Sometime back in the spring, the Greenfield Select Board asked the Friends of the Meetinghouse if we could come up with an activity for the afternoon of July 4 – after the other children’s activities wrapped up at Oak Park -- which could take place at the Meetinghouse while the Pop Farmers were providing live music on the stage out front.

Various ideas were batted around, including an adult spelling bee, following the success of the children’s spelling bee organized by Billie-Jean Greene in May, or an adult geography bee. (I do not mind admitting that these were both my ideas, and that I was informed that these ideas were “terrible!” ) The group finally settled on the idea of a Meetinghouse Scavenger Hunt. We had talked about doing a scavenger hunt in the Meetinghouse for years, and this finally seemed like the perfect time!

In June, Carele Mayer, Lenny Cornwell and I “scavenged” the Meetinghouse from top to bottom, making lists of questions and clues. Few people in town know more about the Meetinghouse than Lenny and Carele, so they were the perfect people to create the Meetinghouse Scavenger Hunt. 

“We want to get people inside the Meetinghouse, and we want people to understand how much work this beautiful old building needs,” Mayer said. “A lot of people in town have never been inside the Meetinghouse. They have no idea there is a church on the second floor, or how big it really is.”

Cornwell noted that most people don’t know much about the history of the building -- how it was turned sideways at one point, how the long stained-glass windows were not added until 1905 and how the first stained glass window, the Rose Window, caused a schism in the church. (The history of the building is well-documented at the Greenfield Historical Society, of which Lenny was president for decades.)

The Meetinghouse Scavenger Hunt led clue-seekers from the basement all the way up to the fourth floor loft and the ladder to the attic (the public is not permitted on the ladder or in the attic and belfry). The hunt had two agendas; as much as the Friends of the Meetinghouse want people to appreciate the beauty and value of our 229-year-old Meetinghouse, we also want people to truly understand how much work it needs!

Our mission was accomplished as soon as visitors began wandering through the building. Guests could be heard remarking “Oh my gosh, what is that awful smell?” as they descended the stairs to our water-damaged basement. Children  squealed “Euuwww, gross!” at the site of moldy ceiling tiles and the stains on the front of the refrigerator, and commented on the bulges and cracks in the walls and the staircase.

Upstairs, many guests were astonished by their first sight of what is now called the Sanctuary, the high-ceilinged  space built to function as the town’s church in the early 1800s. One clue asked how many pianos the building holds, and the answer is an astonishing six. Each level, including the basement and the loft,  has a piano, and the Sanctuary holds two organs.

Heading up to the fourth floor, which is the former choir loft, visitors commented on how “disgusting” the old carpet is, and a few noticed a dead bird in the window well. One guest asked if it was actually safe to walk on the floor in the old minister’s office, which is warped and contains creepy gaps between the walls and the floor.

At the same time, guests were amazed that our Meetinghouse is still used and valued by the Town of Greenfield after 228 years. More than one person was heard to remark “This building is really special.” We had a great turnout, and many people gave donations to help with the Meetinghouse repair and renovation efforts. Thank you to everyone who attended on Thursday!

Columnist and reporter Jesseca Timmons is secretary of the Friends of the Greenfield Community Meetinghouse. To learn more about the Meetinghouse project, go to greenfieldmeetinghouse.org.