{"nrhp_refnum":"11000149","name":"East Parish Meeting House","other_names":["Fourth Congregational Church"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"150 Middle Rd. (formerly 267)","address_restricted":false,"city":"Haverhill","county":"Essex County","state":"MA","lat":42.79273140000004,"lon":-71.02333044599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2011-03-29","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Community Planning and Development","Religion"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1½-story wood-frame Greek Revival meetinghouse built in 1838 at 267 Middle Road in eastern Haverhill, Massachusetts, replacing an original 1744 meetinghouse on the same site.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is a remarkably unaltered rural meetinghouse and a well-preserved example of Greek Revival ecclesiastical architecture. It is also noted for its 1848 George Holbrook bell and for its place in the literary landscape of poet John Greenleaf Whittier's 'Whittierland'.","narrative":"Built in 1838 on Middle Road in eastern Haverhill, this small clapboarded meetinghouse replaced an earlier 1744 building on the same site. Its front-gabled form, plain triangular pediment, wide corner boards and twin pilastered front doors reflect the Greek Revival style, while the double entry follows the parish practice of separate seating for men and women. Inside, a concave lobby, gallery, pews and a pot-bellied stove survive, and the sanctuary has no running water, furnace or electrical outlets. A bell cast by G.H. Holbrook in 1848 was first installed in Haverhill Town Hall and moved here in 1861. The belfry and bell have been in storage since 2006 because the tower proved unstable. The building is valued as a well-preserved rural example of Greek Revival church design and for its link to the landscape of poet John Greenleaf Whittier. A neighborhood association owns and maintains it.","period_of_significance":"1838-1960","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Mid 19th Century Revivals: Greek Revival, Gothic Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Described as in good condition and owned by a volunteer neighborhood association; the belfry, steeple and bell were removed and stored offsite in 2006 because the tower was unstable, and restoration is being sought.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:10:51.787358-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/60/7950/63795060/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/11000149.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000149/7da22d8ffb-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/11000149/7da22d8ffb-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Magicpiano","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HaverhillMA_EastParishMeetinghouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Magicpiano</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HaverhillMA_EastParishMeetinghouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795060","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Parish_Meeting_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16890820"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/essex-county/east-parish-meeting-house-11000149/"}