Brownhelm Congregational church – Then & Now

Recently this great vintage shot of the Brownhelm Congregational Church (now known as the Brownhelm United Church of Christ) on North Ridge Road showed up on eBay. It's kind of a spooky shot, with that murky background. The eBay listing says (without evidence) that it is circa 1910.

Today, it was impossible for me to duplicate the angle from which the original photo was taken due to a large tree directly in front of the church. Here's the best I can do, along with another shot from a week or two earlier.

The difference in the steeple (or more precisely, the spire) is interesting. 

Brownhelm United Church of Christ is such a beautiful, charming church with an active congregation. It's yet another reason, along with the visits each Christmas Eve by a real live Santa Claus, to make someone want to move to Brownhelm. (By the way, the Community Christmas tradition was started by The Rev. Ralph Albright, pastor of the Brownhelm Congregational church in 1932.)

Anyway, the church has had innumerable mentions in the Lorain Journal over the years, since it was pretty much the center of the community. Besides the expected church functions, a variety of events were held there, including its well-known chicken dinners, club meetings, square dances, etc.

Here are some clippings dating back to 1930. That was the year that the church celebrated its 111th anniversary, which dates it back to 1819.

Oct. 31, 1930

Nov. 20, 1930

Nov. 24, 1930

Dec. 28, 1957

Aug. 22, 1959

This 1969 article (which I posted back here) provides a short history of the church.

June 13, 1969

Jan. 22, 1977

Jan. 24, 1977

Dec. 19, 1978

Sept. 19, 1985

On the church’s 200th anniversary in 2019, an article by Jordana Joy appeared in the Morning Journal. It noted, “After a group of people from Stockbridge, Mass., arrived on the shores of Lake Erie on July 4, 1817, and began holding weekly religious services, what now is known as the Brownhelm United Church of Christ, was organized on June 10, 1819, as a congregational church.

"The first church building was located near the Brownhelm stone quarry on Claus Road and was made of peeled logs with a shingle roof.

"Men and women were seated on separate sides of the church during service while a man of the church stood with a bucket of water or shovel of soot in case a fire needed to be extinguished.

"A new church for the congregation was built in 1832 on Grandison Fairchild’s peach orchard on North Ridge Road, but was poorly constructed and was nicknamed “the church with the broken back” after its roof began to sag.

"The church was reconstructed on the same site in 1850 and still stands to this day.

"The building was raised and a basement was added.

"The church then was lowered again after the building’s spire was struck by lightning.

"The sanctuary was remodeled, a balcony was built and the chancel was rebuilt in 1950.

"An addition was added to the lower bank of the church building in 1977, which added a kitchen, restroom, meeting room and library."