9:03 am – Squares – Renewing the Old Church
When we first moved to Uxbridge, we intended to join the Unitarian church hoping it would give us a chance to meet people we might like. It turned out the church only had 9 members and was pretty much drifting out of business. Part of the problem was the church. It was original except for electric lighting. No bathroom, no heat — and worst of all, no parking lot. Of course religiously, this is a very conservative town. Unitarianism never fully caught on.
The original church was classic New England clapboard church. It was small but tall and could hold fewer than 200. When the minister finally gave up and left town, the building began to show its age. By 2020, I was afraid it was going to bulldozed if someone didn’t restore it. But — help was on the way!
The only famous person from this town was William Howard Taft, the 23rd American president and his foundation rescued the church. The reconstruction only took 6 months, start to finish. The new church isn’t a church but the town museum.
I haven’t visited yet. They began and finished the project in the middle of lockdown from which we didn’t really emerge until the middle of 2023. I was fading by them. I didn’t know why. I thought I had aged suddenly and until this year, I never thought it had anything to do with my heart.
I haven’t visited yet because they began and finished the restoration in the middle of the lockdown. We didn’t really emerge from lockdown until late in 2022. I was fading fast by them. I didn’t know why. I just thought I had aged suddenly and until this year, I didn’t think it had anything to do with my heart.
I’m still moving in the slow lane. I’m better, but not quite “there” yet. I hope this summer we’ll be able to visit. I’m not sure what hours it is open, but they have an historical photography collection I really want to see.
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Categories: #gallery, #Photography, #Work, Anecdote, Gardens, square
BIRDS ON THE MOVE 
SERENDIPITY - SEEKING INTELLIGENT LIFE ON EARTH 
oh I am so sorry to hear about your health woes, that is so hard - do hope you make it to look round
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Mostly I feel okay. But for the first time ever, I’m worried. I used to trust doctors to make the right decisions, but I’m older and wiser. They are humans and they make mistakes. I need a plan.
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oh Marilyn this is so tough to have this hanging over you. Hope you can find the right drs to help you make that plan and get well.
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It gets weirdly complicated. Some doctors have “dibs” on pieces of me. Hematology owns my blood and cardiology my heart and things related to the surgery. I felt that if anyone owned those pieces, it should be ME but the medical profession has its own “rules.” It gets a bit strange.
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you are so right it should be you.
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I hope you can visit this summer, Marilyn! It sounds like it could be cool and fun to go there!
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We are planning on it, but it’s going to get complicated. Garry has another ear surgery — it’s a manufacturer’s defect — but the one in his right ear is not working anymore. It was surgery or have one dead ear. I urged him to have the surgery. He needs that ear.
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I really looks great now. I wish they would save more buildings here.
One from 1872 and one behind it from the 1880s were just demolished here in the “Old Town” neighborhood. They may not seem to old until you recall the Chicago pretty much burned to the ground in 1871.
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After we first moved here, the issue was whether or not to save historic buildings. It was a huge fight between the people who were willing to sell anything for a nice fat check and the rest of us who wanted to keep what little history remained. We brought statistics that towns which keep their history are more successful than other small towns who knock anything down to put up a new CVS or condo. A lot of this town had already been lost. We fought for this and for once, we won.
We haven’t won much. Most things they put to a vote and when they lose, they pass the bill without a meeting and we don’t even know about it until it’s done. Small towns are often badly mismanaged and this one is no exception. I believe we are doing a bit better now. I hope so. A lot of money has “disappeared” without explanation. At least in a big city, there are real books and records. Ours seem to slip away in the dark of night.
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HI Marilyn, although you made comments about your health and being unwell, I didn’t realise you were fading to the extent you were. I’m so glad you’ve had this operation to help you.
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I hope it does help. I feel fine or as fine as I have in the past few years, but the blood tests don’t look good. I am not ultra sensitive to how I feel. If it isn’t very painful or makes me stop breathing, I figure I can ignore it. I have learned, abruptly, I should not ignore symptoms. My own diagnoses can be very wrong. Bad stuff always catches me by surprise. This time though, if I don’t find a way to get things under control, I won’t get another round.
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I am rooting hard for you, Marilyn. And you have the new doctor who sounds good.
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What a lovely old church — and a good use as a museum! I’m glad they restored the building rather thantearing it down!
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This town has not been good about saving things, so I had good reason to fear we’d lose the building. But we got lucky. It’s really quite lovely and a real classic of the 19th century. They also managed to get the big artillery cannon on the common repaired. We the people really WANT to keep our history. Restoring aging buildings is very expensive. This is a small town and unless someone offers to donate the money, there’s no spare funds in our theoretical account.
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