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Fifteen years after the landing of the Mayflower and five years after the landing of the Arbella, the colony of Old Saybrook was settled by two Englishmen, Lord Saye and Lord Brooke, in 1635. By 1648 many members of the Saybrook’s thriving community were looking for new lands to cultivate and inhabit. The outlands of Saybrook included the town of Old Lyme. The land was surveyed into 3 Quarters -- today's Lyme was the second quarter and Old Lyme was the third quarter. From the historical records we know that Matthew Griswold in 1655 bought a substantial part of the third Quarter at the mouth of the Connecticut River. The Saybrook/ Lyme population, comprised of both Puritans and Pilgrims, soon increased so that by 1662 a ferry was considered a necessity. By 1665 it was decided that the inhabitants on the East Side (Old Lyme) of the river should have a separate town. The decision was reached with little discord and so to this day the separation of Lyme and Saybrook is called the Loving Parting. The first Meetinghouse was most likely built between 1665 and 1666 on Johnny Cake Hill, across the road from Meetinghouse Lane in back of the Old Lyme Country Club. No description of the first meetinghouse exists, but it is assumed that it was a very simple barn type building with the dimensions of about 20 feet by 30 feet. Typically the pastor and ruling elders were seated on a raised platform facing the congregation and a wooden block served as the pulpit. The deacons were seated below the platform on the same level as the congregation, but they faced the people as well. Men were seated on one side of the aisle and women and children on the other side. Boys and servants, both needing extra supervision sat in the back with a tithing man to watch over them. A front bench was reserved for the minister's family. There were stockades on the meetinghouse property for those who misbehaved in church. One either paid 5 shillings or was placed in the stockade for several hours. It was not uncommon for the families to walk as much as 8 miles to attend church on Sunday, which was an all day affair. Some arrived by boat and some on horseback, but most walked. The first minister of The First Ecclesiastical Society of Lyme was Moses Noyes. He remained our minister for 63 years -- from 1666 to 1729. His pastorate remains the longest in our church history. He was a Harvard Graduate and only 23 when he was offered the position as minister. It was under Moses Noyes' pastorate in 1708 that "the Saybrook Platform," or the origins of Yale, was started in opposition to the teachings of the "Cambridge Platform" or that of Harvard, Moses' alma mater. Noyes was one of the original trustees of the 'Saybrook Platform.' He died at the ripe old age of 86, and his headstone can be seen at Duck River Cemetery. The church grew rapidly and by 1689, a larger second Meetinghouse was completed and was in use for almost 50 years. The first meetinghouse remained standing during those 50 years, but it was dismantled in 1738 to build an even larger third Meetinghouse, which was 40x60, twice as large as the first. The second was dismantled as well and the wood used to build the third. All three of these meetinghouses were on the Johnny Cake Hill location. The building of the third was under the pastorate of Jonathan Parsons, the third minister. Jonathan Parsons was deeply influenced by the Anglican George Whitfield and the :"Great Awakening Movement" in the mid 18th century. This was a new movement inspired by evangelical preaching which was very emotive and centered on a radical personal religious experience -- a conversion in the extreme, where the crowds would faint and wale. The proponents of this excitable movement were called "The New Lights.' Historians write that this movement substituted emotion for devotion. Parsons was determined to convert every member of the church, but he was supported by only a few of his members. This new religious zeal did not sit right with many of the church members. The fiery accounts of this period of time make for interesting reading. At the request of Reverend Parsons, Mr. Whitfield came to Old Lyme to preach about "the New Lights," and to try to calm the intense turmoil in our church. He arrived in Lyme on August 12, 1745 at Parson's house located in back of our church, near where the Lyme Regis stands today. He preached to the congregation standing on a rock known as “the Whitfield Rock. ” Its location is on the south side of the present church on Keith and Candy Green’s property. Several months later, in October of 1745, Reverend Parsons resigned from his position, yet he remained in his residence in Old Lyme. He died in 1776 in time to see our Independence declared. He is buried in the same vault as George Whitfield in Newburysport, MA. His son was Major Samuel Holden Parsons who was the commander of the regiment at Bunker Hill. A stone is placed on the Parson's property on Ferry Road to honor Samuel