History of the Wainscott Chapel

Bridgehampton School House

The Bridgehampton Fire Department had been hoping to buy the building for use as a fire house. They left the auction disappointed, eventually hiring architect C. H. Aldrich to draw up plans for a new firehouse on Corwith Avenue. The schoolhouse stood on the west side of Ocean Road, behind today’s Almond restaurant, near the Bridgehampton village center. The proceeds from the sale of the old schoolhouse and the lot it stood on were used to purchase furnishings for Bridgehampton’s new school.

With the auction over, the real work began: figuring out how to get the chapel to Wainscott, and what contractors to hire for the finishing work. On a cold December evening, the Trustees of the Wainscott Village Improvement Society gathered at the home of President David E. Talmage on Main Street, Wainscott to discuss how to move the building. After considerable debate, it was decided to wait until the weather was better. The new owner of the Bridgehampton lot the chapel stood on, Edward F. Cook of Brooklyn, would agree to wait until spring. Jacob Hopping, a well-known house mover and Wainscott resident, was hired to move the structure. Thomas M. Osborn was hired to supervise and ready the foundation to receive the new building. Twenty-seven years of age in 1907, Thomas had graduated the previous spring from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania with a civil engineering degree. Thomas was the eighth generation Osborn to be raised in the family salt box-style home across the street from the chapel. Both Thomas and his uncle, Oliver Osborn, were members of the small whaling crew that caught the last whale offshore in Wainscott earlier that year. Foundation preparations began in December as loads of gravel were carted to the site.

Wainscott Community Center

In January 1908, a fundraiser to raise money for furnishings for the chapel, was held at the Main Street, Wainscott home of Frank J. and Bernice (Hopping) Hedges. People came from neighboring villages to attend a night of singing, speaker presentations, and a cake and ice cream sale. A good time was reportedly had by all. On Valentine’s Day, a “public box auction” was held at the old home of Oliver and Ruth (Hedges) Osborn. Proceeds went toward a piano for the chapel. At the end of March, the chapel began its journey from Bridgehampton to Wainscott. A direct route of using the “main road to East Hampton”, now known as Route 27 East, was determined to be a better bet than the back roads. But the chapel hadn’t moved far when it came to a standstill. The chapel was heavier than mover Jacob Hopping expected, and it would take the better part of a week for additional horses to pull it the rest of the way. On April 10th, the chapel was nearing Wainscott, moving past Nathan Hedges’ farm. Out of town at the time, Oliver Osborn wrote to his wife Ruth, “Glad to know the chapel is moved at last. I think you did all right to let them go across our potatoes, and perhaps the damage will not be so much.” The chapel finally arrived at its destination on April 25th. The Wainscott Improvement Society trustees met at President Talmage’s home to finalize plans to complete the foundation, make necessary repairs, and prepare the chapel for use. In July, two East Hampton contractors were hired to complete the chapel’s finishing touches. Asa O. Jones was contracted for the carpentry work, and Stephen Lynch was contracted for the masonry. In August, with all the summer cottages full, the annual village fair was held for the first time at the new Wainscott chapel. In March 1909, George and Fannie (Mulford) Strong of Wainscott donated a bell for the chapel belfry. On hearing the sounds of the bell, Henry L. Osborn, a 74-year-old area farmer, was moved to write a poem titled “Sweet Chapel Bell.” In one stanza from the poem, he wrote:

Silvers chime from chapel tower
Reminder of the quiet hour
When Christians meet to praise and pray
And thus to close God's Holy day

His poem “Sweet Chapel Bell” appeared on the front page of the Sag Harbor Express that year. The chapel served as a new home for the community prayer meetings and Sunday school, previously held in the Wainscott school house. The chapel bell was rung to signify the start of afternoon Sunday school and Sunday evening prayer meetings. Meetings were led by a layperson, a neighbor in the community. At the turn of the century, Sunday was a day of worship and rest. Many Wainscott residents would attend church services in a neighboring community, usually followed by a large Sunday dinner served midday, followed by a quiet afternoon. Folks from that generation recall Scovy duck Sunday dinners after church with all the trimmings, vegetables, jelly, and pickles, followed by homemade pie. After a quiet afternoon, it was on to the chapel for Sunday school for the youth and evening prayer meetings for the adults.

Today

Over one hundred years later, the Wainscott Chapel continues to serve as a gathering spot for the community. The chapel is host to the Wainscott Sewing Society, a local organization founded in 1869. As part of a longstanding tradition, The Sewing Society hosts the children and staff from the Wainscott School for lunch at the chapel once each year. During the prohibition era, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (W.C.T.U.) meetings were held at the chapel. In addition, the chapel has hosted many weddings and funerals. Until recently, it also served as a polling place where the citizens of Wainscott gathered every November to place their votes. The Wainscott Citizen’s Advisory Committee meets in the chapel monthly, as do other community fellowship organizations.

In 1953, the Wainscott Village Improvement Society disbanded and gave title of the chapel to the Wainscott Sewing Society. The chapel is a privately owned building; it does not receive any taxpayer support. The chapel’s upkeep relies solely upon building usage fees, private donations, and the fundraising efforts of the Wainscott Sewing Society.

The Chapel at Wainscott c. 1908-1912