1817 Long Society Meetinghouse in Preston restored, ready for rededication
Oct. 29—PRESTON — In 2014, members of the Preston Historical Society became alarmed at the decaying condition of the Long Society Meetinghouse, a symbol of the town's original settlement.
A grant from the 1772 Foundation paid for an assessment. The wooden structure was rotting, the roof shot, the main support beam hollowed by termites, and rainwater was draining into the foundation rather than away from it. The estimated restoration cost: $180,000.
"It didn't end up costing that much," Preston Historical Society Treasurer Mark Christensen said Friday.
The final cost totaled about $100,000, Christensen said, and the project is completed, thanks to grants from large and small donors, foundations and help from the Town of Preston and many volunteers who worked on the project.
The society is ready to say, "thank you," on Saturday, Nov. 5 with a rededication ceremony at 10 a.m. at the Long Society Meetinghouse, 45 Long Society Road.
The event is open to the public and will feature a blessing of the building, speeches and light refreshments. Posters will depict the restoration at different stages, including the archaeological dig around the foundation, where gravestones from the 18th century cemetery stand just inches from the building.
The building glistens with a bright white exterior. Inside, the benches, walls and floors are light gray and the trim and support columns previously brown now are dark red. Christensen said research revealed the original colors were gray and "ox blood red."
Outside, new stone pavers were installed to create a level walkway leading up to the original, heavy granite block steps.
"This is something the people of Preston can be proud of," said Mike Clancy, society member and project volunteer. "Not just an old decaying building."
The last broadside meetinghouse in Connecticut and one of only about a dozen in the Northeast, the building never had a steeple, Clancy said. The chimney is gone. Wood stoves once provided heat. Two large metal hooks high up on the rear columns once supported a stovepipe that snaked across the room to the chimney.
Stories abound about the early days, Clancy said. Like one about the attic being home to bats, their guano piled deep on the attic floor. When the stoves heated up, the softened guano emitted a stench that permeated to worshipers below.
This 1817 meetinghouse replaced the decayed original 1726 structure, built by settlers of Long Society, or East Norwich, who could not easily get to Norwich to worship during the winter.
In 2014, Preston Historical Society members approached the Board of Selectmen with the urgent need to restore the historic structure. The defunct Second Congregational Ecclesiastical Society had owned the building. The town petitioned New London Superior Court to take ownership and turned it over to the historical society. Town crews cut the grass.
The town also provides a $2,000 budget on a reimbursement basis each year for maintenance, Christensen said.
Four main donors gave the restoration a boost. The Mohegan tribe provided a $10,000 grant to replace the sagging windows with replica antique glass and wooden frames. The tribe later gave $6,500 toward the $10,000 repainting.
Jewett City Savings Bank and Chelsea Groton Bank foundations provided small grants of $1,000 to $1,500 at different times along the way. Preservation Connecticut provided matching grants.
Although the restoration is completed, Clancy said more work is planned. Clancy hopes to enlist contractors to help regrade the lower side area to create a crushed gravel parking lot.
The meetinghouse has no heat, electricity or running water, so the building will become a seasonal venue for historical society meetings and town events. Clancy said the society will need to set rules and rental fees for outside events.
During construction, one wedding was held there and former state Troubadour Tom Callinan of Norwich performed a concert. Historical society member Jim King, a restoration specialist and owner of OHD Historic Restoration and Repair of Southeastern Connecticut, volunteered on the project. He also is a musician and hopes to bring more concerts to the restored meetinghouse.
Anyone interested in using the building is asked to contact the Preston Selectmen's office at (860) 887-5581, ext. 1, to leave a message for the historical society, which has no office.
What could be the final event before winter will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13. The Preston Historical Society and Friends of Preston Public Library are co-sponsoring a family storytelling hour featuring Carolyn Stearns telling stories from the early 19th century. The program is free and open to the public.
Clancy said future rentals could help pay for upkeep.
Now that the building is preserved for future generations, Clancy said the Preston Historical Society needs to attract those younger residents to help keep it in good condition. The society is aging, and older members are less able to do physical work to help maintain the building.
"It's going to take somebody to take the reins here," Clancy said.
