The first Congregationalist church on this site was built in 1831 and destroyed by fire on July 1, 1878, along with several neighboring buildings. The new church building was dedicated on December 25, 1879. This photograph, copied from a stereoscopic view (note the tree at the right is repeated at the left side of the picture), appears to have been taken at that time. The clock has not yet been installed, and the land in back of the church is still wide open fields.