Where It All Began

Founded in 1700, this was originally a Puritan church and meetinghouse. It was the law that there be a church within five miles’ walking distance of the homes in any community, and First Parish was it for Harwich. Unitarianism was formalized as a denomination in 1825, and our church was among many Puritan churches that leaned toward the new Unitarian ways of thinking. First Parish became a Unitarian church sometime in the mid 1800s. In 1961 Unitarians and Universalists consolidated into one, and this congregation thus became a Unitarian Universalist community.

Our Historic Building

The original building was the center of town. The current sanctuary is the third building on this site, built in 1834. The Brewster Meeting House Preservation Project worked to marshal resources to make much needed repairs, including: lifting the building and setting it back down on an entirely new foundation, a new roof, new timbers, a new plaza, improved access for wheelchair users and others, and more.