Unitarian Society (Fall River)

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The Unitarian Society

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The former Unitarian Society Church, destroyed by fire, 1983
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Location Fall River, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°42′22″N71°9′17″W / 41.70611°N 71.15472°W / 41.70611; -71.15472 Coordinates: 41°42′22″N71°9′17″W / 41.70611°N 71.15472°W / 41.70611; -71.15472
Built 1835
Architect Unknown
Architectural style Gothic Revival
NRHP reference #

82004958

[1]
Added to NRHP May 13, 1982
The new church Unitarian New FR.jpg
The new church

The Unitarian Society was an historic church building located at 309 North Main Street in Fall River, Massachusetts.

Fall River, Massachusetts City in Massachusetts, United States

Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River is located approximately 53 miles (85 km) south of Boston, 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, 20 miles (32 km) south of Taunton, 12 miles (19 km) west of New Bedford, 20 miles (32 km) north of Newport, Rhode Island, and 200 miles (320 km) northeast of New York City. The City of Fall River's population was 87,103 at the 2010 census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.

Contents

History

The church was built in 1835 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The church was originally built at the corner of Second and Borden streets. In 1861, it was dismantled and rebuilt on North Main Street.

National Register of Historic Places federal list of historic sites in the United States

The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance. A property listed in the National Register, or located within a National Register Historic District, may qualify for tax incentives derived from the total value of expenses incurred preserving the property.

Samuel Longfellow was ordained and installed as minister of the church in February, 1848. His brother Henry Wadsworth Longfellow furnished the hymn [2] for the ceremony. Samuel Longfellow's ministry in Fall River lasted 3 years. [3]

Samuel Longfellow American clergyman

Samuel Longfellow (1819–1892) was an American clergyman and hymn writer.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow American poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator whose works include "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the Fireside Poets from New England.

The church was destroyed by fire on September 2, 1983. It was the oldest church in the city at the time. However, surviving the fire was a Paul Revere bell, one ornate stained glass window, two plaques, a pulpit, and the baptismal font. [4] A new church was later built at the same location, in a new style (see image below).

Paul Revere American silversmith

Paul Revere was an American silversmith, engraver, early industrialist, and Patriot in the American Revolution. He is best known for his midnight ride to alert the colonial militia in April 1775 to the approach of British forces before the battles of Lexington and Concord, as dramatized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" (1861).

See also

List of Registered Historic Places in Fall River, Massachusetts, which has been transferred from and is an integral part of National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol County, Massachusetts

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