Medford Historical Society Papers, Volume 24.

[p. 6] through the munificence of Mrs. Ellen Shepherd Brooks its beautiful stone church with ‘ivy mantled tower.’ In ‘72 the First Methodist and the First Baptist, and in ‘73 Trinity Methodist and the Congregational (both the latter at West Medford and new organizations) erected new houses of worship—a remarkable record for two successive years. All these were of wood; all had the features of a corner tower and belfry, with spires varying from forty-eight to one hundred and forty feet in height. In three the town placed public clocks, at the expense of about six hundred dollars each.

In 1876, the two Congregational churches near Medford square united, and enlarged and remodeled the building on Salem street, erecting a corner tower, belfry and spire. To it was removed the first clock bought by the town (in ‘70), with its associated and former political bell, where they still remain in service. Previously, both had been in the tower of the High street edifice, erected in 1860, replacing the ‘Second Congregational Meetinghouse, 1824,’ burned in 1860. Sold to the Roman Catholics, little change was made in exterior, only the closing of the louvers of the belfry and the substitution of a gilded cross for the weather-vane on the spire. It was told that a bit of pleasant repartee occurred between the Mystic Church pastor and the parish priest on one occasion. The former, in passing, accosted the latter, who in his robes was overlooking the work, with ‘Ah! what are you doing now?’ and got the reply, ‘Sure, we are taking down the emblem of Protestantism and putting in its place that of Christianity.’ We never heard that there was any extended argument over the matter, and venture the opinion, that however convenient it may be to know the way the wind blows, a church spire is an inappropriate place for an ever shifting wind vane. Yet two such remain today. Four have been removed by destructive fire and in rebuilding have not been replaced. One of these was at the time of its placing styled ‘the golden gate,’ because of its resemblance in shape to the old-style farm gate, made by balancing a tree upon a