Churches

Town Center, Ashfield, Massachusetts

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The town center in Ashfield, around 1891. Image from Picturesque Franklin (1891).

The scene in 2024:

These two photos show the town center of Ashfield, looking east on Main Street from the corner of Norton Hill Road. In the center of both photos is the town hall, which was formerly the congregational church. It is one of the most architecturally significant early 19th century meetinghouses in Western Massachusetts, with a distinctive ornate steeple, as shown in the top photo. The top of this steeple has been temporarily removed for restoration work, which is why it is missing in the bottom photo.

The meetinghouse was originally built about a half mile south of here on Norton Hill Road, adjacent to the Hill Cemetery. Construction began in 1812, with Colonel John Ames of nearby Buckland as the contractor and presumed architect. Ames had built several other churches prior to this one, including ones in Marlborough and Northborough. However, he did not live to see this one completed, because he committed suicide on September 4, 1813. According to the 1910 book History of the Town of Ashfield, Franklin County, Massachusetts, “the contractor, broken in health by hard labor, heavy responsibility and fear of loss, committed suicide by cutting his throat with a chisel in the back part of what is now the cemetery on the hill.”

The building was eventually completed in 1814, and it stood on its original location until 1856, when it was moved down the hill to its current location on Main Street. The church hired a Mr. Tubbs of Springfield to move the building at a cost of $700. However, this ended up being a challenging task, as described in History of the Town of Ashfield:

The contract with Mr. Tubbs was made about April 1st, but as it was a late spring that year the moving could not begin until May 15. As the house was built facing the east it could be started straight ahead. It proved to be a much heavier building than Mr. Tubbs had supposed, and his apparatus broke several times and had to be replaced. At no time could it be moved without raising up the back end so that the whole house would pitch forward. The house was taken straight across the old road south of John Sears’ bam and into the road again at the turn. As anyone can see, it would take a large amount of blocking here to get the house across the hollow, and the moving committee had to hustle around for more. Here Mr. Tubbs struck and said he would go no further with it unless the committee would furnish a team to move the blocking. This, they had not agreed to do but they finally bought a pair of oxen, Mr. Tubbs agreeing to furnish the driver. The oxen were kept in Mr. Moses Cook’s pasture which then came to the road and included what is now Charles Bassett’s mowing lot. In going down the hill it was found necessary to hitch on a big boat load of stone to keep it from going on too fast. When it had arrived at the place where it was to stand, the contractor was going to leave it on the blocking pitched down hill, and the committee had to give him $80 more to put it on the foundation. People now living who saw the moving think the building inclined three or four degrees from the perpendicular, and was very noticeable.

Here at its new location, the building continued to be used as a church until 1870, when the First Congregational and Second Congregational churches merged and moved into a newer church building across the street. The older building was then sold to the town of Ashfield, and it became the town hall. Over the course of the 19th century, the town made a series of improvements and repairs to the building to make it functional as a town hall, including repairing lightning damage after the front of the building was struck in 1897.

Aside from the town hall, there are two other buildings visible in the top photo. Immediately to the right of the town hall is a Greek Revival style home, which was built in the first half of the 19th century. According to the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System (MACRIS) documentation for this house, it was the home of the Knowlton family by the 1850s, and was later owned by Archibald Flower. During the early 20th century, the artist William Curtis lived here, and by 1927 it was the Georgianna Inn, which was run by Georgianna Corbett. The house originally did not have a front porch, but one was added around the 1880s or early 1890s, as shown in the top photo.

Closest to the foreground, on the far right side of the scene, is another 19th century building. According to its MACRIS form, it was built around 1835 by Josephus Crafts as a general store. His brother Albert Crafts Sr. later took over the store, followed by Albert’s sons Albert Jr. and William, and it remained in the family for just under a century, until it was sold in 1934. As built, the store was one and a half stories, as shown in the top photo, but around 1894 it was significantly expanded with a full second floor.

Today, more than 130 years after the top photo was taken, all three buildings are still standing, notwithstanding the significant alterations to the store in the foreground. The historic meetinghouse remains in use as the town hall, although it is currently missing the top of its distinctive steeple due to repair work. There have also been some other changes in the area, including the fire station just beyond the town hall, but overall this scene is still very recognizable from the top photo.

First Church, Mount Washington, Massachusetts

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The First Church of Christ in Mount Washington, Massachusetts, at the corner of East Street and Cross Road around 1893. Image from Picturesque Berkshire (1893).

The scene in 2024:

Throughout its history, the town of Mount Washington has been one of the smallest communities in the state in terms of population. It is located in the midst of the Taconic Mountains in the southwestern corner of the state, with only a few roads leading out of the town. This isolation, combined with its mountainous terrain, limited development in the town, and it never grew much larger than a few hundred residents.

