JonDouglas
Senior Member
- Location
- New England
The 5th Meetinghouse: Below is a picture of the 1817 meeting house and church on Lancaster, MA, common. It was the town's 5th meeting house and was designed by noted architect Charles Bulfinch in 1816 and dedicated on January 1, 1817. The Bulfinch Meetinghouse is considered “an American architectural masterpiece” and is listed on the National Historic Register.
The history of this church and meetinghouse goes back to 1653 when, by law, a town could not be established without first having a church. The first minister was Rev. Joseph Rowlandson, whose wife, Mary, made history when she was abducted by Indians in 1675, ransomed 12 weeks later and wrote a book about the ordeal. Her book, The Sovereignty & Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, was published in Cambridge, Mass., in 1682 and became America's first best seller. John Hoar of Concord negotiated Mary’s release at the large , flat-topped granite ledge known as Redemption Rock, shown below.
![[IMG]](https://www.affiliatehouse.com/webimages/may14_2014_redemption-rock.jpg "[IMG]")
The history of this church and meetinghouse goes back to 1653 when, by law, a town could not be established without first having a church. The first minister was Rev. Joseph Rowlandson, whose wife, Mary, made history when she was abducted by Indians in 1675, ransomed 12 weeks later and wrote a book about the ordeal. Her book, The Sovereignty & Goodness of God, Together with the Faithfulness of His Promises Displayed: Being a Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, was published in Cambridge, Mass., in 1682 and became America's first best seller. John Hoar of Concord negotiated Mary’s release at the large , flat-topped granite ledge known as Redemption Rock, shown below.
