South Church, Andover, Massachusetts

The South Church is a Protestant Christian place of worship located in Andover, Massachusetts. It was organized as the Second Church of Andover in 1711 with Rev. Samuel Phillips as its first pastor. It is currently part of the United Church of Christ.

South Church
Photograph of the South Church c. 1920
42°39′11.97″N 71°8′35.28″W
Location41 Central Street
Andover, Massachusetts
CountryUnited States
DenominationUnited Church of Christ
Previous denominationCongregational
Membership>700 (2007)
WebsiteOfficial website
History
StatusChurch
FoundedOctober 17, 1711 (1711-10-17)
Founder(s)General Court of Andover, Massachusetts
EventsConstruction of meeting houses:
First: 1709
Second: 1734
Third: 1788
Fourth: 1860
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)John Stevens
StyleRomanesque Revival
Groundbreaking1860
CompletedJanuary 2, 1861
Construction cost$19,000
Specifications
Capacity725
Length109 ft (33 m)
Width71 ft (22 m)
Spire height165 ft (50 m)
Administration
DivisionUnited Church of Christ (UCC)
Clergy
Pastor(s)Reverend Dana Allen Walsh
Reverend Alex Shea Will (associate)

History
An engraving of the third meeting house built in 1788.
The South Church parsonage

Until the early 18th century, one parish, known as "The Church of Andover" served the entire town. Its church, or meeting house, was located in present day North Andover. When it was found that the majority of the citizens lived in the southern part of the town (present day Andover), the idea was proposed to build a new meeting house there. However, rather than one meeting house serve the entire town, it was agreed upon on November 2, 1708 that the town should have two meeting houses, one in the north and one in the south. The North Parish (present day North Andover) kept the existing meeting house.[1] On October 18, 1709, the location of the new South Church was agreed upon and built "at ye Rock on the west side of Roger brook." The meeting house was in use by January 1710.[2] Roger's Brook, named after a Native American named Roger who lived in Andover in the 17th century, once flowed by the South Church but has since been rerouted.[3] The rock referenced as "ye Rock" was a well known landmark known as Roger's Rock. It was removed in 1844.[4][3] On October 17, 1711, the South Parish was officially established. [5] There were 35 original members, all but three of whom came from the North Parish.[6]

Rev. Samuel Phillips began preaching at the church on April 30, 1710 but was not officially its pastor until the parish's founding on October 17, 1711. He served for sixty years until his death on June 5, 1771. He was survived by three children, Samuel, John, and William Phillips, all of whom contributed to the founding of Phillips Academy in 1788.[7] The Samuel Phillips listed here should not be confused with Samuel Phillips Jr., his son and primary founder of the school. John Phillips went on to found Phillips Exeter Academy in 1781.

A parsonage was built for the pastor of the church in 1709. Rev. Phillips and Rev. French lived there until it was sold in 1811 after French's death.[8]

Construction of a larger, new building took place in 1734. On last Sabbath of worship in the old meeting house on May 12, 1734, Phillips preached from John 14:31 1.c. "Arise, let us go hence."[2] He preached the first sermon in the new meeting house on May 19.[9]

Again in 1788 another meeting house (pictured above left) was built in a nearby location after receiving complaints of a long walk by members of the parish living west of the Shawsheen River. Despite the complaints, the new meeting house remained east of the river, only about "six to eight rods" (1 rod = 16.5 feet) away from the meeting house of 1734. [10] During construction, the Trustees of Phillips Academy invited the parish to attend mass in their meeting hall up the hill.[11]

On December 5, 1826, the West Parish Church was built for those west of the Shawsheen River under the same Confession of Faith and Covenant. A total of 56 members of the South Church left to join the West Parish Church.[12]

The current structure (pictured above right) was built in 1860 on the same spot as the meeting house of 1788 and dedicated on January 2, 1861. The church, a Romanesque Revival, was designed by John Stevens and cost about $19,000.[3]

Today, according to the church's website, its mission is to be "a Christ-centered fellowship which celebrates the love of God."[3]

Cemetery
Gravestone of Ann Blanchard, South Church Cemetery, Andover, MA

A cemetery adjacent to the church was established soon after the founding of the parish. The first person to be buried there was Robert Russel in December 1710 however the earliest surviving inscription is on Mrs. Ann Blanchard's stone, who died on February 29, 1723. Over time the cemetery grew through purchasing and receiving land from neighbors.[13]

In the early 18th century it was custom for the bearers to carry the dead, often miles, from their place of death to the cemetery. Funeral sermons were rarely given in the Parish. Reverend Phillips introduced practices that gave bearers white and later purple gloves while carrying the coffin to the grave. For his funeral in 1771, six clergyman wore rings as pallbearers.[14][15] All ordained ministers in attendance and those who gave gratis in the months leading to his death wore gloves. These practices came to an end during the Revolutionary War. At the time of the second pastor Johnathan French's death in 1809, the Church led the family in their mourning and draped the pulpit in black.[14] In addition, the Church ordered a Day of Fasting and Prayer in his honor.[16] In 1798 the church acquired their first hearse and in 1799 built a hearse house.[14]

Several members of the Phillips family are buried in the cemetery including Reverend Samuel Phillips, his wife Hannah White, and Samuel Phillips Jr. (grandson), Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts and primary founder of Phillips Academy.[17]

List of pastors

The following is a list of the pastors of the South Church from its establishment. Note that Rev. Samuel Phillips, although officially ordained on October 17, 1711, had already been preaching at the church since 1710. Also note that there were periods of time that the role was empty. This list is incomplete due to a lack of available sources. The current pastor is Rev. Dana Allen Walsh.

