The Blackinton area of North Adams had no organized church congregation in the mid-nineteenth century; instead, the community met in the public hall and attended sermons given by a professor at nearby Williams College. By 1871, the hall could no longer accommodate the attendance. In that year, Sanford Blackinton of the S. Blackinton Woolen Mill Company, (who built his new mansion away from the mill)spent $10,000 to build this church, which could seat 300 people. The church was not associated with any specific denomination, and in fact, services were given by a rotating group of preachers from the Baptist, Methodist, and Congregational churches from North Adams. The Victorian Gothic church originally featured a tall steeple, which sadly burned in the 1940s when struck by lightning. The stunted tower was reconfigured at that time. The gorgeous church remains a landmark in the Blackinton area of North Adams.