LibGuides: The Town &amp; the City: Lowell before and after The Civil War: Churches in Early Lowell

Churches

The documents below discuss the history of the churches of early Lowell.

While the histories of some churches, especially those still standing, are well-documented, tracing the history of some of the individual churches in early Lowell in the 21st century can be challenging. The statements below are written as guidance for someone who engages in this research.

The main reason for these difficulties is the rapid population growth of Lowell in this period.
Another reason is the number of denominations in the area in that period. Different ideas, beliefs, philosophies, and practices led to the coming together of some people and the separating of others.
While some new churches were started from scratch, some new churches split off from other churches, often for the size of the congregation and on good terms, and sometimes because of a schism between groups within the church, or a financial problem.
There were also many and regular name changes, and often multiple names were used when referring to the same church.
In some cases, street names changed, and during this period street numbers were not used.
Congregations regularly moved to different, sometimes new and sometimes existing, buildings. The existing building might not have been a church, and a church building might be sold to an individual or business and no longer used as a church
Especially early on, some meetings and worship took place in buildings that were not churches (e.g., Town Hall, schools).
In some cases, a move involved physically moving the whole building to a different area.
There were, in many cases, frequent changes of pastors, which led to inconsistent or missing documentation.
There are incomplete labels on the maps made during that period.

Year	Population of Lowell	Number of Churches in Lowell
1832	10,254	8
1840	20.796	17
1850	33,000	23
1860	36,827	22
1870	40,928	24

Churches in the 1855 Lowell Directory Seventeen pages of information and illustrations of Lowell Churches in the 1855 City Directory
Churches, Schools, Banks Journals, etc. !856 From Cowley's A Handbook of Business in Lowell, with a History of the City, 1856, pages 150 to 154.
Churches in the 1858 Lowell Directory Seventeen pages of information and illustrations of Lowell Churches in the 1858 City Directory
Churches in the 1859 Lowell Directory Eight pages of text about Churches in Lowell. Seven pages of advertisements.
Church History of Lowell, 1868 From Illustrated History of Lowell, 1868, by Charles Cowley; Chapter VI, pages 85 to 102
Ecclesiastical History 1890 From D. Hamilton Hurd's History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Vol.2, 1890; Chapter IX, Ecclesiastical History, pages 126 to 179.
Ecclesiastical History 1897 From the Courier-Citizen's Illustrated History of Lowell and Vicinity (1897), Chapter 15, pages 700 to 740.
The Coming of the Churches (1920) From The History of Lowell and Its People, 1920, by Coburn; pages 196 to 200
New Churches in the Pre-War Period (1920) From The History of Lowell and Its People, 1920, by Coburn; pages 266 to 276
Churches pages from the Lowell Directories 1832 to 1861 Part 1. Churches pages, or relevant sections of pages, from each of the Lowell Directories published from 1832 to 1861. Part 1 of 4.
Churches pages from the Lowell Directories 1832 to 1861 Part 2 Churches pages, or relevant sections of pages, from each of the Lowell Directories published from 1832 to 1861. Part 2 of 4.
Churches pages from the Lowell Directories 1832 to 1861 Part 3 Churches pages, or relevant sections of pages, from each of the Lowell Directories published from 1832 to 1861. Part 3 of 4.
Churches pages from the Lowell Directories 1832 to 1861 Part 4 Churches pages, or relevant sections of pages, from each of the Lowell Directories published from 1832 to 1861. Part 4 of 4.

Ministry-at-Large Ministry-at-Large (Lowell Missionary Society) LibGuide. Also information about Rev. Horatio Wood.
The Bay State Monthly article, 1884 The 1884 Bay State Monthly article included on this site has information and illustrations of early Lowell churches

Churches in Lowell Index Cards
From the John A. Goodwin Collection at the Center for Lowell History (Box 1 ff 17)
Series of Temperance Sermons, 1841 Series of Temperance Sermons, Delivered in the City Hall, Lowell, by the Several Clergymen of the City. 1841

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet of Churches Churches_Histories_for_editiing.xlsx In Progress
Churches Spreadsheet 2 Churches on Viewshare.xlsx In progress

List of Churches in the Gallery below

Appleton Street Church
Central Methodist Episcopal Church
Church of the First Unitarian Society
First Baptist Church
First Congregational Church
First Free-Will Baptist Church
First Universalist Church
Free Chapel
High Street Church
John St. Congregational Church
Kirk Street Church
Lee Street Church
Prescott Street Church
Second Universalist Church
St. Anne's Church
St. Mary's Church
St. Patrick's Church
St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church
St. Peter's Church
Third Baptist Church
Worthen Street Baptist Church
Worthen Street Methodist Episcopal Church