St. Paul’s Church, Bantam (1843)

In 1797, Episcopalians in the Bantam section of Litchfield organized a new parish, originally called the Second Episcopal Society, which separated from the town’s First Episcopal Society (now St. Michael’s Church). The new parish‘s original building, known as the West Church, was located on a rise near the intersection of Bantam Road and Maple Street known as Church Hill, across from the Bantam cemetery. The parish’s current church, dedicated to Saint Paul, was built in 1843 and was consecrated by Bishop Thomas C. Brownell on November 1, 1844. The Greek Revival-style building, located at 802 Bantam Road, was extended to the rear with an addition constructed in two stages: an undercroft built in 1951-2 and a second story completed in 1962-3. The church has six Gothic-style stained glass windows that were installed in 1885-6. A more detailed history of the church can be found in this PDF document.