First Baptist Church of Haverhill, MA

Put together by Philip Jesionowski

FOREWARD

The question is often asked, “Why are there two organizations,

the Baptist Religious Society in Haverhill and The First Baptist Church and why is there a need for both?” To answer these questions we must revert to the situation, relative to the public worship of God, which existed in the towns of New England prior to the American Revolution. A member of the established parish was required by law

to pay his or her proportion of the money assessed or voted in the parish.

Thirty-eight persons, prominent men of the town, had formally applied for the use of the parish meeting house in which the Minister might preach “at such times as should not interfere with the public exercises of the Parish Minister.” The parish refused the request.

On January 1, 1765, the Baptist Religious Society of Haverhill, Massachusetts, a voluntary organization, held its first meeting. It was decided to organize a Society “in which the principles of religious and civil liberty should prevail, the Ordinances as instituted and appointed by the Lord Jesus Christ should be observed and the doctrines of the Bible be faithfully preached and urged upon the minds and hearts of the people.” February 4, 1765 is the first recorded date of the action of the new Society. The record is in the form of a subscription paper, whose preamble reads -”Whereas it is proposed by a number of well affected people in the Town of Haverhill and other Towns to build a convenient Baptist Meeting House for the people to meet in under its present difficult circumstances, to that end and purpose we promise to pay the sums affixed to our names.” Fifty-two names were affixed to the paper, subscribing $1,125.00.

It was decided to erect a Meeting House on land formerly called the Parsonage Lands, which included a section extending from White’s Corner (Main and Merrimack Streets) to Little River.

The First Baptist Church, as. such, was not organized until May 9, 1765 and found that the Society had anticipated its wants and was ready with cooperation and counsel to help in its work. The frame of the new building was raised June 5th and 6th on the lot in the westerly side of Pecker Street at its junction with Merrimack Street.

This site was also the location of two subsequent edifices.

The Society functioned as a voluntary organization until 1792.

In this year seventy members petitioned the General Court for the incorporation of the Society and accordingly the Society was incorporated under the name of the Baptist Religious Society in Haverhill and the act of incorporation was approved by Governor John Hancock on February 7, 1793. According to custom, many other religious societies were incorporated in the Commonwealth during subsequent years. It is interesting to note, that the Act provided that any person joining the Society “shall be held to pay his or her proportion of all monies assessed or voted in the established parish which he or she belonged previous to that time.” Considerable time elapsed after 1793 before the law, requiring support of the established church, was abolished.

Historical Facts: 1700’s

• First Baptist Church, Haverhill, organized May 9, 1765
• Frame of first meeting house was raised June 5-6, 1765 (Location)Whites Corner to Little river.

Rainy ( see pages 7- 8-9 Historical sketch for more info )

• Act of Incorporation signed by Gov. John Hancock February 18, 1793

Historical Facts: 1800’s

• 1817- Bible School founded.
• 1818 – Rev. George Keely served till he resigned in 1832.
• 1822 – A group broke off to form a sister church in East Haverhill known as the Second Baptist Church.
• Act to incorporate the Trustees of the Ministerial Fund of the Baptist Religious Society in Haverhill signed by Governor June 12, 1823
• 1828 – Salem Association formed (forerunner of the Merrimack River Association)
• October 2, 1832- Rev. Stephen P. Hill D.D. called to be pastor.
• Second Meeting House dedicated November 7, 1833

• Rev. Stephen P. Hill D.D.  He was not well and resigned in May 1834 after having preached his last sermon at the dedication of the second meetinghouse in 1833.
• 1835 – Rev. Edward N. Harris was called to serve but was never called “pastor” since some differences in thinking arose which later resulted in Rev. Harris joining the Universalist Society in Methuen.  There was apparently much internal dissension and slavery agitation at this time.
• 1836 – Rev. Arthur Savage Train D.D. served with much distinction until 1860.  A very prominent layman at this time was James H. Duncan whose family had been prominent in church affairs from the beginning.  This was a period of great revival and the church moved ahead to the benefit of all.
• Third Meeting House dedicated November 8, 1849 building was erected to the tune of $17,000.

• 1853  – Mrs. George Keely, James Duncan, and the church, contributed $100 each to the Tremont Temple which was in a critical period and since this time First Baptist Church has had one vote each year.
• 1859 – A Third Baptist Church was organized in Haverhill called the Portland Street Baptist Church.
• 1860 – Dr. Train resigned to become Professor of Pastoral Theology at Newton Theological Seminary.
• 1861 – Rev. Augustus H. Strong D.D. came from Rochester Seminary to which he later returned as its President after serving in several pastorates.  He resigned in 1865.  Around this time three Union Officers returned from the Civil War and again became active in church affairs.  Namely Capt. Samuel Duncan, Colonel Carlos F. Messer, and Major Luther Day who was the lst Commander of Post 47 G.A.R. Haverhill.
• 1866 , 1867- Rev. William Fitz was the pastor of the church.  He was the son of the first person baptized in the Merrimack River by Rev. Keely.  At this time a church was formed in Groveland but it did not survive very long.
• 1867 – The Merrimack River Association was formed and bound volumes of its business and the earlier Salem Assoc. have been preserved in the church library.
• 1869 – Rev. George Bosworth D.D. served till 1879 when he resigned to take the post of Secretary of the Mass. Baptist Convention.  He is quoted as saying “Churches cannot live by history alone.  We cannot live on our history unless it is duplicated.
• 1880- Rev. Henry C. Graves D.D. was called to help with the move to a new location.  Land was purchased on Main Street for $15,905; $31,161 was realized from the sale of the buildings on Merrimack Street and 375 people pledged $27,953.96 to get the new church started.  The building cost $62,183.37 which left a debt of ‘$20,000 The next few years were very busy with the Ladies Furnishing Fund Society providing the pulpit furnishings and the organ.
• 1882 – Four people from First Baptist Church served on their Building committee to get the  church erected.  Fourth and Present Meeting erected

