On Wednesday, August 28, 2013, eight members of the United Church of Ludlow gathered around the church’s bell rope in preparation to “ring out freedom” in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington, D. C. and the “I Have a Dream” speech delivered by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A call went out for bells of all kinds to be rung across the nation at 3:00 pm local time. At precisely 3:00, the eight members began ringing the bell and continued for five minutes, handing off the rope in rotation as they tired pulling on the historic 1200-pound bell. Church Secretary Sandra Russo also joined in the ringing.
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Research in the United Church of Ludlow’s archive in preparation for its May 2012 Birthday Celebration resulted in the surprise discovery of the original marriage record of Peter Thatcher Washburn, Esq. and Almira E. Ferris in 1839. Peter Washburn is important in Vermont history as an attorney, a Civil War hero, and the 33rd governor. Hon. Daniel A. and Sarah E. Heald appeared at the United Church of Ludlow on Sunday, April 29 to give a sketch of their lives and importance in the church’s history. The visitors created excitement about the public Birthday Party of the church on Saturday, May 5th and Sunday, May 6th to which all are invited. Daniel A. Heald was born in Chester in 1818 and grew up on a farm. He attended Chester Academy and Kimball Union Academy of Meriden, NH, and graduated from Yale in 1841. After moving to Ludlow, Heald was admitted to the bar in 1843. While in Ludlow, he practiced law, was a Representative and Senator in the Vermont Legislature, and built a large lumber mill in Healdville. On Sunday, April 15, Dr. Daniel and Viola Cooledge visited the United Church of Ludlow to invite all present to join them at the church’s public Birthday Party May 5th and 6th. Daniel was born in Ludlow in 1839. He matriculated in Black River Academy in 1858 but interrupted his studies to volunteer for the Civil War, where he was wounded, taken prisoner, and exchanged. He returned to B. R. A. and met Miss Alice Viola Marsh born in Plymouth in 1847. Viola said they fell in love, then Daniel began medical school at UVM, and they married in 1866. She was excited to experience New York City during his residency at Bellevue Medical. Dr. Cooledge opened a Ludlow medical practice in 1868. Later, the Cooledges opened a drug store on Main Street. Viola assisted in the store while raising five children. She became the first woman registered pharmacist in Vermont, and following her husband’s death in 1911, she managed the store herself until her death in 1934 at the age of 87. The store kept the Cooledge name for 75 years. On January 28, 2004, the National Park Service of the U.S. Department of the Interior added the United Church of Ludlow to its august listing known as the National Register of Historic Places, an honor accorded to only a handful of Ludlow structures. The Church building was completed in May 1892, and this year is the 120th anniversary of its construction. By coincidence, it also is the 220th anniversary of the founding of the Church in 1792. The Church’s bell was cast by the Holbrook Bell Foundry of East Medway (Massachusetts) in 1839, just 50 years after the US Constitution was ratified by the 13 states. The Holbrook Bell Foundry was established in1816, by Major George Holbrook. Major Holbrook earlier had established a bell foundry in Brookfield, Massachusetts in 1797. That business was successful but Holbrook had made the error of guaranteeing a “friend’s” borrowings and was obliged to make the payments and was financially ruined. Broken in spirit, he returned to his home town of Wrentham, Massachusetts, and, while there, he learned that a new bell was wanted for a new meeting house in East Medway and he secured a contract to cast it. The coming of Major Holbrook into East Medway initially was opposed by many of its citizens for fear that he would become a pauper and a financial burden to the town. Their doubts were erased when he cast that first bell. The business that he established at the time grew into a very large and successful one and was carried on by four successive generation of the Holbrook family until 1880, when the business was sold to parties in San Francisco, California. Major Holbrook, while very young, was apprenticed to Paul Revere (of Revolutionary fame) to learn the machinists and clockmaker’s trades. After he completed his apprenticeship, he started casting bells in Brookfield, Massachusetts, having learned the art from an old English encyclopedia. The Holbrook Bell Foundry was in reality, though not legally, the successor of the famous Revere bell foundry, as during the years 1816 to 1820 it was the only establishment of its kind in America. During the period of its existence, the Holbrook Bell Factory cast over eleven thousand bells for domestic and international customers. They were exhibited at industrial exhibitions throughout the United States and came in competition with the bells of others, always receiving the highest awards. Among other awards was the grand gold medal from the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association (Boston) for general superiority and pure musical tone, and this despite the proprietor of a competing business being President of the Association and had many bells on exhibit at the same time. The products of the Holbrook Bell Foundry became the standard bells ofAmerica. Major Holbrook’s son, Colonel George H. Holbrook, who became an eminent musician, is credited with improving the tone of the bells and changing them from noisy machines to musical instruments. Colonel Holbrook became associated with his father in the manufacture of bells and church clocks and succeeded in 1820 to the entire business which he carried on until 1871. Colonel Holbrook, in 1837, began building church organs, in company with his cousin, Mr. J Holbrook Ware, until 1850, when that partnership was dissolved. He was succeeded in the organ business by his son, Mr. Edwin L. Holbrook, and in the bell business by his grandson, Mr. Edwin Handel Holbrook. Some current information concerning the valuation of bells of this type was located. There are various ways to value bells: 1. Scrap price, which is the current price for bronze that you can get from a scrap metal dealer. 