14 Union Street — Walpole Unitarian Church & Hastings House

The Walpole Unitarian Church at 14 Union Street was established when the town’s Congregational Society opted to organize a separate Unitarian congregation on Main Street, following the town’s assumption of control over the old meetinghouse on the Common. The society acquired a parcel of land bordered by Main, Union, and School Streets and began construction of a new church.

The building was completed in January 1843, and in 1844 a clock from the Walpole Academy building was installed in its tower, providing both a functional timepiece and a visual landmark for the community. The church served the town for nearly 80 years until the winter of 1920, when heavy snow caused the roof to collapse. Only the front wall and the organ gallery remained intact.

The congregation rebuilt, and the new church was dedicated in September 1922, preserving the location and continuing its role as a center of worship and civic life. The Walpole Unitarian Church remains an active congregation, linking modern Walpole to its nineteenth‑century religious and social history.

Hastings House

Hastings House was built in 1896 as the parish house of the Walpole Unitarian Church. It was designed and given by Thomas Nelson Hastings (1858–1907) in memory of his wife, Amy Bridge Hastings (1862–1895), daughter of Hudson E. Bridge. His gift reflected both personal devotion and a desire to support the life of the congregation.

Constructed by Hira Ransom Beckwith, a builder from Claremont, New Hampshire, the building was dedicated on January 20, 1896. Architecturally, it reflects the restrained late-Victorian style of the period, with its shingled upper gables, simple bracketed eaves, and a broad, welcoming porch facing the street. The interior includes a large assembly room and smaller meeting spaces designed to accommodate the social and educational life of the church.

Through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Hastings Memorial Parish House was in near-constant use. Among the groups that met here were:

• The Sunday School
• The Unitarian Ladies Society and Sewing Group (formerly the Walpole Female Benevolent Society)
• The Footlighters Club, a drama group formed in 1898
• The T.O.U.X. Club (“Ten of Us Ten”), founded by ten young women for social and charitable work
• The Young People’s Religious Union
• The Layman’s League (the Men’s Club)

By 1962, most of these organizations had faded from use, leaving only the Sunday School and the Walpole Branch Alliance active in the building. Yet Hastings House continues to be a living part of the community. It is available for rental for weddings, funerals, parties, and other gatherings and hosts a variety of ongoing activities, including yoga and Tai Chi classes (such as Bliss Yoga, Kripalu Gentle Yoga, and Long River Tai Chi), as well as book clubs and a weekly meditation group that meets in the space. Groups and individuals of all ages use the parish house as a place to connect, learn and celebrate.