NOTES ON TOURING THE CHURCH BUILDING

Why did the folks in 1722 build a church on this site? 
 - sandy soil, and high - drainage 
 - church is "a city set on a hill" 

cost - 116,025.93 - this is 2nd church on this site (built 1797) 
 - larger than lrst, but with same south and vest boundaries
 - built by farmers, tradesmen - few professional carpenters 
    architect Chas.Way calls it a real rough job 
  tools - no planes - trim the beams off with axes
  - inspect beams above the church 
 - no saws - out the beams with axes
 - no nails - fib the large beams together after trimming
     put wooden pegs in some places

Originally (see Goodell's drawing) 
 - all one great room 
 - our present side door was the main entrance  (original docs still in the horseshed) 
 - the pulpit was opposite the door - stood very 'nigh, almost level with the galleries 
 - galleries ran around three sides of this great room
 - steeple was much simpler than it now is - square shape and rim straight up ( see the four gr(at posts visible on the first floor of our present steeple) - it was crowned with a slender spire

 
the windows were arranged much differently you can see the outline of the windows in the back of the church (OUTSIDE) upstairs if you lock carefully - also on the upstairs outside of the sides 
the windows downstairs are in their original position some have the original glass - very thin stuff. 

Divided into two floors in 1842 or so WHY was this done? Get the kids to thinking gas lighting wss Introduced - have some fixtures still in the downstairs cupboards stoves Introduced in he 1820's or 30's 

Recent changed - remove the choir loft; rooms downstairs, kitchen, furnace.

The clock - see record book for when put up and how much
 -  fun to see it strike an hour - like 12, or eleven
 -  it is a wonderful piece of machinery - folks not so dumb then

The bell - cost and installation in books; name of caster on the side

Be very careful in touring the building - have plenty of supervision OK to go outside on the very to of the steeple - but be sure the kids are old enough and you have enough adults. It is also a bit dusty)