Késsinnimek - Roots - RacinesThe Union Meeting House at Nooseneck and Dr. Stephen Allen
by Norm Léveillée
by Norm Léveillée
"On June 30, 1709, a group of thirteen men purchased 35,000 acres of this land (Ed.:Now West Greenwich) for the sum of 1100 pounds... The thirteen men divided their windfall with forty-six other people, each person receiving about one thousand acres... In October 1740, a signed petition was submitted to Governor Ward and the honorable General Assembly of His Majesty's Colony of Rhode Island ... asking that the western part of this area be set aside into a new town ... Those who signed the petition, know as first citizens, are as follows:
John Greene, Ishmael Spink, Benjamin Sweet, John Matteson, Seth Jones, Phillip Green, Thomas Straight, Peter ?, Jonathan Matteson, Henry Greene, Samuel Spencer, Phillip Aylsworth, William Hopkins, George Parker, Arthur Aylsworth, William Sweet Jr., James Greene, William Comstock, Christopher Carpenter, James Reynolds, John Jones, John Case, John Wait, Robert Sweet, William Sweet, Samuel Hopkins, Jeremiah Jones, Nathaniel Nyles, Benjamin Spink, John Case, Henry Summery, Thomas Straight Jr., Joseph Hopkins, Richard Sweet Jr., John Nyles, John Reynolds, Joseph Weaver, Henry Matteson Jr., Nicholas Nichols, John Spencer, James Matteson, Benjamin Gardner, and Henry Sweet Jr." (1. In The Shadow Of The Trees, pp. 1-3)
In 1787, Dr. Stephen Allen, a physician in the town of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, decided to build a home in West Greenwich. He purchased land on Sharpstreet from John Greene, one of the original petitioners.
Stephen Allen Homestead
Click to learn its history
Until 1809, Stephen, his wife and his daughter worshipped at the Maple Root Baptist Church on Harkney Hill Road. Most of the people went to the Mapleroot Root Church. However, in May 1809, a group of people petitioned the General Assembly to incorporate as the "West Greenwich and Exeter Union Society". The leaders of this group were Stephen Allen, Beriah Hopkins and Peleg Arnold. Dr. Allen spearheaded the idea of building a meeting house, which was built on land donated by Jonathan Weaver on Noose Neck Hill. The goals of this Society was delineated in a single, lenthy, sentence:
Whereas the public worship of Almighty God is a tribute due Him from all rational creatures, being designed for His authoritative glory as well as rendering greatly to reform mankind from weakness by inculcating the principles of Christianity in their minds, causing them to become good citizens as well as useful members of society, and is also conducive to the edifying and comforting of all true disciples of Our Lord and for the better convenience of the people assembled, have been induced to associate and do hereby associate themselves into a society to be known by the name of West Greenwich and Exeter Union Society.
Dr. Stephen Allen originated the idea of the meeting house, it is said, and headed the list of subscribers. Dr. Allen was interested in the souls as well as the bodies of the residents in the town, and was a regular preacher in the church for nearly forty years. The meeting house was built on land donated by Jonathan Weaver on Noose Neck Hill. Soon erected was
a building 32 by 30 feet on the group with 19 foot posts...and when the outside shall be finished the floors shall be platted off, pewed and finished together with all the inside of the said house wherever there shall be enough subscribers for that purpose, at the discretion of the committee above-mentioned who shall be subject however to the discretion of said society.Said house shall be free for the use of any Christian society to hold meetings. The speaker shall believe in the doctrine of rewards and punishments after death. According to deeds done in the body and who also be of good moral character.
...Among the noted preachers heard were: Rev. Pardon Tillinghast, his son Elder Thomas Tillinghast, Elders Richard and Daniel R. Knight and Elder Paul Harrington (who always traveled on foot and wouldn't accept a penny for preacher). (Ibid., pp.39-42)
Click for a close-up graphic
The church burned down in the late 1800's to be replaced by the white clapboarded Baptist Church which was moved from Noose Neck Hill in the summer of 1979 to its present location on Victory Highway. I remember the moving of this church for Victory Highway was closed for the better part of a day that summer.Ironically, I thought, the church founded by Dr. Stephen Allen, who built our home on Sharpstreet, was now located at about 1000 feet away from his 1787 home - coming around to a full circle.
1. Harpin, Mathias P. & Waite Albro, In The Shadow Of The Trees, Pawtuxet Valley Preservation and Historical Society, West Warwick, RI, 2003.
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