200th

The West Parish Congregational Meeting House was built with the funds of a private subscription of West Parish residents when the South Church decided not to fund a new meeting house "for worship in the westerly side of the Shawsheen River" in 1826.

Captain Solomon Holt circulated the subscription and gave the land for the church. Shares were sold and the $5,500 was raised in two years, mostly by pew sales. The cornerstone was laid June 15, 1826 by Saint Mathews Lodge according to Masonic ritual. The church was built by Captain Reuben Frye, mason, and carpenters John and Cyrus Brown. Reverend Samuel Jackson was installed as the first minister on June 6, 1827.

July or August

A look at the history of West Parish Chapel.

September

West Parish Church Cemetery walk with Jim Batchelder - for West Parish members only.

October

Share your photos and memorabilia from West Parish - including historic photos for the WPC archives.

November 8

The first anniversary service - a reenactment of the service of the laying of the Cornerstone of West Parish Church in 1826.

November 15

The second anniversary service - to celebrate the future of West Parish church.

December 27

Commemoration of the laying of the cornerstone 200 years ago on this day. This will include a walk from the Abbott house to the church as done in 1826.

2027

A display of West Parish Church history at the Andover Center for History and Culture.

As early as 1788, members of what was to become West Parish petitioned the General Court of Boston looking to separate West Parish from Andover South Parish but the petition was withdrawn. One of the reasons residents of the Western area of Andover wanted this new Parish was that residents in the Western area of Andover no longer wanted to undertake the long travel involved in traveling to South Church. Remember, they were walking or traveling by horse and buggy with no real roads carved out. In 1826, after much discussion and conflict, the Westerly Meeting House Company was formed.

In 1908, William M. Wood, who was soon to change Andover with the development of Shawsheen Village, began a major expansion and development of the cemetery. He purchased all of the land surrounding Lowell, Cutler and Reservation Roads comprising about 60 acres. His plan was to develop a garden cemetery modeled after Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge which was begun in 1830. The concept of a garden cemetery was to provide a tranquil, natural setting for the burial and commemoration of the dead as well as a place of tranquility for the consolation of the living. Mr. Wood successfully accomplished his goal. In 1920 Mr. Wood built an English style stone chapel opposite his family lot. The chapel includes eight stained glass windows by Lewis Comfort Tiffany of which two are rose windows. *from 1995 West Parish Newsletter.

Beginning in 2015, a small group of church and community members took on the challenge of developing a Permaculture Garden at West Parish Church. The work was led by a Permaculture Specialist and Consultant. By 2016 the plans were coming to light and the team was joined by a local boy scout as part of his work to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. This scout designed and installed the drip irrigation system. The spring of 2017 led to teams from the church, community groups, as well as LLC and Discovery preschools, joining together to prepare the soil, plant and begin to weed the garden. The garden is funded by the church, the Smith Purdon fund and other generous contributions. Through its life time it has provided hundreds of pounds of food for local groups in need.

The arch in the West Parish Garden Cemetery was given by William M. Wood in memory of Benjamin Franklin Smith, Jr. Mr. Smith had served as both secretary and intern to Mr. Wood while he was employed at the American Woolen Company. Later, when the cemetery arch needed a new cooper roof, Susanne Smith Purdon, sister of Benjamin Franklin Smith Jr., absorbed the entire cost of that undertaking. Another demonstration of the generous giving to West Parish Church and its cemetery by the Smith family.

On December 31, 1840, this church placed itself on record in pronounced opposition and uncompromising hostility to human slavery, by a preamble and resolutions of the most spirited nature. The Third and fourth resolutions are as follows:

Resolved:

That while we are constrained to 'receive one another as Christ has received us', and must, therefore, receive and fellowship all members of Christian churches who bear the image of Chris and bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, we, nevertheless, can have no fellowship with this unfruitful work of darkness; but must rather reprove it and rebuke those who encourage it and persist in it.

Resolved:

That we view with surprise and regret the painful fact, that, in this day of light, some professed ministers and followers of Christ justify involuntary servitude, as a permanent institution of society and a scriptural institution, which we regard as obviously contrary to the principles of natural justice and the fruit of the Gospel, and which is condemned by the opinion and example of nearly the whole civilized world.

"In the early years of the Church, the congregation interpreted the biblical injunction, "I am my brother's keeper" literally, and held itself responsible for the behavior of its individual members. About the middle of the nineteenth century the Church would appoint annually what was known as a Committee of Discipline. It was the duty of this committee to take note of all erring members and endeavor to persuade them to mend their ways. They would first plead with the offenders, and failing in that would then expose the culprits to public censure and in extreme cases, compel their withdrawal from the church. A number of cases are entered on the record where official discipline was applied, sometimes for drunkenness, but more often for neglect of public worship and the sacrament of the Lord's supper". From the book "One Hundred and Thirty Years of Church and Parish History". Quote for West of the Shawsheen.