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Historical Timeline of the Meeting Waters YMCA

(Thanks to Shirley Fletcher, former Administrative Assistant (1971-2001), for compiling much of this information.)

Beautifully preserved, handwritten notes from 115 years ago tell a powerful story of volunteer initiative. The first entry reads, "The first meeting for the purpose of considering the question of a Young Men's Christian Association for Bellows Falls was held on April 10 (1895)." On September 2, 1895, our Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws were approved by nearly 100 volunteers. The Bellows Falls YMCA had been founded.

Now known as the Meeting Waters YMCA, we are now in our third century of meeting community needs. Here are a few highlights from our rich history:

  • Between 1895 and 1910, the Bellows Falls YMCA created a variety of programs to meet community needs--job-training, photography, Bible Studies, as well as social and recreational needs.
  • In 1914, the Bellows Falls YMCA reorganized through an affiliation with Vermont Academy in Saxtons River.
  • In 1915, the Bellows Falls YMCA Service Fraternity undertook projects at Kurn Hattin School.
  • Also in 1915, the Brattleboro Boy Scout Troop began under the sponsorship of the Bellows Falls YMCA.
  • In 1922, General Secretary (now known as Executive Director) B.E. Merriam was sent to Russia to develop YMCAs in that country.
  • The Great Depression forced the closing of the Bellows Falls YMCA.
  • In 1961, the renamed Fall Mountain YMCA was organized through the leadership of Paul Brandon and the local Jaycees.
  • In 1964, Alan Halberg was hired as General Secretary, a position he previously held at the Middleboro (MA) YMCA.
  • The first day camp was held on a farm in North Westminster in 1965.
  • In 1969, the Fall Mountain YMCA was gifted with a house on Hapgood Street in Bellows Falls.
  • By 1970, the Fall Mountain YMCA was also running teen drop-in centers in Walpole, Westminster and Putney.
  • In November of 1971, the Fall Mountain YMCA purchased its current facility on Atkinson Street for the purpose of starting the Rockingham YMCA Community and Youth Center.
  • In 1974, a storefront branch of the Fall Mountain YMCA was opened in Springfield.
  • In July of 1983, an exchange program was established with a YMCA in Germany.
  • A campaign to raise $75,000 to purchase land in Springfield went over its goal in May of 1985.
  • The Fall Mountain YMCA purchased the Bryant property, known as Meeting Waters Farm, in December of 1985.
  • In 1986, Lewis Day Camp, named after the late Samuel A Lewis, owner of Robertson Paper Company, was built. A pavilion was erected and named in honor of the late firefighter Terry Brown.
  • In 1987, the name of the association was changed to Meeting Waters YMCA.
  • Lewis Day Camp opened in Springfield in June of 1987.
  • In 1989, the Meeting Waters YMCA purchased Childspace Child Care Center.
  • A competition-sized in-ground pool was built at Lewis Day Camp in 1994.
  • Since 1998, the Meeting Waters YMCA staff has developed over 30 new programs for the children, teens, adults, and families of the Connecticut River Valley--including ASPIRE, Kindergarten ASPIRE, Snow Days Program, teen Adventure Camps, Child Care Transportation, Youth Karate, Active Older Adults wellness program, a variety of family programs, and a wide variety of "asset-building" services, including our Coaching the Whole Athlete workshop, our Youth & Government program at Fall Mountain Regional High School and our leadership of the Fall Mountain Area Healthy Youth Initiative and Fit & Healthy Kids Coalition of Windham County.

National History

150 years of the YMCABoston sea captain and missionary Thomas Sullivan was inspired by the stories of the YMCA in England. With six colleagues, he called the first meeting in Boston, and on December 29, 1851, the YMCA began at the Old South Church. By 1855 there were 50 YMCAs in America. By 1900 this number had grown to 1,379, including the Bellows Falls YMCA.

One out of three Americans reports being a YMCA member at some point in life. YMCAs invented basketball (1891) and volleyball (1895). YMCAs pioneered camping (1885), public libraries (1852), night schools (1878) and teaching English as a second language (1856). YMCAs introduced the world?s first indoor pool (1885) and group swim lessons (1907). YMCAs offered after-school childcare long before ?latchkey kids? had been given a name.

In its first 150 years, the YMCA movement brought about staff training and certification and awarding educational scholarships to war veterans, a practice the US government adopted with its GI Bill. The Boy Scouts of America, Camp Fire Girls, the Negro National Baseball League, the Gideons, Toastmasters, racquetball and Father?s Day all got their starts at YMCAs. The YMCA helped found the United Service Organization (USO), and the Peace Corps was patterned after YMCA World Services.

Today, the YMCA movement in America represents the largest charitable community organization in the country. Take a closer look at our collective impact.