MANCHESTER — Golden-honey light once again shined down upon a sparkling Crowell Chapel in Manchester over a weekend filled with ceremony and music.
The weekend events spotlighted the small Gothic structure's own history, with a rededication of the chapel nearly 108 years after it first opened its doors, and five years after the launch of an estimated $220,000 restoration effort.
The chapel — constructed from Rockport gray granite — was built in memory of Benjamin Franklin Crowell, a native son, who left Cape Ann in 1859 as a young man to seek his fortune out west in Colorado.
He was among those who became rich but, only after many endeavors from panning for gold without much success, and then sheep ranching, publishing and banking before he struck gold in a way that would pay off.
In Sally Gibson's history, she noted that, after the Civil War, the Crowell family members in Manchester fell on hard times, and Benjamin's two sisters, Susan and Emily, began to take in summer boarders. But soon after, their brother found gold and he shared his wealth with his sisters.
"Almost every year, Benjamin came home to Manchester to visit. In 1897, he died out west and was brought home for the last time — the Crowell family plot is not far from the chapel," Gibson's history relates.
Gibson wrote that, when Susan, the last of the family, was in her 70s, she dreamed of a building "of Gothic design similar to the church architecture of Old England" to be constructed as a memorial to her brother.
The Feb. 6, 1904 issue of the Manchester Cricket tells of the new chapel: "The tower at the entrance is 60 feet high, with heavily buttressed sides and castellated top. The nave is solid oak, finished to the rafters, with a Gothic-arched roof supported by massive oak trusses."
The stained glass, made by Horace Phipps of Boston, was designed according to his sister's wishes who wanted two panels to show an oak tree on either side, standing for the two sides of her family, the Crowells and the Allens, according to Gibson. "The spreading branches as they extend upward join above, and intertwine with grapevines and fruit to fill the upper portion of the windows."
The chapel again sprung to life over the weekend with two events — one on Saturday to honor the 30 crafts people involved in the restoration followed by a sold-out concert on Sunday, both timed for 3 p.m. to coincide with the optimum sunlight to showcase the stained glass, said Christopher "Woody" Kelly, chairman of the Manchester Community Preservation Committee.
"The chapel has what we call high quality English arts and crafts stained glass windows of total beauty," he said.
The Benjamin Franklin Crowell Memorial Chapel (May 28, 1904-Jan. 29, 2012), located in Rosedale Cemetery on Rosedale Avenue, can hold up to 150 people.
Kelly noted that there will be an open house in the spring so there will be other opportunities to see inside.
Most all of the craftsmen involved in the restoration are from the greater Cape Ann and North Shore area.
"They are the most beautiful tapestry of people," said Kelly.
He also praised Judith Selwyn, of Preservation Technology Associates, Inc., a nationally-known expert who has overseen the restoration of historic masonry for structures at Harvard, Yale, Wellesley College, Smith College, the U.S. Naval Academy and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
She has been a major consultant on this job for more than six years, said Kelly.
Overall, the project required years of planning and raising money and about five years of work, with the estimated cost of around $220,000.
Kelly noted that 109 years later, a major change is in store. In addition to the chapel being used for its intended mortuary and memorial services, there will be a move to make it accessible for cultural and performing arts events.
"We are now endeavoring to make a concert series and hold other cultural events, such as lectures, poetry readings and weddings to make it alive and to help save it because we figured the more it's used, the more it will be appreciated and there can be money raised to protect it," he said.
The building was almost torn down in 1970s. The chapel, like so many historic buildings in many towns, had fallen into significant disrepair, with leaks, falling plaster and was dirty.
In 1981, the town allowed for it to be used for a broader range of purposes. But it still lingered in disrepair until this latest effort.
The adoption of the Community Preservation Act by Manchester in 2005 was the first step, and when enough money was raised, the actual restoration work began in 2007.
Gail McCarthy can be reached at 978-283-7000, x3445, or at gmccarthy@gloucestertimes.com.
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