St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal Church in Dedham, Massachusetts
St. Paul's Church is an Episcopal Church in Dedham, Massachusetts
A group of Anglicans began meeting in Clapboardtrees in 1731. [1]
Samuel Colburn [lower-alpha 1] died in the Crown Point Expedition of 1756. [2] Though he was not an Anglican, he left almost his entire estate to the Anglican community in Dedham to establish St. Paul's Church. [2] The grant, consisting of 135 acres of land and other cash and property, was hindered only by a life estate left to his mother. [2] Some of the eight parcels were on the outskirts of town, along Mother Brook or up in Sandy Valley, but most were centered around modern day Dedham Square, including 369 Washington Street. [2] The main portion ran from Maple Place to Dwight's Brook, and 10 acres bounded by High, Court, and School streets. [2]
When Colburn's mother died in 1792, Montague began laying out streets and house lots on the property. [2] The first street Montague laid out, modern day Church Street, [lower-alpha 2] was the first street in Dedham to be laid out with house lots on either side, as opposed to simply being a road to connect one farm to another. [2] Norfolk Street was next, followed by School street. [2] [lower-alpha 3] Montague rented out the parcels in 999 year leases. [2] One lessee, Samuel Richards, hired Charles Bulfinch to design his house on the corner of Highland and Court Streets. [2]
William H. Mann was the organist in both the 1797 church and in the 1845 church until it burned down. [3] [lower-alpha 4] John H.B. Thayer then left the brand new organ at the Allin Congregational Church in 1858 to play at St. Paul's. [4] [lower-alpha 5] He held the position until his death in 1873. [4]
The first church, a simply structure measuring 30' by 40', was built on Court Street in 1758 diagonally across from where the current church stands. [5] [1] It was built by a Mr. Durpee. [1] When the main beam of the church was raised, it broke causing 12 men to fall. [1] None were injured. [1] It was dedicated in 1761, but it wasn't complete until 1771 when it was plastered and permanent seats were installed. [1] When Norfolk County was established in 1792, the congregation offered their building for use of the courts, but it was in such poor condition that the county declined. [6]
The people of Dedham stoned the church during the American Revolution and then took it over for use as a military storehouse. [7] [8] From then on, Rev. William Clark would secretly conduct services in his house. [7]
The congregation attempted to move the church to Franklin Square in 1797, but the entire structure collapsed, sending a cauldron of bats out of the belfry. [9] It was reconstructed in that location in 1798 using various portions of an abandoned church in Stoughton. [5] [9]
In 1845, Comfort Weatherbee was commissioned to demolish the church. [3] All the boarding was removed and a capstan was used to pull the frame and tower down. [3]
The builders of the 1845 church, Thomas and Nathan Phillips, were from Dedham. [5] Designed by Arthur Gilman after Magdalen College, Oxford, it was consecrated on Court Street in 1845 but burned down in 1856. [5] The bell from the 1797 church hung in the tower for three or four years, but was eventually replaced with a rich toned bell. [3] The old bell, which was small enough for neighborhood boys to pick up and chime, was then placed on the ground next to the tower for a few weeks before removal. [3]
The present church was built in 1858 at the corner of Court Street and Village Ave. [10] It was 90' long and the bell tower, added in 1869, was 100' high [10] The bell was donated by Ira Cleveland. [11] It is made of Dedham granite. [12]
A chapel was built with a bequest from George E. Hutton. [11] As of 2001 [update] , it is a nursery school. [11]
Lay readers from the church began ministering to Episcopalians in the Oakdale section of town in 1873 who could not get to the church easily. [13] Out of their efforts grew the Church of the Good Shepherd, which was dedicated in 1876. [13] One of the early members was William B. Gould. [14]
| Anglican Church Minister | Years of service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| William Clark | 1760–1777 | [15] |
| William Montague | 1794–1815 | [15] |
| Samuel B. Babcock | 1834–1873 | [11] |
| Melanie McCarley | 2016–present | [16] |
The first minister, Rev. William Clark, held controversial Tory views. [5] By March of 1777, Clark announced that he would cease preaching; such an action was easier to swallow than eliminating prayers for the king. [8] [7] Two months later, he was charged by the Board of Selectmen in Dedham of being a traitor to the American Revolution. [17] [5]
After being denied bail, he was brought to Boston to stand before a military tribunal. [18] [19] He refused to pledge allegiance to the Commonwealth, and so was sent onto a prison ship for 10 weeks. [19] [20] In June 1778, Fisher Ames obtained a pass for him and Clark was allowed to leave America. [19] [21]
In 1791, the congregation regrouped and called William Montague away from Old North Church. [22] Montague received a salary of £100 sterling. [23] He remained in the Dedham church until 1818. [24] [lower-alpha 6]
Samuel B. Babcock served as rector in three buildings from 1834 to 1873. [11]
When Bishop Alexander Viets Griswold died in 1843, he was interred in Trinity Church on Summer Street in Boston. [25] In 1876, the bodies of Griswald and his family were removed to the churchyard outside St. Paul's. [25] Bishop Manton Eastburn is also buried outside the church. [25]
Poet Anne Sexton's funeral was held at the church. [26]
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts, from 1800 to 1899 saw growth and change come to the town. In fact, the town changed as much during the first few decades of the 19th century as it did in all of its previous history.
