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Pink Church
By Nila Harris
What is the “pink church,” some of you may ask? The formerly “pink church” is the Falmouth United Methodist Church. When my family came to the county in 1972, we moved to Falmouth. Since we were new to the area, we began to look at different churches to attend. As a youngster, I was enthralled by the “pink church.” I mean, I was a little girl of course! What little girl doesn’t like pink? I remember being told that the reason the church was pink was because a lady had donated the property for the church with the stipulation that the church remain pink. Imagine my dismay when the brick was changed, and the church was no longer pink! Through my research with various people in the community, including long-time church member Darryl Ammerman and current minister Rev. Brian Wilson, I have heard no mention of this “tale” and now believe that it was one of the many stories that my dad told me and forgot to come clean that the story was fabricated.
According to Ammerman, the “pink” was more of a sealant rather than a color, and the Falmouth United Methodist Church had been many different colors in its lifetime. During the time period of the construction (the 1850s), many brick buildings were made of a very porous brick. Because of this, the brick would have to be sealed repeatedly to protect the establishment. Over time, with several layers of sealants, the brick was getting more difficult to paint. For this reason, the decision was made in the early 1990’s to remove the “pink” sealant/paint off the brick and restore the brick to its original form. A chemical was used for this process, and large sheets of plastic encased the church from roof to sidewalk. The church was restored to what it looks like today.
The Falmouth United Methodist Church has other interesting tidbits of history. The money for the building of the original church came from hogs! Augustus Robbins had come to Falmouth from Canada. According to the church history, “Mr. Robbins was advised to put all the money he had, and all he could borrow, on hogs, which were then selling for $1.25 per hundred. Mr. Robbins acted upon this advice, bought all the hogs he could get and transported them down the river and sold them on the market for $3.50 per hundred, thus making a clear profit of $20,000.” The article goes on to say that Mr. Robbins donated money for the building of the church, so that the congregation would have a church building free of debt. The sign above the church, “Mary’s Chapel,” was in honor of his devoted Christian wife, the former Mary Frazer.
The original church was a one-story dwelling, but over the years, a second entrance was built, and an addition was constructed at the rear of the church; then a second story and finally a basement were added in the 1950’s. Rev. Wilson jokingly commented, “They did it backwards!”
You may check out the former “pink church” on Sundays at 10:45 for in-person worship or for the live message at 11:00. Reverend Brian Wilson is the current minister. I’m sure that he and the congregation would love to have you!