USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, 1622-1918, vol 1 > Part 54
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The Unitarian Church of Medfield was established in 1651, with Rev. John Wilson as the settled minister. Mr. Wilson built his house where the town hall was afterward erected. For the first two or three years services were held in the homes of the settlers. In 1653 a meeting house was commenced, but it was not finished until three years later. It was a small building, with a thatched roof, and stood where the present Unitarian Church is now located. Rev. Joseph Baxter succeeded Mr. Wilson in 1697, and in 1706 the old meeting house was replaced by a new one, which served the society for eighty-three years. In 1827 several members of this church asked for and were granted letters of dismissal. They then formed an orthodox Congregational Church. In 1874 the church building was remodeled, at a cost of $6,000. Rev. Leonard Cushman was pastor of this church at the beginning of the year 1917.
Milton was incorporated as a town in 1662, but no regular church was organ- ized until April 24, 1678, though Robert Vose had deeded eight acres of land in 1664 "for a meeting house and other ministerial purposes," to a board of trustees. A meeting house was built in 1672 and Rev. Thomas Mighill, who had conducted services since 1660, closed his labors in the town and went to Scituate. Rev. Joseph Emerson had also preached at various times prior to the organization of the church and the erection of the meeting house. Rev. Sam- uel Mann (or Man), who was driven out of Wrentham by King Philip's war, acted as pastor for about two years, and in 1681 Rev. Peter Thacher was settled as minister. He continued as pastor for forty-six years.
On October 3, 1785, a town meeting voted to build a new meeting house, 52 by 66 feet. It was dedicated on New Year's day, 1788, and served the con- gregation for one hundred years or more. It was then practically rebuilt. Rev. Roderick Stebbins is the present pastor.
On Christmas day in 1711 the Town of Needham voted to build a house for public worship and appropriated eighty pounds for that purpose, "one-half to be paid in money and the other half in labor." The frame was raised in 1712, but the house was not finished until the following year. Services were held in it, however, before it was fully completed. On the night of October 17, 1773, the meeting house was destroyed by fire and a controversy immediately arose
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over the location of a new one. This resulted in the town being divided into two precincts. In the old parish a new house of worship was ready for use in the latter part of July, 1774, though it was not finished for some time after that date. It was taken down in 1835 and part of the timbers used in the construction of the present church edifice. In 1879 the building was removed to its present location. The present pastor is Rev. Arthur W. Littlefield.
The present Unitarian Church of Canton was organized as a Congregational Church on October 13, 1717, and Rev. Joseph Morse was then ordained as pastor. In 1727 he was succeeded by Rev. Samuel Dunbar, who remained with the church until his death on June 15, 1783, a period of almost fifty-six years. A small meeting house had been built before the church was organized in 1717, but it was replaced by a new one, which was dedicated on January 26, 1825. Rev. Bradley Gilman was pastor of this church in June, 1917.
On October 26, 1717, the First Unitarian Church of Brookline was organized with thirty-nine members by Rev. Ebenezer Thayer of the Roxbury Church. A meeting house was soon afterward built and on November 5, 1718, Rev. James Allen was installed as the first pastor. The present house of worship of this society is located on the corner of Walnut and Warren streets, with Rev. Abbot Peterson as pastor.
Cohasset was set off as the Second Parish of Hingham on November 21, 1717, and at the fist precinct meeting on August II, 1718, it was voted to raise twenty-five pounds for the support of a minister. The church was not fully organized until 1721, Rev. Nehemiah Hobart, "who had preached several times," being ordained as pastor on December 13, 1721, the day following the organiza- tion. A meeting house had been built by the residents about eight years before the church was established. A new house was erected in 1747. The present pastor of this church is Rev. William R. Cole.
What is now the Unitarian Church of Walpole was organized as a Congre- gational Church in 1724, and on March 30, 1725, the town meeting voted to erect "a suitable house for public worship." Pending the completion of the meeting house, services were held in the homes of some of the citizens. The first reg- ular settled minister was Rev. Joseph Belcher, who accepted a call on May 17, 1728. He was dismissed by vote of the town on May 5, 1729, and the following October Rev. Phillips Payson was ordained as his successor. He con- tinued as pastor until his death on January 22, 1778. In 1781 it was voted to build a new meeting house on the site of the old one. The new structure was completed in 1791 and Rev. George Morey came to the church as pastor. About 1839 the meeting house was removed to its present location and remodeled.
