National Register of Historic Places

North Taunton Baptist Church

Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts
Listed
July 4, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84002188

About this property

North Taunton Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church located at 1940 Bay Street in Taunton, Massachusetts. The small Federal era church was constructed in 1837, in what was a still very rural part of Taunton containing mostly farmland. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The North Taunton Baptist Church is located on the southwest side of Bay Street, a major north–south road (dating to colonial times) that connects Taunton to points north. It is set between junctions with Crane Avenue North and Field Street. It is a single-story wood-frame structure, with a gable roof and clapboard siding. A two-stage square tower projects slightly from the front facade, rising through a tall first section to a cornice, above which is a belfry section with louvered Gothic-arched openings. An octagonal steeple topped by a weathervane completes the tower. The main entrance is set in a gabled-roofed vestibule projecting from the tower. Windows on the front and the sides are paired, with a tripartite Gothic-arched panel above each pair. The Baptist congregation in Taunton developed as early as 1747, as an informal gathering aligned with the Baptists in nearby Rehoboth. The group later held services in the North Taunton home of Jeremiah Bassett. In 1769, the congregation was formally organized. The church later moved to Weir Village, using a warehouse there for services until the North Taunton church was built in 1837. In 1819, a group split off to form the Winthrop Street Baptist Church near Taunton center. Then, in 1822, another split occurred within the church between the Calvinists, who founded their own church in Norton, and the Free Will Baptists, who settled in North Taunton. Thus, the North Taunton Baptist Church is often considered the "mother church" of Baptists in the Taunton area. National Register of Historic Places listings in Taunton, Massachusetts

Location

1940 Bay St.
Taunton, Bristol County, Massachusetts
41.91467, -71.09420

Categories

ARCHITECTURERELIGION
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Lincoln, Ambrose, Jr., House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hopewell Mills District
Listed
0.1 mi
Taunton State Hospital
Listed
0.3 mi
Hopewell School
Industrial
0.4 mi
Buildings at 80 and 88 W. Brittania St.
Industrial
0.4 mi

Questions about this property

When was North Taunton Baptist Church listed on the National Register?

North Taunton Baptist Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 4, 1984.

What type of historic resource is North Taunton Baptist Church?

North Taunton Baptist Church is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for North Taunton Baptist Church?

The period of significance for North Taunton Baptist Church is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near North Taunton Baptist Church?

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