NoeFlandre/osm-polygon-wikidata-only huggingface dataset:
First Baptist Church (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

The First Baptist Church is a historic American Baptist church at Magazine and River Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts within Central Square. In 1817 the church congregation was founded in the home of James Hovey. In 1844 several members of First Baptist Church left to found nearby Old Cambridge Baptist Church. First Baptist Church's current Gothic building was constructed in 1881 to a design by Hartwell and Richardson. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Architecture The First Baptist Church is set just south of the main intersection at the heart of Central Square, on a roughly trapezoidal lot bounded by River Street, Green Street, Magazine Street, and Franklin Street. The church building is roughly L-shaped, with its front facing north toward the square. The long main section of the building houses the sanctuary, and the rear section, extending a short way to the west, houses a parish hall, offices and other facilities of the church. The church is a tall single-story brick structure, with sandstone trim and decorative detailing in terra cotta, and has Gothic Revival styling. It has a gabled slate roof with a clerestory section near the top of the gable, with the rear section having a cross-gable roof. The slate is mainly gray-green, with bands of red. A tower rises at the northeast corner of the building, rising to an open belfry with lancet-arch windows at the third stage. Clock face sections with gabled tops interrupt the steeple, which is eight-sided, finished in slate. The church is the third to be built by the Baptist congregation, which acquired the property in 1819. The first two churches, built in 1819 and 1866, were both destroyed by fire. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts References External links A brief history of the First Baptist Church in Cambridge: with the declaration of faith, the church covenant, and list of members (Printed by J. Ford & Son, 1870)
First Baptist Church (Framingham, Massachusetts)

The First Baptist Church is an historic Baptist church on 1013 Worcester Road (Massachusetts Route 9) in Framingham, Massachusetts. History The cornerstone of the First Baptist Church was laid in 1826. The first services were held on January 1, 1827 by the Rev. Charles Train. Originally an "open" basement for the horses to stay dry during worship services, the Sanctuary floor was raised around 1881 and the basement closed in. Around 1888 a 4-room addition was added on the west side (rear) of building along with a baptismal on the altar stage. With the exception of some major renovations around 1998 to make the building handicap accessible, the building remains much as it was the day it was built. The original box pews were replaced by curved padded pews in the late 1800s, however the original box pews still exist in the balcony. Also still intact, however sealed in from the Main Sanctuary, are the original Negro galleries which were closed off around 1849 In 1854 several members left with a "mothers blessing" to create the South Framingham Baptist Church in South Framingham. The name was changed to Park Street Baptist Church shortly thereafter. Major renovations were completed on the church in 1881. In 1998 due to dwindling membership in both congregations, the members of First Baptist Church and Park Street Baptist Church began worshipping together. In 2002 The members of Park Street Baptist Church officially rejoined First Baptist Church as one congregation now known as the First Baptist Church in Framingham. The church building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Framingham, Massachusetts List of places of worship in Framingham, Massachusetts External links First Baptist Church official website References
First Baptist Church (New Bedford, Massachusetts)

The First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church meeting house in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Greek Revival building was constructed in 1829, and has been a prominent landmark of the city ever since. Its tower appears on the city seal. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975, and included in the County Street Historic District in 1976. In 2015 the landmark was declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. In 1863 Major Henry M. Robert attended the annual general meeting at the First Baptist Church in New Bedford and on the spot was elected the chairman pro tem of the meeting. He was embarrassed because he knew nothing of how to run a meeting. It was that meeting that caused him to begin studying parliamentary law, which culminated in the publication of the first edition of his book, Robert's Rules of Order, in 1876. In 2012 the Waterfront Historic Area LeaguE (WHALE), a local historic preservation non-profit, undertook a feasibility study focused on restoring the church for use as a theater venue. That same year, a partnership between theater company Your Theatre and WHALE was formed and an agreement reached with the First Baptist congregation to move their operations into the building’s annex. Over the course of the next decade, WHALE, funded by a combination of grants, state historic tax credit, city funds and direct donations from organizations and individuals, would work to revitalize the building. In November of 2023 the First Baptist Church's doors reopened as the Steeple Playhouse. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in New Bedford, Massachusetts References
First Baptist Church (Stoneham, Massachusetts)

