I was talking to Shirley Young today about the history of our church. She was remembering her wedding there years ago–she didn’t tell me how many. In those days, she told me, the square pew areas in the back corners each hosted a pot bellied stove. The stove chimney pipes were suspended from the ceiling all the way to the front where the chimneys were located. This design seems rather unaesthetic to us today but it was a very practical design in those days as it extracted more heat from the chimney pipes to warm the room.
Shirley also recalled that at her wedding one friend wore a beautiful taffeta dress but sat too close to one of the stoves. The dress got too hot in one spot and she had a little hole melted in the fabric to remember her trip to Shirley’s wedding.