Castleton Federated Church

     Master builder Thomas Dake built the Castleton Federated Church in 1833. Its most magnificent feature is the pulpit. History has it that he ran short of funds. When he approached the church committee about more money, he was turned down. Dake paid for the completion of the church and pulpit out of his own pocket.

     A unique feature of the church is the fact that the congregation faces forward, toward the main entrances to the sanctuary. Also, the building was built to hold a cedar shingle roof. Although now fitted with a slate roof, the extra weight of the stone roof causes the roofline walls to bulge slightly.

     The Castleton Federated Church is recorded in the Historic American Buildings Survey which is now a part of the collection at the Library of Congress. The online catalog entry contains several nice photographs of both the exterior of the church and the pulpit.

     Click on any of the images below for a larger view of the photo.