A new church was established in the western part of Dedham on June 4, 1735, and after a parish was incorporated on January 10, 1736, it took the name "The Clapboard Trees Church." On the day the church was organized Rev. Josiah Dwight was installed as pastor. A meeting house had been commenced before that time, but it was not finished until 1736. In 1808, when the division occurred over the location of a new meeting house, those that remained with the original church built the present house of worship, which was dedicated on March I, 1809. It is now known as the Westwood Unitarian Church, of which Rev. Alfred C. Nickerson is pastor.
The Unitarian Church of Sharon dates its beginning from the year 1740,
BAPTIST CHURCH. NEEDHAM
CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, NEEDHAM
UNITARIAN CHURCH, NEEDHAM
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
when the town was set off as the Second Precinct of Stoughton and the church was organized as a Congregational society. The first meeting house was com- menced the same year, but was not finished until 1744. Rev. Philip Curtis was the first regular pastor. A new meeting house was built in 1787. In 1821 part of the members withdrew and formed the Christian Society (Trinitarian), of which Rev. Joseph B. Felt was the first minister. At that time Rev. Samuel Brimblecom was pastor of the old precinct church, which had in the meantime adopted the Unitarian doctrine and is known as a Unitarian organization.
Dover was set off as the Fourth Parish of Dedham in 1748 and incorporated under the name of Springfield. On March 14, 1749, a precinct meeting voted to appropriate twenty-five pounds to pay for three months' preaching and a committee was appointed to procure a minister. It was also voted to build a meeting house 34 by 42 feet. The building was completed in due time and on March 20, 1754, a precinct meeting was held within its walls. Rev. Thomas Jones was the first minister, who preached thirteen Sundays in the spring of 1749. Probably because the twenty-five pounds voted for three months' preach- ing was exhausted, no further services were held until the year 1754, when the grand jury of Suffolk County warned the inhabitants to give reasons for this neglect. During the next six years services were irregularly held by various ministers. In 1762 the General Court admonished the people that they must settle a minister. Accordingly, on November 10, 1762, Rev. Benjamin Caryl was ordained as pastor. The meeting house was burned on January 20, 1839, and. the present house of worship was completed within the next eight months. Rev. Daniel M. Wilson was pastor in 1917.
In December, 1869, a few Unitarians living in the vicinity of Grantville engaged Rev. A. B. Vorse to conduct services and a tentative organization was formed. In 1871 Maugus Hall was purchased by the society and the organization of the church dates from that year. It is now known as the Wellesley Hills Unitarian Church.
There are several other Unitarian Churches in the county, the history of which the writer was unable to learn. The Wollaston Church was organized in 1888 and in 1917 the pastor was Rev. Carl G. Horst. Mr. Horst was also at that time the pastor of the Church of the Unity, which was organized at Randolph in 1889. The second Unitarian Society of Brookline was formed in 1896 and the church edifice on the corner of Sewell Avenue and Charles Street was soon afterward erected. Rev. Thomas Van Ness is the present pastor. All Souls Unitarian Church of Braintree was established in 1900. This society has a neat chapel on Elm Street, with Rev. Frank A. Powell as pastor.
THE UNIVERSALISTS
The oldest Universalist Church in Norfolk County is the one located at Stoughton. It was incorporated on August 10, 1744, as the orthodox Congrega- tional Church of the Third Precinct. On December 26, 1744, it was voted to built a meeting house, in which the first service was held on May 23, 1745. While it was under construction Rev. Thomas Jones preached for three months, and on January 5, 1746, Rev. Jedediah Adams was installed as pastor. He continued with the church until 1792, when Rev. Edward Richmond was ordained.
