City of Steeples Downtown Religious Sites Tour

Curated by the Historic North Adams Team

A downtown walking tour that visits many of the historic houses of worship that helped win North Adams the name of "Steeple City."

Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur Catholic Church

Located on East Main Street, the Notre Dame Church and accompanying parochial school served as a staple Catholic church for the community. In 1871, Father Charles Crevier came to North Adams to start what would become the Notre Dame du Sacre Coeur…

First United Methodist Church

Methodism in North Adams can be traced back to 1823, when there were only 2,000 citizens in the village of Adams, (which included present-day North Adams). Laymen Ebenezer Alden and Joseph Hayden held a meeting of prayer in Alden’s house. This…

First Baptist Church

The First Baptist Church is among the oldest in North Adams. Although its tall steeples stand over the city, it was once only a small meeting house on the corner of Church and Main St. In 1782 a group of Baptist practitioners from Connecticut came to…

St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church

Michael Ryan was the first Irish Catholic to settle in North Adams, and he was the first of many. The population of Irish migrants in North Adams grew in years to follow, increasing even more after the Irish Famine of the 1840s. Religious bigotry ran…

St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the growing population of Italian Catholics in North Adams built the original St. Anthony’s at 100 Holden Street. The first service was held in 1906 and the founding pastor was Rev. Peter Pillarella. The…

St. John's Episcopal Church

The first Episcopal Service held in North Adams was in June of 1855. Using the Methodist Church, the Universalist Church, and Thayer’s Harmony Hall for the various locations, the early community was comprised of individuals from northwestern…

First Congregational Church

The First Congregational Church was established in 1827 after attempts to establish a church in the center of Adams (once including North Adams under the name of East Hoosuck) failed. The church is located on Main Street in North Adams, near the…

First Universalist Church

The Universal Unitarian Church officially organized on April 9th, 1842. For many years prior to their official organization, there was occasional preaching at an old school house. In 1843 the congregation purchased the old Methodist church where they…

Congregation Beth Israel

The first group of Jewish immigrants came to North Adams in 1867, but there are no written records of their religious activities. Newspaper accounts do suggest that Jewish High Holiday services started as early as 1888. The first synagogue was built…