It was a sad day for Ipswich when on June 13, 1965, lightning hit the steeple on the sanctuary of the First Church on Meeting House Green and the building was destroyed by fire. The building was more than a century old and was considered to be one of the best examples of Gothic church construction in America.
The only element of the old church that is visible from the exterior of the building that replaced it is the rooster on the steeple. Read more about the history of First Church.
The First Church Clock
by John Fiske
As the parish records tell us, “A clock purchased by subscription was landed in Ipswich May 29, 1762. The Parish on May 31st voted their readiness to receive it into the steeple of this meeting house and September 16, 1762, they voted to be at the charge of putting it up there.”
Then in 1846 (here comes another church), the First Church built the fifth church and relocated the clock into the new steeple where it continued to keep the town clicking along like (ahem!) clockwork. And then – calamity! In June 1965, the church was destroyed by lightning and the clock was reduced to a jumble of cogwheels lying in the ashes. Parishioners gathered them up, put them in a box, and promptly forgot about them.
Fifty years later, a tower clock expert comes on the scene. Donn Lathrop heard about the pile of clock parts, inspected them, and volunteered to take them to his Vermont workshop and put them back together again. And he did just that. Today the clock is back in town in full working order and probably more accurate than at any time in its history – it loses just one minute in 24 hours.
There’s no question of the clock’s importance: it’s the first town clock and it’s one of the earliest in New England. But it’s huge. It’s around eight feet high and six feet wide. It can’t be fitted into the tower of the sixth church so the restored clock is now with the Templeton Museum.
Related posts:
12 Meeting House Green, the First Church Vestry (1832) - Built in 1832, the Vestry at 12 Meeting House Green was deeded to the First Church in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1838 by George W. Heard, Esquire. It has served First church and the community of Ipswich as a Chapel and now as a coffee house and meeting place. The historic building was recently restored.… Continue reading 12 Meeting House Green, the First Church Vestry (1832) 
1 Meeting House Green, the First Congregational Church (1971) - A meeting house was built here by 1636. This is the sixth church on this spot. The previous historic building burned in 1965. This green has always been the religious and governmental heart of Ipswich.… Continue reading 1 Meeting House Green, the First Congregational Church (1971) 
Seating in the Meeting House - The question of greater and lesser dignity, carrying with it the question of higher or lower seats, became so vexing that the task of “seating the congregation” was laid upon the Selectmen.… Continue reading Seating in the Meeting House 
Saving the Rooster - The gilded weathercock at the First Church in Ipswich has graced the steeple of every church at that location since the middle of the 18th Century.
… Continue reading Saving the Rooster 
First Church Burns, June 13, 1965 - It was a sad day for Ipswich when on June 13, 1965, lightning hit the steeple on the sanctuary of the First Church on Meeting House Green and the building was destroyed by fire. The building was more than a century old and was considered to be one of the best examples of Gothic church… Continue reading First Church Burns, June 13, 1965 
A Wager on the Rooster - In 1900, Raymond Dodge was painting the First Church steeple. Angus Savory bet him five dollars that he didn't dare to go up and sit on the rooster's back. … Continue reading A Wager on the Rooster 
19th Century: Religion Divided the Town - Revivalist Rev. John N. Maffit held a "protracted meeting" which was undoubtedly the most extraordinary episode in the history of the churches of Ipswich since the days of George Whitefield and Gilbert Tennent, preaching sixty nights to congregations which occupied every inch of the meeting-house. … Continue reading 19th Century: Religion Divided the Town 
Historic Ipswich 
I remember speaking with Elizabeth Newton and Mary Conley about the difficulty amongst parishioners in choosing a replacement design for the church. I gather it was contentious. If memory serves, author John Updike was one of those arguing that a church should reflect the time in which it was built, just as the earlier versions of the church reflected the design sensibilities of their own times. Architect Arland Dirlam was chosen and I think he was a well regarded church designer. His papers are held by Tufts University and also I think, some at MIT.
my brother was baptized at the Methodist church that same day, we ere at my grandmothers on Warren St and saw the building burn it was so tragic