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Sacred Spaces of New England

Places that elicit contemplation, reflection and inspiration.

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Baptist

The First Baptist Church in America, Providence, Rhode Island

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Gathered by Roger Williams in 1638, The First Baptist Church in America is the first and longest running Baptist church congregation in the United States. The present home of the First Baptist Church is currently housed in its third building. Completed in 1775, the structure’s architectural style combines Georgian with the traditional New England meetinghouse style with its plain walls, clear glass windows, and dominant pulpit. The lack of religious symbols follows iconoclastic Baptist thought, which regard all symbols, even the cross, as icons and idols. It is the first Baptist meetinghouse to have a steeple and bell in an effort by eighteenth century Baptist advocates to bring greater respectability and recognition to their faith. Roger Williams, the founder of this church and a significant campaigner for religious freedom, was in-part responsible for Rhode Island being a unique haven for religious liberty in the seventeenth century.

75 North Main Street
Providence, RI 02903

Filed Under: Rhode Island Tagged With: Baptist, Church, Georgian, Meetinghouse

Thomaston Bapstist Church, Thomaston, Maine

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Founded in 1816, the Thomaston Baptist Church met for nearly twenty years at a temporary site until its current home in downtown Thomaston was constructed in 1837. Originally built in the Greek Revival style, the structure assimilated the styles of the time combining Gothic Revival and Victorian influences when it was fully renovated in 1879. Illuminating its bright, spartan interior, the stained glass windows were generously funded by a prominent local family during the renovation when funds fell short. In 1992, lightning tragically damaged the Church’s steeple. The altruism of the community once again emerged when money to replace the steeple was raised by all religious groups within Thomaston—upholding the philanthropic spirit of its community’s past.

112 Main Street,
Thomaston, ME 04861

Filed Under: Maine Tagged With: Baptist, Church, Gothic Revival, Greek Revival, Victorian

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