Christ Church (Guilford, Vermont)

Historic church in Vermont, United States

United States historic place

Christ Church

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

(2013)

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Location| Calvin Coolidge Mem. Hwy. (US Route 5) & Melendy Hill Rd.
Guilford, Vermont
Coordinates| 42°48′58″N 72°34′30″W﻿ / ﻿42.81611°N 72.57500°W﻿ / 42.81611; -72.57500
Area| 2 acres (0.81 ha)
Built| 1817
Architectural style| Gothic Revival
NRHP reference No.| 82001707[1]
Added to NRHP| May 13, 1982

Christ Church is a historic church located at Melendy Hill Road and US Route 5 in Guilford, Vermont. Built in 1817 and later given Gothic Revival styling, it was the first Episcopal Church in Vermont. On May 13, 1982, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[1] It is now owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont and maintained by a local nonprofit organization.[2]

## Description and history

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Christ Church is set on a rise just south of Guilford's village center, overlooking Broad Brook and the junction of Melendy Hill Road and United States Route 5. It is a single-story wood-frame structure, with a gabled roof, clapboard siding, and a brick foundation. Its front facade is dominated by a projecting square tower, which rises 60 feet (18 m) in two stages. The tall lower stage has the main entrance, which is framed by pilasters and topped by a semi-oval fanlight window, at the base, and windows topped by half-round fans above, and is topped by a cornice and parapet with pinnacles at the corners. The smaller second stage houses the belfry, with rounded louver openings on each face, and is crowned by a similar parapet and pinnacles. The parapet and pinnacle detail is repeated across the rest of the main facade's cornice line.[2]

The church was built in 1817 with local materials, and was originally a copy of an Episcopal church located in Greenfield, Massachusetts, which is no longer standing. The bronze bell was installed in 1830. In 1837 the building was given the overlay of Gothic Revival details it exhibits today. At that time the original raised pulpit was lowered to the dais, for which for of the original box pews were removed.[2]

The church congregation was first part of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts until the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont was created in 1832. It suffered a steady decline in size, reflecting that of the town itself. Christ Church ceased to be an active parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont before the 1900s, but has never been deconsecrated and is still used occasionally for Episcopal church services.[3] It has been restored and is now maintained by the Christ Church Guilford Society which uses it primarily as a venue for musical and other cultural events as well as weddings and civil unions.

The pianist Rudolf Serkin is buried in the church cemetery,[4] as is Union Army general John Wolcott Phelps.[5]

## See also

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* Christianity portal
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Vermont
* Christ Church (disambiguation)

## References

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1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
2. ^ a b c "NRHP nomination for Christ Church". National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-11-13.
3. ^ St. Michael's Episcopal Church | history.
4. ^ Rudolf Serkin [1903 - 1991] \- Find A Grave Memorial.
5. ^ John Wolcott Phelps [1813 - 1895] \- Find A Grave Memorial.

## External links

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* Media related to Christ Church (Guilford, Vermont) at Wikimedia Commons
* History of nearby St. Michael's Church, Brattleboro, which touches on Christ Church
* Christ Church Guilford Society website

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National Register of Historic Places in Windham County, Vermont

National
Historic
Landmarks|

* Naulakha
* Rockingham Meetinghouse

Districts|

* Bellows Falls Downtown Historic District
* Bellows Falls Neighborhood Historic District
* Brattleboro Downtown Historic District
* Canal Street–Clark Street Neighborhood Historic District
* Crows Nest
* Dickinson Estate Historic District
* Follett Stone Arch Bridge Historic District
* George–Pine–Henry Street Historic District
* Grafton Village Historic District
* Homestead–Horton Neighborhood Historic District
* Houghtonville Historic District
* Mechanicsville Historic District
* Middletown Rural Historic District
* Moore and Thompson Paper Mill Complex
* Newfane Village Historic District
* Parker Hill Rural Historic District ‡
* Putney Village Historic District
* Rockingham Village Historic District
* Saxtons River Village Historic District
* Scott Farm Historic District
* Samuel Gilbert Smith Farmstead
* South Londonderry Village Historic District
* South Windham Village Historic District
* Stratton Mountain Lookout Tower
* Townshend State Park
* Vermont Academy Campus Historic District
* West Brattleboro Green Historic District
* West Dover Village Historic District
* West Townshend Village Historic District
* Westminster Terrace Historic District
* Westminster Village Historic District
* Whitingham Village Historic District
* Williams Street Extension Historic District
* Wilmington Village Historic District
* Windham Village Historic District

Buildings|

| Commercial|

* Bellows Falls Times Building
* Broad Brook House
* Brooks House
* Estey Organ Company Factory
* Gas Station at Bridge and Island Streets
* Miss Bellows Falls Diner
* Tontine Building

|

Educational/
Health|

* Brattleboro Retreat
* Butterfield House
* Canal Street Schoolhouse
* District No. 1 Schoolhouse
* Grafton District Schoolhouse No. 2
* Round Schoolhouse
* Vernon District Schoolhouse No. 4

Government|

* Dover Town Hall
* Grafton Post Office
* Londonderry Town House

Industrial|

* Adams Gristmill Warehouse
* Bellows Falls Co-operative Creamery Complex
* Howard Hardware Storehouse
* Robertson Paper Company Complex

Religious|

* Brookline Baptist Church
* Christ Church
* First Congregational Church and Meetinghouse
* Grafton Congregational Church and Chapel
* Guilford Center Meeting House
* Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel
* Old Brick Church
* Pond Road Chapel

Residential|

* Corse-Shippee House
* Theophilus Crawford House
* Lewis Grout House
* William A. Hall House
* William Harris House
* Deacon John Holbrook House
* Milldean and Alexander-Davis House
* Park Farm
* Sabin–Wheat Farm
* Wheelock House
* Arthur D. and Emma J. Wyatt House

Transportation|

* Union Station

Site|

* Bellows Falls Petroglyph Site (VT-WD-8)

Structures|

* Bartonsville Covered Bridge
* Bridge 19
* Creamery Covered Bridge
* East Putney Brook Stone Arch Bridge
* Green River Covered Bridge
* Green River Crib Dam
* Hall Covered Bridge
* Kidder Covered Bridge
* Medburyville Bridge
* Rice Farm Road Bridge
* Sacketts Brook Stone Arch Bridge
* Scott Covered Bridge
* Simpsonville Stone Arch Bridge
* South Newfane Bridge
* West Dummerston Covered Bridge
* West Townshend Stone Arch Bridge
* Williams River Route 5 Bridge
* Williamsville Covered Bridge
* Worrall Covered Bridge

Footnotes|

‡ This historic property also has portions in an adjacent county.

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Windham County, Vermont and List of National Historic Landmarks in Vermont
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