A Liberal Religious Community Since 1871 Introduction

A Liberal Religious Community Since 1871 Introduction The history of our Society is closely tied to the history of our town of Wellesley. Both the Society and the town were conceived at a time, following the American Civil War, when independent thinkers were questioning many older institutions and values. In fact, both the town of Wellesley and our Society share many of the same founders. The town and the Society have progressed together, each experiencing periods of rapid and even burdensome growth (both nearly doubled in the years following each World War) and both experienced periods of declines and contractions. Often, our congregation nurtured national leaders and thinkers in humanism and active liberal religious theology. Some of the most famous names in the Unitarian thought and Unitarian social action, including James Luther Adams, Charles Potter, Waitstill Sharp, and William Rice have led and inspired our congregation and, we would like to think, in some way they may have found inspiration from us. At other times our congregation has found strength in more restrained personal activism with ministers who focus on traditional spiritual and personal growth issues than the larger societal and denominational issues of the day. The process of establishing and defining our purpose as a liberal religion and as a liberal congregation has been a constant challenge for our congregation. It is a challenge we undertake with enthusiasm. The Split With the Congregational Society After the American Civil War many residents of the Grantville section of Needham found themselves dissatisfied with the local Congregational Society, now known as the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church. The nearest Unitarian Society, although less than three miles away in Needham Center was not felt to provide the community experience they were seeking. In 1869, sixty-seven residents of the Grantville area formed a committee to establish their own congregation and founded the Unitarian Society of Grantville. Like many independent thinkers of the time, these men and women, all civic and intellectual leaders in the area, were heavily influenced by the post-Civil War intellectual furor taking place in America. New religious ideas that had been developing for several decades, mostly in Boston, were now being hotly debated even in small towns and local churches; transcendentalism, rationalism, women's rights, and evolution, as well as the so-called Unitarian Controversy were topics of general discussion. Another force that may have been significant in our split with the our Congregational brethren may not have been so ecclesiastical. As Unitarians were replacing Congregationalists as the dominant force in Boston, and as transportation was bringing wealthy and influential Bostonians to Wellesley, a connection to the religious heritage was needed. Many of our founders maintained professional offices in Boston and the Hunnewell family remained deeply connected with the influential Arlington Street Unitarian Church in Boston's prestigious Back Bay. A prominent chapel in the Arlington Street Church (UU) is dedicated to the memory of Horatio Hollis Hunnewell whose estate, Wellesley, became the namesake of our town. Mark Harris, author of the monumental “Historical Dictionary of Unitarian Universalism” notes that “Unitarians controlled all the educational, social, economic, and political power in Boston.” and notes that exclusivity was the hallmark of Unitarianism in nineteenth century Boston. Unitarians used their wealth and power to create “a number of cultural institutions, but they kept them private.” In Boston, Unitarians dominated the intellectual and philanthropic organizations such as the Boston Athenaeum, the Boston Symphony, and Harvard Divinity School. (Mark W. Harris, “Elite: Uncovering Classicism in Unitarian Universalist History” Skinner House, 2011) Although the members of The Unitarian Society of Grantville had been meeting since 1869, it was not recognized as a corporation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts until February 27, 1871. The official designation of a "society" rather than “church” was requested at that time. The incorporation documents state the purpose of the organization is the "worship of God and general religious purposes, and the holding of church property therefore." Due to technical issues, the Society had to be incorporated again in 1878, and once more in 1881 changing the name from Grantville to Wellesley Hills. The designation of Wellesley Hills was used in a way similar to the two Congregational churches that were existing in the new town of Wellesley. The relationship between the newly formed Unitarian Society of Grantville and the established Congregational churches in town has always remained friendly, if somewhat competitive. The minister of the Congregational Society was a speaker at the dedication of the new Unitarian building in 1888 and during the winter of 1918, when heating oil was rationed, our congregation accepted an invitation to use the Congregational