Holden Parsons and his service to our country. This marker is easily seen by the side of Ferry Road in front of Lyme Regis. Our fourth minister was Stephen Johnson from (1746-1786). He was a friend of the patriot John McCurdy; together they wrote powerful resistance letters against taxation. On May 22, 1776, the First Ecclesiastical Society of Lyme consented to allow Johnson a leave of absence to join the regiment of Major Samuel Parsons. Johnson spent several months in camp near Boston and was probably present at Bunker Hill along with Parsons. After the war, he returned to Old Lyme and served again as our minister. He died in 1786 and was laid to rest in Duck River Cemetary. The third meetinghouse was struck by lightening on July 3, 1815 and completely destroyed. It was decided at that time to relocate the fourth meeting house to our present location. The land for the meetinghouse was purchased from the Parson's family. The corner stone of the third meetinghouse was brought down to the new site and laid in place. The building began June 10, 1816 and it was completed in 1817. During the interim, services were held at a school house on Lyme street three quarters of the time and a school house on Mile Creek Hill one quarter of the time. The fourth meetinghouse was designed by Samuel Belcher the same architect that designed the John Sill House which is now the permanent site of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts and the William Noyes House which is now the home of the Florence Griswold Museum. The description of the church tells us that a large palladium window was at the west end of the church. This offered beautiful light on the very high center pulpit. We have no interior pictures of this original design, but the interior probably looked something like the Lebanon Congregational Church, one of the churches that inspired Belcher when he designed our church. During this period of time the Sunday Service lasted pretty much the entire day. There was an intermission of an hour and half at midday. Church members went to the Parson's Hotel to pass the time, located near the Lyme Regis. In 1834, Reverend Chester Colton, our seventh minister, appointed a committee to build a room for Sunday school accommodations. In 1850, under the leadership of Davis Smith Brainerd, our eighth minister, it was decided that the high pulpit must be removed and a more modest, much lower platform was built instead. The palladium window was covered over. It would remain in this humble state for 37 years. William Brackett Cary, our ninth minister, 1876-1884, was a veteran of the Civil War, engaged with the army of the Potomac. Under his leadership, Edwardanna Chadwick and Capt. John Mather Chadwick bequeathed their house to the church to serve as our parsonage. The parsonage has housed many ministers and is still owned by the First Congregational Church today. It is located on Lyme Street, diagonally across the street from the church. Under Benjamin Wisner Bacon, our 10th minister, who served from 1884 to 1889, women's rights were addressed for the first time. It was voted that "female members of the church are at liberty to express their opinions, and their votes are to be of equal consideration in right with those of other members." Women speaking in church was very much disputed during this time, and Bacon’s decision to allow women a voice in church was very forward looking. It was also during Bacon's pastorate that the meetinghouse in 1887 was renovated again. The platform and pulpit were raised (not as high as originally) and a large elliptical apse was designed to replace the west wall. The church was redecorated with paneling and wainscoting. The beautiful mahogany pulpit and stairs were completed. The meetinghouse was painted lovely colors and touched up with gold leaf. These renovations cost $6,000. The beauty of our church and its bucolic setting was a site that attracted many Impressionist painters, which made the church one of the most well known in the area by the turn of the century. A well known canvas painted by Childe Hassam is now in the collection of the Florence Griswold Museum. The Ladies Home Journal in the early 1900's featured our famous and beloved church on their front cover. Six months after Edward Mortimore Chapman accepted his position as our 13th minister, the fourth meetinghouse burned to the ground. Eerily it burned on the 92nd anniversary of the burning of the third meetinghouse -- July 3, 1907 -- twenty years after the renovation. The Deep River New Era paper for July 5th read, With the main edifice a seething mass of flames, the clock in the steeple of the Old Congregational Church of Old Lyme mournfully tolled out the midnight hour on Tuesday, and within one hour this grand model of ancient architecture and a landmark of note lay burned in its ashes. The fire was believed to be an act of arson, and to this day it has never been solved. A meeting was held that following Sunday, and the congregation voted unanimously