WELCOME TO THE HISTORIC 1823 WENDELL PARSONAGE
Located in the hills of Eastern Franklin County, Massachusetts, the Wendell Parsonage is one of the few remaining nineteenth-century homes in this small
New England town. In 1823 Judge Joshua Green donated land to the Wendell Congregational Church, where a home for ministers and their families would be built.
From 1823 through 1923, the Parsonage was the residence for 21 ministers; the short walk to the Town Common where the Congregational Church is located, also made the Parsonage an important location for church events, prayer meetings, celebrations and funerals.
By 1923 ministers no longer lived in Wendell but were shared with neighboring towns. In 1935, the Parsonage was rented out to tenants who sometimes used the home as a storefront and even once as an ice-cream parlor. With the economic strife of the Great Depression, the Wendell Congregational Church lost all of it's savings and was forced to
consider selling the Parasonage. The decision to sell was not without its opponents. In 1941, after a hearing in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Wendell Congregational Church won the right to put the Parsonage up for sale.
Beginning in 1941, the Parsonage ownership has included the Carey family (1941-1965) and the Judice family (1965-2000). Today, the Wendell Parsonage is owned by Edward Hines and Sheila Dever who have spent over thirty years preserving, restoring and upgrading this historic building and the surrounding lands. This website is a history of a former ministerial residence in a unique New England town. We hope you enjoy visiting our "beautiful home with great vibes."-Sheila and Edward
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