First Meeting House - Springfield, MA
Posted by: 
neoc1
N 42° 06.076 W 072° 35.298
18T E 699420 N 4663834
Springfield's first meeting house was built in present day Court Square in 1645.
Waymark Code: WMD1FK
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 11/06/2011
Views: 4
On the south side of Court Square there is a marker noting that this was the site of Springfield's first meeting house. An important community structure in colonial New England.
On January 10, 1645, the settlers at Springfield voted that every inhabitant should give 28 days of work toward constructing a meeting house. such purpose, no man to be required to work over six days at a time. Six square rods of land was acquired from Thomas Stebbins. In February 28, 1645, an agreement was made that the meeting house would be built by Thomas Cooper. The dimensions would be 40' long by 25' wide with nine feet between joints and four large windows, two on each side and one on each end. Also it would have a bell turret and a watch turret. Total cost was 80 pounds and Cooper received payment, "wheate, pease, pork, wampum, debts and labor".
A tablet, affixed to a rock is inscribed:
JUST EAST OF HERE STOOD
THE FIRST MEETING HOUSE
BUILT IN 1645
PAST THIS POINT RAN MEETING HOUSE LANE
WHICH LED TO THE FIRST TRAINING FIELD
AND BURYING GROUND ON THE BANK OF
THE GREATE RIVER
THIS TABLET PLACED BY
MERCY WARREN CHAPTER D.A.R.
1956