PLEASE
HELP
SAVE
OUR
CHURCH

Today, the Bristol Hills Historical Society’s 1846 Bristol Center Church looks almost as it did at the end of the Civil War, when the congregation replaced eight clear windows with memorial stained-glass windows that the respected preservation experts at Bero Architecture called “extremely valuable and irreplaceable.” That assessment was part of an evaluation of the church’s condition that is serving as a roadmap for the work needed to preserve this Bristol Valley landmark.

Since the Historical Society was deeded this building 50 years ago, we have paid for its upkeep and maintenance using private donations (some of them in the five figures), member dues, and in recent years an annual appropriation from the Town of Bristol. But the windows and other critical needs clearly required a more intensive fund-raising effort.

In 2024, 2025, and 2026, the Historical Society used the money it had saved over the years for the church’s preservation, and mounted a new $75,000 fund-raising campaign, to address the windows’ perilous state of disrepair and to begin to make structural repairs to the building itself. The south foundation wall was reinforced. A new metal roof was installed. And, most noticeably, the windows were lovingly and expertly repaired. All told, these repairs cost well in excess of $100,000.

As of August 2026, the $75,000 goal was exceeded, thanks to many generous donors, including an anonymous foundation grant of $60,000.

The next steps will determine the ultimate fate of the church, a Bristol Valley landmark that is on the National Register of Historic Places (read more about its history here).

First, we intend to finish exterior structural repairs to ensure the building’s survival. Depending on the success of the next phase of fund-raising, further steps would reopen the church to limited numbers of public events — or even convert the church to a hub for community gatherings. Beyond costs, many logistical hurdles must be worked through, which the Historical Society board is actively thinking through as part of its church-preservation strategy.

We welcome community input during this strategizing and fund-raising process. Most of all, we renew our pleas for financial support, as even the most limited version of this project going forward will require tens of thousands of dollars more.

Please join our society as a paid member and renew your paid membership when you receive the email notice on the anniversary date of your last payment. Though annual dues are quite modest, starting at $15, we depend on this base of community support to sustain our work, including the many popular and free programs we produce every year. Click here to join or renew your membership.

Next, please consider making a tax-deductible donation either by credit card or via check. All of the information is at this link.

Questions or suggestions? Email us at bristolhillshistory@gmail.com and attend our monthly board meetings. Those meetings are held on the third Monday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at our South Bristol Grange Hall (another costly preservation project on our plate, by the way!). But email us to confirm the next meeting if you do plan to attend.

Thank you for caring about this historic landmark in our midst.