Last weekend, the United Methodist Church celebrated the 50th anniversary of its home on Weston Road.
“06880” recounted the history of the church. It’s been here, in one form or another, since 1790.
From 1850 to 1908, congregants gathered in a building at the corner of Myrtle Avenue and Main Street. A law office now occupies that site. This photo — from Seth Schachter’s postcard collection — shows that church.
Note the fence on the lower right, which still encloses what is now Veterans Green. And the hill on the left is where Town Hall sits. It was built as Bedford Elementary School in the 1920s.
Looks downright Lutheran to me every time I see this picture
I would have become a Methodist just to sit in that Gothic fantasy every Sunday.
I would have become a Red Cross Knight and fought the dragon.
I have never seen that photo of the postcard before and it is quite interesting. I agree with Jack Whittle. I wonder if the United Methodist Church has a copy of that postcard. They might be interested in blowing it up, size-wise, and hanging it somewhere. The church today could not look more different. Thanks for posting.
Barbara– if the Church doesn’t have a copy I would be happy to donate my image or make a copy, etc. I thought it was a neat image and didn’t recall seeing it before either.
Just for the heck of it, I checked my dog eared copy of Westport and Weston in Vintage Postcards (1998, Arcadia) by Bill Scheffler and noticed this image is reproduced on page 51 (together with a second very interesting street view of the structure). However Seth’s version of the image at issue is much nicer than the one in my book.
The postcard is featured in a UMC Westport-Weston video (see 5:40 mark):
Thanks for the feedback and photos. We have two paintings of that building and a copy of the postcard. Would love any more info or photos. BTW: I’m not sure what Lutheran churches look like but Methodist buildings come in all shapes and sizes, from storefronts to cathedrals!