History of the Dighton Community Church
Upstairs in the church a small study honors Abraham Gushee’s memory. In the room is the desk he used for many years. It was given to the church by the Gushee descendants and Mr. Gordon James restored it to its original beauty. Mr. Donald F. Barrows, also a Gushee descendant, added another gift of a treasured antique globe which Rev. Gushee often used.
On Memorial Day in 1962, when the Gushee Study was dedicated, a service was held at Abraham Gushee’s grave and the Revere bell in the church tolled fifty-seven times in memory of his fifty-seven years of ministry to the church.
Years after the pastorate of Rev. Gushee, the church in 1890 gratefully received as a gift the Smith Memorial Hall, a strong, very well-built building which is used by the church for meetings, suppers, and social events.
The plaque on the inside wall of the hall reads:
“To the Unitarian Church in the Town of Dighton the birthplace she loved so well. The husband and children of Ann Maria Smith Honor to her beautiful character, her liberal Faith and her pure life.”
The Smiths also presented the church a house which stood on the corner of Pleasant and Main Street.
In recent years some of the church members worked diligently to refurbish the Ladies’ Parlor there. Now the Women’s Alliance enjoys the spacious attractive room where they hold their monthly meetings and the large fireplace is again holding a blazing fire.
At Christmas time the hall rings again with the sounds of happy children as they enjoy a dinner with their families and the church congregation. Then they present a Christmas program and after that accept gifts from Santa found under the large Christmas tree they’ve decorated. It ends with the singing of Christmas carols. It’s an enjoyable old-fashioned Christmas in the old fashioned hall which we still enjoy.