Union Church of All Faiths

Union Church of All Faiths, located in Hudson, MA, USA. A very small wooden structure resembling a church, painted white, with a small steeple and cross. It is large enough to fit four or five people.
Union Church of All Faiths

The Union Church of All Faiths, also known as the United Memorial Chapel for All Faiths, is a 5-foot (1.5 m) by 11-foot (3.4 m) wood-framed chapel located in Hudson, Massachusetts, United States. It is occasionally cited as the "smallest church in the United States."[1][2] However, smaller and older "tiny churches" exist in the United States, too.[3] Retired clergyman Rev. Louis Winthrop West (1885–1966[4]) built the chapel beside his own home on Central Street.

Around 1951, West remodeled a streetcar waiting room into a chapel, which was sold off when he had a spate of poor health. In 1953, he built the existing structure.[5] The building's interior fits four people, although 100 people sometimes gathered outside for religious services, including weddings.[1] In the 1970s, it was moved to the grounds of the First Federated Church of Hudson, where it was located for many years. In 2003, former Hudson resident Vic Petkauskos bought the chapel, relocated it to Hyannis, Massachusetts, and renovated it. He planned to place it on a barge and hold wedding ceremonies off the coast of Cape Cod, although whether he ever did so is unclear.[6] The church still exists. At some point, it made its way back to Hudson from Hyannis. It is currently located on private property on Causeway Street in Hudson, where it is visible from the road.

In 1958, a second church (now dismantled) was built in Wiscasset, Maine on the property of West's granddaughter. According to West, both churches were intended as a roadside attraction to give him an opportunity to talk with passers-by.[7]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Halprin 2001: 76–84
  2. ↑ Citro, Joseph A.; Foulds, Diane E. (2004). Curious New England: The Unconventional Traveler's Guide to Eccentric Destinations (2nd ed.). Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England. pp. 129–130. ISBN 1-58465-112-1.
  3. ↑ Kirby, Doug (June 10, 2006). "America's smallest roadside churches". NBC News. Retrieved May 15, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Rev. Louis West, Retired, Dies in Damariscotta". Daily Kennebec Journal. 15 November 1966 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Wood, Allen S. (11 October 1953). "Hudson Minister's Tiny Roadside Chapel Attracts Many Visitors". Worcester Telegram & Gazette.
  6. ↑ Gellerman, Bruce; Sherman, Erik (2008). Massachusetts Curiosities: Quirky characters, roadside oddities & other offbeat stuff (2nd ed.). Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot Press. pp. 171–173. ISBN 978-0-7627-4680-4.
  7. ↑ "Wiscasset Believes Its 2-Seat Church Smallest In World". Portland Press Herald. 15 September 1958 – via Newspapers.com.

References

  • Halprin, Lewis; The Hudson Historical Society (2001) [First published 1999]. Images of America: Hudson. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 0-7385-0073-9.

42°22′53″N 71°32′14″W / 42.38141°N 71.53726°W / 42.38141; -71.53726

This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.