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The grave of Henry Dunster, first president of Harvard College, is in the Old Burying Ground (adjacent to First Church, Unitarian) on Church Street. Harvard forced Dunster out of the presidency for his defense of believer’s baptism by immersion. Harvard never had a greater president. (See Chapter 13.). Copyrighted and used by permission from David Beale, Baptist History in England and America: Read more...
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Who is John Harvard? “After God had carried us safely to New England, and we had builded our houses, provided necessaries for our livelihood, reared convenient places for God’s worship, and settled the city government; one of the next things we longed for and looked after was to advance learning and perpetuate it to posterity; dreading to leave an illiterate Read more...
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New England’s First Fruits is one of the earliest printed documents in colonial American history, offering a rare and valuable glimpse into the spiritual and educational priorities of early New England settlers. Published in 1643 in London, this modest pamphlet was primarily intended to inform supporters in England about the progress of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, particularly in the areas Read more...
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John Eliot stands as one of the most notable early figures in American missionary history, particularly for his efforts in educating Native American youth in the 17th century. Often called the “Apostle to the Indians,” Eliot combined religious conviction with a practical commitment to literacy and learning, believing that education was essential to both spiritual and societal transformation. Arriving in Read more...
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Hymn History: I Will Sing the Wondrous Story Author: Francis Harold Rowley “The first element in worship is adoration. The Hebrews expressed this by their posture and not alone my their word. For they prostrated themselves before God. O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.” (Francis Harold Rowley) The Read more...
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Hymn History: The Battle Hymn of the Republic Author: Julia Ward Howe “I am confirmed in my division of human energies. Ambitious people climb, but faithful people build.” “The strokes of the pen need deliberation as much as the sword needs swiftness.” (Julia Ward Howe) The Origin of the Hymn “Battle Hymn of the Republic” Few songs hold Read more...
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Hymn History: Happy the Home When God Is There Author: Henry Ware Jr. “He was kind to children, and had a happy influence with them.… He said he did not wish to set the child an example of obstinate willfulness, but would rather let him see that the strongest must and could yield sometimes.” (Samuel A. Eliot) The Read more...
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The Wadsworth-Longfellow House is one of the most important historic homes in New England and the childhood residence of the celebrated American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Located in the heart of Portland, the house stands as a lasting reminder of both early American history and the literary legacy of one of the nation’s most beloved writers. The home was built between Read more...
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Hymn History: Lead On, O King Eternal Author: Ernest Warburton Shurtleff “Dr. Shurtleff was one of those rare souls whose spiritual quality appeared in all his acts and speech without the slightest taint of pietism. … His deep and quiet nature had the force of a rising tide.” (Hymns for Family Worship) The Origin of the Hymn “Lead Read more...