South Congregational Church, Springfield (1875)

by Dan//Churches, Gothic, Springfield

Happy Easter!!! South Congregational Church in Springfield was organized in 1842. According to the “Historical Discourse” by Rev. S.G. Buckingham, published in The Fortieth Anniversary of the South Congregational Church of Springfield, Sunday, March 26, 1882:

The society proceeded at once to “purchase land for a Meeting House, and take all necessary measures for building said House;” also to “employ a minister and provide for public worship.” This was no trifling undertaking, for the number engaged in it was small, and they had none of the wealth now found here, and little of the means which any such enterprise could command now. There were only twenty persons organized into the parish, and forty made up the whole number of the original church. […] And when a lot was to be selected, it was taken upon a side street, and not upon Main street, rather than incur an additional indebtedness of $650—so careful were they about incurring a debt that might be burdensome, and yet so resolute in carrying forward their enterprise. That house of worship was located on Bliss street, a white wooden structure with a spire, and a chapel a little one side, with a study attached. It was a pleasant, comfortable church with galleries, seating about six hundred, and cost $9,463. […] The church was completed and dedicated January 12, 1843 […]

The time came, at length, when one more important step must be taken, before the church could be permanently established, and prosecute its work to best advantage. A new house of worship must be erected, and the location must be changed. Our people were moving away from the neighborhood of the old church, and the Protestant population in the vicinity was diminishing. Besides, we needed ampler and better accommodations. […] The site for the New Church, on the corner of Maple and High streets, was decided upon, and the work of building commenced, in the spring of 1873. The corner-stone was laid, with appropriate religious services, Saturday afternoon, July 19. […] This church was completed and dedicated, February 24, 1875[.]

The architect of the new church was William Appleton Potter. He had received his professional training in the office half-brother, the architect Edward Tuckerman Potter, who designed the Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. William’s High Victorian Gothic-style South Congregational Church shares many similarities with Edward’s Church of the Good Shepherd in Hartford.

Christ Church Cathedral, Springfield (1876)

by Dan//Churches, Gothic, Springfield

Christ Church in Springfield began in 1817, when the Episcopalian commander of the Springfield Armory, Col. Roswell Lee, established a chapel on the second floor of a small building on the armory grounds. When a fire destroyed the main arsenal in 1824, Springfield Episcopalians worshiped at several different temporary locations until construction began in 1839 on a church at State and Dwight Streets. The church was enlarged in 1851, but further growth necessitated the building of a new church. A Norman Gothic structure of Longmeadow brownstone, it was designed by architect Stephen C. Earle of Worcester and was built on Chestnut Street in 1874-1876. Within a year, the church’s tower cracked and was dismantled for safety reasons. It was not rebuilt until 1927. In 1929, Christ Church became the Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Massachusetts.

Feeding Hills Congregational Church (1834)

by Dan//Agawam, Churches, Greek Revival

The origins of the Congregational church in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam (pdf) go back to 1757, when Agawam became the sixth parish of Springfield. A church was then organized in 1762. West Springfield was incorporated as a town in 1774, with Agawam as its second parish. Agawam and Feeding Hills were divided into two distinct parishes within the town in 1800. The previously shared meeting house, located between the two villages, was moved to Feeding Hills in 1799 and the Agawam parish built its own new meetinghouse in 1803. Agawam, including Feeding Hills, became a separate town in 1855. The current Greek Revival-style meetinghouse of the Feeding Hills Congregational Church was built in 1834.

Thomas Smith House (1757)

by Dan//Agawam, Colonial, Houses

Built c. 1757, the Thomas Smith House stands at 251 North West Street in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam. Thomas Smith was born in Suffield (now in Connecticut, but then in Massachusetts) in 1725, married Esther Ball in 1755, and died in 1814. The house, previously known as the Matthew Noble House (Noble, one of Agawam’s earliest settlers, first owned the land on which the house was built), was purchased by the Agawam Historical Association in 2002. Remarkable for the fact that it has not been significantly altered since it built, the Association has restored (pdf) the the house with funding from the Agawam Community Preservation Act. It is now a living history house museum.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church (1905)

by Dan//Churches, Commercial, Vernacular, West Springfield

The building at 23 Southworth Street in West Springfield was built in 1905 in a newly developing residential area subdivided into lots from the Southworth family’s farm. The building itself was never a residence, but has been a bakery, home to the Puritan Home Made Candy Company, and a store. Since 1960 it has been St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, a parish of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia. There are plans to replace the small building in the future with a somewhat larger one having a full basement.

Dr. Reuben Champion House (1815)

by Dan//Federal, Houses, West Springfield

The house at 334 Elm Street in West Springfield was built in 1815 for Dr. Reuben Champion at the time of his marriage to Pama Stebbins. Dr. Champion was born in West Springfield in 1784 and went to school in Westfield. He set up his practice in West Springfield in 1809 and has left account books (now at UMASS) containing a chronological listing of treatment and remedies, but with very little personal information about patients. Patients could earn credit for his services by working his farm land (his homelot occupied several acres). The doctor also served as a justice of the peace and in the state senate. He died in 1865 and is buried in Meeting House Hill Cemetery, which is now called White Church Hill Cemetery. Members of the Champion family lived in the house for 163 years.

Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company (1905)

by Dan//Commercial, Neoclassical, Springfield

At 195 State Street (at the corner of Maple Street) in Springfield is the former headquarters building of the Springfield Fire and Marine Insurance Company. The company was founded in 1851 and had previously been located at Fort and Main Streets. Seven private estates were purchased and demolished to make way for the limestone Classical Revival-style structure, completed in 1905 and designed by the renowned architectural firm of Peabody and Stearns. The building was later used as the offices of the Springfield School Department, but due to various problems, including the lack of air circulation in the summer resulting in oppressive heat, the school offices were recently moved elsewhere. Last year, the antiquated building was sold to a developer who will undertake major renovations and convert it into at least 30 market-rate apartments.