The Merryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel (also known as Merryall Union Chapel) is a historic church building on Chapel Hill Road in the

Lower Merryall Lower Merryall, otherwise referred to as just Merryall, is a rural community in the town of New Milford, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. History The name "Merryall" was given to the land in 1726 by a group of surveyors, after h ...

section of

New Milford, Connecticut New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of Greater Danbury, as well as the New York Metropolitan Area, has a population of 28,115 as of the 2020 census. New Milford lies north of Danbury on the ...

. Built in 1890, it is the town's best example of

Carpenter Gothic Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massin ...

architecture. It is used in the summertime for services by visiting ministers of diverse denominations, and hosts weddings and other private functions. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1986.

Description and history

The Merryall Chapel stands in a rural setting about north of the center of New Milford, on the west side of Chapel Hill Road. It is a single-story wood frame structure, with a steeply pitched gabled roof and clapboarded exterior. A square tower projects from the center of the street-facing front facade, rising to a pyramidal roof and fleur-du-lis finial. The entrance is in the base of the tower, topped by a lancet-arched panel. Lancet-arch windows line the side walls. The interior is decorated in a Victorian style, with spindle-backed chairs for seating of the congregation, and a raised platform at the rear serves as the altar, furnished with velvet armchairs and couch. The Merryall Union Evangelical Association was founded in 1884 as a vehicle to provide

Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

education to children in the area. The present chapel was an outgrowth of that organization, which expanded to offer regular services to local residents, who would otherwise have to make the sometimes difficult journey to the town center for services. Services were typically provided by traveling ministers or ministers from other area churches, and were usually non-denominational. About 1900, care of the building fell to a local sewing club, and services were regularly offered during the summer, bringing in summer residents of the area. A new nonprofit was established in the 1970s to oversee maintenance of the building.

References

{{National Register of Historic Places Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Gothic Revival architecture in Connecticut Churches completed in 1890 Churches in Litchfield County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut New Milford, Connecticut 1890 establishments in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References