Saugatuck Congregational Church (1832)

The Town of Westport was incorporated in 1835, separating from the Town of Fairfield and taking land from the neighboring towns of Weston and Norwalk. The new town included the village of Saugatuck, which had developed as a prosperous shipping port. The Congregational Church in Saugatuck was erected in 1832 on a commanding site on the south side of the Post Road. The church was enlarged in 1857 to accommodate a growing congregation. Substantial growth in the early twentieth century led to the decision to move the church building to the other side of the Post Road, to a property of eight acres that Morris K. Jesup had donated in 1884. The move took place in 1950 and brought the building to its current location at 245 Post Road East. A new addition to house church school classrooms, offices, and other additional space, was erected in 1954-1956. On the night of Sunday, November 21, 2011, a devastating fire gutted much of the building, but the sanctuary was spared the most severe damage and the steeple remained standing. An intensive 2½ year effort of rebuilding and restoration resulted in the rededication of the church on March 8, 2015.