First Parish Church (Unitarian) - Cambridge, MA
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NorStar
N 42° 22.480 W 071° 07.147
19T E 325529 N 4693551
The First Parish (Unitarian) Church building was built in 1833 and is a prominent feature in Harvard Square, by Harvard University.
Waymark Code: WM7PWA
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 11/19/2009
Views: 7
At 0 Church Street, at the intersection with Massachusetts Avenue, across the street from Harvard University, stands a church that houses the First Parish (Unitarian Church). The American Guide Series book for Massachusetts has this text for the church, under the Cambridge Chapter:
14. The First Parish Church (Unitarian) houses the oldest church organization in Cambridge, dating from 1633. Among its early pastors was Thomas Hooker, who, disagreeing with some of the policies of Massachusetts Bay clergy, quietly and peaceably led his flock to Hartford, Connecticut. The present building, a gray wooden edifice with a latticed belfry, was erected in 1833. Harvard College commencements were held here from 1833 to 1873, and a number of Harvard Presidents, including Dr. Eliot, were inaugurated here. Its most popular minister was the late Samuel McChord Crothers, genial wit and essayist, who after listening to the speeches at a certain Harvard Commencement remarked that he gathered that the world had been in great danger, but that all would now be well.
- American Guide Series: Massachusetts - A Guide to Its Places and People, p. 194-195.
The church still exists and is prominently situated in Harvard Square, across Massachusetts Avenue from Harvard University, at the intersection with Church Street.
On the Harvard Library web site, there is an article about the Unitarian Church at Harvard Square, with older pictures of the church. The link is here:
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There are some details that appear different. The belfry lattice work is less ornate compared to the present belfry ornaments. More visible, there were for smaller spires that surrounded the larger spire that are missing now. It is hard to tell from the old picture the exact shape of the steeple, but it looks approximately the same
At the base, there is often a lot of activity going on, from bazaars to group advocacies.
The church web site link is here:
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