Vergennes Historic Walking Tour 2024 - Manual / Resource - Page 20
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ST. PETER’S CATHOLIC CHURCH
85 South Maple Street
Beginning in 1822, priests came from Middlebury
to offer Mass in members' homes. The church
was organized in 1834 as Holy Family Catholic
Church and built a wooden church building in
1854. Twenty years later, the "monumentally
scaled" brick structure was erected using bricks
made at a brickyard in Ferrisburgh. It was
designed by Joseph Falardo, a partner in the
sash manufacturer Hayes, Falardo and Parker in
the High Victorian Gothic style. The spire was
added in 1886. The bells were cast by a Troy,
New York company and many people in the city
contributed toward their cost even though they
were not members of the church. Donors got a
chance to ring the bells at the dedication
ceremony. The cross was supplied by an
ironworker from Shelburne, Vermont.
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VERGENNES CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
30 South Water Street
The oldest organized religious group in the city
are the Congregationalists. Five men and four
women established a church group in 1793. For
years, it was the only organized church in
Vergennes. Members had tried to obtain a site
for a church building on Main Street, but ended
up with two acres on South Water Street. In
1834, members raised the $6,080 for the land
and building by buying the boxed pews where
they would sit. The structure was in the meeting
house style with a central door and steeple and
stained and leaded glass. In 1888, the
congregation renovated the building to its
current configuration with a tower and
entrance on one corner. Adjacent to the church
is the 1835 Greek Revival parsonage.
