tales of olde ipswich       

A great day in the history of the First Congregational Church on the Ipswich Town Hill was February 4th, 1847, when the new building was to be dedicated.

The previous church having been much smaller and out of repair, the congregation had decided to build a new one. The cornerstone was laid on July 14th of the previous year.

This was to be the fifth church on practically the same site. The organ and bell were gifts of the Heard family.

Then exactly 118 years later, on June 13, 1965 at three o'clock in the afternoon, lightning struck the beautiful old church and set it on fire. In spite of the combined efforts of some 25 fire companies, the church became a total loss.

The church building was considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in the country. The total height of its steeple was 139 feet. Many people believed that it was from this steeple that the Devil, driven by fright from Rev. George Whitefield's fiery sermon, leaped onto the rocks below and left his footprint imbedded there. But this was not the steeple in existence when Rev. Whitefield was here, as his sermon was preached in 1740.

The Old North Church steeple and golden weathercock could be seen for miles and for years guided ships safely on their way to home port from sea.

On the Sunday that the church was 'struck by lightning, there had been a thunderstorm. When the bolt of lightning hit, it struck in the belfry section of the steeple and went into the main sanctuary of the church.

Like most church fires, the large open space of the sanctuary provided a perfect draft for the fire. From the very beginning, the church seemed doomed.

Much credit must be given to bystanders, who pitched in to help save anything that was movable. Because of this, much of the furnishings and ever the electric organ were saved. They even saved the cushions on the pews.

As the crowd watched the beautiful old church engulfed with flames, many of them wept, although a large number were not even members of the congregation. They had lost a landmark they had known for years, and one which had always been a perfect setting for the hill which overlooked the town.

After seven hours of fruitless efforts to save the church, there remained only a hollow shell.

A new church has risen, but it will never be considered the same as the Old North Church on the Hill.

—HAROLD D. BOWEN