Allin Congregational Church is an historic United Church of Christ church in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was built in 1818 by conservative breakaway members of Dedham's First Church and Parish in the Greek Revival style.
Ensign Daniel Fisher (1618-1683) was a politician from Dedham, Massachusetts and Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Deputies.
Samuel Dexter was a minister from Dedham, Massachusetts. He ministered there from May 1724 to 1755.
John Endicott was an American politician from Dedham, Massachusetts. Endicott was born in Canton, Massachusetts on February 14, 1764, and lived on East Street in Dedham.
Eliphalet Pond (1704-1795) represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Great and General Court.
Nathaniel Ames was an American medical doctor, politician, and teacher. He represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Massachusetts Great and General Court.
Isaac Bullard represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Great and General Court. He was also town clerk for a total of three years, having first been elected in 1784. He was also elected five times as selectman, beginning in 1773. Bullard was the first treasurer of Norfolk County, serving from 1793 to 1808.
Ebenezer Fisher represented Dedham, Massachusetts in the Great and General Court. The Fisher School, now in Westwood, Massachusetts, was named in his honor. He served as selectman in 1785. He voted against the Norfolk and Bristol Turnpike as a member of the legislature in 1802. Fisher Ames was a driver for the road, and his brother Nathaniel believed his no vote made him a "traitor" motivated by "an ancient prejudice against the Old Parish," i.e. modern day Dedham.
Timothy Gay Jr. represented Dedham, Massachusetts, in the Great and General Court.
The history of Dedham, Massachusetts from 1700 to 1799 saw the town become one of the largest and most influential country towns in Massachusetts. As the population grew and residents moved to outlying areas of the town, battles for political power took place. Similar battles were taking place within the churches, as liberal and conservative factions bristled at paying for ministers with whom they had differences of theological opinion. New parishes and preciencts were formed, and eventually several new towns broke away.
Broad Oak also known as Broad Oaks, was an estate in Dedham, Massachusetts owned by Edward Richards and his family, and then later Ebenezer Burgess and his descendants. Today the name lives on as part of the Broad Oak Farm which is located on part of the original estate.
Rev. William Clark was an Anglican priest from Massachusetts.
William Montague was an Anglican cleric at Old North Church in Boston and St. Paul's in Dedham, Massachusetts.
The Norfolk County Courthouse served Norfolk County, Massachusetts from soon after its establishment in 1792 until 1827. It was replaced by a new Norfolk County Courthouse. In later years, the building was known as Temperance Hall.
Thomas Thatcher was the third minister of the West Church of Dedham, Massachusetts.
The Dedham Bank was a bank in Dedham, Massachusetts. It was located on the corner of High and Pearl Streets.
Temperance Hall was an assembly hall in Dedham, Massachusetts associated with the temperance movement. It previously served as the Norfolk County Courthouse.
This is a timeline of the history of the town of Dedham, Massachusetts.
Ebenezer Burgess was the minister of the Allin Congregational Church in Dedham, Massachusetts.
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