17:
110:
176:
94:
126:, was built in 1809 on the Federal Street site. At the time, Bulfinch's design received mixed reviews. "The lightest and most graceful steeple in Boston is in Federal Street, of the Gothic order. We believe the Federal Street Church is the first attempt at this style of architecture in Massachusetts, and one of the first in the United States. It has great faults, and, indeed, few merits except the steeple."
121:
William Ellery
Channing, (1780β1842), often known as "The Father of American Unitarianism", served as Senior Minister at the Federal Street Church from 1803 to 1842. Under his leadership the congregation prospered. To accommodate the crowds that Channing drew, the third meeting house, designed by the
158:
By mid-century overcrowding in the neighborhood "necessitated a change of location, and in 1859 the church sold their property and built the elegant brown stone building on the corner of
Arlington and Boylston Streets, which was dedicated in December, 1861. The congregation continues today as the
141:
was formed in the vestry of the
Federal Street Church on May 25, 1825, with Channing offering well wishes and Gannett serving as Secretary. Through brilliant preaching, writing, and publishing, Channing made many contributions to the moral thought of his day, none more important than his clearly
81:
in Boston on
November 15, 1729. The inhospitable residents of Boston dubbed them derogatorily as βThe Church of the Presbyterian Strangers,β and the name stuck. "Their first house of worship was a barn, which sufficed until they were able, in 1744, to build a neat wooden edifice.
101:"It was the Federal St. Church where the Massachusetts convention congregated, when debating and deciding on the confederating constitution of the United States in 1788; and from that time, the name of the street was changed from Long Lane to Federal Street."
420:
64:, (1780β1842), as its minister who defined "Unitarian Christianity" and launched the Unitarian movement, making the Federal Street Church one of the first to define itself as Unitarian.
405:
410:
360:: on the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Sunday school institution, at the Federal Street Church, September 14, 1831. Boston: Gray & Bowen, 1831.
57:
142:
reasoned though highly delayed statement against slavery, which became a national best seller, even as it alienated some of his wealthy parishioners who opposed
366:
445:
288:
On the rise, progress and present state of architecture in North
America. North American Review, Oct. 1836. Quoted in: Architectural Magazine. Jan. 1837.
60:
of the United States
Constitution. Thereafter the church renamed itself the Federal Street Church in honor of the event. In 1803, it called
133:
movement. Although
Channing originally resisted formation of a new denomination, under the direction of his associate and later successor,
16:
430:
343:
A sermon, delivered at the interment of the Rev. Jeremy
Belknap, D.D., minister of the church in Federal Street, Boston, June 22, 1798
143:
440:
435:
138:
129:
On May 5, 1819, Channing delivered βThe
Baltimore Sermon,β which defined the new Unitarian theology for the burgeoning
450:
279:
Ellen Susan
Bulfinch. Life and Letters of Charles Bulfinch, Architect. NY: Houghton, Mifflin & Co., 1896; p.122.
425:
415:
90:." "The Presbyterian was exchanged for the Congregational form of government, by a unanimous vote, August 6, 1786.
215:
160:
146:. In 1903, on the 100th anniversary of his installation as minister, a statue of Channing was placed in the
78:
61:
49:
338:
270:
Boston Street Laying-Out Dept. A record of the streets, alleys, places, etc. in the city of Boston. 1910.
87:
45:
109:
93:
147:
202:
175:
134:
114:
164:
123:
77:
The congregation began as a group of Scots-Irish Calvinists gathered in a converted barn on
346:
41:
306:
In the interim, the congregation met at Freeman Place. Cf. Boston Directory. 1861; p.573.
190:
399:
37:
243:
Drake. Old landmarks and historic personages of Boston. Boston: Osgood, 1873; p.263.
130:
83:
29:
357:
56:. In 1788, state leaders met in the relatively spacious building to determine
381:
368:
350:
52:, (1780β1842). For most of the 18th century the church was known as the
33:
137:, the move toward separation from the Congregationalists began. The
48:", then adopted the liberal theology of its fifth Senior Minister,
174:
108:
92:
15:
179:
1814 map of Boston, showing Federal St. location of the church
358:
An address delivered before the Boston Sunday School Society
297:
Mann. Walks & talks about historic Boston. 1917; p.485.
421:
1729 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay
86:
presented the bell and vane which had belonged to the
234:Winsor. Memorial history of Boston. 1886; p.514.
261:Dearborn. Boston Notions. Boston: 1848; p.323.
