History

Historical Highlight: A Church in Exile

A recent visitor to our sanctuary noticed something unusual. While viewing the two monuments listing the names of our past ministers and the years they served, she commented on a four-year gap between the ministries of John Hunt and Joseph Eckley. The Reverend John Hunt and John Bacon pastored Old South from 1771 to 1775. The Reverend Joseph Eckley did not begin his 32-year ministry at Old South until 1779.

Historical Highlight: Tension Between Samuels

The morning of January 14, 1697, was a special one in the life of the Old South Church in Boston. It was a day of fasting and prayer for several churches in the city, including Old South. As the Reverend Samuel Willard walked towards the pulpit at the beginning of the service, Old South member Judge Samuel Sewall passed him a note.

The Old South Church at 14 Beacon Street

The staff at the Congregational Library have long been stewards of the documents that tell the 355-year story of the Old South Church in Boston. Among Old South’s early treasures, you will find a record of Benjamin Franklin’s baptism at the Old South Church and a copy of Mary Norton’s deed that gifted our first members with the land that housed our first house of worship.

Spotlight on the Reverend Thomas Prince

The Reverend Thomas Prince enjoyed a long, productive pastorate at the Old South Church. Called to Old South as our fifth senior minister, Prince served as a co-pastor with the Reverend Joseph Sewall from 1718-1758.

Samuel Adams & The Brattle Street Church Mystery

On July 14th of that year, 66-year old Samuel Adams Jr became a member of the Old South Church. The membership record indicates that he had transferred his membership from the Brattle Street Church. This was a surprise to me. I had always assumed that Samuel Adams was a life-long member of Old South because of his family’s long involvement with the church.