What Is the First Baptist Meeting House?
This late Georgian style church was built to house America’s first Baptist congregation!
What Makes It Historical?
When Roger Williams founded the Baptist movement (believing true baptism came to those who were old enough to know what baptism was), his congregation held their meetings in members’ houses! The Baptist congregation operated this way from 1638 until 1698 when Pastor Pardon Tillinghast had the first church constructed for the congregation, but as the congregation grew and grew, it was time for something more monumental!
Enter amateur architect, Joseph Brown, who came up with a design based almost entirely on plates from James Gibbs’ 1728 Book of Architecture. Without much experience, Mr. Brown kind of pieced the whole thing together. In fact, he drew his idea for the magnificent 185-foot steeple from a rejected design for St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London! The meeting house rose up beteeen 1774 and 1775, employing shipwrights and carpenters who were out of a job when the Brits closed Boston Harbor as punishment for the Boston Tea Party! When finished, this 80-square foot meeting house was the largest building project to date in all of New England, capable of housing 1,200 folks, which, at the time, was a third of Providence’s population!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Providence Preservation Society!
- Become a member of the Providence Preservation Society!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
75 North Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
You can attend services on Sundays at 10:00 AM, June through Labor Day, and 11:00 AM the rest of the year!
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