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On January 7, 1818, Rev. Ebenezer Gay was ordained as pastor and it was under his pastorate that the differences arose that finally resulted in a division of the church. He was a strict Calvinist and quite a number of the members soon grew dissatisfied with his teaching. The previous pastors-Adams and Rich- mond-had been rather liberal in their views, but with Mr. Gay there was no compromise. Samuel Bird, who leaned toward Universalism, was excommuni- cated. This did not improve the situation any, and on July 3, 1822, a formal separation took place. In the meantime a new house of worship had been built and dedicated on June 2, 1808. This building was left in the hands of the minority and Rev. Ephraim Randall served as pastor until the annual parish meeting in 1825. In 1826 it was voted to have eight months' Unitarian preach- ing and four months' Universalist. Rev. William L. Stearns, a Unitarian, was settled as pastor in October, 1827, and remained until dismissed by the society on December 13, 1830. At that time the church became a Universalist organi- zation, with Rev. Massena B. Ballou as pastor. The Unitarians then withdrew and started a society of their own, but it was not long until they returned to the church and accepted the Universalist doctrine. The church building was remodeled in 1848, and in 1870 it was practically rebuilt, at a cost of over eleven thousand dollars.
On January 26, 1819, the "Norfolk Universalist Society" was organized at the home of George Downs in Canton, with nearly one hundred members, from Canton, Stoughton, Sharon, Milton and Dedham. Meetings were held in Leavitt's Hall and the old town hall until 1848, when the first steps were taken for the erection of a meeting house. It was dedicated on February 3, 1849, when the name of the organization was changed to the "First Universalist Church of Canton." In June, 1917, the pastor of this society was Rev. Isabella Macduff.
The Norwood Universalist Church was incorporated in response to a petition dated October 8, 1827, and signed by Jeremiah Draper and thirteen others. It was at first known as the Universalist Church of the South Parish of Dedham. Services had been held prior to that time by Rev. Thomas Whittemore, Rev. T. B. Thayer, Rev. Hosea Ballou and others. Soon after the incorporation of the society steps were taken to erect a house of worship, which was dedicated on June 14, 1830. Rev. Alfred V. Bassett was then installed as the first regular pastor. On April 22, 1863, the old church building was sold to the Catholics and a new one was erected on the corner of Washington and Nahatan streets. It was completed in 1864, at a cost of over sixteen thousand dollars, and is still occupied by the society.
The First Universalist Church of Quincy was organized in 1832. A church building was erected soon afterward. This building was offered to the town in 1844 for a town hall, but the offer was declined. The present church is on the corner of Elm and Washington streets.
A Universalist society was organized in Braintree in 1833, chiefly through the efforts of Samuel V. Arnold, who gave the use of his hall for holding meet- ings. Upon the death of Mr. Arnold the society was disbanded.
In the early part of the year 1836 some of the citizens of Weymouth Landing grew somewhat restive under the teachings of the pastor of the Union Church, and on July 21, 1836, organized the First Universalist Society of Weymouth. Rev. Matthew H. Smith was engaged to preach on alternate Sundays in Wales'
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Hall. On September 13, 1839, the church edifice was dedicated, having just been completed at a cost of $6,400. Rev. Calvin Gardner conducted services in the new house for three Sundays, and in November, 1839, Rev. John S. Barry was installed as pastor. During the next ten years no fewer than six ministers were called to the pulpit, and for about two years during the Civil war no regular services were held.
The Second Universalist Society of South Weymouth began holding meet- ings in Columbian Hall in 1835 (during the controversy in the Second Congre- gational Church), with Rev. Sylvanus Cobb in charge. At that time there was 110 society and there was considerable opposition to the movement on the part of many of the people of South Weymouth. In 1848 the "Washington Cor- poration" was formed, out of which grew the Second Universalist Church, and in 1849 Rev. John Parker became the first regular pastor. The next year a house of worship was erected.
Universalist services were held in Foxboro in the latter '30s by visiting min- isters and a small society formed. In 1843 the Universalist Church, at the head of Bird street and facing the Common, was erected and Rev. Charles W. Mellen was installed as pastor. The church building originally had a spire, but it was blown away by a storm and was never replaced.
On November 19, 1853, the Third Universalist Society of North Weymouth was organized, though the first regular pastor, Rev. R. L. Killam, began his labors on April 1, 1855. The meetings were held on alternate Sundays in Har- monial Hall, Mr. Killam preaching at Scituate on the other Sundays. From 1859 to 1871 the society had no regular pastor, services being conducted by such ministers as could be procured from time to time. On April 1, 1871, Rev. G. W. Skinner, of Quincy, was installed and remained one year, when he was fol- lowed by Rev. G. W. Whitney. During his pastorate a meeting house was built. It was dedicated on January 16, 1873, and on the 28th of June following the society was reorganized with a membership of twenty-two.
