North Congregational Church (North Middleboro, Mass.) Records

There was a church in Titicut Parish, which is now part of North Middleboro (Middleborough), Massachusetts from 1675, composed of "praying Indians" who had been taught by John Eliot and others. This church continued as a Native American church for a number of years, during which time white settlers came into the area. The white settlers petitioned the General Court and Governor of Massachusetts in 1743 to form a new parish from parts of Bridgewater and Middleboro. This petition was granted and they set about organizing the Parish.

Isaac Backus (1724-1806) was appointed as the first minister of the church in 1748 and served until 1756, when he left to join the Baptist church. Backus was succeeded by Solomon Reed who served from 1756 to 1785. Other ministers of the church are listed in the 1931 Yearbook contained in the collection. Philip Colby, who served from 1817 to 1851, started a Sabbath School for children of the parish in 1817.

The first meeting house of the church was erected in 1748, a simple edifice that was replaced in 1808 with a new meeting house with a belfry and bell. This church building burned in 1852 and a third building was erected in the same place by later that year. In 1893 the third church building burned and was replaced by a church designed by architect J. Williams Beal.