• 1883 Fourth and Present Meeting.  House dedicated November 22
• 1889 – Mt. Washington Baptist Church was dedicated
• 1889 – Damage to City Hall so High School graduation was held here that year.  The Bell was also used at time as part of the fire alarm system.
• 1896 – Rev. Charles T. Morgan pastor till he resigned in 1905.  He inaugurated the Sunday Evening Service.  Several legacies and memorials have been given to the church and perhaps the most prominent were the rose windows given by Dr. and Mrs. Cheney in memory of their two children who died while traveling abroad.
• 1897 – Northeast window “Good Shepard” given in memory of Oscar D. Cheney, Bible School Superintendent.
• 1890 – 125th Anniversary with pastor Evarts writing the history of the church and John H. Davis writing the history of the Bible School.

Historical Facts: 1900’s

• 1955 Christian Education erected and dedicated.

• 1965 – 200^th anniversary celebration of the founding of the church, Placing of time capsule to be opened 2065- three hundredth anniversary.  Historical Pageant performed depicting church over the 200 years, Float created for the 325^th anniversary of the city of Haverhill, membership 1255, Sunday school 811 (200^th program of service).
• 1996 – stained glass from the original church repaired and placed in the sanctuary as a light box in the choir loft

Historical Facts: 2000’s

• 2000 – Community out reach corner lot
• 2001 – Installed new PA and speaker system, video projection the sanctuary.
• 2002 – Replaced heating system through out the church , replaced 55 windows in the Christian education building, (issues with contractor job performance leading to improper installation eventually resolved in 2003  and re surfaced wood work, and replaced rug in the sanctuary (issues with  improper dye coloring from manufacturing eventually resolved in 2003, full replacement of rug at no coat to the church) . Plagued with leaky roofs in both the sanctuary, fellowship hall and annex to the Christian education building leading to the eventual reconstruction of the annex roof.  Re-finished Church Library, new book cases, new furniture, painted. 

Some of the Churches planted, or sponsored

• 1768 North Berwick, Maine, Baptist Church
• 1792 Newton, N. H., Baptist Church
• 1770 Exeter, N. H., Baptist Church
• 1771 Chelmsford, Mass., First Baptist Church
• 1772 Brentwood Baptist Church, Epping.  N. H.
• 1785 Georgetown, Mass., Baptist Church
• 1815 Methuen, Mass., Baptist Church
• 1822 East Haverhill, Mass., Second Baptist Church
• 1832 Andover, Mass., Baptist Church
• 1836 Plaistow, N. H., Baptist Church
• 1859 Haverhill, Mass., Portland Street Baptist Church
• 1888 Haverhill, Mass., Mt. Washington Baptist Church

Ministers of the Church

• Rev. Hezekiah Smith                                      1765-1805

Friends President George Washington, Rev James Manning (Founder of Brown University) Collected Funds For college

• Rev. William Batchelder M.A                            1805-1818
• Rev. George Keely                                           1818-1832
• Rev. Stephen P. Hill, DD                                  1832-1834
• Rev. Edward N. Harris 1                                   1835-1836
• Rev. Arthur Savage Train, D.D.                        1836-1860
• Rev. Augustus H. Strong, D.D                           1861-1865
• Rev. William Fitz                                               1866-1867
• Rev. George W. Bosworth, D.D.                      1869-1879
• Rev. Henry C. Graves, D.D                              1880-1886
• Rev. William W. Evarts                                     1887-1895
• Rev. Charles T. Morgan.                                   1896-1905
• Rev. Fredrick B. Gruel , D.D                            1906-1913
• Rev. Edmund D. Webber D.D.                          1913-1923
• Rev. Clark T. Brownell , D.D.                           1924 -1941
• Rev. Fenwick T. Fowler.                                  1941-1946
• Rev. Clarence B. Gilbert                                   1946-1952
• Rev. Clifford C. Meeden D.D.                          1953-
• Rev. John Bartos                                                     -1982
• Rev. Howard Lawrence D.D                            1982-Present Day

Bibliography

Guild, Ruben A. (1885) Chaplin Smith and the Baptists

Archived Society Records, First Baptist Church Haverhill, Mass. 217 Main Street
Haverhill, Mass, 01830

Graves, Henry C. (1886, November 22). Historical Sketch of the Baptist Religious Society,

Haverhill, Mass.  Published by James Hale