James Coors '27
May 9, 2025
You may have recently noticed a new exhibition in the Cofrin Gallery, titled Our Chapel: An Enduring Memorial. Produced by school archivist Doug Smith, the exhibition will be up for the next month and highlights the history of the beloved chapel. About the origins of the project, Smith said, “[Sydney] Caretti approached me about having a month-long exhibition in the gallery space. She left it open to me, and what the chapel is to me is one of the things I have most wanted to shed light on in the community, about how amazing of a building and space that is. We all know it sort of from a religious standpoint, which it is, but there are also great crafts, and there's a lot of intentionality behind it and the whole idea of that chapel is memorial. Which it is, I think, the community doesn't fully appreciate.”
The chapel itself is quite grand, filled with beautiful pieces, but the exhibition space has limited room for display. Smith explained his process, saying, “Some of the biggest challenges were deciding what to put in and what to leave out. There's the woodwork, and I didn't talk about the stained glass a whole lot. The hardest challenge was to be able to pare it down. I focused on the notion of the chapel as a memorial to World War I soldiers, but also to the mothers who sent their children to our school. I really kind of wanted to focus on that and tell that kind of Coolidge story that is sprinkled throughout. There are two pieces that I particularly love. One is the iron pulpit by Samuel Yellen, and he did the chandeliers in the chapel, and he did a wonderful piece, all done by hand, and it is a wonderful, wonderful piece. The other one is Grace Coolidge’s rose. When the chapel opened, Grace Coolidge and Dr. Irving came out with a cadry and people behind them, and as he came out, a plane flew down off the mountain and dropped thousands of rose petals on the crowd. It turned out that Grace Coolidge, from the White House Garden, clipped a rose and brought a rose for Dr. Irving and gave it to his wife Camille. I found it in an envelope in a scrapbook, and I have it framed, and it's one of the pieces in there.”
School minister Reverend Dr. Will Whitmore commented, “This collection is impactful for our community because the chapel is an impactful building on campus, but we don't know some of the history of its founding. So when we can share small spaces or pieces, it helps us get a better understanding of it and get a greater window into our space here in the chapel. It's an enduring space and a space we all love and care for, and this is a way to get a better understanding, and that's always a good thing.”
Smith agreed, adding, “I think the students should know that the chapel is a space for them, that was built in honor of their previous achievements, and that it is something representing a lot of the best that Mercersburg has to offer. In terms of inspiration, in terms of artistic creativity, and just the spirit of Mercersburg, that's what I want them to know about the chapel.”