#MIDDLEBURY #CONGREGATIONAL #METHODIST
Construction of the current Congregational Church building (shown here) was completed in 1937 following a 1935 fire that destroyed the former structure. (Middlebury Historical Society photos)
By DR. ROBERT L. RAFFORD
From the beginning, citizens living in the part of Waterbury that is now Middlebury were church goers. Religious societies had a central role in the lives of Middleburians at the formation of the town, and that tradition continues to this day.
The first important action concerning a church in Middlebury was a 1757 petition to the General Court by 35 Middlebury families for “winter privileges.” The local church was the Waterbury Congregational Church, established in 1691. Because the journey into Waterbury was so rugged in wintertime, Lt. Josiah Bronson and other citizens petitioned to have a minister conduct those services in Middlebury. The petition was at first refused, but was granted with limits in 1760. In 1786, the “old society” of Waterbury agreed to pay for preaching in Middlebury for eight winter Sabbaths.
In 1786 the Gunntown Episcopal parish was formed at the home of Jobamah Gunn near the border between present-day Middlebury and Naugatuck, which was established as a separate town in 1844. The parish moved to Naugatuck in 1832 and became the forerunner to St. Michael’s Episcopal church there.
On Dec. 29, 1790, the Connecticut General Assembly granted “West Farms” to be a separate Congregational ecclesiastical society, formed from portions of Woodbury, Southbury and Waterbury, and called Middlebury. In 1793, the first Congregational Church was built on the west side of the Green. The cornerstone showed the date of June 4, 1792. On Feb. 10, 1796, 12 persons entered into covenant and a church was constituted. On Nov. 6, 1798, the Rev. Ira Hart was ordained in Middlebury and installed as the Congregational Church’s first minister.
The old Congregational Church building was torn down in 1832 and a new edifice erected. It lasted until a tragic fire claimed it in 1935. The current building is a replica of the one built in 1832 and was dedicated Sept. 19, 1937. The Rev. Ralph W. Rowland was the minister at the time, and over 400 people attended the dedication. Robert M. Fenn was chairman of the Building Committee, whose members were G. Fred Abbott, Howard E. Bronson, Albert G. Clark, Allan Clark, Arthur S. Judd, Mrs. Charles L. Larkin (Ruby Seymour Tuttle), William M. Shepardson and Charles Hiram Upson.
The building that once was the Methodist-Episcopal Church, on the left in this postcard, is owned by Westover School. The church parsonage, seen on the right, was moved to make room for Westover School. It now houses school staff and is called Paradise House.
The Methodist Episcopal Church in America was formed in Baltimore in 1784, and by 1790 Methodist Episcopal circuit riders were conducting services in Middlebury. In 1826 the Methodist Episcopalians were holding camp, or revival, meetings in Middlebury; between about 1832 and 1835 a Methodist Episcopal Church building was built on the east side of the Green and served Methodist Episcopalians for over 90 years until the church disbanded in 1921.
One of Middlebury’s oldest buildings still standing today, it is owned by Westover School; it first became the Mary Hillard Library and is now used for administrative functions. The organ from the church was donated to the Middlebury Historical Society by the Smith family of Woodbury in memory of Marion Abbott Skiff and Jeanne Skiff Smith and is on display there.
More detailed information on the religious life of the Middlebury community is in the pages of Delia Bronson’s History of Middlebury. Copies may be purchased from the society or at the Town Hall or library.
Bob Rafford is the Middlebury Historical Society president and Middlebury’s municipal historian. To join or contact the society, visit MiddleburyHistoricalSociety.org or call Bob at 203-206-4717. Your membership would be a valuable addition.
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