Church_History

       In the year 1745, 73 persons began to gather a church
in Attleborough. Among them were the families of Joshua Everett,
Josiah Maxey, Elihu Daggett, Israel Hatch, Samuel Fisher,
Joseph Guild and John Sprague. The first meeting house was started
sometime before the outbreak of the Revolution. For many reasons,
completion of the building had to wait until 1784.

        The meeting house at North Attleboro had the bare
essentials of protection from the weather, clapboard exterior
and small windows, unpainted pews, with an open fireplace, a pulpit
and little else. A school was later built on the site. By the year
1815, the need for a new house of worship became imperative.
A house and lot were, bought form the Cotton Manf. Co for a
parsonage. The location was on the north side of what is now
Whiting Pond. The first lot west of the property at the corner of
Park St. Members cut timbers from their wood lots and brought stone
from their farms using their oxen to perform heavy tasks. An operator
of a foundry in Pawtucket, Abraham Wilkinson, gave a bell to the
meeting house.

        The site of the second meeting house was on “Baptist Common”.
a prominent piece of land between the north and south roads. Bay Road
(now lower Park St.) and the turnpike (now North Washington). Israel
Hatch donated the property across the street from his own house. The
common became a center of community life. Trees were planted, a flag pole
was erected and called the liberty pole during the Civil War. It was
located in a center of a platform which was used for band concerts and
public celebrations. Monuments to both WW I and WW II were erected on the
common. Sheds for horses and carriages were erected on West street. Inside,
the meeting house could be described like many others of the day. There was
an old pulpit from the 1880s that had a structure out to the side
forming a partial enclosure in which the minister could stand, behind a
sloping desk like top. The pews were no longer the huge square type
however, there were still hinged doors opening into the aisle. Members
of the congregation generally occupied the same place year after year
and many pews were provided with foot stools.

        In 1854,a change was made in order to accommodate the increased
congregation. The building was cut in two in the middle and the tower
was moved to the south 20 feet. The original roof had wooden shingles.
Five years after the building was enlarged and an organ was installed
in the south end of the gallery. The pipes were painted in soft tones
of blue, red and gold with a velvet like texture and the result was
greatly admired and the worked remained for 70 years until the organ was
moved to a new room built for it in back of the pulpit. In 1930 a new
organ replaced the original.

        Until 1871, a large part of the income for expenses of the church
was raised by rental of pews. There were 86 pews on the main floor. Four of
these and all in the gallery were free. In the 1770s through the 1850s,
pews were known by the family which sat in them every Sunday. Families
as large as 12 or so were common. In 1871 all pews were made free and the
system of voluntary annual offerings was adopted. Special collections were
taken for benevolences like the common fund for the needy or needs away
from home in mission fumds. Gas lights were installed in 1858 replacing
oil lanterns and candles.

        Later changes in the meeting house. In the alcove formed by
construction of new walls of the pulpit a platform was raised 4 steps
above the main floor and extended back to the original north wall. Within
a large panel that covered the wall at the rear of the alcove was painted
in beautiful lettering ..the Lords Prayer. In the 1900s a pale pink paint
was used to cover over the wall. In the early years Baptism was either
performed at the Sheldonville church or on the banks of Whiting’s Pond.
In 1982 it was decided to build an addition on to the north wall of the
building with a basement in which a steam boiler and heater for a baptistry
could be located. The three mahogany chairs on the platform were put there
during the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Wheeler. Dec. 1888. Previously the
minister’s seat was a long sofa covered with shiny black haircloth, placed
centrally on the platform.

        Sunday School was established in the 1880s with the creation of a
modern library and selection of books for all ages.

        Partial destruction of the church occurred on December 23, 1951 when
a fire broke out in the sanctuary. A Christian Ed. wing was built in 1951
after the fire.