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Apr 26, 2022 · Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Death: July 23, 1719 (76) Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Province of Massachusetts. Place of Burial: West Bridgewater, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Immediate Family: Son of Robert Alexander Keith and Christina Keith. Husband of Susanna Edson and Susannah Keith.
The Reverend James Keith Parsonage, sometimes simply called the Keith House, is a 17th-century parsonage owned and maintained by the Old Bridgewater Historical Society (OBHS) in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It is located at 199 River Street, and is thought to be the oldest remaining parsonage in the United States.
Rev. Keith was educated at Marischal College in Aberdeen, Scotland at the age of 15 in 1657. He immigrated from Scotland in 1661 or 1662 and was introduced to the town of Bridgewater (now known as West Bridgewater) in 1664 by his friend, Rev. Increase Mather.
- Male
- Susanna Edson, Mary Macy
Construction on what would become the Keith Parsonage probably began the following spring of 1662. Keith’s original house appears to have been a simple, two-story structure measuring 16′ east to west by 17′ north to south. It would have looked similar to the Browne House in Watertown, Massachusetts.
The wooden church at Elk Run was eventually replaced by a brick cruciform structure, the subject of this preservation project. Itinerant preachers may have served Hamilton Parish at these several early sites, but Rev. James Keith was Hamilton’s first permanent minister.
Originally built in 1662 for Bridgewater's first Minister, Rev. James Keith, the home is operated as a Colonial house museum. It is open Sundays from 1pm to 4pm May through September, and by appointment year-yound. Admission is free; donations are appreciated.
