A couple days ago, we walked by the 1717 Meetinghouse. Yesterday, Deirdre was able to get us inside for a look around.
Long story short: London, England, 1616, Pastor Henry Jacob breaks from the Church of England to found the Congregationalists who were forced to meet in secret. Years later, he was discovered and imprisoned. A young Reverend John Lathropp broke from the Church of England to become the new Congregationalist Pastor. He and his followers were persecuted, imprisoned, finally released and exiled. They sailed to a little place called Boston and eventually (1639) made their way to the Cape, founding the town of Barnstable. The population grew as did the Congregationalist followers. In 1717, the stars aligned and construction of the Meetinghouse began.
The Meetinghouse has been renovated, remodeled, pulled apart and put back together several times over the course of the next three hundred years, collecting a famous Moller pipe organ and a half-ton bell forged by Paul Revere. The simple wood architecture and unadorned interior set the scene for emphasis on prayer and conviviality.
