|
The Evangelical Congregational Church of Grafton, United Church of Christ, was first gathered on December 28, 1731. At that time, the meeting house stood on the center of the common. It was a plain two-story building, almost square, with only nine pews and benches along the back wall that were designated for the Hassanamisco Indians who had first lived there in one of Reverend John Eliot’s “praying towns.”
The first minister was Solomon Prentice, a recent graduate of Harvard, and a man of high ideals and deep spirituality. In 1740 he encountered the British evangelist, George Whitefield, and began to preach and evangelize in ways that were no longer acceptable to the congregation. Because some of his views were considered heretical and divisive, the church reluctantly voted to dismiss him.
The church was without a minister for three years. In June of 1750, they called Aaron Hutchinson, a stern Calvinist, an excellent scholar, and a dedicated teacher. He served the church for 22 years and was followed by Daniel Grosvenor, a Yale graduate. An ardent patriot, he joined the minutemen who marched to Cambridge on April 19, 1775. He was known as a fine conversationalist, and an animated preacher who avoided doctrinal preaching.
After fourteen years, however, he lost his preaching voice, and left Grafton.
For nine years the pulpit was empty. The congregation was led by church elders and deacons. Then, in 1796, John Miles was ordained as the fourth pastor. The number of people who attended his ordination service was so large that it had to be held outside. Reverend Miles was an ardent supporter of public schools, and devoted much of his time to teaching. But his liberal theological views frustrated some members, who wanted the church to adopt stricter theological requirements for membership. In 1825, after thirty years of ministry, Reverend Miles asked to be dismissed and he was replaced by the Reverend Moses Searle.
Reverend Searle was a Princeton graduate, remembered for his amiability. But times were changing. After the American Revolution, the congregational churches could no longer be supported by taxation of townspeople, so they developed a double-agency system: the Congregational Society, which had control over money and property, and the Congregational Church, “converted” members who had control over spiritual matters.
All over Massachusetts churches were dividing into Trinitarian and Unitarian factions. In Grafton, the Unitarian faction was represented by the Congregational Society, and the Trinitarian group by the Congregational Church. It was a politically agonizing process, setting townspeople against each other, splitting families in two, and leaving long-lasting hard feelings in its wake.
Things came to a head in Grafton when the church decided to build a new meetinghouse. The old one had stood for a hundred years, and the new Baptist church on the south side of the common with its fine white steeple was clearly attracting members. The congregation began to plan a new modern meetinghouse and the crux of the disagreement between the factions reached a boiling point over which group would have control of the new building.
On December 3, 1831, the Congregational Society of Grafton voted to dismiss Reverend Searle. Three months later, on March 7, 1832, the 202-member Church voted unanimously to withdraw from the Congregational Society and form the Evangelical Congregational Church.
For two years the church was without a building. As they raised money to build a new meetinghouse on the west side of the common, they met at Reverend Searle’s house, in an upstairs hall, in the dance hall of the Grafton Inn and in the basement of the new Baptist Church. On December 3, 1833, exactly two years after the Society dismissed Reverend Searle, the new Evangelical Congregational Church meetinghouse was dedicated.
In June, 1832. Reverend John Wilde was installed as pastor of the Evangelical Congregational Church. He was a scholar and a gentleman, well liked and respected. Seven years after his pastorate began, he resigned because of the poor health of his wife.
He was followed by Thomas Biscoe, a strong Calvinist and an emphatic and moving preacher. Under his thirty-year leadership, the church membership increased by 440 people. He was pastor during the Civil War, and known for his dignity and forceful personality. It was during Reverend Biscoe’s pastorate and in the wake of Frederick Douglass’s visit to Grafton, that the church debated the issue of the ethics of slavery. On April 9, 1843 and after extensive discussion, the members unanimously voted to declare slavery a sin. In the years following the congregation voted to donate money and support for the Massachusetts Abolitionist Society.
When Reverend Biscoe left, the Reverend John Windsor was installed. At this time there was a pleasant harmony between the minster and his people. Reverend Windsor was known as a dignified, cordial man, a practical preacher, who oriented his message toward an application of the gospel to daily life. He remained in Grafton for sixteen years.
In January 1884, the Society voted to buy the present parsonage on South Street for the sum of $3000.00. In the same year, Reverend Benjamin Robie was called as the new minister. The town population had diminished over the years, as the tanning factories moved away and it was during this time that the meetinghouse was renovated.
The interior was gutted and the side galleries were taken down. The pews and pulpit were replaced and memorial stained glass windows were installed. In 1887 an organ and console were built into the gallery at the back of the church. A kitchen was built in the vestry, along with Sunday school rooms and a parlor.
In 1925, the church interior was again redecorated and three years later the kitchen was remodeled. In 1929, the Reverend Roger Cleveland was called to become pastor, beginning a successful twenty-year ministry.
In September, 1938, a hurricane devastated New England. The steeple of the Evangelical Congregational Church was torn off, turned upside down and hurled through the roof like a giant dart. It pierced both the roof and floor of the sanctuary, stopping just inches short of the vestry floor. Though the nation was in the midst of the Great Depression, and money was scarce, the congregation quickly raised the funds to replace the steeple and it was repaired and rededicated in 1940.
The 1950s brought a time of rapid growth. Money was raised again and addition was made to the rear of the church. It included a spacious new kitchen, a fellowship room, a new Sunday school room, and a storage closet and hallway. The two large pillars supporting the sanctuary floor were removed from the vestry and replaced by steel girders in the ceiling. The restrooms were remodeled. A room was added for choir robing and music storage.
The original 1731 meetinghouse still stood next to the meetinghouse, where it had been moved in 1831. It had been made into a store, commonly known as “the Arcade.” It was purchased by the Church and the membership debated what should be done. Many believed that it should be remodeled in the interests of historic preservation. But money was tight and the contractors insisted that it had deteriorated beyond repair. With great reluctance, the congregation decided to raze the building and turn the space into a parking lot. Some of the wood from the building was salvaged and made into a cross which hangs on the wall behind the pulpit.
In 1994 Duane Brown was installed as our current pastor. In 2000, the congregation voted to renovate the building and, after considered discussion, decided to restore the building to its 1833 style. Extensive research was done to determine everything from the depth of the foundation, to the style of the steeple balustrades and the original shade of white paint for the exterior. With a grant from the Massachusetts Historical Society and the generous support of congregational members and friends, the building was proudly refurbished.
Our church history is an organic history, filled with stories of joy and sorrow, years of struggle and controversy. Debate has a long and proud tradition in Congregational churches. And so does unity. We are always in the midst of creating a new part of our history, even as we recognize and celebrate our past.
|
