| History |
The West Parish church was established by families who settled on the western side of the Annisquam River. To
attend the mandatory church service on Sunday required a long, arduous, and costly journey into Gloucester. The
ferry across the river cost a penny per person, plus two pennies for a horse! After several years of petitioning, the
West Gloucester families were granted permission in 1713 to build a church on 15 acres of land in the center of their
community.
The community worshipped together for more than 100 years, but when Unitarianism developed in New England, the
parish split. In 1832, a few years after some members left amidst the controversy, several people gathered at the
home of Frederick Haskell and agreed to form a new society "according to the order and faith of our Pilgrim fathers"
to be called the Trinitarian Congregational Society of the West Parish in Gloucester.
The land adjacent to where the church stands today was given by William Proctor and a new building was dedicated
in 1834. The original meeting house was razed in the 1860s, but the site is marked by a stone altar and an inscribed
boulder in an undeveloped woodland area. A special worship service is held on that site once each year. In 1913, the
current building was moved from a small hilltop to its current location to add the vestry. A Sunday school wing was
later added in the 1960s. In 1992, the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church affiliated with the United
Church of Christ.
Although some members can trace their ancestry to the founders of "the church in the wilderness," the
congregation today includes people from many different backgrounds and welcomes both believers and seekers
alike.
attend the mandatory church service on Sunday required a long, arduous, and costly journey into Gloucester. The
ferry across the river cost a penny per person, plus two pennies for a horse! After several years of petitioning, the
West Gloucester families were granted permission in 1713 to build a church on 15 acres of land in the center of their
community.
The community worshipped together for more than 100 years, but when Unitarianism developed in New England, the
parish split. In 1832, a few years after some members left amidst the controversy, several people gathered at the
home of Frederick Haskell and agreed to form a new society "according to the order and faith of our Pilgrim fathers"
to be called the Trinitarian Congregational Society of the West Parish in Gloucester.
The land adjacent to where the church stands today was given by William Proctor and a new building was dedicated
in 1834. The original meeting house was razed in the 1860s, but the site is marked by a stone altar and an inscribed
boulder in an undeveloped woodland area. A special worship service is held on that site once each year. In 1913, the
current building was moved from a small hilltop to its current location to add the vestry. A Sunday school wing was
later added in the 1960s. In 1992, the West Gloucester Trinitarian Congregational Church affiliated with the United
Church of Christ.
Although some members can trace their ancestry to the founders of "the church in the wilderness," the
congregation today includes people from many different backgrounds and welcomes both believers and seekers
alike.
West Gloucester Trinitarian
Congregational Church
Congregational Church
Since 1713
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |