1845-1854: Main Street Congregational Church ~ Norwich
This article is under construction
On June 1, 1842, the Fifth Society was formed. Ninety-eight of the original one hundred twelve Fifth Society members were from the Second Church and several from the former Third Society (formerly on Sachem Street). They met in the town hall until their church building was constructed on Main Street. It became known as the Main Street Congregational Church.
The church stood forth at once upon a solid foundation and has ever since been a strong and prosperous church. The meetings were initially held in the town hall, but a house of worship was erected on Main Street and dedicated on October 1, 1845. The association then took the distinctive title of Main Street Congregational Church.
Reverend Willard Child was installed over the church on Aug. 31, 1842, but resigned from the office at the close of three years.
Reverend John P. Gulliver was ordained pastor on October 1, 1846, and under his efficient ministry, the church has experienced significant growth in numbers and influence.
The meeting house of this society, constructed of Chatham free-stone at an expense of $14,000, was destroyed by fire on September 17, 1854, after it had been occupied for approximately nine years. Later, the Central Methodist Church was built on the site, allowing three successive churches of different denominations to occupy the same spot: Baptist, Congregational, and Methodist.
A more eligible site for the congregation was then chosen at the corner of Broadway and Bath Street, and a new church was built of far greater capacity and convenience than the former. The foundation stone was laid in July 1855, and the edifice was completed and dedicated in October 1857. A title change became necessary, and that of Broadway Congregational Church was adopted.
100th Anniversary of Second Congregational Church (1860), by Alvan Bond, D.D.
A Modern History of New London County, Tinkham Marshall, Vol 1,1922, page 296
Caulkins – pg 559
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Second Congregational” in the SEARCH box.
1857-present: Broadway Congregational Church ~ Norwich
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Broadway Congregational Church
In 1842, a group gathered from Norwich’s Second Congregational Church and several members of the recently dissolved Third Society (on Sachem Street) and formed a new congregation that met in the town hall until their own church building was constructed on Main Street in 1845. The congregation was the Fifth Ecclisiastical Society, and the building was known as the Main Street Congregational Church. The congregation eventually built the Broadway Congregational Church, replacing the Main Street structure that was destroyed by fire in 1854.
The Broadway Congregational Church, a much larger building than the first, was built in the Romanesque Revival style between 1855 and 1857. Broadway Congregational later merged with the Second Church congregation and has since been known as the United Congregational Church. The building originally had a spire that was 200 feet high, but it was struck by lightning and removed in 1898.
The foundation stone was laid in July 1855, and the edifice was completed and dedicated in October 1857. A title change became necessary, and Broadway Congregational Church was adopted. This church, the most costly and complete of any sacred edifice ever erected in Norwich, is 64 feet by 94, and the spire 200 feet high. It is built of brick, with free-stone dressings, in the Roman style of architecture, and in its admirable system of ventilation, is regarded as a model church.
The organ was William A. Buckingham’s gift to the church. The Sabbath School room in the basement seated 450 people, and the adjoining lecture room seated 120. This society numbers about 200 families, and the church has 300 members.
After a nineteen-year pastorate, Mr. Gulliver resigned his charge to accept an urgent call from the New England Congregational Church in Chicago and was dismissed on Oct. 24, 1865. He left a prosperous and progressive church, attached to his ministry, and reluctantly consenting to the separation.
Mr. Gulliver is a native of Boston and graduated from Yale College in 1840.
Acknowledgements
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, page 559, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
Benjamin Tinkham – Volume 1 – page 296-298
HistoricalBuildingsCT.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Broadway Congregational” in the SEARCH box.
1874-present: Park Congregational Church ~ Norwich
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*Place cursor over image to magnify
On May 8, 1873, ground was broken for a new Congregational Church on the Plain. On July 12th, the cornerstone of the building was laid. On March 17, 1874, the new church organized as the Park Congregational Church. On April 12th, the new chapel read for occupancy. The church was complete and dedicated on November 18, 1873. The church is a cruciform Norman-style building constructed of Portland stone.
Source 1 states:“Perhaps no better description of the character of the man could be given than that which appears on the tablet at the entrance to the beautiful parish house of the Park Congregational Church, erected to his memory: “An interested and generous member of Park Congregational Church from its organization; a sincere and earnest Christian; a public-spirited citizen; a broad-minded patriot; a wise counselor; a devoted and unselfish friend; a man of noble powers, nobly used. ”The last clause is the keynote to his whole life.”
His legacy is alive and well in Norwich today. The plaque, shown in the photo, is still on proud display on the walls of Park Congregational Church.
Acknowledgements
“Norwich Board of Trade,” 1909, page 61
Park Church
“History of Norwich, Connecticut: From Its Possession From the Indians, to the Year 1866”, ppg 343-346, by Frances Manwaring Caulkins
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Park Congregational” in the SEARCH box.
1867-2022: Taftville Congregational Church
The manufacturing village of Taftville in Norwich was established in 1866 and centered on the Taftville Mill, which later became the Ponemah Mill, the largest textile mill in the world under one roof. The company gave land to the village’s Congregational Society, which built the Taftville Congregational Church in 1904.
Reverend John Edgar presided at the first meeting, which was held in Taftville on July 8, 1866. A Sabbath School was organized in November of 1866, and the ecclesiastical society was formed in Taftville on June 5, 1867. The society first met in the Boadine House, which adjoined the old Fame House.
The church was organized on December 3, 1867, with twelve members, with Reverend Hiram A. Tracy serving as the first pastor.
Taftville Congregational Church (2013)
16 North B Street
The edifice shown in the photos above was built in 1904 and was known as the “Green Church” due to its distinctive color.
Reverend Jack Shackles, the last pastor of the church, served from 2007 to 2022. The Taftville Congregational Church dissolved in 2022.
Upon his retirement, Rev. Shackles said, “The congregation was unable to sustain the building; the membership had dwindled, and they have gone to other churches.”
The building was sold to St. Mary and St. Moses Coptic Orthodox Church in February of 2023. Unfortunately, only six months later, on August 5, 2023, a significant fire occurred, destroying approximately 35% of the building. Refer to Info Sources 2 and 3 for more details.
Acknowledgements
“History of New London County, Connecticut: With Biographical Sketches of Many of Its Pioneers and Prominent Men,” (1882), page 295, by Duane Hamilton Hurd
“Historic Taftville Church Burns Overnight,” (08/06/2023), by Anna Schier
‘We lost everything: Taftville church will take over a year to repair after Saturday fire,” (08/07/2023), by Matt Grahn
Public Domain
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button and then typing “Taftville Congregational” in the SEARCH box.