Unusual for Massachusetts communities is the fact that, for many years, the town lacked an organized church. Although settled by colonists around the 1750s, and incorporated as a town in 1779, Mount Washington would not have its own church building until 1869, when this Carpenter Gothic style building was built at the corner of East Street and Cross Road. This site is the de facto town center, since town hall is also located here. The current town hall building was constructed in 1855, and it stands in the distance beyond the church in both photos. Otherwise, though, the development here consists of houses that are scattered along the roads that radiate outward from here.

The church was dedicated on November 24, 1869. The following week’s Pittsfield Sun provided a short description of the event:

The new Union Evangelical Church at Mount Washington, just completed at a cost of $2700, by the efforts of the surrounding churches in the south part of the county, was dedicated on Wednesday of last week. The sermon was preached by Rev. Dr. Gale of Lee, and prayer offered by Rev. Mr. Phelps of Egremont. Nearly the entire population of the town were present, most of them coming in sleighs. The meeting house stands at the base of Taconic Dome, and is a gem among the mountains.

The town’s population stood at about 250 people at the time, and it would see some growth over the next few decades, eventually reaching over 400 by the time the top photo was taken in the early 1890s. However, the town’s population experienced a precipitous decline in the early 20th century. The lowest recorded population in Mount Washington was just 34 people, in both the 1950 and 1960 censuses. Since then, the population has grown, but it remains low compared to its 19th century figures, with 160 residents as of 2020.

Due to the lack of growth in the town, not much has changed in this scene since the top photo was taken more than 130 years ago. The church still stands, and it is home to an active congregation, and the town hall in the distance likewise remains in use.

Town Center, Montgomery, Massachusetts

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The town center on Main Road in Montgomery, Massachusetts, around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The scene in 2024:

Throughout its history, Montgomery has been one of the smallest towns in Hampden County, with a population that has never even reached 900 at any point. It is nestled in the hills to the northwest of Westfield, and it was first settled b European colonists around the 1760s, before becoming an incorporated town in 1780. Its population fluctuated during the 19th century, reaching as high as 740 by 1840, before plummeting to 393 a decade later. It steadily diminished in population over the next century, reaching as low as 141 in 1930 before seeing steady population growth during the second half of the 20th century. Nonetheless, the town remains small and rural, as shown in these two photos.

This site is usually referred to as the town center, mainly because it is the site of the meeting house and the town hall. However, this was never a true village or population center, as historically the town’s development consisted primarily of farms that were scattered across the landscape. But, because this spot is near the geographic center of the town, it was a logical place to gather for church services and town meetings

The town center consists of three Greek Revival-style buildings, as shown in the top photo. On the right side is the Montgomery Community Church, which appears to have been built in 1848 on the site of an earlier 1797 meeting house. The property had been owned by the town until 1848, when a new town hall was built immediately to the west of it, as shown in the distance to the left of the church in the top photo. The old meeting house was then sold to the town’s Congregational church, which subsequently built the current Greek Revival structure. A year later, in 1849, the town’s Methodist society constructed their own church building across the street, as shown on the left side of the scene.

Despite this late 1840s construction boom here in the town center, the town’s population was by this point on a downward trend. The 1850 census showed 393 inhabitants, and it would continue to decline for many decades afterwards. Both churches struggled to sustain themselves, with the Methodists only holding services in the summer and fall. The Congregational church eventually closed in the late 1860s, and the building was later used by a Second Adventist group.

By the time the top photo was taken around the early 1890s, the town’s population had dropped to under 300 residents. All three of the buildings from the 1840s were still standing here, and they were joined by a carriage shed, which was built around 1890 in the distant center of the scene.

Today, more than 130 years after the top photo was taken, not much has changed in this scene. The landscape is more forested, making it difficult to get the exact same angle as the top photo. The trees also hide the buildings on the right, but they are still standing, although their uses have changed over time. On the left side, the former Methodist church is now the town hall, and it has been expanded to include space for the town offices, library, and senior center. On the right side, the old town hall is now the historical society, and the former congregational church is now the Montgomery Community Church. The late 19th century carriage shed is also still standing, and collectively these buildings stand as a well-preserved example of a rural town center.

Church and Academy, West Granville, Massachusetts

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The Second Congregational Church and the West Granville Academy at the corner of Main Road and Beech Hill Road in Granville, around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The scene in 2024:

These two photos show the church and school in the village of West Granville. The town of Granville was incorporated in 1754, and it originally included the modern-day town of Tolland, which is located immediately to the west. Geographically, it is a large town, and even more so in the 18th century, when the combined area of modern Granville and Tolland was over 70 square miles. It was also one of the largest towns in Western Massachusetts in terms of population; during the first federal census in 1790, it had 1,979 residents, making it the seventh-largest town in the region, ranking higher than places like Springfield and Northampton. A decade later, the population had risen to 2,309, which was the third-highest in Western Massachusetts, behind only West Springfield and Springfield.

