SOUTH DEERFIELD — Thanks to the efforts of the South Deerfield Fire District, the Highway Department and a concerned resident with an interest in Deerfield’s history, a broken panel above the belfry of the South Deerfield Congregational Church was replaced last Thursday afternoon.
In a combined effort, the South Deerfield Fire District’s Tower 1 truck pulled up to the side of the church on North Main Street while Highway Superintendent Kevin Scarborough rode up the ladder to install a new panel that was created in the garage of Deerfield resident Peter Thomas.
Thomas, who serves on the town’s 350th Anniversary Steering Committee, noticed the panel had fallen off the church and notified the town that he would be able to produce a new panel on his own, so repairs could be made as soon as possible.
The idea, Thomas recounted was to “come to them with a solution, not a problem. … I went to the town and said, ‘I’ll make it.’”
“All I could envision is 6 feet of snow in the belfry leaking down,” he said.
He said the church, which was constructed in 1821, is a crucial part of the town’s history and can play a vital role in celebrating the town’s history when its 350th anniversary comes around.
“Architecturally, it’s one of the anchors for the village in terms of history,” Thomas said. “It’s a historic part of Deerfield for the 350th … (and it’s important) this survives and is in good shape.”
While the church is significant to the town, Thomas said personal reasons also drove him to help in the repairs.
“I grew up in this town and the church has been part of my life — I’m 77, it’s been awhile,” Thomas said. “My parents went to this church.”
As the church celebrates its 200th birthday this year, he noted that the town rolled it down North Main Street in 1848 from the area where Frontier Regional School now sits. In 1865, the church added a 25-foot addition to the back end of the church, and also built the steeple and added the pillars to the front of the building, which are each made from a single solid piece of wood.
There have been talks in town about possibly demolishing the church, but town officials steered away from that decision last week, something Thomas was glad to hear.
“I think about trying to explain the history with a big void here,” Thomas said. “For the 350th, more people can learn about that history.”
Thomas said he was glad to have the support of the town in repairing this piece of Deerfield’s history.
“I’m just really thankful for the town, and Kevin particularly,” Thomas said. “It’s good and sound for the winter.”
To repair the panel, South Deerfield Fire District firefighters Lt. Bob Swasey and Capt. Kurt Seaman pulled Tower 1 into the parking lot, while Scarborough hooked himself into the tower and put the new panel in place.
“It’s really nice we’ve got an excellent working relationship with the South Deerfield Fire District,” Scarborough said. “It’s a drill for them and we’re happy for the help. There’s no way we could have got it done without them.”
Scarborough added he was happy to help contribute to such a historic building in South Deerfield.
“To my understanding, this is the oldest building in town,” Scarborough said. “It’s nice to try and make sure nothing happens to it.”