The Universalist Church of Franklin was organized on October 4, 1856, under the name of "Grace Church." Meetings were at first held in the town hall. Dr. Oliver Dean gave a liberal donation to the new church and on May 5, 1858, a church building was dedicated. Its cost was about seven thousand dollars. In 1873 the present church edifice, directly in the rear of the first one, was dedicated. It is one of the finest churches in the county and cost $52,000. The first settled pastor was Rev. A. N. Adams, who was installed the day the first church building was dedicated. The Franklin Church is one of the strongest Universalist churches in the county. There is also a Universalist Church in Brookline.
MISCELLANEOUS
In Milton there are two Evangelical churches. The First Evangelical Society is an offshoot of the orthodox church established in 1678. It was organized in 1834 by Rev. Samuel Gile, pastor of the First Parish, who with a number of the members withdrew to form the new church. Rev. Albert K. Teele was pastor of this church for a quarter of a century.
The Second Evangelical Society was organized on November 9, 1843, at what
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was then known as "Railway Village," now East Milton. The first regular pastor of this organization was Rev. Edwin Leonard, who was installed on March 25, 1852.
The New Jerusalem Church of Brookline was established in 1852 by a few members of the Boston Society of the New Jerusalem who were residents of Brookline. Services were at first held in the town hall. A complete organization was effected in April, 1857, when Rev. T. B. Hayward was installed as pastor. In 1862 a temple was built at the corner of High and Irving streets. It is a neat Gothic structure, the walls of stone and the interior finish of oak. A parsonage was built in 1882.
One of the most attractive church edifices in the county is the Church of Our Saviour at Brookline, the parish of which was organized on February 19, 1868, by Amos Lawrence and a few others. The church building was erected by Amos A. and William B. Lawrence and presented to the parish as a memorial to their father. It is located at the corner of Carleton and Monmouth streets.
Along in the early '70s a few members of the New Jerusalem or Sweden- borgian Church began holding meetings in Franklin, at the house of J. A. Wood- ward, but there is no record of a society ever having been regularly organized.
In Quincy there are two Presbyterian churches. The First Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of Quincy and Water streets, was organized on November 19, 1884. Rev. C. E. Campbell was pastor of this church in June, 1917. The First United Presbyterian Church is located at Fort Square and is under the pastoral charge of Rev. J. H. Sankey.
The Pope Memorial Church at Cohasset was built in 1890 as a memorial to Charles L. Pope, who was one of the town's active and influential citizens in his day; there is a Jewish synagogue on Winthrop street in West Medway; in Quincy there is a Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church located on Granite street, with Rev. Leander Hokenson as the present pastor; and the Ponkapoag Chapel in Canton is under the pastoral charge of Rev. David W. Dunlap.
Within recent years the growth of the Christian Science Church has been almost remarkable. In several of the Norfolk County towns services have been conducted according to the doctrines of this denomination. On June 3, 1917, a handsome edifice of Quincy granite, with trimmings of Indiana limestone, was dedicated as the First Church of Christ. Scientist, of Quincy. It is located on Greenleaf street, is one of the most attractive church buildings in the county, and cost in the neighborhood of fifty thousand dollars.
In this chapter and the preceding one, the object has been to give in a general way the leading incidents in the religious development of the county. When it is remembered that there are more than one hundred and fifty church organizations in the county, many of them over two hundred years old, it will be seen that to go into a detailed history of each would require more space than a work of this nature could be expected to devote to the subject. It is possible that a few religious organizations have been omitted. This has not been done intentionally, but because not enough information concerning them could be obtained to give an intelligent account of their establishment and career.
CHAPTER L
FRATERNAL SOCIETIES, ETC.
MASONIC FRATERNITY-NORFOLK COUNTY MASONRY-THE HIGHER DEGREES-ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR-INDEPENDENT ORDER OF ODD FELLOWS-ODD FELLOW- SHIP IN NORFOLK COUNTY-ENCAMPMENTS-DAUGHTERS OF REBEKAH- KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS-NORFOLK COUNTY KNIGHTS-GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC-NORFOLK COUNTY POSTS-WOMEN'S RELIEF CORPS-MISCELLANEOUS SOCIETIES-SOCIAL AND LITERARY CLUBS.
