A Baptist church was established in Ashford in the village of Westford in 1780. In 1848 a new church was built in Warrenville section of town, as Richard M. Bayles describes in his History of Windham County, Connecticut (1889):
John Warren, Esq., manifested much anxiety to have a Baptist church organized in the western part of Ashford, in a village on the turnpike from Hartford to Boston and Providence. The First, or as it was often called, the Knowlton meeting house, was not considered so central, nor easy of access as many thought desirable. But the people in the vicinity of the old church were greatly opposed to giving up worship in their sanctuary, and continued for a time to worship there after another congregation was formed in “Pompey Hollow,” as the place was then called. Mr. Warren offered a fund to support worship in the Hollow, and the name of the village was changed to Warrenville. A church was organized January 22d, 1848[.]
The meeting house was completed that same year (1848). Later called the United Baptist Church, it is now known as Living Proof Church.
Hi Daniel- I drove through Ashford today. In particular I went through the tiny village of Westford. (It is on an old turnpike that led from Tolland to Woodbury called Centre Turnpike.) This charming village is located at the intersection of what today are called Westford, Turnpike, Nagy and Boston Hollow Roads. There is a beautiful colonial home with a Palladian window. It looks like a former tavern. There is also the beautiful classic white Baptist church predating the one in your Baptist church posting. At some point the worship at these two churches combined at the church located to the south on Route 44. The village of Westford has several other nice historic homes. It’s a historicly intact village with no modern development or intrusions. I hope this info is interesting and helpful to you or others that enjoy studying or exploring history and architecture.