These two churches differ stylistically as well as theologically. Built first, the wood-framed and clapboarded Congregational Church follows closely the classical style typically used for small New England churches. The Baptist Church, completed just a year later on the site of an earlier one, mimics the Congregational Church but is constructed of brick, giving it a gothic feel. The two face off across Main Street. In 1851, the Congregationalists in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts, established their own place of worship and called it the Second Congregational Church because the first one was in neighboring Shelburne. By 1900, the Second Congregational Church had 200 members. The brick Baptist Church was built in 1852. Many Baptists moved to Shelburne Falls in the early 19th century to work in the town’s growing industries.
The Springfield News Company, photographer. Main Street, showing Baptist and Congregational Church, Shelburne Falls, Mass. Photograph. 1907. Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association, American Centuries. https://americancenturies.org/collection/1999-03-0065/. Accessed on October 16, 2024.
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