First Congregational Church
Posted by: 
genegene
N 42° 18.304 W 073° 14.902
18T E 644373 N 4685134
Standing majestically on the green, this church whose spire can be seen for miles as one enters downtown Lee, welcomes visitors to Lee and Berkshire County.
Waymark Code: WM7ZT5
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 12/30/2009
Views: 13
The congregation laid the cornerstone of the current Lee Congregational Church in the summer of 1857. It is an unusually fine example of Romanesque style of architecture and it is the dominant feature of the green on which it stands. The wooden frame steeple is reputed to be the tallest in New England, coming in at a whopping 185 feet 5 3/4 inches tall.
A 2,000-pound bell hangs below it in the bell tower, and the Seth Thomas clock system tolls every hour. The clock is still wound weekly by hand.
After the church was built it became a favorite item of gossip in other Congregational churches in the Berkshires because it was too ornate and fancy. Our church had not only cushions but of a rich wine color. The cushions today are stuffed with the original horsehair but have new covers. More scandalous yet, for those days, the church hired itinerant French and German artists to paint trompe l'oeil ("fool the eye") pillars and carvings around the sanctuary. They flanked the lectern with apparent marble columns, embossed the ceiling with painted marble rosettes, and hand-painted wood graining on the pews, the wainscoting and the balustrades in the gallery. Our church may be the only church to have such paintings. Some churches, with similar art work, painted over the decorations, and other churches burned down. The old gas lights, now electrified, still hang, from the ceiling.
From June through October tours are given every Saturday morning from 11 am to 1 pm. Tours may also be arranged for other times by contacting the church office between 9:00 am and 3:00 pm Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. Tours up to the church bell tower may also be arranged by contacting the church office.
Location of the Steeple:
25 Park Place
Lee, MA
01238
Approximate Date of Construction: 1857-1858
Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
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