Revitalization

By the 1950's, as an inactive church, the Meeting House was beginning to become rundown from not being used or maintained.

The roof was leaking, resulting in significant damage to the building. The southwest corner was rotting due to exposure to the weather.   Part of the sanctuary ceiling in that corner was rotted and unsound.  A section of the metal roof on the south side, was partly blown off and draped over the front gable end of the building.  This section of roof, hanging over the side, swung back and forth wearing an arc in the clapboards.  The arc in the clapboards can still be seen today.

In 1957, the Troy Conference sold the building to Ruth and Amos Hanson after attempts to get  the Conference to repair the building were unsuccessful.

Initially they made the building watertight and insured it.  A repair to the southwest corner of the sanctuary ceiling was made with square edged boards, which could be seen for many years over the choir pews.  This repair was removed and the beaded board ceiling blended back in when the sanctuary ceiling was repaired in 2000.

Soon Ruth Hanson was organizing Ham Suppers, Sugar on Snow Parties, and eventually rummage sales as fundraisers to help repair and maintain the Meeting House.  These events  became Meeting House traditions that are still put on today.

Saving the "Old Church"  became a passion of hers that she involved relatives, friends, and the community in.

After the building was stabilized, money was saved from the suppers and rummage sales for improvements.

Some time in the late 1960's, before 1970, the sanctuary was re-papered.  The old wall paper, a light to medium brown  with a lacy/scalloped off white border at the ceiling was removed and replaced with a slightly textured flax colored paper.  The work was done by Ralph Morrison, a painter from nearby Bristol.

Sometime in the early 1970's electric lights were put in the Sanctuary for the first time.  Wall lamps were installed on the wall between the windows to simulate additional kerosene lamps.

The final project that was tackled during this period of time was to replace the top part of the steeple, which had been removed in 1957.  This effort would finally be completed after a Board of Trustees was established to carry out this big project and to carry on the care of the Meeting House.