The following is comprised of snippets taken from the online journaling of Tony Kimball, 2007.

In May, 1984, the wards of Boston Stake were reorganized, and the Mormon Arlington Ward was formed, with Bob Chandler as the new bishop.  Tony Kimball went through the 1963 Cambridge Ward Directory, and found several families who were still living locally in 2007, including the Chandlers.  The old Cambridge Ward included Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, Arlington, Belmont, Watertown, Newton, Waltham, Medford, Chelsea, and Everett. That’s 13 towns and cities. There have been at least three dozen church units organized in that same area since 1967.

The Boston Stake was split and the Hingham Stake was formed.  The old Boston Stake then covered about the same area as the original Cambridge Branch (a group of members too small to be a ward).  Though many members of the Latter-Day Saint wards and stakes in the Boston area come from a variety of vocations and backgrounds, the fact that many are students or professors of Harvard and Cambridge adds color and verve to this collection of Latter-day Saints.

It’s true that some of us are not tolerant in our dealings with our neighbors or others in our communities, and not everyone who attends church always manifests it, but in terms of the overall tone of the area, this quality is very unusual when compared to many of the places where the church has been entrenched for a long time. I am sure no Salt Lake ward ever would have had a karate demonstration as part of a Sacrament Meeting talk, as happened in this ward years ago, nor would I, as a single man, ever have been called as a Bishop. I’m not advocating either of these things, mind you, but I’ve seen in all of our stake presidents the same tolerant spirit manifested time and time again.

Boston Mormons have been all over the doctrinal and behavioral map, and around the country were known for their unorthodox perspectives. Several programmatic innovations were developed in this stake under creative stake presidents like William Fresh, L. Tom Perry, and Richard Bushman, which were initially[questioned] by the church, and, then, within a couple of years, put out as church-wide programs. The members here were generating programs to meet local needs which became church-wide.

Early History

East Cambridge was the earliest focal point of congregations of Mormons. Wilford Woodruff wrote a good bit in his journal about his visits to the Boston/Cambridge area in the 1830s.

In 1843, eight of the Quorum of the Twelve were in attendance at a conference in Boston. Nearly all of them were still in this area when they heard of the murder of Joseph Smith, and, of course, rushed back to Nauvoo. (Deseret News 1999-2000 Church Almanac, 210.)

In the early 1840s Brigham Young sent one of his daughters to school in the Salem area and she stayed with Nathaniel Felt, a great-great grandfather of Tony Kimball.  Virtually all of the original members of the Mormon Church came out of New England.  Since then, many interesting Latter-day Saints have lived in the area.

Evan Stephens, who is the composer of many of the hymns Mormons sing, attended the New England Conservatory in the late 19th century.  Edna Wells Sloan took in boarders, including Truman Madsen’s mother, Emily.  Edna decided to earn income by joining a bake sale.  Her homemade potato chips were such a hit, she went into the potato chip business.

Click here to read more recollections from Claudia Bushman’s, “Remembering Cambridge.”

The beautiful modern, granite-faced, Mormon Boston temple was announced on September 30, 1995, and was erected to the Lord  on the gently-rising Belmont, Massachusetts’ 8-acre lot, and is comprised of about 69,000 square feet of dedicated and holy ordinance rooms, baptistery, sealing rooms, administrative and waiting areas. The groundbreaking was presided over by Mormon apostle, Elder Richard G. Scott, on June 13, 1997, during a cloudburst from the heavens; Mormon Prophet and President, Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated the temple as the 100th mini-temple to be built after his ambitious vision in April 1998 of dotting the land with smaller, accessible temples for the gathering and redemption of God’s people. “We are moving on a scale the likes of which we have never seen before,” President Hinckley said in his closing remarks in the April 1998 general conference.  This is when his vision of accelerated temple-building was shared from the pulpit, including his remark that there might even be the 100th Mormon sanctuary before the end of the century.

Of the selected spot overlooking the town, noted by a Boston stake president, President Hutchins, President Hinckley commented:

As I stood there I had an electric feeling that this is the place…. The Lord inspired its acquisition and its retention. Very few seemed to know anything about it. I think I know why I have had such a very difficult time determining the [site]. I have prayed about it. I have come here three or four times. I have studied maps and tables of membership. With all of this I have not had a strong confirmation. I felt a confirmation as I stood in Belmont on this property this afternoon. This is the place for a House of the Lord in the New England area.

Notwithstanding some serious opposition from Northeastern neighbors, the temple construction prevailed, as did the prophetic vision, and the Boston Mormon temple steeple was erected subsequent to the temple dedication. An excerpt from the dedicatory prayer offered by President Hinckley reflects on both the opposition endured and the gratitude felt for the prevailing Hand of the Lord in establishing His house in the Boston, Belmont area:

… We are assembled to dedicate this Thy holy house. It is a special occasion. This temple becomes the 100th operating temple of Thy Church.
We have looked forward to this occasion. We have prayed for this day. We extend our gratitude to all who have labored so faithfully and diligently, often in the face of serious opposition, to bring to pass the miracle of the completion of this temple.
To us it is indeed a miracle. The ground on which it stands, the circumstances of its preservation for this use, and the decision to build it here—all are miracles unto those who have been a part of this process.

