WELCOME TO THE CHURCH-ORR HOUSE

VerShare’s activities center around the Church-Orr House, built about 1830, and situated on Route 113 in Vershire Village – next to the Town Office.

The Church-Orr House was donated to VerShare by Theo Howe in 1998. The building is said to have been a coach house on a stagecoach route from Boston to Montreal.

Church-Orr House History

The Church-Orr House, built around 1830, is immediately adjacent to Vershire Town Offices and across the road from the Town Center Building. The house was a coach house on a stagecoach route from Boston to Montreal. One large upstairs bedroom is still referred to as “the bunk room”. Theo Howe’s family from great-grandparents, Hiram and Lucyette Church, to her parents ran a general store and the post office in one portion of their home. The main store counter is still in place.

On August 12th, 1998, Vershire native Theo Howe donated the Church-Orr House to VerShare. At that time VerShare was a working unit of George D. Aiken Resource Conservation and Development Council (GDA RC&DC) operating under their 501.c.3, thus the initial transfer was to George D. Aiken RC & DC. In December of 1999, VerShare received its own 501.c.3 nonprofit status and began arrangements to complete the deed transfer from GDA RC&DC to VerShare Corporation. These were completed in the summer of 2000.

Since then, extensive renovations have been made in every part of the building. It now hosts the Vershire Community Library, the Made-in-Vershire Shop, and the Stagecoach Stop Hostel. In addition there is a nicely furnished kitchen and cafe area that is used for Community Soup Nights and many other functions.