After one hundred and eleven years of wear and tear, church
members will rededicate the Ladies Parlor of the United Church of Ludlow
following extensive restoration and renovation efforts.
The rededication ceremony took place on Sunday, September 21 at 4 P.M. at the church. The program included a brief history of the room, its use and importance to Ludlow and surrounding towns, and it’s blessing by Rev. Dr. Donald E. Harpster, pastor of the church. A social hour and tea followed.
United States Senator Pat Leahy said, “I was delighted to learn that the church members had gone through a detailed process to preserve this unique room. Since its construction in 1892, the church has been a central part of the Ludlow community, and the restoration process will help all who visit to have a greater appreciation of the church’s place in town history.”
The Ladies Parlor, September 2003
Background
The Ladies Parlor, which had fallen into a state of disrepair over the years, was the first restoration target of the church’s five-year renovation program. Located on the second floor of the structure, the room originally was planned and furnished by the wife of church benefactor, D. A. Heald, Vice President of Home Insurance of New York. Heald, raised in the Chester area, provided considerable financial assistance for the third church building, dedicated in May 1892, as well as the architect who designed it.
According to the Vermont Tribune edition of May 6, 1892, the Ladies Parlor represented “the gem of the building.” It further described the room: “The furniture is of oak, the curtains of silk, with linen pull-shades to regulate the light, and a beautiful Smyrna rug, nearly as large as an ordinary bedroom [represented] beauties attracting attention. The cut of the room, taken from a photograph, gives some idea of its beauty and coziness, but no picture and no description can adequately represent it.”
Restoration Work
Work on the Ladies Parlor began in the fall of 2002. The first step involved repairing the plaster walls and ceiling suffering from water damage. Rory Brennan, a preservationist plasterer, repaired the damaged wall and ceiling. The walls and ceiling were scraped and painted by church members. All windows were removed, repaired, rehung, and painted.
Following the completion of the ceiling, wall, and window restoration, the ladies of the church began the process of selecting furniture, carpeting, and accessories for the room in keeping with the room’s use and original appearance.