New Bedford, Massachusetts
August 11th, 2016
From the book, New Bedford’s Church
The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford:
Three Hundred Years of Leadership and Transformation
“This church now celebrating its 300 anniversary [in 2008], began in 1708 at a time and in a place almost impossible for us to imagine. The town (parish) was Dartmouth, which then extended over 40 square miles, from Acushnet and Fairhaven in the east to sections of Little Compton and Tiverton in the west, with a European- descendent population of about 3,500. Transportation was difficult and slow, with an economy solidly based on agriculture. The theology of our ancestral Congregational church was strict predestination Calvinism, in the Puritan mold. However, this original church, despite its overwhelming foreignness to us, is the direct lineal ancestor of our present congregation.
The evolution of this church over three hundred years was shaped by a larger movement away from Calvinism, centering on the formulation and spread of Unitarian theology in New England in the first decades of the 19th Century. The other major factor in the development of this church was its transformation from a rural, farming congregation in Acushnet, to a semi-urban church in the village of New Bedford, which became one of the richest cities of 19th Century America. In the 1820s , the Rev. Orville Dewey became minister, and the church incorporated as The First Congregational Society in New Bedford. Probably because of Dewey’s presence, many disaffected Quakers joined the Society at this time. These Friends were members of the most prominent and wealthy families of the city and they shaped the church for the next hundred years and more.
The church reached its peak of membership in the 1940’s (about 450 members, and 170 children in the Sunday school) during the pastorate of Rev. Duncan Howlett. In the 1950s, the congregation finally changed its name from The First Congregational Society, to the more descriptive, The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford. During the 1940s and 50s, the pew rental system was finally abandoned and the church began to lose some of its identification with the social and economic elite of the city. The current church is…seeking new ways to make its Unitarian principles relevant and attractive in a diverse and secular, post-modern society characterized both by religious indifference and evangelical fundamentalism.”
Building History
Our building, which is Norman Gothic in style, was designed by the distinguished architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Russell Warren. Constructed in 1838 at a cost of about $40,000, it required 7,000 tons of granite, some blocks weighing as much as eight tons. The style of the interior details are Gothic, yet the spaciousness of the well-lighted interior and the simplicity and precision of the decorative elements have much in common with the Greek revival designs of same period. In 1868 a chapel was added behind the church. In 1896 the Parish House was constructed with a style of architecture matching the original church building. In 1955 office space and meeting rooms were constructed in the basement.
Tags: New Bedford Massachusetts United States Unitarian church worship whaling city New England house of worship hdr altar holy historic history
© All Rights Reserved
New Bedford, Massachusetts
August 11th, 2016
From the book, New Bedford’s Church
The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford:
Three Hundred Years of Leadership and Transformation
“This church now celebrating its 300 anniversary [in 2008], began in 1708 at a time and in a place almost impossible for us to imagine. The town (parish) was Dartmouth, which then extended over 40 square miles, from Acushnet and Fairhaven in the east to sections of Little Compton and Tiverton in the west, with a European- descendent population of about 3,500. Transportation was difficult and slow, with an economy solidly based on agriculture. The theology of our ancestral Congregational church was strict predestination Calvinism, in the Puritan mold. However, this original church, despite its overwhelming foreignness to us, is the direct lineal ancestor of our present congregation.
The evolution of this church over three hundred years was shaped by a larger movement away from Calvinism, centering on the formulation and spread of Unitarian theology in New England in the first decades of the 19th Century. The other major factor in the development of this church was its transformation from a rural, farming congregation in Acushnet, to a semi-urban church in the village of New Bedford, which became one of the richest cities of 19th Century America. In the 1820s , the Rev. Orville Dewey became minister, and the church incorporated as The First Congregational Society in New Bedford. Probably because of Dewey’s presence, many disaffected Quakers joined the Society at this time. These Friends were members of the most prominent and wealthy families of the city and they shaped the church for the next hundred years and more.
The church reached its peak of membership in the 1940’s (about 450 members, and 170 children in the Sunday school) during the pastorate of Rev. Duncan Howlett. In the 1950s, the congregation finally changed its name from The First Congregational Society, to the more descriptive, The First Unitarian Church in New Bedford. During the 1940s and 50s, the pew rental system was finally abandoned and the church began to lose some of its identification with the social and economic elite of the city. The current church is…seeking new ways to make its Unitarian principles relevant and attractive in a diverse and secular, post-modern society characterized both by religious indifference and evangelical fundamentalism.”
Building History
Our building, which is Norman Gothic in style, was designed by the distinguished architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Russell Warren. Constructed in 1838 at a cost of about $40,000, it required 7,000 tons of granite, some blocks weighing as much as eight tons. The style of the interior details are Gothic, yet the spaciousness of the well-lighted interior and the simplicity and precision of the decorative elements have much in common with the Greek revival designs of same period. In 1868 a chapel was added behind the church. In 1896 the Parish House was constructed with a style of architecture matching the original church building. In 1955 office space and meeting rooms were constructed in the basement.
Tags: New Bedford Massachusetts United States Unitarian church worship whaling city New England house of worship hdr altar holy historic history
© All Rights Reserved
The seldom seen bell inside the bell tower of the First Unitarian Church of New Bedford.
Tags: New Bedford Massachusetts United States bell bell tower historic history new england old manual rotch family D810 fisheye Frank C. Grace Trig Photography tower church bell church unitarian eighth street whaling city
© All Rights Reserved
Inside the very seldom seen steeple of the First Unitarian Church of New Bedford, Massachusetts.
This is a super wide shot of this tiny space. To the left is the really small opening to the staircase that leads up to the top of the steeple/tower.
The engraving on the bell states:
This Bell
is presented to the
Unitarian Church of
New Bedford, Massachusetts
in memory of
William J. Rotch
by
Clara Morgan Rotch
1911 A.D.
Ring out the thousand wars of old, ring in the thousands of peace.
Tags: New Bedford Massachusetts United States First Unitarian church whaling city history historic bell steeple tower inside fisheye de-fished hdr on1pics Frank C. Grace Trig Photography wooden steeple chasers William J. Rotch Clara Morgan Rotch
© All Rights Reserved
Building History
Our building, which is Norman Gothic in style, was designed by the distinguished architects Alexander Jackson Davis and Russell Warren. Constructed in 1838 at a cost of about $40,000, it required 7,000 tons of granite, some blocks weighing as much as eight tons. The style of the interior details are Gothic, yet the spaciousness of the well-lighted interior and the simplicity and precision of the decorative elements have much in common with the Greek revival designs of same period. In 1868 a chapel was added behind the church. In 1896 the Parish House was constructed with a style of architecture matching the original church building. In 1955 office space and meeting rooms were constructed in the basement.
Tags: Norman Gothic gothic church unitarian first whaling city history historic granite rock gates iron greek revival Alexander Jackson Davis Russel Warren new bedford massachusetts
© All Rights Reserved