The First Baptist Church is a historic church building at 457 Main Street in Stoneham, Massachusetts, United States, housing an evangelical congregation. The church was built in 1892 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is one central Stoneham's three 19th-century churches, and is a fine local example of Queen Anne architecture. Description and history The First Baptist Church is set on the west side of Main Street (Massachusetts Route 28), at the northwest corner with Hancock Street, just south of the town's central business district. It is a large brick building with a roughly rectangular footprint running parallel to Main Street. The roof is gabled, with cross-gables facing Main Street, and a two-story tower projecting from the main block between them. The gable ends are finished in wood shingles. The tower is in three stages, with an entry at the first level, a tall belfry stage with paired round-arch windows, and a four-sided steeple at the top. The Baptist congregation was established in Stoneham in 1870, and met in a chapel on Common Street until this edifice was built in 1892 on the former estate of one of Stoneham's leading shoe manufacturers. The building is relatively little-altered since then; notably, its original slate roof has been replaced by asphalt shingles. Visiting information There are a variety of activities hosted at the church in addition to the Sunday morning worship service. Visitors are always welcome - Sunday service starts at 10 am during the summer, and 11 am during the rest of the year. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Stoneham, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts References External links Official website
First Baptist Church in Newton (Massachusetts)

The First Baptist Church in Newton was founded in 1788. Its historic building (built 1888) is located at 848 Beacon Street in the village of Newton Centre, in Newton, Massachusetts. On April 15, 1982, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Affiliations As an American Baptist Church, all decisions on church matters rest with its own members. First Baptist Church in Newton is affiliated with the American Baptist Churches USA and a member of The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts (TABCOM). It also belongs to the Alliance of Baptists and to AWAB, the Association of Welcoming and Affirming Baptists. History First Baptist Church in Newton was founded on July 5, 1780, on a site just west of the present building. The present building was constructed in 1888 in the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style pioneered by Henry Hobson Richardson. The church's architect was John Lyman Faxon. Famous minister Samuel Francis Smith, famous as the author of My Country, 'Tis of Thee (also known as America), was minister of the church from 1842 to 1854. The bell tower on the present building was given in his memory and was rededicated as the America bell tower in 1932. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Newton, Massachusetts References External links First Baptist Church in Newton website The American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts website
First Burial Ground (Woburn, Massachusetts)

The First Burial Ground or Park Street Burial Ground is a historic cemetery on Park Street near Centre Street in Woburn, Massachusetts. Established c. 1646, it is the city's first and oldest cemetery. It occupies a 1.4-acre (0.57 ha) parcel at the corner of Park and Centre Streets near Woburn Square. Most of the burials took place before 1794, and are marked by slate headstones. The last documented burial took place in 1903. In a manner typical of early colonial cemeteries, there is no formal circulation pattern, and graves are not laid out in any formal, organized manner. There are several prominent burials in the cemetery. Probably the most well-known individuals interred here are members of the Baldwin family. Loammi Baldwin, an American Revolutionary War veteran and early civil engineer, is buried here, as are three of his sons, Benjamin Franklin Baldwin, James Fowle Baldwin, and Loammi Baldwin Jr. Locally notable burials include two Woburn founders Edward Johnson and Thomas Carter, and four of its early ministers. Another prominent family monument is that of the Fowle family, an 8-foot (2.4 m) column topped by an urn. Some of the early grave markers were carved by Joseph Lamson, a noted Charlestown carver. Stones attributed to him include slate markers carved with a traditional winged-skull motif, where the skull features eyebrows, a unique characteristic of his work. Lamson and other members of his family are known to have carved many markers in the area throughout the 18th century. The cemetery was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The cemetery is currently locked and can only be opened on weekdays by calling the Woburn Cemetery Commission. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts References
First Church of Christ, Scientist (Cambridge, Massachusetts)

First Church of Christ, Scientist is an historic redbrick 6-story domed Christian Science church building located at 13 Waterhouse Street, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. History It was designed in 1917 by church member Giles M. Smith of the noted Boston architectural firm of Bigelow and Wadsworth (later Bigelow, Wadsworth, Hubbard and Smith), who patterned it after Thomas Jefferson's The Rotunda at the University of Virginia and the Pantheon in Rome. Due to cost constraints it was built in two phases between 1924 and 1930. The basement and ground floor levels topped by a belt course comprised the first phase, while the additional four stories and the massive dome comprised the second and final phase. The dome was designed and built by the noted Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company, which in 1898 had done the reconstruction of the dome in The Rotunda at UVA and the construction in 1906 of the dome of the Mother Church Extension in Boston. Guastavino used its patented tile arch system consisting of Akoustolith, a porous ceramic material resembling stone, on the interior, with limestone on the exterior. The tile was manufactured at its plant in nearby Woburn. In 1933 copper flashing was added to the exterior of the dome in order correct a leakage problem. An oculus provided light to the interior. The first services in the completed building were held on April 30, 1930, and after becoming debt free, it was dedicated on May 23, 1937. First Church of Christ, Scientist is still located in the building, and is still an active branch of the Christian Science Mother Church. References
First Church of Christ, Unitarian

