Remembering Our Loved Ones at Christmas, with the Historic Lower Waterford Congregational Church

The Lower Waterford Community Church with its Memory Tree lit.

Memory Tree Ceremony Start of Historic Birthday

WATERFORD – Members of the Congregational Church invite the public to help kick off the 160^th birthday of its historic edifice during the annual Memory Tree Lighting Ceremony Sunday, December 2 at 6 p.m.

            Under the direction of Rev. Ann Hockridge, the annual observance heralds the start of the Christmas season in the historic village of Lower Waterford. This year it also includes an unveiling of planned events to celebrate the iconic building whose image has appeared on countless postcards, greeting cards, paintings, and even in a national TV advertisement.  

            “Faith is a continual act of renewal,” Hockridge noted. “The acts of members to preserve this structure as a community resource for future generations are a constant inspiration.”

Inside the church, at Christmas.

The symbolic tree lights honor the memories of people who made a difference in the lives of those around them. The church will print a commemorative program with their names for sharing with those who attend the ceremony.

Immediately following the observance, guests will socialize in the sanctuary with warm refreshments and music of the season. They will also hear of plans to commemorate the church building’s construction that took place in the second half of 1859 after a disastrous fire leveled the property at the corner of Lower Waterford Road and Maple Street.

Under the direction of then deacon and master joiner Francis Rice Carpenter, church members constructed an edifice in the Greek Revival style with such design elements as square-head openings over doors and windows and capped with pediment tops.

The Lower Waterford church was largely built by repurposing 1818 timbers from an original meetinghouse on Old County Road South near Mad Brook. Deacon Abial Richardson, one of Waterford’s original settlers, oversaw that construction on his property.

His portrait hangs in the church foyer along with other significant Waterford artifacts made by church members. Two of William “Red” Morrison miniatures of the church and of a Victorian house, previously exhibited at the Fairbanks Museum, and Windsor chairs made by Passumpsic farmer Charles D. Harris, father of Dr. Charles E. Harris, author of the only history book on Lower Waterford to date, are on display, along with painted pews from Richardson’s meetinghouse.

The new church was officially consecrated on January 11, 1860. Today, the Lower Waterford congregation is yoked with Third Congregational Church in East Saint Johnsbury. Rev. Hockridge pastors both with services alternating between the two locations.

A long-standing village tradition, the Memory Tree is an opportunity to reminisce about those who made a positive impact. Individuals who want to participate in this ceremony may submit names “In Memory of,” “In honor of,” or privately as “Loved ones.”

The deadline for receiving names for the remembrance program is Friday, Nov. 30. Donations are welcome. Please mail submissions to: Congregational Church, P.O. Box 111, Lower Waterford, VT 05848.

[Photos and text by Helen C. Pike]

 

Left to right: Carol Bonnett, Dot Willson, and Norma Switzer, at the Lower Waterford Community Church.

William J. Morrison's Lower Waterford Models

In September, thanks to the generosity of the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, the Waterford Historical Society received the gift of two of the five models that long-time town resident William J. Morrison made in the 1930s. These joined two more that already reside in the town office. There are wonderful stories of discovery and generosity that are linked to all of these, but for the moment, let's just get the models themselves here so online visitors can see them right away!

The Lower Waterford church:

Mr. Morrison's dream house:

And some of its furnishings and dolls:

The blacksmith shop (not a direct copy, but Mr. Morrison's own shop stood at the bridge entering Lower Waterford):

The covered bridge that once spanned the Connecticut River from Lower Waterford to the Littleton side:

The fifth model is at the St. Johnsbury History & Heritage Center and represents the covered bridge that stood in the village, near the blacksmith shop:

Photos of Mr. Morrison with the house model:

And here is a narrative of Mr. Morrison and his models, written by regional author Helen C. Pike (click on the image to enlarge it):

You can see the blacksmith shop and covered bridge at the Waterford Town Office on Lower Waterford Road (near Route 18); the church and house, now rewired to light up their detailed rooms, will be shown again at the Lower Waterford Congregational Church in December.

Caroll Campbell, left, and Dave Morrison (William's grandson) explore the house model as it returns to the town where it was made.

Oldtimer Returns to Waterford!

This month the Davies Memorial Library welcomed back to town a model created by Dave Morrison's grandfather, William J. Morrison. It's the Lower Waterford bridge, and its story involves travel to Massachusetts, a re-discovery, and the efforts of Dave Morrison, librarian Jen D'Agostino, and Fairbanks Museum director Charlie Browne. To hear the whole story -- and see the bridge! -- come to a Waterford History Group meeting (fourth Wednesday of each month at 6 pm at the library), or visit the library while one of the three is on the premises. Also watch for a possible published article on the bridge's journey by author Helen-Chantal Pike.

And stay tuned for more news about the work of Waterford's "Master Craftsman," as Dr. C. E. Harris called William J. Morrison in his town history, A Vermont Village.