First Church of Christ, Congregational, East Haddam (1794)

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East Haddam‘s first Ecclesiastical Society began in 1704 and the first meetinghouse took five years to build. The first minister was Rev. Stephen Hosmer. A second meeting house replaced the first in 1728 and the third and current church was built in 1794. It was designed by Lavius Fillmore, an architect who later designed the Congregational churches in two Vermont towns, Bennington (1805) and Middlebury (1809), the latter being considered his masterpiece. The Federal-style East Haddam church has an elaborate interior with Doric columns and Roman arches. It was also built with a domed ceiling which provides excellent acoustics.

First Congregational Church of Cheshire (1826)

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Cheshire became a seperate parish from Wallingford in 1724. The first meetinghouse was a log cabin on the corner of what is now Lanyon Drive and South Main Street. This was replaced by the second meetinghouse in 1737, on the east side of Cheshire Green (where a Civil War monument stands today). This church was taken down in 1826-1827 and parts were used in the construction of the current church, designed by David Hoadley. The church has a similar design to those of the Congregational churches in Litchfield (1829) and Southington (1830).

First Congregational Church of Southington (1830)

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Southington‘s First Congregational Church‘s first meetinghouse was built in 1726 and stood where Oak Hill Cemetery is today. It was constructed after the farmers of Southington had successfully petitioned to have a seperate church, independent of the Farmington parish. The first meetinghouse was used until 1757, when it was replaced by a new building, located closer to what is today the center of town. The third and current church was built in 1830. Located on Southington Green, the church has a very similar design to the Congregational churches in Cheshire and Litchfield.

Second Congregational Church, Derby (1845)

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Derby’s Second Congregational Church, located on Derby Green across from Immanuel St. James Episcopal Church, began as the Birmingham Congregational Society, founded by members of the First Church who lived in what is now the center of Derby. The church was built in 1845 and dedicated on January 28, 1846. The top of the steeple was damaged by Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and has not been replaced.

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Center Congregational Church, Meriden (1830)

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The first Congregational church to be built in Meriden was erected in 1727 in the south-eastern section of town. This was succeeded by a new building in 1755, in the center of town. This was then replaced by a new church, erected in 1830 nearby, at the corner of Broad and East Main Streets. This is the oldest surviving church building in Meriden. It was originally the home of the First Congregational Church, but the church split in 1848. With the center of population in the town moving westward, three-quarters of the congregation left to form a new First Congregational Church, while the remainder continued at the old location, which was renamed Center Congregational Church. (more…)

West Suffield Congregational Church (1840)

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The origins of the West Suffield Congregational Church go back to 1743, when Suffield‘s Second Ecclesiastical Society was formed. Its first church building was constructed the following year, on what is now the southwestern corner of the West Suffield Cemetery. A second meeting house was constructed at the intersection of Mountain Road and North Grand Street in 1795, replaced by the current church, built on the same foundation, in 1839-1840. Church parlors were added in 1897 and an educational wing in 1958.