{"nrhp_refnum":"83000678","name":"Hornbine Baptist Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"141 Hornbine Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Rehoboth","county":"Bristol County","state":"MA","lat":41.798758236000026,"lon":-71.20042919499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small one-story clapboard frame Baptist meetinghouse at 141 Hornbine Road in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, built in 1753 in a vernacular style by an unknown architect.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it the earliest surviving Baptist meetinghouse in southeast Massachusetts. It is still well maintained and occupied by its original congregation, and it has changed little since the 1870s. It meets criteria A and C for its role in community life and its architecture.","narrative":"Hornbine Baptist Church is a small one-story clapboard meetinghouse at the triangular intersection of Hornbine Road and Baker Street in Rehoboth. Built in 1753 as a simple barn-like room, it is described as the earliest surviving Baptist meetinghouse in southeast Massachusetts. Some thirty members left the second church in Swansea to form the congregation, which first met in a private house. Growth led to remodelling in 1802, when galleries and pews were added, and again in 1869, when the entrance was moved, the ceiling lowered and a raised pulpit alcove built. A social hall was added in 1869, enlarged in 1874 and remodelled in the 1960s. Apart from the hall, the building and its largely unaltered crossroads setting have changed little since the 1870s. The congregation became non-denominational in 1888, and its suppers and annual clambakes have kept it central to community life. The church is still in use by its original congregation.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Well maintained and still occupied by its original congregation; used as a church.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.898607-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/7895/63789595/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000678.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000678/b76e3fc3b0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000678/b76e3fc3b0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horbine_Baptist_Church.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Horbine_Baptist_Church.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789595","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbine_Baptist_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5904068"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/bristol-county/hornbine-baptist-church-83000678/"}