North Easton congregation's tall task to save a landmark
A small, 130-year-old church in North Easton -- considered a local gem because of its history, the art within it, and its use today as a community gathering place -- is slowly crumbling. If it isn't fixed soon, it may be too late.
The external structure of the Unity Church is failing, and the mortar is falling away. Inside, water stains mar the ceilings and walls, and bare patches mark where plaster has disintegrated. ''Most precarious now is the bell tower and steeple," said Ellen Dehm, chairwoman of the church's restoration committee.
Everyone seems to agree that the storied landmark is worth saving. But how can its tiny Unitarian congregation, which consists of fewer than 100 families, come up with the $1.8 million that is needed almost immediately?
''If we wait much longer, the feeling is we won't be able to fix it. It may have to be dismantled," said Dehm.
Church members are hoping benefactors from both inside and outside the community will step forward to help them save this piece of history. They need $400,000 to do the work on the bell tower and steeple by August. The church restoration committee is already in the process of applying for some Community Preservation Act funding from the town. Various fund-raising activities are planned.
While raising $1.8 million may seem like a daunting task, said the Rev. Eric Cherry, Unity Church's minister, ''it's our responsibility to this building to make this restoration project happen."
The little church -- built by Oliver Ames Jr. and included in the National Register of Historic Places -- still figures prominently in Easton's day-to-day life. Each week it opens its doors for Temple Israel's weekly services. It offers a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous, the Girl Scouts, the South Shore Coalition of No Place for Hate, Easton's Cultural Council, and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. Easton's public schools as well as Stonehill College focus on the history of the church as part of their curriculum.
It was built in 1875, next to Ames's own home on Main Street. The construction cost: $100,000, a hefty price tag at the time.
Ames, uncle of the governor by the same name, was prominent in politics and business, serving as president of the
''Oliver's nephew John Ames Mitchell was the architect who designed the church after an English chapel in Gothic Revivalist style," Hill said. ''Oliver was involved with every detail. He hired all the stonemasons, and he bought the organ. He was a man who obviously didn't believe in committees." The church was constructed of stone taken from a nearby quarry. When the building was complete, Ames named it Unity Church and donated it to the Unitarian Society of North Easton. It was dedicated in August 1875.
''It was a chapel for Oliver's family as well as a place for Unitarians to worship," Hill said. A year later, a stone parsonage, also Gothic Revival in style, was built next to the church. And a cemetery was located directly to the west of both buildings.
Among the church's impressive features are two large stained-glass windows. They were funded by Ames's descendants about 10 years after the church was built and executed by well-known stained-glass artist John LaFarge. The west window depicts ''The Angel of Help" and was commissioned by Frederick Lothrop Ames in memory of his sister Helen, who died unexpectedly at the age of 46. The east window features the ''Figure of Wisdom" and was commissioned by botanist Oakes Ames and his cousin, Broadway producer Winthrop Ames, in memory of their fathers and grandfather.
Hill, also the church's organist, said the windows never fail to capture his attention. ''I've been the organist here for 28 years, and when I practice, I'm facing" the Angel of Help, Hill said. ''I can't tell you how many times I've just stopped playing to gaze at it."
The interior today is the result of a redesign in 1895 by Henry Vaughan, the architect of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. The heavily stenciled walls were painted over, and the principal focal point became a massive, ornate pulpit screen carved out of oak by the Bavarian sculptor Johannes Kirchmayer. Architect James S. Thomas was hired last summer to assess the condition of the church. His list of necessary repairs includes exterior work like mortar and gutter replacement and repairs to roof flashing and interior work like painting, plaster repair, and the installation of a new heating system with climate control to protect the church's valuable interior artwork.
Melanie Deware, chairwoman of Easton's Historical Commission, said her panel has already met several times with the church's restoration committee. ''They have applied for grants to a number of foundations, and I've written quite a few letters in support," she said.
The church offers weekly self-guided tours on Wednesdays for the general public, and it is often used by congregation members and others for weddings, ceremonies to renew marital vows, christenings, and bat mitzvahs. ''My daughter was married here last fall, and one of the biggest thrills of my life was walking down the aisle with her," Hill said. And in late June, an Ames descendant who lives in Cambridge is slated to be married at the church.
Hill said Unity Church's setting in North Easton remains nearly the same today as it was 130 years ago. ''The only thing different from the way the village looked in the 19th century is there is a gas station in the middle of it instead of a blacksmith shop," Hill said.
Dehm said the church is an important piece of history. ''It's a great building and it's a place where history and art come together," Dehm said. ''We're not just doing the repairs for the congregation. It's preserving an important American treasure."
To learn more about the church, go to www.historicunitychurch.com. Christine Wallgren can be reached at CLWallgren@aol.com. 