Because of the geographic size and population growth of the town, it soon led to the need for more than one meeting house. The original meeting house was located at the main village in the eastern part of the town, but in 1778 a second meeting house was built here in the western part of the town, as shown on the left side of these photos. At the time, it was known as the Middle Parish, because Tolland was at the time the western part of Granville, but it later came to be known as the West Parish after Tolland became a separate town.

The building is perhaps best known for its association with the Rev. Lemuel Haynes, the first ordained black minister in the United States. He was born in 1753 to a white mother and black father, and they were evidently unwilling or unable to raise him, because when he was five months old he was indentured to David Rose, a resident of Granville. Haynes grew up in the town, and he remained here after the end of his term of indenture at the age of 21. He went on to serve in the American Revolution, and he also developed a talent for preaching.

In 1780, Haynes was licensed to preach. Then, when the the church here at Middle Granville was formally organized in 1781, Haynes was invited to serve as the supply pastor, acting in an interim role in the absence of a permanent minister. He remained in this role for four years, until he was formally ordained in 1785. Newspaper accounts of the event indicate that his ordination occurred in Granville, but they do not specify which meeting house, although the event likely occurred here in this building. Haynes subsequently became the pastor of the church in Torrington, Connecticut, before moving to West Rutland, Vermont and then South Granville, New York, where he preached until his death in 1833.

In the meantime, the meeting house here in West Granville underwent some changes during the 19th century. According to the building’s MACRIS inventory form, the projecting front part of the building, with the three doorways, was probably added around 1837, while the Gothic-style details were added later in the 19th century. The Gothic style is evident in the four small spires atop the tower, along with the pilasters on the front corners of the building.

The smaller building just to the right of the meeting house is West Granville Academy, which was built in 1837. At the time, public high schools were rare, and instead many towns had private academies instead. Here at West Granville, tuition cost around $3.00 to $4.00 per term, plus $1.50 per week for board. The school attracted not only students from Granville, but also from other communities in the region. Among the teachers here was Russell H. Conwell from the town of Worthington. He taught here around 1863, and he later went on to become the founder and first president of Temple University. The academy closed later in the 19th century, as public high schools and larger private academies became more prevalent, and the building was subsequently acquired by the church for use as a parish hall.

The top photo was taken around the early 1890s, showing the view of the meeting house and academy building from the south. By this point Granville was, like most of the other rural hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, in the midst of many years of population decline. These towns generally followed a similar trend of rapid population growth in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, followed by a slow but steady decrease in population in the mid to late 19th century, as new generations of residents moved to industrial cities for greater opportunities, or moved westward to more productive farmland. After the separation of Tolland from Granville in 1810, Granville’s population reached as high as 1,649 residents in 1830. However, this number dropped to 1,061 by 1890, and would reach as low as 655 by 1920.

Granville would again see population growth in the post-World War II era, as widespread car ownership made it more practical to live in rural towns and commute to cities for work. However, with 1,538 residents as of 2020, the town is still smaller now than it was two centuries ago.

As a result, Granville retains much of its historic rural character, including the meeting house and old academy building here in West Granville. As shown in the bottom photo, both buildings are still standing. The academy is essentially unchanged on the exterior, while the meeting house has seen only minimal changes, primarily the removal of the Gothic pilasters on the corners, which were evidently taken down around the 1970s or 1980s. It stands as one of the oldest surviving church buildings in Western Massachusetts, and both the meeting house and the academy are part of the West Granville Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.

First Congregational Church, Blandford, Massachusetts

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The First Congregational Church on North Street in Blandford, Massachusetts, around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The scene in 2024:

These two photos show the First Congregational Church in Blandford. It was built in 1822, and it was designed by Isaac Damon, a prominent local architect who was responsible for designing a number of churches in the area, including similar ones in Springfield and in Southwick. The building here in Blandford is characteristic of his style, which featured a mix of late Federal and early Greek Revival features.

The building replaced an earlier meeting house, which had been slowly constructed over a span of 65 years. Work had begin in 1740, around the time that the town was settled by Scots-Irish colonists, and it was used throughout the 18th century, although it was not finally completed until 1805, less than 20 years before it was replaced by the present-day building. The need for a new building may have been in part due to the significant increase in population in Blandford by the early 19th century. From a population of 406 in 1765, the town had grown to 1,778 by the 1800 census. The population would fluctuate in the subsequent censuses, but it remained above 1,500 people throughout the early 19th century.

