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A Brief History of King Street Church
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ugust 21, 2005, was the 175th
anniversary of our beloved King Street Church. Let's go back
and try to imagine life as it was in 1830. Although
it's hard to picture it now, Danbury in
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those days was a quiet, rural area. People lived on farms,
often far apart. Religion was at a low ebb, and those
wishing to gather to study the Gospel did so in homes or
schools with curtains tightly drawn. |
Then, in the winter of 1822, two missionaries
from the Christian Church, Abigail Roberts
and Levi Hathaway, visited us. They were to kindle the spark
that altered our course in history.
By the summer of
1830, eight persons had decided to "unite together, to watch
over each other for good, and to maintain the ordinances of the
Gospel." Thus the First Christian Church of Danbury and
Patterson was formed.
During the next few years, membership grew.
We were sometimes blessed with a pastor, but more often not.
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n December 1845, a
meeting was held for the purpose of selecting land and
building a house of
worship. Since most members of the congregation lived in
northwestern Danbury, they chose |
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the corner
of King and South King streets. The monies were raised by
subscription, land was purchased, and in 1846 construction
began. |
Before the
building
was completed, the wife of Aaron Pearce, the church clerk, passed away.
For her funeral, the parishioners brought in planks
and made seats. Burial followed in the King Street Cemetery,
next to the church. The cemetery dates to May 1822, when Lydia
Barber, eight-year-old daughter of Azor and Abigail Barber, was
buried.
Early records
say that the social event of the year was a free-will
offering bestowed on the pastor in autumn or early
winter. The Donation, as they called it, was held during full moon, making the drive by
horse and buggy safer. The ladies provided an excellent meal, after which a basket was passed. The Donation varied from $40 to $90, depending on
weather and crops. |
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This 1868 map clearly shows a "Christian Ch." at the corner
of King and South King streets. The solid black lines are
streams, including the brook that flows under South King
Street and skirts the cemetery south of the church. "New
Reservoir," the gray body of water to the southeast of the
unmagnified area, is now known as Upper Kohanza Reservoir. |
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This picture was
taken in the 1890s. The large white house in the distance,
still a well kept family home,
is now 300 years old. Today, the spruce tree standing beyond the church
is still healthy, and the monument circled at right is in good
shape -- as photos from our 175th
anniversary attest. |
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he church did not own
a piano or an organ. Instead, a leader
who
pitched the congregation with a tuning fork conducted
singing.
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Later, a melodeon was added, and in the late 1870s, the
church bought a
little pump organ. |
In 1889, the home of Asa
Hoyt, near what is now the corner of King Street and Delno
Drive, was purchased to be used as a parsonage. Previously,
the preacher and his family had lived wherever
rooms were available.
About this same time, the church was renovated and the
original, boxed-in
pews removed. It was still a custom, however, for men to sit on
one side and ladies on the other.
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he church
had a pretty, five-pointed spire that
added much to its appearance -- but around 1900 a
terrific whirlwind tore it off, and it
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landed point-down in the
cemetery. Sadly, no pictures of this bizarre event seem to
have survived. Many years were to pass before the King
Street steeple wore its crown again. |
The early 1900's
were difficult times. Rev. Fielder was pastor from 1913 to 1923.
The church was often closed from
January through April because of bad weather and traveling
conditions. The building sorely needed repair, and the congregation
dwindled to a handful. Still, the faithful held on, filling the pulpit with supply
ministers or divinity students. |
Around 1900, the
steeple blew off. |
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s the farms began disappearing after World War I and the
Great Depression,
clusters of
homes sprang up. By 1946, nearly a century after the little
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meeting house was built, the community's growth inspired
plans for a
parish house. Cinder blocks were sold for 50 cents, and a
basement was added at the rear of the church. For seven years it
hosted Sunday school and social events. |
Finally, in
1955, for the first time in the church's history, we went into
debt, borrowing to complete the upper story. The new room was
named after the Rev. Harry S. Martin, whose dream it was to
complete the addition. Today the Martin Room is best known as a
place for socializing after Sunday worship.
In 1960 the old Hoyt house was sold and the lovely parsonage on
South King Street was built. Rev. Charles Kennedy and his family
were the first occupants.
