Skip to Content

Formed in 1853 with the gift of 56 books from its owners' personal collections, the Congregational Library now holds 225,000 items documenting the history of one of the nation's oldest and most influential religious traditions.

Library Hours

Monday - Friday

9 am - 5 pm

Library Closings

Presidents' Day

Good Friday

Patriots Day

Feb 15

Apr 2

Apr 19

14 Beacon St  •  Boston, MA  02108

617-523-0470

What's New

Website maintenance
January 2010

Regular visitors might notice that our look is changing slightly. We're doing a bit of tweaking behind the scenes on the website.  As such, if things look a bit funny for a day or two, please be patient.  Everything will be back in its place soon, and we'll be launching a great new section for our members.
Research funding available
January 2010

We've been offering them for a while, but we'd like to remind our researchers about the scholarships and travel grants available to help you get to the information you need. Whether you're working on a disssertation, writing a history of your church, or tracking down your family tree, a visit to the Congregational Library might be a little easier than you think.

For details, take a look at our Scholarships Page.
New digital resource - Rick Taylor's New England book
November 2009

One of our most valuable reference books is Rick Taylor's The Churches of Christ of the Congregational Way in New England, which lists the evolution of New England Congregational churches through mergers, splits, closings, and denominational shifts from 1620 through 1989.  It has been used by countless researchers and historians over the past twenty years, and now it is more readily available to everyone.  (Though if you prefer a physical copy, we do have a couple to lend as well.)

This is one in a series of regional volumes, the rest of which can be found in our catalog.  If you have questions about churches in other areas of the United States, please contact us.

UPDATE: We have created a quick reference page with brief descriptions of the book's column headings and abbreviations.
New digital resources - Denominational yearbooks galore
November 2009

Our efforts to make denominational yearbooks available online continue.  Following on the succession of Congregational yearbooks digitized earlier this year, we have now added publications of the National Association of Congregational Christian Churches, the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, and the Congregational Union of Canada.
New digital resource - First Congregational Church of Natick records
November 2009

After a lot of planning and collaboration with our project partners at the Jonathan Edwards Center, we are proud to announce that the early records from the First Congregational Church in Natick, MA are transcribed and available for use online.  A scanned copy of the original manuscript will be up soon, for those interested in the handwritten records, but the transcript is searchable and will be much more legible for most researchers.

More information can be found here.

Upcoming Events

Brown bag lunch - Congregational Boston in the colonial era
Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Historian Donna LaRue has made an extensive study of Boston's religious evolution.  Come in out of the cold to hear how churches were built, burnt, and sold, how Congregationalists worshipped, and what those colonists got up to while they were constructing a new nation.

Take a look at our Program & Workshop schedule for more information.

Cultivating Your Church Library
Saturday, March 27, 2010

Church libraries offer services and materials (books, videos, audio discs) to their church members that are often not available at public libraries and local bookstores. The church librarian serves a special role in supporting and extending the mission and goals of a church's ministry. Librarian Claudette Newhall leads this workshop on creating, managing and promoting your church library/resource center.

Take a look at our Program & Workshop schedule for more information.

Celebrating Your Church's Anniversary
Saturday, March 27, 2010

Planning an church's anniversary celebration can be a daunting prospect. If you're looking for ideas, examples, or just a little moral support, come talk to a group of representatives from churches who have just finished successful celebrations. They will provide advice on everything from writing your history to music and liturgy.

Take a look at our Program & Workshop schedule for more information.