However, as was the case throughout the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, the population declined precipitously in the second half of the 19th century, eventually dropping to under 900 people by the time the top photo was taken in the 1890s. The church building underwent some changes during this time, including a renovation in 1866. This work was primarily on the interior, but it also included some exterior work, such as reducing the size of the second-story windows. At some point during the late 19th century a chapel was added to the rear of the building, but it was removed in 1937.

Today, more than 130 years after the top photo was taken, very little has changed in this scene, aside from the house behind the church. The exterior of the church has remained mostly unaltered, and the interior is also well preserved. It is no longer actively used for church services, but it is owned by the Blandford Historical Society and used as a venue for weddings and other events. It stands as perhaps the most distinctive landmark in the town, and it is one of the most architecturally significant early 19th century church buildings in Western Massachusetts.

Chester Center, Chester, Massachusetts

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The original town center of Chester, Massachusetts, seen looking south on modern-day Skyline Trail from the corner of Bromley Road around 1892. Image from Picturesque Hampden (1892).

The scene in 2024:

These two photos show the old town center of Chester, which was incorporated in 1765 and was originally named Murrayfield. Located in the far northwestern corner of Hampden County, Chester is one of the many hilltowns in the uplands region between the Connecticut River valley to the east and the Housatonic River valley to the west. Two of the branches of the Westfield River flow through Chester, with the West Branch in the western part of the town and the Middle Branch in the eastern section. The branches flow through narrow valleys, and in between them is a plateau of rolling hills.

It was this plateau that initially drew colonial settlers to Chester. The river valleys provided only a limited amount of potential farmland, but the hills were suitable for agriculture, particularly for raising livestock. As a result, the late 18th century development in the town was concentrated around this area on modern-day Skyline Trail, with this spot becoming the town center.

One of the first houses built here by colonists was the home of the town’s first pastor, the Reverend Aaron Bascom. Built in 1769, it is just out of view on the far right side of this scene, and it is still standing today, although it is vacant and badly deteriorated. The village here also included the town meetinghouse, along with a burial ground that is located in the distance on the left side of the road.

The population trends in Chester were consistent with what happened in many of the other hilltowns in this part of Western Massachusetts. It saw significant growth in the early 19th century, but subsequently declined in population as residents either moved west for better farmland or moved to industrial cities for greater opportunities. In Chester, the town’s population grew from 1,119 in 1790 to 1,542 in 1800, but it stagnated over the next few decades. The 1850 census marked the last time that the town ever recorded a population above 1,500, and since then it has generally fluctuated between about 1,000 and 1,400 residents.

Aside from the general decline in population during the mid-19th century, the town also saw changes in where people lived within the town. In 1841, the Western Railroad was built along the West Branch of the Westfield River. It passed through the southern and western parts of Chester, which helped to spur development in the river valley. This included the village of Chester Factories, which soon eclipsed the original town center here on what became known as Chester Hill.

The top photo was taken around 1892, showing the view looking south in the old town center. By this point the town’s population stood at about 1,300, and this was largely concentrated in the area around the railroad depot in the valley. Here on Chester Hill, the lack of population growth meant that things stayed essentially the same as they had been in the first half of the 19th century, with a handful of homes and other buildings clustered around the meeting house and burying ground.

The most prominent building in the top photo is the meetinghouse of the First Congregational Church. It was built in 1840, although it was constructed in part from timbers that had originally been used in the 1769 meetinghouse. It features a Greek Revival design, which was fashionable for church buildings of the period, and it was modeled after the meetinghouse in New Marlborough. As was often the case in small towns in Massachusetts at the time, it functioned as a house of worship but also as a space for town meetings, which were held in Chester Center through 1855, before the town meetings shifted to the settlement in the valley.

Across the street from the meetinghouse is the cemetery, with gravestones that date as far back as the 1760s. Next to the cemetery is the two-story district schoolhouse, which can be seen in the distance on the left side of the photo. It was built in 1796, and it was still in use as a school when the top photo was taken nearly a century later.

Aside from the meetinghouse and school, there are also two houses visible in the photo. On the far left side in the foreground is the Searle House, which was built in 1787 as the home of Zenas Searle. Across the street, on the far right side, is the Boies House, an elegant Federal-style house that was built in 1810 for the Rev. Bascom’s daughter Charlotte and her newlywed husband Dr. Anson Boies.

Today, more than 130 years after the top photo was taken, very little has changed in this scene, aside from the paved road in place of the dirt path. All four buildings are still standing with few alterations, and the village is a well-preserved example of a rural early 19th century town center. Along with the nearby Bascom House, these buildings are part of the Chester Center Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.