United Church in Walpole - Walpole, MA - Continental Reformed and Congregational Church Sites on Waymarking.com

In Walpole, at the center of town, is the United Church in Walpole, which is affiliated with several churches,incluign the United Church of Christ.

The church is located on the northeast side of the road, about a block south of the intersection with Main Street.

The church building is a white clapboard church with an overhang supported by four large columns at the front entrance. Above the entrance is a clock tower then a short steeple. The peaked roof is shingled.

The church history is interesting, involving a church split and the combination of three congregations.

Back in colonial Massachusetts, there was one established church, the Congregational Church, by the Puritans. Towns are often founded when the parish is split from the original parish. The original parish was Dedham, which is about 10 miles further north. Walpole was established around 1721. In 1726, construction was started on a meetinghouse on the common, finished in 1738. In 1783, the meetinghouse was rebuilt. This building was moved to its present location in 1839, where it was remodeled, taking on Greek revival features.

Meanwhile, the congregation was going through a major transition. In 1827, the congregation split. The major part became Unitarian and retained the meetinghouse. The Congregational part met else where. In 1927, the Unitarian Church lost its minister and, eventually, the Congregational, Unitarian, and Methodist congregations came together and became the United Church in Walpole. Today, the church maintains associations with all three churches. As far as I can understand the text, the united church first had services in the old Congregational Church building on East Street, which has since been torn down. Currently, they meet in the Unitarian Meetinghouse.





Sources:

wwww.walpolerec.com (Landmark Poster Contest):
(visit link)

Reformed or Congregational Denomination: Congregational Associated Website: [Web Link] Status: Active House of Worship Address: 30 Common Street Walpole, MA United States of America 02081 Date of Construction or Event Occurrence: 01/01/1783 Architect: Not listed

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