South Swansea Baptist Church

South Swansea Baptist Church
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
South Swansea Baptist Church
Location	25 Church Street, Swansea, Massachusetts
Coordinates	41°43′27″N 71°12′5″W
Built	1916
Architectural style	Shingle Style
MPS	Swansea MRA
NRHP reference No.	90000055
Added to NRHP	February 16, 1990

South Swansea Baptist Church (formerly South Swansea Union Church) is a historic church building in Swansea, Massachusetts. Built in 1916, it is Swansea's best example of a Shingle-style church. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

Description and history

The South Swansea Baptist Church is set at the northwest corner of Church Street and Gardner's Neck Road in an otherwise residential area. It is a 1+1⁄2-story wood-frame structure, set on a raised rubblestone foundation with a gabled roof. A gabled section projects on the south side, and there is at the southeast corner a square tower with an open belvedere below a tent roof. The gables each have groups of lancet-point windows, with a small round window in the gable above. The exterior is clad in wooden shingles, and the overhanging eaves have exposed rafter ends.

The congregation of South Swansea began as a Sunday school operation in 1910, when the Gardner's Neck area was growing rapidly due to suburban residential development. It first met in private homes and other facilities. Religious services were organized in 1915, while land was sought for a church site. The church was completed in September 1916 on land purchased from Edwin Gardner; its architect is unknown. The property also includes a parish house, which dates to the 1960s.

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Bristol County, Massachusetts

External links

• South Swansea Baptist Church web site