First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted (1845)

The First Congregational Church of Barkhamsted, also known as Barkhamsted Center Church, was gathered in 1781. The first meetinghouse was built in 1784 and was used until the current, second meeting house was built in 1844-1845. As written in Barkhamsted, Conn., and Its Centennial, 1879:

the old Meeting House was raised in 1784, and used for religious purposes until about 1843 or 1844, and also for town purposes. It was used but little, if any, after the new house was built, and being neglected, of course, rapidly fell into decay. After some changes in ownership, it eventually came into the possession of George Merrill and his sons, Charles and Sheldon, and was f1nally sold to the Greenwoods Company of New Hartford, and by them taken down in 1865, and part of it used in the buildings at the west end of the Greenwoods Company’s dam, near the Scythe Shop. The large stone steps at the east door were used by Bela Tiffany; those at the south door by Charles Merrill; those at the west door by Sheldon Merrill, as steps for their residences respectively.

The second meeting house’s belfry tower was removed in the 1920s, but was recently rebuilt.

Congregational Church of New Canaan (1843)

The first meeting house of the Congregational Church of Canaan Parish was built in 1732-1733 in New Canaan on Church Hill (known as God’s Acre because of the burying ground one located on the hill, until the graves were later moved elsewhere). A second, larger meeting house was built in 1750-1752. Canaan Parish was incorporated as the Town of New Canaan in 1801. After the second church building was damaged by a lightning strike, it was replaced by the current church, completed in 1843. The church was incorporated as the Congregational Church of New Canaan in 1902.

Center Congregational Church, Torrington (1867)

Center Congregational Church, at 155 Main Street in Torrington, was originally known as the Third Congregational Church of Torrington. It was established in what was then known as Wolcottville, a village that later became the center of Torrington. As related in The Torrington Register Souvenir Edition. An Illustrated and Descriptive Exposition of Torrington, Connecticut, 1897:

The Third Congregational Church is so named, not as many strangers suppose because there are two others in the borough, but because it is the third Congregational church formed in the town, the one in West Torrington being the oldest and the one in Torringford being the next in age. The Torringford church was formed because of the deep swamp which its people had to traverse to get to the First Church. The third came into being in later times because the petitioners alleged that they must either ascend a hill of 630 feet to go to Torringford, or one-half as high to go to the First Church. The building of the First Church was then up on the hills toward Goshen. A debt of gratitude is due to Capt. Uri Taylor, who gave the land and built thereon a Congregational meeting-house before the church was organized. Later on, he added to his gift a parsonage and lot. The ecclesiastical society was formed Dec. 3, 1829, and the Church was organized July 11, 1832, with twenty-nine members. This was at a time when the population of the village numbered about 500. The meeting-house built in 1828 was remodeled in 1844, by running a floor under the gallery. The present building of stone was erected in 1866[-1867] at the cost of great sacrifice on the part of the members. The Chapel was built in 1880.

The church was expanded to its present size in 1900 and was renamed Center Congregational Church. The church was burned by arsonists in January 1979. The interior was destroyed, but the granite walls survived. The church was restored and reopened in October 1980.

First Congregational Church of Meriden (1879)

The First Congregational Church of Meriden had its origins in the 1720s, when people in the northern section of Wallingford began holding services in their homes during the winters. As related in the History of New Haven County, Vol. I (1892):

On the 9th of May, 1728, the inhabitants living in the above sections petitioned the governor and the general court to be established as a village or a parish, which prayer was granted and the new parish called Meriden. The new society flourished and having a successful ecclesiastical government soon longed for its own civil administration. This privilege, however, was not granted until 1806

The first meeting house had already been constructed in 1727 at the corner of Ann Street and Dryden Drive. This was followed by a new meeting house, built on Broad Street in 1755. This was in turn replaced, at the same location, by a larger one in 1830. A split occurred in 1848, as described in A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, Volume 1 (1918):

Prosperity and population had come to Meriden in the period just before that, and the church had so increased its membership that it felt the need of a new and larger building. This was erected, in 1846, on Colony Street, half a mile from the old site. But something arose which caused a difference of opinion among the members. Most likely the then familiar question of the abolition of slavery had something to do with it. At any rate, something like half a hundred members withdrew and formed the Center Church. The old building on Broad Street was vacant, and they secured possession of it. There they have remained and worshipped ever since—they and the new worshippers who have come in the changing process of seven decades.

