Mollie Burke and Peter Gould’s Pathway If you have a memory about the West Village Meeting House that you would like to share, please tell us about it in the “Reply” section below.

Leslie Kinney’s path Most of my time living in Vermont is connected to this building and to this congregation.  It can be hard to separate the building from the congregation but there are different associations. Places, particularly our West Village Meeting House, evoke memories and invoke possibilities. I arrived here in the mid-1970s.  My first … Continue reading Leslie Kinney

Orion Barber’s Pathway   We moved to South Street in 1972. 1972 or 1973: A Medieval Christmas brought out an over-flowing house, most in appropriate costume: I was the giant Blunderbore, Paul Stockwell  the doctor, and Edgar Sather the dragon in the Mummers’ Play. These were the lay-led years for ASC. Bob MacLean was the … Continue reading Orion Barber

Charles and Nancy Butterfield’s Pathway We climb the steep granite steps from Main Street and hear organ music as we enter the dark foyer.  An usher in coat and tie hands us a program and opens the leather door into the sanctuary.  It is formal, almost Medieval.  As we sit beneath the paneled, pitched ceiling … Continue reading Charles and Nancy Butterfield

In the Pathways section, members and friends describe their relationships to the West Village Meeting House over the years.

In 2000, the WVMH acknowledged the first thirty years with some special functions.  Rod Payne-Meyer added improvements to the courtyard. If you have a memory about the West Village Meeting House that you would like to share, please tell us about it in the “Reply” section below.

First service in courtyard June 1970 Publicity from the Brattleboro Reformer shows that the building was not finished when the first service was held in June of 1970, so congregants stood in the courtyard.   The dedication ceremonies lasted for a week. If you have a memory about the West Village Meeting House that you would … Continue reading First Service and Dedication

The architect’s vision was to evoke the spirit of the setting with a peaked roof that echoed the mountains and green hills of VT and wooden clapboards to fit into the wooded area. The design of the building was to be both spiritual and to lift the spirits.  If you have a memory about the … Continue reading Architect’s vision

Ruth Lane’s Memories From a phone call in March, 2020 by Christina Gibbons Ruth recalls the main reason for moving was to have more parking “so we could invite others into the community to participate.”  She does not recall why the new building should be called the West Village Meeting House.   Ruth confirmed that the … Continue reading Ruth Lane

Leslie Kinney’s Memories of West Village Meeting House As a Board Member I was thrilled last year to hear Devin Colman, State Architectural Historian, speak about the historical and architectural significance of the building.  He quoted Judy Ratte, a member of the original building committee as saying, “We wanted an indigenous building, practical, useful and … Continue reading Leslie Kinney