North Taunton Baptist Church

North Taunton Baptist Church
Location Taunton, Massachusetts
Coordinates 41°54′52″N 71°5′41″W / 41.91444°N 71.09472°WCoordinates: 41°54′52″N 71°5′41″W / 41.91444°N 71.09472°W
Built 1837
Architectural style Federal
Governing body Private
MPS Taunton MRA
NRHP Reference #

84002188

[1]
Added to NRHP July 5, 1984

North Taunton Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church located at 1940 Bay Street in Taunton, Massachusetts. The small Federal era church was constructed in 1837, in what was a still very rural part of Taunton containing mostly farmland.[2]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.

History

The Baptist congregation in Taunton developed as early as 1747, as an informal gathering aligned with the Baptists in nearby Rehoboth. The group later held services in the North Taunton home of Jeremiah Bassett. In 1769, the congregation was formally organized. The church later moved to Weir Village, using a warehouse there for services until the North Taunton church was built in 1837.

In 1819, a group split off to form the Winthrop Street Baptist Church near Taunton center. Then, in 1822, another split occurred within the church between the Calvinists, who founded their own church in Norton, and the Free Will Baptists, who settled in North Taunton. Thus, the North Taunton Baptist Church is often considered the "mother church" of Baptists in the Taunton area.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15.
  2. ↑ http://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=TAU.428
  3. ↑ http://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=TAU.428