The Niantic Baptist Church in Westerly, Rhode Island began with a gathering of Baptists in private homes about 1850. The church was organized and recognized in 1851, and they erected a meetinghouse in the village of Niantic. The village of Niantic was renamed Bradford after the Bradford Dyeing Association of Bradford, England, built a mill in the village between 1911 and 1914. The church grew to its fullest extent as a result of the Bradford mill. Never a large church, the membership dwindled in the last quarter of the 20th century to the point that by 1999, over 64 percent of the names on the church rolls were inactive or non-resident. Just 47 people (35.8 percent) were listed as “active.” However attendance at church meetings fell below twenty by 2005, and by 2009 the church held discussions with Central Baptist of Westerly about merging. Only twelve people showed up for the 2009 annual meeting. The church affiliated itself with the First Baptist Church of Charlestown at Quonochontaug in 2011 and shared its pastor. On January 15, 2012, the Niantic Baptist Church held its final meeting (six members and the pastor present) and closed the church.
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Arranged alpabetically.
The records of the Niantic Baptist Church include annual reports, treasurer's reports and financial records, business correspondence, membership lists and transfers, meeting minutes, information regarding the hiring and resignations of pastors, and miscellaneous documents. These records document the operations of the church during the 20th century, with special attention to its last years from 1987 to 2012. This is part of the Rhode Island Baptist Heritage Center collection.
Niantic Baptist Church, Rhode Island Baptist Heritage Center collection, Ms.2012.010, Brown University Library.
Gift of the Rhode Island Baptist Heritage Center in 2012 and 2018.
This collection forms part of the Rhode Island Baptist Heritage Center collection.
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