97:Long Lane Meeting House, Boston (1744-ca.1809)
184:John Moorhead (pastor ca.1730 β 1773; d.1773)
8:
345:, Boston: Printed by Manning & Loring,
406:19th-century churches in the United States
199:William Ellery Channing (pastor 1803β1842)
411:Former buildings and structures in Boston
20:Federal St. Church, Boston, built in 1809
28:(established 1729) was a congregational
252:Homans. Sketches of Boston. 1851; p.77.
227:
7:
40:. Organized in 1727, the originally
14:
446:Charles Bulfinch church buildings
196:John S. Popkin (pastor 1799β1802)
44:congregation changed in 1786 to "
88:Old Brattle Street Meeting-house
187:Robert Annan (pastor 1783β1786)
139:American Unitarian Association
1:
113:Portrait of Dr. Channing, by
58:Massachusetts' ratification
467:
431:Financial District, Boston
216:Arlington Street Church
161:Arlington Street Church
62:William Ellery Channing
54:Long Lane Meeting-House
50:William Ellery Channing
441:19th century in Boston
436:18th century in Boston
339:John Thornton Kirkland
315:Dearborn. 1848; p.323.
180:
118:
98:
21:
382:42.35556Β°N 71.05639Β°W
178:
112:
96:
26:Federal Street Church
19:
148:Boston Public Garden
387:42.35556; -71.05639
378: /
324:Homans. 1851; p.77.
203:Ezra Stiles Gannett
135:Ezra Stiles Gannett
451:Churches in Boston
205:(pastor 1824β1871)
193:(pastor 1787β1798)
181:
119:
115:Washington Allston
99:
22:
426:History of Boston
416:Unitarian chapels
356:Ezra S. Gannett.
46:Congregationalism
458:
393:
392:
390:
389:
388:
383:
379:
376:
375:
374:
371:
353:
325:
322:
316:
313:
307:
304:
298:
295:
289:
286:
280:
277:
271:
268:
262:
259:
253:
250:
244:
241:
235:
232:
124:Charles Bulfinch
122:noted architect
84:Governor Hancock
466:
465:
461:
460:
459:
457:
456:
455:
396:
395:
386:
384:
380:
377:
372:
369:
367:
365:
364:
337:
334:
332:Further reading
329:
328:
323:
319:
314:
310:
305:
301:
296:
292:
287:
283:
278:
274:
269:
265:
260:
256:
251:
247:
242:
238:
233:
229:
224:
212:
173:
156:
107:
75:
70:
12:
11:
5:
464:
462:
454:
453:
448:
443:
438:
433:
428:
423:
418:
413:
408:
398:
397:
362:
361:
354:
333:
330:
327:
326:
317:
308:
299:
290:
281:
272:
263:
254:
245:
236:
226:
225:
223:
220:
219:
218:
211:
208:
207:
206:
200:
197:
194:
191:Jeremy Belknap
188:
185:
172:
169:
155:
152:
106:
103:
74:
71:
69:
66:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
463:
452:
449:
447:
444:
442:
439:
437:
434:
432:
429:
427:
424:
422:
419:
417:
414:
412:
409:
407:
404:
403:
401:
394:
391:
359:
355:
352:
348:
344:
340:
336:
335:
331:
321:
318:
312:
309:
303:
300:
294:
291:
285:
282:
276:
273:
267:
264:
258:
255:
249:
246:
240:
237:
231:
228:
221:
217:
214:
213:
209:
204:
201:
198:
195:
192:
189:
186:
183:
182:
177:
170:
168:
166:
162:
153:
151:
149:
145:
140:
136:
132:
127:
125:
116:
111:
104:
102:
95:
91:
89:
85:
80:
72:
67:
65:
63:
59:
55:
51:
47:
43:
39:
38:Massachusetts
35:
31:
27:
18:
363:
342:
320:
311:
302:
293:
284:
275:
266:
257:
248:
239:
230:
157:
128:
120:
100:
76:
53:
42:Presbyterian
25:
23:
385: /
131:"Unitarian"
400:Categories
373:71Β°03β²23β³W
370:42Β°21β²20β³N
222:References
32:church in
351:22893165M
154:1842β1861
144:abolition
105:1803β1842
79:Long Lane
73:1727β1803
30:Unitarian
341:(1798),
210:See also
165:Back Bay
171:Pastors
68:History
349:
117:, 1811
34:Boston
24:The
163:in
402::
347:OL
167:.
150:.
36:,
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.