In Memoriam
Susan Yates (1952-2024) was the founding president and inspiring leader for the WMPF. She was admired because she was smart, devoted, hard-working, and brave. Our lives and community are diminished without her. Please read more in her obituary.
Preserve the Williamstown Meetinghouse
From the heart of Williamstown rises a steeple that’s visible from vantage points across the surrounding valley. The First Congregational Church building, with its bright clapboard contrasting against the Berkshire hills, is distinctly part of the New England landscape and resides in the memory of anyone who’s spent time in town.
The WMPF Mission
Spiritually and historically important to Williamstown, First Church continues to play the essential role of meetinghouse for the broader community, as it has for generations in several different locations before finding its home at the top of Spring Street. For most who know and love Williamstown, it’s nearly impossible to imagine the town without the iconic church building at its center.
In order to ensure the building remains at the center of town for generations to come, church and community members have established the Williamstown Meetinghouse Preservation Fund (WMPF). This nonprofit organization, which operates independently from First Church, has a simple mission: to preserve and update the historic structure in order to enable community uses for years to come.
Image: Williamstown Chamber of Commerce
Preservation Work
Vital preservation work was identified in a 2019 engineering study. It includes restoring the steeple, repairing the slate roof, and improving building accessibility. Recommendations also include the renovation of several interior spaces to make them even more useful assets to the many community members and organizations that utilize them.
Image: Clockworks in the steeple of the Meetinghouse