to rebuild the church. Temporary services were held at the Baptist Church on Lyme Street, which now is the site of the Catholic Church. The conference house, the present day Sheffield Auditorium was quickly built in 1908 as the parish house and was used as an interim space for worship. The fifth Meetinghouse, our present, was completed in 1910 at the cost of $50,000. The fourth meetinghouse had only been insured for $13,500, leaving a deficit of $36,500 to raise. Some of Miss Florence's painters had an art show to help raise money to build the new church. Ernest Greene an architect from New York was hired to build a replica of the fourth meetinghouse. He is the same architect that designed the Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library that was built just prior to the fire. There was one serious problem: Belcher's plans of the fourth meetinghouse could not be located. The committee had no plans to work with. The architect used photographs, paintings, and the memory of the congregation to draw the plans for the fifth meetinghouse. It is a reproduction of the fourth except its inner structure is made of concrete and steel with a slate roof to protect it from another incident of fire. This fireproofing has one added benefit -- the steel dome results in our church's renowned acoustics. The church was dedicated June 18-19, 1910. Woodrow Wilson gave a speech and many notables attended. It was under William Dixon Hoag, our 16th minister, from 1927-1973, that our name was changed from "The First Ecclesiastical Society of Old Lyme" to the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme. It was during Dick Hoag's leadership that over 1,441 members joined the church, the White Elephant Sale began, Sunday School programs greatly expanded, and our annual Christmas Pageant began. Under his leadership many of the programs that we participate in today were laid out by this beloved minister. Much to the dismay of many members of the congregation, in May 1976, Dick Hoag died and was layed to rest at Duck River Cemetary. Prior to Dick Hoag's death, David William Good, from 1973 to 1974, was our seminarian from Yale Divinity School assisting John Tweed who had been hired because of Dick Hoag's failing health. David began his service as our 18th pastor in December 1975, after John Tweed left. He was ordained on April 4, 1976. During David's pastorate there has been a major emphasis on our church's missionary program locally and globally. You may view all of these ministries and partnerships on this website. During David's pastorate it was decided that our church had outgrown its space. The greatly expanded Sunday School program needed additional and updated facilities. In 1990, it was agreed to greatly expand the parish house, and by 1992, the plans were drawn up and the work commenced. By 1994 the Parish House Expansion Project was completed. We are privileged to be served by outstanding associate ministers. Carleen Gerber became our organist in 1976, and filled the dual position of organist and choir director in 1978. She was ordained in 1996 after completing her Masters of Divinity degree at the University of South Africa, and she is now our Senior associate minister of Music. The gentle, compassionate nature of Ned Castner, our minister of visitation, has helped many members cope with illness and loneliness. Ned is an ordained Presbyterian minister, who in retirement, felt compelled to help our church with pastoral visitations. Most recently, we celebrated in the Fall of 2002 the ordination of Cathy Zall, who was our Seminarian from Yale Divinity School, and is now our associate minister of Christian education. Cathy's creative and energetic spirit has brought life to the Sunday School program as evidenced by a walk through the Sunday School rooms on any Sunday morning. Along with these outstanding ministers, we offer an outstanding congregation of members and friends, a community of faith gathered as equals before God, with the sole purpose of hearing, interpreting and acting on God's precious Word. Our history is published in the following publication: Susan Hollingsworth Ely, Margaret Wellington Parsons, Willis H. Umberger, and Elizebeth Plimpton, History of the First Congregational Church of Old Lyme, Connecticut: 1665-1993 (1995). The publication includes our church records from 1731 –1874 (baptisms, marriages, and deaths). Unfortunately, we are sold out of the first edition, and at the present, have no plans for a second printing. The book may be viewed at the Old Lyme Phoebe Griffin Noyes Library (in their genealogy section), our Church Library (by an appointment), and the United Church of Christ, Connecticut Conference Headquarters in Hartford. If you are interested in viewing the records, please contact our current church historians, Bob and Betsy Webster, at 434-9547, or leave a message at the church office 434-8686.
Most sincerely, Rebecca T.Crosby, Former Church Historian
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