In the late 1800s, many Scandinavian groups immigrated to America. Two predominant groups, the Swedish and Finnish, settled in Quincy, Massachusetts. The men found work at the local granite quarries and as carpenters. The women found work as cooks and maids to wealthier community members. Both of these nationalities formed their own respective churches based strongly on ethnic and cultural commonalities.
The Swedish immigrants formed the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Salems Church (Salems Lutheran Church) and the Finns formed the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran Church (Trinity Lutheran Church). Both of these churches were very ethnically oriented and services were conducted in the respective mother tongue. Over the decades, both churches would evolve into English speaking congregations with new generations learning English as their native language. Then, membership would no longer be limited by one's ethnicity or native language.
The Salems Lutheran Church congregation, under the leadership of Mr. Carol O. Young, worshipped in different places and longed for a meeting place of their own. In 1889, they purchased a lot of land for $1000 and began building. The church was built mainly during a general strike at the local quarries but construction lasted until 1894. During the strike, the men of the church used their time and talents to build the church. That is why when you come to Faith Lutheran Church, the building actually reads "Salem Lutheran Church" above the front door. The bell in the church steeple was dedicated in July of 1895. The addition of a vestry was built in 1914. The altar displays a hand-painted copy of Bloch's famous "Come Unto Me" which was unveiled at the 20th Anniversary Jubilee Festival in 1909.
The small group of immigrants from Finalnd first settled in Quincy in 1886. They, like the Swedish immigrants, also found work in the quarries but there were few jobs available so the later immigrants from Finland remained few. At first they formed the Uljos Koitto Temperance Society (UKTS) which is still in existance today. It was very active and was a member of the Eastern Temperance League. UKTS worked with the Anti-Saloon League and the local Women's Christian Temperance Union and also participated in the Women's Suffrage Movement. After attending a service at the Salems Lutheran Church, the UKTS members decided to organize a Finnish Lutheran Church.
"Salem" means "peace" in Swedish. "Trinity" refers to the Holy Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. |