Enfield Congregational Church (1849)

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Today we look at the congregational churches in two neighboring towns, Enfield and Longmeadow, Massachusetts (the latter over at Historic Buildings of Massachusetts, which has had a number of additions in recent days from towns such has Marlborough, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, Waltham and Lexington, as well as Longmeadow). The church in Enfield was first authorized in 1680, when the earliest settlers from Salem, Massachusetts, set up home sites in the town. The first church building was constructed in 1683, although the congregation’s first minister was not hired until 1699. The second church building was constructed in 1708 and it was here, in July 1741, that Jonathan Edwards delivered his famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” That church no longer exists, but a stone with a plaque marks its former location. The third Enfield meetinghouse was built in 1775, and is still standing; it later served as a town hall and is now a museum. When the current church was built, in 1849, the old building was moved across the street, rotated 180 degrees and had columns added to match the Greek Revival style of the new building.

Martha A. Parsons House (1782)

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The Martha A. Parsons House, in Enfield, was built in 1792 by John Meacham on property that was initially intended for use by ministers (parsons). In 1800, the house was purchased by John Ingraham, a retired Saybrook sea captain, who placed George Washington Memorial wallpaper in the front hall. In 1906, Juliaette Parsons, the widow of Ingraham’s great-grandson, moved in with her three daughters. One of them, Martha A. Parsons, entered the world of business, eventually becoming secretary of the Landers, Frary & Clark of New Britain in 1912. After a fifty year career, she retired to Enfield to live with her sisters. She died in 1962 and the home was bequeathed to the Enfield Historical Society, which operates it as the Martha A. Parsons Museum.