2. Collector’s price, which is whatever a bell collector is willing to spend. 3. Price that a bell resale dealer is willing to pay in order to recondition the bell for resale (usually about half of the expected resale value) 4. Historic/sentimental price, which is the cost to the congregation of losing a piece of its history (better to clean the bell and display it within the church once it is determined to be unsafe to continue ringing the bell). In the information associated with the valuation method descriptions shown above, the author indicated that his company usually estimates a minimum of $100/pound for a good bronze bell. As our Church bell weighs approximately 1,200 pounds, the indication is it has a value north of $100,000. On a recent Sunday before worship, the United Church of Ludlow received a visit from Rev. Peter Read, first pastor of the Ludlow Congregational Church. Read was important in the history of Ludlow and its first church. Born in Massachusetts in 1751, in 1776 he married Mary Pitcher, who died in child birth. He married Lydia Gilbert in 1786. In 1792, the year after Vermont became the 14th state, the Reads moved with three children from New Haven, CT to Ludlow. Upon arrival, Read immediately took up activity in organizing the town and religious affairs. He served as selectman in 1793 and 1795-1799 and in 1795 was Ludlow’s first Representative to the Vermont Legislature. Pictured above is Rev. Read (aka Bob Kottkamp) holding 1806 book describing church origin in his handwriting. Ludlow’s first free library opened its doors in 1892. Known as the Florence Memorial Library, it occupied about 20 percent of the first floor of the United Church of Ludlow building. The library was accessed by two outside doors, one of which has since been replaced by a window. The furnishings of the library were donated by James S. Gill and his wife Rachel, of Ludlow and Boston, in memory of their daughter Florence. Originally a public library, free and open to local citizens, it was closed after the Fletcher Memorial Library was opened in 1900. A plaque over the original fireplace in the library still commemorates the Gill’s gift to the community. Included in the obvious treasures of the United Church of Ludlow are fifteen stained-glass windows that grace its sanctuary. Many of the Church’s less obvious treasures are in the form of information – such as birthdates, baptisms, marriages and deaths, among others. The Church’s May 5 and May 6, 2012 Birthday Party – the 120th for the Church’s Building and the 220th for the Church’s founding – will include many free activities available to the public. The Birthday Party activities will take place from 3 to 5 pm on Saturday, May 5th (followed by a scrumptious dinner at a ridiculously low price) and on Sunday, May 6th from 2 to 4 pm (concurrently with a free Ice Cream Social). The Church’s primary stained-glass window (see above) can be back lit, making it especially beautiful at night when the lights are on – a real treasure. This window is unusual due to its focus on women On February 8 about 4:30 pm, the belfry of the United Church of Ludlow resounded with the pealing of the 1839 bell for a full three minutes. What was all the commotion about? The bell announced the victory of the United Church and thirteen other nonprofit organizations in the lawsuit brought against them by relatives of Phyllis Agan to nullify provisions in her trust, which left a total of $1.5 million to the collection of Ludlow institutions. Phyllis and Bill Agan were married by the United Church pastor in 1946; Phyllis was a dedicated and vitally active church member for over 50 years. Bob Kottkamp, President of the United Church, and wife Ginny, had been in Superior Court in Woodstock for eight full days of trial. Twenty two other church members had been in the gallery for from one to eight days to signal to the jury their interest in Agan’s bequests. Church members, David Almond, Iggy Matulonis and Kottkamp had testified. Upon hearing the verdict upholding Phyllis’ magnanimous gifts, the Kottkamps drove to the church and rang the bell for as long as strength held out. Bob said, “Ringing the bell both expressed my joy and released physical tension built up over the long trial.” Ray LaVanway, former treasurer, stopped his car to inquire of Ginny, “What is going on?” He later emailed: “I was going around the corner to Pleasant Street and have never heard the Church Bell rung so exuberantly in my life. Congratulations!” ”The following day, Bob Kirkbride, Phyllis Agan’s former voluntary guardian, who had been falsely accused of “undo influence” in Phyllis’ bequeathing decisions, but was exonerated by the verdict, reported an interesting happenstance. Marty Nitka told Bob that while walking near his office the day before, he had heard continuous bell ringing. Attorney Nitka had assisted Phyllis in preparing the amendment of her trust that left her wonderful legacy to Ludlow, and he too had testified in the trial. While the Curran Family of Ohio and Michigan, who brought the suit, went home empty-handed, they may appeal the decision. In the mean time, there is great joy at the United Church and in much of Ludlow. |
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