First Baptist Church (New Bedford, Massachusetts)

The First Baptist Church is a historic Baptist church meeting house at 149 William Street in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Greek Revival building was constructed in 1829, and has been a prominent landmark of the city ever since. Its tower appears on the city seal.[2]

First Baptist Church
LocationNew Bedford, Massachusetts
Coordinates41°38′6″N 70°55′44″W
Built1829
ArchitectUnknown
Architectural styleGreek Revival
Part ofCounty Street Historic District (ID76000229)
NRHP reference No.75000251 [1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 21, 1975
Designated CPAugust 11, 1976

The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975,[1] and included in the County Street Historic District in 1976.[2]

In 1863 Major Henry M. Robert attended the annual general meeting at the First Baptist Church in New Bedford and on the spot was elected the chairman pro tem of the meeting. He was embarrassed because he knew nothing of how to run a meeting. It was that meeting that caused him to begin studying parliamentary law, which culminated in the publication of the first edition of his book, Robert's Rules of Order, in 1876.[3]

In 2015 the landmark was declared a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. "MACRIS inventory record for First Baptist Church". Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved 2014-06-16.
  3. "Historical Vignette 038 - An Army Engineer Brought Order to Church Meetings". US Army Corps of Engineers. November 2001. Retrieved 2016-11-04.


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