Chester Baptist Church - Chester, MA
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neoc1
N 42° 16.819 W 072° 58.975
18T E 666318 N 4682870
Chester Baptist Church, formerly Saint John's Roman Catholic Church, is located at 14 Middlefield Road in Chester, MA. 01011
Waymark Code: WM1370H
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 09/30/2020
Views: 0
The Chester Baptist Church has occupied the building that was occupied by Saint John's Roman Catholic Church since 2004. The origin of the Baptist congregation began in October 2003 under the ministry of Emmanuel Baptist Church of Newington, CT when a Bible study group was organized in Chester by several people from Chester, and nearby Huntington and Blandford. In June of 2004, the members of the Bible study group voted to establish the Chester Baptist Church.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield had previously closed the St. John's Church in Chester, so the building was available to the Baptist community. The church building was constructed in the Shingle Style to a design by diocesan architect John W. Donohue in 1914 and dedicated in May 1915. The Shingle Style is unique in Chester. (
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The T shaped, two story high, symmetrical, brown clapboard covered building has three bays on the front. A short portico entrance is reached by a set of steps. Above the entrance is a gabled roof. Double sets of windows with a slanted lintels flank the central entrance. The upper level has a large set of four windows. Above the windows is a louvered window with a pointed top. The roof-line flattens at the top and supports a gold colored cross.
The sides of the building are six bays wide. The first four bays have double sets of windows with a single rounded top. The back of the church protrudes from the main body. It is 2 bays wide with a square set windows in each bay. A square tower rises from the back of the gabled roof. Above is a tapered spire topped with a gold colored cross.