St. Charles Borromeo Church in Dover, New Hampshire is coming down, making room for “workforce housing.” The above photograph, which I took this afternoon, shows the demolition in-progress. St. Charles was established in 1893, though the current building dates only to 1933. Historically it served the French-speaking population in Dover.
I’m hearing that the church bell, the pews and stained glass windows were removed and found good uses. Before the church was closed, I wanted to make sure any artifacts of genealogical interest were preserved. The main one I found was this plaque listing members of the parish who fought in the Spanish-American War or WW I. I think this information is worth preserving.
My transcription:
AU SERVICE DE LA PATRIE
GUERRE HISPANO-AMÉRICAINE 1898
*OLIVIER BOUDREAU WILLIE CORMIER
WILLIE BOUDREAU JOSEPH SAVOIE
GUERRE MONDIALE 1917-1918
AIMÉ BARON WILLIAM DRAPEAU GEORGE MARION
GEORGES BARON ALFRED DROUIN ISRAEL MARION
EUGÊNE BERNIER ARTHUR DROUIN LÉON MARION
ALFRED BILODEAU EDOURD DROUIN MAURICE MAURICE
WILLIAM BILODEAU ERNEST DROUIN ALBERT MOREAU
EMERY BISSON *GEORGES DROUIN JEAN-BAPTISTE MOREAU
ALFRED BLAIS FRANK DUFRESNE ALCIDE MORIN
LEO BLAIS HARRY DUFRESNE THÉODORE MORIN
FELIX BLANCHETTE ARMAND DUMAIS ROBERT PARADIS
GILBERT BOUTIN ARMAND DUREAU *FABIEN PARENT
DONAT BROUILLET EDUARD FECTEAU JOSEPH PAUL
DELPHIS BRUNEAU JULES FOURNIER EUGÊNE PICHETTE
DAMASE CHARBONNEAU FRANCOIS GAUDREAU ARTHUR PINCENSE
EDMOND CHAREST JOSEPH GÉLINAS MAXIME POITRAS
AUGUSTE CHASSE ALBERT GIROUX ADOLPHE POTVIN
EDOURD COTÉ EDMOND GIROUX JOSEPH RIEL
JULIEN COTÉ GEORGE GIROUX JOSEPH ROBERGE
LOUIS COTÉ HENRU GOUDREAU ALFRED ROUSSEAU
PIERRE COTÉ GEORGES GUILLEMETTE HARRY ROUSSEAU
ARTHUR DAGENAIS ERNEST HERBERT JEAN ROUSSEAU
EDOUARD DAGENAIS HENRI HOULE JOSEPH ROUSSEAU
GEORGE DAGENAIS JOSEPH JALBERT ERNEST ROYER
WALTER DEMERS ALPHONSE LAGRACE ARMAND ST CYR
EDMOND DESAUTELS JOSEPH LAROCHE WILFRID ST LAURENT
JOSEPH DESJARDINS ARTHUR LEGER JOSEPH ST PIERRE
AGENIOR DION EUGÊNE MARCOTTE GEROGES SÉVIGNY
EUGENE DION JOSEPH-S MARCOTTE OVIDE TAYLOR
ALFRED DION JOSEPH THERRIER
LA SOCIÉTÉ SAINT JEAN-BAPTISTE DE DOVER
Ernest Hebert was my grandfather. He died in 1934, a few weeks after my father was born, due to sustained illness after being hit with mustard gas in WW1.
My father was the organist and choir director of Saint Charles in its latter years. I was also a part of the choir as a teenager, and always appreciated the beauty and architecture of the building (from 1996-1998 I studied interior design and used the rosette window of the church as inspiration for a project.) does anyone know where I may be able to obtain a part of history or artistry of this church?