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Union Church (Portsmouth, Rhode Island)
Encyclopedia
The Union Church is an historic church and local history museum owned by the Portsmouth Historical Society at 870 East Main Road in Portsmouth, Rhode Island
. One exhibit room is dedicated to Julia Ward Howe
and includes a collection of furniture from her summer home in Portsmouth and a display about her life.
. The last worship service was held in 1937 and then it was declared a defunct organization by the Superior Court in 1940 with the fourteen remaining members voting to donate the property to the Portsmouth Historical Society. It now houses the majority of the historical society's collections. The former church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1974. Adjacent to the church is a 1725 schoolhouse building. The Society opens the museum buildings weekly.
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
. One exhibit room is dedicated to Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe
Julia Ward Howe was a prominent American abolitionist, social activist, and poet, most famous as the author of "The Battle Hymn of the Republic".-Biography:...
and includes a collection of furniture from her summer home in Portsmouth and a display about her life.
History
The Union Church building was constructed in 1865 for the congregation of the Portsmouth Christian Union Church, which was founded in 1810 and originally met in homes and then a smaller meeting house. The current meeting house cost $7,000 to construct and was an active congregation until after World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The last worship service was held in 1937 and then it was declared a defunct organization by the Superior Court in 1940 with the fourteen remaining members voting to donate the property to the Portsmouth Historical Society. It now houses the majority of the historical society's collections. The former church building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974. Adjacent to the church is a 1725 schoolhouse building. The Society opens the museum buildings weekly.