The image at the right is copyrighted and used here with permission of RobertStrongWoodward.com. Titled "Heart of New England," the original work is an oil on canvas painted in 1939 by landscape artist Robert Strong Woodward (1885-1957). This work is a view of Upper Street looking north towards the common and our Mary Lyon Church with Cross Street turning off to the right. It shows the old horse sheds that once stood on the northeast side of the church, as well as the Old Cemetery, the first burial ground in town. The Buckland Public Hall building (formerly the hall of Grange No. 87) shows at the rear of the church. Mr. Woodward lived just south of the church on Upper Street. His art studio and his works continue to be important and popular today thanks to the late Dr. Mark Purinton who was a beloved member of our church and a longtime family physician here in our Buckland neighborhood.
Rev. J. Paul Sampley
March 5, 1935 - September 25, 2021
Full Obiturary available online Copyright © 2021 Greenfield Recorder 10/9/2021
There's lots to do and see in our neighborhood and the surrounding area. Here is a list of community websites you may find helpful:
Buckland Union Cemetery Association
Franklin County Chamber of Commerce
Worshipping Together While We Are Apart – Churches In West County and beyond...
During the COVID pandemic, our West County churches experienced a loss. We were not able to come together for our annual Lenten Ecumenical Service. In some ways we “lost touch” with each other when we started to earnestly hunker down in, or actually out, of our local churches. But the truth is that of course, while our church buildings were closed since the end of Lent, we were all continuing to gather spiritually. In the time of Covid-19, when we were called to stay at home, maybe we use this time to connect ecumenically (experiencing the universal Church not just our own congregations.) While some of us had more time to travel on the world wide web, or to reach out on the telephone or use the postal service to connect, we use this time to visit each other, lending our spiritual support, and alleviating our isolation. If you would like to join with other churches, either virtually or in any other physically distant way – here is some basic information about some of our neighboring western Franklin County churches.
Mary Lyon Church is a member of the Franklin Association of the UCC. Below is a listing of other churches in the Association as well as communities of faith within the geographical area. Pray for the Church, pray for the people, and pray for the planet. ~ with grateful thanks to Rev. Marguerite Sheehan, former Pastor of Trinity Church, Shelburne Falls, MA for inspiring this message. Photo map of Franklin County is available online from Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG)
[all website links are valid as of November 1, 2024]
Trinity Church, Shelburne Falls, MA
Shelburne Congregational Church, Shelburne, MA
Federated Church of Charlemont, Charlemont, MA
Heath Union Church, Heath, MA
St. John's Episcopal Church, Ashfield, MA
Ashfield Congregational Church, Ashfield, MA
United Church of Bernardston, Bernardston, MA
United Congregational Church of Conway, Conway, MA
First Church of Deerfield, Deerfield, MA
First Congregational Church of Greenfield, Greenfield, MA
Second Congregational Church of Greenfield, Greenfield, MA
First Congregational Church of Montague, Montague, MA
Central Congregational Church, New Salem, MA
Trinitarian Congregational Church, Northfield, MA
Central Congregational Church, Orange, MA
Community Church of North Orange & Tully, North Orange, MA
First Congregational Church of Sunderland, Sunderland, MA
First Congregational Church, Whately, MA