NEW SALEM — A benefit concert to help repair the 1794 Meetinghouse’s steeple will be held at the First Universalist Church of Orange.
The steeple at 26 South Main St. has fallen into disrepair and the restoration work is expected to cost at least $100,000, so the meetinghouse’s board of directors decided to hold a fundraiser on Saturday, April 18, to generate as much money as possible.
“It’s not going to fall over tomorrow,” Executive Director Matthew Duncan said, “but we’ve been told by various parties, ‘You’ve got to get this thing down, and get it down soon.'”
He explained that one of the steeple’s two layers of support is rotted out due to water damage. He mentioned the steeple will likely have to be brought to the ground, repaired and placed back atop the town-owned 1794 Meetinghouse.
“It’s a major project,” said Duncan, who has been executive director for nearly a year and a half.
According to the 1794 Meetinghouse’s website, numerous Massachusetts historical preservation grants were used to stabilize the steeple and restore the interior in 1993. In tribute to the iconic pointed steeple, the phrase “Aspire to the Arts” was adopted as a slogan.
Duncan said the 1794 Meetinghouse has raised roughly $30,000 in donations for the project. He said the hope is to generate more donations and have the money matched by New Salem through an Annual Town Meeting vote. That lump sum, he said, could then be matched with a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency that allocates funds to various communities.
“We have a strategy in place. We’re optimistic,” said Duncan, who added that state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, has penned a letter to the Massachusetts Cultural Council to advocate for the 1794 Meetinghouse.
Duncan also said the Old Academy Building’s board of directors has pledged $10,000.
Jan Doody, secretary of the meetinghouse’s board of directors, said the 501(c)(3) nonprofit concert and theater venue has always had the community’s support. She mentioned donations will also be accepted from people who do not attend Saturday’s fundraiser.
“Songs of Americana: Patriotism, Protest & Peace” is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. at 31 North Main St. in Orange on Saturday. Organizers chose this venue out of consideration that the unheated 1794 Meetinghouse doesn’t open to the public until June.
Doody said the event’s theme was chosen due to its proximity to Patriots Day and in the spirit of protests and demonstrations held on the town common. The show will feature local artists and sing-alongs.
“It’s a whole array of different kinds of songs and music,” Doody said.
Duncan will open the show with welcoming remarks and a 15-minute intermission will separate a program comprised of songs such as “Yankee Doodle,” “The Times They Are A-Changin'” and “This Land is Your Land.”
Tickets will be available at the door (and accepted via cash, check or Venmo) or online at tinyurl.com/SaveOurSteeple. There is a suggested donation of $20 for adults and $10 for teens ages 13 to 17. Children ages 12 and under will be admitted for free.
Donations to the 1794 Meetinghouse can be made at 1794meetinghouse.org/product/donate.
