John Peck House
(c. 1810–Present)

Welcome back, Monroe history lovers. This week’s historical spotlight takes us to the north end of the Monroe Center Green, to the white house at the northeast corner intersection of Church Street and Fan Hill Road. For the new folks in town, it’s the house right next to the Monroe Congregational Church. The address is 38 Church Street, and our first supporting image is a map showing the precise location. Oh, you mean the house at the 4-way stop? Yes, that’s the one. Let’s head over, come to a complete stop at the stop signs, of course, and we’ll learn some of the house’s history, which today serves as the parsonage for the Monroe Congregational Church.

This simple white house is the residence of the Gingras family. Rev. Jennifer Gingras, a Yale Divinity School graduate, was the first woman engaged as senior pastor in the church’s 264-year history, a position she has held since 2012 and has served with immeasurable grace. The house was originally built by John Peck c. 1810 as a private residence and represents a simple Federal-period half-house architectural design. Immediately adjacent to the east of the house, once stood the original meeting house of the Monroe Congregational Church, which was raised in 1769. It served the faithful of our community for nearly 80 years and was eventually replaced by the current church building, which was built in 1847.

By the mid-1800s, John Peck’s house was owned by Ephraim Leach. Leach opened a store on his property which conveniently served the needs of Monroe Center’s residents, but his popularity as a grocer didn’t last for long. He stirred up quite a controversy when it was discovered he was selling distilled spirits on the Sabbath. Even when confronted by officials of the Church and asked to cease, he declined. To put a stop to his sacrilegious sale of spirits on Sundays, the Church raised the money to purchase the house from Leach in 1869. They tore down his store and the house has been used ever since as their parsonage, now spanning 157 years.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s historical spotlight on the John Peck House at the Monroe Center Green. It is yet another piece in Monroe’s interesting ecclesiastical puzzle. Please share this post with your family and friends, and thank you for your continued support and interest in Monroe’s rich history. Until next time, a word to the wise. On the Sabbath, wine is fine, but whiskey is risky.  

Regards,

Kevin Daly
Historian, Monroe Historical Society
www.monroecthistory.org
Our Past is Always Present