Asylum Hill Congregational Church (1865)

As the nineteenth century progressed, the Gothic Revival style was frequently used for Episcopal and Catholic churches (note, for example, Christ Church Cathedral and St. Peter’s Church). Some Congregational churches were also built in that style, including the Asylum Hill Congregational Church, the only Gothic Congregational church in greater Hartford. which was built in 1865 and designed by Patrick Keely. A noted architect of Catholic churches, Keely would later design Hartford’s St. Joseph’s Cathedral, which was destroyed by fire in 1956.

The Asylum Hill Church’s first pastor was Joseph Twitchell, who was a good friend of Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens). The Clemens family rented a pew in the church. Today the church is also known for its yearly Boar’s Head and Yule Log Festival.