In 1903, the Day family, including Lewis and Anna Day and their son, well known photographer and art publisher Fred Holland Day, oversaw the construction of the Chapel of St Gabriel the Archangel. The chapel was donated to the Town for the use of all town residents for funeral services free of charge, regardless of their religious belief.
The beautiful Neo-Gothic chapel, considered to be a seminal building for its genre and time by architectural historians, was built as a tribute to both of their parents.
Designed by architects Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson (now Cram and Ferguson Architects), the exterior features Weymouth seam-faced granite with Indiana Limestone trim. The interior consists of granite, limestone, and white marble.
The Chapel is located at Highland Cemetery and was consecrated on May 30, 1903. The tombs of Lewis Day and Anna Smith Day are located inside the chapel, to the left of the altar behind an iron grille.
An extensive restoration of the Chapel by Gienapp Architects of Danvers, Massachusetts was completed in May of 2019. This work included both interior and exterior masonry work, as well as restoration of the original stained-glass windows and the copper lantern on the chapel turret.
The inscription reads: This Chapel Dedicated in the name of Saint Gabriel the Archangel is erected to the Glory of God and in loving memory of Joseph and Hannah Rhodes-Day and Lyman and Melinda Guild-Smith by Lewis and Anna Smith-Day AD MDCCCCIII
Click here to browse our entire ‘Did You Know” Series
