The First Congregational Church in Rockland Massachusetts

Past and Present

1813- 2002

As a prelude to the opening of the "Century Box" scheduled for the first week of January 2002, a presentation has been prepared to describe the background of the territory and the town as it grew and as our church became a central part of it. In 1901, the copper box was placed in the vault of the First National Bank of Rockland, which became Rockland Savings Bank and more recently South Coastal Bank. Each year it's presence there has been verified by the current church clerk. ,-

The area was included in the Hatherly Grant in 1654, and other grants were given as well. Indians still occupied the territory, but soon people began to settle. to build homes, mills and primitive roads. Boundaries were drawn between settlements and the Town of Abington was incorporated on July 10, 1712. What is now Rockland was called "East Abington". The First Parish Society of Abington, organized in 1711 was the "Mother Church... ,It's pastor, Rev. Niles, delivered a sermon there and dedicated it to the life of George Washington following his death, the text of which is in our Historic Cabinet.

There were, by this time, 79 families in the east area, most of whom were supported by farming. Living conditions were primitive; fires were started by using flint and steel and lighting was supplied by candles. A sawmill had been built and the craft of making shoes was introduced by Mr. Thomas Hunt on Boxbury St. now North Union Street beginning what was to become the major industry in Rockland.

The first settled physician was Dr. David Jones whose son, Dr. Jones Jr., studied under Dr. Joseph Warren and was with him at Bunker Hill.

Burial grounds were established in East Abington, including Maplewood and Spring Lake, then called "The Reed Burying Grounds.., where participants in T18ny wars are laid to rest.

Early schools were established as early as 1762 and education has continued to hold a top priority by the town's inhabitants.


AS early as 1726 It was Clear mat me people longed to build a church nearer to their homes. living on the east part of town. they found it very difficult, if not impossible, to travel to church services. over narrow rutted roads, but it was not until 1812 that action was taken. A conflict arose between Captain Thomas Reed and Mr. David Hearsey as to who would donate land on which to build a church. It was finally decided, after much argument, that Mr. Hearsey's land on the East Side of what is now Union Street would be utilized. Captain Reed's land was on the West Side.

Seated on the isolated hilltop they made their plans. It fell to Samuel Reed to visit churches in the surrounding towns to detem1ine the type of structure best suited to their needs. A church in Hingham was selected to serve as a model. A petition was presented to the General Court to incorporate as the '3rd Congregational Parish in East Abington".

On August 2~ 1813, a group of fourteen parishioners gathered in the home of Samuel and Polly Reed on Market Street. The house was located on the piece of land on which CVS now stands. Samuel's father, who built the house had died. leaving him responsible for his mother and siblings.

Present at the organizational meeting in addition to Samuel and Polly were Sam's brother Thomas, cousins Goddard and Ebenezer Reed as well as Rachel Lane, Sara Payne, Deborah Smith. Desire Stoddard. Zebulon Payne. Lt. Elijah Shaw, Ephraim Stetson. Nathan Stoddard and Benjamin Vining, familiar surnames in Rockland for many years.

After Polly's death, Sam married Serissa Litchfield Bailey. Over the years 00 house passed out of the family through several hands. In late years. being in disrepair. it was damaged by fire and finally demolished . Some present church members are descended from Samuel and Polly and also from David Hearsey.

There were few streets in East Abington at that time. none passing by the site proposed for the church. The town resisted building access roads, but upon in order of the Plymouth County Commissioners, Pigeon Road now Market and Merchants' Row in the Boxbury section, north of where the Methodist church is now, were in 1815 connected and named Union Street. Other streets were Tinker, now Liberty, and Misery, now Webster. Many other streets had Nicknames. Raising the framework was cause for much gaiety , with food and drink provided and dancing to the music of Peg and Paro, talented colored people from Hanson.


The first structure was 45ft. Wide and 03 n long. It was not painted for many years and it was 1837 before a steeple was added arK1 a bell installed.
The pews were box pews and no heat was supplied. There were galleries on each side and a choir gallery at one end. A balcony was located at the back for Negroes, as was the custom of the day. A small organ costing $600.00 was built by Josiah Richard in East Bridgewater and was brought here by oxcart.

As the congregation grew, it was obvious that a larger church was needed. When the new church was proposed, the original church was moved back and sold. The newly completed church was in the Elizabethan style, with Gothic windows, high arches, a rose window, a grand organ and a tall spire with a gilded cross. It was considered at that time, one of the most imposing edifices in the country , and was called .. the Brown Church on the Hill". Ifs surface was covered with paint, mixed with sand to resemble stone. A vivid description of the interior is contained within the publication by Elijah Shaw, then 83 years of age in 1890. Even integral parts of the Organ built by Mr. E. L. Holbrook of Medway are faithfully listed (pgs 57-66). Not long ago a M(. John Bancroft who lives in Oregon contacted us and subsequently sent a genealogy of his family and a letter written in 1940 by Miss Anne Evans Bancroft who stated that her father, Ambrose Bancroft, a builder who studied architecture was sent to East Abington to build the new church. A.W. Perry also named him as builder in his address on the occasion of our 1oath anniversary in 1913.

In 1859, Arnbrose Bancroft married Clarissa Ann Hunt, whose mother was one of 13 children of Thomas Reed. Miss Hunt played the organ in the original church and for a time in the new.

