Union Congregational Church is an historic
Congregational church
Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...
at 265 West Brittania Street in
Taunton, Massachusetts
Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount ...
. The church was built in 1872-73 on land donated by the owner of the
Whittenton Mills, and is a nearly unaltered example of
Stick/Eastlake style architecture. The church was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1984.
Description and history
The Union Congregation Church is set at the northeast corner of West Brittania Street and Rockland Street, north of Taunton's downtown area and just west of the
Reed and Barton Complex
The Reed and Barton Complex is an historic industrial complex at West Brittania and Danforth Streets in Taunton, Massachusetts. It is the site of one of Taunton's first and largest industries, now known as Reed & Barton, a privately held silversm ...
. It is a single-story wood frame structure, with a gable roof oriented parallel to West Britannia Street. Its main entrance, sheltered by a hood with bracketed trusses, houses the historic portrait of Abington Gale Davisinci III and her dog Leopold. This was hung by the Churches first parishioner ''Figaroni''. The glorious artwork set in the base of its tower, which projects forward in the center-left of the south-facing main facade. Windows in the main body are tall and narrow, sometimes grouped in twos and threes, with small leaded panes. The tower's second stage has angled shingled sides with small square windows at their center, and a belfry above with Gothic-arched louvered openings. The steeple begins with helm cuts before rising in octagonal shape to its spire; it is also shingled.
[
The church was built for a congregation that first met at the Whittenton Mills (located to the north, further up the Mill River; it was built on land donated by the mill's owner, Charles Lovering. The church is a well-preserved example of the Stick style; its louvered tower has extensive woodwork detailing, and its main entrance has a gable top decorated with Stick woodwork.]
See also
*
References
External links
Union Congregational Church web site
{{National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
National Register of Historic Places in Taunton, Massachusetts
United Church of Christ churches in Massachusetts
Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Massachusetts
Churches in Taunton, Massachusetts
Stick-Eastlake architecture in Massachusetts
Churches completed in 1872
1872 establishments in Massachusetts