A weathered weather vane a lyre and plume atop a steeple. That’s the Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church. Its history is woven into the fabric of Melrose itself. This isn’t just a building it’s a living testament to faith community and resilience.
The Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church boasts roots stretching back to the mid-1800s. Universalist sermons first echoed in a small Lebanon Street schoolhouse. Hosea Ballou first president of Tufts College was among those early preachers. In 1849 sixteen individuals formalized the first Universalist Parish in Melrose.
They built their first church around 1852. The land was generously provided by their first minister JW Talbot. This building served them until 1974. That’s when they united with Melrose’s Unitarian Congregation. Their old building now houses condos.
Unitarianism arrived in Melrose in 1848. An American Unitarian Association mission unfortunately proved short-lived. Nearly twenty years passed before another attempt. The Unitarian Congregation of Melrose was established in 1867.
They constructed their own church in 1872. Later a significant donation from member Frederick Bowden spurred the building of our present structure in the 1930s. The new church was dedicated in 1937. Union B Twitchell a longtime member donated the beautiful weather vane. It once adorned a church his grandfather built in Bethel Maine.
Further expansions in the mid-1950s and 1960s added a minister’s study offices classrooms a library and storage. The merger of the Unitarian and Universalist national associations in 1961 paved the way for the Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church.
In the fall of 1973 a joint committee recommended a merger. In May 1974 the two congregations officially united. The new Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church adopted the 1937 Unitarian building. The Universalist church was sold.
Reverend David B Loomis speaking at the 125th anniversary of the Universalist Parish before the merger captured the essence of this community. He described it not as a building of wood and brick but a church built on a loyal sacrificing spirit of love friendship and memories of staunch supporters. That spirit endures today. The Melrose Unitarian Universalist Church continues its mission a beacon of welcome inspiration and social justice.