In writing the history of any particular fraternal order for such a work as this, it is well to bear in mind that the members of the order can obtain a much better account of the local organizations from the lodge records, while those who are not members, are, as a rule, but little interested in the matter. The aim, therefore, in this chapter is to give a general history of each of the leading fraternal societies, with brief accounts of the Norfolk County lodges, rather that to go into an extended account of the lodges alone. This treatment of the subject, it is believed, will prove to be of more interest, both to the members of the order and to outsiders.
MASONIC FRATERNITY
There is no doubt that Freemasonry is first entitled to recognition, as being the oldest, most widely distributed, and probably the strongest of the fraternal organizations. Tradition carries the origin of the fraternity back to the Pytha- goreans, the Essenes, the Carmathites and similar organizations of ancient times. It is quite possible that certain features of the rituals of these ancient brother- hoods were incorporated into the ceremonies of the guilds of stonemasons and builders during the Middle Ages. That was the era of church and cathedral building, when members of these guilds traveled over Europe under the patronage of the church. They were invested with certain privileges not granted to masons who were not members, hence the term "Free Masons." Toward the close of the church-building period, members of these guilds banded themselves together into a society for friendly intercourse and mutual benefit, and it is practically established that this ancient fraternal society is the parent of modern Free- masonry.
The order is said to have been introduced into England about 930 A. D. by Athelstan. A few years later a convention of Masons at York adopted a code of laws, which it is claimed forms the basis of all later Masonic institutions. In 1275 a convention of the traveling guilds was held at Strassburg, and about a century later the members of the guilds were divided into three classes-
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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY
Apprentices, Craftsmen and Master Workmen. From England and Continental Europe the order found its way to Scotland, where the oldest known Masonic Lodge in the world is now to be found, viz .: Mother Kilwinning Lodge, the records of which date back to the year 1599.
Four lodges of English Masons sent delegates to a convention in London on June 24, 1717, at which time the English Grand Lodge was organized. At that time there was but one degree in the order, but in 1724 the English Grand Lodge adopted the classification of the guilds near the close of the Fourteenth Century and prepared a ritual including the degree of Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft and Master Mason. These three degrees constitute what is called the "Blue Lodge" of the present day.
On June 5, 1730, Daniel Coxe of Burlington, New Jersey, received a com- mission as "Provincial Grand Master of the Provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in America." The commission was issued by the Duke of Norfolk, then the English Grand Master. St. John's Lodge at Philadelphia was organized by Mr. Coxe in the fall of 1730, the first Masonic lodge to be organized in America. On April 30, 1733, Viscount Montague, then Grand Master of England, commissioned Maj. Henry Price of Boston "Provisional Grand Master of New England," and before the close of that year Major Price organized a lodge at Boston. This was the first Masonic lodge in New England organized under the authority of the English Grand Lodge. After the Revolu- tion, the Masonic lodges in America severed their connection with the English Grand Lodge and each state organized a grand lodge of its own.
NORFOLK COUNTY MASONRY
Rising Star Lodge, located at Stoughton, is the oldest Masonic lodge in Nor- folk County. It was instituted on December 10, 1799, with Peter Adams as the first worshipful master; Benjamin Capen, senior warden; Joseph Richards, junior warden; Abraham Capen, secretary. Paul Revere, who had joined the order some time previous, was present at the organization of this lodge. In March, 1810, the lodge was removed to Canton, thence to Sharon in 1814, and back to Stoughton in December, 1817. During the anti-Masonic excitement of 1830-32, Rising Star Lodge never missed a meeting. It now meets on the second Thursday of each month in regular session, special meetings being called as occasion requires.
Rural Lodge was organized in Randolph on June 8, 1801. William P. Whit- ing was the first worshipful master ; Jonathan Wales, Jr., senior warden; Thomas French, Jr., junior warden. In December, 1803, a petition to the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts was prepared, asking permission to remove the lodge to Quincy. The petition was granted and the lodge went to Quincy, where it is still in existence and holds regular meetings on the first Thursday evening of each month.
Constellation Lodge, located at Dedham, was organized first on March 18, 1802, with Dr. Nathaniel Ames as the first worshipful master. For a few years the lodge prospered and on June 24, 1829, a Masonic building, on the north side of Church Street near Norfolk Street, was dedicated. At that time the anti- Masonic sentiment was just beginning to develop throughout the country. As a
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