First Church of Deerfield (Unitarian)

70 Old Main Street, Deerfield, MA

1913 | Alterations - Church | Building extant; status of Minerva’s renovations undetermined

“Many years later she had stars painted on the ceiling of the Unitarian Church, which she redecorated in Deerfield, Massachusetts.” (“Minerva Invicta,” from the Nichols-Baker family papers)

“The contract for renovating and decorating the interior of the Brick meeting house of the First Congregational parish, Unitarian, has been awarded to J.B. Chevalier & Sons of Greenfield, who will begin the work immediately. The much needed and long desired renovation of this fine old colonial meeting house has been made possible by a generous gift from a friend, whose name is not disclosed. The work is to be done under the supervision of a committee appointed at a recent meeting of the parish composed of Mrs. William I. Nichols, Mrs. Fannie Fleming, Mrs. G. Spencer Fuller, William R. Cole, and Henry C. Wells. All the architectural features of the building will be carefully preserved, and the endeavor will be to make the color of the interior essentially what it must have been originally….The old bronze chandelier, formerly lighted with candles, but which long ago gave place to a chandelier with kerosene lamps, will be electrified with imitation candles, and restored to its original position in the centre [sic] of the meeting house.

In connection with this restoration and beautifying of the meeting house, attempt is being made to secure the means for installing a hot air furnace in the cellar to take the place of the stoves in the rear of the meeting house, which besides being dangerous and inadequate for heating, will be especially objectionable after the decoration in light colors, because of the smoke and dust which they emit….” (The Greenfield Daily Recorder, September 10, 1913)

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In March 1913, Minerva’s husband William returned to the pulpit after a two-decade hiatus, accepting a position at a church in Deerfield, Massachusetts. It did not take long for Minerva to work the move into her own career, overseeing alterations to the church’s historic building, originally constructed in 1824. Appointed chairwoman of the committee coordinating the project, she stewarded a scope of work that included the installation of a hot-air furnace and the electrification of the historic chandelier, as well as more cosmetic restoration projects such as interior painting and refinishing the pulpit and other woodwork.

Once finished in October 1913, one local newspaper wrote that, “the meeting house as renovated and restored is one of the most beautiful of New England’s rural meeting [houses] and in some of its features is unique.” On November 28, 1913, the congregation celebrated the rededication of the meetinghouse and the installation of William as minister—an occasion in both of the Nichols’ careers.