The Church of Christ is a Baptist and Congregational church in West Winsted, Winchester. An Ecclesiastical Society in Winsted was first formed in 1778, half way between the societies of Winchester and Barkhamsted. In 1853, as related by John Boyd in Annals and Family Records of Winchester (1873), a committee was appointed to consider “the organization of a second Congregational church and society to be located in the West Village.” The committee reported “that the large increase of population, and the prospect of a more rapid accession in the future, rendered an increase of religious privileges and accommodations indispensable to the well-being of the community; and recommended an early organization of an Ecclesiastical society, and the location and building of a house of worship.” The new congregation constructed a church in 1857, later replacing it with the current church, dedicated in 1899. With the erection of a new church, the old building, together with an adjoining chapel built in 1860, were purchased and remodeled for business purposes. The dedication of the new church was described in the Hartford Weekly Times of September 7, 1899. The reporter explained that the church was built “of Torrington granite, trimmed with Long Meadow sand stone and is of French Gothic style.” The first and second churches of Winsted, faced with expensive repairs after the Flood of 1955, merged together with the First Baptist Church in 1957. The new federation was called the Church of Christ (Baptist and Congregational). 119 members of the old First Congregational Church, fearing that the use of their church building would be discontinued in favor of using just the Second Congregational Church for worship, left the federation. Their church is now known as the First Church of Winsted (also Baptist and Congregational), while the Second Church building continues under the name of the Church of Christ.
Edit: As noted in the comment below, the church has changed its name to the Second Congregational Church of Winsted.
Our church is located at 800 Main Street, Winsted Ct. 06098.
The church name currently exists within your directory as “Church of Christ, Winsted”.
The URL is: https://historicbuildingsct.com/?p=3257
Within the past year, we have changed the name of our church back to the original name: “Second Congregational Church of Winsted”.
Could you make the corresponding changes on your site to reflect this new name?
Thank you in advance for your attention to this.
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My family lived at 54 Hinsdale Ave. from 1953 to 1964. Miss Curtis was the organist and she taught me to play the beautiful three manual pipe organ with real wind pipes and chimes. (piano was my main instrument) I would play for services in the summertime starting at age 11.
Every Christmas the Junior Choir and the Senor Choir would sing the Messiah. The church would be packed, even the balcony. She would end the service with the rousing March of the Magi, which ended with literally “all the stops pulled out”.
This church was a big part of my life!