Samuel Phillips
Lorenzo Lorain Langstroth
John Lord Taylor
Frank Robinson Shipman
No. Name
(Birth–Death),(Birthplace)		 Term of office Length of
pastorate
From To
1 Samuel Phillips
(February 17, 1690 – June 5, 1771)
(Salem, Massachusetts)		October 17, 1711June 5, 177159 years, 231 days[18]
2 Jonathan French
(January 30, 1740 – July 28, 1809)
(Braintree, Massachusetts)		September 23, 1772July 28, 180936 years, 308 days[18]
3 Justin Edwards
(April 25, 1787 – July 24, 1853)
(Westhampton, Massachusetts)		December 2, 1812October 1, 182714 years, 303 days[18]
4 Milton Badger
(May 6, 1800 – March 1, 1873)
(Coventry, Connecticut)		January 3, 1828October 4, 18357 years, 274 days[18][19]
5 Lorenzo Lorain Langstroth[lower-alpha 1]
(December 25, 1810 – October 6, 1895)
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)		May 11, 1836March 30, 18392 years, 323 days[18][21]
6 John Lord Taylor
(May 20, 1811 – September 24, 1884)
(Warren, Connecticut)		July 18, 1839July 19, 185213 years, 1 day[18][22]
7 Charles Smith
(August 9, 1818 – October 29, 1887)
(Hatfield, Massachusetts)		October 28, 1852November 28, 18531 year, 31 days[18][23][24]
8 George Mooar
(May 27, 1830 – January 17, 1904)
(Andover, Massachusetts)		October 10, 1855[18]March 27, 18615 years, 168 days[25][26]
9 Charles Smith
(August 9, 1818 – October 29, 1887)
(Hatfield, Massachusetts)		December 18, 1861April 20, 1876[23]14 years, 124 days[18][24]
10 James Hayes Laird
(August 19, 1832 – May 8, 1916)
(Milton, Pennsylvania)		May 10, 1877[23]May 11, 1883[27]6 years, 1 day[26][28]
11 John Justin Blair
(October 16, 1845 – August 25, 1928)
(Falmouth, Maine)		May 1, 1884[29]January 24, 1893[30]8 years, 268 days[26][31]
12 Frank Robinson Shipman
(February 15, 1863 – July 21, 1934)
(Hartford, Connecticut)		December 27, 1893[32]February 25, 191420 years, 60 days[33][34][35]
13 Edwin Victor Bigelow
(June 29, 1866 – October 26, 1929)
(Kingsport, Nova Scotia)		February 25, 1914[36]October 26, 1929[37]15 years, 243 days[33]
14 Frederick Boyer Noss
(June 3, 1901 – December 4, 1967)
(Sendai, Japan)		November 3, 1931[lower-alpha 2]October 1, 196634 years, 332 days[39][40]
15 James Everett Bodge
(May 6, 1919 – December 26, 1985)
(Massachusetts)		August 1, 1967[41]September 1, 1977[42]10 years, 31 days[43]
16 Westy Egmont
(b.?)
(?)
–
–
–
17 Calvin F. Mutti19892007~18 years[44]
18 John William ZehringAugust 1, 2009[45]January 31, 2014[46]4 years, 183 days[47][48]
19 Dana L. Allen WalshJuly 15, 2014[46]present6 years, 204 days[49]
  • Stereoscopic view of the South Church
  • South Church, Andover, Massachusetts
  • Charles Smith, pastor 1861-1876

Notes
  1. While most sources spell his middle name "Lorraine", he spells his middle name "Lorain" in a brief autobiography in one of his books.[20]
  2. Noss served unofficially as the pastor since the death of his predecessor Bigelow in October, 1929.[38]

References
  1. Mooar 1859, p. 17-20.
  2. Mooar 1859, p. 27.
  3. South Church Historical Committee 2007, p. 1.
  4. Bailey 1880, p. 27.
  5. Mooar 1859, p. 60.
  6. Mooar 1859, p. 124-125.
  7. Mooar 1859, p. 95-101.
  8. Andover, Massachusetts 1897, p. 159.
  9. Mooar 1859, p. 28.
  10. Mooar 1859, p. 31-33.
  11. Fuess 1917, p. 104.
  12. Mooar 1859, p. 88.
  13. Mooar 1859, p. 59.
  14. Mooar 1859, p. 59-60.
  15. Fuess 1917, p. 11.
  16. Mooar 1859, p. 106.
  17. Glassford 2011.
  18. Mooar 1859, p. 117.
  19. Hurd 1888, p. 1601.
  20. Langstroth 1889, p. iii.
  21. Root & Root 1919, p. 492.
  22. Fuess 1917, p. 314.
  23. Bailey 1880, p. 501.
  24. Andover Theological Seminary 1908, p. 217.
  25. Andover Theological Seminary 1908, p. 272.
  26. Hurd 1888, p. 1603.
  27. General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts 1882, p. 133.
  28. Oberlin College Alumni 1916, p. 278.
  29. General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts 1884, p. 114.
  30. General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts 1893, p. 128.
  31. General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts 1928, p. 42.
  32. General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts 1894, p. 138.
  33. Arrington 1922, p. 157.
  34. Yale University Class of 1885 1913, p. 295.
  35. Yale University 1934, p. 55.
  36. General Association of the Congregational Churches of Massachusetts 1914, p. 138.
  37. The Andover Townsman 1931b, p. 4.
  38. The Andover Townsman 1931a, p. 5.
  39. Princeton University 1961, p. 20.
  40. Princeton University 1968, p. 22.
  41. Slater 1967, p. 11.
  42. The Andover Townsman 1977, p. 56.
  43. Groves 2017.
  44. Andover Townsman Staff 2018.
  45. South Church Committee 2010, p. 18.
  46. United Church of Christ, p. 5.
  47. Betances 2011.
  48. Andover Answers 2006.
  49. South Church.

See also

Bibliography
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