RI Central - 130 years as a pillar in Alton

ALTON - Sarah Wilbur shielded herself from the wind as she ran down the street through Alton on the night of Dec. 5, 1898. The mill alarm was already blaring but she felt the need to ring the church bell as well. The mill was afire and, despite all efforts to extinguish the flames, the entire structure would be demolished by morning. What would have been an inconvenience in bigger towns, was catastrophic for Alton.

The village itself was begun by 37-year-old David Larkin in 1860, when he bought 36 acres of land from Nathaniel Wilbur for $350. He had a road cut through the village, which he named the Plainville Mill Estate, and erected a factory which made fine cassimere. A few tenement houses went up for the mill employees and the village began springing to life.

However, the Civil War put a stop to that. Fine cassimere were no longer in demand, cheap blankets for use by the military were. The Aldrich Mill thereby changed its line of work.

After the war, there was very little demand to meet. Yet, one man held out hope of a resurrection. William Walton was a visionary who liked to see his dreams through to completion. He purchased the village, had more tenements constructed and refurbished those already standing. Sidewalks were laid down and two hundred maple trees were planted along the street. Walton envisioned a perfect little village where mill families would enjoy every moment of their residence. A village store was built, complete with delivery wagon, as well as a village post office. A fire company was organized, a band, and even a ball team.

Just before Walton purchased the property, Aldrich had deeded a portion of it for the construction of a church. A committee was now appointed to collect money for the construction, decide on the style and design, and hire a carpenter. Donations and fundraisers brought in the necessary finances and Josiah Palmer of Rockville was hired to construct the church.

Palmer’s fee was $1,000. The other $205.60 of the collections went towards the purchase of chandeliers, seats, carpeting, and other items. The Wood River Chapel was at last a reality, and the village of Alton, which was a shortened version of the owner’s name, was thriving.

The chapel became the core of the community. Strawberry suppers and clambakes were held there. Residents came to watch traveling troupes perform, and to partake of oyster dinners. However, it was the mill that the community depended on for a living. The mill was the foundation that held the village up. That fiery December night in 1898 changed everything.

By morning, 130 mill workers were unemployed. Walton decided not to rebuild and residents packed their belongings and left the tenement houses. Within a short time, the village became a ghost town.

In 1906, the Alton Manufacturing Company rebuilt the mill and imported lace-making looms from England. More tenement houses were built and hope for the village was alive again. But within two years, the mill owners were bankrupt. Richmond Lace Company bought the property but hard times were still to come. In 1917, the mill weavers went on strike. Foremen and overseers were forced to leave their now non-existent jobs to look for other work. The village again saw its population dwindle.

By this time, the name of the church had been changed to Alton Chapel and its members were barely able to keep the doors open for lack of funds. They held bean suppers, hosted traveling troupes, and showed moving pictures in an effort to raise money.

In 1962, the mill was purchased by Charbert, weavers of elastic fabric. The village pace was slow and the chapel had seen its membership further decline. By the late 20st century, it had a congregation of just seven members. Built as a non-denominational place of worship, it had become Episcopalian in 1948, and it’s named changed to St. Thomas Episcopal Church. The Bishop was forced to consider whether or not the church should continue running. Instead of closing its doors, he told the members to pray and wait for better days.

Today, 32 families are on the church roster. In celebration of its 130th anniversary, the congregation is putting together its history. Mary Hafey of Richmond, who is compiling the work, recently spoke about the chapel and the hardships it has faced through the centuries. “If God wants the chapel to close, it’s going to happen,” she said. “But the members here are extremely responsive to the needs of the community and if God wants that to continue, it will continue.”

Hafey said that although the church is small, it is very active. “Every year, we take part in the Adopt-a-Family Christmas program,” she said. “We provide food to the Wood River Health Services food pantry. We volunteer at the WARM shelter to help cook meals. We fill brand new backpacks with school supplies in the fall, for any child who shows up. This year we gave out 80 of them and if more kids had shown up, we would have gone out and bought more supplies.” All items were paid for by church members.

“Every single family in our chapel is active in the needs of the church and community,” Hafey said. “Unlike some big churches, we don’t have a rectory or health insurance or anything like that, so that means finding a priest to fit that situation. We have a part-time priest who has been with us for over 12 years and we are truly blessed to have her.”

“We don’t have a lot of committees and voting and stuff like that,” Hafey said. “We are very informal. We don’t hire other people to do our administrative duties. We’re self-sufficient. One person might take care of the trash, while another takes care of the churchyard. It’s essential to the survival of the church that everyone pitches in.”

Hafey said the chapel is dedicated to keeping with the tradition that was started there 130 years ago. “We want this to be the center of the community,” she said.

The bell that Sarah Wilbur clanged that winter night of 1898 still peals out on Sunday mornings, calling parishioners to service. And, God willing, it will continue to do so for centuries more.