The Corner Stone of Faith

Central Congregational Church on Rock Street was dedicated and opened to the public on December 13, 1875. The property the church was built upon was secured early in 1872 and by May, 1874, the contract to build was made with the firm of Hartwell & Swasey.

On July 22, 1874, a local paper covered the laying of the corner stone – a monumental moment, indeed. The Fall River Daily News proclaimed: “The exercises were under the direction of the Building Committee – Thomas J. Borden, Robert K. Remington*, Wm. H Jennings, and Holder B. Durfee. The morning was delightful, the assembly respectable in size and comprised spectators from the various societies in the city.” The article goes onto say: “the ceremony of laying the stone was performed by the senior deacons” and “the exercises close with the Doxology… which appeared to participate highly the enjoyment the occasion afforded.”

The first Congregational church in Fall River was founded in 1816, but by 1842, interestingly, “seventy members of the First Church withdrew their membership therefore and formed this, our beloved Central Congregational Church.” Originally, the members who left met in a structure on Bedford Street on land donated by the Durfee family. However, they outgrew that space relatively quickly and required a larger one. It was at that time the congregation, with the help of some influential men of the city, were able to obtain the lot on Rock Street.

The iconic church edifice continues to grace the Fall River skyline.

*Robert Knight Remington purchased the building that now houses the FRHS when it was in its original location on Columbia Street in 1869. In fact, it was Remington who had the house moved to its current location in 1870, where he resided until selling the mansion to David Anthony Brayton in 1878.