In 1880, Aldrich sold his property to William A. Walton for $1000 who then
renamed it the Walton Woolen Mill. Walton was from England and was trained to
be an expert weaver. It was his dream to own a mill. and create a model mill village.
One of the first acts of the new owner
was to construct sidewalks along the road and line it with 200 maple trees (some
of the remnants of those trees can be found beside route 91 in the village).
More mill tenements were built. At the general store, mill families were
allowed to buy groceries and merchandise at cost. Each household was supplied
with an acre of land for a garden. Walton used his influence to get a post
office for the residents, and thereafter the village was known by his shortened
name, Alton.
The history of the mill and the church intertwine.
In 1865, before Aldrich sold the mill property, he deeded a lot on which to
erect a place for worship. A group of subscribers, who had pledged funds, met
and appointed a committee. They were to collect the subscriptions, select the
style and builder. There were some eighty-eight people subscribed to the list
circulated for the purpose of erecting a place of worship and holding of Sunday
school. They incorporated under the name “Wood River Chapel Society.” The wooden
structure was built in the Carpenter Gothic style (1) and the total cost was
$1,205.60. The Chapel was completed in August 1878.
In the late 1800's, services were
conducted by itinerant preachers from an assortment of denominations including Baptist,
Congregational, Episcopal and Seventh Day Baptist. One noteworthy preacher, the
Rev. Daniel Davis, was an Alton resident. He was born into slavery in
Baltimore, MD, but escaped. He came north and in 1865 attended a school for
freemen that had been established by Carolina Mills (2). He went on to seminary
and was ordained in the A.M.E. Zion Church. He married a woman from Alton
named Almira Bundy. She was the daughter
of the Rev. William and Esther Browning Bundy and their family owned property
in the village. Daniel and Almira are
buried in a family plot not far from the church.
For many years, the Wood River
Chapel was the social and cultural center for Alton. Sometime, in the early
1900’s, the name was changed to the Alton Chapel. Not only was it a church, it
was also the center of life for the village. The greater part of its funds came
from socials, fairs, festivals, and suppers that were held in the building. It
received additional rent from clubs, singing schools, and lodges. It hosted a
variety of readings, lectures, concerts; and shows by local talent and
traveling troupes. The emphasis was usually on music, however the hall could be
used for anything not judged to be immoral. The chapel society always operated
on a shoestring. It depended on these social affairs to put shingles on the
roof, wood in the stove, or to buy a new piano. What really eased the budget
was a new form of entertainment called moving pictures. These were first shown
in November 1912. An evening’s profit ran from $3 to $10.
In 1912, an annex was built on the rear
of the church for use as a kitchen and gathering room. During the years of
World War I, things were quiet at the Chapel. The Red Cross met there as did
the Weavers Union, the Triple Whist Club (a card-playing group), and the
Richmond Lace and Social Club. Sunday school continued, but preaching services were
held spasmodically. Across the US, there was waning religious interest. This is
documented in some church records from 1929 indicating that the preacher was
paid $46, while the janitor earned $65 (one of the janitor’s duties was to ring
the church bell daily at 6:30 p.m.). After the years of World War II, the chapel
on Church Street in the village of Alton stood almost unused.
In 1948, under the leadership of Bishop
Bennett of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island, Canon Anthony Parshley,
priest and Archdeacon of the Diocese, and Deaconess E. Suzanne McNulty,
surveyed the community to see if it would be feasible to start an Episcopal congregation
in the Alton chapel. Most Episcopalians in the Alton area attended services at
Christ Church in Westerly. As a result of the survey, Alton Chapel Society granted
the property to the Diocese. The new congregation was named St. Thomas, and it
was started as a “mission church,” since it was partly supported by the
Diocese. Holy Communion was offered once a month, with Morning Prayer services
on the other Sundays. The first priest-in-charge was the Reverend Arthur
Leaker, who also served two other mission churches at the time- St.
Elizabeth’s, Canonchet, and Church of the Holy Spirit, Shannock (note-in 1951,
that building was moved from Shannock to Charlestown). Morning Prayer was
usually led by a layperson, Mr. Calbraith Perry, who traveled each week from
Bristol.
Annual reports from 1949 to 1971
show a congregation ranging in size from 23 to 64 communicants. During the
1960’s and 70’s, the church membership grew in numbers. A committee of parish
officers was established. An altar guild and chapter of the Episcopal Church
Women were formed and there was a large Sunday school for children. In 1953, an
organ from a church in Warwick was installed to replace the piano that had been
in the Alton Chapel. In 1967, pews were donated from St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church
in Jamestown.
In 1986, ground was broken for another
addition which was completed in 1994. Other major building projects were
undertaken in the late 80’s and early 90’s, including the installation of vinyl
siding.
In
January 2017, the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island changed the status for St.
Thomas from a mission congregation to a parish. It is a small parish,
with a part-time priest, but it is financially self-sufficient and is home to
important ministries. St. Thomas’ has been served by many dedicated priests
during its history as an Episcopal church. A plaque listing each priest and their
years of service hangs in the parish hall. The current priest, the Rev. Bettine
Besier, has been there since January 1997 and works on a part-time basis. The
current active membership is 34 families. Outreach to the local community has
always been important to St. Thomas’ congregation. This is based, in part, on
the church’s origins as a local community center in Alton. The parish collects
food for RICAN in Charlestown and prepares monthly meals for the WARM Center in
Westerly. It supports veterans in the
congregation and beyond. It is a meeting place for scout groups and other
community organizations and it is home to Tuesday Tutoring-an after school
program for local students.
Worship services are held every Sunday at
9 am. Since the pandemic, the congregation has expanded its online presence and
live steams the services. Throughout the
decades, St. Thomas’ has learned to adapt to the challenges of the times and is
always looking for new ways to reach out to the Alton community.
ST THOMAS CHURCH, ALTON 1906
(2) Kelly Sullivan, “Local historic burial ground holds generations of stories.” Chariho Times, Feb. 9, 2019. https://www.ricentral.com/chariho_times/news/local_news/local-historic-burial-ground-holds-generations-of-stories/article_d5512b0e-2ae9-11e9-b398-5b66a862f4fa.html
