Vesper Hill Children’s Chapel

(I visited on a dreary January 2026 day, so any pictures taken in nice weather aren’t mine. I plan to visit again when the gardens are in bloom. But even in January, it’s a lovely spot)

The Vesper Hill Children’s Chapel is an outdoor non-denominational chapel built in 1960. It was built on the site of the former Tamarack Lodge Hotel that burned in 1954. The chapel and grounds are open to the public and are used for weddings, picnics, and events. It is located about a mile outside of downtown Rockport.

The chapel is quite small, seating about 50 people. It is an an open, “swiss-style” post-and-beam structure with a stone floor. The chapel sits on a rock foundation on a small hill overlooking the ocean. After parking, you enter the grounds through an arch, walk through some formal gardens, and climb up some stone steps to the chapel. There is a bell mounted just outside the chapel. In the well-maintained lawns and gardens, you’ll find annuals, perennials, herbs, and different tree varieties.

It seems to be a popular place to hold intimate wedding ceremonies, and it is recommended to make plans a year ahead.

History

After the Tamarack Lodge burned in 1954, local resident Helene Bok bought the land to preserve it. She had the chapel built, incorporating some of the Tamarack’s old foundation into the walls. I couldn’t find who did the design and construction. She then setup the nonprofit Vesper Hill Foundation in 1965 and served as its President until her death. The foundation continues to provide the funding to maintain the chapel and grounds. There is a donation box inside the chapel.

After Helene’s death, Elmer Crockett, a designer for years on the Olmsted staff in Maine, oversaw the grounds and maintained a biblical herb garden.

Helene Bok (1910-1972)

Helene Boericke Bok was born in Philadelphia in 1910. She married Cary William Bok on 18 June 1935. Her husband was part of the wealthy Bok family that ran Curtis Publishing. Curtis’ publications included Ladies’ Home Journal and The Saturday Evening Post, The American Home, Holiday, Jack & Jill, and Country Gentleman. I’m assuming that explains the Rockwell drawing of Helene to the right (Rockwell was famous for his drawings that appeared in the Saturday Evening Post)

The Boks moved to Camden where Cary Bok ran a shipbuilding company. Her obituary said she was a resident of Camden for 25 years when she died of cancer in 1972 at the age of 62. Her husband had passed away in 1970.

This chapel is built to the memory of all young people who have passed through this world and gained God by so doing. It stands for freedom, thought, prayer, and action. It stands for holiness within the body, and for God in the heart each waking hour. May the Lord bless all young people who come here for spiritual and mental refreshment. – Helene Bok

The Tamarack

The Tamarack Lodge was a hotel that burned down in 1954. I couldn’t find a lot about the lodge itself.