Connecting Past and Present monthly column by Sylvia White connecting Pilgrim's past with Pilgrim in the 21st century Early Beginnings of Cohannet (Taunton) Everyone knows of the "First Thanksgiving" and the "Midnight ride of Paul Revere". These events have become historical legends celebrated by holidays. History books pay little attention to the 150 years of growth and change between these dates. The little settlement and its meeting house on the plot of land known to this day as "Church Green" soon became important to Governor Bradford and the Plymouth legislature as they turned to Miss Pole for much counsel. In 1640 the original name of Cohannet was changed to Taunton in honor of Miss Pole and her home town in England. Connecting Past and Present - ContinuedWilliam Hook, a close relative of Oliver Cromwell was ordained the first minister of "The Church of God" in Taunton by Master Bishop of Taunton and William Parker, a husbandman. Rev. Richard Mather of Dorchester and Rev. John Wilson of Boston came on foot to attend the ordination. This was the only church in a vast area for over one hundred years. It was here that the first sermon in America to be printed was preached by William Hook. Early industry started here when discovery of local bog iron enabled the first forge in the new colony to make the tools necessary for a growing community. An often told tale is that when King Philip was raiding settlements in surrounding communities he promised the owners of the forge that he would not make war on Taunton because they kept his tools and equipment in repair and in Taunton he was treated fairly. True or not, during the terrible King Philip’s War Taunton was never raided. Here at the meeting house, King Philip with a band of warriors met with the commissioners of Plymouth Colony and the representatives of Massachusetts Bay Colony to discuss a treaty; the Meeting House being used at the request of King Philip himself., for here he felt he could get a fair hearing. The Congregational concept that each person has a right to freedom of conscience was evident when the controversial evangelist Whitefield was permitted to preach here when other churches were closed to him. And it was here where the two streams of theology, Unitarianism and Trinitarianism, after flowing through a common channel of mutual respect for more than 150 years finally parted, leaving the building on Church Green in the possession of the Unitarian branch and resulting in the formation of the Trinitarian Churches of the city. (What a delicate balancing act the ministers had to accomplish during this time!) It is interesting to note that two of the ministers of the first church are remembered for their eccentricities. The Rev John Foster was a man of brilliant genius remembered for his terrific voice and for the extraordinary rhetoric used in his public prayers; one offered as he sat on horseback in the muster field, now called Taunton Green, and another prayer offered at the opening of the Supreme Court. Unfortunately records don’t tell us just what was said. But they tell us that after the closing of his ministry in Taunton he abandoned all pretense of religion. His successor was the Rev John Pipon, "by trade a carpenter, by misfortune a minister". This was a man of gentle and lovable spirit and it is told he put corn down the holes in his attic to feed the rodents. The ‘poor things’ he called them. He never preached doctrinal sermons and his conciliatory attitude managed to carry things along, without offending either the Unitarians or the Trinitarians. But things were about to change. .