Plan your end-of-year donation.
Bring Pride to Clarendon!
Welcoming Jaimi!
We are pleased to announce that we have added a project manager to our team. Her name is Jaimi Cole, and she has already made many positive changes.
MEET OUR PROGECT MANAGER
Jaimi Cole
Stop by: Jaimi is available every Wednesday between 10 AM and 2 PM.
THE NEXT CHAPTER FOR CHAPEL 1871
Building a Community Hub for Clarendon
Looking ahead, we anticipate starting the painting work in early fall to complete both interior and exterior and refinish the back.
Our team has researched the best approach for using the old Chapel and decided that a Museum with intergenerational services, such as a classroom space and a meeting place, will best meet the community’s needs. (Chapel 1871: Momentum Building in North Clarendon — Spring 2026)
The Museum will offer intergenerational meeting opportunities, so the old can tell the young about what happened before them. Teachers will be able to take advantage of the space and classroom to teach ‘Local, State, and National History’. The Museum will feature the Pre-Civil War period and steps that led to the Civil War.
We are planning a variety of programs and events to engage the community. These include seasonal historical exhibits, workshops on local heritage crafts, storytelling sessions with longtime residents, and guided tours focusing on Clarendon’s unique history.
We also aim to host classroom field trips and educational programs for children and adults, as well as guest lectures on topics relevant to North Clarendon. Residents will be invited to participate in community heritage days where they can share their own memories.
As we move forward, we invite residents, teachers, and community leaders to share ideas and suggestions or volunteer in the planning process. We plan to gather community feedback through surveys, town hall meetings, and informal forums, ensuring local voices are actively included; our planning team will review all input and incorporate it into project plans whenever possible, so the Chapel’s revitalization genuinely reflects the interests and needs of North Clarendon Village.
Your feedback is important to us and will help ensure that the project truly reflects the interests and needs of North Clarendon Village.
If you would like to support the Chapel’s restoration, you can donate online through our website, by mailing a check to our office, or in person at any of our community events. For instructions on how to give or to learn about other ways to help, please visit our website or contact us directly. Your generosity is truly appreciated.
We also offer several ways for donors to be more involved and recognized, such as naming opportunities for rooms or features within the Museum, invitations to special events and previews, and acknowledgment in key project materials. If you are interested in participating in these opportunities or learning more about how you can help, please contact us for details.
To ensure the Chapel’s long-term sustainability, we plan to support ongoing maintenance and operating costs through a combination of program revenues, annual fundraising efforts, community partnerships, and additional grants. Every contribution makes a difference and brings us closer to our vision for North Clarendon Village.
References
(April 6, 2026). Chapel 1871: Momentum Building in North Clarendon — Spring 2026. CorpWell Foundation. https://corpwell.org/news-2/
Invest in your community: This week, Givebutter, the fundraising platform we use, is donating $10 for every new monthly supporter of the North Clarendon Chapel renovation and repurposing.
Use the donate button on Clarendon Heritage to see suggested monthly support levels. Support levels include Preservation Friend ($10), Community Steward ($25), and more
Other options:
Make a memorial Gift to restore a window. ($2500)
Buy a brick painted by local School youngster. $100. These will pave the walkway to the museum.
May 1st, 2026.
We are applying for a Cultural Facilities grant from the Vermont Arts Council. Letters from individuals and organizations expressing support for the plan to restore and repurpose the chapel into a community center will help our application. The letters do not have to be long, but please send them to me before the May 15 deadline.
https://www.vermontartscouncil.org/grants/find-a-grant/organizations/cultural-facilities
Hi, spring is right around the corner. It has been a busy first couple of months. I am helping the CorpWell Foundation’s new executive director, Donna Price, develop a fundraising strategy for restoring and repurposing the chapel. We applied for a 1772 Foundation Grant and are working on other grant applications.
One of my first priorities is to read as much as possible about the history of the North Clarendon Chapel. The Historical Society of Clarendon has an abundance of photos and documents on their website that illuminate the town’s history. The church history section includes several entries about the chapel’s history. In 2017, Joan Bixby posted the cover of the 1980 town report to the society’s website, along with a short history of the chapel that appeared in the report. The cover features a drawing of the chapel by Marilyn Verna Candish (copied below). I asked historical society president Bob Underhill if he remembers Marilyn Verna Candish. He does not, but perhaps other people in the Clarendon area do recall her.
I look forward to attending the historical society’s April meeting to meet Bob in person. He has been very helpful these first couple of months in answering questions over email. Bob is going to lend me a copy of the 1913 book History of Baptists of Vermont so I can take a deep dive into the larger history behind the chapel.
Here on my West Haven Farm, I’ve started Rudbeckia and other flowers. I plan to plant some in front of the chapel, adding to the tulips and grape hyacinth Ellen Whooley planted in 2024. If anyone is interested in helping Ellen and me expand the plantings around the chapel, please reach out.
Scott
North Clarendon Important date!
Town Of Clarendon Select Board
- Community repurposing meeting at Grange Hall at 5-5:30PM
- Town Presentation –
- 2025 Report
- Building Assessment – done
- Painting Partially done
- Roof – Finished
- Next Steps
- Bathroom pending
- Furnace, need new oil tank
- Handicap access entrance
- Windows underway – Waiting for individual Donations ($1200/piece)
- Brick pathways – School Projects with artist Anne Francey
- Clarendon citizen to buy bricks ($100-150/each)
3-5 PM
at North Clarendon Chapel
On October 15th, 3 PM-5 PM
On October 15th, starting at 3 PM, a meeting will be held at the North Clarendon Chapel to discuss its future. The meeting will focus on discussing the project among interested parties to prepare for the new Select Board town meeting on October 27th, 2025, at the Grange at 5:30. The aim is to request the town’s support for reopening this chapel to meet the needs of Clarendon residents.
Anyone interested in this project is invited to attend the first meeting to voice the community’s needs for our presentation. We look forward to having a well-attended meeting for the future of the Chapel and the North Clarendon Village. Feel free to use the comment box below to ask any questions or make helpful comments. Please review all our efforts and accomplishments since our first presentation in 2018 at Chapel1871.org or ClarendonHeritage.org.
We look forward to see you.
Nicolette Asselin, Organizer for the Project and Meeting
Future Plans:
- Cleaning
- New Furnace, water heater and well update.
- Window repairs
- Install brick pathways and handicap accessible entrance in the back with new door.
- Scrape and paint old tin ceiling
- Painting building
- Front door with attractive color (Mustard?)
- Finish front landscape to add outdoor benches during summer months.
- Apply for Village Designation and apply for additional grants,
- RFP pending.
Budget (updated daily)
PDF announcement
Important Meeting for the Future of the Village of Clarendon
