First Parish Church
In the center of Sherborn stands the First Parish in Sherborn, the town’s original church, whose history reaches back to 1685. Just eleven years after Sherborn was incorporated in 1674, the parish formally gathered, establishing the religious and civic heart of the young community.
In colonial Massachusetts, a “parish” was more than a congregation. It was the foundation of town life. The meetinghouse served not only for worship but for civic gatherings, town decisions, and the shaping of community identity. The minister was supported by local taxes, and participation in parish life was woven into the fabric of daily existence. To establish a parish was to declare that settlement had taken root.
Today, the church stands at the center of Sherborn as both a historic landmark and a living institution. Its presence connects the modern town to its earliest settlers, reminding visitors that long before suburban development, this was a gathering place of a small colonial community determined to shape both it spiritual and civic life.
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The small town of Sherborn sits quietly beside my hometown of Natick and carries a depth of history that reaches back to the very beginnings of colonial Massachusetts. Settled in the 1670s, and incorporated in 1674, Sherborn developed as a farming community shaped by Puritan roots, and winding country roads. A visit into Sherborn brings you […]
