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A Brief History of Andover
A Brief History of Andover
1711 Founding of South Parish
In Puritan society, the Meeting House was the center of life in the community. Sunday Sabbathday services, which often ran 3 to 4 hours. Midweek religious lectures were common. Town meetings were held in the Meeting House.
By the early 1700s, the population had grown and people settled farther away from the Old Center and the Meeting House. The southern end of Andover was by this time more heavily populated that the original settlement. In 1705 the people of Andover voted to build a new meeting house and debate raged over where to build a new meeting house that would serve the entire town.
In 1708, the General Court of Massachusetts decreed that the town could support two churches and so would be divided into two precincts, each with its own church. The South Parish Church was “to be set at ye Rock on the West side of Indian Roger’s Brook.” October 17, 1711, the parish secured their first minister, 22-year-old Reverend Samuel Phillips.
Reference: Juliet Haines Mofford, Andover Massachusetts: Historical Selections from Four Centuries
20th century drawing of what the first South Parish Church building might have looked like.
20th century drawing of what the first South Parish Church building might have looked like.
Preserving the pastEducating for the future
Connecting with our community
Preserving the past
Educating for the future
Connecting with our community
Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236
Andover Center for History & Culture
97 Main Street
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-2236
The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
The History Center is funded by individual, foundation, and corporate donations and receives no Town of Andover funding.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
Show your commitment to Andover's history by donating today.
