The Portland daily press., 1895-09-14
WEST END CHAPEL.
An Effort to be Made to Remodel the
Church Edifice,

At the West End, just beyond tiie
thronged and bustling Railway Square,
there stands on Congress ST., mouese
little brick structure, known as ehe
West Congregational Chapel. For geh-
Grafton past, since the early days OF the
Civil War, this little church edifice has
existed, it's erection having been COM
pleted, and the building dedicated but
few months before the first gun at sum-
tar woke the echoes of Charleston Bay.
At that time and previously, the now
thriving section of our city extending
from Vaughn ST., westerly to the boun-
dary line was but sparsely settled, and
it's scattered population were compelled
to either forego cnurch privileges alto
gether, or to obtain them only by the
toiIsome exertion of walking long dis
tances into the more thickly settled por-
ton
AS early as 1858 the condition of affairs
led to the organization of Sunday
School in the vicinity of the spot on
whi' b the Chapel now stands, and by
this means, the children, at least, were
enabled to receive religious instruction
without the necessity of going SO far
from home. Among those who taught
in this school was one who desired that a
wider field might be covered. And at
her death in 1859, this lady, who was
member of High St. church, intrusted to
her pastor, Rev. J. W. Chickering, the
duty of carrying out her wish. Her will
contained a bequest OF $4,000, OF which
sum $1,000 was to be employed in erecting
a house of worship, ito be used forever,
SO reads the bequest, '"as Free Trin1-
tartan Congregational Chapel" The re-
manning $4,000 was to constitute perma-
nent fund for repairs of the church SO
erected To the thousand dollars so gem
erously given subscriptions were added
by various individuals, and gifts OF
money, materials and labor were also
made until as a result the small but
comfortable little church was constructed,
and dedicated to the worship of God, in
January, 1861.
In the thirty years that have since
lapsed, many changes have come TO that
quarter of the city. Whole new streets
have been laid out over what were then
green fields, and long since the growth OF
the city and the influx Of population
have made the waste places of that day
full of vigorous life AS the years have
passed succession of able and devoted
men have ministered in spiritual things
to the little flock gathered in this Chapel,
and from time to time. their hearts have
BEEN gladdened by accessions to the num-
ber of those in whose behalf they labored.
And now it has become certain that in
the immediate future more commodious
accommodations for the congregations
which gather from Sabbath to Sabbath
musJ be obtained. Already the seating
capacity of the Chapel is taxed to its ut
most, and the enlargement of the editice
is an acknowledged necessity. At least
two plans looking to this end have been
proposed, by one of which the needed
room would be obtained by building an
annex to-one side, while by the other
the present audience room would be
heightened by extending the walls to the
rear of the lot A wise economy would
seem to require that the needs OF the
future should be we'll considered and
ample room provided, not only for the
present average congregation, but for the
larger numbers which the natural growth
of the section may be safely presumed to
render certain within very few years.
To assist the Parish in its endcayors to
so remodel the church as to best i--.,om-
plish this purpose, it is probable that
some appeal to. the kindly sympathies Of
Congregationalists throughout the city
maybe made later. But at present. while
there is definite purpose to accomplish
the enlargement, the details haven't been
determined sufficiently to warrant any
announcement as to the means to be
employed.