CABOT – When Cabot was granted in 1780, religion was not high on new settlers’ priority list. It wasn’t until 20 years later that citizens voted to organize a Christian society that was to be known as “the Congregationalists in the Town of Cabot” which became official on October 25, 1801. The 13 members of the new society first met in homes, barns, or the schoolhouse at the Center of Town, but plans were soon made to build a proper church.
Leonard Spencer wrote in his “Biography of a Building,” about the Center Meeting House that was raised in September, 1806 but remained a bare frame for almost six years until it was finally closed in enough for use, but only in the summer.
Another Cabot author, Archie Stone, wrote in a publication put out by the Vermont State Teacher’s Association: “My grandfather used to tell me that he could recall sitting in that church when he was a small boy, while the minister in the high pulpit pounded out his hour-and-a-half sermons, and the cattle lowed in the pound, and the lambs bleated under the floor where they had crawled for respite from sun and flies.”
Parishioners were divided on whether they should finish the building where it stood or move it to the village where a trading center had grown up around water-powered mills. Winter gatherings continued in local homes and barns for the next 12 years.
The building was eventually disassembled and transported to the village where it was rebuilt over a period of several months at the northeast corner of the common, about where the Cabot School is now. Rev. Henry Jones was ordained in 1827 and installed as pastor, paid half by cash and half in grain.
At that time, there was a one-room schoolhouse located on the northwest corner of the common, but as the village grew, a larger two-room schoolhouse was built (now the home of the Cabot Historical Society), and the old school was taken down. That made the prominent corner lot on Main Street available and the church rebuilt on this better site in 1849 at a cost of $3,500. Photographs show that the once one-story building was jacked up at some point to allow for another floor.
The new building was heated with two large stoves in the basement and stove pipes running the full length of the church. Incisions in the flooring under each row of pews allowed heat from the stovepipes to rise, warming worshipers in the room above.
The Congregational Church was extensively redecorated and refurbished in 1898. New stained glass windows were put in place, an ornamental steel ceiling installed, a new furnace, new hardwood floor, and the straight-back pews were replaced with new, curved oak pews from Grand Rapids, Mich. This work was carefully overseen by Mrs. Seraphine Wiswell, who donated her time and a good deal of money to the project.
Congregations grew in both the Congregational Church and the Methodist Church that sat diagonally across the common. A generally friendly rivalry existed between the two churches, and for many years both churches flourished.
Rev. Fred Blodgett wrote in “My Generation in Cabot,” “The Congregational church catered a bit more to the generally considered important families of the community, while the Methodists were more rough and ready and appealed more to the rank and file. . . . They were about equal in attendance, financial support and enterprise.”
Rev. Blodgett continued: “Our family all belonged to the Methodist church, and my father held most of the responsible positions there at one time and another until 1893 when he married for his second wife, Miss Lelia Haines, whose family from the beginning of the town had been prominently identified with the Congregational church. Following their marriage, he began attending that church with her . . . We children continued to belong to and attend the Methodist. The division even extended to the pair of horses which worked together during the week. The brown mare, Nell, carried us children to the Methodist church and the bay, Tib, went to the Congo. They protested the situation by often calling to each other in loud whinnies during the services, to the amusement of people in either church who knew the situation.”
Over time, with diminishing membership and increased expenses, it became evident that the two churches could not continue as separate entities and were going to have to merge, despite strong opposition from some members.
The initial agreement was that each church would maintain its own organization and that one pastor would serve both societies and that worship should take place alternately every six months in each church. This schedule became difficult to maintain.
Important decisions had to be made. It was decided that the Congregational Church building would better accommodate both congregations. The Methodist’s pipe organ was quite grand and had been purchased with a $1,000 memorial gift by Miss Josie Lance in 1895. The local newspaper reported that the Hook and Hastings organ in the Methodist Church was moved from that church to the United Church of Cabot “by amateurs.” At the new location, a new railing had to be built to adapt for the much-larger instrument. Bessie Bean recalled copying the railing around the choir seating and sawing out the shapes with a jigsaw on her kitchen table.
The merger officially took place July 7, 1928, and the first service as the United Church of Cabot took place July 15.
After the merger, members could join the United Church of Cabot, the Congregational section, or the Methodist section. Lois Domey remembered the Methodists went to the alter for communion and at the same time the Congregationalists “passed the wine around in little containers.” At one point they had a Baptist preacher, Mr. Hildreth. When a young lady became seriously ill, Pastor Hildreth was asked to baptize her. He believed in total immersion, but a church committee advised him to baptize by sprinkling. He eventually converted to the faith of the Congregational church and stayed with the Cabot church for seven years.
The Methodist church building was remodeled in 1938 to become the school’s gymnasium. The horse sheds and hitching rail along the east side of the United Church were taken down. The 1944 budget was the first year there was no allocation for “pump boy” for the organ: a mechanical blower had been installed. A metal roof was put on the church in 1945, and toilets were installed in 1947. The heating system was upgraded to oil in 1952, and in 1955 a kitchen was installed and major work completed in the vestry, under the supervision of Don Houston.
In spite of improvements in wiring, heating, plumbing and construction over the years, in 1972 the oil furnace blew a gasket and the interior of the building was coated with oily smudge. The whole interior had to be repainted and the furnace was replaced.
On May 13, 1973, disaster struck again. Three hours after choir practice, the double ceiling and insulation caved in, devastating the interior. It was thought that the old square nails fastening the original planks to the main cross timbers were loosened by the weight of the insulation. Fluctuating temperatures caused by the malfunctioning old furnace, and finally the shock of the furnace exploding all contributed to the ceiling accident.
The damage was discovered the following morning by Ilene Walker, the custodian. People from all over town came to see the shocking situation. Community volunteers formed work bees every evening to break up and carry out the debris. The damage was so bad a committee was formed to decide whether to repair the damage or build a new church.
The executive board voted in August to hire Raymond Picard of Hardwick to repair the church. The cost would be $21,967. Morris Sanders supervised the structural and technical aspects of the work and Leonard Spencer chaired the decorating committee. Leonard worked closely with Mary Tebbetts and Eloise Gibson, and painted wreaths and swags on the ceiling’s sheet metal border and other detailing throughout the church. He also built an attractive new cross from a barn rafter.
And now, more than 50 years after that disaster, the church holds Sunday services every week, served by a continuation of pastors. The Cabot church has recently converted its ground floor dining hall into a daycare facility to help meet expenses and to serve the community’s need.
Services begin at 10 a.m., every Sunday and the church is open to everyone. On Sunday, July 28, the celebration of the church’s 175th anniversary will be held with a hymn sing at 10 a.m., followed by an 11 a.m. service, and a buffet lunch on the Common.
Amanda Legare
