The First Church of Christ, Congregational is a historic church at 75 Main Street in

Farmington, Connecticut Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 26,712 at the 2020 census. It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles s ...

. Built in 1771, this

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

church was designated a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1975 for its role in sheltering the ''Amistad'' Africans before their return to Africa.

Description and history

The First Church of Christ in Farmington was founded in 1652. Roger Newton, the first pastor, was the son-in-law of

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since the ...

founder

Thomas Hooker Thomas Hooker (July 5, 1586 – July 7, 1647) was a prominent English colonial leader and Congregational minister, who founded the Connecticut Colony after dissenting with Puritan leaders in Massachusetts. He was known as an outstanding spea ...

, and was succeeded by Hooker's son, Samuel. Among First Church's pastors was

Noah Porter Noah Thomas Porter III (December 14, 1811 – March 4, 1892)''Obituary Record of Graduates of Yale University'', Yale University, 1891-2, New Haven, pp. 82-83. was an American Congregational minister, academic, philosopher, author, lexicographer a ...

, who began America's first foreign missionary society in the parlor of his home. He was also the father of

Sarah Porter Sarah Porter (August 16, 1813 – February 18, 1900) was the American educator who founded Miss Porter's School, a private college preparatory school for girls. Biography She was born in Farmington, Connecticut, to Rev. Noah Porter (1781 & ...

, founder of

Miss Porter's School Miss Porter's School (MPS) is an elite American private college preparatory school for girls founded in 1843, and located in Farmington, Connecticut. The school draws students from 21 states, 31 countries (with dual-citizenship and/or residence), ...

, and Noah Porter, Jr., president of Yale University. The present church, the third, originally known as the Meeting House, was built in 1771, designed by Judah Woodruff. The slender steeple on top of the bell tower can be seen for miles. The church is cited as an "excellent example of its architectural style and period". and The church began the first "Sabbath School" in the 1700s for the local Tunxis Indians, to teach them Christianity. It was a hub of the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...

, and became involved in the celebrated case of the African slaves who revolted on the Spanish vessel ''

La Amistad ''La Amistad'' (; Spanish for ''Friendship'') was a 19th-century two- masted schooner, owned by a Spaniard colonizing Cuba. It became renowned in July 1839 for a slave revolt by Mende captives, who had been captured and sold to European slave ...

''. When the Africans who had participated in the revolt were released in 1841, they came to Farmington, and stayed with Austin Williams before their return to Africa. and While staying in Farmington, they attended this church. The ''Amistad'' case was important for the

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

cause and significant in the history of

slavery in the United States The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865, predominantly in the South. Sl ...

. The church was declared a

in 1975. It is included in the Farmington Historic District. First Church is affiliated with the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

References

External links

First Church of Christ, Congregational, 1652 websiteFirst Church Historical NotesAmistad: Seeking Freedom in Connecticut, a National Park Service ''Discover Our Shared Heritage'' Travel Itinerary
{{DEFAULTSORT:First Church Of Christ, Congregational (Farmington, Connecticut) African-American history of Connecticut Farmington, Connecticut National Historic Landmarks in Connecticut United Church of Christ churches in Connecticut Churches on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Churches in Hartford County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Hartford County, Connecticut Individually listed contributing properties to historic districts on the National Register in Connecticut

Description and history

See also

References

External links