Abington Congregational Church

Abington Congregational Church
Location CT 97, Abington, Connecticut, in town of Pomfret, Connecticut
Coordinates 41°51′27″N 72°0′29″W / 41.85750°N 72.00806°W / 41.85750; -72.00806Coordinates: 41°51′27″N 72°0′29″W / 41.85750°N 72.00806°W / 41.85750; -72.00806
Area 1 acre (0.40 ha)
Built 1751
Architect Fitch, Mr.
Architectural style Greek Revival, Greek Revival Vernacular
NRHP Reference # 77001413[1]
Added to NRHP September 19, 1977

The Abington Congregational Church is a historic church on Connecticut Route 97 in the Abington village of Pomfret, Connecticut. Built in 1751, it is the oldest ecclesiastical building in the State of Connecticut. It is one of the few surviving examples of the peg and beam construction typical of 18th century New England. The building was significantly enlarged and altered in the 1830s, giving it its present Greek Revival styling.[2] In 1977 it was included on the National Register of Historic Places.[1]

A parsonage for the church was built in 1851, and an adjacent parish hall was built in 1951. Today it is the spiritual home to a small, but thriving congregation, and is member of the United Church of Christ.

The church's website includes records of interest to genealogists and historians. The Old Cemetery of the Abington Church was used from 1760 to 1900, and includes gravestones of 82 American Revolutionary War soldiers. The New Cemetery includes many Civil War gravemarkers, and is still in use today. Lists from both cemeteries are included on the church's website, as well as a record of all Civil War veterans and units from Pomfret, Connecticut.

The current pastor is the Reverend Bruce A. Hedman, Ph.D., who graduated from Princeton Theological Seminary and was ordained to the Presbyterian ministry in 1980. He served churches in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and in Union, Connecticut and Hampton, Connecticut, before coming to Abington in 1988.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  2. ↑ "NRHP nomination for Abington Congregational Church" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
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