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First Church in Salem

1836 establishments in Massachusetts19th-century Unitarian Universalist church buildings19th-century churches in the United StatesChurches completed in 1836Churches in Salem, Massachusetts
Gothic Revival church buildings in MassachusettsReligious organizations established in the 1630sUnitarian Universalist churches in MassachusettsUnitarianism stubs
First Church in Salem
First Church in Salem

First Church in Salem (officially known as the First Church in Salem, Unitarian Universalist) is a Unitarian Universalist church in Salem, Massachusetts that was designed by Solomon Willard and built in 1836. Before the church was built, around 1635, its members had to gather in houses or a building near the Town House Square. The congregation claims to be "one of the oldest continuing Protestant churches in North America and the first to be governed by congregational polity, a central feature of Unitarian Universalism".The values of the Puritans who founded the First Church in Salem stated that they were on a pilgrimage to the city of God. This made them want to perfect their world and community. It also made some of their members such as third minister Roger Williams, activists in the community. He specifically argued that Native Americans should be compensated for their land and that the colonial government should not have power over the church.Thomas Treadwell Stone became minister of the church on July 12, 1846. In December 1851, the Salem Female Anti-Slavery Society held their annual general meeting at the church. For twelve years, Charles Wentworth Upham was minister of the church. Grace Parker commissioned a stained-glass window for the church in dedication to her late husband, George Swinnerton Parker of Parker Brothers fame, and their two sons.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article First Church in Salem (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

First Church in Salem
Essex Street, Salem

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Geographical coordinates (GPS)

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N 42.5215 ° E -70.8994 °
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First Church in Salem

Essex Street 316
01970 Salem
Massachusetts, United States
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call+19787441551

Website
firstchurchinsalem.org

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First Church in Salem
First Church in Salem
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Nearby Places

Hamilton Hall (Salem, Massachusetts)
Hamilton Hall (Salem, Massachusetts)

Hamilton Hall is a National Historic Landmark at 9 Chestnut Street in Salem, Massachusetts. Designed by noted Salem builder Samuel McIntire and built in 1805–1807, it is an excellent instance of a public Federal style building. It was built as a social space for the leading families of Salem, and was named for Founding Father and Federalist Party leader Alexander Hamilton. It continues to function as a social hall today: it is used for events, private functions, weddings and is also home to a series of lectures that originated in 1944 by the Ladies Committee.Hamilton Hall is a three-story brick structure at the corner of Chestnut and Cambridge Streets, with its gable end front facing Cambridge Street. The brick is laid in a Flemish bond pattern. The entrance facade is five bays wide, with a center entry consisting of double doors sheltered by a Greek Revival porch added c. 1845. This rectangular portico has a flat roof, supported at each corner by two Doric columns. The first floor of the long side (facing Chestnut Street) consists of six bays, of which five are windows and one is a door. The upper level (equal in height to the upper two levels on the front facade) consists of five large Palladian windows set in a slightly recessed arch. Above each of these is a panel with decorations carved by McIntire. The outer four have a swag design, while the central one features an eagle and shield.Construction of the hall was funded by a group of Salem's Federalist merchant families, and cost $22,000. Originally, retail spaces at the entrance on the ground floor housed vendors who sold goods for use in the events held in the upstairs function space. The second level ballroom features an unusual curved balcony and a sprung floor suitable for dancing.The building was declared a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. It is a contributing property to the Chestnut Street District, and part of the local McIntire Historic District, in which a high concentration of McIntire's works are found.