Church and donate the fuel savings to the war effort. Grantville becomes The 1878 incorporation document for the Unitarian Society of Wellesley Hills It may very well have been the success in establishing their new Unitarian Society of Grantville that encouraged many of these same people to break away from another institution - this time the Town of Needham - and establish their own local government, the Town of Wellesley. Many of our town's founding fathers, including Joseph E. Fiske, John W. Shaw, and Isaac Sprague, were members of our society. In 1880, the petition to separate a new town from Needham was justified to the Massachusetts legislature with a statement that since the Grantville Unitarian Society was already operating independently from the Needham church, there was little holding the areas together. Many of the founders of the Society were free thinkers caught up in the Unitarian Controversy of the time. Many were veterans of the abolition and women's movements of the nineteenth century, and yet many others were more established and conservative leaders of the area. This internal conflict would affect many of the decisions within the church. John and Mary Sawyer were transcendentalists who had moved to Grantville when the famous Brook Farm experiment in communal living in Roxbury was disbanded. They have been described by historian Beth Hinchliffe as the "most unusual" of the areas residents because their friends and visitors included the most vociferous radicals of their day, Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Ellery Channing, Charles Sumner, and John Greenleaf Whittier. John W. Shaw, who was one of the original members of the Grantville Unitarian Society, went on to serve on the first board of selectman of Wellesley. The bell tower in nearby Elm Park is dedicated to him. Alvin Fuller, the Post Master for the area was an early supporter of the society. Isaac Sprague, in addition to being a world famous painter who traveled and collaborated with John James Audubon, was a real estate investor and was instrumental in founding both the church and the town of Wellesley. Another early supporter of the Society, although never a member, was Horatio Hollis Hunnwell, who twice donated $2,500 to the fledgling congregation. His family held close ties to the Arlington Street Unitarian Church in Boston. For the first ten years of existence, a small industrial building, Maugus Hall, served as a church building. The hall, which was originally built as a railroad depot before the Civil War, had served as the school and community center for the village of Grantville. An early history of the town written by John E. Fiske ("History of the Town of Wellesley, 1917") reported that The Hunnewell family, although never members, supported our Society. But this plaque at the "...when Maugus Hall was chosen as Arlington Street Church indicates a their place of worship it was the only strong connection to Boston. public gathering place in the village, and after the church was organized some of the members did not wish it used for anything but their own meetings. A lively time and some friction ensued, but it was finally settled, and in 1871 the building was bought by the Society, and used by them until 1888, when the present church was erected." A minister from the nearby First Parish in Needham, Reverend Albert Buell Vorse, was hired and served until his death in 1899. Although the Society has, from time to time, resorted to mortgages and debt, the first treasurer, Rebecca Eaton, reported "Your treasurer feels she can congratulate the Unitarian Society of Grantville for the complete success which has attended their effort. So grave were the doubts as to our accomplishment...(But) we have bought and paid for this house and land...we have repaired and furnished it...we have paid the minister's salary. We are entirely free from debt." In the Bradford history of the town of Wellesley he states that "If the Unitarian Church is a flourishing and successful institution today (1929), Miss Eaton should always be remembered as prominently instrumental." (p.25) That treasurer, it is interesting to note, is the aunt of The first home of the Society, Isaac Sprague. Maugus Hall, was a converted utility building New Building in 1888 In 1888, a rustic stone church building which is now is used for classrooms and a small chapel was erected. The architects were asked to design a building in the style of an English country church and to "have it fit nicely into the village and not be imposing." The congregation had accepted a substantial contribution from Hollis Horatio Hunnewell, a major force in the designing the town of Wellesley, having recently donated the town hall, library, and park system. Hunnewell had requested that the architects run their plans by him before final approval and although no mention of a cross appears in the discussions of the building committee (they appear to have discussed everything else), it has long been speculated that the Celtic cross on the steeple was to satisfy Hunnewell's taste.

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