BELLOWS FALLS — A campaign has passed its goal of raising $6,000 to preserve a historic stained glass window in a former church slated for demolition.
The “Parable of the Sower” window, installed in the former Methodist Church at 66 Atkinson St. in 1880, was carefully removed from the building on Nov. 10 by a construction crew from the Twelve Tribes Community at Basin Farm, assisted by local volunteers.
A nonprofit organization, Destination Bellows Falls, has been leading the preservation effort.
A GoFundMe campaign has exceed its $6,000 goal to cover the costs of removing the window, transporting it to the train station, cleaning it, and performing rudimentary preservation work.
When the town of Rockingham decided to demolish the building, which had been the home of Meeting Waters YMCA until 2007, it was feared that the stained glass would be destroyed.
According to Alisa Miller of Bellows Falls, who has been leading Destination Bellows Falls's fundraising efforts, “many skilled and diligent participants have been making plans to rescue, restore, and display the unique, historic stained glass window” to save it from coming down with the building.
The effort has gotten help from the Rockingham Historical Society and the Sustainable Valley Group, which is acting as the fiscal agent for Destination Bellows Falls. The plan is to display the window, which is 8 feet wide and 14 feet high, at the Bellows Falls train station on Depot Street.
According to historical records, the church was first built in 1835 and stained glass windows were added during an 1880 renovation. “The Parable of the Sower” window was the last surviving stained glass installation in the building.
“I know there are many who have had memories made in this building; it was a church when I was a child,” Miller wrote for the GoFundMe appeal. “It became a venue for Le Studio, Head Start and after-school programs, and the YMCA.”
“Many over the years have expressed concern about the condition of the building, and some have put a lot of time and effort into preserving it,” Miller continued. “It would mean a lot to many in our village if we can at least preserve this small piece of our history.”