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The Martin Room,
before the Education Wing. |
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n 1963, with the help
of the Missionary Society of the United Church of Christ,
we
received a
grant to help pay the salary of a resident minister, who
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was the Rev. Stoddard Williams. Within a few years, we
built membership and pledges to a point where could manage
by ourselves. |
The area continued
to grow, and in 1967 our Education Wing became a reality.
In 1968, Rev. C. Gerlinger became our interim pastor, and in 1969
we welcomed Rev. Calvin Hansen, who stayed with us until 1971.
Rev. Denis Noonan then became our pastor and stayed five years.
We were then blessed to receive Rev. Kenneth Landall. Attendance
grew dramatically, and the small size of the sanctuary became a
concern.
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fter much
deliberation, the decision was made in 1980 to enlarge the
sanctuary
by using part
of the Martin Room. The transition was memorable. After
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services on Easter
Sunday, the sanctuary was stripped of its fixtures, pews,
carpeting, furniture, and banners. The following Sunday,
we gazed about in amazement. Folding chairs had been
brought in. A cross made of two-by-fours stood on the
altar. Every week, services were held as usual and we
watched each event as it took place: a window moved; walls
painted blue (surprisingly, the color of many years
before); carpet installed; new pews; and many gifts,
including an organ given by the Rogers family. On August
21, 1980, our 150th anniversary, we proudly consecrated
our remodeled church. |
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Today, the
parsonage we built in 1960 has an updated kitchen and all the
amenities typical of its upscale neighborhood. One pastor
temporarily equipped it with a hot tub. |
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In
1989, nearly a century after its ignominious plunge,
the steeple was finally replaced. |
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nother
notable event occurred in 1989, when, thanks
to Robert and Susan Olsen and two other
members, a steeple -- an exact replica
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of the one that had dived into the
cemetery -- was built and raised to the tower. We staged a gala parade down
South King Street, where parishioners cheered as a crane lowered the
long-lost spire into
place. |
We
were all saddened when, after thirteen years of service, Rev. Landall
took a pastorship in Duxbury, Massachusetts. Rev. Richard Leach, as our interim
pastor, ministered with love and care as the pastoral committee once
again began its search. In June 1990, we welcomed Rev. Betsy Skinner,
who left after two years. Rev. Ron Kittel, interim pastor, guided us
through a difficult period until June 1993, when the
members approve the call of Rev. Weldon Palmer. |
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nder Rev. Palmer's
guidance, we embarked on a period of new beginnings.
In 1996, however, he accepted a call to
be senior pastor of the Newton Highlands Congregational Church in Newton,
Massachusetts. Once again we were |
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without a pastor, but God
had not forsaken us: With joy we learned that
the Rev. Heather Hopkins had agreed to be our full-time interim pastor. She immediately endeared
herself to us, and gave us deep affection and wise spiritual guidance
for two years. |
In early 1999, Roger and Sandy Daly made history
by becoming our first co-pastors -- a husband-and-wife team. Two
years later, Roger announced he had received an invitation to become an interim pastor
at a large church in Hartford. After
discussion with Sandy about our hopes and goals, the congregation
reaffirmed its call to Sandy and made her full-time Pastor. She
continued in that capacity until August 2002, when she moved on to a church in Simsbury.
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n September 2002 the
Rev. Bonnie Bardot became our interim
pastor. With great experience, compassion, and good humor, Bonnie
led us through yet another time of transition.
Finally, in the spring of 2005, we welcomed the
Rev. Cindy
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Maddox, a dynamic
leader best known for her rare combination of
preaching and management skills. Under her
guidance, membership is growing and the church
is full of new ideas -- not the least of which
is the world-class website that you are enjoying
right now, designed and built completely by
volunteers. |
The King Street United
Church of Christ has a remarkable heritage, as proven by the
generations of devoted members who have kept this house of worship
alive -- fulfilling the covenant laid down for them in the early days of
the church, to "watch over each other for good, and to maintain the
ordinances of the Gospel."
-- Barbara Westby,
King Street Church Historian Emeritus
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Today,
members who built King Street Church more than a
century and a half ago rest in the cemetery outside
its south windows, where, on a quiet summer Sabbath
morning, you can hear the burbling of the same brook
that sang to them in those far-off yesterdays. |
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