Bangor seminary bell tower receiving major face-lift

BANGOR – The heart of Bangor’s oldest institution is getting a face-lift. The David Nelson Beach Chapel at Bangor Theological Seminary was built in 1859. After 143 years, it’s time for a makeover on a special portion of the landmark at 300 Union St.

“It’s been several years since work was done on the chapel,” said Mary Lou Colbath, director of public relations at Bangor Theological Seminary. With the chapel tower surrounded by staging erected by Seacoast Scaffold & Equipment Corp., Colbath said, “It all looks quite dramatic.”

The chapel tower construction can be seen from several blocks away. The top of the belfry reaches some 100 feet and peeks above most of the neighboring buildings.

Contractor Nickerson & O’Day Inc. of Brewer began work on the chapel two weeks ago.

Jim Brochu, the seminary’s maintenance director, said the contractors are stripping the exterior of the tower and applying wood siding. The siding will be painted and restored to the original white shade of the tower, and the project should be completed sometime in October.

“There have been no real issues in the construction process,” Brochu said. “It’s going along pretty smoothly.”

Funds from the seminary’s capital campaign, “Opening Doors to the Future,” are providing the money for the repairs.

Work on the chapel tower was one of the main construction projects to be tackled using capital campaign funds. Years of deferred maintenance, typical New England weather and damage from birds entering the belfry have contributed to the need for repairs, Brochu explained.

The interior of the chapel tower will not be affected by the renovations. Prior to construction, Brochu discovered several names carved into the interior wood of the belfry. Some of the carvings include dates going back to the 1800s. Brochu suspects the names may be those of workers who originally constructed the chapel.

The 19th century inscriptions include W.R. Barbour, W.E. Smith Aug. ’74 Perry, and F. Lincoln ’75.

In 1829, fire destroyed the original chapel and the seminary went without a formal chapel for 30 years. As a tradition, when seminary seniors finish their last paper of the year, they go to the chapel and ring the bell.

According to information stamped into the bell, it was cast in 1836 by C.H. in East Medway, Mass. It is not known when the bell actually was placed in the chapel belfry.

“Historic buildings take a lot of love and care,” Colbath said. “The seminary is very conscious of taking care of these buildings.” And since the seminary came to reside at its current Bangor location in 1819, there are plenty of old buildings to tend to.

This summer, compact shelves are being installed in Moulton Library to help with space issues. Improvements also are being made to inventory and cataloguing system.

In addition, new carpets are being put down in Wellman Commons, built in 1895 to serve as the seminary’s gymnasium. With the old carpets taken up, the basketball court and shuffleboard markings, covered when the gym was transformed into the commons in 1986, are visible. Since its conversion, numerous functions and dinners held in the commons have led to wear and tear on the 16-year-old carpets.

Wellman Commons is connected to the Beach Chapel via the Hutchins Center, built in 1986. The center houses a lounge and kitchen on its first level, with classrooms and conference room on the second.

Students from the Bangor Theological Seminary come from, and preach, all over the world. They have been chaplains in every war this country has fought, Colbath noted. She went on to explain that through all sorts of tough times, the seminary has never wavered from its mission of providing ministers to congregations.

“It’s a living piece of history right here,” Colbath said.

Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, a first cousin of Vice President Hannibal Hamlin, graduated from Bangor Theological Seminary in 1837. Civil War Gen. Joshua Chamberlain, a Brewer native, graduated in 1855. And Edwin Hyde Alden, the same reverend Laura Ingalls Wilder refers to in “Little House on the Prairie,” also attended the seminary, graduating in 1862.

For Colbath, the most enchanting aspect of the school is “the sense of the students from this seminary being part of the history of our country.”

Upon completion of the chapel tower renovation, seminary officials hope to install a piece of sculpture, given to the seminary by an anonymous donor, in front of the chapel. They also hope to replace the utility pole lights in the area with period-appropriate lampposts.

Bangor Theological Seminary is located at 300 Union St. For more information, call 942-6781.