North Parish Church
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North Parish Church perches slightly above the rotary in North Andover's quaint Old Center. It's brilliant white Gothic facade is a striking sight and somewhat unusual for an older New England church building. The building itself is well over 100 years old, but the church is much older and has a long history.
For a town to be incorporated in colonial Massachusetts, there first had to be an established church and congregation in the community. In 1645 residents of Andover (then known as Cochichawicke) formally established theirs: The First Church of Christ at Cochichawicke. As the population grew over the years, the church's building, or "meetinghouse", was replaced four times until the present building was erected in 1836. By then Andover had been split into North and South parishes. As this church was located in the North, it became known as North Parish Church.
Boston architect Richard Bond designed the structure in a style that has been dubbed "cardboard Gothic." The church's tower contains a clock made in 1762 and a church bell cast by Paul Revere. Made in 1806, the bell had been a part of previous church meetinghouses before finding its current home here.
Over the past few years, North Parish Church has been the subject of a $2.1 million preservation and renovation project which is almost complete. The final touches won't be made until a nearby but unrelated construction project is finished.
Location
190 Academy Road
North Andover, MA 01845
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