Night View of Steeple: Grace Lutheran Church
Did you guess correctly? I can see the steeple from my hill, lit up at night, so it makes sense that I have a picture to use for this Landmark.
When I first moved to Westminster, this church at 21 Carroll Street was engaged in a massive building project that seemed to go on for a long time. No wonder–they added 16,000 square feet of space!
Here’s a bit of history. In Westminster, a Lutheran Congregation was organized around 1842 by a Pastor out of Manchester. At that time, they met at the West End School House, which I do believe may possibly be the same place where we hold Garden Therapy and maintain the garden.
By 1866, the Lutheran Church cornerstone was laid and the building dedicated in 1868. There are a couple pictures online of the original church. But disaster struck. In 1883, the tragedy of the Great Westminster Fire, which was said to have begun in the John Street stables, destroyed the church entirely along with many other homes and businesses along both the Carroll and John Street areas. Here are two articles from the Historical Society:
The Great Westminster Fire-No Water System
The church raised money and rebuilt the church in 1884 and engaged in yet more renovations during the easymoney building boom of the Roaring 20’s. Apparently, the recent addition in 2006 was in lieu of building a new church outside town and was an indication of support for Westminster.
I have always driven by and noticed only the front on Carroll Street, but a drive round the alley to see all sides shows just how much real estate this church building now covers. I thought you might enjoy the pictures below.
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- Shot showing the steeple in daylight.
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- Front of Grace Lutheran.
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- A couple of other entrances along Carroll St.
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- Part of the new addition from one angle.
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- A small walled garden spot and an older section
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- View from the parking area
