Enos Goss : 1800's Stagecoach Driver and North Congregationalist

    Enos Goss and his house at 5 Main Street were symbols of change in Mendon center in the 1800's.
    His conservative religious beliefs influenced the ecclesiastical climate of the village, and after his
    death, his simple federal style home experienced change in regards to uses, inhabitants, and
    appearance.

    As a resident of the village center in the 1820's, Enos was somewhat of an outsider. He was a
    stagecoach driver in the midst of seven lawyers, a doctor, a bank president, an ambassador, and two
    congressmen.  His views about religion differed from the established Unitarian congregation that had
    accepted a more liberal theology. It was obvious that he lived independently of Mendon's religious and
    professional well-to-do society.

    In 1828, Enos and other parishioners who shared his beliefs, formed the North Congregational
    Society. They were followers of the orthodox teachings of the Congregational Church. In 1830, he
    donated the southern section of his property for the construction of the North Congregational Church. It
    provided a choice of religious worship for the churchgoers of Mendon until the trustees closed the
    doors in 1853.

    After Enos's death, Lewis Boyden bought the house and opened a tinner and harness maker shop. In
    the later part of the 1800's, he put on an addition in order to create more work space. A front porch was
    added with a small room above it. The alterations changed the shape of the federal style home.
    In the 1890's, the town paid Mrs. C. Childs to place Mendon's first telephone in her home and to
    monitor its use for emergency purposes. Within a few years, more households had their own
    telephones, and her services were no longer needed.

    Enos Goss and his home at 5 Main Street were symbols of change in the 1800's. The stagecoach
    driver provided an alternate place of worship for the minority of parishioners who preferred to follow
    Orthodox Congregational doctrine instead of the popular theology of the Unitarian church. After his
    death, his house became an object of change. New owners with new uses created a changed
    architectural configuration. Enos and his home are reminders of a special time in our history.
    Today, the church is the Baptist Church, and the home is being beautifully renovated.

    Richard Grady
    Mendon, MA

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