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The chapel, located in the center of town, is named after the Rev. Preserved Smith, the town’s first minister, who converted to Unitarianism in 1821. The building was completed for Rowe’s Unitarian congregation in 1907. Much of the stone and wood used for the 65 x 25-foot structure was acquired locally.
The Unitarian Rowe Camp was founded in 1924 and began using the chapel in the summer. At the same time, the chapel’s year-round congregation had begun to dwindle. In 1932, the congregation deeded the chapel to the camp and the camp continued to hold weekly services for the remaining congregation for the next fourteen years. In 1946 the congregation formally disbanded, although the camp continued.
Many campers have fond memories of the chapel. “The Rowe chapel has been my sacred space since I first entered it,” wrote the Rev. Kerry Mueller, co-minister of the UU Fellowship of Fayetteville, Arkansas, about her experience as a young camper. “My call to ministry began here. Thirty-five years later, I still carry the chapel around with me.”
Related Resources
- Rowe Camp and Conference Center. Unitarian Universalist center in Rowe, Massachusetts. (rowecenter.org)