The First Church of Christ, Unitarian, also known as First Church in Lancaster and colloquially as "the Bulfinch Meetinghouse", is a historic congregation with its meeting house located at 725 Main Street facing the Common in Lancaster, Massachusetts. The church's fifth meeting house, built in 1816, was designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977, recognizing it as one of Bulfinch's finest works. History First Church of Christ was "gathered in 1653 by the Puritans of Massachusetts Bay Colony." The town of Lancaster also dates from 1653. The current meeting house was built in 1816 of local brick and slate when Nathaniel Thayer was minister. On December 30, 1970, the meeting house was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark. Architectural historian G. E. Kidder Smith has called it "one of the great federal style churches in the country." In May 2010, the Church began a restoration of the meeting house cupola and facade supported by contributions from the Bulfinch Fund, a secular organization dedicated to restoring Bulfinch's works. Formerly a Congregational church, it is now Unitarian Universalist. Rev. Wil Darcangelo, M.Div, currently serves as its 18th called minister. Architecture The church is a rectangular structure with a projecting front section supporting a two-stage tower, and with an arcaded and pedimented portico at the very front. The portico consists of three high openings with round-arch tops, which frame three entry doors (the central one taller) behind. The arches are separated by pilasters, which rise to an entablature and a fully enclosed gable pediment. The pediment is lined by modillioned cornices, with plain brickwork in the tympanum. The sides of the portico are also arched and pilastered. The tower section, whose interior houses the vestibule area, rises the full width of the portico to the height of the gable peak, where there is a cornice line, above which rises the tower, flanked by carved wooden fan designs. The first stage of the tower is square, with clock faces adorning otherwise plain brick walls. Above a cornice is the second stage, a round section with a partially open belfry surrounded by twelve Ionic columns, which support an entablature and dentillated cornice. An attic section decorated with swag drapery rises above the belfry, and is topped by a round dome and weathervane. See also First Church of Christ (disambiguation) List of National Historic Landmarks in Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Worcester County, Massachusetts References Further reading William H. Pierson Jr., American Buildings and Their Architects: The Colonial and Neoclassical Styles (Garden City, New York: Doubleday, 1970), pp. 270ff. ISBN 0385081820 External links First Church of Christ Unitarian website National Historic Landmarks Program listing Bulfinch Fund website "Prim Grandeur, Elegant Geometries", John Wilmerding, The Wall Street Journal, 8 March 2013
First Church of Jamaica Plain

The First Church of Jamaica Plain is a historic church at 6 Eliot Street in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stone Gothic Revival church was designed in 1854 by the well known Boston architect, Nathaniel J. Bradlee, for a congregation which was established in 1769 as the Third Church of Roxbury. It is built out of ashlar granite, laid in courses without ornament. It has a square tower with Gothic arched windows at the second level, a clock face at the third, and Gothic louvered openings at the belfry, and a parapeted top. A Shingle style parish hall was added in 1889. This new addition was designed by Cabot, Everett & Mead. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988, and included in the Monument Square Historic District in 1990. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in southern Boston, Massachusetts First Church in Jamaica Plain, Unitarian Universalist References
First Church of Monson

The Congregational Church, or the First Church of Monson is a historic church located in Monson, Massachusetts that is currently affiliated with the United Church of Christ. History The church was first established in 1762. A second meeting house was built in 1803, and was replaced by the current structure in 1873. The older building apparently survived beyond its days as a church and was then used as an A&P store. The Reverend Jesse Ives was minister from 1773-1805. The church is currently affiliated with the United Church of Christ. It is home to an organ which is a sought-after instrument for many recitals. 2011 Tornado On June 1, 2011, an EF3 tornado severely damaged the church, toppling the steeple, and damaging buildings and trees in the adjacent area. See also Congregational Church References External links Official church website
First Congregational Church (Stoneham, Massachusetts)

