The Church Farm
Built in the 1700s from birch and pine, Church Farm in Belmont was occupied by members of the Church family up into the 1970s. While it’s not known who built the house, there were several members of the Rhode Island Church family, including father Edward (married to Grace Shaw) and two of their sons, Edward and William, who were granted land in Newport in the 1760s. Several of his daughters married Newport grantees. As the elder Edward died in 1761, presumably one of his children built the house at Church Farm.
Younger Edward’s grandson, ship’s carpenter John Campbell, was listed as a Newport farmer in the 1871 census. His eighth child, George Ezra (1843-1926) and his wife are both buried in the Belmont cemetery. Their 11th child, Edwin Dexter (1887-1980, married Arabella Wallace) was the last Church family member to live in the house.
In November 1972, James and Jane McGregor, immigrants from Scotland, purchased the property. James, having grown up on a croft (small agricultural unit) in Helmsdale and studied Agriculture in University, had an immediate attraction to the farm. One of the conditions of the purchase was that the last Church family member of the house, Dexter Church, could live in the house for the rest of his life. For the next few summers the McGregors along with their son lived in a camper on the property and began repairs.
After Dexter Church moved out of the house, the McGregors began work. The chimney was rebuilt from the middle of the house up. There are four fireplaces in the house, each with its own flue. The side entrance section was completely rebuilt. The living room floor was replaced in sections where it had rotted through. All new wooden windows were installed. The roof was re-shingled with cedar. Basic electricity and plumbing were installed. Using steam and chemicals, Jane removed many layers of wallpaper until she reached the original ochre paint, made from local red and grey clay. Eighteen layers of floor covering were removed to reach the original floor planking. In her book "North Along The Shore", Author Edith Mosher documents, ”The sills of The Old Church House are all of imported red pine brought to Halifax on schooners. The floors are of wide pine boards." Found during the restoration was Captain Dexter’s logbook of the barq, Emma Payzant, which chronicled a journey in 1874 to 1875 from Dublin to Mobile, Alabama. Later generations had used it as a scrapbook, a typical fate for one of these logs. The MacGregors provided for the restoration of the logbook and donated it to the museum. They also donated the King Bird log book, also repurposed as a scrapbook. The inside cover of the logbook is inscribed with, "Sarah Dexter, Philadelphia 1866”, and the first page indicates the log included a journey from Liverpool to Boston in 1864. Sarah Dexter was the wife of Captain Daniel Dexter, who, along with their two daughters, accompanied her husband on his voyages. Presumably there was a family connection between the Churches and Dexters.
In 2019, the McGregor's son, Robert McGregor, inherited the property. He plans to continue his parents efforts of preserving the house and its history. In 2021 he had the south-facing basement stone wall foundation completely rebuilt as It had collapsed due to tree roots.
Younger Edward’s grandson, ship’s carpenter John Campbell, was listed as a Newport farmer in the 1871 census. His eighth child, George Ezra (1843-1926) and his wife are both buried in the Belmont cemetery. Their 11th child, Edwin Dexter (1887-1980, married Arabella Wallace) was the last Church family member to live in the house.
In November 1972, James and Jane McGregor, immigrants from Scotland, purchased the property. James, having grown up on a croft (small agricultural unit) in Helmsdale and studied Agriculture in University, had an immediate attraction to the farm. One of the conditions of the purchase was that the last Church family member of the house, Dexter Church, could live in the house for the rest of his life. For the next few summers the McGregors along with their son lived in a camper on the property and began repairs.
After Dexter Church moved out of the house, the McGregors began work. The chimney was rebuilt from the middle of the house up. There are four fireplaces in the house, each with its own flue. The side entrance section was completely rebuilt. The living room floor was replaced in sections where it had rotted through. All new wooden windows were installed. The roof was re-shingled with cedar. Basic electricity and plumbing were installed. Using steam and chemicals, Jane removed many layers of wallpaper until she reached the original ochre paint, made from local red and grey clay. Eighteen layers of floor covering were removed to reach the original floor planking. In her book "North Along The Shore", Author Edith Mosher documents, ”The sills of The Old Church House are all of imported red pine brought to Halifax on schooners. The floors are of wide pine boards." Found during the restoration was Captain Dexter’s logbook of the barq, Emma Payzant, which chronicled a journey in 1874 to 1875 from Dublin to Mobile, Alabama. Later generations had used it as a scrapbook, a typical fate for one of these logs. The MacGregors provided for the restoration of the logbook and donated it to the museum. They also donated the King Bird log book, also repurposed as a scrapbook. The inside cover of the logbook is inscribed with, "Sarah Dexter, Philadelphia 1866”, and the first page indicates the log included a journey from Liverpool to Boston in 1864. Sarah Dexter was the wife of Captain Daniel Dexter, who, along with their two daughters, accompanied her husband on his voyages. Presumably there was a family connection between the Churches and Dexters.
In 2019, the McGregor's son, Robert McGregor, inherited the property. He plans to continue his parents efforts of preserving the house and its history. In 2021 he had the south-facing basement stone wall foundation completely rebuilt as It had collapsed due to tree roots.
