The Round Church

The Round Church. A National Historic Landmark. , The Round Church, was built in 1812-13 under the direction of local craftsman William Rhodes to be the Town Meetinghouse and place of worship for members of five Protestant denominations. Significant for its rare design and well-preserved detail, it is perhaps the sole surviving example of an early 19th-century 16-sided wooden meetinghouse., Building the Church , Eighteen men worked a combined 922½ days to erect the building. William Rhodes, as head carpenter, received $3000 for labor and materials. Three other men received from $12 to $20 per month and the rest were volunteers. The interior of the church looks much the same as it did when it was built, though there were changes over the years. The pulpit has been lowered 2 steps. Some of the box pews near the pulpit were removed to make room for town meeting tables and voting booths., Shape and Style , Built in the simple Federal style, the Round Church measures 50 feet in diameter with 16 sides on the exterior. The Federal style featured light, delicate buildings with little detailing. In the Round Church, the window sashes placed close to the plane of the building and the minimal roof overhang contribute to this impression of lightness. To create the effect of thin delicate walls, the head builder William Rhodes cleverly hid the 16 large corner posts behind 32 interior sides, making the interior seem more round than the exterior., Proprietors , Funds for the structure were provided by individual townspeople, known as "proprietors,” who purchased the box pews. These pews were sold prior to the church's construction and became part of the owner's real estate. The final list of proprietors included 5 Baptists, 2 Methodists, 6 Christians, 23 Universalists and 29 Congregationalists, a total of 65 from a town of 935 residents., Town Meetinghouse , Over time, the 5 denominations stopped holding worship in the Round Church and it became the responsibility of the Town of Richmond. Since its opening in 1814, Richmond held its annual town meeting in the Round Church, and this tradition continued for 160 years, until 1973, when structural problem closed the building for public gathering., Restoration , At the 1976 town meeting, residents voted to deed the Round Church to the Richmond Historical Society for 40 years to make it eligible for grants not available to municipal buildings. $180,000 was raised to restore the Church., National Historic Landmark , On June 19, 1996, the National Park Service of the US Department of the Interior bestowed its highest honor on the Round Church, designating it a National Historic Landmark in recognition of its historic value to the nation., History Time Line , 1794 , Town of Richmond formed., February 1812 , Land donated by Isaac Gleason and Thomas Whitcomb., February 1814 , Meetinghouse dedicated as place of worship., 1843 , Baptist Church of Richmond declared extinct., 1849-50 , Congregationalists move to new church on Bridge Street., 1851 , The belfry bell is installed., 1879-80 , Universalists erect their own church on Bridge Street taking with them the horse sheds., 1880's , Town assumes sole ownership of the Meetinghouse., 1973 , Structural problems close building to public gatherings, ending a 160-year Town Meeting Day tradition., 1976 , Town deeds building to the Richmond Historical Society for 40 years; plans for renovation and repairs begin., 2016 , Town signs a 40-year lease with the Richmond Historical Society for management of the church., For more information on tourist visits, on-site weddings, concerts or meetings, visit our website: , [link on marker is bad, use] https://www.richmondvthistory.org/old-round-church