Between 1852 and 1873 some details of parish records contained in the clerk's book, stored in the desk of his Boston office, were destroyed by "The Great Fire of November 9, 1872".

Sam Reed was one of the strong anti-slavery men in this part of Massachusetts. About 1850, he entertained George Thompson, a famous English orator who toured the northern states advocating abolition. Anti-slavery meetings were held at Island Grove and other radical speakers were heard. The Reed house later was a stop on the .. UndergrourK1 Railway'" . Revered Walker preached many sermons against slavery , but disapproved of the radical methods of William Lloyd Garrison. One incident was decisive when a gentleman who had business contacts in the south was refused membership in the church when he did not agree that communion should be denied to slave owners. The resolutions of 1842 were then reaffirmed in 1849 and they appear now engraved on a marble plaque on the wall of our present sanctuary .

During the Civil war, the ladies of the church served the very first May Breakfast to raise money to provide bandages and medicine for the soldiers.
the tradition of the May Breakfast has continued every year since then, prepared by the various women's organizations of the church.

Over the years, women of the church have contributed to many other worthwhile projects including guardianship of the "Little Red Box" containing Books which represented the humble foundation for today's public library . It was built and painted by Charles Lane in 1832. From 1855 to 1880 the Women's Sewing Circle sponsored fundraisers for a small collection of books and later for :he building fund. When the library association disbanded, the books were caned to the Congregational Society for use in their, Sunday School. The "Box" was saved from the fire of 1890 and afterward used in the "new" Brown Church.
Despite numerous failures of library devotees to finance construction of a building to serve as a soldiers' memorial and library, it was not until Librarian Angela Collins wrote to Andrew Carnegie requesting his support, that our memorial Library became a reality . The land selected and purchased by the town was the Gideon Studley Estate at the comer of Union and Belmont Streets. Mr. A. W. Perry , chairman of the building committee, contributed many of the furnishings. Early library trustees include Mr. L. D. Perkins, a deacon of the congregational Church and Mrs. Sarah Dunham, active member of the Ladies) Sewing Circle. The "Little Red Box" now proudly rests at the Rockland Memorial Library (from "History of the Memorial Library" by Carole Mooney).

In 1873, a resolution was passed, giving the women of the church the right to vote in church matters.

The section called "East Abington" was in 1874 separated and incorporated as the Town of Rockland. Several names were suggested, Hatherly  being the second choice. North Union Street is still referred to by that name.
the legislature approved the petition on March 9th 1874, and the first town meeting was held  March 19th 1874. Rockland's population then was 4,551.
Subsequently, the church's name was changed to the "Congregational Church and Parish of Rockland". Later, the "Parish" was eliminated and it was named. 'The First Congregational Church in Rockland". Members were no longer taxed and money was raised by subscription. In attempting to bum off the paint to refurbish the exterior of the church in 1890, a conflagration resulted, destroying both the new and original church as well as many other buildings in the area. A few items were saved, but the bell toppled. According to Elijah Shaw, a new one was made, and from smaller pieces, 243 tea bells were fashioned, along with smaller ones, the size of charms. One of these tea bells is in the historical cabinet, given to the church by Meredith Slinger Chadbome. Mrs. Chadbome received it from Mrs. Cart Burrill, the former Ethel Soule. The bell had belonged n the Soule family since it was made after the fire of 1890.


It was resolved to rebuild, and for the third time, the same site was chosen   The building was to be erected by Minnesota architect Warren H.
Hayes, the organ given by the Women's Sewing Circle. The church was stained brown and remained so for many years. Dedication was in September of 1894.

Several attempts were made to paint the church white, but the paint did not adhere well. In the 1970's it was decided to cover the building with vinyl siding and at the same time, to make a few exterior changes for protection.

The stained glass window on the Union Street side was given in memory of Reverend Horace Walker, our third minister. The Hearsey memorial window on the Church Street side was given in memory of the man who gave the land in the beginning. The window in the center of the ceiling is a reminder of Pentecos1 when the Disciples were touched by the tongues of fire (Ads 11,1-4). The Sabbath School and Christian Endeavor windows are next to the pulpit.

In 1960, this fellowship voted for and ratified the United Church of Christ, uniting Congregational Christian Churches with the Evangelical and Reformed churches.

The interior of the sanctuary was altered considerably in the mid 1960's and rededicated on March 20, 1966. The pulpit and choir area were redecorated, the pews rearranged to form a center aisle and the sliding stained glass and wood moveable partitions replaced by a solid wall.

Anniversary celebrations have been observed in 1913, 1963, 1988 a the 1OOth year of the present building in 1995 . The most recent were during the pastorate of Reverend Malcolm Garland in 1963 and during the pastorate of . reverend Thomas Barker in 1988 and 1995.

As expected, the opening of the Century Box in January of 2002 evoked tremendous interest and excitement. not only among church members young and old, but also drew many in the area, to share in the historic occasion. Rockland Memorial Library opened .was doors to us and allowed the many items to be displayed in the Rotunda.

During the current year, a new box will be prepared and stored at the South Coastal Bank, to be opened 100 years hence.

by Marjorie M. Bryant Church Historian for the First Congregational Church of Rockland United Church of Christ on this 13th day of June 2002