The assertive lines of All Souls Church signify the grace, simplicity, and elegance of the late 19th century and lend a sense of security and permanence to the corner of Hope and Main, an historic area of Greenfield. Its imposing square tower, defended by gargoyles at all four corners, has outlasted the lofty elms and some of the elegant wooden structures that graced this area at the birth of the 20th century. As we have entered a new millennium, All Souls abides as a masterpiece of classic Romanesque architecture.

The English Medieval style wood-timber hammer-beam roof features a series of trusses repeated at intervals that support its weight. Inside the sanctuary, these trusses lend character to the vaulted ceiling which provides marvelous acoustics. Over the years, music groups of all kinds have benefited from these acoustics, and outstanding musical events spanning more than a century echo off the ceiling and join the living vibrations of current celebrations.

The chancel is livened by vibrant multi-colored facets of light that stream through the stained glass windows, seeming to symbolize the intensity of spirit and the harmonious blending of this diverse religious community. At night, the brilliant Rose Window, lit from inside, is an uplifting sight to people traveling in the darkness.

Many meaningful events occur here, some private, some communal, some of the heart and spirit, others of intellect and social conscience. Joys are celebrated, sorrows are shared, concerns about injustice are raised and then converted to action. Our community, and the community at large, is strengthened.

All Souls Church, Unitarian Universalist, was originally the Third Congregational Society of Greenfield.

Early in the 19th century, Unitarianism in Greenfield began as a protest against the rigid doctrine of Calvinism preached in the Congregational churches.

The Greenfield Unitarian Society was organized by 23 male members of the Second Congregational Church on June 13, 1825. It was supposedly led by a man whose baby son had died. When he heard the minister at the Second Church preach about the path to hell being paved with un-baptized babies, he allegedly walked out determined to find another church.

The first meetings took place in the old courthouse (the present site of E.A. Hall & Co. on Bank Row) for 12 years. The Rev. Winthrop Bailey was the first pastor. Almost immediately, because of financial difficulties, the minister's services were shared with the Second Congregational Church in Shelburne and the Unitarian Society in Colrain.

Although some early church records have been lost, it is known that the first church building was dedicated on August 15, 1837, a small wooden structure at the corner of Main and Hope Streets. (This is now a section of the Recorder building housing the business office.)

For the next 10 years the church struggled to stay alive financially. Services were scheduled only spasmodically with visiting ministers filling the pulpit. Finally, the church closed for several years and the members scattered to other churches. But the spirit that opposed the strict doctrine of Calvinism in 1825 brought former members together again and the Rev. John Moors of Deerfield was chosen as their minister. He served the church from 1860 to 1884 when he became superintendent of Unitarian churches in New England. He had been a chaplain during the Civil War and he founded Prospect Hill School for Girls, the forerunner of Stoneleigh-Burnham School.

Even though Rev. Moors had left the church itself, he continued to live in Deerfield and was the moving force behind having a new church built in the same spot as the first church building. In addition to his encouragement, he gave a $1,000 contribution to start the drive. The Rev. Arthur Anderson who succeeded Moors as pastor was also in favor of the new building.

On June 2, 1894 the name All Souls Church was chosen by the members. The name change adding Unitarian Universalist was made officially in the early 1960s after the Unitarians and Universalists merged in 1961.

The old wooden building was moved to the lot behind and the familiar stone structure we know today was built. The cornerstone was laid on June 6, 1894. Hundreds of people gathered for the ceremony. The building was completed in January, 1895 at a cost of slightly more than $26,000 with only a $2,000 mortgage to pay. The women of the church had raised several thousand dollars to furnish the church by giving ten-cent lunches raising the price to twenty-five cents when they added oysters! The dedication was on January 10, 1895. Although in ill health, the Rev. Moors was wheeled into the back of the sanctuary on a wicker lounge. He died 17 days later.

Near the turn of the 19th century, Mary P. Wells Smith, best known as the author of the Boy Captive series of children's books, also an active member of the church, initiated the Union Tea. This was long before the term "ecumenical" was commonly used in relation to churches. Women from all churches in town were invited to an annual gathering. As a result of the teas, the Women's Club of Greenfield was founded. Because of changes in women's lives, so many of them working, the Union Teas died out in the 1970s. However, one was revived on a Saturday during the church's centennial year. 

The first boys' club organized in Greenfield was established in the church in 1910 when Welles Seller was brought to town to direct the new organization. It was supported completely by All Souls, but was open to all boys in the community. This was a forerunner of the YMCA of the Greenfield area and the Rev. John B. Day of all Souls took an active part in establishing the "Y".

More recent community initiatives were the establishment of the Interfaith Council and the Community Meals Program both during the pastorate of Rev. Frances Reece Day in the mid 1980s.

The All Souls Charity Fund, founded by Judge Charles Allen in 1906, has been the source of philantropic work quietly conducted in the community to the present date. The fund provides necessities for people in need regardless of religious beliefs.

The church has a very active religious education program for children offering a nursery for babies and toddlers and providing classes through a youth group for teens. Adult programs are offered throughout the year on a variety of topics.

All Souls is a non-creedal church in which members are encouraged to develop their own philosophies of life in the light of conscience, a liberal religious tradition and experience. Unitarian Universalists treasure the universal truths taught by great teachers of humanity in every age and tradition.