Meeting House

The first two meeting houses in Somers were constructed at the corner of Springfield and Stebbins Roads, where the North Cemetery is today, about a mile north of the present meeting house. When this, the third meeting house, was constructed in 1842 the center of town had shifted and this became the logical place to build. Although the church members paid for most of the construction, history notes that the town added some $300 with the understanding that space on the lower level (Foundation Room) could be used for town meetings and similar gatherings.

The Meeting House is built in the Georgian style with a steeple but no spire. In spite of what you may have heard, the exterior of the meeting house has not been altered greatly since it was built. It never went any higher. It was never intended to.

The interior of the meeting house has, however, undergone some significant changes. When built the entire sanctuary and balconies extended to the back wall of the building.. In the tradition of our Puritan forebears, there was no altar, and the chancel consisted of a simple stage, in the center of which stood a large pulpit. The style reflected the theology; there was no separation or distinction between the word of God coming from the Bible and the Word of God preached by God’s messenger, the pastor. Each of the doors at the rear of the sanctuary opened to an aisle, and the pews were divided into three sections.

In 1949 funds were raised and the sanctuary was remodeled to look as it does now. Two aisles with three sections of pews were replaced with three aisles and two sections of pews. Rooms were added on either side of the chancel, the chancel split into pulpit and lectern and an “altar” added.

We believe the windows were installed when the meeting house was constructed were clear glass with the current “opera house” glass in the 1890’s. At some point the ceiling and perhaps the walls as well were stenciled in the style of the day.

The Foundation Room

When the meeting house was being constructed the town of Somers contributed about $300 to the project with the understanding that the Foundation Room would be used for town meetings and other such gatherings. This continued to be the practice until the current town hall was built in about 1950.

The Wall of History was created by former pastor Ransom Hammond and offers some insight into the church during its first 200 years. Included on the wall are Samuel Allis, the first pastor in Somers, Dr. Charles E. Backus, who began the first school specifically for training pastors for ministry here in Somers and other pastors who worked tirelessly to preach the word of God and bring the people of Somers the good news!

The kitchen Located under Pilgrim Hall, a key spot for apple pie and turkey supper preparation.

The Bugbee Center

was built in 1959 in response to a church and Sunday school that had grown rapidly through the 50’s. It housed classrooms, office space, a kitchen and a chapel. The building has also been used through the years by the girl scouts, boy scouts, Somers Women’s club an assortment of other civic groups.

The Bugbee Center is named in honor of Emily C. Bugbee a lifelong citizen of Somers and members of the Somers Congregational United Church of Christ. A graduate of Hartford Seminary, Miss Bugbee served for a short time as a Christian Education teacher in several small town public schools in Vermont before returning to Somers to be the moving force in the church Sunday school for over 50 years. It was Emily’s vision of what was possible that made the classrooms, office, meeting space and recreation area in this building a reality.

The Somers Cooperative Preschool has been housed in the Bugbee Center for over 30 years. The school originally used two rooms on the second floor, but was relocated to space renovated with their particular needs in mind in 1999. Their space is now completely accessible, has two rest rooms sized for children, and a direct entrance and exit to the outside play area. With a kitchen just off the classroom,, this is a great space for the Preschool.

The other side of the hallway is occupied on one end by a meeting room in which the church’s Women’s fellowship meets. They make use of storage space and the kitchen as well.

Champ’s Place, our food pantry, is located just down the hall. The food pantry is named in memory of Gene Champion a member and Deacon of the church who was the first attendant to have regular pantry hours and sought ways to further help those in need in our community. Through the years other church members have served as attendants, Helen Devio, Bob and Pat Robinson and Kathleen Eastwood among them. Polly McCranie is the current coordinator of Champ’s Place and under her guidance the program has expanded to include distribution of clothing and some small household items. Several members of the church and community donate many hours each week to serve the needs of some 30 to 50 individuals from Somers each week.

Bugbee Center Chapel on the second floor, houses two very important art collections belonging to the church.

The first is series of murals depicting the life of Christ, created by Priscilla Souter, a church member.  Each of the panels in the series depicts several parts of the life of Christ. Mrs. Souter completed the series over a ten year period, and one can see the changes in style and material used. Several church members were models for the series, though their identities have been masked in order to keep the emphasis of the mural on Christ.

The stain glass windows in the chapel are also important works of art. The first one created is in the middle of the three windows on the west end of the wall. This depicts Jesus as a young boy learning the carpenter trade from Joseph. This window was designed and created by Deacon Bob Pixley, and based on a statue located in Enfield, CT.

The rest of the windows were designed and created by the team of Joyce Conroy and Neil Connell, both members of the church. Each depicts a Biblical story. The most stunning window produced for the church by these two artists is probably the Nativity window which originally was located in the chapel but was moved at the time of the 1999 expansion and is now located in the stairwell on the landing between the first and second floors of the new section.

The second floor of Bugbee also has three classrooms, a large arts and crafts room,  used as a meeting place for the girl scouts and a choir rehearsal room.

In the second floor hallway connecting Bugbee to the core section of the facility there are several pictures and plaques which were placed in different places around the church but brought together here at the time of the 1999 construction.

The second floor hallway has a very noticeable incline from Bugbee to the core section. When we were looking into building the central section of the facility linking the meeting house and Bugbee Center, we were pleased to find the bottom floor of the Bugbee Center was only 2 inches lower in elevation than the bottom floor of the meeting house, and the second floors were only 11 inches different in elevation. On the first floor the difference is hard to realize, while on the second floor, this connecting hallway is the only obvious ramp in the whole facility.

Second Floor

Room 206 was described as the church “family room” when we were raising funds for the addition, and it has become just that. One of the most used rooms in our facility, it is a place for meetings of all kinds, informal lunches and suppers, the site for our semi annual shut-in parties, as well as the location of Boy Scout Eagle awards ceremonies, and private parties. Room 206 also houses our church library.

The alcove is a great place for meeting people and the Book Club meets here monthly.  An accessible rest room is handy. Child care is provided in room 204, which has its own accessible rest room and a kitchenette nearby.

Hallway and Pilgrim Hall

The hallway between the second floor lobby and the back of the original meeting house was constructed as it is because the building committee wanted to avoid making Pilgrim Hall (room 202) a thruway.

Pilgrim Hall was originally located across Main Street where the Town Hall now stands, as a chapel and meeting space. The youth group of the church, in the days when it was called the “Pilgrim Fellowship” met there regularly and came up with the name “Pilgrim Hall” a name that stuck even when the church and town made a deal and moved the building to its present location. In need of land to build a Town Hall, the town agreed to move Pilgrim Hall across the street where it would be attached to the back of the meeting house and the church would give up the land where the building had sat to be used for the new Town Hall.

When Pilgrim Hall was moved it was jacked up and placed on top of a newly constructed kitchen. Over the years Pilgrim Hall has been used for Sunday school, child care and Girl Scout meetings. About twenty years ago renovation of the room was undertaken. Funds were raised from church members, the ceiling was lowered about 4 feet, the walls repaired and painted, the carpet and furniture installed. The chandelier over the table was added in the mid 1990’s.