Trinity Restoration And Renovation Will Stand On A Long History Of Faith

By Jan Howard

The historic, 130 year-old Trinity Episcopal Church on Main Street will undergo its fourth major restoration and renovation since it was constructed in 1870 beginning early in June and reaching completion in early September.

It has been 40 years since the last major restoration. The project has been in the planning stages for three years.

The goal of the capital campaign, “With Faith in Our Future,” which began on January 30, is to complete church restoration work and to expand and renovate church buildings to be more accessible, welcoming, and supportive of church and community programs held there.

Plans call for restoration of the nave and sanctuary, renovation and refurbishing of the Parish House and Undercroft, and completion of exterior repairs and enhancements to restore the structure back to its Gothic beauty, according to campaign chairmen Ann and Ted Clark.

“Parish members have pledged $1.4 million of the $1.5 million restoration cost, to be paid over a three-year period. We are hoping to get the balance over the next two months,” Mrs Clark said. “The enthusiasm has been most significant, for the project and raising money. Everybody’s ready.”

 An elevator for handicapped accessibility, lighting changes, sound system improvements, new carpeting, expansion of the balcony, enhancement of the worship space, installation of dividers in the undercroft, and kitchen and rest room improvements, restoration of needlepoint kneelers, and relocating the baptismal font are some of the changes that are planned. The front doors will be restored and better signage installed, Mr Clark said.

The Parish House is used all the time for church and community groups, as well as Trinity Day School, the Rev Kathleen E. Adams-Shepherd said. The renovations will create “better access and more user-friendly space,” she added, and make the building better fit the congregation’s mission.

The congregation, which numbers 250 families and 600 communicants, will worship outside or in the Undercroft during the summer while the restoration is taking place. “We hope to be back in our worship area in mid-September,” Mr Clark said.

 “A great number of people volunteered not only financially but of their time to make this restoration possible,” Mr Clark said.

“The parish has embraced this historic building and its restoration to its original dignity,” Rev Adams-Shepherd said. “It’s a very positive thing for us. We care about this building, and its beauty does attract people.”

Mrs Clark said the restoration would make it possible for the parish “to use the space we have in the most efficient way possible.”

Campaign brochures are available for those interested. For information, call Ted and Anne Clark at 426-5435. A pledge or donation can be mailed to the Clarks at Trinity Episcopal Church, 36 Main Street, Newtown, CT 06470.

A History Of

 The Building

Construction of the present stone structure, the congregation’s fourth building, was completed in February 1870. However, consecration of the structure was postponed until 1882, the church’s 150th anniversary, when the $60,000 debt for constructing it was entirely paid off. On June 8, 1882, the Rev John Williams, Bishop of Connecticut, officiated at the consecration. This ceremony marked the first restoration of Trinity Episcopal Church.

In 1907, the church celebrated the 175th anniversary of the founding of the parish with the unveiling of a monument near the intersection of Glover Avenue and Main Street, commemorating the first service of the church by the Rev John Beach in 1732.

In 1929 restoration was begun for the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the parish in 1932. Because of the economy, when the church was repainted, the stenciling was covered.

In 1960 restoration work that had begun in 1958 was completed. The stenciling was restored, walls were painted and decorated, and the carpet and old pews were replaced. The redecorating was carried out under the advice of two area clergymen, who were also architects, the Rev A. Pierce Middleton, rector of St Paul’s Church in Brookfield, and the Rev Nelson Pearson, rector of St Paul’s Church in Woodbury.

In 1971 the inside of the church was remodeled. The organ and choir loft were moved to the rear of the church, the altar and altar rail were moved, and other changes were made.

History Of Trinity Parish

Trinity is the third oldest Episcopalian congregation in Connecticut.

In 1724, the Rev John Beach was sent to lead Newtown’s Congregational/Presbyterian Church. By that time, some Newtown residents had expressed religious dissatisfaction and petitioned the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in England for a missionary. Meanwhile, the Rev Dr Samuel Johnson had been ordained and was leading services in Stratford for the small group of Anglicans from Newtown.

During this time, Rev Beach converted to the Anglican Church, which caused considerable turmoil in town, and sailed to England to be ordained. Upon his return, he conducted his first service as rector of what was to become Trinity Parish on September 1, 1732 under a large buttonball tree at the corner of Main Street and Glover Avenue..

There is no record of the place of worship built in 1732. It is believed to have been located at the site of the first service. The wooden structure, the size of a modern garage, was assembled and roofed on a Saturday and weather-tight for worship on Sunday, although the congregation had to kneel on bare ground.

In 1752 Church of England parishioners petitioned the authorities not to have to pay taxes to help pay the Presbyterian minister’s salary and asked that the General Court grant parish privileges. At a town meeting in May, townspeople voted not to speak against the request.

In 1746, the Anglicans asked for a grant of land on the hill to the north. A town meeting was held at North schoolhouse on March 27, 1746, and permission was granted to build on the western side of the street. A new building was constructed south of the Congregational/Presbyterian Church House. It was described by Dr E. Edwards Beardsley in his history of the church in Connecticut as “a strong, neat building 46 feet long and 35 feet wide and 25 feet to the roof.”

In 1790, the members of the Church of England advised the town that they desired a new location on which to build a new church. A town meeting was held December 23, 1790 at which the town voted that the Anglicans could erect a church “where the Town House now stands, ” and that they would have to bear the expense of moving the church. In 1792, a new wooden building was erected after the Congregational Church was moved to the western side of Main Street. The old building was sold to Solomon Glover, who moved it off the highway and rented it to the town.

On June 17, 1793, it was “voted that the new church be called Trinity.”

Trinity Church was consecrated in September 1793 by the Rev Samuel Seabury, the first Episcopalian Bishop in America.

By 1866 the church building needed to be replaced. A building committee was formed. The architect was Silas Norman Beers of Newtown.

 The parish raised $23,000 to buy the homestead of Isaac Beers, located south of the old church and separated from it by a road. The town relinquished its rights to this road, and the strip of road together with the Beers homestead made ample room for the site of a new church, without disturbing the old church.

After the stone church was completed, the old building was sold at auction for $100 and torn down.

The last service in the old church was held on January 30, 1870. The final sermon, “It is the last Time,” preached by the Rev Newton E. Marble, struck sadness in the hearts of many in the well-filled church.

The first service in the new church was held in February 1870.

On September 12, 1932, Trinity commemorated its 200th anniversary with a social celebration in its Guild Rooms. There were speeches in honor of Rev Beach by bishops and neighboring clergy.

Glorious weather greeted the throng of worshippers who flocked to Trinity for its Jubilee service on Sunday, September 18, according to The Newtown Bee. The Rev Dr George T. Linsley, rector from 1890 to 1902, recalled the times of Rev Beach and his services as pastor. Trinity’s choir, under the leadership of Donald Griscom, presented a festival program of music.

In September of 1982 Trinity’s congregation celebrated the 250th year of its founding with an outdoor service at the “rock,” the site of the parish’s first service. A time capsule prepared by high school students was buried on the church grounds.

(Information for this story was gathered from Johnson’s Newtown 1705-1918 and from information submitted by Trinity Episcopal Church.)