{"nrhp_refnum":"93000128","name":"Bernardston Congregational Unitarian Church","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of Church and Depot Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Bernardston","county":"Franklin County","state":"MA","lat":42.67057592200007,"lon":-72.54965478499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1993-03-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Religion","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story white clapboard Greek Revival church on Church Street in the center village of Bernardston, Franklin County, Massachusetts. Parts of the building are believed to date to 1739, and it has been moved several times, reaching its present site in 1824.","why_significant":"It is the town's first established church and is tied to Bernardston's settlement and development, with its meetinghouse relocations reflecting shifts in where the town's population lived. It is also a good example of a mid-19th century New England church form, with Greek Revival detailing added during renovations in 1847 and 1879.","narrative":"Standing at the corner of Church and Depot streets in Bernardston's center village, this white clapboard church measures 40 by 50 feet and faces the street with its gable end. A 90-foot tower topped by an ogee-roofed, metal-sheathed cupola rises above a pedimented vestibule. Tuscan pilasters, an entablature and quoins give it the restrained classical ornament typical of mid-19th century New England churches. It is the town's first established church, and parts of the frame are believed to date to 1739, when settlers built a meetinghouse on Huckle Hill. The building was moved in 1772, 1791 and 1824 before reaching its present site, and was divided into a vestry and an upper sanctuary in 1847. A rear organ loft was added in 1879. Builders named in the record include Samuel Connable Sr. and Jr., James Couch and Moses Scott. The church remains in religious use beside the town cemetery.","period_of_significance":"1739-1942","architect_builder":"Connable, Samuel, Sr. & Jr.; Couch, James; Scott, Moses; Sheldon, Orra","architectural_style":"Mid 19th Century: Greek Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Still in use as a church; current function is listed as religious facility/church.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.511691-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/27/7951/63795127/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/93000128.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000128/89e8d12bd3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/93000128/89e8d12bd3-1600.webp","licence":"CC0","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernardston_Congregational_Unitarian_Church_-_Bernardston,_Massachusetts_-_DSC06504.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bernardston_Congregational_Unitarian_Church_-_Bernardston,_Massachusetts_-_DSC06504.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63795127","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernardston_Congregational_Unitarian_Church","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4893993"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/franklin-county/bernardston-congregational-unitarian-church-93000128/"}