The 1846 building continued in use by the First Congregational Church. It was replaced by the current one, at 62 Colony Street, in 1879. The church was renovated in the 1950s, when the south-side portico was removed. Although there were plans to erect a steeple, it was never built.

First Congregational Church, Hebron (1883)

Hebron was incorporated as a town in 1708. The community’s religious services were held in private homes before a meeting house was constructed. There was intense debate in 1716 concerning where to built it, either north of the center village or on the Green. Eventually, a site on the Green was selected. The building was soon erected, although it was not fully finished in 1723-1724. Agitation developed over the formation of separate parishes and in 1747 the Connecticut General Court removed sections of Hebron to become parts of two new towns: the northeastern section becoming part of Andover and the western section part of Marlborough. The northwest corner of town remained part of Hebron, but was set off as a distinct ecclesiastical society, called now the Gilead Congregational Church, which held its first meeting in 1748. F. Clarence Bissell has related (in an address for Hebron’s Bicentennial in 1908):

Returning again to the situation of the town about the time that it was divided into religious societies; the first meeting house was in a ruinous condition, and there was much difference of opinion as to the location of a new one. But the necessity for a new one was emphasized by the burning of the old. This occurred Oct. 8, 1747 and was caused by an incendiary hired for that purpose, a half witted young man, who was afterwards prosecuted and committed to jail for the crime. During the year in which the old meeting house was burned there were held ten society meetings regarding a new one. It was finally voted to build a new house 60 feet by 48 feet and 25 foot posts, on the place where the old house stood. The new house was built in 1748 arid it contained some timbers that were already hewed for the addition for the first house, and saved from the fire. Some of these same timbers were afterwards used in building the new church in 1828, the building which many of us remember as standing until the fire of 1882.

That fire was described by Cyrus H. Pendleton (again at the Bicentennial):

April 17, 1882, a fire broke out upon the roof of a building, the lower story of which was occupied by Lucien H. Leonard as a store, his family residing in the story above. The fire started from sparks from the chimney. This building, known as the Hendee Store, stood just west of the Congregational Church, and with it was burned, the church and four other buildings on the north side of the Green, and the schoolhouse and two other buildings on the south side. The church and schoolhouse were rebuilt the same year, and two of the dwellings soon after.

The current First Congregational Church building was dedicated on May 1, 1883.

United Congregational Church of Tolland (1838)

In 1719, Tolland‘s first settlers decided to build a meeting house. This simple initial structure, first used in 1723, was never entirely completed. A larger building, with a steeple and bell, was later constructed at the south end of Tolland Green. First used in 1755, it was later suprceeded by the current building, located on the west side of the Green and dedicated on October 25, 1838. In 1893, adapting to changing styles, typical Victorian-era alterations were made to the interior of the church. This included replacing the pained glass windows with stained glass. In 1977, the church was again remodeled to its original appearance and the stained glass was removed. A wing was also added at that time to the south side of the church. Declining membership in the both the Congregational and Lee Methodist churches in Tolland led to their merger as the Federated Church of Tolland in 1920. The Lee Methodist Church was dissolved in 1959 ad the following year the Federated Church was renamed the United Congregational Church of Tolland.

Newtown Meeting House (1812)

Newtown’s first meeting house was built in 1720 on Main Street, where the flagpole stands today. In 1792, this building was moved 132 feet to the middle of West Street. As explained in Newtown’s History and Historian, Ezra Levan Johnson (1917):

Nothing more appears on the society minutes about the meeting house, either for its adornment or repairs, until 1792, when the Church of England people having the consent of the town to build a church for public worship on the ground where the town house was standing, provided they would remove the Town house to some other site, without expense to the town. The meeting house standing near to. and in front of, the Town house made an objection to putting the Church of England house there without removing the meeting house also, and it was proposed to them that their house be removed to the opposite side of the north and south road

The meeting house was replaced with a new one in 1812, which was improved over the years. Quoting from the same book as above:

During the Rev. Jason Atwater’s ministry, between 1845 and 1852, the exterior of the building was very much improved, the belfry was closed in, a new steeple was built, the building newly covered and painted. Twelve hundred dollars were spent in renovating the exterior and in 1852 the basement was fitted up, the main floor raised to its present level, [and] new seats and a pulpit were provided for the audience room

By 1873, the meeting house looked much as it does today. In 1988, the Newtown Congregational Church moved to a new building and sold the old meeting house to the town. The Heritage Preservation Trust of Newtown, Inc. then restored and now maintains the Meeting House, which serves as a place for concerts, meetings, weddings and other events.