St. Andrew's Episcopal Church is an historic church located in Hanover, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1725 in what is now known as Norwell, an area that was then part of Scituate). It is one of the oldest parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts.[2][3]
| St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
  St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Location within Massachusetts | |
| 42°6′48.5″N 70°48′54.1″W / 42.113472°N 70.815028°W | |
| Location | Hanover, Massachusetts |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Episcopal |
| Website | standrewshanover |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Founded | July 28, 1725 |
| Founder(s) | The Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler |
| Dedication | St. Andrew |
| Consecrated | |
| Events | December 25, 1986 Church proper destroyed by fire. (Later restored.) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Administration | |
| Province | Province 1 |
| Diocese | Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts |
| Deanery | South Shore |
| Clergy | |
| Rector | The Rev. Kevin Holland Sparrow[1] |
History edit
The first meeting of the parish took place on July 28, 1725 at the North Meeting House in Scituate after a group of townspeople invited the Rev. Dr. Timothy Cutler of Christ Church, Boston, to lead a service and preach.[4]: 1 Between 1727 and 1731 regular meetings of the parish took place in a private house in Scituate, led by the resident minister of Christ Church, Quincy, the Rev. Ebenezer Miller.[3] On October 11, 1731, Miller led a service to open the first church building in front of a congregation of 150. That wooden building, located about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the present location, would serve as the parish's home until they moved to Hanover, which they did in 1811 after outgrowing the old church.[2] Several notable figures, such as John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Robert Rantoul, and Horace Mann, were at "a large all-day gathering in the cause of education" in September 1838.[4]: viii
The first resident minister for the parish, the Rev. Addington Davenport, was appointed in 1733. Addington remained only until 1737, but upon leaving for his next appointment made a gift of 7 acres (2.8 ha) of land "with dwelling house, barn, and other buildings thereon."[4]: 5 Proceeds from this gift would help fund the purchase of land and building of a rectory in 1849.
On December 24, 1986, the church was destroyed by an electrical fire, but later rebuilt.[2][5]
On November 6, 2011, the parish celebrated its bicentennial by displaying rare sermons and other artifacts, as well as a piano and organ concert and old church history stories.[2] Today, the church sits on Church Street in the Four Corners village of Hanover, a scenic village that was the starting point of Hanover itself.
References edit
- ^ "St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Hanover, MA". The Episcopal Church. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ a b c d Simpson, Neal (November 5, 2011). "St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Hanover celebrating bicentennial". The Patriot Ledger. GateHouse Media, Inc. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ a b "St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (Hanover, Massachusetts) records". Massachusetts Historical Society. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ a b c Briggs, Lloyd Vernon (1905). History and Records of St. Andrew's Protestant Episcopal Church. Boston: Wallace Spooner. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
- ^ "St. Andrews Parish History". St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. Retrieved 7 August 2013.