{"nrhp_refnum":"76000242","name":"Follen Community Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"755 Massachusetts Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Lexington","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.42985042400005,"lon":-71.20707527299999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1976-04-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"An octagonal, clapboard-sheathed church at 755 Massachusetts Avenue in East Lexington, Massachusetts, built in 1840-41 to designs by its minister, Charles Follen.","why_significant":"It was the first permanent home of the Religious Society of East Lexington and is the only octagonal structure in the town. It is also described as the oldest church building still standing in Lexington. It is tied to Follen, a German-born abolitionist who lost his Harvard post over his views.","narrative":"Built in 1840-41 on Massachusetts Avenue in East Lexington, this eight-sided wooden church was designed by its own minister, Charles Follen. A German refugee and outspoken abolitionist, Follen lost his Harvard professorship over his views and then led the Religious Society of East Lexington, formed in 1833. The congregation raised about $1,200 at a fair in 1839, broke ground on July 4, 1840, and held its dedication in January 1841, though Follen died in a steamship explosion while returning to attend. The clapboard building has pointed arched windows and a tall steeple, and its heavy chestnut-rafter ceiling hangs from the roof apex on a single iron rod. A chancel was added after an 1857 lightning fire, a clock in 1914, and a rear school addition in 1955. It is the town's only octagonal structure and its oldest surviving church building, and the congregation remains active.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899 (specific dates 1840-41)","architect_builder":"Reverend Charles Follen","architectural_style":"Gothic influence (pointed arched windows); Greek Revival elements noted in the register write-up","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in good condition; still used as a church, with a 1955 rear addition for church school and meeting space.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.036361-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/29/7960/63796029/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/76000242.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000242/256345140d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/76000242/256345140d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Follen_Community_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Follen_Community_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63796029","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Follen_Church_Society-Unitarian_Universalist","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5464636"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/follen-community-church-76000242/"}