Now it is ready for the purposes for which it has been constructed. We are deeply grateful. We thank Thee for Thy marvelous and overruling actions which have made all of this possible.

And now, acting in the authority of the holy priesthood, even the fulness of the priesthood, and in the name of Thine Only Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we dedicate unto Thee and unto Him this the Boston Massachusetts Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Dear Father, please accept it as the gift of our hearts and hands. We present it with love for Thee and for Thy precious Son. We pray that Thou wilt bless it with the presence of Thy Holy Spirit. May it ever be sacred unto Thy people. May even those not of our faith look upon it as a hallowed structure, and do so with respect. Save it from the hands of evil men. May neither the vandal nor the destroyer be inclined to damage it or deface it in any way.

O God, the Eternal Father, we acknowledge Thine intervening hand in holding back the adversary in his machinations to delay and stop the construction of this sacred house. Thy Church has prevailed in the courts, and we pray that it will yet prevail. We pray that those who have been bitterly opposed may experience a change of feeling. May their hearts be softened. Wilt Thou touch them by Thy Holy Spirit, that their animosity may turn to gratitude and that their fears may fade as they contemplate, according to their knowledge, the true significance of this House of the Lord.

We are grateful that so many have come to view it, and we pray that a remembrance of this experience may remain with them always, to soften their feelings and lead them in the direction of Thine eternal work for which this house has been designed.
The building has no steeple. We dedicate it as being complete, but pray that the way may be opened for the placement of a steeple with the crowning figure of Moroni, Thine ancient prophet.

The temple stands, as each does, as an ode and witness to the immortality of the soul. In the words of Mormon apostle, RIchard G. Scott,

We believe that because of ordinances that can be performed in this sacred house, a man and a woman can be united for eternity and sealed to their children, who live worthily, forever. That ending of a religious [marriage] ceremony that is so common in the world today: `until death do you part,’ need not be the final outcome of marriage.

We pray that those who find this site or who walk near any Mormon temple, might know that they stand for them, are built for each of us who would take the invitation to heart to come unto Christ through baptism into His Church and kingdom, and be sealed together forever in His house, to come forth for eternity with redeemed loved ones. We invite your sincere questions and thoughts.

One of the main characteristics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Church) is the work performed in the Church’s holy temples. This work sets apart the Mormon Church from every other religion on the face of the earth. 

“The temple is a place of instruction where profound truths pertaining to the Kingdom of God are unfolded. It is a place of peace where minds can be centered upon things of the spirit and the worries of the world can be laid aside. In the temple we take covenants to obey the laws of God, and promises are made to us, conditioned always on our faithfulness, which extend into eternity”

The Boston Massachusetts What is a Mormon Temple?)

Usually, when the Mormon Church announces plans to build a new temple, there is initial push-back from the community.  Traffic concerns, the height of the steeple, land use, must always be addressed.  But in every case, after a temple is built, it becomes a blessing to the community and the area.  Part of this is that a temple is the House of God, and His spirit radiates outward from the edifice, blessing all who come near it.

The Boston Massachusetts Temple was the 100th temple built by the Mormon Church.  It stands at  86 Frontage Road, Belmont, Massachusetts, United States.  It is finished in Olympia white granite, and is a classic-modern, single spire design.  The temple is 69,000 square feet, with four endowment rooms and four sealing rooms.  (To learn what these rooms are used for, go to the article,

The temple is a striking landmark along the Concord Turnpike.  One can feel the spirit of God even in the beautifully landscaped grounds.  The public are invited to sojourn there to meditate.  Walkways meander among the trees. 

The Boston Temple was the first to be built in New England.  Salt Lake Olympic Organizing Committee President Mitt Romney (who is also Mormon) escorted U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy through the Boston Massachusetts Temple during the VIP open house.  The temple was then opened to the public for tours before its dedication as the Lord’s House.

The angel Moroni statue was installed atop the temple on September 21, 2001.   The statue was a cast copy of sculptures adorning other temples, the original designed by Cyrus E. Dallin.  Two other temples received Angel Moroni statues upon their spires on the same date,  in a tri-temple setting honoring the 178th anniversary of the first appearance of Moroni to the Prophet Joseph Smith. (The other two temples participating in the setting were the Nauvoo Illinois Temple and the The Hague Netherlands Temple.)

History

In 1843 there were fourteen small branches of Latter-day Saints in Boston.  The first missionaries had begun preaching there some eleven years before.  Missionary work there slowed down after the martyrdom of Prophet Joseph Smith in 1844, when many Latter-day Saints joined the exodus west to Utah.  The Boston area was re-opened to Mormon missionaries in 1893, and by 1894, there were 96 members.  A decade later, much controversy surrounded the election of Mormon,  Reed Smoot to the U.S. Senate.  Police kept Mormon missionaries from openly proselyting in Boston.

By 1930 membership reached nearly 360. Some of these members were former Mormon missionaries studying at Harvard.  “Cambridge, Massachusetts, became the headquarters for the New England States Mission. A Church building was dedicated in the area in 1962.” [1]