First Parish (Unitarian) Church
Sandwich was founded in 1637 and the original one-story meetinghouse was built in 1638. It was used for religious services on Sunday and for town business during the week. In 1704, a new two-story meetinghouse with a gable roof and short tower was built.
In 1749, the Reverend Abraham Williams became pastor at the First Parish Meeting House, bringing with him a 19-year old black slave named Titus Winchester. After Reverend Williams died in 1784 and Titus became free, Titus went to sea as a steward and when he died in 1808, he left his entire estate for the purpose of purchasing a two-faced clock for the Meeting House “so that it would ring for many years to come in memory of his former master.” The clock faces were south (toward Main Street) and west (toward River Street) and the clock came to be known as “Old Titus” to the people of Sandwich. Titus Winchester was so respected by the Sandwich townspeople that he was interred in the Old Town Burying Ground in a tomb very near Rev. Williams (you can search for my geocache there). His grave has the longest inscription of any of the gravestones and refers to him as a “servant” rather than a slave. Then in 1813, the Reverend Jonathan Burr and some parishioners left and formed a new Calvinistic church nearby (what today is the First Church of Christ…you can search for my geocache there). The remaining parishioners and new minister became Unitarians. In 1878, the current 4 faced clock was installed, a gift to the First Parish Church by Jonathan Bourne, a New Bedford whaling merchant/tycoon. In 1961, this historic building was rented and then sold to Colonel and Mrs. Robert F. Thomas who ran the Yesteryears Doll Museum. The old church is now a private residence. To log this geocache on opencaching.us, the password is Doll Museum. |