F. Code; James and Marra sublet the mason work, T. L. Raynor, the slating; B. F. Farrar, the plastering; P. A. Butler of Boston, the frescoing; Otto Faich & Co. of Boston, made the windows, the Hartford carpet company, the carpet; the Archer Pancoast Company of New York, the gas fixtures; and Robert Bahl of this city did the cabinet work."
For about fifty years the tower of Christ Church has been frequently referred to by individuals or by the press. Dr. Slattery speaks of it in the chapter on Henry Vaughan in his "Certain American Faces." In 1876 the tower was erected and with its clock faces—suggested by Dr. Burgess—promised to be a distinctive feature of an imposing structure. But the foundation proved to be of a crumbling nature; s9 being insecure, the tower was taken down and for years the standing foundation made a discouraging picture. We remember "the surroundings of our new church," wrote Mr. Brooks (1888) "the broken fence, the unroofed tower, with its boarded up doors and windows- and looking out upon a rude heap of stones once our stately tower, which now Nature was making haste to take back to herself in pity." And he added, "With what joy we hailed the manna, when the Young Peoples' Society filled up our tower entrance and gave us new strength for our journey." Some of the stone left from the tower was used in the construction of the present rectory. There is, in King's Handbook of Springfield, a picture of Christ Church which shows a path leading to the large double doors on the side of the tower facing State Street, with people entering the church there. In fact, however, these doors are guarded by a low iron fence and are opened only for light and air. Entrance is made through the two large doors facing the west.
In the spring of 1927 the Vestry met to discuss re-building the tower. They voted to begin work at once. A description of this new tower is to be found elsewhere in this book.
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