The First Congregational Church is an historic church in Stoneham, Massachusetts, United States. Built in 1840, it is a fine local example of Greek Revival architecture, and is a landmark in the town center. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 13, 1984. The church is affiliated with the United Church of Christ; the current pastor is the Rev. Ken McGarry. Description and history Stoneham's First Congregational Church is set on the east side of Main Street (Massachusetts Route 28), just north of the town common, which is across Church Street. The main sanctuary is a rectangular wood-frame building, with a gable roof and a brick foundation. The front facade, facing west, is flushboarded, while the remaining sides are clapboarded. The main facade is divided into three bays by Doric pilasters, each bay having an entrance at the ground level with a window above. The pilasters support an entablature that extends around the sides of the building, with a fully pedimented gable end above. The pediment has a triangular window at its center. The tower rises from the ridge line near the front, with a plain square stage rising to a louvered belfry stage and an octagonal spire. Modern facilities are added to the rear of the building. The congregation was organized in 1729; this, its third sanctuary, was built in 1840 after the second one burned. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and was included as part of the Central Square Historic District in 1990. It is the meeting location of Boy Scout Troop 513 and the home of the First Church Stoneham Food Pantry and the Purpose School, a private pre-school that was formed in 1943. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Stoneham, Massachusetts National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts References External links First Congregational Church of Stoneham
Trinity Church (Waltham, Massachusetts)

The Trinity Church, formerly the First Congregational Church, is a historic church in Waltham, Massachusetts. The present church building, an architecturally distinctive blend of Romanesque and Georgian Revival styling, was built in 1870 for a congregation established in 1820. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. Architecture and history The church stands on the south side of Main Street (United States Route 20), one block west of Waltham's Central Square. It is separated from the street by lawn, and stands opposite the Francis Buttrick Library. Its main body is oriented north-south, with a gable roof, and a square tower rising at the northeast corner. The main entrance is set at the base of the main block in a segmented-arch opening, and is topped by a tall Palladian window with balcony. The tower corners are pilastered, and the tower includes a belfry stage with round-arch openings before rising to an octagonal spire. The interior is predominantly Georgian Revival in character, the result of extensive interior and exterior alterations in 1925. The building was built in 1870, and originally had Italianate styling, some of which is still evident in its round-arch windows and bracketed gable. First Congregational Church was founded in 1820 as a Trinitarian congregation called the Trinitarian Congregational Church, brought about in part by schism from the Second Religious Society, which chose Unitarianism. Its first church was located at Main and Heard Streets. Growth in the congregation prompted construction of this larger structure in 1870 to a design by Boston-based Thomas Silloway. The schism between the two congregations was healed in 1906, and they were reunited as the First Congregational Church. The church was damaged by fire in 1925, while undergoing the renovations that added its Georgian features. It became a member of the United Church of Christ when that body was formed in 1955, but withdrew in 2006 when the congregation "voted to establish itself as an independent, trans-denominational congregation," and changed its name to Trinity Church. Rev. J. Howard Cepelak served as a pastor for 20 years from 1992 to 2012. Closure and sale to New Light In December of 2014 First Congregational Church closed its doors. Rev. Allen J. Batchelder. was presiding over the church during the closure. The congregation chose to sell the building to New Light Korean Church a Presbyterian Church. The sale was for $100 along with transfer of related accounts to fund building upkeep and outreach with a deed restriction that the building continue to be used as a Christian house of worship. New Light had been leasing space from First Congregational Church for several years. New Light provides Korean language worship to its community. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Waltham, Massachusetts References External links Official website
First Church of Woburn

The First Church of Woburn, formerly the First Congregational Church in Woburn, is a historic nondenominational Christian church at 322 Main Street in Woburn, Massachusetts. The congregation, established in 1642, is one of the oldest in the United States, and its church building (the sixth for the congregation) is a local landmark. The Italianate-style church was built in 1860, and its 196-foot (60 m) steeple is believed to be the tallest wooden steeple in North America. The church is home to a historic E. & G. G. Hook pipe organ, dating to the time of the church's construction. The church building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992. The congregation was originally Puritan, as were all acknowledged churches in Massachusetts at the time, and was later affiliated with the United Church of Christ in the early 20th century until resigning the denomination in the late 1980s. It is now declared nondenominational in the evangelical tradition but did not drop the Congregational designation from its name until 2018. See also National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Massachusetts References External links Official web site