First Baptist Church (Harbor Church) - New Shoreham, RI
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 41° 10.305 W 071° 33.430
19T E 285487 N 4560975
The Harbor Church sits near the village of Old Harbor, providing services and space for community activities.
Waymark Code: WMX47V
Location: Rhode Island, United States
Date Posted: 11/24/2017
Views: 0
In New Shoreham, above the village of Old Harbor, is the First Baptist Church, also known as the Harbor Church.
The church is located near Spring Street, about 100 ft south of the intersection with Water and High Street.
The church is a wooden structure with several protrusions, the longest of which is in line with the village. The face of this part has the work, "Harbor Church" in white letters, arranged in an arc. On one side is a circular turret and conical roof. On the northeast side, there is a sign, also saying "Harbor Church Welcomes You." A little sign below states that the service is 10 am.
According to the web site for the church, the congregation has its roots back to the original European settlers who came here in 1661. The Baptist Church was formally organized in 1765. There were several previous buildings used by the congregation, none of which survive, today. The present structure was originally the Adrian Hotel. The congregation was gifted this building in 1944, initially as a place where people of ill health could come to rest. However, the building that the congregation was in burned to the ground in the same year. Over the years since, the building has been transformed into a church. In 1953, the sanctuary was added to the building. Other parts added later. The original part was built in 1886 as the hotel.
Today, in addition to the church services, there is a part that is a winter recreation center, and they host the local Boy Scout Troop on the island.
The web site also states that the church is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches, but members of the church include members of other faiths.
Source:
American Baptist Churches
(
visit link)