Existing comment:
Second Church Site
The Second Church, called the 'Old North Meeting House,' was established in 1650 by the Puritans when the First Church in the center of Boston could no longer accommodate the colony's growing population. It was known as the 'Church of the Mathers' because both Increase and Cotton Mather preached there. The first building burned in 1673; the church was rebuilt the following year and was one of North Square's most important landmarks until the British used it for firewood in the winter of 1775-76. After the Revolution, the congregation joined the nearby 'New Brick Church' on Hanover Street. |