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First Baptist Church (Boston, Massachusetts)
Encyclopedia
First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist
church established in 1665. It first met secretly on Noddle's Island
and then in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. Since 1882 it has been located at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue
and Clarendon Street in the Back Bay.
. Many of the early members of the church were persecuted and imprisoned by the state church
for heresy
, including the first pastor, Thomas Gould
. Shortly before the founding of the church, the first Harvard College
president, Henry Dunster
, was forced to resign his position for refusing to baptize his infant. Dunster had been theologically influenced by Dr. John Clarke and other Rhode Island Baptists persecuted in Massachusetts. "In 1679, the Boston Baptists built a meetinghouse in the North End of Boston, at the corner of Salem and Stillman Streets. ...In the early 1700's, the small building was replaced by a larger wooden one on the same site. Here the Church flourished, for 43 years (1764-1807) under the leadership of Samuel Stillman
."
. Preachers included Rollin Heber Neale.
. It opened in 1875 to serve the Unitarian
congregation of the Brattle Street Church
, also known as the Church in Brattle Square, which had been demolished in 1872. The Unitarian congregation dissolved in 1876 soon after moving to this building. The First Baptist congregation bought the building in 1882. Featuring ivy-covered walls and a prominent tower with distinctive carvings by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty) representing four sacraments, with faces of famous Bostonians(including Longfellow and Hawthorne), Abraham Lincoln, and Bartholdi's friends of that era.(including 'Garabaldi'). This building highlights many of the Richardsonian Romanesque
qualities that would later be shown in the nearby Trinity Church, one of Richardson's masterpieces. The Baptist Church's tower can clearly be seen as part of Boston's skyline when viewed from the Cambridge side of the Charles river. This church was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972. The congregation is currently affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
.
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
church established in 1665. It first met secretly on Noddle's Island
Noddle's Island
Noddle's Island is one of Boston Harbor Islands off East Boston, Massachusetts. In the 1940s the strait separating Noddle's Island from East Boston was filled, thereby connecting the island to Logan International Airport on the mainland.-History:...
and then in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts. Since 1882 it has been located at the corner of Commonwealth Avenue
Commonwealth Avenue, Boston
Commonwealth Avenue is a major street in the cities of Boston and Newton, Massachusetts. It begins at the western edge of the Public Garden, and continues west through the neighborhoods of the Back Bay, Kenmore Square, Allston, Brighton and Chestnut Hill...
and Clarendon Street in the Back Bay.
1665-1837
The congregation was founded in 1665 despite a Massachusetts law prohibiting opposition to infant baptismInfant baptism
Infant baptism is the practice of baptising infants or young children. In theological discussions, the practice is sometimes referred to as paedobaptism or pedobaptism from the Greek pais meaning "child." The practice is sometimes contrasted with what is called "believer's baptism", or...
. Many of the early members of the church were persecuted and imprisoned by the state church
State church
State churches are organizational bodies within a Christian denomination which are given official status or operated by a state.State churches are not necessarily national churches in the ethnic sense of the term, but the two concepts may overlap in the case of a nation state where the state...
for heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, including the first pastor, Thomas Gould
Thomas Gould (Baptist)
Thomas Gould was the first pastor of the First Baptist Church of Boston in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.Gould was born in Great Britain. After moving to Massachusetts, Gould became a successful farmer and wagon maker. Due to disagreements with Massachusetts' state Congregationalist church, Gould...
. Shortly before the founding of the church, the first Harvard College
Harvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
president, Henry Dunster
Henry Dunster
Henry Dunster was an Anglo-American Puritan clergyman and the first president of Harvard College...
, was forced to resign his position for refusing to baptize his infant. Dunster had been theologically influenced by Dr. John Clarke and other Rhode Island Baptists persecuted in Massachusetts. "In 1679, the Boston Baptists built a meetinghouse in the North End of Boston, at the corner of Salem and Stillman Streets. ...In the early 1700's, the small building was replaced by a larger wooden one on the same site. Here the Church flourished, for 43 years (1764-1807) under the leadership of Samuel Stillman
Samuel Stillman
Dr. Samuel Stillman was an American Baptist minister. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and raised in South Carolina, he married Hannah Morgan and took a pastorate in South Carolina for several years....
."
1837-1882
In 1837 the First Baptist congregation moved into a new brick church building on the corner of Hanover Street and Union StreetUnion Street (Boston, Massachusetts)
Union Street is a street in Boston, Massachusetts, near Faneuil Hall and the North End. Prior to 1828, it was also called Green Dragon Lane.-See also:* First Baptist Church * James Franklin * Green Dragon Tavern...
. Preachers included Rollin Heber Neale.
1882-present
The current church building (fifth meeting house) was constructed in 1872 by Henry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
. It opened in 1875 to serve the Unitarian
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....
congregation of the Brattle Street Church
Brattle Street Church
The Brattle Street Church was a Congregational and Unitarian church on Brattle Street in Boston, Massachusetts.- Brief history :...
, also known as the Church in Brattle Square, which had been demolished in 1872. The Unitarian congregation dissolved in 1876 soon after moving to this building. The First Baptist congregation bought the building in 1882. Featuring ivy-covered walls and a prominent tower with distinctive carvings by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty) representing four sacraments, with faces of famous Bostonians(including Longfellow and Hawthorne), Abraham Lincoln, and Bartholdi's friends of that era.(including 'Garabaldi'). This building highlights many of the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
qualities that would later be shown in the nearby Trinity Church, one of Richardson's masterpieces. The Baptist Church's tower can clearly be seen as part of Boston's skyline when viewed from the Cambridge side of the Charles river. This church was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972. The congregation is currently affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA
American Baptist Churches USA
The American Baptist Churches USA is a Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainline, although varying theological and mission emphases may be found among its...
.
Further reading
- Rollin Heber Neale. An address delivered on the two hundredth anniversary of the organization of the First Baptist church, Boston, June 7, 1865. Gould and Lincoln, 1865.
- Nathan Eusebius Wood. The history of the First Baptist Church of Boston (1665–1899). American Baptist Publication Society, 1899.