On the weekend of May 20-21, the Landmark Conservancy is hosting a Sacred Spaces open house across New York. I know that two monumental Bath churches are involved, but after that I’m stalled – maybe you’ll have better luck with their web site than I do. But you might enjoy checking out these interesting places of worship, whether they’re officially on the tour or not.
*St. Thomas Episcopal Church has the oldest edifice in Bath, and arguably the most magnificent. It anchors the southeast corner of Washington Square Park, and stands at the head of the Liberty Street Historic District. Its needle-like spire pierces the sky, and is visible for blocks around. The stone fabric whispers of an appropriately-Episcopal dignity, and an appropriately-Episcopal elegance. Not to mention an impressive strength befitting the mother of the church who rode 90 miles to have her baby baptized in the early 1800s, and lived to see an Episcopal church established, just as she’d demanded for years, in Bath.
*First Presbyterian Church of Bath stands at the other end of Liberty, gazing across Pulteney Square and northward up the street – and it’s the OTHER most magnificent church in Bath! Like St. Thomas it’s a stone structure, but a little bit more modern, with a rose window and an asymmetrical front. Those on the street or in the park can enjoy the carillon at noon. Those within can delight in the Louis Comfort Tiffany sanctuary, donated by Ira Davenport Jr. in memory of his brother. Visitors come literally from around the world to see the only complete Tiffany sanctuary that remains.
*Town Line Church, on County Road 119 near Cameron Mills, is at the other end of the scale from those two dramatic edifices in Bath, but it predates both of them by decades. Town Line was a rural church built in 1845, serving a small congregation in a small community, though over 3000 people rest in its cemetery. It’s remarkable for its pure serene New England lines, including the two doors leading to two aisles. Back in the 1600s New Englanders were proud to stand against “Popery.” Catholic churches each had a single central aisle, so New England churches would have pews in the middle, and two aisles toward the sides. There’s no congregation here any more, but on Sunday, May 21 there will be a service, followed by hot dogs, hamburgers, Civil War re-enactors, a cemetery tour, and more.
*Town Line Church at least survives. Harrisburg Hollow Methodist Church is now only a memory and a steeple, startling the traveler like a lamppost in Narnia. Its community has long since evaporated away, and the steeple stands in silent isolation.
*Garrett Chapel perches dramatically on Keuka Bluff, built of stone in the Norman style by broken-hearted parents to memorialize a son who died far too young. Services are held on summer Sundays.
*Reverend Thomas K. Beecher (brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe) led a building project at Elmira’s Park Church and created the modern community center church. His statue stands nearby.
*Why isn’t Savona’s Epicopal Church of the Good Shepherd on the National Register of Historic Places? It’s a delightful jewel-box cobblestone structure.
*St. Januarius Church in Naples has a unique and eye-catching exterior, complementing the vineyard on the edge of which it sits. Seldom do we see a better customization of a church to its setting. Well done!
*While St. Michael’s Church in Penn Yan has a fine attractive edifice, there’s perhaps nothing remarkable about it. But it deserves to be celebrated because of the night 90 years ago when the Ku Klux Klan demonstrated in front of the church in opposition to Catholics and Catholicism. The pastor came out and told them that if they didn’t leave, he’d kick all their asses. He was a very large man, and the Ku Klux Klan slunk away. Hooray for St. Michael’s, and its indomitable pastor!