The Church That Wouldn't Die

Many of us who grew up in small communities, moved away, and then returned after several years often can’t believe how things have changed in the old home town.

I have kept in close touch with my hometown of Rockland as I still have many friends and family there. However, I have the advantage of seeing changes from a different vantage point than local people who live there year-round. They take these changes in stride, while I’m often amazed at all that has taken place in my old home town since I moved away.

Buildings and changes in businesses stick out the most. The buildings on Main Street are basically the same. The storefronts and sidewalks have changed; and with the closing of Goodnows, on the corner of Park and Main, there are not any familiar businesses anymore.

Rockland High School on Lincoln Street, where I spent four happy years, is now an arts center. Knox Hospital, where I was born, is now a nursing home. The Community Building is now a sports center. The library is still a library, however, the interior is not what I remember at all. Even my beloved South End has seen many changes since I left over 30 years ago.

So what has all this to do with a church that wouldn’t die? It’s about history and memories mostly. The buildings you spend the most time in when you are growing up are the ones you become most attached to. We often say, “If only these walls could talk.”

As I was looking through my newspaper clippings for stories about my Dad, I came across a story about the Free Will Baptist Church in the little town of Rockville, which is really a part of Rockport. I believe my mother sent me this clipping, as she often sent me stories she thought I might be interested in when she wrote me a letter. It probably came from the Portland Press Herald as she didn’t receive the Bangor paper in those days.

Then I remembered that I had recently cut out a story from the Herald Gazette pertaining to that same church, now called Rockville Community Chapel. That piece will be “the rest of the story” later on.

The story my mother sent me I believe was from the 1970s or perhaps even earlier. The two women pictured in the same story, were Mary and Josephine Tolman, then the last two members of that church which has existed in that place since 1851. Imagine that!  Maine had only been a state for 31 years. The Civil War was a mere 10 years later. At the time of this story, the church had been in existence for approximately 130 years. What must have taken place in that little church in all that time? How many generations of Rockville families have walked through those doors?

Churches in those days were often multi-purpose facilities. A church was often the first public building built in a new town. It was therefore used as a school, church, and for any event where the villagers needed to meet, such as a town meeting. I don’t believe this church was used for those purposes, since they did at one time have a Town Hall and a School, which have long since been torn down.

I was familiar with the Free Will Baptist Church in Rockville as I was growing up because my grandmother lived right across the road from the church. She was the founder, along with her second husband, Roy Tolman, of the Tolman branch of our family. Ida Emery (Sylvester) Tolman lived in that little house since she was married. Mary and Josephine were two of five Tolman children. The Tolmans were among the original settlers of the area in the 1700s.

Three of the girls, Mary, Jo, as we called her, and Gladys, lived with my grandmother after Roy passed away. You would never meet three sweeter women. I don’t think they ever ventured further than New Hampshire in their lives. They were devoted to the family, their fellow Rockville friends, and to the Freewill Baptist Church.

The church has seen many revivals. The followers of Rev. Jason Marriner grew to be about 100 souls when they decided to build this new church in 1851. In 1906, the spire was removed because of costly repairs; but several years later money was raised for new pews and a carpet.

In the 1950s, the Tolman girls were members of the Meet Again Club of Rockville and they began to raise money to repair the church. They did manage to make several repairs and improvements. However, as the club members aged and expenses grew, they were not able to keep it up. It appeared that the church would go the way of the Town Hall and the school. Finally, at the time of this story, the “girls” were the last two members of the church and were not able to maintain it anymore. Mary and Jo have since passed away.

I have my own memories of Rockville and of that church. I remember Christmas Fairs in the old town hall. Mostly I remember how it smelled with the combination of baked goods and Christmas firs. I always enjoyed going to that fair. I also remember going to the church on Mother’s Day when they would give everyone a carnation; red if your mother was alive; and white if she was deceased.

There was still hope at the end of the story from Gudrun Kononen of the Rockport Landmark Commission that the building could be saved and used for such functions as weddings and concerts. “This is the only one of Rockport’s original churches that has been preserved,” he said. “We’ve got to save it. I’m sure we can save it.”

This is where “the rest of the story” comes in. Fast forward to the present time. August of 2011 is when the next story appeared, when a Rockport historian and a native of Rockville, named Vernon Hunter, delivered a talk entitled the “Lost Village of Rockville.” The talk was given at Freewill Baptist Church in Rockville, now renamed Rockville Community Chapel.

Evidently it has been known by that name since the 1970s. At that time the church was decommissioned as a church and became Rockville Community Chapel. It is the only public building remaining in the village of Rockville. Community concerts, weddings, funerals, and civic group meetings are held here during the warmer months. So it seems that in a way Gudrun Kononen’s wishes came true. The old church is now being used for many of the things it would have been used for in the 1800s.

Vernon Hunter and Fran Hart sitting outside the
Rockville Community Chapel
 talking about times past in Rockville.

Hunter is a member of an association, which is not named in the newspaper story, which seeks to restore the old church. To quote the last two paragraphs of this story:

“The ongoing restoration of the chapel has included replacing the roof {The Tolman girls used to go over and put barrels under the drips when it rained.}; repairing the belfry (its famous Hooper bell was cast in Boston in 1898); and installing new windows. The association also wants to paint the last side of the building needing a new coat of paint.”

“The association is a non-profit dedicated to restoring and preserving the chapel, which is also to be the site for the preservation of historical materials pertaining to Rockville.”

The Tolman house across the street from the new “chapel” has since been sold to others. I have no reason to visit the area anymore. However, I can’t wait to revisit the old church as it has been revived and to view the historical materials that have been collected.

I have no doubt that memories of the Tolman girls and of my grandmother, Ida Tolman, will flash through my mind as I reenter the chapel. Old buildings and old memories. You can’t get much better than that. I know the Tolman girls would be happy about the continued restoration project of their beloved Free Will Baptist Church even if the name has changed.

Thanks for listening.

NOTE: By the way, the Freewill Baptist Church always reminded me of the old songs, “The Little Brown Church in the Vale” and “Little Jimmy Brown.” See those YouTube videos on my Southend FB page.