Andrews Chapel Update

The goal of Andrews Chapel Committee Chairperson Deborah Bogardus is to have the chapel be available as a non-denominational resource for every town resident.

Toward that end, the chapel is poised to take two steps forward.

This July, Phase II of the project begins. The repairs call for removal of an outside bulkhead, repointing some outside stones, fixing the front steps and adding a wheelchair accessible ramp. Funded by the recent Town Meeting, the work is scheduled to be finished by the winter.

Phase I, funded in 2010, fixed the roof and repointed the stone to make the chapel waterproof, and fixed the front doors.

Also the chapel, which is located at Swampscott Cemetery, will be listed on the Registry of Historic Places when the cemetery receives that honor, a process slated to become final later this year, according to Bogardus.

With the Registry designation, Andrews Chapel will become eligible for preservation grants, according to Historical Commission member Louis Gallo.

Originally funded by Mrs. Ellen T. Andrews in memory of her husband Isaac H. Andrews, and completed in 1924, the Chapel had long fallen into disrepair.

Bogardus discovered just how extensive the damage was when she opened up the front door 10 years ago. She had received permission from the town to hold a memorial service there for her sister, and upon entering found “water damage, dried leaves and dead birds.”

She cleaned the area as best she could and held the service there anyway.

The day of the service was a “glorious day.” She left the front door open and “the sunshine poured in.”

She says of the interior, it is “very pretty,” with amber glass, stenciled quotes from the Bible on the walls and oak flooring. Well-made by “grand craftsmen,” the chapel is also “acoustically perfect.”

There were about 80 in attendance on that day. People at the service said to her “I’ve never been inside the chapel before,” and lots of people still don’t even know it’s there, she notes.

 Currently, however, the Andrews Chapel Committee needs money.

A recent grant from the town cultural council will be used to re-stencil the inside letterings and designs.

The next steps would involve putting in new electrical wires, fixing damage to the interior walls, and sanding the floors. Bushes also need to be planted on the outside.

So, there is still a long way to go. But Bogardus remains hopeful, saying, this is a “beautiful building” and potentially a great resource for the town -- anyone who wanted to could hold a memorial service or “even a wedding” there.