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First Baptist Church, Needham’s second oldest church, has reached the midway point in work to restore its historic steeple. Scaffolding and containment systems have been moved up to the bell level and base of the spire, and Yankee Steeplejack Company, Inc. (YSC) has removed the belfry’s exterior woodwork.
Professional engineers visually inspected the steeple’s structural condition in 2014 to identify signs of distress or deficiencies, and to make a general assessment of its condition. In general, the structural support inside the steeple was in good condition. But the exterior of the steeple was in deteriorated condition: it was not weather-tight and rot existed in the cladding.
The church’s trustees decided to fully rehabilitate the 144-year-old 84-foot steeple in March, 2015. YSC is removing and replacing all exterior woodwork with pre-primed cedar clapboards and mahogany trim from the top of the spire down to the slate roof.
All lookouts—wooden joists that extend in cantilever out from the exterior wall of a building, supporting the roof sheathing and providing a nailing surface for the fascia boards—and trim blocking are being replaced with pressure treated lumber. Fiberglass stealth material is being installed in front of the cellular RF antennas.
Through much of the process, people may not see crews working on the top of the church because many tasks are occurring in Yankee Steeplejack’s shop. Components are being removed, recreated off-site to duplicate the original parts, and then the newly fabricated pieces are being installed at the church.
Now that the belfry has been disassembled down to its structural framing, if you look closely you can see the church’s historic bell, purchased in August 1876, as well as the currently active RF antenna arrays. (Steeplejacks wear electromagnetic safety clothing when working on the tower.)
When warmer weather arrives YSC crews will paint the new steeple exterior, color matching to the existing white hue of the building. Yankee Steeplejack Company will also gold leaf the weathervane and cardinals, and paint the weathervane mast and arms.
Due to budget constraints, the church will not fix the Town Clock that is in the steeple, although it will be cosmetically refurbished to look better. No decision has been made about the church’s bell: the mechanism that rings the bell is broken.
In 1866, First Baptist Church’s pastor, Rev. Dr. Samuel F. Smith—author of “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” motivated the congregation to finish their building. The church surmises that the steeple was erected in 1871; records tell that the sanctuary was dedicated on June 5, 1872. The two decades prior had seen vigorous growth for Great Plain Village. English knitters were starting cottage industries, and a new railroad depot welcomed the first passengers from Boston.
At 123 feet, two inches tall, First Baptist was an integral part of Needham’s newfound prosperity and sat at the corner of Great Plain and Highland avenues until 1928, when teams of horses hoisted the church onto rollers and pulled the building to Warren St. The steeple’s clock was added in 1902, lighted, and designated as the first Town Clock at the March 3, 1902 Annual Town Meeting.
