basement replaced the outhouse (featured during our October 2 event).
Since the Rochester Historical Society took ownership in 2003, they have taken over the care and repairs that are needed for this historic place. The roof has been replaced, some organ repairs have been made, the building has been painted, the side stairs have been replaced, and most recently, work was done on the steeple.
It goes without saying that maintenance of an almost 65-year-old building is both time consuming and expensive. I like to say that we’ve paid for the work one cupcake at a time, but the money we make through clothing, books, bake sales, memberships, and donations is our only source of income and it goes directly into society programs and maintaining the building. The free labor we get from Art Benner, the Phinneys, and other members is a godsend, and they all follow in the footsteps of the Ladies’ Sewing Circle.
By Connie Eshbach