St. George's Catholic Church

Statement of Significance

Continued...

In 1885, the Roman Catholic Diocese purchased the remainder of the South Academy building, which was renamed St. George's Catholic Church. This transfer of ownership is indicative of the increase in Catholic worshippers in the area. The Catholic Church has been present in Vermont since Samuel de Champlain explored the region in 1609. Fort Saint Anne was built, along with a Catholic chapel, on Isle la Motte by the French in 1666. French Catholics traveled back and forth between lower New England and Canada, and even settled in parts of northern Vermont from time to time. Many Catholic Canadians took refuge in Vermont during Canada's Papineau Rebellion in 1837. Irish immigrants from the Potato Famine in the late 1840s were also entering Vermont to build the railroads, and to work on farms and in the mills and factories. In 1847, an "early and enterprising colony of Irish immigrants" had built a church in Fairfield, a town in close proximity to Bakersfield. In 1871, 60 Catholic families were said to reside in Bakersfield. Of these 60 families, 28 were Irish and 32 were French.

Informal Catholic masses were held in Bakersfield at private homes by area priests in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1886 Reverend Pierre Savoie became the first resident pastor of St. George's Catholic Church in Bakersfield.

Other Catholic congregations throughout Vermont were acquiring and adapting buildings for use in Catholic worship. Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in East Charlotte, Vermont, was a Quaker Meeting House in Starksboro that was purchased and moved by the areaís Catholic congregation in 1858 and remodeled for use as a Catholic church. In the late 1850s in South Hero, the Catholics of the area were said to have purchased a house for use as a church. The Catholic worshippers in Danby, Vermont purchased a "former bank building" in 1871 for use as a church. The Catholic Diocese's use of part of South Academy after 1867, the entire purchase in 1885, and the extensive renovations circa 1905, correspond with a sudden occurrence of Catholic church building and acquisition from the second half of the nineteenth century through the early years of the twentieth century.

Gothic Revival architecture was extremely popular within the Catholic Church in the latter part of the nineteenth century. Not surprisingly, St. George's Church underwent extensive renovations circa 1905, when the Catholic Church sought to give the building a Gothic appearance. The double rows of 12/12 Greek Revival windows were changed to single rows of tall, narrow, pointed-arch, stained glass windows along the eave sides of the building. The second floor of the building was removed on the interior to create a large sanctuary space, which was subsequently covered entirely with pressed metal. A one-story addition was added to the rear of the building to provide room for a recessed altar. These extensive changes severely altered the character of the building, but reflected clearly the evolution of its uses. Other changes were made throughout the twentieth century, including the installation of a standing seam metal roof in 1916, carpeting inside the building at some point after 1976, and a furnace system that was added in the 1970s.

The demand for a Catholic Church remained in the Bakersfield community until 1924, when the church was closed for four years; the church reopened in 1928. Catholics worshipped here until October 1996, when St. George's Catholic Church held its last service. Throughout the twentieth century, the population of Bakersfield has steadily decreased, and perhaps this factor played a pivotal role in the abandonment of this Catholic church. The remaining Catholic worshippers were now required to travel to nearby towns to attend mass. St. George's Catholic Church is now owned by the Bakersfield Historical Society, and pending restoration, it will be used by the people of Bakersfield for community events.

The building now known as St. George's Catholic Church began its existence as a typical Greek Revival building, proving useful to the community as a place for higher education. Extensive change in the community of Bakersfield throughout the nineteenth century was reflected in the changing uses of this building. As an increased population of Catholic worshippers migrated to the area, St. George's Catholic Church was born out of the old academy building, and held its position in the community until 1996. The history of St. George's Catholic Church parallels much of the history of the Catholic Church in Vermont during the nineteenth century, with its gradual increase in popularity due to social changes in the state. The architectural changes of the building reflect a trend that was prevalent in Vermont in ecclesiastical buildings. St. George's Catholic Church portrays much of the local history of Bakersfield and much of the state of Vermont's history as well.

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