Congregational History

1635
A small band of Puritan dissenters settled in Hingham. Their communal life was centered on a Meeting House where they gathered for political, religious and civil activities.

1600's
The eastern portion of Hingham, Quonohasset (an Indian name meaning "long rocky place") was, in every way, a part of the Town of Hingham. The school was in what is now Hingham and so was the church - too far for most residents to travel on foot or by horseback. People were taxed for the support of preaching, and they presented numerous petitions for equal ministration, all of which were rejected, to the Proprietors of Hingham.

1713
Those living in Quonohasset petitioned once again to erect a second Meeting House for divine worship. At last it was granted and construction began.

1714
This Meeting House, built on the "plain" (now Cohasset Common), became the Second Parish of Hingham. It was small, about thirty-five by twenty-five feet, and without expensive ornament.

1717
After quite a struggle, the Town of Hingham granted to Quonohasset, or Little Hingham, the additional rights of a precinct, which carried with it the privileges for a school and a church independent of Hingham.

1721
Nehemiah Hobart (a 1714 graduate of Harvard College) was installed as this community's first minister. Nehemiah drew up a covenant stating that the people were to unite "as a church of Christ" for mutual support and edification. For 18 years he guided the community through trouble with Indians, ships lost at sea, great storms and one hundred sixteen deaths (seventy of this number were children under the age of 8).

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1722
Nehemiah Hobart began construction of a residence on the west side of the Common, a building known today as the Parish House. It served as the parsonage for almost 200 years and, although ownership was private, ministers traditionally purchased it from their predecessor, as family circumstances and finances permitted.

1740
Nehemiah Hobart suffered an untimely death due to complications brought on by epilepsy. He was 43 years old.

1747
Another powerful minister, the Reverend John Browne, was installed. John Browne was tall, handsome and witty. He "formed his own opinions and uttered them without fear." Due to the need for "more commodious accommodations as to size and more respectable as to appearance," he persuaded the Town to replace the original town meeting house "to be placed at the north end of the old meeting house… (and) to front to the road."

1748-55
The new Meeting House probably was not completed until 1755. In 1752, records state that carpenters and masons were about to finish their work, and an appropriation was made for painting the church. However, it was doubtless used in 1748 and the present structure is one of the oldest continuously used churches in the country and the fourth oldest Unitarian church in New England. But the church was much smaller than it appears today; it was forty-five by sixty feet with no steeple, porch or vestibule. The total cost of the building was about $2,187.

1770
The Second Parish of Hingham became incorporated as a separate town, the First Parish of Cohasset. Town meetings were held in the church for the next fifty years, and the church was supported by taxes on citizens.

1770's
The Reverend Browne became an ardent patriot, bringing a revolutionary fervor to the pulpit and community. He persuaded the town to build a closet in the Meeting House to deposit muskets and gunpowder during the Revolution and enabled the town militia to conduct drills at the Meeting House.

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1774
Three young Cohasset men meet in Reverend Browne's living room to discuss the planning of the Boston Tea Party, before leaving to participate in that renowned event.

1775-76
In 1775 Browne preached a great sermon to a company of Cohasset soldiers in which he prophesized the coming unrivalled prosperity of America. But he is best known for his impassioned reading of the newly written Declaration of Independence from the Meeting House Pulpit as news of the day.

1791
A bell was installed in the new steeple. It was a sad beginning that its first tolling was for the death of John Browne.

1798
Reverend Jacob Flint was installed as minister and served for 37 years. During his tenure, liberal or Unitarian theology took root in the congregation.

1824
With the separation of church and state in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1820, First Parish in Cohasset ceased to be the town church, no longer receiving tax support. A congregation-wide dispute broke out over the interpretation of scripture when an "orthodox" group insisted that the Bible must be accepted verbatim rather than be interpreted by human reason. Being in the minority, they chose to separate and form the Congregational Church in Cohasset. Those that advocated the authority of mind and conscience called themselves "Unitarian" and affiliated with the American Unitarian Association upon its founding a year later.

1842
The Reverend Joseph Osgood, perhaps Cohasset's most cherished citizen, was ordained as the First Parish's minister in 1842 and served for the next 56 years. He helped to create the present school system and town library, developed an innovative Sunday school program, and was also Superintendent of Schools. Like his predecessors, Osgood had strong political views and was an outspoken abolitionist. He served for many years in the Massachusetts legislature as well.

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1855
The ladies of the church purchased an organ to replace string and wind instruments. Newcomb Tower, the first organist, was succeeded by his son, Burgess Tower. Together they were the church organists for almost 90 years.

1896
Reverend William Roswell Cole was installed as minister, serving for twenty-three years. He was known as a community-minded man, respected and loved by all in town of every religious persuasion.

1915
Prompted by the Reverend Cole, First Parish acquired the Parish House property from Joseph Osgood's heirs. Since then, the building has served as a gathering place for parishioners and community activities.

1943
It was voted to open the Parish House for "some entertainment for the boys every Saturday night"---that is, a canteen for soldiers serving during WW II.

1945
Reverend Roscoe Trueblood was installed as minister. He served for 24 years (1945-1949, 1951-1967). A man of quiet courage, he had a keen intellect and lively sense of humor. He was awarded an honorary D.D. by Meadville Theological School as an "intelligently loving and beloved minister on both coasts."

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1950
An immigrant family displaced by post-WW II conflicts in Europe resided in the Parish House as guests for a summer.

1960-61
The Parish House was renovated and enlarged with a kitchen, anterooms and a social hall that was named Trueblood Hall. Because Trueblood Hall was the first large-scale hall in any Cohasset church, it drew many community groups for meetings and events. The Community Center Nursery School used space for a year while renovations were made to their facility.

1961
First Parish joined the newly formed Unitarian Universalist Association.

1963
Volunteers from all of Cohasset's churches began a practice, which lasted for 30 years, of rotating the serving of lunches to the town's senior citizens each Wednesday in Trueblood Hall. AA also began using the Parish House for its weekly meetings, a tradition that continues today.

1968
Reverend Edward Atkinson was installed as minister, continuing until his unexpected death in 1995.

1970-72
The Parish House hosted Cohasset's public kindergarten while its Osgood School was being renovated to absorb a burgeoning population.

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1978
The Carriage House Nursery School opened in the Parish House.

1989
A Home Share Apartment was created on the second floor of the Parish House. This space has served as a shelter for over 25 homeless families since then; it was occupied even during the recent Parish House renovation period.

1997
Elizabeth Tarbox was installed as our first settled female minister. Tragically, she became terminally ill not long after her installation. Her ministry is fondly remembered.

2000
Jennifer Justice was installed as settled minister. She resigned late in 2001.

2000-02
The Meeting House was painted and re-roofed, its steeple replaced and the clock repaired. The Parish House had a major, million-dollar renovation to provide a larger function hall and updated kitchen and to enlarge and improve the Nursery School and church offices and classroom space.

2004
On May 2, 2004 the Rev. Jan Carlsson-Bull was called to be the 19th settled minister of the First Parish in Cohasset.

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