MSS-09-005

Organized in 1821, the first building that hosted the parish of the Broadway Trinitarian Congregational Church was built in 1823. In 1837, forty-two members were dismissed from the Broadway Trinitarian Church due to space constraints, and these members formed the new Winslow Congregational Church. Yet by 1850, the church again faced overcrowding and decided to expand into a new, larger building. In 1851, the New York architect Richard Upjohn designed the next building for the Trinitarian Church that was erected in 1852. The original building was sold to W.R. Davenport and Gardner Jones and remodeled into Central Hall. On November 5, 1867, Central Hall was remodeled and rededicated as Jones’ Athanæum. The Athanæum burned down on May 5, 1873. One notable pastor of this parish was Samuel Valentine Cole, who served from 1889-97 and later became the first President of Wheaton College in Norton. The church has persisted for nearly two centuries, and on September 19, 1968, the Winslow and Trinitarian congregations combined to form the new Pilgrim Congregational Church.